Msc Journal

Semester Three Reflective Journal

Semester Three saw my work becoming far more focused, with the Dissertation proving to be the final catalyst required for the onset of the final Projects’ concepts.  This semester was very intensive, and left no time to collaborate on others’ projects, signalling an end to the professional practice I had been accumulating over the first two Semesters.

Overall, I think my projects have been a success.  They are of a higher standard than anything produced in the previous Semesters, and through overcoming the hurdles and hindrances which I came up against, I have grown as both an artist and a person.  Firstly, I would like to link to my Dissertation:

C.Lawton.Msc.Dissertation.2010

Whilst it is entirely possible to enjoy and experience the final artworks without any prior knowledge of my research field, they are all heavily influenced by the research completed in the creation of the Dissertation.  It is recommended, therefore, that the Dissertation be read by the viewer in order to better understand the underlying intent of the works.

Projects

Msc Project 01 – Pan (Film):

Concept – Pan

Barbara Hepworth believed that the life and vitality of a sculpture come not from the material properties or physicality of the sculpture itself, but from the imagination of the sculptor brought to life. If the vitality comes not from the physical nature of the sculpture, but instead from what Hepworth called its “inner spiritual lifei” then it matters not whether the sculpture is made of clay, stone, bronze, or pixels. A digital sculpture rendered photo-realistically is the Uncanny relative of the physical sculpture captured on photographic film. To the viewer, it is the same experience, as the interpretation of a real object and an imagined one, such as a dream or illusion, is conducted using the same neural machinery. The “real and imagined share a physical source in the brain.ii” If executed properly, a digital sculpture could be taken as a physical one.

The film project Pan was intended as an exploration into the nature of sculpture and the sculpting process, utilizing contemporary digital art techniques. The intent was to recreate the sculpting process entirely digitally, using no real world materials, in order to explore the relationship between digital sculpture and traditional sculpture from the perspective of the artist.

The subject matter of the sculpture in the film is Pan, the Pagan and Ancient Greek god of Nature. The reason for this subject choice was based upon the distortion of this figure in Medieval Europe. Pan, once a symbol of Nature and Fertility, was warped into a symbol used to instil terror and oppress the masses. Pan became the Christian Devil.

i Hepworth, B. 1937 (in Harrison, C. ed & Wood, P. ed 2003.)

ii Martinez-Conde, S. and Macknik, S. L. 2010. Page 4.

Reflection

Overall the film was a success.  It stands as a proof of concept for projects I have in mind once I have left the University.  There were many technical issues to overcome and learn from.  Most notably, I learned that far more powerful processing equipment than I had available would be necessary to create an animation of the realism I had in mind.  For the purposes of testing out these concepts the resources were sufficient.  Certain elements, such as dust, and caustics, were outside of the scope of this project, and were dropped from the outset.  Thematically, the film acts as I had intended, and conceptually it succeeded in all my expectations.  Creating the project in the way that I did enabled me to reflect upon the nature of digital sculpture in a way I could not have had I simply disregarded all of the steps of traditional sculpture.  I now look forward to taking the ideas I was developing in this piece to a far higher level.  In order to do this, I will seek funding and a small team of collaborative experts.

Msc Project 02 – Canvases

Ape

Concept

Ape is intended as an exploration into the Uncanniness of mimicry in the animal kingdom, and the repressed animal nature of Man. Take, for example, the Cuckoo. The Cuckoo is a parasitic bird which lays its eggs in the nests of other species. Upon hatching, the other bird treats the Cuckoo as its own, and the Cuckoo proceeds to starve out the host’s offspring by eating all of their food. Moths and butterflies disguise themselves as owls and other creatures for protection. People often hide their true nature, or their true beliefs, in order to fit better into a society they would otherwise be rejected by.

Pan

Concept

Medieval European artists created imagery steeped in the Uncanny. Through the creation of representational religious imagery, they delved into the depths of the human psyche. The Devil, ubiquitous symbol in Christian faiths for the evil inherit in man, and his minions in corruption, were represented in canvas and sculpture. Serving as propaganda, decorating churches and cathedrals in reminder to the masses that Hell awaits those who Sini. This form of propagandised expression died out with the Enlightenment and the age of Reason. However, this formative age of Western Culture spawned some of the most Uncanny art the world has seen.

Artists creating these images had free reign to create their grisly depictions. However, certain influences shone throughout. Pagan culture was distorted, and its Gods became their Uncanny Doppelgängers, the Demons of Christianityii (in fitting with Freud’s theoryiii.) In this manner, Deities symbolising a celebration of life and the vital became tools of its oppression.

In depicting the Evils of Hell, these artists had free reign to create whichever horrors their imaginations could birthiv. Each creation an artist makes reveals something to the audience about the artist, as, as Hepworth argued, artistic creation was the convergence of the conscious and unconscious mindsv. In depicting the things which they were to repress, they were exploring those very acts within their fantasies. They were presenting their repressed desires, for the sole function of the repression of desire. Dreams are thought to be the allowance of the expression of repressed desire in a safe way to be processed by the mindvi. Artists, such as the Surrealists, often sought to explore these realms as a way to express and discover repressed and hidden wonders of the self and the external reality. These precursors to the pioneering dream explorers sought instead to use their dreams to create fear and prostration. As the desire to dominate and control could be considered an Evil human trait, the artists, even if they sought to warn the populous with their work, could be considered the Uncanny Double of their future counterparts.

i Ward, L. & Steeds, W. 2007. Page 11.

ii Ward, L. & Steeds, W. 2007. Page 9.

iii Freud, S. 1919 (in Freud, S. 2003 page 143).

iv Ward, L. & Steeds, W. 2007. Page 9-10.

v Hepworth, B. 1937 (in Harrison, C. ed & Wood, P. ed 2003.)

vi Freud, S. (in Gay, P. ed. 1995).

SleepyHeads

Concept

The most primal Uncanny effect appears to come from the confusion between the animate, or inanimate nature of an object or entity. This effect factors into Ernst Jentsch’s discussion regarding the Uncanny as an evolutionary defence mechanismi. Jentsch elaborated upon this through an anecdote regarding a traveller whom sat upon a snake thinking it a tree root, recoiling in horror as it moved beneathii. Upon realization of what has happened, one is gripped by a fear of mortality. The fear comes from the danger of being killed by a known foe. However, the most profound fear occurred before this realization, in the period in which it appeared that the tree moved in a controlled manner. This Uncanny horror, brought upon by the uncertainty over the animate nature of the travellers chosen seat, ensures the the mistake will not be made again.

This example is of an Uncanny uncertainty regarding the nature of external factors, and how it upsets the internal perception of reality held by the traveller. However, there is also the possibility that part of the Uncanniness came from a realization that the traveller had misunderstood his own internal perceptions, that reality was not as imaginediii. This disruption between reality and imagination – that the root was not actually a root, and whatever image the movement had conjured about its true nature before revelation – creates an Uncanny conundrumiv.

In a similar vein to the animate being mistaken as inanimate, the inanimate husk left after death can maintain an Uncanny power. Due to a preconception held that the corpse is animate as it once was in lifev, the dead appear as sleeping, almost ready to wake and rise. Seeing the dead acts as a reminder that at some point we will all die, and become a mere echo of our former selves. Our lives, hopes, dreams, and loves all lost, leaving only the broken machine of flesh.

SleepyHeads is intended as an exploration into these themes, and also the three-tiered nature of Man according to Freudian Theory: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. The trinity of Id, Ego, and Superego represent the primal, instinctive, animal drives of Man, the conceptual “self”, the thinking, personality driven Man, and the sense of right and wrong, behaviour and control influenced by Man’s society and culture.

i Jentsch, E. 1906 (in Jentsch, E. 1997).

ii Jentsch, E. 1906 (in Jentsch, E. 1997).

iii Jentsch, E. 1906 (in Jentsch, E. 1997).

iv Disbelief that an event has been witnessed, or that another person could behave in another manner than one is accustomed to could become the source of an Uncanny upset, especially if there is no third party to verify the events. As time passes, or on trying to describe the events to others, the self doubt sets in. This leads to a questioning of ones own mental faculties, and in contemplating madness, one faces being out of control of oneself, an Uncanny state of being.

v Jentsch, E. 1906 (in Jentsch, E. 1997). Page 15.

Reflection

I think the canvas triptych has been a success.  Each exploration ties aesthetically and also thematically to my research.  The ambiguity of the construction and materials of these images adds intentionally to their Uncanniness, as an exploration of Jentsch’s Uncanny Uncertainty principle.  The only thing which I think could tie the three pieces more is if Ape looked like it was made of similar materials to both Pan and Sleepyheads.  However, given the more bestial subject matter and visual style of the sculpt, I felt it more fitting to seek a medieval gargoyle like tactile feel.

Overall Reflection

Overall, I feel that the third Semester has been a success.  It has enabled me to seek out my own artistic Identity in a way I would never have been able to before.  It has also allowed me to explore a topic which has been a lifelong fascination of mine to a depth I had never before reached.  Finally, overcoming all the problems I have faced over recent months has left me more confident and focused than before, and has left me with the confidence that I can create work I had previously been too frightened to attempt.

Aug 22, 2010 | Categories: Msc Journal | Tags: , , | 1 Comment »

Semester Two Reflective Journal

Introduction

This Journal seeks to reflect upon the work which was created during Semester Two of the Msc Media Arts & Imaging; 3D Computer Animation. It is created through the reflection on my work and on my collected notes spread throughout many sketchbooks, notepads, word documents, paper scraps and napkins which I have roughed out ideas upon over the course of the Semester.

In a professional environment, I would work on two different kinds of sketchbooks / developmental documents. One is a personal sketchbook, which would not be seen by clients / employers. It is a disorganised, chaotic document, which reflects upon my thought processes. It is of use only to me. The other, is a professional document put together to convey information to a client. Only selected information and artwork is allowed into this document so as not to confuse the intended audience.

For this Semester, the Journal takes the form of a post mortem reflection upon the projects I have been involved in, and the decisions and reasoning involved. This choice was made as creating a step by step journal as I went along proved only to hamper my thought process, negatively impacting upon my creative process. To see my early attempts at an ongoing Journal, from Semester One and the start of Semester Two, see: http://uncanny-arts.blogspot.com.

As this Semester was spent developing my thoughts and guiding my project work towards that of the main Msc Report and Project, this Journal is a reflection on past work and decisions. The Third Semester Journal, however, will take the form of an ongoing reflection on the different stages of the design and execution of the Msc Project. This decision has been made as the technical execution will be the primary focus of the Journal. There will be secondary discussion of the theoretical and conceptual reasoning behind the Msc Project as well.

Using This Site – Important

Please take into consideration the following:

  • Navigation on this website can be conducted via links in the text or through the Msc Projects drop down menu at the top right of the page.
  • This blog contains a lot of information regarding my work and progress this semester.  However, there is a lot of work in progress information in the individual project sections available from the top right menu.
  • When navigating the other blog sections, for instance if you click here, you need to click the blog title (e.g. “Final Renders” or “Large Render Tests”) for each post in order to access its full contents.
  • For an easier navigational experience, it is highly recommended that you open links in a new tab, leaving the main journal in its own tab.  This means you will never get lost in all the information.
  • All blog sections are in order from latest post to oldest post.

(Click any images for a bigger view)

Semester Two Reflective Journal

Christmas Holiday – Hyperrealism

Over the Christmas holiday, I decided to look into the works of the Hyperrealists and Photorealists, and to see how I could implement their techniques into my work as a digital artist. The focus here was upon digital painting, taking into consideration three main factors:

  1. Digital Paint dries instantly and is always wet. This should help enable an effective, more time efficient, work flow.
  2. The majority of the audience would never see the original painting, and purchasers would purchase only a print of the image. This negates, for me, the importance of having an original physical artwork.
  3. Working Digitally allows me to create imagery for print at any size, I am no longer limited by physical space in my work.

Some of the sources I consulted can be found here:

Richard Estes – A leading Photorealist

http://www.artnet.com/usernet/awc/awc_thumbnail.asp?aid=139829&gid=139829&works_of_art=1&cid=15766

Ralph Goings – Another leading Photorealist

http://www.ralphlgoings.com/

The Photorealist painters create works based upon photography using techniques such as grids or projecting images directly onto the canvas to work from. They strive to ensure the same level of detail is retained throughout the image. See http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/photorealism.htm .

Similar to the works of the Photorealists is that of the Hyperrealists. They used similar techniques, along with using grisaille underpainting (monochromatic base paintings to work out shading etc.). I looked at the works of not only Hyperrealist painters, such as:

Chuck Close

http://collections.walkerart.org/item/agent/42

and

Sebastian Krüger

http://sebastian-kruger-news.blogspot.com/

But also at the works of Hyperrealist Sculptors, such as:

Ron Mueck, Evan Penny, Jamie Salmon, Duane Hanson, Sam Jinks, & Adam Beane

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/11/mind-blowing-hyperrealistic-sculptures/

Many Hyperrealist sculptors have a common background, they are from the visual effects industry. I personally feel I have more in common with these artists than those from many other artistic fields. I am driven to create works of as realistic an appearance as possible. Also, my end goal is to work in the same field as these artists, with one difference. Their backgrounds are in physical make-up effects and puppetry, the goal for me is to enter the digital effects realm. The works of these sculptors has had a profound impact upon the direction of my work, and have had a direct influence upon the direction of my final project. More on this later.

The works of the Hyperrealist painters has often got a mildly uncanny effect upon the viewer, as they try to work out whether the picture they are looking at is a painting or a photograph. Amongst the Hyperrealist painters I have researched, Sebastian Krüger stands out due to his engaging works. He manages to capture the character of his subjects, through Hyperrealistic caricatures. Aside from his works, the other Hyperrealistic paintings engaged me only on the level of interest in the technical brilliance of their renderings. This in mind, I decided to try a couple of Hyperrealistic paintings of my own, using the technique of splitting the image into a grid in order to maximize the accuracy of the work.

The first test was a self portrait, focusing upon my eye for the most detail, and leaving the rest in varying degrees of refinement. The painting was completed in Photoshop, and took 8 or 9 hours total. The second was a painting from a picture I took of a Christmas Cactus flower. It was created in Corel Painter, using tools which simulate real natural media brushes. For example, individual bristles are simulated to pick up and mix paint properly, taking into consideration vertical pressure, angle tilt, and rotation or the brush in order to create the most realistic painting experience possible. One major benefit was that through the use of these programmes, exact colour can be picked from the original reference material, saving time in mixing paint, and increasing accuracy. Total time for the second painting was over 40 hours.

Painting these images let me reflect upon what I liked, and did not like, about the process and the artistic statement possible to me through this kind of work. In short, I found the process time consuming and monotonous (as my background is in the often long and arduous process of poly modelling, and texturing I am used to long shifts in the creation of an artwork), and without any kind of pay-off at the end. It strikes me that the reason why I adore the works of Sebastian Krüger is precisely that he captures the character of his subjects, and is able to use his skills to portray them with gusto. Given not only the focal subject matter of my own artistic interests, but in my passion for 3d imagery and digital sculpting, these tests allowed me to assess the path of Hyperrealistic painting. My findings were that it is not the path for me.

On the other hand, the work of the Hyperrealist sculptors strikes me as incredibly engaging. In fact, the more repulsive these works become through their Uncanny nature, the more I find myself drawn to them. Some capture what appears to be a fragile moment in time forever, others confront the viewer with an abstraction of volume, scale, or form, which is strengthened by the sheer realism of the works. I decided I wanted to look into Hyperrealism for my work, though I knew it would be based upon my background and skills as a 3d artist.

Some time around the end of Semester One, I created the following digital sculpture.  The total time on this sculpture ended up being somewhere around 40 hours – through a lot of trial and error in its creation.  The sculpt itself was about 15-20 hours of that time I think It was intended as a test of a visual idea I had been working on in my mind. Elaborating upon the Uncanny, especially that of Jentsch, and contemplating the nature of reality and dreaming, I created this sculpted dreamer as a way to express my thoughts. At this point, I wanted to take the work to a new level, but didn’t know quite which way to take it. I filed it away, waiting until I knew the time was right to work on it further.

January 5th 2010 – Car Wreck

At the start of the year, I was involved in a bad car crash. This, coupled with complications which arose later on the 13th January, meant I was in a bad way for quite a while. Stuck indoors, on a lot of painkillers, I started working on an idea to pass the time. I contemplated creating an animated short about a little tree man, whom buries himself, becomes a tree, and through growing more tree men, populates a barren mountainside. It was an attempt to use the Uncanny tropes of the double, and being buried alive, in a different, more appealing way. I soon realised, however, that this project was far too large for the time scale of the course. As such, it has been put on the back burner until after I finish the Msc.

Also during this period, I experimented with the Surrealist technique of Cubomania, in order to see if it would work for me as a method of artistic expression. I was not happy with the results. Once again, I found myself drawn back to the desire to create 3D computer generated artworks to the highest standard possible.

One decision I made during this period, was that I wanted to get as much professional practice in this Semester as possible. In order to do this, I took on collaborative projects with some of my peers, and organized a work placement at Super Umami in Bridge of Allan.  My first collaboration was with Asuka Miki, wherein I was tasked with the creation of the two main characters as 3d textured assets for her to rig and animate. My work on this project can be found here: http://www.bittersweet.lucid-concepts.com/ .  Due to her requirements, that the model be shader based and not coloured through uvmapping and image based textures, It became too cumbersome for me to pose both characters and render out stills for my portfolio. The character shown here is David, an English Ned. It was an enjoyable process, and I found it beneficial to work from someone else’s designs. However, this work was completely unrelated to my own studies. My second collaboration is far more intrinsically linked to my own work, which will be covered later.

January 19th 2010 – My Head in the Mail

On the 19th of January, I received a 3d scan of my face from my fellow student Victoria Blake. I had helped her with her experiment in 2009, and she sent me the data to say thank you. This data is going to prove invaluable in my final project, as it will allow me to create a base mesh which is as accurate to my face as possible.  Upon receiving the data, I decided to complete a quick test to see what kind of results might be possible using it as a starting point for a sculpture. The end result was a Self Portrait, as someone else, as a head on a plate. Once again, it was an artwork exploring the themes of reality, dreaming and death, but also of cannibalism and the self. I feel that there is a fully finished artwork lurking in this piece somewhere, however it will likely have to wait until after the Msc to give it full exploration.

Around this time, I had been contemplating the notion of making a virtual sculpture, and having it printed as a real world physical 3d object. The intent was then to use it as a two way comparison, between the original virtual work, and the derivative physical one. I had also begun playing with the notions of using projectors to project imagery onto objects. I had been thinking about a multi-angle projection onto the actual sculpture, of skin textures. I had also been considering projecting a virtual sculpture into a real world space. These concepts, at this point had been dropped to focus instead upon another project idea, however projection work has once again entered the equation.

The primary focus at this point was to create a fake artwork. My goal was to create what appeared to be a large scale Zoetrope, fully documenting the entire process. The goal was that it was to appear as a video similar to this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMBoJq6IgFE .  However, this proved to be far too large a project to pull off successfully within the time afforded on the course. Creating each fake image of the parts, as well as the construction and operation of the fake machine, would be a mammoth task, albeit one with a startling impact. The more research and thinking I did into the process, the less likely success appeared.

Some early idea sketches:

The final element I was researching at this point was the creation of Uncanny narrative through literature and illustration.  There was to be a third, side project, entitled Down in the Uncanny Valley.  This project is the one I miss the most out of all those which have been put on hold.  This is because I have a very strong interest in writing.  However, as it is outside of the scope of the projects, and the course is in 3d Computer Animation, it had to go.  Information about the original projects can be found here.  There were several Intellectual Properties which I was developing for the Down in the Uncanny Valley project, two of which were mentioned in Semester One.  Due to this discontinuation, none of the projects will be submitted to this website until after I have finished the Msc, at which time I will be able to develop them fully into a finished product.

Mouth Piece

My focus shifted to the creation of a hyperrealistic head animation / sculpture set.  Reflecting upon the Uncanny element of my work, along with conversations with faculty members, led me to realize that having some kind of animation is vital to my end projects.  This is in part because the Uncanny is most impacting (especially the Uncanny relating to the Uncanny Valley) with the moving image, and also because the Msc pathway is 3d Computer Animation.  Stills, whilst using 3d graphics technology and technique, may not fit the expectations of the course.  I knew that the narrative element of my work would not fit in with the traditional animated narrative (a character driven plot based narrative with beginning/middle/end, character development and dialogue).  My work, which at this point was still unrealised in its entirety, was to be an exploration of the themes of my research, and as such would be devoid of character or traditional storytelling.  Whilst working through the concepts in my head, I knew that it would be important for me to also explore the technical issues which might arise through the execution of my main project.  In order to maximize my efficiency in Semester Three, I sought to undertake a small project which would test the majority of the technical issues I may face.

This project was to prove pivotal to my decision making, and to the projects I am now involved with going in to Semester Three.  The original idea was to make a little blobby mouth, sort of like a dumpling with teeth, and rig it to sing and speak.  Having a fleshy dumpling on a plate fitted in a sense into the Uncanny area of Cannibalism, and I was keen to test out the kinds of shaders etc. I would need to use in order to create a convincing Uncanny realism in my main project.  I also intended to test out such things as hair and realistic lighting setups.  It was very early on in creation that I realized the aesthetic of its forms and volume just wasn’t working.  I decided to transform the piece into a grub, a little maggoty insect.  This choice was made because I had already been contemplating the relationship between larva such as maggots, eating flesh to grow fat before metamorphosis into flies which live off of our waste and faeces.  Their life strikes me as Uncanny in relation to that of Humanity.  Larva, to me, are a pure Death Drive creature.  There is no other drive but to consume dead flesh.  They eat the dead to survive, a trait which they share with Humanity, though more honestly.

Work in progress images of this mini project can be found here:  http://www.uncanny.lucid-concepts.com/?cat=40 (There are simply too many entries to post here).

Below are the final renders from when the project was closed.

The work undertaken on this project had to stop at this point, as the scale was growing out of control.  It had taken up around two weeks more than I had originally wanted to dedicate to it.  In that time, however, I learned a lot about the limitations that I mush place upon my final project.  The experiments I undertook were both in Maya and Blender, in order to see which of the software would best suit my needs for my final project.  The above renders came from Blender.  The project taught me the following:

  • Hair is absolutely outside of the scope of the project.
    • It takes far too long to set up and troubleshoot, and would cripple the project.
    • The creation of realistic hair is a job in itself, it is not applicable to the career path I have chosen.  As such, it is not vital to my learning, and therefore must take the back seat compared to my other works.
    • Render time with hair, either cartoony or realistis, can become astronomical.  There would be no guarantees, even using the University render farm, that my project would render in time.
  • It is easier to set up a realistic Sub Surface Scattering shader in Maya than it is in Blender.  This is because Mental Ray has very good SSS tools.
  • Depth of Field will be one vital component of creating realism in rendering.
    • I like the DoF tools in both Blender and Maya, however Maya seems to be more robust.  The tools in Blender are alterable in Post, which is a nice feature not requiring a full re-render.

The final choice of where to direct my main project was influenced greatly by these findings.  If I am animating a realistic head (a brief introduction to Semester Three’s work will follow, though the main exploration and reflection will take place in Semester Three), then a lack of hair has a big impact.  I am referring not only to the main head hair, but also to eyebrows etc.  A head without eyebrows, eyelashes, stubble and hair may become Uncanny not for the reasons I want it to.  More thought was required at this point on the execution and content of the Msc Project.

There was one major impact left by the Mouth Piece project.  It led to my collaboration with Steven Crichton and David Blake.  What started as a gun for hire style collaboration has grown into something much bigger, in fact it has grown, into a secondary Msc Project for Semester Three.  More on the collaborations later.

Easter Holiday – Project Status, Development, Disaster, & Super Umami Work Placement

During the holiday, I undertook a lot of work regarding the rethinking and refocusing of the Msc Project.  At this point the focus was upon primarily the creation of a hyperrealistic morphing head animation.  There were two major problems which I was facing:

  • Working out how to execute such an extensive and detailed project, within the time-scale allocated.
    • General technical issues:
      • Blending Displacement, Normal, Colour, Specular, Bump Maps etc.
        • Controlling those blends via controllers also linked to the displacement of geometry, and to the morphing between specific blendshapes
      • How to create a realistic transformation between different heads.
  • Working out how the thematic content of the piece related to my research project.
    • My initial thoughts surrounded the creation of a work expressing the blurring between internal and external reality, the fluid nature of personality and the fragility of the self.
    • The intent was to create a kind of virtual kinetic sculpture, constantly shifting between forms, and to make it appear as if it was actually made of flesh and bone, instead of any kind of synthetic or natural material.

To test out how this piece might look, I created a series of photo-manipulations featuring the heads of those who generously decided to contribute to my research.  In these experiments, I created works of varying subtlety. To me, the more subtle the shift, the more Uncanny the result.  Sadly, the animation I had in mind was anything but subtle.  This, coupled with the technical restrictions I faced after the Mouth Piece project, made me realise that this would likely be an impractical project to finish on time to a professional standard.  Adding to this the fogginess of the conceptual background, I decided to scrap this concept.  However, the seed of my main Msc Project was well and truly planted.

The photo-manipulations are all contained in a separate sketchbook, for off-line viewing only.  This is to protect the privacy of my volunteers.  Also, though all volunteers signed release forms, it strikes me that as these are experiments and not final artworks, it would be unfair of me to upload them here.  However, here is one of me so you can get the general idea.  For an idea of the kinds of reference images taken of my volunteers, see here.

During week two of the Easter break, I began my two week placement at Super Umami in Bridge of Allan, Stirling.  I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, and learned a lot about industry expectations.  In order to maintain an employable position, I need to be constantly learning and staying on top of the technological advancements.  I also need to spend as much time as possible learning how to rig in Maya, as it will complement my current skill set greatly.

Part way through my first week, disaster struck.  A virus hit my pc, costing me not only a lot of my work but also destroying my motherboard.  I have been unable to recover a lot of my notes and sketches, as everything which was on my C:\ drive was lost.  Thankfully, most of my work was stored on the D:\, E:\ and H:\ drives.  Some lessons need to be learned the hard way.  Adding to this disaster, at the same time as this happened, Windows on my Laptop corrupted.  This too cost me work, primarily and most importantly, all of the final work I had just completed for the project with Steven Crichton.  All in all, the death of the laptop cost me about a week and a half’s work:  5 days fixing the laptop (which only cost me my nights after Super Umami – though this time would have been better spent working on my main projects), and 4-5 days remaking the assets for the collaboration.

External Examiner

My first day back after the placement was the day of the external examiner visit.  The external examiner, Sally Jane Norman, sat with me as I presented my work.  Overall, I did not feel that this meeting went entirely in the direction I would have liked it to.  However, I put this down to the ambiguity of my main project idea.  At this point, the concepts were still floating, and stuck in the aforementioned head morph animation.  I wasn’t completely certain in myself of the thematic links in the project, and this will have shown and muddied my presentation of the ideas.

Mrs Norman suggested that I look into the works of Tony Oursler and Denis Marleau.  I had heard of neither artist at this point.  She suggested exploring and experimenting with projections as a part of my artwork, and that I must consider the benefits of different ways I can stage my work.  This, though I had previously contemplated the use of such devices, had been discarded until that point and completely slipped my mind.  However, I resolved to explore the field again with a fresh eye and an open mind, in order to discover if there was any way I could use it in my work.

At the following Masters Meeting, I spoke to Mel Woods about my concerns regarding the examiner meeting.  She reinforced the messages that Mrs Norman had given me, and suggested I work on my presentation skills and reassess my conceptual work.  In the following days, I contemplated relentlessly in how my ideas, skills, and the elements of staging and projection could interplay.

Bloke in the Toilet – Collaboration with Steven Crichton and David Blake

During this Semester I collaborated with Steven Crichton and David Blake (a friend from outside of DoJ) on a project that will last through to the end of Semester Three.  This project was instigated by Steven having seen my Mouth Piece project.  The idea was to create a music video for the song “Bloke in the Toilet” by Dogs Die in Hot Cars, featuring a sleazy animated character lip synched to the singing of the band’s lead vocalist.

The project went through many iterations, and it became apparent that it was bizarrely tied to my own artistic focus.  Finally, it was settled on the character being a slug, due to its appearance, and general connotations.  The collaboration has expanded above and beyond the original intent, as it has led to the inspiration for a piece of projection work, which will be a further collaboration between the three of us.  Further illness (see below) slowed my work on this project slightly, and as such I must complete some final work on it in Semester Three.

This is the current state of my work on the Slug.

Primary Msc Project – Untitled Death Mask Project

Towards the end of Semester Two, my primary project has started coming together nicely.  Taking on board the outcome of my meeting with the external examiner I had to rethink exactly how my main project was to come together, what it was to represent, and how I would present it to an audience.  I knew what I wanted the piece to look and feel like, and as such I undertook preliminary research into how the piece would be executed.  There is still far more research to go, which will be one of the main elements of Semester Three’s work.  The technical execution will provide a steep learning curve, and a fabulous challenge.

Here are the results of my preliminary research:

The intent of my final primary project is not to tell a traditional narrative.  Nor is it to tell the audience what to think, or what to take away from the work.  There will, therefore, be no detailed breakdown of my work’s meaning or metaphorical content given to the audience.  To me, art is something that everyone experiences on their own, every player bringing their own hand to the table.  For me to simply state “X means Y” completely devalues this experience, and it is not something which I wish to do to my work.  Having discussed this with my tutor, and spent time trying to figure out how best to approach this problem, I have decided upon the following solution:

  • I will frame the work within the context of my research to the audience
  • I will hint at my intentions, by informing the audience about the subjects I am reflecting upon.
  • I will give insight into the field of study of the Uncanny, by placing information about it around my work.
  • I will title the works accordingly, in order to give the audience an appreciation of some of my intent (names still under consideration).
  • I will provide some information about the tools used in the execution of the projects.
  • I will provide information regarding the influences of the work, in order to provide an historical and cultural context.
    • Death masks and effigy.
    • The Uncanny Valley.
    • Research into both is still being made, and will provide a large part of the Semester three focus for the projects and the Dissertation.

My intent is for my work to provide a discussion point amongst the audience, allowing them to bring their own insight, experience and belief into their interpretation and experience of my work.

Primary Project – Subject

The primary project is intended to be a personal reflection upon the nature of life, death, dreaming, reality, illusion, the Uncanny, the Uncanny Valley, and the relationship between them.

Secondary Msc Project – Untitled Projection Project

For my secondary project, I am undergoing research into how I can use projection installations to create works of art relating to my research topic.  There are currently three different projects I am considering, each with their own pros and cons.  My intent is to use the assessment as a way in which to get feedback on these possibilities, in order to get the best out of the rest of the year.  I am excited about the work I will be completing in the next Semester.  There was further research in this field which I had wished to have completed by this point, however sadly I have been slowed by further illness.  On the 10th May I was yet again admitted to hospital.  This time with severe abdominal pain.  The whole week was lost to pain killers and pain.  I intend to make this time back up in Semester Three.

Current PoS Draft

You can get the current draft of my Proposal of Study here:

Proposal of Study Draft 201

Pg Report

You can get a pdf of my Pg Report here:

PGDipRep_CLawton

End of Semester Presentation

Here is a pdf of my end of Semester presentation:

Semester Two Presentation

May 12, 2010 | Categories: Msc Journal | Tags: , | 4 Comments »

Semester One Reflective Journal

Semester One allowed time for research and development into ways in which the Uncanny can be used as both an artistic theme and device, and as a creative tool.  Most of the work is within an off-line sketchbook.  Some of the work can be seen here, the Pareidolic images I created, and some photography.

My old programme of study, from October 2009, reads as follows:

“Study Title:

Rationale:

The Uncanny is a fundamental part of narrative storytelling. It was first discussed by psychologists in the early 1900s (see Jentsch 1906 and Freud 1919), although it has been a part of our culture and our storytelling for far longer (Royle 2003). The early work of Freud and Jentsch was limited by their own beliefs and knowledge of the topic (Royle 2003) but provided a spectacular starting point for discussion of the topic.

The Uncanny itself proves tricky to tie down. It has been referred to as the return of the repressed (Freud 1919), and the illumination of things that were once, and should have remained, hidden. It causes a range of feelings in different people, ranging from a mild unease to sheer morbid terror, and on to the experience of madness. Sometimes, the Uncanny has a positive, instead of detrimental effect. The Uncanny is the blurring of the lines between internal and external reality, dreams and the waking mind, the conscious self and the unconscious self. The Uncanny is uncertainty. It is a field ripe for exploration.

A lot of the work published on the Uncanny is psychoanalytic, or theory based upon the analysis of works created by authors or film makers. This Study seeks to explore not only the Uncanny as it is found in the works of film makers such as David Lynch and Satoshi Kon, and the nature of the Uncanny as debated by psycologists and scholars of literature. This Study seeks to explore how a creative can set about developing Uncanny projects.

Aims:

  1. To explore the Uncanny in narrative and Uncanny narrative tropes.
  2. To examine visual interpretations of the uncanny narrative.
  3. To explore how both of the aforementioned topics influence my work as an artist.

Objectives:

  1. Research the Uncanny (das Unheimlich) both as a psychological phenomena and as a cinematic device (narrative and audiovisual).
  2. Reflect upon how the aforementioned research and reflection impacts upon my work as an artist and storyteller.

Methodology:

  1. Text led research
  2. Film studies
  3. Creation of work
    1. 3D Picture Book
    2. Exploratory Sketchbooks / Design Bible

Expected Outcomes:

  1. Masters Report
    1. The Report will examine the uncanny in narrative, and how uncanny narrative is represented in visual narratives.
  2. 3D Picture Book
    1. The 3D Picture book will represent an uncanny narrative visually.
  3. Exploratory Sketchbooks / Design Bible
    1. These Sketchbooks / Design Bible will be a practice based exploration of the subjects of the research. They will allow for a more personal examination and reflection of the topics and how they relate to the artist.

Schedule:

Reference Materials:

  • Literature
    • On the Psychology of the Uncanny – Ernst Jentsch 1906
    • The Uncanny – Sigmund Freud (1st Published 1919 in Imago 5 (5-6)
    • Screen Memories (Über Deckerinnerungen) – Sigmund Freud (1st Published 1899 in Minatsschrift für Psychiatrie und Neurologie 6)
    • The Creative Writer and Daydreaming (Der Dichter und das Phantasieren) – Sigmund Freud (1st Published 1908 in Neue Revue 1(10))
      • The Uncanny – Sigmund Freud (Translation published 2003)
      • Translation & Editorial matter Copyright – David McLintoch 2003
      • Introduction Copyright – Hugh Haughton 2003
      • Penguin Classics
      • Penguin Books Ltd, London England
      • ISBN: 978-0-14-118237-7
    • The Interpretation of Dreams – Sigmund Freud (1stPublished 1900)
      • This edition published 1997
      • Wordsworth Editions Limited 1997
      • Introduction Copyright – Stephen Wilson 1997
      • Text from 3rd Edition (1932) Translation by A.A. Brill, authorised from 1st Edition German (1900)
      • ISBN: 978-1-85326-484-9
    • The Uncanny – Nicholas Royle 2003
      • Manchester University Press, England
      • ISBN: 978-0-7190-5561-4
    • The Terror that Comes in the Night; An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions – David J. Hufford 1982
      • University of Pennsylvania Press, USA
      • ISBN: 0-8122-1305-X
    • Lynch on Lynch – Edited by Chris Rodley 1999 (1stPublished 1997)
      • Faber and Faber Limited, England
      • ISBN: 0-571-19548-2
    • Dreams on Film; the Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science – Leslie Halpern 2003″

This has changed a lot since then, which will be discussed in my Semester Two journal.  However, at the time in question this is where my studies had led me.  My old Blog, which has individual entries from Semester One, and the start of Semester Two, can be found here: http://uncanny-arts.blogspot.com

On entering the final assessment for Semester One, I had prepared the following notes:

“Introduction

What is the uncanny?

For this study, I will be looking at the uncanny in narrative, and how artists and filmmakers have explored uncanny themes visually.

I will be looking at the following uncanny tropes:

1.Inanimate objects mistaken as animate (dolls, waxworks, automata, severed limbs, etc.)
2.Animate objects behaving as if inanimate or mechanical (trances, epileptic fits, etc.)
3.Being blinded
4.The double (twins, doppelgangers, etc.)
5.Coincidences or repetitions
6.Being buried alive
7.Some all-controlling evil genius
8.Confusions between reality and imagination (waking dreams, etc.)
9.Cannibalism

I will not be looking into such uncanny aspects as deconstruction, teaching, the nature of language and its relationship to the self or a deep analysis of the Uncanny valley. Where relevant these topics will be touched upon briefly, but they are too vast to be approached with depth in this study.

I will not be looking at this topic to create new insight in the areas of psychology, psychoanalysis, robotics, computer graphics (I.e. the avoidance of the uncanny valley), or literature analysis.

Instead, my approach is from the perspective of the creative looking to create narrative works in the realm of the uncanny. To this end my research will focus on the analysis of the subject matter, and analysis of the works of other creatives in the field. I will also be conducting some practice led research through analysis of my own creations in order to improve the work I create as much as possible, and to explore the uncanny tropes of narrative in as much detail as I can.

My productive work this year will encompass a collection of thematic narrative and artistic experiments, alongside an uncanny narrative picture book. This picture book will consist of an uncanny narrative told through limited words, and through picture as much as possible in order to open it up to an international audience. All the images in this book will be full 3d graphic renders.

My intent with this picture book is to get it published after I have finished university, and to use it to attain funding to turn it into a full 3d animated short, as all the assets will be fully prepared for a team to set up and animate.”

Following the presentation, I received feedback that my projects were too vast in scope and needed to be cut down.  The time from then until the end of the year was spent working out where to go regarding my work.  I also decided that I wanted to work with my peers as much as possible to gain as much professional practice as I could.

During Semester One I looked at the works of artists such as Ron Mueck and Christo, of authors such as Mark Z. Danielewski and Clive Barker, of film makers such as David Lynch and David Cronenberg.  I researched the work of psychoanalysts and scientists.  At the end of the semester I was bursting with ideas, and had many paths to choose from.  It took the Christmas holiday, and the events of January 2010, for me to reflect efficiently and choose the correct path to proceed down.  Semester two has been spent travelling this path, and trimming and pruning my creative choices and projects in preparation for the final push in Semester Three.  Further information to follow in the Semester Two Reflective Journal.

During this Semester, I worked on the development of several literary and artistic narratives.  After the feedback from my assessment, it struck me that having the majority of my work being writing was not fitting to the requirements of the course.  Also, I signed up to do 3D graphics, so it made sense to refocus back into the realm of CG content creation.  The narrative projects have all been shelved for the duration of the course.

May 11, 2010 | Categories: Msc Journal | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »