Saturday, December 22, 2007

Rate and win a free shy pod*!

I finally brought together the main ideas I think are worth working on further. Obviously I don't have the time to do them all, although I will most definitely mention them in the documentation. As I have a general problem with making decisions, all of you would be a great help if you would rate the ideas. Underneath this post are six more (basically everything till the posting on J. Callot) and each one is representing one idea/project. Please give them a rating between zero and five (1-5) with five being best. I would really appreciate if you could take the time to even explain shortly why you like/don't like it. Thank you all very much.


* it's so shy it will hide from you anyway


Performance (even though I don't think the term suits in this case)

I could present my work (concept, struggles, etc.) while having motion graphics/animations in the background. My “daemons” could come out of my head and be caught in a box.

With the different experiments I did on projections, I could do kind of “magic/illusionist tricks”.

Or I could read out fragments out of E.T.A. Hoffmanns tales and accompany them with visuals.


Look through box/telescope

I use a space, that could be my room, gallery, street, public space, or whatsoever. There's some kind of viewing/telescope device installed. When looking through you see what you would expect: the same space, or maybe a zoomed in detail of that space. But, of course I would add layers of motion graphics/animations to it. By working with keying technique I could make elements appear and disappear behind or in front of people. So persons could be eaten by monsters or have themselves grown horns out of the head.

The zoomed in detail could be a trivial corner no one usually pays attention to. In there, flowers could start growing or rain might fall down. Which would be covered by the people who pass by in front of it.


Project onto surfaces

Project my “fantasies” onto places where I had them. A tree in the park, where faces appear on the bark, or the wall of a house, where liquid leaks from in between the bricks bringing lizards along with. This being just an example. Could be the light elf, too.

I could/would try to work with motion detection/tracking to have passing by persons trigger events/animations.


Shadow projections

The usual shadows in an environment start to deform. Would be perfect if peoples shadows would deform as well.

(I have no clue on how I could achieve this at the moment. Probably hard to do in a real space, and not so impressive if you just project a “room” on a wall, as perspective is dependent on the viewers position/angle.)

Here is a link to a video a friend of mine showed me. It might give you an impression on what I mean.


The corner theatre

Continue working on the corner projection. I would build a kind of stand with a “cut out” corner in it. When sitting in front of it you get the illusion of visuals moving in the full depth of the corner and not just projected flat onto the walls.


Do a film

I could also just do film(s). Where strange things are happening: Because of my head explodes, thousands of tiny snakes get thrown out crawling their way before turning into dragonflies. That fly to a river bank, where a head emerges out of the water, looking greyish pale, bloated. And you are happy film by now comes without smells. The head suddenly opens it's eyes and dips into the water again, the camera following you realize that it's a kind of fish like creature. Being under water now you see other colorful fishes with arms, wings or spoons instead of fins. A mechanical crab family with light bulb eyes start crawling out of the water. And you realize that you are at the beach where pink palms await you along with black honey dripping out of plastic coconuts. You take a big gulp and slowly the surrounding starts getting blurry. It gets hard identifying the strange creatures appearing on the beach. You just realize that it's dusk above the ocean before everything turns black ...


additional information to avoid misunderstanding:


This is no ready to use story, it's just made it up in exactly the moment I was writing it. It should just give you an idea on how movie sequences for me would be like. Abstract and gloomy but suddenly changing into something beautiful colorful or funny. Flowing continuously without a deep (arty-farty, media science) meaning, being narrative without telling a proper story in the foreground.


Thursday, December 13, 2007

Jacques Callot

I've told you I've started reading E.T.A. Hoffmann and feel strong sympathy for him and his work. Well, he dedicated one collection of stories to an engraver of the early 17th century: Jacques Callot. Hoffmann wrote a short essay on him and how he loves his work. He describes that, by looking longer at Callots pictures, they start coming to life. All these thousands of figures then start to stride out of the deepest background, where they were difficult to recognize at first.(1) Hoffmann so titled the collection “Fantasy Pieces in Callots Manner”.

Reason enough for me to take a closer look on the work of Mr. Callot. And indeed, I can understand Hoffmann. To be more precisely, I clearly see how a lot of the characters in his stories are influenced by Callots style. It's like suddenly finding the pictures I had in my mind while reading Hoffman, reappear in faces and figures of Callots works. Following are a view pictures I photographed. Straight away out of the book, so please don't mind the quality. (2)









I need to create grotesque characters too. So I certainly will make use of Callots works. But more in an inspirational way, as I will try to transport the style of his figures to the present.

However, I hope I will be able to show you stuff within my next post. Because it is more then time to come up with some real visual elements and boards for the animations.



1 – Hoffmann, E.T.A: Band 1 Fantasiestücke – Elixiere des Teufels. S.7, Frankfurt am Main, Insel Verlag

2 – Callot, Jacques; Schröder, Thomas(1971): Druckgraphik. S. 870 – 1673, München, Rogner & Bernhard Verlag


Sunday, December 2, 2007

Creative block or “My mind is dangerous, that's who I'll always be “ *

Well, what should I say, this blog is seriously starting to get personally. However, if I would have to agnise, this block is probably there since the last posting.

What is the problem? Mhm, I myself?! I'm really fed up with the experimenting for the projection. It's like I can't concentrate on a thing for a longer period of time. And it will never be as perfect as I want it to be. Although I'm sure you can achieve fairly nice results by creating the right lighting and so on. But I have to concentrate on the content. What do I want to show? What could happen? I don't fucking know!

Also, a friend just recently asked me, after I was explaining my lack of motivation: “What is it, you really want to do at the moment?” - I: “Go on holidays.” Friend: “Seriously!” I: “I don't fucking know!”

The thing is, whatever I will do, let it be projections, animations, interactive installations or what ever, I need to think of the visual/graphic elements within. And even more I need to know why I use them to create what I want to create. That is:?


Alright, before it gets to whiner like, I better stop.

I will go on reading and maybe do a walk and just see where it all leads to.


* “My mind is dangerous” by Life Of Agony


Thursday, November 29, 2007

who the heck needs a title or "Change means nothing when nothing wants to change" *

Today when I awoke I was drowning in black bile before even noticing that the sun was out.

I also wonder how far away I came from the ideas I had in the first place.

Anyway to avoid too much thinking I do a post and show some more pics.


Here you can see an experiment projecting onto a corner. It wasn't that amazing. Furthermore it carries with it the appearance of something like a nice designer lamp thing. I could imagine it working on big scale. But mostly I have to think of using it as a kind of fish tank or something. Could be nice as an interactive piece maybe. With strange creatures coming closer towards the “wall” once you come closer to it, or something like that.





Also I tried to project into a kind of half pipe. Mhm, you get around the problem with the sharp corner and you get a slight feeling of depth. It probably would work good on a large scale. Like a whole wall/room. But as you might recognize if you pay attention to the lines. They are kind of wiggly.





* “A wish for wings that work” by Poison The Well


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

more tests and more nothing

Fuck! I just can't believe that it's already 10 days since my last posting.

And what do I have received? Nothing!

Still trying to trick the eye. You can't really get elements to be appearing in space when they're just projected onto a wall. Our brain seems to smart. However I came pretty close and if it's dark enough the angles right and you do some other tricks maybe it could look like magic.

But all in all I'm pretty fed up with the testing by now. I would like to set it up somewhere and start creating. Knowing that I will not have to change the position of the projector again and so on.


Whatever you guys hate reading all this abstract, wannabe emo shit, I know. So here are some vids and pics.


In this you can see, that I actually lined up the shape in the projection according to two real strings that I put up.



Next thing is a projection onto a black blanket. I wanted to see if for one thing the black suits more and if a blanket would soften the corner edge. The video is a bad joke.







Saturday, November 17, 2007

the depth of disappointment or the rise of histrionic

I tried to figure out if the ring would actually look like its flying to the foreground. I distorted the way the ring would appear when flying in front of the cube. I added a car two to see if it would look a little bit as if it would roll on the second shape.


Here's the original file:





and here's the projection:




I tried out if a smaller shape would decrease the non illusion of depth. Also the wall and the shape should have similar colours.




Maybe I should rename the title of my work to “In search of depth. A never starting journey.”

What I wonder is, why I always loose the interest in things so fast. Even if they really kicked me in the first instance. It always happens that, as soon as the first experiments don't turn out the way I imagined I loose motivation in continuing. Of course that's what happens all the time, but shouldn't you usually, even if something doesn't work, still have the will/passion to go on? It makes me wonder how much I'm convinced/positive about my own ideas.


Thursday, November 15, 2007

Some more tests

I did some more tests. But I really should stop now. There is no way to achieve the kind of depth I want. As long as you project onto a surface, it will always look that flat no matter how good you design. So there has to be another way. Time is running very fast and I still can't decide.

Anyway, here are a view videos of the testing.

First is an animation projected onto a corner and then manually distorted in the right manner. There is a certain oddity about the way the projector works. It basically lines the lower edge of the projection up with the bottom of the lens. I would have thought, that the lens would be in one line with the middle of the projection. Thats why, when projecting onto the corner, just the upper edge gets stretched. (you cant' see it here, because I distorted it so it isn't showing up) Oh, by the way the video actually looks kind of better then the real projection.




Another funny thing is, that our eyes seem to readjust slightly. The video you see above is adjusted to what I saw/felt is straight. This video below is distorted so the upper edge looks straight in for the camera.




Another thing I wanted to test was using two projections, that basically, project onto one screen/gauze from opposite sides. I also was wondering, if you could project onto a monitor/flatscreen to create the illusion of a second layer. Hard one to explain, so I let it be. I'm pretty sure I'm already confusing you a lot. Well, here's the result. The ring was projected (you can see how dirty my screen is).





Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Abandon!

Of course not. But I really feel like. Over the last days I have been trying out projections again. I used the already built scene and simplified it again. Meaning I threw out the animations and placed lines on the wall. I was pretty sure I could get the right angle by measuring everything. Well, I didn't. The projector and the camera within AE is working differently. At least not the way I thought.

I first started by projecting from the front. The lines did kind of fit though. But because of the floor plate the projection was cut of. It's logical and seems silly to not think it would. The important thing in this case was, to see, if the beamer is adjusted the same way like the camera in AE is and how it would look. - It didn't look at all.




Next step was to put the beamer up and start projecting from a diagonal direction.



I measured everything again and applied it to the coordinates within the software. Don't have to tell you that it wasn't right.


The distance turned out kind of funny. The model was far so far away.



Mhm, now that I did a screenshot to show you, I realized that it actually might as well be correct. There was a large error in my reasoning. I had so much during the last days of experimenting.

Well, I got it kind of nearly right, tried out a test with the graphic/animated version. And figured out this doesn't work well. I realized, that it gets distorted in a specific way. Something Jr. Prof. Ben Sassen was explaining to me a view times and I understood. But I didn't realize till yesterday or so. Alright, so I thought about trying to inverse it. By this I mean to digitally project the video on the inversed model/scene. (in the picture: 1. side view 2. camera view 3. cam view video projected)



It didn't work either.

The distortion of the projection is fairly complicated. Of course with a fixed position of the projector and the model/scene, you could adjust everything and probably create a good illusion of depth and space. But what if you want to present it in a different location, were you have to set up things differently? But trying to achieve automation for the projection or in other words making it work everywhere means dealing with complicated math and whatever.


Whatever, I think I will step back from this topic for a while. Maybe start to think of more simple ways of achieving depth and creating beautiful visual experiences. Most important rethink if continuing with this will support what I want to express. Or if it could be done better differently.


Saturday, November 10, 2007

Some research on related works.

This post is to show you some works that I found during research. That can be that they use techniques I want to adapt and/or enhance or that they have similar themes or topics. Maybe I just think they're nice.


Let's start with a video of a work shown at the ars electronica. This one projects a video/animation of the digitally recreated model onto the actual model, creating in association with the sound an interesting experience of space.



Augmented sculpture from saar on Vimeo.


Second one is interesting and beautiful. He created fairly basic animations/motion graphics, to enhance an old traditional shadow theatre. What I like about this work is, that it is not as abstarct as the augmented sculpture and a lot of the media art projection works you see.

Check out Takashi's Seasons website and the video of the piece.


Another work shown at the ars electronica. Phantasm is, besides the way too much seen adaption of butterflies in graphics, beautiful and simple. The set up is not to complicated. They used a layer of half transparent fabric, so the projection goes through and is projected not only on this layer, but also on the wall behind the person. This creates a quite impressive depth. They find a good way to use a light to track the motion of the person. Because if you hover the light the butterflies disappear. I really like it because it is kind of simple and simply works. Even though, just one person at a time can use it, it can be seen from all people. Although they used a light for the motion tracking it is well integrated. It's good and everyone loves butterflies don't you?



Phantasm from saar on Vimeo.


Some things I did

Some things I did


It's already been a while since my last posting. Shame on me! I mean, one main reason for setting up this blog was, to have a tool to keep records of what I've been doing. So by now it must look like I don't do much at all. Which might be partly true, due to small crises of doubts and decisions. But still I do much more then this blog is reflecting.

I really have to document the progress much more. It will help me later on, because I have to hand in a kind of documentation along with the final work. Another thing is, that it shows me that I actually did things when I feel blue thinking I didn't achieve anything at all. I don't have to mention that it works the other way around, too.

Anyway, enough of boring you, let's get to the point.


I basically build a very simple model, that I want to experiment with by projecting onto it.




Then I rebuild the scene by using related distances and measurements (millimeters equal pixels). After that I filled it with graphic shapes and some basic animations.





At last there was the part of projecting it again onto the model. Which did not work at all. I could by no means find the right angle to fit the projection properly. And I can't tell by now if it is because it was a too extreme angle or because the camera within After Effects (Software) differs in the way it captures the scene from the way the projector lens projects it onto the model. I have to take several steps back and start with a really simple video/still from the scene. Where I will use simple marks on the model, to see how they fit and distort when being projected.


Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Projection tests

Alright I did some tests and this is how they looked like.


Stripes on the wall.



The motion as a texture directly on the wall works. Meaning the stripes won't get distorted by the corner.

The scaling boxes in the front have no chance, because they stick not directly to the wall.


Type




Mhm, don't know what to get out of it. It doesn't look good at all.



Flower and shapes.




This one shows that you can achieve the effect of depth by using shadows and objects that come directly out of the wall. However, when the flower moves too much towards the camera, it gets distorted by the corner.


House and trees




I had the idea to project onto a model/stage scene and it didn't work out that well.

At least not the way I tried it. It's not only rebuilding the scene you want to project onto, but you also have to digitally project onto that scene. Hard to explain, I'm going to test this tomorrow if I can.


The fairy reflection for real




I've used the old fairy reflection test and projected it onto water. Then filmed the reflection on the wall. It appears to reflect in green colour though. If I find the time I will do some more tests with different colours.



Sunday, October 28, 2007

What the hell have I done the last three weeks?

To be honest I don't really know. Of cause I've been busy struggling through my ideas and trying to make up a proper concept as well as a working structure. But what should I say? There is nothing! Nothing such as a final structure. Nothing to start building up on. I have the feeling there is no productive outcome by now at all. All the thinking just drives me crazy. Especially as I am not capable of holding ideas, storing them, developing them to make use out of them. It ends up in a mind spinning endless cloud.

Whoo, and what a pleasure it is to fly through the sky with visions of colourful sounds and strange creatures appearing behind every cloud. But sometimes it gets so hard to come down to the ground, that I have to leave all of the experiences and beautiful things I saw behind, in order not to loose them on the way back. And you can't imagine what it feels like when there is a sudden change of the weather. The wonderful purple clouds turn into gloomy, dark greyish mists, their vile-smelling, toxic gases not only seem to take your breath but also to burn on your skin. And for the worst it's all these silhouettes of antics, of which you can't tell if they're just laughing about you or trying to drag you into their world of doom, fear and pain. Sometimes I whirl for hours in such a sudden weather storm and when the weather finally calmed down, so that I can find the way back, I feel so disorientated.


Distraction is no good companion , if you want to structure your work/concept. I get easily lost in my mind labyrinth. And I just can't afford this anymore. Time is running fast and I got to start somehow.

As Professor Geelhaar put it, there are people who build up their concept, structure it and schedule the resulting future work process. Then you have people who do not structure, who, that's hard to explain, just let it come(?) and then do it. As for me, I 'm like always kinda stuck in between. Like you can expect from the title of this post, I seem not to be the person who just does and neither someone who is good in structuring. Well that's not all true. I totally like structuring and scheduling, but like already said, I can't hold it. In the end I always just doing. So with all my projects. I guess I am a “doer” who wants to be a “scheduler”. Trapped in between, still not sure how to come out.

Anyway, I decided to just do and start. I mean I pretty much know what I want to do and maybe you can't do/achieve it, by structuring and scheduling it.

There should be a positive wind going along with the starting, so I will list things I actually done. So I see for myself that I didn't waste all the time “flying”.


So what have I done?

I did several shootings, without something specific in mind, just for some testing.

I've tried if I could use a photo camera to capture sequences, by using the continuous shot function. Turned out that doesn't work

I've did one small test projecting into a corner. I basically had prepared an Animation of some lines crossing the walls. It turned out quite well. I hope I can do a more advanced test in the near future. So I can find out what it will look like if you have objects “in space”.

There was a test on possibilities of stereogram creation within After Effects. Mhm, it kinda worked, even so it's not stunning. You will need glasses for that. You can borrow them from me.




Ahh, and I've listed all my ideas. You can have a look at it by checking these Pdf documents. There is one for the motion graphic ideas and one for the ideas concerning presentations.


I also tested different tracking software. None of it suited well. But my footage was fairly rough and so on. I want to try some 3D tracking by using video footage shot on a tripod.




Sky replacement by using keying techniques was another thing I played around with.




And of cause I wasted a lot of time on the Internet watching tutorials. Where I never know if it will come in handy one day. At least I know where to find it.


Finally I started with the Light Fairy. At first I did a bit of drawing and then I got distracted by the question what it should look like. So I went over to the computer and tried out how I can achieve this water reflection look. I seems like it can work out alright. Only thing I'm unsure about is perspective, no better 3 dimensionality. I'm afraid it might look to flat. Well I'm gonna work on that.




Friday, October 5, 2007

This post title is a buzzing blaze of purple, lucid and fuzzy

Alright, besides keeping you up to date with my researches, I should give you a short view on how the actual work develops.

I still want to create small playful pieces that evolve out of everyday situations. Visual fantasies that appear in trivial places. Like Hoffmanns characters get overwhelmed by sudden irrational happenings, I want to show what my mind “projects” into places.

There will be animation/video pieces in the end for sure, but they probably won't just be presented as a screening. I can imagine projecting onto spots, that being walls of a buildings or whatever objects. You might have to lay down on my bed to see what I have “seen”. Also I still believe in the idea of having something to look through. So you might experience something strange when looking in a hole of a tree or a garbage can. Watch out! In the end it will depend on how I feel what would work better. Doing a video piece or make it an installation. I hope I can start experimenting with projecting onto things within the next days. I will let you know how the outcome was.


E.T.A. Hoffmann

I just recently started reading E.T.A. Hoffmann and I love it. Well, I haven't read that much by now though, just the story “The golden pot”. It's about a guy who has bad luck in general and one day gets cursed by a witch. Afterwards he sees golden snakes falls in love with one of them and ..., well I don't want to tell it all, go read it for yourself. It's basically a romantic/fantasy story with strange things happening where the the main character Anselmus is always struggling to face the real world and vice versa.

E.T.A. Hoffmann was a writer of the Late Romanticism. His stories differ from other poets of the time as they are partly gloomy and there's always an inner struggle in the main characters that tears him apart. An ongoing discontented skipping between the real and the fantasy. I have to admit that I feel a real sympathy for Hoffmann and can relate to his characters too. At least as far as I read him by now. During his whole lifetime he had trouble getting along with being a jurist on the one side and wanting to be an artist on the other. He not only was good in writing but also in fine arts and music. This trouble found is way into the stories as an element of grotesque. Basically his stories can be brought down to 3 levels. There is the reality or bourgeois life, the fantastic-romantic level and the grotesque-demon like.(1) The first one is representing the wish for safety and material wealth. Also at this level the irrational is not accepted. The second level is a romantic one, where smells become visual, beautiful colorful flowers start to grow and to spread out and everything is very passionate and emotional. Nature like fantasy scenes are being described enthusiastic and always come along with an intoxicant swing. The grotesque builds a kind of bridge between the two other levels.(2) For example, when, in the story of “the golden pot”, the door knocker of the house, that is representing the entrance to“fantasy” (second level) becomes the witch. As soon as you would feel to comfortable in one level or accept it as the only, the grotesque comes into the scene and acts as a demon like reminder that this is not possible. Escaping into fantasy is no way and neither is concerning with reality all by itself. You have to suffer facing the duplicity of life. In the moment when the main character recognizes the ambivalence of the world he falls into unconsciousness letting him no chance to comprehend or process it.

There is a certain kind of humor or irony in Hoffmanns writing. In each of the levels the grotesque is always mirroring the opposite. And so shows the disaffirmation of one-dimensionality. Another interesting point is that the grotesque always appears out of the subjective perception of the actor. It's not so much that the world has changed but the view on it.(3) Reality and fiction don't exist side by side. They're mixed up. For Hoffmann understanding of the world is not possible by just rational thinking or pure lyrical romanticism. His ambivalence is a more real one. Irrational happenings find their way in to everyday life.


1 – Georgi, Olliver (2003): Das Groteske in Literatur und Werbung. S.60, Stuttgart, ibidem Verlag

2 - ebd. S. 73

3 - ebd. S. 80


Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Somehow stuck

Somehow the problem became smaller all by itself during writing this.
I'm gonna post it anyway because whatever your thoughts are concerning this post, they might be helpful to me.


I feel a bit stuck at the moment and I will try to explain why within this post.

There is a kind of chasm within my thoughts concerning the work and presentation. It's not that easy to explain but I'll try to keep it short and straight out. On the one side of the gap there is the series of video/animation pieces and on the other is a installation work.

I aim(ed) at combining both but by now I haven't found a good way to do so. Basically each one needs a different approach, even though they share a lot, too.

If I do the series, it will probably be screened and be put on a DVD or be shown online. But a work which should be exhibited in a gallery situation or public space is something else. I have to think how I will set up the room. A „white cube“, where I project onto the walls? A white room with elements in it, onto which I project? A „see through“ object, which let you see the white (filled) room in a different way? Project onto specific sites around the town? Install „see through“ objects in specific sites?

Of course I have to find spots to do the shooting too. So this is similar .

Shortened: One thing will be watching the other will be a (re)active watching.


I'm loosing the thread again.

Alright!

If I find places where some of my „fantasies“ will come through, would it really be a problem to not only make it a video, but to maybe think of a possibility to present it as an installation at this spot, as well? I could just collect every thought and weigh what might work better as an installation and what would be more beautiful as a video. I could even mix it all. Combining the videos in some collage which is then projected in a white room (having elements or not) or make it visible through an object only.


Thursday, September 27, 2007

Fairytale - storyboard (kind of)

The sun shines through the window and a teapot reflects the light onto the wall. The reflection slowly transforms into a fairy. The transformation distracts the actor and he gets up to take a closer look. The fairy is already whirring around a bit (not sure what to think of the situation). He is fascinated and wants to catch her (like a fly). He caught her in his hands. As soon as he opens his hands she suddenly disappears. He's surprised but then realizes the sun is gone. End.


Tuesday, September 25, 2007

fantasy

Fantasy has its origin in the greek language and during the midage it often was equate with the word 'imaginato'.(1) Especially in german it was most often equate to chimera, figment and delusion. It was a possible breach for the devil. With the beginning of the 18th Century due to german poetic the word fantasy stood more for imaginativeness. Its meaning became positive. In the course of the Enlightenment the awareness for rational and irrational strengths rose and as such got appreciated.

When thinking of fantasy, we think of the ability to imagine things. But it's way more if you look into detail. It's the skill of taking different and unusual views and standpoints, to mix things together that don't share any meanings in the first run, and the ability to take a trivial moment or situation and transform it in something beautiful. No matter if this is done through words, pictures or sounds. On a very low basis you could say fantasy inheres thoughts. In 'De Anima' Aristoteles already wrote that there can't be any thinking without imagination.(4) Fantasy is crucial and essential for thinking in general. To be able to 'look' in the future is, in the strict sense, fantasy. And this ability is normal. We just don't consider it as fantasy. It's necessary in everyday life to plan the day, the next weeks, or a holiday trip. Most of the scientific discoveries, wouldn't exist without the fantasy of man. No knowledge about gravity if Newton would not have had the absurd thought of associating a falling apple with the movement of the moon.

Fantasy is also a kind of defiantness. The will to not accept the finite as the ultimately. A way of imagine several possibilities without limiting these to what's possible.


1 – Ränsch-Trill, Barbara (1996):Phantasie: Welterkenntnis und Welterschaffung; zur philosophischen Theorie der Einbildungskraft. S.25, Bonn, Bouvier Verlag

2 – ebd. S.21

3 – ebd. S. 22

4 – ebd. S. 34

Monday, September 17, 2007

blogging 2.0

Alright, why a new blog? Well, first of all, I didn't really have much possibilities to style the other one. During my exchange in Australia I already used a blog from this provider and spent quite a while getting my head into customizing it. So, an easier way for me to design and even more important, you don't have to be registered to post comments here. Which actually deter people from doing so.


Why in english? Because my second examiner Junior Professor Ben Sassen is from GB and hardly speaks any german by now (he just started taking classes). Besides that, it's good practice, isn't it?


I've decided to put in the postings from the former blog although a lot of you didn't like them much and they are not that related to the work anymore. But still they were/are part of the whole process. There'll be more theoretical words in an upcoming post. This time concerning the term fantasy. So be aware.


And finally - the first thing you probably noticed. There's no header. Yes! During the redesign process of the template I had the idea of using an animated Gif as a header. And you can bet that this is not just going to be a 2 minute thing. At least not when it comes down to me and my thoughts/expectations. I want something special. The first „whoa!“ to represent the pieces I intend to create during my diploma project. I hope to give you more details on this as soon as possible. I already had 2-3 ideas but they might as well result in one. It's giving me hard times to start doing storyboards, as I think they will take me as long as doing the animation. This is of course wrong, but I am no good and fast drawer/sketcher so I probably would work combining photos and scribbles. I should try to find a convenient way for me to start the animation process or at least the video/photo capturing and immediately use screenshots and rough sketches to give you an idea of what I want, before I dig into pushing keyframes for hours.

Exposé

A fortuity becomes the trigger of an idea.

The sun is reflecting in a teapot on the desk and projects a pulsating light-spot on the oposing wall. To become what? A light-elf? Who shows me the way? An energy hole out of which I pick a galactic power drink? Or does this billowing filament ball untangle, to get cabled with the other walls? Which causes them to start glowing as well, spreading their light cables towards everything else, till the whole room exists of glistening, bright lines. Slowly ending this play as soon as a cloud moves in.


In my diploma work „Mal so, mal so“ („once like this, once like that“) I want to create a series of short motiongraphic pieces.

Usual, featureless sceneries (once like this) should get revived with fantasy to give a different view of the situation (once like that) – my view.

That way I can unfold my thoughts/day dreamings and make them visible to others. It's going to be an emotional work that narrates without telling a story or message palpably.


To speak of style, I will combine videofootage with animated elements/motiongraphics and will be mainly using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects for this. I want to use semiprofessional equipment and tools because they allow me to work very independent and free.


There are 5 to 7 pieces planed whithine lengths 10 to 30 seconds, although this is not thought to be a strict limitation.

Coming to sound, I want to work with fellow students or sound artists, as I am not that experienced in working with sound.

Finally the pieces should be transferred on DVD and be present on the internet.


Saturday, September 15, 2007

Exposé

Eine Zufälligkeit, die zum Auslöser für eine neue Idee wird.
Die Sonne reflektiert sich in der Teekanne auf dem Schreibtisch und projiziert einen pulsierenden Lichtfleck an die gegenüberliegende Wand. Was soll daraus werden? Eine Licht-Elfe? Die mir den Weg zeigt? Ein Energie-Loch aus dem ich mir einen galaktischen Zaubertrunk greife? Oder wird sich dieses wabbernde Glühfädenknäul am Ende nur entwirren, um geometrisch mit den Seitenwänden des Zimmers verkabelt zu werden. Worauf diese ebenfalls anfangen zu glühen und sich weiter zu verkabeln so dass, letztendlich das ganze Zimmer aus gleißend, hellen Linien besteht. Bis eine Wolke das Spiel langsam beendet.

Ich möchte in meiner Diplomarbeit „Mal so, mal so“ eine Serie von kurzen Bewegtbildgrafiken erstellen.
Gewöhnlichen, nichts sagenden Szenerien ( Mal so...), soll mit Phantasie “Leben eingehaucht” werden, um so einen anderen Blick auf die Situation (...mal so) zu geben – meinen Blick.
Auf diese Weise kann ich meine Gedanken/Tagträumereien entfalten und für andere sichtbar machen. Es soll eine emotionale Arbeit werden, die auf abstrakte Weise etwas erzählt, ohne dabei vordergründig eine Geschichte oder bestimmte Aussage zu vermitteln.

Stilistisch werde ich Videoaufnahmen mit animierten Elementen bzw. Motiongraphics verbinden. Dabei sollen vor allem Adobe Photoshop und After Effects zum Einsatz kommen.
Ich möchte semiprofessionelle Produktionswerkzeuge wie Mini DV- und Digitalkamera nutzen, um mir so eine größere Unabhängigkeit und Freiheit zu erhalten.

Es sind 5 bis 7 Stücke angedacht, die in ihrer Länge zwischen 10 und 30 Sekunden liegen werden, wobei das nicht als ultimative Beschränkung gedacht ist.
Bei der Vertonung, möchte ich mich von Kommilitonen unterstützen lassen und wenn möglich auch mit verschiedenen Musikern oder Klangkünstlern zusammenarbeiten.
Die entstandenen Arbeiten sollen am Ende in Form einer DVD zusammengebracht und ins Internet gestellt werden.

Ideen?

Motiongraphics / Animationen

hier kommen jetzt mal ein paar Ideen, aus dem Bereich Animation / Motiongraphics.
Meine Recherche ist bisher auch eher auf Unverständnis bzw. Uninteresse gestoßen. Natürlich war/ist es auch ein Versuch von mir mich der Sache zu nähern.
Aber zu den Ideen, welche teilweise konkreter, teilweise unkonkreter sind.

Animation auf dem Klo:
falls sich wer fragt was der Scheiß soll (get it?): man sucht halt über all nach Ideen bzw. denkt drüber nach.
Es gibt keine narrative Ebene nur Bilder/Möglichkeiten.
Fließen heben und senken sich.
Zwischen ihnen sickert “schwarze Galle” hervor.
Auf dem Stück Klopapier, dass man in der Hand hält, finden (Typo) Animationen statt. (Fragen? Was machen? Darstellung der Suche? Unbeherrschbare Komplexität? Unendliche Freiheit/Optionen?)

Animation im Himmel
(Typo) Animationen im Himmel. Der klassische leicht bewölkte Himmel mit Lichtstrahlen, die die Wolkendecke durchbrechen. (Fragen? Was machen? Darstellung der Suche? Unbeherrschbare Komplexität? Unendliche Freiheit/Optionen?)
-------------------------------------------
Logoanimationen:

Der Fall in “schwarze Galle”:
Die Worte/Buchstaben (“mal so”) fallen in “schwarze Galle (schwarze Flüssigkeit). Poppen anschließend, wie lufgefüllte Objekte wieder auf.
Es bleibt eine Fläche (oben weiß, unten schwarz)mit jeweils dem farblich entgegengesetzten “mal so”

Birke:
man sieht einen Waldauschnitt - Zoom auf Birke - Rinde invertiert sich. Zum Schluss bleibt wieder der Schriftzug mal so - mal so (schwarz weiß)

Was mit Schnee:
Schnee steht in schönen Kontrast zu allen möglichen anderen Farben/Elementen.
---------------
Alt vs. Jung:
man sieht alte Frau mit Gehhilfe
schnelle Überschnitte zu Jungen beim Fahrrad schieben
(oder auf Skateboard, Roller)
oder simuliertes Umkippen der Kamera (oder Splitscreen)

Motte vs. Schmetterling:
beide werden durch Zufall aus ihrem normalen Umfeld geworfen. Blumentopf auf Fensterbrett lockt Schmetterling an, Licht von draußen lockt Motte. Plötzlich Motte ist von gleißenden Licht umgeben (geblendet) -Schmetterling fast blind. Motte fliegt gegen Blüte - Blütenstaub fällt auf sie - sie wird teilweise bunt und sieht besser. Schmetterling bekommt Staub/Dreck ab. Kann besser im Dunkeln sehen. Wie löst sich das ganze auf? ein Loop?

Lichtreflexion an Wand:
Die Sonne reflektiert sich über die Teekanne an der Wand. (Habe ich tatsächlich so am Schreibtisch beobachtet. Es sah toll aus.)
Was soll daraus werden?
Eine Licht-Elfe?
Die mir verrät, was ich machen soll?
Es könnte auch hier ein plötzliche Umkehrung geben. Die Reflexion wird real und die Umgebung wird zur Lichtreflexion.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Saturn

Saturn gilt als Gott der Melancholie, noch heute nennen die Engländer einen melancholisch-düsteren Character als „saturnine“ und das portugiesische „soturno“ bezeichnet einen finsteren unfrohen Gesichtsausdruck.(1) So ist es denn nicht verwunderlich, dass auf vielen Gemälden, nicht nur des Mittelalters, Saturn mit grübelnder, traurig-verbitterter Miene dargestellt ist. Wieso ist nun der Saturn das Gestirn der Melancholie? Das konnte ich leider nicht ganz so genau nachvollziehen.
Zum einen hat es natürlich wieder mit der 4 Säfte-Lehre zu tun. So sind die ersten Aufzeichnungen die belegen, dass Jupiter sanguinischen, Mars cholerischen und Luna oder Venus die phlegmatischen Verhalten zugeordnet wurden, im Arabien des 9. Jahrhundert zu finden.(2) Der Saturn ist dunkel und schwarz genau wie das Element der Erde, welches der schwarzen Galle zugeordnet ist. Mit seiner Natur werden die verschiedensten Eigenschaften verbunden: „kalt, trocken, bitter, schwarz, dunkel, rauh, feucht, schwer ... ist aufrichtig in der Freundschaft ... Ackerbau ... Vermessung ... Reichtum ... bittere Armut ... langen Aufenthalt in der Fremde ... Verblendung ... Hass ... In-sich-Zurückgezogensein, auf Einsamkeit und Ungeselligkeit, auf Großmannssucht ... Stolz ...Tyrannei und Zorn ... Gefangenschaft ... aufrichtiges Reden, Bedächtigkeit, Besonnenheit, Verstehen, Prüfen, Erwägen ... auf vieles Denken, Sich-Fernhalten von Rede und Zudringlichkeit, auf das Verharren auf einem Wege. Beinahe nie wird er zornig, aber wenn er zornig wird, beherrscht er sich nicht, er gönnt anderen nichts gutes ... auf langes Nachdenken und wenig Reden, auf Geheimnisse ... zeigt hin auf Selbstvernichtung und Fragen der Langeweile.“(3) Das sind bereits extrem viele Dinge die dem Melancholiker inne sind und hier bereits deutlich gekürzt, trotzdem folgen dem noch mehr, die ich auch noch nennen möchte. Wenn der unter dem Saturn stehende Mensch „ aber böse ist [ich vermute hier ist der melancholische Zustand an sich gemeint, man kann ja auch mal gut drauf sein], dann weißt er hin auf Hass, Eigensinn, Sorge, Trauer, Wehklagen, Weinen, schlechte Meinung [oder Nörgeln, wie es mir schon vorgeworfen wurde, ich finde ich kritisiere maximal, eigentlich denke ich nur mögliche Verbesserungen oder Wege an] ... und er ist schreckhaft, leicht verwirrt, verstockt ... Es heißt auch von ihm, er sei mager, furchtsam, dünn, streng ... großer Hand, gedrehten Beinen [ich habe O-Beine], aber angenehm anzusehen ...“(4) Nun ist es bei dieser Vielfalt natürlich leicht sich hier und da wieder zu finden. Bei all diesen Aufzählungen ist jedoch wichtig für mich, dass sie, hier und dort, eine gewisse Gegensätzlichkeit widerspiegeln. So ist Saturn mal trocken und mal feucht, hat große Besitztümer und weist aber auch auf tiefste Armut hin. Er ist jähzornig, listig und missgünstig, kann aber gut zuhören, hat Verständnis und macht sich Sorgen. Genauso wird von Gefangenschaft und Fesselung geschrieben, gleichzeitig wird ihm aber auch die Führung von Sklaven, Knechten und Gutstümern zugetragen. Seine tiefen Gedanken und seine Bedachtsamkeit weisen auf eine geheimnisvolle Weisheit hin, dem gegenüber Verwirrtheit und Selbstvernichtung steht. Dieses Durcheinander kann geschichtlich etwas erklärt werden. Es kam zu dieser Zeit zu Vermischungen, weil die Götter, welche Gestirnen zugeordnet wurden, länger lebendig blieben, wurden ihnen die verschiedensten mythologischen Bestimmungen aus astronomischen, naturwissenschaftlichen, astrologischen und religiösen Bereichen zugewiesen. Ebenso kam es im Zuge der Helenisierung zu einer Zusammenlegung von Saturn und Kronos. Letzterer war seit jeher durch eine starke innere Gegensätzlichkeit gekennzeichnet. Diese Ambivalenz ist an seiner Geschichte gut zu verdeutlichen. Kronos ist der jüngste Sohn von Uranus (Himmel) und Gaia (Erde). Sein Vater zieht den Zorn Gaias auf sich als er die anderen Geschwister wieder zurück in die Erde stößt, weil er sie wohl fürchtete. Kronos ist von Anfang an neidisch auf Uranus Fruchtbarkeit und so ist es für seine Mutter ein leichtes ihn gegen den Vater aufzustacheln. Sie reicht ihn eine Sichel und er schneidet des Nachts Uranus die Genitalien ab und wirft sie ins Weltmeer. Dabei entsteht zum Beispiel Aphrodite, die „Schaumgeborene“. Daraufhin übernimmt Kronos die Herrschaft, ist allerdings belegt mit einen Fluch, nämlich das er von dem eigenen Sohn gestürzt werden solle. Also verschlingt Kronos alle seine Kinder bis auf Zeus, den Rhea, seine Gemahlin, heimlich auf Kreta zur Welt bringt. Durch die Täuschung mit einem in Windeln gehüllten Stein, kann Zeus heranwachsen um seine Bestimmung zu erfüllen. Er fordert die verschlungenen Geschwister zurück und wirft den Vater nach Jahre langen Kämpfen in die Tiefe der Erde, wo er quasi begraben ist.(5) In der orphischen Überlieferung des Mythos wurde Kronos von Zeus ebenfalls verstümmelt, wohl mit der gleichen Sichel. Die Sichel als Symbol für Tod in Form der Sense mit dem dazugehörigen Mann ist in der westlichen Kultur weit verbreitet.
Da ich zu dieser Vermischung auch nur abstrakt Zugang finde, möchte ich nicht näher darauf eingehen. Wichtig ist, das Saturn und damit die Melancholie sehr zwiespältig oder besser, vielfältig ist.


1 - Lambrecht, Roland (1996): Der Geist der Melancholie. S. 23, München, Wilhelm Fink Verlag

2 – Klibansky, Raymond; Panofsky, Erwin; Saxl, Fritz (1998):Saturn und Melancholie. Studien zur Geschichte der Naturphilosophie und Medizin, der Religion und der Kunst. S.203, Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag

3 – ebd. S. 208

4 – ebd. S. 209

5 - Lambrecht, Roland (1996): Der Geist der Melancholie. S. 25/26, München, Wilhelm Fink Verlag

Schwarze Galle

Bei meiner Recherche zu Melancholie bin ich auf den "schwarzen Gallensaft" gestoßen. So heißt die wörtliche Übersetzung von Melancholie. Der Begriff tauchte in der antiken griechischen Medizin gut ein halbes Jahrtausend vor Christi Geburt auf.(1) Er ist einer der vier "Säfte" in der Humoralpathalogie. So lautet der Fachbegriff für Lehre der 4 Temperamente auch die 4-Säfte Lehre genannt. Besitzt der Mensch ein Übermaß an schwarzer Galle und "... wird sie übermäßig erwärmt ruft sie übersteigerte Hochgefühle wie Gesang ... hervor."(2) Was ich unweigerlich mit meinem Schlagwort Stimmungsschwankung in Verbindung bringe. (Ich werde die Schlagwörter später an entsprechender Stelle mal versuchen aufzulisten).
Nun jedoch erstmal zur Humoralpathalogie. Was sind die anderen 3 „Säfte“? Zum einen das Blut (sanguis), der Schleim (phlegma) und die gelbe Galle (cholera). Bereits bei den Pythagoreen gab es ein heilige Vierheit der naturphilosophischen Betrachtungen. Es gibt: Feuer, Wasser, Luft, Erde, und auf den Kosmos bezogen: Sonne, Meer, Himmel und Erde. Melancholie wird der Erde zugeordnet. Sie steht auch für den Herbst und das Erwachsenalter. Wobei ich gerade bei einer Alterszuweisung von unterschiedliche Ansichten gelesen habe. Andere sehen es eher im Jugendalter, worauf ich an andere Stelle noch mal zurückkommen werde. Bei der schwarzen Galle ist besonders interessant, dass sie im Gegensatz zu den anderen 3 „Säften“ nicht im menschlichen Körper vorkommt.(3) Sie ist demnach eine Fehlkonzeption in sich und „..gewissermaßen das „Schwarze Loch“ im Universum der menschlichen Selbsterkundung und Selbsterkenntnis.“(4) Melancholie dieses Gemisch aus scheinbar grundloser Traurigkeit, unentwegter Grübelei und Pessimismus mit Hang zum romantischen, hat keine Basis. Auch ist es das einzige der 4 Temperamente, welches reflexiv ist. Vielleicht ist es auch gerade der Schmerz der Reflexion. Während alle anderen Temperamente einen Bezug zur Welt einnehmen und ein Verhältnis ihr gegenüber zum Ausdruck bringen, stellt die Melancholie ein Verhältnis zu sich selbst dar. Was Mich nicht unmittelbar betrifft interessiert mich auch nicht! Nur wenn es um das eigene Selbst geht, erfährt enorme Wichtigkeit.(5)
Selbstverständlich ist auch mir das nicht fremd, wohl eher das Gegenteil. Demnächst folgt noch einiges mehr zum Thema Melancholie. So werde ich kurz auf die Weiterentwicklung seit der Antike eingehen. Hierbei handelt es sich um den religiös geprägten Begriff der Acedia und den Begriff der Hypochondrie wie er in der Zeit der Aufklärung Einzug fand. Im Allgemeinen möchte ich das Thema Melancholie als Gefühl noch intensiver beleuchten. Werde dabei die Trauer als Ausgangspunkt nehmen, die gewissermaßen Teil wenn nicht Hauptbestandteil ist.
Warum also “schwarze Galle”? Wegen der Bilder und Symboliken die ich in meine Arbeite einfließen lassen möchte. Ich habe bisher gerne Elemente gesammelt oder Bilder und Szenen, die ich dann verbunden habe. Hier nun sehe ich menschliche Körper unterschiedlich stark mit schwarzer, zähflüssiger Gallenflüssigkeit gefüllt. Vielleicht quillt es dem einem schon aus den Ohren, der Nase, den Mund oder den Augen. Ich sehe es fließen! Ein pechschwarzes Bächlein durch ein saftig grünes Tal, in dem lauter bunte Blumen blühen, farbenprächtige Vögel sich auf überwältigenden Baumkronen niederlassen. (Ja, theatralisch kommt auch unter meinen Schlagwörtern vor.) Man dümpelt dahin in seiner Schwermut ohne dabei das Schöne wahrzunehmen. Gleichzeitig kann aber gerade das Schöne auch der Anlass zur Traurigkeit sein.
Ich mag die Idee der schwarzen Galle. Schwarz ist düster, schwer und bildet einen schönen Kontrast zu anderen Farben.

1 - Lambrecht, Roland (1996): Der Geist der Melancholie. S. 32, München, Wilhelm Fink Verlag

2 - Demmerling, Christoph; Landweer, Hilge (2007): Philosophie der Gefühle. Von Achtung bis Zorn. S. 271, Weimar, Verlag J.B. Metzler Stuttgart

3 - Lambrecht, Roland (1996): Der Geist der Melancholie. S. 33, München, Wilhelm Fink Verlag

4 - ebd. S. 32
5 - ebd. S. 12