I have loved the process of creating this visual landscape. It has allowed me to apply all the fascinating research and experimentation I have gathered up to this point in my practice as a visual communicator. It has also allowed me to prepare for the transition I am about to make into interior design. I am learning how to communicate through space and materials, working with forms, challenging their original function and seeing them as a raw element to symbolise the concepts within the poem, 'Yes, Here's a room'. Throughout this project I am discovering the impact of the surrounding space on the installation, this piece was not designed for a specific space, it was designed with the ability to be taken to a diverse range of spaces. I think it's important for the surrounding space to be minimal and empty of detailed forms and objects, so that the surrounding space doesn't take away from the impact and presence of the installation.
This is the first time I pieced all of the elements of the installation together. This installation is designed to play with the projection of the film, giving the film more depth and interaction with physical objects and surfaces, to engage my audience. When creating this visual landscape, I chose fabric which would interact with the light, creating layers and giving movement to the static appearance of a projection. The material was used to define space with out blocking out natural light, it marks the transition, the threshold between inside and outside. The poem is set in an interior space which is constantly changing throughout time, this change is marked by the description of moving natural light with the confined space. The structured fabric marks this interior space, whilst still letting outside interfere with the space inside. The perspex was chosen to carry the reflections of the projected film around the walls, meaning the film is less contained, it has more of a relationship with the surrounding architecture.
The perspex circle represents the natural source of light - the sun. I took all the photographs of the interior space in natural light only, there was no interference of artificial light. The changing natural light signified the progressing time within the poem. I wanted to symbolise this source of light because it was a significant element to how I created this installation, and it also brings the visuals of the outside universe, juxtaposing the setting of the poem, but visualising the concepts in through a wider lens. I chose the colour red because although the perspective of natural light is ever changing, the light comes from a constant burning ball of fire in space. I wanted to strip the light source of all changing perceptions and reveal it's raw form.
The idea of representing a natural form is consistent throughout all the physical elements of this piece. The bottles although referred to in the poem, are there to encourage the audiences perception of visualising a natural landscape. The bottles with the circle symbolise the trees and sun of a natural landscape. However, the bottles are not trees, and the perspex circle is not the sun but we begin to compare these objects to what we already comprehend of the natural landscape. This juxtaposes the reality of the installation existing in front of the audience. I like playing with an audiences perception in this way. Our imagination is stimulated when we experience new visuals, sounds, forms etc. We begin to relate what we can comprehend to that which we don't in order to define and understand what we are experiencing.
I designed this landscape in relation to my research in Biophilic architecture continuing from Ba3a. However, the elements are also selected to illustrate specific themes with the constructed poem 'Yes, Here's a room'. The bottles are all different in form and colour. They have similarities, and they are recognisably the same functioning object, however they are all different. I used them to symbolise the diversity of identity, a growing theme I am communicating throughout the poem and installation. The mirror personifies the bottles in the way it gives them a certain vanity, which humans possess. Giving them a certain intelligence, recognising the fact they possess cognition, just as humans.
In the poem is says 'Transparent bottles huddled on the floor, in the sunlight only I can see right through, in this bright hour I'm awake before. I contemplate that soon this might be you: an empty bottle in the light, consumed' (Sources from Alice Greenwood Bliss's poem). My interpretation of this is that Alice is comparing an empty bottle to a person. An empty bottle has been stripped back to it's original form, what it has contained has gone. We recognise a bottle as empty because a bottles purpose is to contain liquid, when it is not performing it's 'purpose' we consider it as empty, we don't appreciate the design and form of a bottle as an individual art form. This can be argued the same for the identity of space and of a person. If a space is not being used for it's specific function or purpose, we consider it to be derelict because it is not occupied by humans. We don't appreciate the space for what it is or would I could be. This is similar to the identity of a person. If a person is stripped back to their original form, stripped of their titles, what do we become? Why are we so scared of who we are without the excess? Even in our original form we are all different, I like the idea of celebrating the beauty of this diversity. This applies to identity in all it's forms, gender, sexuality, race, nationality, culture, appearance and more.
This photograph communicates the distortion of reality, the confusion of what is true and what is imaginary. The fabric casts a blurry glaze over our perception of the clarity which exists past the fabric. The metal marks the separation of these two viewpoints. The layers shown in this image mark the transitions of self discovery (identity), and true recognition of the space around us.
I like the aesthetic of the fabric, it produces these subtle ripple effects when there is movement in the air. The contrast between the weightless essence of the fabric and the heavy hardness of the perspex is visually stimulating.
The images below are taken of the wall behind the installation. Seeing only this wall made me think of 'Plato's analogy of the Cave', which I have discussed in on my Research page. The idea that these images show the evidence of a real object, but the viewer is only seeing the shadows, not the 'real' landscape. This plays with the concepts of reality, illusions and perception.
When I projected the film onto this landscape it felt completely different. I like the clarity and crispness of the installation without the projection. The projection took away the simplicity of the forms and the colours, and made the atmosphere feel a lot busier. It was interesting to see how the changing frames in the film enhanced certain objects and forms in it's path. Drawing the audiences to the detail, such as the luminous green/yellowy bottle below.
I noticed the curve of the hanging steel. This wasn't intentional, I will experiment with the way I hang the steel to the ceiling to alter this for the exhibition. In a way I think the curve is visually stimulating, it creates a feeling of changing balance, and there's a freedom to it's movement.
Seeing my installation in photographs allows my to notice more the aesthetic details, encouraging me to be more critical. I have decided that the bottles should be symmetrical. Continuing the idea of balance, I think a should visualise a line of symmetry down the centre of the entirety of the piece. This might look more visually pleasing to an audience. It would also create a more coherent design, for example the circle and the steel structures are symmetrical; the mirror also creates a sense of fluidity through symmetry of the glass bottles.
The image below demonstrates how the clear strip of perspex picked up the film, making the crop within the layout of the film coherent with the physical elements of the installation. These strips of clear perspex symbolise rays of light, giving materiality to the film, and they also represent rain. 'The sound of softly falling rain' sets the atmosphere at the beginning of the poem 'Yes, here's the room', I liked the idea of picking out atmospheric elements from the poem, to physically represent, bringing the atmosphere of the poem to life in this created space.
The blue chiffon creates a blue strip of image which is separated by colour but visually connected to the forms and contrast within the whole image. I like how the mirror integrates both the physical elements as well as the projections. It unites all these elements. I am really interested in materials and surfaces in the way the can represent space, and symbolise elements of the natural world. The contrast in these surfaces - the perspex, chiffon, mirror, glass and steel creates a stimulating environment, as the audience can witness how these materials interact with each other, and also how the individually and collectively play with the light from the projection.
I experimented with the distance between the mirror and the structures. I prefer there being a greater distance between the two elements because it utilises the wilderness of the projection and it also allows the audience to see more, appreciating the elements as separate elements, and therefore noticing the way they interact with each other.
The fabric played with the concept of layers and crops which existed in the film. As you can see below, the fabric holds the projections whilst still letting the image past back to the next layer of fabric and then onto the wall. This was the intention of using sheer fabric, I didn't wan the projection to be blocked or contained, I wanted the fabric to interact with the light and the images, giving materiality to the light which passes through it.
I am thinking about how I want the audience to interact with my piece. I am thinking it might be interesting if people could walk around the installation, maybe suspending the projector from the ceiling so the film isn't blocked. The shadows of people walking around would incorporate the concept of communicating the diversity of identity. This would form a relationship between the audience and the film, the interior spaces and objects in the film would be projected onto the people which would play on my idea of illustrating the identity of a person by comparing it to the changing identity of space.
Some clips worked better than others, such as the bolder, more vibrant colours because it created more of a connection between the elements of the installation. Also the clips which had a consistent colour throughout the entire frame worked better than those which had a changing gradient of colour at the edge of the frame. Having said this, the changing vibrancy of colours throughout the film is necessary in communicating the narrative of the poem.
I have decided to encourage the audience to interact with the projection during the exhibition. When I was setting up my installation for documentation, the students in the studio began to walk around the installation looking at and touching the projection on the back wall, and playing with their shadows. A lot of the students told me it made them feel calm. This interaction allows me to see the influence the environment has on the behaviour of humans, I was able to see first hand the physicality of the theories I had researched into environmental psychology. Visually the silhouettes of human forms amongst this created landscape enhances the impact the installation has on communicating the connection between the identity of a person to the identity of space. It also allowed the audience to physically connect to the movement and experience of this installation, connecting more to the physicality of identity and their perception of reality.