Okay - some lovely thumbnails, but I think you have a decision to make in terms of your WIM city - I don't think it could or should try and bridge Braque's early and late work (i.e. Fauvism > Cubism) and this why: as I've reminded a number of students, the 'What If' of the project title refers to the question 'What If Braque was an architect/world-maker?' not 'What If you create a world from the paintings of Braque?' The first question challenges you to adopt the values, philosophies and techniques of your collaborator - a design principle that can be applied to the design of structures, spaces and places - which is a much more conceptualised, design-led approach. Right now, I think your intention to put all of Braque's image-making ideas into one world is too much like answering the second question. You have to imagine that Braque is applying his creative principle to the idea of designing structures - and some of your cubist thumbnails are more interesting in this respect. I found this statement from Braque which is the kind of thing you're looking for:
"He described "objects shattered into fragments… [as] a way of getting closest to the object…Fragmentation helped me to establish space and movement in space”. He adopted a monochromatic and neutral color palette in the belief that such a palette would emphasize the subject matter."
If we were to apply this kind of idea to the discipline of architecture and design, you might get into areas like this:
In terms of thinking about how Braque might be able to create buildings that fragment and multiply their surfaces, you might want to consider look at the role of glass and reflectivity in architectural spaces:
So, short version I to go back to Braque's own words, to his design principles and apply them to the brief, as opposed to look to his paintings for jigsaw puzzles - obviously there is a relationship between the two things, but the creative bit is to understand why your collaborator painted the way he did/saw the world he did and then apply that understanding to the WIM Metropolis.
In terms of generating some thumbnails in a more 'Braque' style, have you considered actual collaging techniques? For example, let's imagine that you make some very quick cardboard models of simple buildings at your desk at home; you light it with a spotlight, you then create a whole series of photographs of your model, moving the camera around the model to capture it from lots of different angles. You then import all those photos into Photoshop, and you start to later them together to create a multiple view of the same model within the same image. You can make multiple versions of these obviously. Once you've collaged these photos together, you can them use them in Photoshop as the basis for more developed thumbnails, but you will have made them according to cubist principles. Sounds like it would create a wonderfully experimental set of thumbnails to me - give it a whirl.
Thanks a million for the advice Phil! It's going to really help me :). I do think that I was trying to bridge the gap between Fauvism and Cubism too much and being honest I was struggling how I could implement the two art styles into my designs and have them look like they belong together. With my upcoming thumbnails I'm really going to try and put into effect what Jordan was saying too and that was to think conceptually and it's not about just mashing too things together. That quote that you gave about Braque is perfect! and shows that I really need to do more research on him and his creative principles and get inside Braque's head as to why he painted this way and apply that to my city as if it's his city instead of just looking at his work and trying to design a city that looks like something he would paint. Thanks for the links of the various types of architecture! I have a whole pinterest board that I have been adding similar types of buildings too and its helping the creative juices a lot!.
I was contemplating doing some collage techniques although I kind of found collaging in photoshop difficult because I couldn't see what it was that I wanted and it just looked flat albeit that was a good few weeks back However, doing these thumbnails and researching about braque has really opened my eyes to more abstract work and I feel like I can read cubism now and I do think that I have grown in that respect so my collaging efforts should have improved. That is such a good idea about the cardboard models! there's a tonne of boxes strewn around my apartment that my roommates are too lazy to throw away so they probably wouldn't even notice me taking them and butchering them! I'll definitely be giving that a whirl! :).
I cant thank you enough for the advice Phil! its definitely grounded me back to the brief and I am excited to tackle this project with your advice in mind, thanks again :)
OGR 06/11/2016
ReplyDeleteHey Graeme,
Okay - some lovely thumbnails, but I think you have a decision to make in terms of your WIM city - I don't think it could or should try and bridge Braque's early and late work (i.e. Fauvism > Cubism) and this why: as I've reminded a number of students, the 'What If' of the project title refers to the question 'What If Braque was an architect/world-maker?' not 'What If you create a world from the paintings of Braque?' The first question challenges you to adopt the values, philosophies and techniques of your collaborator - a design principle that can be applied to the design of structures, spaces and places - which is a much more conceptualised, design-led approach. Right now, I think your intention to put all of Braque's image-making ideas into one world is too much like answering the second question. You have to imagine that Braque is applying his creative principle to the idea of designing structures - and some of your cubist thumbnails are more interesting in this respect. I found this statement from Braque which is the kind of thing you're looking for:
"He described "objects shattered into fragments… [as] a way of getting closest to the object…Fragmentation helped me to establish space and movement in space”. He adopted a monochromatic and neutral color palette in the belief that such a palette would emphasize the subject matter."
If we were to apply this kind of idea to the discipline of architecture and design, you might get into areas like this:
http://www.historiasztuki.com.pl/kodowane/003-02-04-ARCHWSP-DEKONSTRUKCJA-eng.php
In terms of thinking about how Braque might be able to create buildings that fragment and multiply their surfaces, you might want to consider look at the role of glass and reflectivity in architectural spaces:
http://alexandrerosa.free.fr/gal/Voyages/France/Font_Solaire_Odeillo/Four_Solaire_Odeillo_Font_Romeu14.jpg
https://twistedsifter.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/reflection-abstract-las-vegas.jpg?w=800&h=600
http://www.thepinnaclelist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/015-The-Reichstag-Dome-–-A-Sculpture-of-Light-Above-Government-in-Berlin-Germany.jpg
You might also look at kinetic or moving architecture as the answer to Braque's desire to establish 'space and movement in space':
http://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/04/sliding-spinning-walls-house-moving-landscapes-matharoo-associates-india-edmund-sumner/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/07/15/today-we-like-kinetic-architecture-moving-buildings/
So, short version I to go back to Braque's own words, to his design principles and apply them to the brief, as opposed to look to his paintings for jigsaw puzzles - obviously there is a relationship between the two things, but the creative bit is to understand why your collaborator painted the way he did/saw the world he did and then apply that understanding to the WIM Metropolis.
In terms of generating some thumbnails in a more 'Braque' style, have you considered actual collaging techniques? For example, let's imagine that you make some very quick cardboard models of simple buildings at your desk at home; you light it with a spotlight, you then create a whole series of photographs of your model, moving the camera around the model to capture it from lots of different angles. You then import all those photos into Photoshop, and you start to later them together to create a multiple view of the same model within the same image. You can make multiple versions of these obviously. Once you've collaged these photos together, you can them use them in Photoshop as the basis for more developed thumbnails, but you will have made them according to cubist principles. Sounds like it would create a wonderfully experimental set of thumbnails to me - give it a whirl.
Thanks a million for the advice Phil! It's going to really help me :). I do think that I was trying to bridge the gap between Fauvism and Cubism too much and being honest I was struggling how I could implement the two art styles into my designs and have them look like they belong together. With my upcoming thumbnails I'm really going to try and put into effect what Jordan was saying too and that was to think conceptually and it's not about just mashing too things together. That quote that you gave about Braque is perfect! and shows that I really need to do more research on him and his creative principles and get inside Braque's head as to why he painted this way and apply that to my city as if it's his city instead of just looking at his work and trying to design a city that looks like something he would paint. Thanks for the links of the various types of architecture! I have a whole pinterest board that I have been adding similar types of buildings too and its helping the creative juices a lot!.
DeleteI was contemplating doing some collage techniques although I kind of found collaging in photoshop difficult because I couldn't see what it was that I wanted and it just looked flat albeit that was a good few weeks back However, doing these thumbnails and researching about braque has really opened my eyes to more abstract work and I feel like I can read cubism now and I do think that I have grown in that respect so my collaging efforts should have improved. That is such a good idea about the cardboard models! there's a tonne of boxes strewn around my apartment that my roommates are too lazy to throw away so they probably wouldn't even notice me taking them and butchering them! I'll definitely be giving that a whirl! :).
I cant thank you enough for the advice Phil! its definitely grounded me back to the brief and I am excited to tackle this project with your advice in mind, thanks again :)