Today, we had the Identities lecture on Character design, so as to give us an idea about what we should be looking at while thinking about the avatars. I`m not quite sure what triggered the following ideas, I guess I was making my usual free-associations, so it could have been anything, really...and I got an idea of a melange that seemed so right for what I was talking about the other day. I mean, the Dionysian and Appolonian idea, the two sides, their dynamic and why that is somehow relevant for what the Showcase is supposed to be.
Let me recap: I said that while thinking about things that would help build an image of self, I thought I may well use ideas, concepts, principles I believe in, as I find myself more attached to those and to certain relationships I have developed with some people as the most important signifier of...me! And I would say the sum up nicely the three Ps of today`s lecture, that is, characterisation through possessions, passions and preferences.
Ok, so how does the whole Nietzsche shtick get into the frame? Well, I don`t want to sound like some groupie of Freddy, but I felt a connection with his writings even when I didn`t quite agree with the arguments or wasn`t sure I got them. Yes, his writing is flashy and flamboyant many times, but of course that is part and parcel of his views and it`s sort of like a shot of heroine in Philosophy`s sclerotic arm. Nevertheless, as confusing and obscure the whole idea of the Dionysian and Apollonian might seem, I do like it and find that it can stand for some fundamentals of mine.
Now, to get back to my initial idea. I got some (initial, temporary?) ideas for the look and feel of the avatar or of the whole showcase even. The way in which the links were made is roughly this: Dionysus-ecstasy-ondulating-Klimt-Mucha-Ikeda....So, the reason why Klimt came up in the first place is because of this following sketch:
I remember a comment on Klimt`s obssession with women`s hair, wavy, the sort that entangles and entraps, maybe even a fear of castration facing the Medusa-like spectre of woman (Mr Freud...I`d say ` analyse this` but you are a man yourself so you might not be trusted to give an objective interpretation-sic!). So, I will not deny the obvious sexual charge of the master`s interpretation of the looooooong, wavy etc, etc hair...but I would use it to suggest the sort of crazy, instinctual, ecstatic nature of Dionysus. Some other works of Klimt that are illustrative of this idea, but also of the hazy, blurry, washed out...all things that relate to the unconscious, or to the unchecked energies within:
Now, another artist that goes down similar lines is my favourite manga artist to date: Riyoko Ikeda. Her gender-bender, flowing and floating and barely-touching-the-earth characters are what one could imagine as that which bridges the two sides, Dionysus and Apollo. Come to think of it, the characters in her mangas reflect the co-existence of the two within the protagonists, as what at many times appears as aloof, detached and serene is also tormented, irrational, obssessive, instinctual. In case you have doubts about it, you can take a look at `Oniisama e...` (Dear Brother...) or `Berusayiu no Bara`(Rose of Versailles). Now, for some visuals:
So, stay tuned for more wavy, wibbly-wobbly lines. Our last runner-up is Alphonse Mucha. I`d say, we found ourselves an Apollonian feel. Just take a look at his illustrations. No matter how entangled it gets, it just screams serene, in control, petite bourge....oh....sorry...a Freudian slip there (hehe)...
Well...that`s it for now...maybe it will prove a bit ambitious for a 3D avatar in Studio Max, considering that I don`t really have much experience...buuuuut...as a friend would say: if it`s not a challenge, why bother?
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