Alter Ego

Myself admiring work in the AMNH

I have always felt the pull between Science and Art; in particular biology. When I was studying for my GCSE’s I discovered by academic ability and my interest of a career in biology. However, my love for creating was larger than my love for research, and thus, I didn’t want to dismiss that part of me. Following a career in art allows me to delve into science, be creative and to research; therefore I do not doubt my current path. However I do often question the ‘what if’s, and so my alter ego is me, perhaps in an alternative universe, where I followed my scientific path. 

I began by giving my alter ego a different upbringing. One where she (I) would be exposed the the world of life and science as opposed to my life, which in reality made me feel more doubtful of my abilities, and also the paranoia of either failing or being isolated from others around me, due to have an over ambitious dream that it’s unconventional from the mundane day to day life of my surroundings.

At the time, art seemed to be more achievable for me personally, as it was a subject where my abilities were evident and no one would question; where as science was a field where I felt that I always had to prove myself, despite my intellect. Being a female from Essex made me have to prove that I had my own brain, as opposed to it being an accepted that everyone is ‘smart’ unless proven otherwise. 

However, my alter ego had not been faced with these challenges. She (I) grew up in South Africa, out
 in the veld, further from the rules and prejudice of society. Her (my) mum was healthy, with no disabilities or dependance on me, and lived her dream life of being an interior designer for upper class families while her (my) dad actually existed, as a South African veterinary surgeon (my mum in real life was ecstatic to hear this!). Due to her (my) dad having a biological background in animal biology it would enable the science pull to be much greater, as it would feel more achievable. 

“I, Sophia Sargeant, the vertebrate zoologist specialising in mammalogy, have connections with the science department at UCL (and thus the Grant Museum of Zoology) and am currently on assignment at the American Museum of Natural History. I am using the specimens and facilities accessible to me, to my advantage in order to hypothesise the speculative evolution of mammals as a response to the tectonic plate dynamics and climate alteration. 

I have accumulated valid research from palaeontologists, geologists and climatologists in order to credit my theories. In order to help other researchers within my field I have published a research journal with American Museum of Natural History Publications under my sponsors, UCL. Accompanying this research, I have utilised my illustration skills (influenced by my mum career of interior design) to provide a more visual understanding of my findings. 

As a media marketing tactic, my sponsors at UCL have invited me to share my knowledge and research with some of their students at the Grant Museum of Zoology. This conference/lecture has been approved and funded by the American Museum of Natural History as a support to influencing and encouraging other students and researchers.

As I travel between London, New York and South Africa, many people are interested in my works, and thus I am aware that not everyone who would like to would be in attendance at my conference, therefore as a twenty-something female myself, I have utilised the youth culture to my advantage; and so I have shared the audio from my conference on Spotify so as to not limit knowledge. I want knowledge to be accessible everywhere and I am using my impressive age as an advantage and an edge, as opposed to ‘immaturity’ or ‘inexperience’. “

Back to Sophia Sargeant, the designer: I initially intended to print my research as a traditional, 18th century scientific research journal, with scientific illustrations, as I feel like science is quite a traditional subject. However upon further thought, I decided against this, as I am speculating the future, and thus my designs should reflect futuristic minimalism with no elaborate gold foil, just minimalist, reductive and straight to the point with no ‘waffle’. I am also using my age as an advantage within this field, and not a cause for others to de-credit me, therefore the works that I product should be fresh and modern to reflect that aspect of my personality. 

Referencing existing mammalogy and scientific books from the library, I settled on a serif-type as I did still want the aesthetic of a research journal, but with a modern twist. I chose Caslon typeface for it’s old-style classification and also to hint back to the 18th century, and its traditional English feel, as ‘I’ am working with UCL Grant Museum of Zoology. 

Often, if the traditional science books, Italics and Bold styles are often used. I applied the same rules to my own journal, to categorise information and to help make it more digestible and distinguished. Aesthetically, it also helped the type to be true to it’s scientific content. 

I selected books that included scientific illustrations as this was something that I knew I wanted to incorporate from the start, in order to bring myself and my alter ego together. Using these as inspiration, I demonstrated a lot of my research/essays using illustrative ‘figures’ to help the understanding of the dense information, and to also emphasise the graphic content and reference of 18th century research. 

Alignment and composition of text altered depending on the published date of the books, and also the dimensions. If the books were smaller, text would often run from the left to the right (like a novel) with no columns while larger books demonstrated columns. When I originally intended to produce a traditional book, I considered using smaller dimensions with the text running on full lines; however when I opted for a more modern approach, I decided that I would print on A4 paper in order to be truthful, upfront and direct. Thus, I used columns to structure my dense texts as I wanted the information to be more digestible. By using columns it’s more true to my time period, as magazines and modern medias use more narrow widths for their sentences and often columns. To also make the text easier to absorb, my ‘essays’ are divided in chapters, that do not span over a single page. Making the information quite direct. 

As a test, I printed the journal on standard A4 copier paper; however the bold typography and darker elements such as biological finger prints (which are my own, to emphasise my identity and relationship with biology) were visible when printed on both sides of one sheet, as the paper weight was too low. I still wanted the journal to have this ‘unpublished’ raw quality to it, thus I didn’t want to use anything too flashy like glossy magazine paper etc. Instead, I tore sheets from a drawing pad (180gsm) which had a slight texture, increased weight and slight off-white stain. I printed each side individually, feeding each sheet through the printer twice (once per side) in order to compensate for my unconventional choice of printing paper. Due to the paper’s intention originally being for art, the paper absorbed the printers ink and actually made the black typography and lines bleed slightly, giving it a softer effect. I am really happy with this, as I did not anticipate for this to happen, however it has given the journal a more old-style aesthetic (almost like letterpress) as the type isn’t as sharp as it would appear on typical printer paper. The off-white paper also emphasises this, as most old books have stained pages, while mine has more of a modern infusion. 

By the paper being thicker/heavier in weight, and having a slight texture, it gives a sense of quality, durability and professionalism. Psychologically the texture and fabric-feel to the paper makes it inviting to touch and feel. 

As a way of being modern, reductive and direct I bound the research using 2-piece filing clips. The clips give a modern undertone, while also being suitable for researchers and students, as much like a folder, it enables others to add their research or notes to the journal or to remove things. It helps the journal to be customisable and malleable - just like theories and hypothesis as they are not finalised, definitive facts. 

The mammal illustrations were drawn using a 2b pencil, as I didn’t want the shading to be too soft and and smoothly blended. I wanted a more sketchy spirit which was inspired by some pencil illustrations that I admired on my trip to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. By being influenced by works that already existed in a museum environment helped my illustrations to be more suitable for their nature. Using a HB pencil would have been too hard, and I did still want some variations of tone to be visible; hence the 2b. Each animal also has applicable names, as I researched  the scientific names for their current genus, and then created a hybrid between the names. I also confirmed the Etymology so that the names would be suitable. 

As myself and my alter ego are more comfortable around animals and small crowds rather than masses of humans, a large conference or lecture would have been inappropriate and also inconceivable, as I would have been less articulate and confident. Thus I recorded the audio from my ‘conference’ and shared this on Spotify, as by being a similar age to my audience, I wanted to utilise the youth culture to my advantage by giving my alter ego a modern and current ‘edge’. I felt that my alter ego would be able to relate to her student audience, and thus by sharing the information on social media, it would be perfectly interactive and youthful way to do that, which would be very different to other professors. 

To make the conference and my alter ego more credible, I designed and produced an ID card that would give ‘Dr. Sophia Sargeant’ entry to the Grant Museum of Zoology on the day of the lecture, that has been stamped and approved by the American Museum of Natural History. As the ID would have been issues by the Grant Museum (owned by UCL), I branded the card by researching identification cards for the students at UCL. I used the banner and logo for UCL’s Department of Earth Sciences (which conveniently was green) to brand the card, while using helvetica as the type for my name. This keeps the information legible and modern. I printed the date and timestamp of the even in courier as I wanted the aura of a museum entry ticket that often has a typewriter nature. 

I finally ‘laminated’ the card by folding a sheet of acetate around it, and used a bulldog clip instead of a lanyard, as I didn’t want the ID to appear as a student card, but more of a sophisticated, visiting lecturer badge. The bulldog clip also helps to give the same direct approach as the 1-piece clip used on the journal. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this project. It was interesting to jump into a different part of me, and to wholly experience that imaginative side of what could’ve been. It helped to open up a part of me that I felt I often suppress in the art world, which is my love for information, research and knowledge; and I now hope to infuse these elements more in my future works. I often take a lot of self-initiated trips to natural history museums as a hobby, and it was enjoyable to be able to implement those inspirations within my work. I personally would love to have had longer on this project, to see what else I could learn, discover and achieve; as all of the research that is included in ‘my’ journal, is actually my own research and writing which proves that I could also be this person. This project has also opened up questions and queries within me, as I am now interested in more ‘scientific’ MA courses, instead of just design. Maybe I could find a role in the future where I can be both myself, and my alter ego? 

Mapping/Coordination

Structural engineers and architects inspired me during my creative response to the coordinations of Greenwich Foot Tunnel.

The mathematical dimensions and technical drawings that feature on blue prints and initial structure designs appealed to me, as upon researching my assigned coordinate I was most interested in the measurements of the tunnel. I discovered the length, width and depth of the tunnel; but also the radius which assisted me when working out the area using π. I could also work out the diameter from this measurement and furthermore the circumference.

I decided to create an infographic that communicates these calculations and well as other information obtained from my research.

Visually, I created an X-ray view of the tunnel, the two entrances and the Thames. Giving you geographical information and also a visual depiction of how the tunnel was built - answering questions such as: how do they build tunnels under the River Thames? (They actually build under the sturdy river bed, not the water). 

I opted for a technical drawing as I wanted my infographic to be clear and legible, while blueprint influences help to give a architectural and structural atmosphere. I initially intended to print my design following the traditional blueprint methods, however stereotypical blueprint(ers) expired in the late 1900’s due to new technologies such as an inkjet printer. Blueprints are now actually whiteprints, and are printed in the way that we

know it today - hence how I have proceeded to finalise my outcome. To aid the effect, my print has to be unrolled, and corners weighted in order to see the design. Making the spectator physically unroll the piece, and embedding it with the desired atmosphere.


Update: I have since expanded this idea by create a tripdict, illustrating Greenwich, Rotherhithe and Woolwich foot tunnels. I have two versions of each: hand lettering and also versions simulating a typewriter.

Quoteth | Final Design

I began by researching designs from the 1920s-1950’s; I focussed on telephone directories, tabacco packaging/advertising and also newspaper prints as I feel that these items summaries Onassis’ life. He wouldn’t have made his first million without working at the telephone company, nor would he have made his name and fame amongst the elites, if it wasn’t for the newspapers exposing his relationships with numerous upper-class, women. The cigarette company that he built, Osman, also helped him to establish himself as a business man before moving onto the shipping industry. The aesthetics of my final works, are a strong reflection of this research. 

A common theme I noticed within early 1900 designs (the era of Onassis himself), was that multiple typefaces and styles were combined to create one typographic piece, as nineteenth century advertising typography features all the display types at a printer’s disposal. 

For the quote, Bell Gothic was used, a typeface that was created by Chauncey H. Griffith in the 1938 for legibility within the phone directories (comissioned by AT&T). This typeface was also utilised within newspaper print. I feel that this type has a lot of references to Onassis, as he too, began working with telephones, and soon found himself featured in newspapers (including the Daily News, NYC). I chose to use a bold weight as this was often used to increase the legibility of the type as it helped to counteract the characters breaking apart when being printed at a high speed with the lino type machine, so I wanted to be true to the intentions of the type. By stylising the font in bold, I feel that it reflects Onassis well, as he must have been a bold and influential man, with a lot of self belief in order to feign wealth in order to socialise with elites.

A popular 19th century vernacular was Clarendon/Ionic types. I decided to use Clarendon Condensed Bold for ‘ONASSIS’ in order to replicate a newspaper headline. By condensing the type, I replicated the print headers from the 1900’s, as well as through the use of uppercase letters; the narrow letterforms are also typical for late 19th century/early 20th century, making the type applicable when representing Onassis, as he would have often been printed in a similar typeface. By using a bold weight, I am also emphasising his name and importance as the artwork, after all, revolves entirely around him.

I chose Baskerville for the masthead, as I was inspired by the Daily News 1968 feature, that exposed Jackie Kennedy and Onassis. I couldn’t find the exact type, but know that I would be looking towards fonts similar to the Didone family, thus I turned towards Baskerville for its fame within newsprint.  The high thick to thin, gradual contrast, juxtaposes the heavy square to square aspect of Bell Gothic; keeping my piece true to that of the early 20th century by combining and juxtaposing multiple typefaces. 

The pt size is dependant on the information hierarchy, while also being suitable depending on the copy. For example ‘didn’t exist’ is in a much smaller pt size than the rest of the quote, as I wanted it to appear more minuscule as though the phrase itself almost didn’t exist. I also inverted ‘no meaning’ and surround the copy with a black rectangle (typical within 1930’s advertising) to balance the piece against the heavy pt for ‘ONASSIS’ and to also surround ‘no meaning’ with darkness, to enhance nothingness. The text is also justified, as this is the conventional way of setting copy for print since c.1450 and is common for 1900’s newsprints.

Update: Screen printed Handkerchief

Quoteth

About Onassis 

Upon researching Aristotle Onassis, I discovered that he was born in Turkey, to his father whom owned a company selling tobacco. Onassis refused to be lower-class, and so with only $250 strapped to his leg, he migrated to Argentina in the 1920's. 

While in Argentina, Onassis worked at a telephone company, listening to business calls between New York and London, using this information as his way to earn his first million. At night, Onassis would listen to these calls and with the acquired information, would invest. Through his success he was then able to purchase expensive suits and invite himself to rich events, where he would socialise with the elite women. Onassis made a name for himself through dating various wealthy, well known women, and after making that first million, expanded his fathers tabacco company by finding a hole within the cigarette industry, and exploiting it. He created two cigarette brands, including Osman, and marketed these products at women. 

Following this success, Onassis purchased a number of ships, (knowledge that he adopted from his ex's father) and soon became known as one of the most famous shipping magnates. He later went on to marry Jackie Kennedy, JF Kennedy's widow. 

Understanding of the quote

"If women didn't exist, then a world without money would have no meaning"

At first, I wasn't sure if this statement was degrading women or praising them. My into all analysis of this quote before research was that Onassis was saying: money is used to shower/spoil women (all women are 'gold diggers'), money is used to protect and provide for women (they are unable to do this for themselves), without money mean do not need to focus on social status (women are only impressed and focused on money).

However, after vigorous research, I have concluded that Onassis dated wealthier women than himself, whom were born into upper-class families, whereas Onassis was born lower-class and cheated his way up, through his admirable business mind and false-emitted ego; essentially making the women a higher status to himself, and not giving Onassis the right to degrade them, but to in fact admire them.

I do think that Onassis admired and appreciated women, as he was a playboy but to women who were willing to play along - today this would be a little unconventional, but it was the 1920's/30's after all. 

Onassis also targeted his tobacco company at women; as he knew that women were the ones who bring the items into the house (whether it was the husbands money or not). Women were the household consumers, and also the  focus of a lot of 1920/30's publicity so he understood the importance that women held within consumerism. 

Thus, I no longer consider the quote to be sexist. I believe that he understood women's role and power within consumerism, publicity and social status and so he used that to his advantage. Without women, Onassis wouldn't have made millions. So without women, the little money he originally had would mean nothing. His fame and wealth, is thanks to the female gender. 

Ideas

My first thoughts for my typographic piece is to focus on type that narrate aspects of Onassis life. 

As Onassis was Greek, I discovered that the currency during his peak would have been the Third Modern Drachma. I briefly explored using a Greek type similar to that embedded on the Drachma, to communicate the wealth behind the quote. I also tried embedding 'no meaning' and making it quite discrete and empty; giving the phrase in fact, no meaning. I also tried to replicate this idea by incorporating a lot of negative space as emphasise the lack of meaning. 

I feel like this idea currently appears to be too weak, as by focussing on money, the piece is quite impersonal to Onassis, which isn't what I am looking for, while it also feels too contemporary.

My first design |  S.Sargeant ©

My first design |  S.Sargeant ©

I then had the idea of focussing on tobacco packaging/branding/marketing, seeing if I could gain inspiration from the typeface, composition and colour scheme.  I researched Onassis's own brand, Osman, as I wanted to be true to his narrative, and not to make the mistake of absorbing inspiration from an entirely juxtaposing tabacco brand. There wasn't much research visually to find about Osman. I had to idea of extracting the text from the package that I could find, and then hand drawing lettering to enhance the vintage feel. However, as some of the letters were missing from the packaging (such as F and X) I would have to improvise the font. I haven't developed on this idea as I discovered a new idea that has slightly more depth, however if this new idea doesn't work, then I will experiment with this one.

My new and most recent idea, is to focus on 1920's telephone directories. As Onassis would not have even had a taste of the life that he created without the telephone company, I feel that this is possibly the most important milestone within his life. I also feel that there is more information and depth within this area, as there are lots of typographers, print designs etc. that emerged during this area (including the typeface used for the numbers on the phone dials, the telephone directories etc.). I also discovered Bell Gothic font. A typeface that was created in the 20's for readability within the phone directories. This typeface was then utilised within newspaper print. I feel that this type has a lot of references to Onassis, as he too, began working with telephones, and soon found himself in all of the newspapers. By stylising the font in bold, I feel that it reflects Onassis well, as he must have been a bold and influential man, with a lot of self believe in order to feign wealth in order to socialise with elites. 

Developing this idea, I am thinking of using Bell Gothic Bold and rendering a typographic newspaper/telephone directory using the quote. I may also use calligraphy to state his name on a decorative fashion, as vintage print works would have at the top.

"I am a woman." | BrandNew part 2

Being a woman isn't considered a selling point within society. Being a woman myself, I often feel like I have to go the extra mile to prove myself beyond my aesthetics. I feel as though I am judged, and automatically presumed to be a tart or an air head, just for being a woman who expresses herself through her appearance. Of course, neither of these presumptions are true, and beyond my exterior I am so much more than what society labels me as. Yes I am a woman. And yes I am strong, independent, self-motivated, masculine and feminine; amongst other things.

I decided that my USP (unique selling point) is the fact that I do not conform to societies view of what a woman should be, and that being a woman shouldn't be a negative thing, as we are so much more.

Personally, I am fed up with having to explain myself and feeling guilty for enjoying feminine things. Why have I considered creating work hinting towards fashion a taboo? If that is my calling, then I should be allowed to explore that discipline without feeling guilty or being ashamed. Unfortunately, I have been told to feel just that.

As a personal response to this, I redesigned a Victoria Secret Pink bag. The original bag is a girly pink with white polkadots, that suggests that their consumers are girly, cute and fun. I chose this bag, as I wanted to show that women can be those things along with other characteristics that may not be considered appropriate for a female to have, and that there is more to us then our sexuality.

I chose to create a stencil to print the type onto the bag, as another one of my selling points is that I can create works by hand, and on the computer, as I often merge the division between Fine Art and Graphic Design. By stencilling the type with paint, the irregular print stimulates a stamp; I feel that this is appropriate as society 'stamps' and 'labels' women negatively.


I kept the exterior quite feminine but included masculine features such as the bold typography and the dominant use of black. However, inside it shows that I am internally more than just a 'woman', by clearly listing all of the reasons why through language.

Throughout this project I was highly inspired by the HeforShe campaign and the Guerrilla Girls - what they stand for as well as their branding/aesthetics. Both groups utilise a lot of text within their visuals to communicate facts and I feel like I wanted to take inspiration from that.

I used a lot of black, the HeforShe colour scheme and also the exposed pink from the VS bag, as I enjoyed having a shared masculine and feminine identity; while I also used bold, sans serif text.
I wanted the type to be quite masculine to juxtapose the femininity of the bag.

Overall I am quite happy with the final outcome.
It communicates that I am proud to be a woman and that it shouldn't been considered a negative as I can be both masculine and feminine, while exhibiting a variety of skills and unique selling points that I do not feel are specific to either gender. Unfortunately society likes to group and separate appropriate normalities for each sex, but I am proud to say that I do not conform to these stereotypes. This is my selling point.


Things that went wrong:
I didn't consider that the counters within the type would disappear when cutting out the stencil. 
The paint came out more red than blue-toned pink when it dried. 
The 'pink' paint left strong brush strokes and uneven coverage. 
I would like to recreate this by scanning in hand made elements and then finally creating the template digitally and printing professionally. 

Update: Since creating this bag, I have rendered a second version digitally and professionally printed the net in order to create a more 'professional' finish. I also embroidered feminine, lace knickers with the words inside of the bags to echo my concept. The embroidery machine would not stitch directly to the lace, thus I had to stitch the type onto another fabric, manual cut around each character and then hand stitch those onto the underwear. Almost all of these failed, expect for one: Woman.

Responding to the brief 'BrandNew'

"Is there such a thing as a new idea, to think independently and creatively? Is there really such a thing as originality?"


There is no such thing as a new idea but there is such thing as originality. If you recycle old materials, things that exist, to create a new product, then you are just recycling existing items. For example, you can not create new energy. Energy exists and is already 'there'. Yes, you can transfer energy from potential to kinetic energy, but you are not creating something new; just transferring it.


Items, materials, ideas etc. already exist; if they didn't then you wouldn't have anything to create something from - thus, you are only transferring or recycling existing items into something else but not something new.

On the other hand, originality does exist. As I mentioned, there is no such thing as a new idea; however there is such thing as originality. Originality exists in the form of moments. There are an infinite number of moments and possibilities but each one, are original. Not one single moment can ever be restored; if you were to recreate a moment, then that is all it is, a recreation - not the exact moment. Therefore moments, are in fact, original. 


At first I struggled with how to express this ideology. To create an 'original' final piece or product, as like I mentioned, would be impossible, as I would just psychologically be abstracting or merging images or things that I have encountered before, making it just a transferred idea. So I knew that the product itself couldn't be the focus of my ideology, the idea itself would need the be the outcome. After a lot of thought and research, I came across the idea of 'Conceptual Art', where the 'idea or concept is more important than the final product, if such exists'. 

I found everything that I needed in order to inform my knowledge of Conceptual Art within the Tate's glossary of art terms. Here I found out what the movement really meant, and examples of artists along with their works. I decided that I wanted to create an interactive piece, where I am actually creating unique moments, that could never be recreated. 

As a designer, on a Graphic Design course, I knew that the pure concept in it's Fine Art form would not be enough. Whatever the 'product' was going to be, it needed to be clean, and minimal as this would not be the final outcome, the idea behind it would be. As I enjoy writing and consider it the perfect way to collate my thoughts, I wanted to incorporate language/typography into my piece and I particularly enjoyed Joseph Kosuth's 'Clock (One and Five), English/Latin Version 1965,1997.' and John Baldessari's 'The Pencil Story'.

I wanted to exaggerate the idea that ideas are not original and nor are products, so I chose a direct source of product inspiration: a sample pack of business cards from Moo. The idea of doing this was also inspired by Marcel Duchamp and his use of ready made objects. Using the dimensions of Moo's 'Original Minicard', I decided that I wanted to type 'This is a moment.' on one side, and ask the public to write the same on the back. I would then have a collection of captured moments, by creating original moments.

I chose to use a sans serif font, as I wanted something eligible and aesthetically simple to juxtapose the complex concept, and not stylised. Helvetica was the winning typeface, as the font emerged within the same era as Concept Art, thus I thought that it would be fitting.
I like the use of the full stop as it makes you pause, preserving the original moment for just a fraction of a second longer. It's small, quiet and subtle. 
If I had more time, I would like to have gone out to more public places, and asked a wider audience to interact while recording the process. Overall I am happy with my idea, as Conceptual Art is something that I had never indulged in, and I enjoyed challenging the excepted methods and practices of the traditional design process. 

Understanding the brief 'BrandNew'

"Is there such a thing as a new idea, to think independently and creatively? Is there really such a thing as originality?"

No. Personally I do not believe that originality exists. If you recycle old materials, things that exist, to create something new, is that really creating something new or just recycling existing items? For example, you can not create new energy. Energy exists and is already there, for example you can transfer energy from potential to kinetic energy, but you are not creating something original; just transferring energy.

I feel like that ideology can be applied anywhere. Items, materials, ideas etc. already exist; if they didn't then you wouldn't have anything to create something from - thus, you are only transferring or recycling existing items into something 'new' but not something original.

With this idea in mind, I am going to create a product that represents my conclusion.
Through research, I am interested to see if my belief changes, or if I still feel the same way at the close of the project. I currently have no idea how I am going to respond to this in terms of outcome, so I am excited to see what my mind comes up with! Through influences of existing things of course.

Jumble of my thoughts in my brain that possibly make zero sense to the outer world (welcome to the interior of my mind):

- Original elements that EVERYTHING is made up of.
   Metaphorical Representation: Earth, wind, fire, air.
   Metaphorical Representation: Earths structure: core, mantle, crust.
   Atoms.
-Maybe I could focus on the idea of everything being transferred from one existence (physical or otherwise) to another.
-Maybe if it came from another galaxy. It would be new and original to Earth, but not original in terms of the universe.
-Is this philosophy? looking at the outer world? Science, astronomy, psychology.
-Our minds subconsciously absorb everything, so all thoughts, ideas and images are just a reinvention or abstracted version of something that you have previously experienced. While to physically create something, you are just transferring or recycling existing atoms into a different form.
-Create something that displays all of the 'original' things things (that we know of).
-Periodic table.

Totemism in London

The ideology 

In response to the brief ‘Kiss Me Quick’, I responded by branding London through the ideology of consumerism and thus totemism within western society, and the natural/primitive instinct of wanting to belong to a group. I have decided to market London by depicting ten London locations and their variating habits through brands and inanimate objects.I wanted to focus on how locals view London as opposed to tourists, as I wanted my response to be truthful and not a false or typical depiction that a lot of souvenir shops thrive on. My ideology was heavily inspired by a Contextual Studies lecture by Roger Brown and through self-awareness, I was able to identify totemism during my London commute. I couldn’t help notice locals have a stereotypical aesthetic depending on their destination and travel route.

I want to expose that all humans show a readiness to be recruited by an ideology - a totem. London is packed with advertising which defines social groups through consumerism and our society allows objects to speak for ourselves and to define our groups and personalities.

My works subconsciously promote different locations within London, by exploiting the spectators instinctual anxiety of wanting to belong to a group, while providing them with a solution. “Do you want to belong to a group of Michael Kors lovers? Then head on down to Oxford Street”. Meanwhile, “if you would like to be in with a group of IT lovers and technology fanatics, then be sure to find your like-minded group in Old Street.’’

The technique

I decided to create ten pieces (instead of my deadline friendly idea of combining ten calling cards into one collage) as I wanted to challenge myself to meet the tight deadline and because I felt that a series of 10 individual, but linked, pieces would be more appropriate in reflecting our diverse London locations. To do this I clearly identified each location by using the nearest underground station in proximity; I selected my locations based on my knowledge of the area (the boroughs that I have most frequently visited) as I wanted to portray my view of the consumers within those areas as accurately as possible based on my visits, and for my research to be more reliable, as opposed to a biased investigation, judging a location and its inhabitants/regular commuters on an area that I had only visited once with changing variables that I would be oblivious to.

I roughly had the aesthetics in mind, as during this project, I was heavily inspired by artist, Vinz. I admired his technique of screen printing naked forms onto collaged newspaper, and then hand painting the final touches and wanted his composition to inspire my own. 

At first (as an alternative to sketching) I used secondary sources to depict my idea/initial draft so that, visually, it was more clear as to how I wanted my series to look, and so that I then knew exactly what I needed to collect or create by hand. Once I had a general idea in mind by drafting Westminster, Oxford Circus and Camden Town (three very juxtaposing examples of totemism - business, fashion, and alternative), I hand collaged a variety of backgrounds. I deliberately decided on a collage as to me, London is a place where lots of other cultures, ideologies, styles etc. have been ‘cut and pasted’ into our City.

I used newspapers that I had collected from London that were heavily packed with articles covering London politics, including the Brexit campaign and the monarchy and carefully planned the layout of these collected samples before committing and adhering. Alternatively, I hunted through fashion magazines and pulled out British brand names (and other recurring brands) that you often see around London, that can be easily identified. Before committing to the layout, I laid the pieces over the ‘political’ collage and photographed, before trying lots of different layout ideas and photographing each version so that commitment wasn’t particularly necessary and that I had a variety of collages. 

Itching to get messy, I pulled out my red and blue paints (effortlessly recognisable association with the London Underground) and painted some abstracted, minimalist pieces so that I had plenty of effects to work with later in Photoshop along with some other works. I was also interested to see how much development something needed before it could be identified as London.

Knowing that I wanted a figure in the centre to enhance the sociological/psychological focus within the series, I decided to hand draw these and I wanted my work to be entirely my own and to have a raw feel to compliment the hand created collage; this is also why I wanted to incorporate acrylic paint as I wanted to really focus on mixed mediums and to consider different textures and finishes to enhance that. I drew one male and one female as I feel that London (while not entirely there yet) is generally accepting of gender equality. I kept the figures neutral in graphite as I didn’t want to define a location based on race and get my ideas lost within my own work. 

Referring to my initial draft, photographic research and my own personal experience of London, I began to finally create my ten pieces within this series, using all of my materials. This process was more the concept of trial and error. Placing items, seeing what worked well visually through composition and balance.

I settled on creating these pieces for digital use, to further enhance the idea of advertising and consumerism, as digital advertising and marketing is becoming increasingly popular, particularly within London. My ten mixed media collages can be displayed on their own, based on location (possibly within the appropriate London Underground station) or can be collectively displayed as a repeating gif. They can also be used online, and thus viewed anywhere in the world on a variety of devices. By having flashes of changes, it also helps to grab your minds attention to notice. 

I feel that if I had chosen to print my final designs, then the audience reach is reduced, it wouldn’t be cost effective, and has more of a ‘dated’ aura, as opposed to modern digital technology which is understandably linked with London. As I am challenging marketing and consumerism, I feel that it’s only acceptable to reach a wider audience in awe of that.

Let's DO this!

Welcome to my updated blog! Wow it's been a while, eh? 

I used post regular content but for the last year or so since starting my BA Graphic Design course, I had been feeling deflated and like my creative work had lost it's... well, creativity, along with my spark. 

I can't quite identify the issue, however I am glad to say that creatively I am feeling a bit more like myself and to prove that, I have revived my blog and my Instagram - "The bitch is back!"

I think I lost my balance between creating 'art' for me, and creating content for clients. I misplaced my love for what I do, and as a result of that I feel like I haven't truly been myself. My tutors even called me quiet - ME?! QUIET?! (I would love for my past teachers/tutors to be reading this, they would have a right laugh at how incorrect that statement is!)

My issue is that I blur the line of Graphic Design. I don't create posters and commercial art just for the sake of it. I like my work to have depth and meaning; to branch out into other subjects to explore different studies: science, psychology, sociology, politics... You name it, and I will demonstrate an opinion through my fine art-ly inspired graphics. Unfortunately this isn't entirely how the real world of graphic design works, or what I felt I could indulge in during my first year of uni, so that part of me began to get buried under all of my requested projects. 

Thankfully, this academic year, briefs have been entirely open. I can go off independently and tackle the brief and topic in anyway that I see fit, and can expose issues and explore ideologies. 

Anyway, I hope you will forgive me, my little blog of brain-vomit, and I hope to post to you more regularly with love-filled work and updates.