Postage Stamp. Environmental Change.

I need to look into the environmental changes they've chosen to include in the brief. Chosen being the key word here, I don't believe they'd of made the effort to include them without reason.

Low-impact transport:

Wiki - Sustainable Transport.

Also known as green-transport, meaning transport which has a low impact on the environment. So were talking about walking, cycling, car shares, electrically or sustainably powered cars and public transport such as trams and buses.

Transport accounts for 20 - 25% of the worlds energy consumption and more importantly you might say, it's carbon dioxide emissions.

An article written by the Low Impact Living Initiative (LILI) says that low-impact transport can be achieved by a combination of a switch from private to public transport and an increase in sustainably powered vehicles, most importantly muscle power.

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Zero-carbon housing:

What is zero carbon housing? 

Well it's funny you should ask as I've just been looking into it. Zero carbon housing is a home which produces zero or even negative CO2 emissions by maximising the use of energy efficient and renewable energy sources.

Apparently from 2016 in the UK, all new houses must be zero carbon. The key is in insulation and they will look probably the same as traditional British houses.

If the house also uses solar or wind turbines or both, then it's possible it may make more energy than it uses. In this case the government actually pay the owners for the energy they put back into the grid.

  

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Water over-consumption:

It's obvious I think what this refers to but It's the one I'm having most trouble finding information on.

"We are living beyond our means when it comes to water. The short-term solution to water scarcity has been to extract ever greater amounts of water from our surface and groundwater assets. Overexploitation is not sustainable. It has a heavy impact on the quality and quantity of the remaining water as well as the ecosystems which depend on it. We have to cut demand, minimise the amount of water that we are extracting and increase the efficiency of its use".

Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA.

Basically the jist is that people are using too much water compared to the resources we have available. Water consumption is as high as 170 litres per person per day average down south compared to the governments target of 130.

Some solutions to help ease this are suggested that houses have water meters installed. Studies show houses with the meters use 13% less water then those without.

It also threatens animal habitats near the water sources when they run low.

 

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Initial Thoughts:

Personally I think the low-impact transport appeals to me most. It can easily worked into a set and already has strong visual elements which can be experimented with and expanded upon, as well as being a pressing issue and one I think the UK is acting upon with projects such as the congestion charge.

The obvious colour thoughts for projects of this nature is greens, blues and yellows. Light and vibrant to reflect positive visions of climate change. 

What is a Line? Wiring.

I thought I better have a closer look at guitar wiring in relation to it's colour. Obviously red and the green earth wire and the primary considerations.

However as my the tone of my work is not designed to be an instructional images then the colour of my wiring doesn't matter as much. I guess two colours can be kept but if those two colours weren't red and green for the sake of aesthetics then I don't think this would be a crime.

Another thought is that as long is the wires are connected in the right places then the bit in between doesn't necessarily need to be exact. Guess it depends on whether I go with an x-ray style documentary image or something more illustrative.

Personally I'd prefer to do something more illustrative as I think it suits the target audience better. If this is something that's designed to be bought by guitar fanatics as decorations for their house then images which feel artistic and visually prominent would work better. 

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What is a Line? Fender & Gibson.

They really are the two most recognized and revered electric guitar makes so it makes sense to concentrate on them.  


Fender:

Fender themselves class there iconic electric guitars as the telecaster and the stratocaster along with two bass guitars which I haven't considered as possible options as they are equally electric and in cases equally iconic.

It has a rich heritage of respected artists that have used there guitars which is how they gained some notoriety.

Other possible guitar for consideration by them is the 'Jaguar' and the 'Mustang'. If I had these with the tele and the strat it gives me a set to work with but it might not offer enough variety.

Fender's visual style keeps strong 60's aesthetics and that of rock and roll. This is obviously a vintage poster but you can see how the modern logo hasn't really changed much in 50 something years. This tells me they are keen to keep their heritage alive and well.

 Gibson:

Gibson guitars as a company is actually very similar to Fender in both it's proud heritage and it's aesthetic choices.

Other Gibson considerations include the 'Firebird', 'SG', 'Flying V' and the 'Explorer'. All have unique shapes. There's also the ES-150. This is the first Gibson electric. 

 















You can see how similar the logo's are in structure. They are both designed as script text which I suppose is to give the guitars that vintage, hand made feel. The Gibson logo is also written on an angle of about 10 degrees. This style of logo is pretty consistent with the guitar industry, especially those which have been around a while.

What is a Line? Guitar Research.

I thought it sensible to start my research process by looking at some images of iconic guitar shapes and their innards. See what's lurking around the internet firstly.

Fender Stratocaster:

Possibly the most iconic guitar of all time, it's shape is recognised and has been copied countless times. This would make it a prime subject for the idea I have for this brief.

In terms of wiring it's fairly simple and would work well as a simplified graphic.

Gibson Les Paul:

The les paul is probably equally iconic and another one of the most copied guitar shapes of all time. Again the wiring looks simple which is good but this time it seems to involve more chambers. I don't mind this, it gives me more visual elements to work with.

Fender Telecaster:

  

Another famous model from fender. Not as much as the strat but it's widely known and respected. This is a bit of a mix between the strat and les paul in structure mixing chambers and solid body.

What I'm getting from this is the wiring basically connects the pick ups which transmit the sound from the strings, to the volume and tone switches, that is then connected to the jack output which sends the sound to the amplifier.

Gibson 355:

A Gibson 355 like the ones John Lennon and Chuck Berry played are definitely iconic guitars and will cost you a fortune these days. The difference with this guitar is that it's semi-acoustic so the body is partially hollow but it still uses electrics so it can be amplified.

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Evaluation: 

There's definitely visually interesting elements I can work with so that's a relief. I wasn't sure what was lurking beneath a guitars surface to be honest and whether it would be substantial enough for me to be able to design to. Luckily it has enough bits and bobs to be able to create something interesting.

I need to keep in mind that wiring can be an extremely dull subject to most but hopefully with visual interest added and aimed at the right audience, guitar enthusiasts, I believe it has enough merit to carry the project forward.

Initial thoughts:

The shapes of the guitars are well known enough to my target audience not to need to add detail of the outer elements unless they are visually striking or relevant. This leaves me the whole body of the guitar to map out wiring and chambers with a mind for experimentation in colour. 

 

Lecture. High Culture Vs. Low.

Objective 1: Understand the Avant-Garde.


Dictionary Term – ‘avant-garde’  with terms like
innovation in the arts or pioneers.


The premise of describing artwork which is innovative and pioneering but also to a group doing this. 


So you are either producing avant-garde work (new and innovative) or a member of an avant-garde group.


This has led to brands and companies associating the word avant-garde to themselves in order to lead people into thinking they do are pioneers when in reality they are undisputedly not.

Innovative? Pioneering?

 In the art world at the time movements such as 'Dada' and it's artists like Marhel Duchamp were considered avant-garde in their practice. 

This work 'fountain' (1917) was considered at the time avant-garde because it was something different and new. It matches the criteria placed down for avant-garde but this doesn't necessarily mean that it's any good. 


Objective 2: Question the way art/design education relies on the concept of the avant-garde.

Art and design educational institutes have absorbed this notion of the avant-garde. When you look at course information for the majority of them you can expect to see the words radical, experimental, challenge conventions and so on.

You can even say this is paramount to the course structure for them. It's pushed on young artists and designers that to be good you need to be original, innovative and a breed of creative genius who throws away conventions and trail blazes into new creative pasteurs. 

This premise is what leads to the misunderstood tortured artist stereotype in which the world isn't ready for such radical visionary thinking such as their own. 

Objective 3: Understand the related concept 'art for art's sake'.

By the end of the 19th/early 20th century there was two approaches to the avant-garde.

1.     art that is socially committed [artists being the ‘avant-garde’ of   society, pushing forward political objectives]

2.     art that seeks only to expand / progress what art is (in itself and for itself) / art for art’s sake.

These guidelines of what was avant-garde and what was not was largely orchestrated by the critics.

Clive bell coined the term 'Significant form' as a way to describe a work of art. This however was one mans opinion and far too simplified for such a broad topic. 

The avant-garde art for arts sake approach dominated most of the 20th century. Work started becoming more and more conceptual.

A major problem for the avant-garde is that it seems to necessitate ‘ELITISM’.

What is Kitsch?

Kitsch is a term used to describe art which is considered to be an inferior worthless copy. For example when a famous work of art like the mona lisa is put onto a mug or badge.

True kitsch work aims to be taken seriously but the subject matter falls very far short. Chocolate box images come to mind which may have been well painted technically but possess no real message or purpose. 

Some artists have played on this by making work look kitsch whilst having a deeper meaning. 

In the modern day these fine artists who are considered avant garde and produce conceptual pieces such as those submitted the turner prize are largely resented. It is still as elitist as ever and considered high culture only by those who consider themselves high culture. The general populous finds it pretentious and slightly offensive that they make so much money off pieces. For example Tracey Emins dirty bed for the turner prize is not seen as artistic to most yet we are told it is by the critics who believe themselves to know better then others and if others don't understand it then it is because they are too stupid to.  

  

  

Aesthetics.

1. The Heads Of State - Image for Body + Soul magazine. 

Aesthetically it's safe to say that I find this pleasing. Firstly the mustard yellow on black gives my eyes a strong contrast. Secondly centrally positioned images like this is a composition I always appreciate, something about the focus being bang in the middle is right for me. Thirdly the textures of paint and wood add another element to a piece which could otherwise feel flat. It gives it that organic quality. Lastly the subject matter intrigues me, I love images where they are so simple yet feel like there's so much more to them, like an underlying message I haven't yet discovered, whether that message is meant to be there or one that's personal to me doesn't matter.

2. The Heads of State - Travel Series (Miami).

Same studio but again they do work which I can't help but find visually captivating. Print based media has a soft spot in my heart, whether it's to do with the texture you can get through this or the links with traditional artwork. This still has the use of block graphic shapes used to create an impression of an image which I like. I'm not one for realism really unless it's photography.

3. Henri Matisse - Red Bedroom.

I prefer impressionist and expressionist painters to realists. To me photography killed realist painting and though it can show a lot of skill I think it doesn't realize the true potential of painting. Paintings like this which show a world which we never see, that of another's imagination and vision, is what truly appeals to me.

4. Henri Matisse - Bonheur.

Again Matisse creates a fantasy world which feels like your looking into someones dream. The colour balance is what does it for me on this piece, so many used but manages to keep such a striking harmony.

5. Homer Sykes - Various Works. - http://www.homersykes.com/ All Photographs used copyright of Homer Sykes.

Went to a talk by this guy in the Blenheim studio theater. His early black and white social documentary photography is my kind of stuff. I like photography to capture a moment of human strife or weirdness. The contrast of shadow is why I tend to opt for black and white over colour photography and the shades of grey dominating the image reflect it's subject matter.

6. My taste in sculpture is similar to that of painting, I like the impressionist artists. Distorted figures with harmonious curves. The truth to materials in sculpture is also appealing, the brown stone and metal used feels rich and dense. 
 

Prep Task.

10 things that interest me.

1. Communism/ Red Guard/ Soviet Union.
I've always found this an interesting topic and looking through the manifesto task the communist manifesto is something that I'd like to look into with further depth. The artwork surrounding it has always had that graphic element to it's appearance and feels bold and physical. The history around it also makes for a great depth of source material.

2. Revolution.
Again this stems for the communist research but things like the revolutions in China to turn it into a peoples republic was something real and progressive. It shows a people willing to fight for something and people willing to stand up has always been a source of inspiration.

3. Gig posters.
The artistic nature and marry of art and graphics which you stumble upon in gig posters will always be desirable for me. It's always been there but for this project I was reminded of it when we did the speed dating task.

4. Symbolism.
This actually comes from the first image analysis task. Decoding work with symbolism excites me and the use of it fascinates me.

5. Modernism. 
I sometimes find myself torn between modernist and post modernist work but theres something about simplicity and functionality which does push my buttons. Clean lines and geometric shapes aesthetically please me.


6. Film. 
Watching films is one of my hobbies if you can call it that so the film lectures held my attention more then say fashion as photography. The film noir style 'giallo' from the Italian vernacular cinema lecture was intriguing, the way it was shot focusing on visuals over dialogue appeals to the creative person that I am.

7. Illustration/ Alessandro Gottardo.
Discovered this illustrator through the designer speed dating again. This minimal style with subtle contexts is right down my street, slap a band name and a date on it and you've got a gig poster almost.

8. The Golden/Jazz age.
Think we touched on this during the modernism lecture, the start of the 20th century in respect of it's progression in culture both socialistic and artistic is very interesting to me. That feeling of hope post great war showed the human resilience to trauma, though perhaps it was slightly too eager.

9. Architecture.
Something I've always admired but maybe didn't give it artistic merit where deserved. We spoke a lot about it during the modernism and post-modernism, although in different respects.

10. The divisions within the art community.
This was pretty much the topic for my essay but the essay was obviously focused on art and graphics, but I find the whole begrudging system of class and culture which is handed down to us from those who have gone before leaves a slightly bitter taste in many's mouths. Basically it interests me how these classifications were put in place and how it gave area's of art and design the feeling that they are superior to others.