Uncanny Narrative Arts

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
    • http://www.cpmg.org.br/artigos/on_the_psychology_of_the_uncanny.pdf
  • The Uncanny – Sigmund Freud (1^st Published 1919 in Imago 5 (5-6)
  • Screen Memories (Über Deckerinnerungen) – Sigmund Freud (1^st Published 1899 in Minatsschrift für Psychiatrie und Neurologie 6)
  • The Creative Writer and Daydreaming (Der Dichter und das Phantasieren) – Sigmund Freud (1^st 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 (1^stPublished 1900)
    • This edition published 1997
    • Wordsworth Editions Limited 1997
    • Introduction Copyright – Stephen Wilson 1997
    • Text from 3^rd Edition (1932) Translation by A.A. Brill, authorised from 1^st 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 (1^stPublished 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.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Msc Journal and tagged with Art, Reflective Journal, Research, Semester One. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.