Here is our final presentation, we worked in a group of four which consisted of Sam Hulbert, Ruth Peters, Amy Wright and myself. The presentation was based on the artist Takao Saka, Semiotics and Movember made using Prezi.
In one of our lessons we watched a video on the artist Takao Sakai and it really stuck with me. I think it was from it's weirdness more than anything. However, it gave our group inspiration of what to do for our presentation. We has the idea that we could use him and link it to 'Movember' also focusing on beards and moustaches. Here we could also link both to the theme of semiotics.
Here is an interview with Takao Sakai about his work with the Adzuki Beans:
First of all, what attracts you to beans?
I have to explain: The beans I use are adzuki beans, which are one of the most popular ingredients in Japanese cooking with a long tradition of being used in sweets, called wagashi in Japanese. Adzuki beans are said to bring good luck, that’s why we eat them as sweets. This image of happiness serves not only as a motif for me, I’m also really attracted to their texture and shape.
Is it about their consistency? Or the liquid they are in?
That’s not liquid but a way to make the beans glossy by boiling them first. That glossiness is a means of showing the deliciousness of the beans visually. When working with beans, I form them like papier-mâché and apply some colours with acrylic paints. Though that part is faked, it is just to show their glossiness realistically.
Your earlier approach with wagashi, Japanese sweets, was delicious – what inspired you to do that?
I was born and raised in the city, so I grew up in a culture that said we must continue old traditions and, at the same time, said we should create something new. People in my generation who grew up in those circumstances sought out new forms of happiness. In my early works, I tried to express a new form of happiness for contemporary Japan that references Japanese sweets as a form of cultural heritage, but puts them in a totally new setting. The same is true of my current works.
Takao Sakai also said; For this, I created a fictitious story about a recent trend among young Japanese to make adzuki bean beards: Much like tattoos or earrings before, they were first used as good luck charms or talismans to ward off evil. But then they gave birth to adzuki bean idols, and because of their influence it went so far to become a casual fashion worn in everyday life. Then foreign media began introducing the fad to people overseas as an extension of otaku and anime youth culture, thus spreading adzuki fashion around the world. Now, I am making these portraits to illustrate that fictional story. If some media outside of Japan would mistakenly think that this is really fashion and would report it as news, then I would have succeeded.
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
A Mo Sista is essentially a woman who loves a Mo. An individual that is dedicated to supporting the Mo Bros in her life through their moustache growing journey; whether it be a friend, colleague, family member or partner. These inspirational women are committed to raising awareness of men's health issues and much needed funds for men's health along the way.
Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.
At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their Movember journey throwing their own Movember parties or attending one of the Gala Partés held around the world to stand tall and celebrate the moustache.
The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research The funds raised in the UK are directed to programmes run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research. We work with these partners to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programmes in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.
Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.9 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate across 21 countries worldwide. We currently have formal campaigns in: the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health causes across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro to Mumbai, and everywhere in between. In 2012, over 1.1 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas around the world got on board, raising GBP 88.2 million to date. We continue to receive donations for several months following the campaign so these totals will be updated.
Movember United Kingdom - About Movember. 2013. Movember United Kingdom - About Movember. [ONLINE] Available at:http://uk.movember.com/about/about-campaign/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
History of the London Underground - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2013. History of the London Underground - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_London_Underground. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
Here is the original London Underground map created in 1908. It is very disorganised and hard to see where each line actually goes. Harry Beck had been working as an electrical draughtsman for the London Underground and was out of work when he produced the first sketches of the map that we are familiar with today. He was only 29 and worked in his own time on his own initiative. When he first offered it to the management it was rejected as being too radical, but he persevered!
Harry understood that the order of the stations and the connections were the most important
things and that the actual geography and distance between stations is less important when you
are travelling underground. Harry was used to drawing circuit diagrams like the one below:
The striking Tube map that is recognised across the globe was the brainchild of Underground electrical draughtsman, Harry Beck, who produced this imaginative yet stunningly simple design back in 1933.
Beck based the map on the circuit diagrams he drew for his day job, stripping the sprawling Tube network down to basics. The result was an instantly clear and comprehensible chart that would become an essential guide to London - and a template for transport maps the world over. Beck's revolutionary design, with certain modifications and additions, survives to the present day and is set to serve London Underground and its millions of customers for many years to come.
Here are some other examples of maps from different countries...
Tokyo Subway map
Metro de Paris map
NYC Subway map
Here are some transport for London tube map advertisements...
Tube Map History, London - YouTube. 2013. Tube Map History, London - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvoYHJNUSVk. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
This shows the real London Underground experience... London Underground - YouTube. 2013. London Underground - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzYMt4aYnM. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
This is a stunning painting that now hangs in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain. It is an oil on canvas and measures approximately 10’5″ x 9′.
It forms a culmination of works and techniques that the artist had used in earlier works. The mirror in his Rokeby Venus, and in Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, we see a similar type of foreground and background interaction happening, with Mary and Martha in the foreground, with Christ and his disciples in the background.
Las Meninas is one of Velázquez’s greatest works of art. It was painted in 1656 and Las Meninas simply means, “maids of honor.” It is a work which truly marks the upper class, as we see at the center of the composition, the blond Infanta Marguerita. She was the daughter of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana of Spain. The painting shows the girl not in her regal attire (there is no crown for a start), but in a setting of the artist’s studio, herself being painted. It shows her servants around her, along with a couple of dwarves, two adult figures, and at the forefront of the picture, a dog lying down.
We can also see that the artist (Velázquez himself), is peering from his large canvas to look into a mirror and paint the reflection of the entire scene. This is why we see him in the painting as well. It is a curious, but very interesting perspective from which to paint.
Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez – Facts & History of the Painting. 2013.Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez – Facts & History of the Painting. [ONLINE] Available at: http://totallyhistory.com/las-meninas/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
Here is a video to explain the painting in greater detail...
Velazquez's Las Meninas painted in using a mirror, Nigel Konstam demonstrates - YouTube. 2013. Velazquez's Las Meninas painted in using a mirror, Nigel Konstam demonstrates - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujmaPujawJI. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
Here are some of Picasso's interpretations of the painting...
Here are some other more modern versions of the painting...
-Maps are powerful.
-Maps have interests or an argument to make.
-Maps are socially constructed.
-Maps are often conventionalized (they become seen as true or real).
-Maps are shaped by (and shape) political, economic, social, and cultural discourses of the time.
-Maps are a means of communication that many people find appealing.
-Maps come in many forms, such as aboriginal maps of stories, songs, or dreams showing the convergence of boundaries between realms.
-Maps have different ways of representing time.
-Maps are relational—they represent relationships between spatial or physical elements, cultural values and abstract ideas. For example: a road map shows the distance between physical places, but also shows cultural relationships in place names and abstract ideas, such as wilderness or adventure.
-Maps reflect the map-maker’s worldview: the relationship between the map’s creator and the topic is important to consider.
Mapping the Abstract
Maps can be used for nearly anything, not just for providing a geo-spatial frame of reference for physical space.
(source: mindmappictures.com. 2013. mindmappictures.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mindmappictures.com. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
“Maps are like milk: their information is perishable, and it is wise to check the date.” Mark Monmonier, How to lie with maps
Phaseone - Sugar
Below is the first video we saw relating to mapping. It was one that stuck with me purely because of with everything going on in the background I was drawn to only the texts and the story. This is using text mapping to tell a story. It was interesting that everything started going backwards when he started leaving, highlighting the two people moving further away from each other.
Sugar tells a story of two ex lovers failing to reconnect via text message as one is moving away for good. Sugar depicts a bleak and hyperactive reality delivered as a narrative/visual interpretation of a track titled Sugar by New York City based electronic music producer Phaseone. The tune itself is a spacey slow-jam, which Phaseone describes as "an homage to the '90s Chicago rap sound of Twista and Do or Die that my friends and I grew up listening to."
Track: Sugar
Produced by Vadim Gershman, Ryan Powell & Andrew Jernigan PHASEONE - SUGAR on Vimeo. 2013. PHASEONE - SUGAR on Vimeo. [ONLINE] Available at: http://vimeo.com/23785727. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
“…maps, like speeches and paintings, are authored collections of information and also are also subject to distortions arising from ignorance, greed, ideological blindness, or malice.” Mark Monmonier, How to lie with maps I wanted to see how many different looking maps you can get just by simply typing 'maps' into google images and the range and variety was amazing. From different ages, looks, design colour each one is individual. Here are some examples...
Google Street View stop motion animation short made as a personal project by director Tom Jenkins.
Story: A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can -- using a toy car and Google Maps Street View.
Music by the wonderfull Cinematic Orchestra (cinematicorchestra.com) and the track is Arrival of the Birds - please buy the fantastic album: itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-crimson-wing-mystery-flamingos/id297787201
All screen imagery was animated - there are no screen replacements.
Produced, animated, filmed, lit, edited & graded by Tom Jenkins
Address Is Approximate on Vimeo. 2013. Address Is Approximate on Vimeo. [ONLINE] Available at: http://vimeo.com/32397612. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
Vimeo Festival IAC Projection Mapping
This was an architectural projection mapping piece on the IAC building, New York, that ended the first Vimeo Film Festival + Awards. The projection was made by Seeper.com. I choose to include this as I thought it was a really modern and exciting way of mapping.
Vimeo Festival IAC Projection Mapping - YouTube. 2013. Vimeo Festival IAC Projection Mapping - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40M83yChQs. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
The Icebook
The Icebook - the world's first projection mapped pop-up book. An exquisite experience of fragile paper cutouts and video projections that sweep you right into the heart of a fantasy world. It is an intimate and immersive experience of animation, book art and performance.
Icebook first projection mapping video from Pop-up book in the world - YouTube. 2013. Icebook first projection mapping video from Pop-up book in the world - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZWgixI4rNI. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
Jerry's Map
I am fascinated with this work, the way Jerry is completely immersed in his alternate reality of the map. That it is a daily occupation is astounding. Here is an interview with this amazing artist. However, his actual video is definitely worth a watch. Unfortunately it wouldn't allow me to upload as it's only on vimeo and not you tube, but you get a better picture of the amount of work and time Jerry has put it... Please watch follow the vimeo link!! http://vimeo.com/6745866
Take a Break: Jerry Gretzinger meets Jerry Gretzinger - YouTube. 2013.Take a Break: Jerry Gretzinger meets Jerry Gretzinger - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9FP-yIVGzQ. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
Human Face Video Mapping
This is a video showing the making of 'Explore your Dual World' by using Human face video mapping. I thought it was an amazing use of new technology. It was used for an advert on both small and large scale advertising for Samsung Galaxy. This included being played on building walls.
Video mapping taken one step further. This is a montage of some key scenes from the show, some live captured moments and some behind-the-scene-shots.
3D Holographic Fashion Show in Hamburg - YouTube. 2013. 3D Holographic Fashion Show in Hamburg - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMSBihWsuBc. [Accessed 23 May 2013].
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