As we move on to the how the ideas of project one formulated, I have to say that it seemed a little difficult to pick which direction to go in. Because this first project is experiment based, my professor said that was ok to start in one direction and then head in the opposite direction. That is what happened to me. I originally had this photoshopped collaged project in mind where it was suppose to capture memory by what a person saw by using a set number of objects and then placing them in different sceneries that people would most likely associate or relate to. In which case, the setting would be St. Mary’s College of MD. There would be two pictures placed side by side so that the viewer would be able to tell that this place had triggered their mind. When I was starting to create a mock up of it, I felt like it was not conveying the idea that I had. Instead it was the opposite of what I had in mind.
I started over from scratch by thinking of objects that I could use such as mirrors. Then, I asked my self what I could do with them. I was thinking of trying to reflect a diorama of a tunnel book in a box. I would have like to assume that people thought the box would represent a camera so it was like trying to capture an image within an image. The concept seemed better than my first idea. The only problem I encountered was how to go about and trying to create the diorama. I started to take pictures of my journey from my house to St. Mary’s through the side mirror of my car. Before I started to make a sculptural piece, I decided to make a mock of up it in photoshop. While I was doing that, I had problems of how to place the images within each other because I didn’t want one frame trying to block the viewer from they were supposed to be seeing. Perhaps, it was because I was working with the mock up in 2D. If I wanted to make it into a tunnel book certain things would have to be cut out such as the middle which was the most important part. If I wasn’t focusing on the middle, then I could have cut that out and placed more attention on the setting.
Another way of approaching this idea of looking was by creating another type of book – a flip book. I am taking a book making class this semester so I was hoping I could incorporate it into this project. Animations are something I would like to work more on the future so here was my chance.
I thought that I could create an animation of the images that I captured to add another meaning of how people are to perceive things. My idea for this body of work was to try and capture a different way of looking. Normally, people wouldn’t focus on the opposite of what they saw unless they were looking in the mirror to check themselves out before they went to work or something along those lines. They are both objects that a person can manipulate for example one can play with the timing for the animation and for the flip book the pages wouldn’t turn so smoothly.
I used the images that I took for the previous idea and opened them in photoshop. Because I didn’t want the viewer to look at the entire photograph as a whole, I erased the background for each of the 63 photos. I decided to make the animation on Final Cut Pro first because it was easier. Then, I used a color printer and regular paper to make a flip book. I had to cut the paper 6 ½ by 5 inches, punch 4 holes ½ an inch of the left side and sowed the book together Japanese style. The front cover and type of book I used doesn’t add another layer of meaning to the project. I just simply used it because it was a technique that I learned to easily bind a book without having to use cut and paste it.
It was a spur of the moment decision to add a pink star for every five pages of the flip book after I was done making the book.. That way people aren’t just looking at the images as a whole. The pink star allows the viewer to stop and be like “there’s a pink star!” Why? The pink star is grabbing their attention and making them actively participate in the act of seeing. I added the pink star because I was working with paper. What better use is paper if you can’t write on it, right?
Overall, I am satisfied with the body of work that I have produced. I do wish I could have experimented a little more with what I could do with the flip book and animation. Instead of printing on regular paper, I could have tried printing on different types of surfaces such as transparencies.