FMP: Berlin Trip

Berlin Wall, Germany (March, 2014)

Berlinische Galerie, Germany (March, 2014)

The Holocaust Memorial. Berlin, Germany (March, 2014)

Modified observation sketch of the holocaust memorial

The trip to Berlin, Germany was not too influential on my concept, but instead provided a lot of food for thought on my visual representations. The Berlin wall introduced different characters to me. Arising questions like, do I want to represent the characters as I saw them in my dreams? Do I want to be less literal? How can I make the characters contribute to the disturbing nature of the film I wish to produce? Should they be vibrant, obscure, flat, expressive etc? 

My visit to the Berlinische Galerie introduced me to the artist Franz Ackermann, who's art captivated me for hours. The experienced provoked so many questions and opened my eyes to the importance of detail, not necessarily in regards to intricacy, but what each and every part means, what it communicates. The manic, visual maps that Ackermann creates involve many different mediums including paint and photography, which creates layers and depth to the work. It was truly delightful to discover all the secrets that revealed themselves throughout each piece in pockets of detail.

The Holocaust Memorial was a daunting experience. We were gradually submerging in the graves of the dead, once again conjuring the idea of escape. In my sketch, the graves are beginning to fall and I have included the "Royal Road", leading the path out of the graves. This was a small idea I was working with on the spot, trying to illustrate what a break through into lucidity might do to the environment if I were dreaming in that second. It kind of conveys the initial state of mental escapism.

FMP: Dream Psychology Research

Dream psychology research in my sketch book

Authors own

Of course, I had to research Freudian theory as it influenced so much art and is the most outrageous, common knowledge theory for dream analysis. Carl Gustav Jung's dramatic structure theory proved to be very helpful to my particular media of choice (animation), as it provided a rough outline of the structure of dreams and which section of the dream is most important. This could be something for me to consider when generating storyboards. Another thing that caught my attention was a quote by Sigmund Freud:

"Dreams are the Royal Road to the Unconscious."  

This quote generated strong imagery for me and it could be a potential component to my final storyboard. The "Royal Road" could be an effective symbolic device that insinuates an entrance or exit of the unconscious.  

You Are Here: Visiting Cannon Street Station

Photos I took whilst at Cannon Street

Sketches and recordings made at Cannon Street Station

All photos are authors own

Going to Cannon Street and taking time to get in touch with the area, study it, delving into its finest details was a really fascinating experience and it provoked many potential ideas. I found this way of working to be really successful in generating ideas. A great way to become inspired. As I sat just watching, listening and experiencing the ambiance my brain was already working up potential narratives. It was also a really good opportunity just to do some drawing and study mundane life. However, I did find the whole experience rather exhausting and I barely left the station as I wanted to explore it before going out on the street. Although, I think it would be quite interesting just to concentrate on the station. More specifically, the underground.

3DD: Spaghetti Structure Sketch

This is a quick sketch of the Spaghetti structure I made, featured in the previous post.

Experimenting with frames: 1

This exercise of cutting out and framing parts of the original image was used for me to try and create different moods and narratives from the same image. Here emphasis is placed on the base of the stump.

Drawing of memory photo

This is an unfinished drawing I done of the previous image I posted. I drew this to bring my attention the details in the photo that I initially missed. 

Time Line: Idea Development

These two images are pages in my sketch book that show my process of thought for my initial idea of a time line that illustrates changes in my emotional state throughout the past week. Here I have decided to make 3D abstract pieces, which are situated inside comic book-like frames to show a change through a series of works.