Process book

mattia

PROCESS

2012/2013

bernini

IMI

BOOK

A small booklet to summarize the projects I’ve been working on during my second year of BA Interaction&Moving Image at London College of Communication.

index

TRIBES

PHYSIS

HYBRID

DESIRE LINES

SELF VENERATION

SUBTRACT

YAPI

visualaddicted@hotmail.com

mattia bernini

IMI

london college of communication

visualaddicted.tumblr.com

trib es

an anthropological journey in a land of pride, traditions and goats

THE PROJECT

The first project of the second year filled up most of summer allowing me to encounter and get to know amazing people and new, previously unknown customs. The brief required me to look out and search for a group of people connected in some ways by a shared factor, ideal, way of living, belief, passion, job, possessions, skills or anything that could make them interesting and tightly related in order to create a unique social group, a tribe.

Away from cab drivers, to beggars or hooligans I felt that the tribe I wanted to investigate should have been outside the realms of the city, away from common notions and familiar elements that would allow the project to gain an attractive and more striking factor as well as for a personal interest in meeting people of certain kind. It came absolutely handy to be participating in the Mongol Rally, a charity race that saw me driving from London to Mongolia on a car throughout July and August that allowed me to get to places otherwise impossible to reach.

Throughout the 16.000 km of the race I have encountered a series of group of people that could have fit the project perfectly from the apricot pickers in eastern turkey, truck drivers throughout Kazakhstan, to the hitchhiking community varying from young travellers to farmers trying to reach the next city, camel or yak breeder, or Kazakh fruit farmer welcoming you along the way with incredible gifts and many more. All amazingly rich possible projects that could have enhance my knowledge of the

chosen group with a better understanding of old tradition and ways of living but I had to continuously struggle with a time factor that was always ready to let down possible projects. The main problem was that many times by the time I acknowledged the possibility for the development of a research into a specific social group, the group was already 500 km behind me with no possibility to come back and work on it- it became clear after a while that I had to choose a tribe that was spread through a large area, a tougher challenge given that usually this people lives in small geographical regions that have all the necessary elements for their survival.

It is exactly because of this reason that the first two studies of tribes I started were sadly impossible to bring to an end for a lack of more individuals to study, meet, understand and report. Amongst others that fall in this unfinished category I particularly loved the one I named “Golden Kazakhstan” where I was photographing people that had golden teeth throughout Kazakhstan- when I say golden teeth I mean the whole upper or lower “deck” or weird pattern between natural and golden one. It was a great project because it concerned a specific and unique feature of Kazakhstan people and it provided incredibly striking shoots. The project gained even more curiosity motivating me to research even deeper when people I spoke with proved my initial assumptions completely

wrong. I initially thought that they were using gold to re- place the falling one for a matter of pride and excessive exhibition- ism in order to show off possessions, instead I later found out that normal teeth are extremely pricey and that gold is a decision drawn from a lack of enough monetary resources.

Once again I learnt that easy assumptions fools you. My main fault was to realize too late about the opportunities of such a unique tribe and the time run off, or I better say the country run off leaving me unable to create a substantially rich project. After this I was a bit doubtful about the successful conclusion of the assignment itself given that I only had one country left to go through and little less than a month to spend on the road. I had to be selective, practical and pragmatic at the same time not to fall in the same mistake again. I had to choose a group of people that spread throughout the whole country, with an interesting story to be told, great traditions, customs and frequently present along the way. Yurt was the answer. Yurts are still everywhere used in Mongolia. Yurts are big circular white tends where locals live. They are populated by farmer taking care of goats, horses and what’s more important they are practically self-sufficient with the use of money reduced to a minimum, for lack and choice. From the moment I crossed the border I started to find ways to get in contact with this people trying to devise ways in which I could overcome the language and cultural barriers. To understand them and learn their unique lifestyle I had to live with them even for a short time. Understanding and knowing them was the first step, then and only then it came the camera, shutter speed, composition and all the other more marginal details concerning the techniques.

Amongst others ways to get in touch with this people I’ve taken on board a 63 years old hitchhiker named Monk which told me many stories and explained me the yurt community in detail, traveled alone with no other cars to be perceived in a more simple and innocent way, slept every night next to a yurt interacting with them for dinner, sleep or breakfast, bought stuff I did not need, laughed at stories I didn’t understand and I also finally thank the fact that the car broke down quite a few times and gave an excuse/need to ask for help

and get to understand even more the incredible cultural heritage of such a lost population always ready to give.

After the first hours of “talking”, showing, tasting, pointing, drawing, laughing, milking, fixing, cooking and establishing a trustworthy relation- ship between each other- only then it was a matter of documenting their lives.

You cannot pretend to pop out your shiny car, with your shiny European passport and place your big soul blinding lens in front of their nose and get pure, honest shots. So I did. Many still said no to photos- but that was not important, I’ve already learned a lot from each of them and broaden up my knowledge about man- kind which I believe being the main learning outcome of this brief. Luckily, many also said yes. And I was happy I could finally take my camera off and do my best to portray them as faithfully and respectfully as I could- by this I mean that I would always shoot them from the front or bottom up and never from an higher position which instinctively place the viewer in a dominating position as well as depicting them in important and valuable pose or actions to enhance a seriously unique lifestyle worth the best pride. It was crucial as well the fact that I was mainly shooting early in the morning, as much as 6.00am or late in the evening having to use the central hours to drive to the final goal of Ulanbaatar- thanks to this the light was just perfect with incredible intense colours filling up backgrounds and the sun-cracked skin.

As a photographer As a photographer it was a pure honour to describe such pure, genuine and generally smiley individuals. I wanted to have them staring at the camera as if they were interrupted from daily activity, they acknowledged the photographer, it was not a reportage or a documentary- they were and are showing themselves to the camera.

Showing techniques, customs, daily clothing, ceremonial clothing, tools, activities, rituals, products- their inimitable life.

This project is for me the beginning of a major lifelong project aiming at creating an anthropological archive of farmers and rural communities around the world in an attempt to create a collection of customs, tradition and techniques which I fear are short-lived for the effects of a globalisation process which at the same allows me to meet them,

and a complex socio-economic mechanism of greed to swipe this alternative lifestyle forever. This collection include so far Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Peru and Morocco with more to come. I then produced a 24pages book to show my work. The book is a clean description of the community with as little as possible intrusion from the designer and as much space as possible to the photographer.

The book is in a square format to escape the expected international A format. The central spread of the book is dedicated to different object that relates to this people placing them into context. The rest is about the shoots with latitude and longitude at which they’ve been portrayed to give the possibility to who might be interest to see the exact spot.

The absence of a sketchbook is the result of impossible conditions to write and my belief of the uselessness of producing it retroactively at the end of the project. It just wasn’t possible.

phsy is

theatrical superhero juggling between photshots and street battle

THE PROJECT

After a first project in which you had to study society and its most interesting aspects the second brief concerned a more personal topic looking at your inner self to discover your most secret nuances in order to come up with a final introspective piece of work which should depict a character representing you or your beliefs, your avatar.

The research process I went through got me in the first place to look into old comics with an incredible series of superhero which in my point of view are a perfect representation of an avatar representing a hid- den identity only possible in certain occasion.

From Bruce Wayne becom- ing batman to fight crime at night, to Clark Kent transforming himself in superman to fight tyranny and injustice and spyderman, ironman as well as many others that looking back gave me a great inspiration and ideas to create my own final version of a superheroes.

At the same time I started to think a little bit what interest me and consequently what should interest my final character with a handcrafted costume that would implement its message, belief and cause. The costume should carry the message or at least part of it. First step what to list passions and things that affects and shapes my person. Amongst others I looked into design, jazz, anthropology, travels and theatre to finally realize that my main interests, concerns, hopes and pleasure is provided by nature. Reading from my sketchbook- “In an age of various kind of pollution, climate change and widespread disembodiment from the natural flow of life, I daily take the challenge to recognize and try to understand the different manifestation of nature both in the human body and fauna or plants.

We are nature, but too often we forget about it, lost as we are in our rush after progress.

Nature in cities is entirely man- made- which is a great contradiction in itself.”

The more I got into my research process the more it became clear my avatar would have been a cross between a superheroes, a scarecrow and some sort of naturalistic creature landing on planet heart to defend nature’s right against careless human behaviour. The name I picked for him was Physis which is an old term of Greek origin which refers to nature and it’s complex mechanisms. My research got me to dis-

cover different amazing designer, craftsman and costume designer to get inspiration for the final render of the costume, amongst the most influential are Kyle Bean, Dutch designer Femke Agema as well as some great illustrations for London’s night club Fabric. I then started the actual crafting of the costume which would include plants of different kinds, small tree brunches, various vegetables, fruits, a massive human eye, leaves and a solid frame to hold and attach every single elements. After a few trials to see how different element would perform with studio lighting I quick realize that couldn’t create the costume throughout the length of the brief with all time for final adjustments and correction but I would have to create the whole thing the day before the shooting due to the instability of the vegetables and plants in the long term- they just rotten and fall down after 2 days.

This means that I had a whole week to think about the narrative of the short movie that I was going to create. A short movie which aim was to present and promote a fictional public figure to an international audience. In writing the script and

In writing the script and narrative I had to be extremely careful not to fall into main stream pessimism and negativity usually associated to movements dealing with matters closely related to the one of interest for my avatar. Rendering the video fun, engaging and entertaining would transmit the main concept and message more efficiently and effectively than a sad video showing what everyone knows already. The short is basically divided into four main sections which induce the audience to perceive the superhero in alternating ways with contrasting feeling in a roller cost of emotions jumping between hilarious laughter, concern, seriousness and again surprise mixed with unpredicted fun outcome. There is an introduction where everything from composition, mood, sound- track and pace allude to a serious figure ready to come up with some solemn statements or actions. This is quickly followed by a drastic and surprising switch with an unpretentious dance which is in the border line between fun, ridiculous and trashy. Inspiration for the dance come from a youtube video titled “Evolution of dance” and some of Jim Carry’s moves. The central part of the video clean, smooth and rather serious presentation of the avatar and his beliefs as well as the people that he is aiming at punishing and bring on the right path for the common interest of nature’s preservation.

The end is a listing of different possible ways in which this people that fails to respect nature can possibly be punished which include a “deadly broccoli fart”, “a telepathic vision into an infected cyst” and surprising and castigating “lethal weapon of mass destruction”.

Once the scripts was ready I had to finalize

the production side of the short by collecting a few more tools, skin colour, two more assistant which I found in Linda and Lucia as well as a camera- man and a location. The location was of focal importance, it had to be quite dark and obscure but at the same time it had to locate the avatar in an urban reality with no reference to real nature whatsoeverleak’s street tunnel was the right choice.

The Sunday before the shooting came and it was time to craft the costume for the final shoot. It had been an extremely busy day collecting materials, vegetables, plants and whatever was needed for the creation of the facade of my avatar. It was quite a question mark how it was going to look at the end- I only had a wooden armour-like top and lots of ideas and readiness to improvise.

The whole day went and as well as part of the night working till three in the morning sticking, sawing, making NODO, ribbons and everything I had to do for the stuff to keep together. Eventually the costume was ready and I was quite pleased with the way it looked. The morning shooting for the A2 poster went well and smooth with an image of strong impact and character. In the afternoon we all moved with props, costume and equipment to leak’s street tunnel to shoot the short movie which took longer than we thought with a glacial wind swiping the area which made everything a bit tougher.

A big thanks to Miguel Garcia and his great cameramen skills. By ten we were all home celebrating the conclusion of the project with a big dinner.

The post production process took a good week and included selecting the right section of footage. Putting together all the cuts in an

efficient and striking way using FinalCut was the next step. Eventually I’ve added music and sounds effects to increase final impact and a couple of special effects created in aftereffect. .

Retroactively looking at the project I believe it helped me developing skills that vary from understanding what my interest are, writing a de- cent script, everything concerned with production, craftmaking which I incredibly enjoyed, as well as some technical skills related to software previously unknown.

hybr id

hybridizing preconceived assumptions and meanings

THE PROJECT

Hybrids have been the most exciting, frustrating and challenging project of the year. I loved it and hated it. Broke a 500 Watt lamp.

Destroyed an ex- pensive evening shoe.

Failed. Failed. And again failed. I extremely loved the idea generation process in which I felt extremely productive and on brief with the production of new ideas on a daily basis with a constant regularity rarely experienced in previous assignments but I repeatedly failed in the execution of each different video.

The brief asked us create a brand new hybrid, following a thorough exploration of unusual juxtaposition of images first and then of objects. Joining independent elements to create or invent a third element which would make an autonomous statement. Collage was my first approach. Day after day I layered images together to create a final poster with mixed meaning. Enjoyed the process, even though it was a little bit limitating. Meanwhile I was mainly researching amongst artists but also graphic designer, fashion designer, craftsman and illustrator.

Noma Bar and his bold pastel illustration.

Daniel Eatock and his clever and humorous ob- jects. Claes Oldeburg and his gigantic public intrusions. Thomas Mailaender and his stunning art installations. Theo Gennitsakis and his daring mixing up of commonly held notion of brandings. Also looked into newly born food contradictions that can be understood as hybrid: veggie burger/ unalcoholic beer/ decaf coffee. I thought about the possible creation of a coke-free coke or a THC-free weed etc. Moved on. Started to think about an hybrids which mix up expectation and end result. Gravity, colour, shape, direction, sound, religion, time and technology- all have been taken in consideration.

I came up with as much as 19 different hybrids. A rocking chair with blades to cut vegetables. A lamp which would spit fire when switched. A computer ejecting warm toast instead of cds. A watering can hovering up a young sprout. A barking cat. An helium balloon falling down. A high hill shoe with hill made from ice-cream cone. A flower with petals dropping upwards. A teapot serving horizontal tea. Banana which once peeled off would reveal a sausage. A champagne bottle containing crackers. A colouring hairdryer. A cup of cornflakes served with wine. A bubble

spraycan. And more.

Concept was ready. Studio was booked, for 3 different days. Photographic equipment booked for extra shooting back home- I knew it would take long. Now it was only a matter of production- collecting the hundreds of different objects, props, flowers, fishing wire, powder colour, crafting an armchair, champagne, veggies, candles, lipstick, lamp, fireworks, high hills, ice-cream, crackers, ball, balloons, weights and much, much more. I had everything ready with my room entirely submerged with stuff. But I was confident I could work out something interesting and clever. The Tuesday of the first shooting came and we started shooting in my flat with all the enthusiasm correlated.

Ciak. Shooting starts. It went somehow good with rather good standards and three or four ideas filmed. Then Wednesday came with the studio booked- the weather was startlingly terrible with heavy rain falling and my big bag full of props still to be carried to university. Once in the building I drop everything in the studio and run off to the shop to get one more thing I needed. Get back and the whole school was evacuated. Me, no jacket, out in the cold, a few hours sleep from the night before, nothing to work on, and the prospect of my schedule to get even more tighter and even later hours the following night. An hour later the school reopen and I’m finally able to start filming. First short goes incredibly well being still now probably one of the best- special thanks to Gabriella that assisted greatly.

Then, the helium balloon explode with no useful footage on my side. It happens, let’s carry on. Colouring hairdryer is a mess for nothing, the final footage is im- possible to blend as I imagined leaving me with a messy colourful floor to be cleaned heavy before John from the studio gets back or he’ll kill me. Next is what I thought was the APICE of the bad day- the shooting with the champagne bottle and crackers. Set all the camera in the right position with slow motion close up to catch the lid opening and far out for the whole scene. I release the bottle and go to start the cameras. Heat, pressure goes up in the bottle, the lid is unlocked. Result, the champagne bottle bursts in a luxurious explosion of alcohol. I’d like to remember that I’m in a photographic studio. “Don’t give up Mattia! Perseverance is key” I told myself.

Clean everything and back to the shop. The barcode says £9.99, as before. Again. This time I will just simulate the opening of the bottle, to later adjust the whole thing in postproduction. Once again everything is ready again. I go back and start the camera- before the unlocking of the lid this time. You should learn from mistake. Unlock. Not even the time to get my brain to think to tell my thumb to imitate the opening of the bottle and the lid follow the sinful wrong-doing of the first one. Alcohol, again. This time though, the lid’s trajectory happen to be directed to a

500W photographic light. The rain the morning wasn’t too bad if compared with the glass shower swinging out the photography studio at London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle. Run to get the brush and all needed to recycle the tiny glass.

Mood is low, very low. But I had the footage.

So why not shoot the crackers coming out of the now empty bottle of champagne- at least it won’t be worthless. Set everything. Again.

Start all the camer- as. Again. And go to set the crackers off- of course the mechanism doesn’t work, I put the unreleased crackers on a table. I finally get the studio ready to go, everything is clean. And, and the f•••ing cracker finally explode. Get everything off your shoulder again and start cleaning again.

Then, finally I find myself in tube, direction home as miserable and wrecked as possible, paradoxically having to carry home all the different props and objects which have made me mad throughout the day. But I’m heading towards the end of the day which is relieving, when- when while walking my damn shoe break leav- ing me without a shoe and still to get back home. Suicide instinct flew through my veins. Got home, served me a pint of the finest red wine. One pint, one minute. K.O. Wake up with big head- hacke, 10 pm. Let’s start again. Late night. Better results than during the day. Thursday afternoon in the studio for a couple of hours as well as the following Monday. The more I was get- ting through the different shooting I was realizing with more conviction that film is not photography- that you cannot over-impose two video with the simplic- ity of still images.

I tried to work it out with different cuts and

afteref- fects techniques but unfortunately it wasn’t the luckiest of the results. I tried but failed. But learnt as well a good deal of humility and to accept failure- or... have I? A few words about the crafting of the bladed rocking chair. It took a nice while to craft it as I like it and make it hold the weight. The most time and money effective way to create it was to have an inner wooden base that would hold the actual weight covered with a thin metallic sheet.

The metallic sheet had to be thin enough to allow me to cut it precisely according to the cur- vature of the chair with the equipment available in the 3D workshop at LCC. It took long time to dry the glue and stick the metal around. But in the end I was pleased with it and proved fully working with different vegetables cut with it. Cucumber, carrots, celery etc. I also think this can be considered a proper hybrid allowing the user to ben- efit from the rocking of the chair as well as to cut different things.

desire lines

against practical sense

THE PROJECT

Desire lines project was handed out in conjunction with the exhibition brief and expanded cinema one at the end of January 2013 and it was supposed to be done within four weeks. The brief required us to first research, record and make visual observation of different desire lines, highlighting the different mechanisms at play in each single situation. This stage lasted for two weeks where I realised that desire lines and affordance can be very ambiguous and blurry concept that can be questioned and objected by anyone given the inherited subjective aspect. Subjective element that needs to be taken into consideration continuously and that leaves doors open for discussion on any given instances given the different circumstances and points of view at play.

Subjective factor that I believe was the main element of confusion, friction and tension amongst us during the preparatory work and for Biggles during the crit. I found the concept very open to personal interpretation and easily to confuse given the different cultural backgrounds- particularly because desire lines can be applied to almost everything, living and not, and are always conflicting between each other. The research took two weeks, finding myself focused and concentrated on observing the different daily activities we go about, reflecting on the different social apparatus and relationships going on in the simplest interactions with people, objects and environments. Object and the way society deals with them have been a very interesting point of interest centred on different levels of desire, attraction and repulsion as well as usability and affordance of the given object. In the final pdf booklet, which I did not print for environmental reason, I included different examples of desire lines: the interesting conflicting desire lines of frauds with security systems and people trying to subvert them, the fish ball and the risk of death involved with eating it, vehicles and the need to curve in spite of their tendency to carry on straight forever, water and its capillary action, animal and their struggle with cages with the animal’s and owner’s incompatible desire lines and magnets which are an amazing example of conflicting desire lines.

The second part of the brief required us to either create an environment as an invitation to play or create an object that demonstrate

anti-affordance. My research started looking into common table games or public recreational games with the production of a series of possible large scale Shangai or a slipway on LCC’s stairs or even a cigarette dispenser next to a bus stop to make the bus arrive. Simultaneously to this I looked into anti affordance and how object could be turned inside out in their usage to create something completely useless. Reinventing the meaning behind a certain object. A candle that through a mechanism produce darkness, a toilette paper that scratches your ass, or a marijuana plant in a fridge. This first research led me to look into unusual material and devices that eventually determined my final idea- it is now that I come across water soluble paint, photochromic paint, conductive fabric and plastic, UV paint and fabric, soluble fabric and ultimately paper. It is exactly here where my final idea comes from, creating soluble tea bags. Went online and bought a sample of soluble paper for 3.99£ and waited for it to come. Then, once arrived I started to analyse the original tea bag and understood how the structure worked and how it was folded. Then, I’ve recreated the tea bag as close as possible to the real one- if I had any chance of fooling anyone with my joke it had to be exactly the same as the original one. I did five till I got to one that was good enough. The crit was the final test to see whether I did a good job or not.

Well, Joel did get fooled without noticing any difference prior placing the hacked tea bag in hot water. I was meant to bring this project further and try to place a relaxing tea stool in Uni but I got short of time and couldn’t make it.

exhibi� tion

god’s light, angelic sound, surreal experience.

THE PROJECT

The exhibition opening has been a great success.

The 30 days leading up to it a true nightmare. Arguments, troubles, crisis, break downs, sleepless night, web offences, bitching, blames and all sorts of anxious worries- quite surprisingly no one cried, impressive!

I decide to concentrate only on positive things given that everyone else will bother you with complain and moaning. First meeting was full of IMI enthusiast input, with fun comments and little sketches. The group were formed and we got sent out to find a suitable location. My group got back with three great solutions to show to everyone before the meeting with teacher.

I personally found a space in Bethnal Green in the arches below the railway own by a rather stingy Indian guy, Mouk. Fun guy. Three location were chosen for the last round of voting that would have decided the exhibition site. Cutting a long and tragic-comic story

short, Shoreditch Church was chosen. Amazing location, incredible price, tight deadline.

The only constrain was time and the fact to be working in a religious environment- limiting some content. Four weeks to create an exhibition from scratches in a place being so impressive and massive can either greatly push you or condemn you if not dealt properly.

Group were created for people to collaborate and come together for everyone’s good: curation, design/advertising, marketing, drinks and security and website. I personally was in the website group but didn’t see a practical use and need for a website for the exhibition, maybe a blog of the days leading up to the private view days. Eventually after a discussion with curation team we’ve agreed to not have a website. Even though I was not part of any group I‘ve constantly worked together with different ones providing help, advise, ideas, proposal and making myself available for any sorts of thing.

Simultaneously I started brainstorming on work for the exhibition preaching for collaborative one. I was really pushing this cause for the unique chance presented to us to collaborate with someone from another practice with the possibility of a creative fusion from which you can only learn and gain. Both for IMI student and specially IVM student- given that I would be rather rare for them to collaborate with interaction designer in the future. I didn’t give up after the first massive refusal and brainstormed with a couple of people willing to at least give it a go and see where this could lead. The weekend after the location got chosen I met with Max Jeffery brainstorming for a whole day confirming my guess.

An amazing load of ideas came out of that Sunday. From this collaboration was born the Treasure Hunt collaborative project with Max that amused and engaged with the public. I will now be describing this work because I do not consider it a personal work but a work for the exhibition’s good. Basically, the visitors were given a small paper message that will unfold through capillary action in a bucket full of water. For this particular process we’ve benefit from the research I previously made working on another related project. Once the message unfolds the visitors were directed to a particular and unique object along the benches. At this point the guests will have to pick up the object and find the matching one

placed next to the prints, print which they will be able to bring home with them as a present.

I believe this project worked amazingly since

it got people involved and engaged as well as giving them a print that made them feel “special� in some ways. Amazing feed backs from this project.

After a never ending voting and discussion (that I won’t describe for my ONLY POSITIVE policy) an ambiguously cool name was choosen: “2013: a church oddity” with quite a few concerning in regards o fthe fact that the exhibition will not have any reference to space or kubric or whatsoever and a title which just did not sound right when pronounced. Not much to do in regards given that a voting system was adopted to make it as democratic as possible. Then, I concentrated completely on the realization of the site specific installations. I worked with Alejandro for the kneeling piece, with Max for the Treasure Hunt and on my own for the Sound Stairs which eventually did not work. In regard to this installation got very pleased with Thomas jumping in at the end to help me out finalizing the last few bits and bops in the week heading to the exhibition. Very helpful and friendly, both at Uni and on the set up day. In the meanwhile I kept advising the curation team with ideas on how to hang up the works and other logistic based ideas. The day before the setting up I was in the studio till the end packing up all the equipment for the transport of the following day. Bubble wrap, bubble wrap, bubble wrap.

The following day I was again in the studio at 9.30 am loading everything on the van to later unload it at the church. Finally I could start set up the installation on the predefined spot.

Long days, happy days, tiring days. During the set up days there was a tense but more nicely relaxed atmosphere, with a common goal to reach and almost everyone ready to help and surprisingly smiling. The opening came and went with a much to learn from it and the proud of. The following day I realized there wasn’t any kind of signage or any elements at all to inform passers by about the exhibition. I then carried out my fourth project I had in mind for a while. I jumped on the bus and went buying two gold fish and placed them in a bird cage just outside the church, with a series of posters to call people in. The “installation” looked cool and people were already reacting, stopping, asking and as well coming in when the fucking animal right of the day came and pissed everyone off pretending to get the fish back in a proper container. Like an aquarium? Anyways…

subtr act

subtract to solve britain’s national issue

THE PROJECT

As the last brief of the year, subtract kicked in the beginning of May overlapping with the conclusion of re-imagining cinema and process book as well other personal projects outside university. I believe this is a very interesting brief that required us to really think, reflect and understand the design world. The way the project developed was a first two weeks of research and observation of objects, environments and designed elements to spot superfluous components that are not strictly necessary. During this time I found myself questioning practices and decisions made by other designers on a broader scale- often drawing back to knowledge and elements encountered while studying desire lines. I decided to specifically look into the world wide web, with a focus on over complicated website, processes, platforms, forms that makes you wonder whether there is a way of simplifying it. Websites such as HM Revenue, Student Finance, UCAS are filled up with thousand of options and forms to fill up that most of the times confuse you rather than help you in what you’re trying to do. Also Rayanair website is a master in

making your life a hell, with a never ending payment process, but there is a business strategy behind it. I also looked into something very present in my life, cooking. There is a whole bunch of chefs overcomplicating a process that is naturally and historically easy and simple. In the search for innovation they jump into a muddy mix of flavours and tastes that just aren’t made to fit together. A case for all is this Japanise cook that based his fame upon a dish that uses soil as the main component. Yes exactly, soil. I do not think cooking needs this level of over complications, even though I have to admit I am tempted. Then there is the climax of overcomplication, home appliances. Fridges, cooking plans, tv, blenders, ovens, microwaves and chopping boards that with the advent of digital technology are becoming complicated small computer. With the must to be connected. All this to the detriment of simplicity. Screens popping out of your oven, touch screen cooking plan with thousands of different options, chatting chopping boards- it often seems to me that they are missing the original point of the appliance.

The second part of the brief required us to reinvent an object by subtracting some-

thing to improve its final use. For this task I looked into something more practical and of use to me and my life. I have one problem in London, sleep. It become light very early and I have some problem with placing the curtains, so basically from 5am my room is as bright as it can get. By 8am my body is been in bright light for quite some time and of course I wake up, no matter what time I went to bed. I am basically sleep deprived. And is pissing me off. What I usually do to fight this is to get the cover and put it all the way up my head. Darker, finally- maybe I can get some more sleep. But now another problem arise. The subtraction of fresh air makes it even more impossible to sleep. So I’m faced with two options, trying to sleep in completely bright room with fresh air, or trying to sleep in the dark with no fresh air. Solution, having a cover with an opening to let fresh air shine through. The opening should be at mouth height. Not too big to let light through not too small to allow enough air inside. And I have it, dark and fresh air thanks to an easy subtraction of some fabric. One easy subtraction that could solve sleeping problem of the average British citizen.

yapi

understanding a digital organism

THE PROJECT

Definitely one of the most exciting and challenging project of the two years, so far. The three month given to us to realize this project were a signal of the expectations and importance of the project. The way I managed this time have been a challenge in itself, three months seems so much but you have to get started soon or the deadline will be due without realizing, in fact I needed an extra month to finalize it. Myself personally I spent the first month and a half to research, reflect, put down different ideas and thought about the project and cinema itself. I tried to analyse it and foresee the way it will change in the future. A key point of my research was also to highlight what I liked and disliked about the cinematic experience with the production of a reflectional text that I’ve written on my sketchbook on a four hours train to Turin.

Reflection, research, ideas and development which got irremediably lost when some drunk in a Holloway Road’s pub decided it was time to steal my bag with squash racket, shoes and sketchbook inside. I’m only interested to see his/her face when reading my thoughts on the sketchbook.

After almost one month and a half researching and gathering new knowledge gathered through workshops and the setting up of the exhibition, by mid march I had five solid ideas to choose from. Eventually, after the selective process only the two strongest

one made it to the tutorial with Joel. The first one involved an active interaction between the user, the video and the sound with a witty interplay of memory, common knowledge and expectations. What interested me the most was to challenge common knowledge and anticipations with a surprise factor to merge the experiences together. I wanted people to be able to stand up and move throughout the installation making possible different changes in the outcome of the moving image itself challenging the universal tradition that sees people more or less motionlessly sit in front of the projected moving image. Changes that would affect the sound-imagery relationship of world’s famous movie scenes. Scenes that you, as a viewer/user, can actively hack and subvert by stepping in the designated areas where a new soundtrack will be replacing the established original song with pre-established new audio. It is exactly this preconfigured “misen-scene” where me, the designer, dictate the outcome of the installation impeding the evolution of it in something bigger that made me reject this idea. The second idea is a more organic, analytical and un-bounded project that seeks no control from the user or designer in its final outcome. A “spontane-

ous” expression of the world at a precise moment in time. Live, uploaded, watched.

The installation sees a globe-shaped structure made up of 15 to 20 different regular panels or faces where randomly chosen youtube videos are projected on. Here is the synopsis: “YAPI (Youtube Application Programming Interface) This cross-discipline interactive installation, aims to be a bridge between the digital and physical worlds. The physical world is represented by a geodesic structure resembling the globe in all its immensity, the digital side of our reality is represented by a continuous stream of videos which are projected onto the outside of the structure.

Viewable from inside, it creates a 360 degree expression of the immensity and irrationality of humanity on this amazing planet.

The digital side of the project works using a php program that utilizes YouTube API to randomly select and download the latest uploaded videos from the tube on a global scale. A second MAX application grabs the downloaded videos and maps them onto the structure three projectors through MadMapper.

The user will be able to physically walk inside the structure finding him/herself surrounded by 15/20 videos, all of which will have been uploaded in the past 5 to 10min by someone, somewhere, for some reason.

The randomness of the selected video is a true manifestation of YouTube as a living, yet digital, organism. The content of the installation is constantly evolving without any rationale or preconfigured outcome. Most importantly this means that the installation, just like a living being, is free from the shackles of its designer’s control.”

From the conception of the core idea to the final installation running smoothly, more than one and a half month have passed. Days where I had to both overcome engineering problems as well as learning basic coding languages and a series of new softwares.

The whole process can be divided in two, the physical creation of the environment and technical development of the software and program needed to achieve the final result.

The structure in itself required a series of failures in order to find the best viable solution, amongst others I tried wires, tennis

balls, plastic tubes and eventually wood for the panel’s frame. The final material had to be strong enough but not excessively heavy to lift it easily. The most important thing though was to have a modular structure so to keep it easy to transport and build around things as well. Once the tests on wood were positive and decided to use it, I had to workout the best way to produce a series of identical hexagons and pentagons in order to create the modular sections necessary to put together the final structure- this was the greater challenge, all together it took me 10 days of hard work in the 3d workshop including the painting days. Consequentially, once the structure was ready all the digital side of the project became the main focus for the following weeks having to overcome a series of different unexpected trouble concerning the difficulties related with playing so many videos at the same time as well as some codec related inconveniences. To be underlined, is the fundamental role played by collaborations in this project without which I probably wouldn’t have been able to realize the installation. The most important one being with Jonas Andersson, a Swedish developer that provided me with the php program able to download and convert the videos from youtube. Fun and challenging to try to combine two people’s life in different countries with different needs and commitments from both sides.

Last step of the project was to put together all the work done so far, projecting on the structure. This is when the two parallel worlds that I was working on come to meet.

A moment of truth filled with excitement and trilling anxiety. It happened in the photography studio, where I had the whole room for myself for a whole day. It took me little more than an hour to set up the structure, nowhere near the 2 and a half hours needed to map all the video onto each single panel around the structure with shadow areas not detectable and overlapping portions. It took 4h to set it all up. It was all clear and precise for months, in my mind but seeing it working and live was a true realization. The whole experience is overwhelming and majestic, as a user you find yourself continuously attracted by different piece of moving image in a rollercoaster of news, amateur video, sport, travel, nature and of course crap. I would love to have it shown or exhibited in some gallery or showroom to see the public’s reaction, this would be the final test for my installation.