Earth Artifact - Research Booklet by Rebekah Hollins

Earth Artifact Research Booklet Rebekah Hollins

RESEARCH

THE GOLDEN RECORD Over the next few weeks you are required to submit creative proposals through to finished design work or animation for a new version of the ‘Golden Record’ entitled, ‘Earth Artefact’. This does not have to be a slavish reproduction of the original golden record, but could be a more contemporary version, which should be reflected in the content and the format/media channel of your choice. You should document all stages of the research and design process, which should demonstrate a critical understanding of the design challenge. You should be inventive and demonstrate your ingenuity in solving this creative challenge. It is important you generate several creative solutions, taking one justified idea forward to a final solution. The Golden Record was launched into space with the Voyagers, acting as a time capsule to preserve and share information in the event that it might come into contact with any extraterrestrial lifeforms. The record contains 115 photos, 55 greetings in a variety of languages, a 12 minute montage of earth sounds along with the most iconic pieces of music/ It involves details on human anatomy, places, architecture, book exerts and much more information about earth at the time that it was created. I think that at this point it is important to consider that to reproduce the Golden Records, it is important to decide on the contents of the design and the important elements that we might focus on. I have formulated a list of things that I feel are important in terms of representing the earth and its inhabitants. I have explored an array of themes and subjects and separated the into three categories. Obviously, Development and the evolution of ideas is a primary focus of the world today and it is evident that it plays a huge part in our lives. It is however one of the more negative and controversial subjects and may cause disagreement and present a bad perception of the world which is not necessarily the aim. Obviously there are issues to consider, such as environmental worries and crisis. However I think it is important to provide a positive outlook on the world and allow the world to be seen in a good light and from a fresh perspective. For this reason I intend to focus on the factors from the first and second list and incorporate a delicate amount from the third. I think that it is important to share the Development and Evolution of human kind as it is a part of us and a huge achievement however I think too much of this might create the wrong kind of impression.

Science of Earth

Study of People

Development and Evolution

Solar System Anatomy Construction of Earth Seasons Animals Nature Elements Evolution

Emotions Mood Spoken Language Written Language Body Language Gestures Colour Smells Food Desires

Transport The Arts Leisure Sports Medication Social Media Fashion Commerce Currency Philosophy Communism Supply and Demand Inventions Houses Architecture Medication Education Culture Religion Politics Countries Law and Order Time

Donato created a poster series called ‘Beyond Earth’ through researching into NASA missions. In the description of the work it says that he “Came to the realization that the late 1950’s to mid-1970’s were exciting times for new discoveries, for real photographic images of planets and for limitless possibilities. This gave me the incentive to start a personal project named Beyond Earth” The series of posters are very simplistic yet clever representations of each planet, focusing on the known colours and construction of the planet and the surroundings of that. The artists attention to detail really gives the work character and adds depth to the designs. The colours used are not shaded and are placed down very much in blocks of colour, this creates a very simplistic representation of the planets and allows for the viewer to very comfortably look at the designs. The planets that are added to the poster are done so on very neutral background, although the colour may vary to complement the colours featured in that particular planet, the background remains very neutral and does not deter the viewer from the piece. In some cases the background features details such as the orbit of other planets around the focal planet and this is shown through very delicate use of lines and minimalistic depictions of the other planets, ensuring that the focus is on the planet intended. The designer has also incorporated the use of text onto the designs, the text reflecting the colours of the focal planet. The designs are very straight forward and the layout of the text is very simple, I feel that this approach would be very effective as the very simplistic designs would be easy to interpret for someone who perhaps has no context to associate with it.

Stephen Di Donato

Yummei

Yummeiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art focuses strongly on issues regarding environmental factors such as the melting of the polar icecaps or the pollution in the sea with oil and plastics. The images are very boldly coloured and somewhat realistic which gives the viewer a very distressing experience, highlighting the severity and importance of the issues at hand. The artist uses deceptive perception in order to trick the viewer and cause them to question what they are viewing, this creates interest and triggers the viewer to play closer attention to the theme of the image and understand the importance. For example, what initially appears to be a mermaid, is a puddle of blood, a shark tangled in a net, a drowned bird and a turtle wrapped in plastic. Although the image initially appears quite beautiful, once you understand the actual content of the image it becomes upsetting and somewhat sinister. The work focuses on human kinds desire for material possessions and how this effects the world around us the images portray the materialistic goods as almost disgusting and nature as beautiful, creating an extreme contrast and allowing the viewer to understand the true impact on the environment. Yummei

This particular artist uses bright colours and simple designs to present information, otherwise known as info-graphics. I really like this approach as it is a really straight forward way to present the work and shows the information really clearly and effectively. I may incorporate this kind of style into my work to document the more scientific elements of the design, I think this provides and in-depth overview of the information whilst remaining inviting and attractive to the eye. The artist uses really bold and contrasting colours, the reddish colours draw in the viewers attention and the greens contrast with the blue background and create a really strong visual effect. I think the simplistic font in this particular design really puts across the information clearly and meets the purpose of the design, I think any info graphics require this kind of layout as the data must be clear and readable but also inviting and aesthetically pleasing to the viewer.

Bureau Oberhaeuser

This artist works from natural form to develop the branding for a nature park. He collected some natural influences such as pressed flowers, petals and leaves and then sketched up the interesting elements of the focus. For the branding of the company he focused on the plant that was being displayed and amplified its key features. These key features are then simplified and made into a crisp design and then to create a running theme they are then placed in a box. The thing that struck me in particular about these designs is the ability to use the designs on an array of media, the material is cut out of creating a really interesting result. In addition the images appear very natural when etched onto a wooden board, fitting with the theme of the design. When combined with a really simplistic typeface I think that the designs are really effective and work really well.

Lucas Leo Catalano

I think the concept of using icons for this particular brief is really effective as they demonstrate very simplistic versions of images. With the information I am resenting, I am aiming to present the work as if the viewer knows nothing about earth or the human race and fr this reason the items that I am referencing become very clear and distinguishable. I think the combination of the simplistic images paired with the text creates a very clear representation of what we are talking about. As shown on the left it is possible to experiment with both illustrated icons along with vectorised designs, both of which work really effectively. Additionally, the choice of colours are very pleasant and comforting to the eye, creating a friendly and approachable design which allows the viewer to feel relaxed when viewing it, I think this is an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration when approaching my brief as no images can be misconstrued. These particular items that are shown are very modernised, showing tecnology and material goods, but it would be possible to appraoch this from a more documentative perspective and perhaps use the simplistic iconic method to represent nature, animals, humans, anatomy, the earth and planets, etc.

Mohamed Samir

These designs relly grabbed my attention not becausse of the materials they are made of but the way in which they document nature as if they are a meuseum. I really like the ideas of the butterfly pins and the plain background with the item put upon it for show. Additionally, the items are made very simplistic and I think this is vital in my brief as it is understandable that the intended audience are to have no prior knowledge of earth and its contents. The thing that works really effectively in these images is the fact that they are three dimentional and this allows shadows to form, creating a more realistic interpretation, yet remaining simple. To further improve the designs, the artists have used an array of bold and vibrant colours to portray the subjects to the best of their ability, it also adds an element of excitement and beauty to the subject as all colour has been amplified and in effect, draws attention to the object more so than usual.

Zim & Zou

Here is anther artist who utilises the info-graphics style in their work, this particular design stood out to me due to the theme of evolution which I feel is an important focus of my work. Unlike the other example of data visualisation, this one is much more visually stimulating, using a somewhat neutral colour scheme and then adding in dashes of colour here and there to categorise the time line accordingly. I think that the simplistic icons representative of each time period work really well along with the block coloured outlines of the continental drift, demonstrating the progressions of the world in a very interesting yet understandable way.

Juan David Martinez

I have taken a particular interest in the simple and iconic figurative artworks that have been used, during researching this discovered this typeface which was created using icons of space related pictures. I think these icons are so effective as they demonstrate so clearly what the subject of the icon is there to represent, this may be a really interesting approach to looking at the world. Perhaps you might look out of a window and turn any objects you can see into really simplified versions of themselves and this might be an approach I could take in my development stages. These simplistic icons would be really interesting but also easy to interpret by someone who perhaps has no prior knowledge, it may be possible to incorporate some colour into the deigns and see what kind of effect this would create/.

Adam Katyi

This particular artist utilises a variation of different media to represent a landscape, this again captured my attention due to the simplicity of the piece, I think the use of shadows to create different elements of the design has a really unique effect. The artist has used a very limited colour pallet in these designs and only uses colour on the elements of the designs that he feels are important, so it would seem. I think this is really interesting as it draws the viewers attention to those subjects and helps them to identify with what they are. The experimentation of physically cutting out from the paper might be something I take forward, as with the work from the artist that re-branded the nature park, the idea of the laser cutter is becoming increasingly of interest to me however I will also experiment with other approaches as well as this idea.

Eiko Ojala

This artist, similarly to Juan David Martines, is an infographic designer who uses bright colours in his work to capture information and present it visually. I really like the colour of these images and the simplistic vectorised style, it create a really effective and capturing result that really captivates the viewer. The artist has used a very neutral background for the images as it allows the audience to see the data more clearly. Clearly the artist has used a space related theme which somewhat fits with the theme of the brief and this is why this artwork particularly caught my attention, I may experiment with creating something in a similar style to this work.

Francesco Faggiano

I became really interested in the works of Cikanek because of her use of watercolour and illustrated designs, I really like the style and think it has a very documentative yet artistic approach. I think it would be really effective in a fact booklet and this might be an idea I experiment with further. After looking more into her work I discovered the images on the right, I though that they were interesting as they seemed to represent the human race in a way, focusing on key idols and discoveries as well as nature and religion. In a way it encapsulates all of the different sides of the human race and this might be something I look at in more detail to aid the creating of my earth artifact. This particular piece of design appears to focus on the Buddhist religion in particular, reflecting the thoughts and belief of a monk, this might suggest that there is a huge contrast between that and the other side which shows all of the inventions of the world, theories and psychology. The contrast between the two yet the resounding beauty plays a huge part in the whole image as it reflects that a balance of each can create a beautiful result.

Helena Cikanek

I decided that, following on from looking at less digital artists I would explore the work of Lau, who creates beautiful watercolour designs. These particularly captured my attention due to the vibrancy of the designs and the skill along with the attention to detail. i thought that the colour variations might represent the seasons and nature as a whole and this is something that I will definitely be focusing on throughout my work. As you can see from the close up above there is a huge amount of detail that goes into these paintings and the artist really focuses on using a range of tones and texture in his work. Another focus of Lauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is his intense use of fine brush strokes and making technique that he utilises in the background and stem-work of the designs, this shows immense care and precision in his work and gives the pieces a real sense of depth.

Jon Lau

Oliver Sin created these very simplistic and vectorised representation of the world, enhancing the beauty of the world through the use of vibrant and powerful colours. There is very little use of outlines and the designs are all created using block colour, tones and highlights are also added in this way. Sin uses different colours and line-work to add depth to the piece, creating a sense of perspective be putting different elements of the image larger in frame, giving the illusion of being closer to the viewer. I really like the simplicity of these designs, as with the iconography in other artists I have looked at, the message of the designs and the content within them is really clear which would be vital considering the current brief that I am focusing on. There are also some really interesting uses of shape such as in the very bottom left image where the artist has effectively sliced the earth to show a landscape interpretation of it. The images that are displayed are in some way unrealistic, the bright colours enhancing this in particular however I think it is a very fantastical representation of the world rather than a negative or wholly accurate one.

Oliver Sin

Schirru appears to combine the use of watercolour with digital art to create these really unique interpretations of the planetary system. This really captured my attention due to the other kinds of artists I have looked at being a combination of both digital and physical art. I was beginning to wonder how I might start to combine the two styles and I think this is a really interesting example of how I might do that. The artist has stuck with a very simplistic background, choosing out a colour that she felt would work most appropriately with the focuses of the image and then she added the other elements to this. The artist has also created several GIF images of these in which different elements of the pieces move around the design however I decided to look at the still influences currently. As said, I think the combination of digital and watercolour really works effectively because of the use of crisp colour in the design along with the colours that are chosen in the background, they bring the piece together as a whole and feel that it might not work without this.

Sara Schirru

This artist pays attention to natural patterns and textures, using them as an influence to create mark making and designs. I think this would be a really interesting thing to look at and might be a way of explaining the different types of materials without going into a lengthy description. One thing that particularly interests me about these designs is the use of different textures of paper to present the designs. I think the use of neutral coloured backgrounds and the circle outline creates a really interesting and unique final result to the designs. These also remind me a little of DNA and it may be an alternative way to look at presenting that in the later stages of my work if needs be.

Serene Ng

I really like the mixed media style of Watsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, I think the use of the stained paper also adds to the theme of the images, the use of physical objects added to the designs give it a sense of depth and realism, allowing the viewer to understand the size or proportions of the physical item. I think that the use of slightly opaque paper is really effective in this work as it allows any writing to stand out above the images or vice versa. It would seem that there is a story behind each collection of images, for example the image in the top left might be considered to be talking about angels or birds, looking at the construction of wings and how there are many different types. The image on the top right would appear to be telling a narrative about the woman in the image, combining it with the quote â&#x20AC;&#x153;the beauty of errorâ&#x20AC;? along with an icon of beauty which is the flower placed in the centre of the woman and the text. I would appear that the text used in the images has no correlation between the items featured in frames however it might be a really effective approach to add text to the image and allow it to look really aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. Along with the use of archaic looking photos, papers, books, the artist tends to use very neutral colours. This draws attention to anything that might be brighter, such as the berries, leaves or petals.

Fiona Watson

I decided that for this project I am wanting to experiment a little more with some watercolour ideas as well as digitally rendering my designs. I think that the delecacy of these designs works really well and creates a very realistic yet subtle representation of nature. I may consider taking this kind of style forward into my outcome and incoorperating some water colour workings into the designs. Another thing that really works about this design is the use of the colour swatches, I think these work really well in reflecting the colours of nature and allowing the viewer to ecperience the different colours of the environment.

Lucy Akins

I think the idea of incoorperationg some pressed flowers into my design would be really unique, it creates a sense of realism and allows the viewer to really feel the kinds of things that are part of earth. I also like the sort of scrapbook style of these images as they look really pretty and unique, I might work with something like this, perhaps experment with scanning something in or also pressing some flowers of my own.

Emily Dickinson

Considering the documentation approach that I am thinking of taking, I discovered these layouts and really liked the style fo the. Again with the little tags underneath giving infofrmation, as with the floral ones. I think this could create a really unique outcome, perhaps adding an element of 3D in some way. or at least some form of textural approach to the application of the designs so that the viewer can experience the creatures fully.

The Natural History of Beetles

I looked into some nature journaling and discovered these, it reminded me once more of the butterfly pinning and thought that this might be the kind of approach to take in my outcome. I wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go quite so strongly on the journaling style but the content and layout is something that is quite appealing and I might consider in my work.

Sierra Trek Journal 2012

Focusing more on the presentation and formal approach to the kind of outcome I am llooking to create. I think that either the binding or metal clip method would be really effective in creating this outcome. I think that the work is going to be very documentative and sophsticated with a touch of realism and texture to the work that will enable the viewer to really experience the landscape of focus at that time. I think this kind of style would be really effective as an outcome, very formal and businesslike with a touch of a creative side.

Rosalind Stoughton

When I started to consider the different types of layouts that I might approach the brief with, I remembered a film I watched a while ago where the main character documented different characters in a sketchbook. I find this kind of layout really interesting and love how it combines both realistic elements with sketched images and close up parts of the characters, breaking them down to give a better description of them. I think that this will be the kind of approach I take to designing my outcome, combining both realistic elements with ones that are sketched and some text placed alongside the images to act as a description or insight into the focus.

The Spiderwick Chronicles