Friday, 30 October 2015

In Studio Task, Ideas and Task 1: Practical "Find, Observe and Record"

In Studio Task and Ideas

After last years Context of Practice research and essay project, I really want to find a new topic that I can expand my knowledge on that I am really interested in. I really struggled to sink my teeth into the module last year until I searched long and hard and found the right research and supporting information in an area of my subject that interested me. This caused obvious delays and lack of motivation and I am determined to not let that happen again.


Ideas in relation to the contexts: Culture and Society and Politics

Drugs culture, medicine and politics:

-1960's "Hippie" image vs leading medical science surrounding psychedelic substances.
-Psychedelic drugs, the 1960's medical truths and the "Say No To Drugs" effect on the world and medical progression. (Incorrect propaganda to the masses for decades, money spent on the war against drugs, scaremongering vs the facts. )
-Psychedelic drugs and the effects these substances have had on artists in history

Nature
-Nature vs Nurture - Humans attempting to control and exploit nature (e.g GM crops) and the impact of this
-Nature vs nurture - Human instinct vs experience, impact of surroundings and individual choices. Environment vs Genes Vs Individual Choices.
-Nature vs Humanity - Environmental issues surrounding deforestation, over fishing and natural habitat destruction for human needs. Can be linked to other effects such as animal agriculture and pollution.
-Nature vs Over Population. Artistic reportage and publicity and how this applies to further generations and has changed society.
-David Attenborough's "Humanity is a Plague" argument vs Lord Robert Winston's "no need to worry" hit-back and IVF argument.
-Animal Agriculture and its true devastation including the UN's recent statement regarding how humanity needs to move to a vegetarian/vegan diet to improve the worlds environment.
-Animal Agriculture: Food products and the treatment of animals. Effects and truths surrounding Organic, Free-range and Halal products vs the growing switch to Vegetarianism/Veganism.
-Where Nature fights back - examples. derelict buildings etc


Resources & Notes


  • The man who says we can live to 400
The Times and The Sunday Times
Advances in medicine mean it’s time to stop fearing old age, a leading professor in longevity Read the full story

  • Demonization of marine life in movies/film….?
Whale in Pinocchio?
Jaws movie poster


  • Drug culture
Living in a world where the correct information is held back from us, and drugs that could be helping our health/mental health are still globally illegal only because the government wants to “save face” because of their crap decisions made decades ago (1960’s hippies, “say no to drugs” act and LSD ban. What would happen if drugs were legalised?

Link this to art/illustration somehow??? Art, creativity and psychedelics?


  • Street Art/Graffiti culture
Defacing private property vs freedom of speech, expression and creativity

Is urban graffiti a force for good or evil?

5 pointz?

The effect of street art/graffiti culture on society?

growing trend of guerilla artists creating non-permanent "digital graffiti" via digital projections and using the facades of building as a surface for projecting political statements and art installations.

Links:





Quotes:

that graffiti is always the enemy because it is easy to erase unlike poverty, failing schools, etc. 
I think graffiti is about making a disruptive statement in a counter-cultural manner (really like that term). Billboards happen through a "proper" social process, so I think they're more about an established form of visual communication, like Randh points out.
But In many ways graffiti culture has infiltrated our everyday lives. Graffiti has played a role in things like motion graphics and communications design. Walk into any big name advertising agency and you will meet people who have a street culture background. The creative class has basically digested spraypaint graffiti.
I'm willing to bet that Frac's examples are gang graffiti, or the shenanigans of a few underclass middle schoolers. Bear in mind though, that good things still emerge from the bottom. One day those troublemakers might be doing graphics for Fox news billboards, or study psychiatry in an attempt to understand their childhood behavior (any stats on this?)
Documentaries:

“Bomb It” Marc Ecko



This video relates to a link metal posted (ITN architects): http://vimeo.com/49149385

The Hive Graffiti Apartments by ITN Architects from ACCLAIM Magazine on Vimeo.

Meet 2011 TED Prize Winner: JR 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5MEC5MPjvg




Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Calligraphy-Beyond-Markus-Mai/dp/3899550625

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Task 1 Practical: "Find, Observe and Record"

Keeping these new ideas in mind, we were asked to head outside and get some visual reference, inspiration and photographs linked to our chosen theme. These visual references are to be used as a basis for initial drawings and visual responses in our COP visual journal.

Observational Reference Photos: