IDeas, please!

Well, haven`t had an entry for quite a while now. Let`s see, what progress have we made? Actually, not too much, apart from the theoretical one. Didn`t manage to get my pixilation done as I wasn`t satisfied with the initial idea/story and I couldn`t come up with a new one yet. But, hopefully the next weeks will prove more fruitful.

What I have been thinking about is the avatar and some ideas for the general display of the box showcase. As much as the avatar is concerned, I was thinking of something along these lines:

The expressions change as the spotlight moves from side to side, but in a very subtle manner. The expressions themselves should be charged with different and contradictory meanings and messages. I`m not sure whether or not I`m going to use pictures of a single person, or several, but the overral look and feel, with the now infamous (I hope) chiaroscuro would be similar to this sequence of Turkish artist Tarkan `s clip, Verme.

Now, for the display options...I have two ideas so far. One, is to display the elements of the box in a circular, possibly mandala-like shape. That would mean not just a circle, but several layers within the circle, so maybe you could have a story within a story, as the elements that make up the box not only tell something visually as a whole, but also broken up in different segments, areas within the circle. Also, the logo could be displayed in the middle, or, alternatively, the avatar could hold centre stage.

The second display option is a sort of sequential, timeline based unfolding of the elements of the box in a sort of story. The idea is to create a connection between the objects that follow each other, each of them being somehow the effect of the previous ones. I have attempted something along those lines a few weeks ago. The main `story` can be followed by reading the diagonal, from bottom right to left, but it also branches out, signaling turning points within the story.

And then, it struck me...sort of...

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?

I went looking for myself...

I`ve been looking around these last weeks, trying to find some things I could consider for my cabinet of curiosities. Not surprisingly, I couldn`t really come up with something that screamed ME. Why is this not a surprise? Come to think about it, I`ve never felt particularly attached to any object or material thing. I remember being a kid and looking at adverts of toys I loved not because I wanted to possess them, but because I wanted them to be part of my imagination, of my inner world. And quite often, I used to have very vivid dreams of me, playing with the things that were out of my reach, not having them per se, but being able to see them, to touch them, discover them and enjoy their ingenuity or cuteness.

What do I cling to? Memories (as in thoughts), feelings that linger on, conversations that I found enlightening, entertaining, whimsical, bothering but necessary, people with their habits, imperfections, candid moments and ideas, the funny, the bold, the crazy, the touching, the out-of-this-world.

Of course, this seems rather abstract...but then again, I go for abstract things! Precisely because it is not hands-on it leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and even more to symbolic representation. I have a very vague idea about using alegories for different sections of the box, maybe stills, or pixilation...although, come to think about it...having something relying more on sound as a backbone would be interesting too (found Michel Chion`s book Audio-vision rather inspiring).

Also, since I`m trying to write down as many ideas I got in the last days, randomly for now...I was thinking of maybe doing something that would resort to a dichotomie. But I don`t want to think about good or bad (I don`t believe in these categories) or light and dark side of the same thing...I thought it might be interesting to apply the idea of Nietzsche about the Apollonian and Dionysian. Why? Because they seem to go beyond the idea of mere contrast; it is a question of appreciation for something whose life is fleeting, whose value is relative and whose aim is unsure...a really disjoint, troubled, fragmented picture that nevertheless must be lived in for lack of choice or for the simple beauty of the temporary, the absurd. Now, I might have been remixing Nietzsche`s ideas a bit, so don`t mind that...