Experimental Practice
“Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible”. — M. C. Escher
This morning we had tutorials with Isiah. We spoke about what I was planning on doing for the module, why I wanted to do this, and then how I was going to create.
Asemic Writing has really become fascinating to me. Communication has and is changing at a vast rate. Emojis seems to be the choice for quick communication nearly everyone uses them over typing a long sentence.
Symbolic communication is a quick and easy, it is also a universal language for all regardless of culture, spoken language. We can cross communicate very quickly and easily with anyone all over the world. Are we returning to our pre-historic cave? Where we are comfortable is a familier environment. Life is quick paced we move at a million miles an hour. Communication we want to be seamless and instant. If we so not get a reply quickly we become agitated, alarmed and lost in our current place.
Water is an interesting space for asemic writing to form naturally, seeing the movement within water is a great substitute for seeing the spirit move inside. How our environments change have a massive effect on how we feel, and progress with our day. With the rise of anxiety should we be looking at creating calmer more stress relieving environments or an environment what we can control, as the touch of a button dependant on how we feel. Are projection glasses the way forward, projection mapping within the environment.
Various free projection mapping software,
https://heavym.net/en/software/
https://www.ceedo.com/best-projector-for-projection-mapping/
Isiah, gave some interesting thoughts about using after effects to create something called the write on effect.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk02cd9eR_xTQXyz_z4LP55y1NU0rdg%3A1613044308037&ei=VBolYJjqAc2QhbIPj-KyiA4&q=write+on+effect+after+effects&oq=write+on+effect&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgBMgQIIxAnMgIIADIHCAAQhwIQFDICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAA6BwgjELADECc6BwgAELADEEM6BwgAEEcQsAM6BggAEBYQHlCXClj8IWC7K2gBcAJ4AIABRogB6waSAQIxNJgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXrIAQrAAQE&sclient=psy-ab
So this week. I will be looking at taking photographs of water while pouring ink into it, and seeing if I can intrigrate these images with the write on effect in After Effects. The idea being that the end viewer might see the word Water for example. But the reveal will be something different like the word spirit. There will actually never be any literal words, this is really important for the experiment to work. The work has to be read by intuition alone.
Below is my first experimental animated asemic type, created in Adobe After Effects. The Graphic was transposed from calligraphy on glass during last terms Creative Identity Module. Using only the centre portion of Calligraphy on glass. After Effects was a brand new animating software for me to understand. I had absolutely no former knowledge but I had a realisation that animation is one aspect of my professional practice I would like to be able to understand and utilise for the future.
Asemic Writing would be exciting to be able to be viewed from different angles, and perspectives as it brings a whole new instruction to the brain to engage with the visual. Digital animation is an area of practice I need to work on and understand fr the future. Particularly visual graphics, and kinetic typography.
With my developmental interest in Asemic Writing it's essential that I can use all platforms to access new possibilities.
As a conceptually sound creative, I have always had the ability to think outside of the box on most occasions my worry with not being able to utilise animation software used in todays industry is a concern as it limits me in terms of creation and possibilities, but it also limits me in terms of professional development and future.
Wanting to teach, and create graphics, and communication, essentially it was a leap of faith into After Effects, the first week was frustrating and at 47 years old I thought this is it I have reached my potential I am trying to move into an area I felt uneasy in it was actually upsetting and bewildering at times.
It took me at least two weeks to grasp the basics of the software and a further couple of weeks to successfully produce some animation. The key was to just work through the basics, not matter how many times, and hours it took. If I needed to go over it again I did. I also allowed myself to just play with the software without having any pressure to produce, working through its interfaces and tools. at a pace suitable to me.
I can confidently say that the foundations are now there with After Effects and I feel elevated to know that I can sit down and animate.
^ Above Image - After effects Asemic Animation
^ Image above - Projection of Asemic Writing into the outside environment. This projection was onto a broken down footpath.
This week has seen developments in the experiments using the portable projector outside. Projections were used again from Calligraphy produced on glass, and also digital layouts which are now in production for the Creative Concept Module. Projection onto natural objects gave a different perspective to viewing through a computer, and also from viewing through glass. Perspective was changed by angle, depth of texture of which the projection dependant on the surface of the object the projected light sits on giving a 3D effect.
^ Image above - Projection of Asemic Writing into the outside environment. This projection was onto a wooden gate post, the effect produced was pleasing in the way the light accessed broken and uneven surface. To change the spatial placement of the light was revealed in these experiments. It promoted depth, and contrast in its interaction with the broken down elements of the chosen subject.
^ Image above and below - Projection of Asemic Writing into the human form. It seemed natural to want to use the asemic projection onto the surface of the human. Communication comes from us as a voice, but it also is shared by the clothes we wear, our gesture, body language and physical approach with the world. We assess people on their aesthetic qualities. The changing of these qualities appears naturally in everyone of us and some can change on a daily basis. To project communication onto the human form, almost Camouflaged these physical and personal aesthetics. There was a moment where I had a thought of projection of the asemic writing onto the human tongue, but the tongue is only the vocal part of communication and not the whole. Our identities and the way we communicate runs through every aspect of the human.
Today saw an online tutorial with Isaiah on Aftereffects using Alpha Channels to bring in graphics created in external software applications like Photoshop. Next steps are to produce some flowing asemic calligraphy that will be used in the digital animation with the video of the ink.
Todays tutorial was discussion with Isaiah about the progression on the asemic writing animation in After Effects. This past week I have been experimenting with various handmade calligraphy tools, one being made from an old credit card. Discovering new strokes with these raw tools saw the calligraphy become more block like and varying in stroke strength. The only issue was holding enough ink, and having to refill the handmade pen frequently.
^ Image above - Manipulation of a credit card to create a new calligraphic tool for production.
^ Image above - Strokes created by the credit card manipulation.
^ Image above - Calligraphy used by Chinese calligraphy brushes.
"The color gold is the color of success, achievement and triumph. ... At the uppermost level, this is a color which is associated with higher ideals, wisdom, understanding and enlightenment. It inspires knowledge, spirituality and a deep understanding of the self and the soul." The quote used above is taken from a Google translation of the meaning of the colour gold.
^ Image above - Calligraphy used by Chinese calligraphy brushes.
^ Image above - Calligraphy used by Chinese calligraphy brushes.
^ Image above - Calligraphy used by Chinese calligraphy brushes.
^ Image above - Calligraphy used by Chinese calligraphy brushes, and the manipulated credit card.
^ Image above - Calligraphy used by Chinese calligraphy brushes, and the manipulated credit card.
Final After Effects Ink and water Animation with handcrafted Asemic Text
The calligraphy produced was more symbol like in appearance this was not purposely constructed, but more of a collision caused by the way I had cut the credit card to produce the strokes. The artwork was scanned in at 300dpi to maintain a high quality, changed in colour in Photoshop to the same colour blue of the ink from the video. Once imported into the video I began to transcend the symbols into a sequence where it naturally followed the pathways of the ink. I also got the symbols to interlink and rotate and interlock with one another.
^ Ink and symbol animation - Created in After Effects. With use of Ink and Water.
^ Above Image - After creating asemic calligraphy I decided to manipulate the text in photoshop to give change to form and shape and produce digital experimentation, this piece was printed onto the acetates and is a focus through the experiments.
“Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light”
― Plato , The Allegory of the Cave
Connecting the artist to nature
Seeing and creating a connection to our world, via art and nature that uses our creativity and utilises the environments around us to create a connection is something that draws us in visually, not only on a level of imagination but it also portrays human messages of how we view, and interact on a personal level with the world around us, each artists creating its own unique message the need to connect with nature through the spirit, emotion and link to themselves and nature, to merge with it, and for our personal emotions to connect with it and create a physical link. Increasing the beauty of our incredible world by adding an extra layer of communication, that goes deeper than just the surface. For my experiments I have been installing the hand crafted asemic writing and installing in in nature, creating communication via the interaction of light, and the natural environment, allowing it to blend and fuse and then to be read by the human in a personal and physically interactive way. Not in a studio environment, but with the outside environment with the movement of light, wildlife, sound, and textures of the world.
Andy Goldsworthy. Video Sourced from You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DjCMqtJr0Q
'We Share a Connection with Stone' | TateShots
Michael Heizer - Video Sourced from You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVRgwEQX3zs
Land Art: Celebrating the work of Michael Heizer, Robert Smithson and Walter De Maria
Was one of the first Artists to create Land Art, he created a piece that was constructed in the Nevada Dessert “Double Negative. It was created frfrom 1,500-foot-long trench, formed from the natural placement of rocks on the dessert landscape. There were two manmade trenches with circled the naturally formed rocks which were inserted as negative space, one man made and one that had happened naturally within nature. Heizer added the negative space into this piece as he saw this as the real thing of beauty, to see what was not there and to add it with the abstractly formed rocks. Heizer became a promoter of public art in the natural landscape, art combined with nature. Of man made art, with the naturally manifested beauty of the world around us. The link between the two in a physical, and emotional way.
Tate Modern Museum, London
Adding light to an environment can be the added essence that is needed to create a flow, a connection, this example shows how the architecture within the Tate Modern has been designed to introduce a cascade of light into the space. Long vertical windows stretching up and reaching towards the heavens. Throwing long beams of light in vertical linage along the floor, providing a difference between light and shade. Image Sourced from - https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/
The Cologne Cathedral, Köln, Germany
This example of how stained glass steams through the windows into the grey walls of the church, it creates a calm relaxed environment, and the spectrum of colour increase visual interest and clarity. It creates a spiritual presence, collecting the natural daylight and utilising it during the course of the day and its natural presence and passage of time from day to night. Changing the created castes shadows every hour and second of the day. IImage source - Gerhard Richter. - https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/
The Following article relates to the experimentation of Lucio Fontana, ”
The artist, Lucio Fontana excelled in experimental practice, pushing the boundaries and dimensions of objects and art and questioning traditional structures used. In 1949, Fontana began punching holes through canvas, developing his concept of creating 3D space and spacial difference this can be seen inches work Tagli (cuts) and Holes series. The works in the series feature one or more cuts that are not performed for destruction, but rather for creation, which the artist expressed in this statement: “…I made holes in order to discover, to find the cosmos of an unknown dimension.” Quote taken from (The Role of Experimentation in Art and Science, 2021)
Lucio Fontana was responsible for the evolution of the Spatialism Movement, in Milan (1947). This type of Art synthesises colour, sound, space, movement, and time and principle of science, television and neon lighting.The following quote by Fontana really caught the imagination of the processes I was utilising and creating in the experiment.
Like the experimental work of Fontana, there were similarities with the work I was creating. The want to integrate work into the environment, the changing of spatial elements and objects changing them in form, perspective and abstraction. To change the form of the original art in some way that it blends and works around the space occupied.
Asemic art has been printed onto pieces of A1 acetate, next phase experimentation was to see the application of this in nature, to capture natural, and direct light source from a flash gun. To assess how the light worked with the acetate.
The second experiment of application of the acetate and light were not as successful as I would have liked them to be. It has been very cold and the acetate formed a layer of condensation not allowing the light to flow through the pieces and direct the light in a projective way. Also it was established that in order to get a more sculptured asemic form the acetate would need to be manipulated more in form. Next phase experimentation will see the form being constructed from acetate and some application of natural strengthening like branches from trees, or it may become circular, dependant on placement on the forest floor or if it is hung from some height. Once They were layered however and hung onto the wooden structure the sunlight, and surrounding environment became bonded together. The following experiments were more successful and because the acetate has a shiny layer the refection from the trees, sky, and forest were beautiful and the fusion worked dual interaction took place the impression of the forest onto the acetate via shadows, sunlight and diffusion through the leaves and branches of the forest, and the light from the Acetate into the environment. Finally the last experiment was to create an asemic writing sculpture, the evidence of the layering, and juxtaposition of the asemic writing caused a very immersion light could be centrally positioned and varied depend on exposure. Varying angles on the asemic slices would cause diffraction of light.
Image Above - Asemic Writing on acetate. Photographed at night to allow light to filter into the environment. Lighting was not diffusing correctly through the flat surface, which led to the further experimentation to create a 3D layered structure in the form of an asemic sculpture. By the cutting out and removal of all of the asemic writing elements. This would be key to the condensing of the writing, to further the abstraction of the writing and fuse the elements together. Extra lighting allowed the branches, and leaves to become exaggerated and cast large shadows through the work.
Image Above - Asemic Writing on acetate.
Image Above - Asemic Writing on acetate.
Image Above - Asemic Writing on acetate.
The application of the acetate and light were not as successful as I would have liked them to be. It has been very cold and the acetate formed a layer of condensation not allowing the light to flow through the pieces and direct the light in a projective way. Also it was established that in order to get a more sculptured asemic form the acetate would need to be manipulated more in form. Next phase experimentation will see the form being constructed from acetate and some application of natural strengthening like branches from trees, or it may become circular, dependant on placement on the forest floor or if it is hung from some height.
Above Image Time-Lapse Video against glass, mid afternoon (3pm)
The next phase of experimentation, saw the construction of a wooden frame so that I could layer the acetate and then expose it to the natural light. I chose the mid afternoon as the sun was getting to it's lowest in the sky, and it was not as bright in contrast so the diffusion through the acetate would be more balanced in sectional areas of the art work, as I had discovered in the previous experiment the light was much to bright and washed away areas of the asemic writing. The following experiments were more successful and because the acetate has a shiny layer the refection from the trees, sky, and forest were beautiful and the fusion had started to become more pleasing.
Human perspective and illusion were so important to the experimentation, also finding a way to stimulate the viewers senses, engage them, stimulate and kick start a chain reaction.
^ Above Image - To generate a different perspective of light, and an immersive experience, an exchange and bond with environment and art. The wooden frame was hung to capture low light in the afternoon.
Third Phase. - Sculpture
The third and final phase of the experiment will be the construction of an asemic sculpture.
Above Image - Sectional of the inside of the acetate. The contortion of the asemic writing and light blending in a pleasing and fusing way. Personally this became one of the most immersive pieces in the experiments, the warping of light, and perspective created a vortex like appearance.
Preperation/making of the Asemic Sculpture.
^ Above Images - Preperation/making of the Asemic Sculpture.
During the last two weeks of the module the weather took an unfortunate turn for the worst. The idea was to be able to take the sculpture to the same woodland where we had hung the acetates and be able to photograph/video with the Sony A7 iii. Torrential rain did not allow, so I improvised and shot some video via iphone in the absolutely pouring rain in the garden at home. The rain actually helped with the sculpture on this last and final experiment of the experimental practice module. It changed the acetate and almost brought it to life with the extra movement of water running across and down every angle of the sculpture. It seemed ironic that the experiment started with water and ended with water on the sculpture. One thing is in all of the external experiments weather controlled the outcome. Condensation, cold, wind, and heavy showers. But each in their own unique way brought these experiments to life, and added a physical, and human element to the research undertaken. And in these adverse conditions reconcile the artist with the creation, the human with the external environment, and the art with the physical environment. The bringing together all of these elements was where the experiments started out, and in the conclusion they were joined via nature in the collaboration of earth, water, air wind and of course artist.
^ Above Images - Final experiment Asemic Sculpture with light.
^ Above Images - Final experiment Asemic Sculpture with light.
^ Above Images - Asemic Sculpture with light.
^ Above Images - Asemic Sculpture with light.
