Finals

Ok here's my final images and a couple of layout ideas...ENJOY!!

The landscape layout has the monsters flowing from good qualities to not-so-good qualities to downright bad qualities! I quite like that :)

Booky wook!

Have decided that alongside my framed installation I want a book...to offer some sort of explanation. (And I love books...think they are a brilliant thing to look back on!)

So yeah...this is my book cover. I want to keep it really simple because it's all about the images. Will be double page spreads with the image on the right and the text saying what the monster represents on the left page.

Presentation...

I'm loving how well the photos are going so I've started to really think about how I'm going to present this project. (Now I'm sure I'm not goign to change my idea again!!)

I want them all framed in a big cluster thing! All different sizes and shapes and in scuzzy frames!! Words are not helping...have a picture:

So yeah...that sort of layout. Like a big weird self portrait. Thinking I want all the frames to be black though. To give it some sense of coherance without losing the higgledy piggledy feeling :D (Thats totally a word...)

Oh bollocks.

RIP Self-destructive monster. (Oops...)

Progress!

Well I do believe in doing things properly...so a bag of monsters and a camera have been living my life with me! Here's a sneaky peak at a few pitures that I really like so far:

I am your messed up wasted weekend.

I am your ugly self-loathing.

I am your self destructive tendencies.

I am your predatory lust.

(I don't think the self destructive one really works...I juts like the image. I have plans for him though.)

Well that could have gone better...

Started with Mr Greedy Sweet Tooth...and the first picture set up was great! Really happy with it:

But then I tried to stage a second scene and it just wouldn't work. I didn't even get to the photographing stage because it just wasn't working. It's almost impossible to create a real life set up the same as you imagine it, which leaves all results feeling disappointing.

BUT all is not lost. I really like the image of the sweet monster on it's own, it makes it feel special and individual, like a single captured moment. (And the image amuses me...SO MUCH CAKE!!) Also, the three frame narrative might have been over complicating it- like when you have to expplain a joke...it's not funny anymore.

So I have decided to take on the mammoth task of creating individual portraits of all twenty monsters! This could take some planning...

So what to do?

I have my monsters, they have their meanings...how do I communicate this to the audience?

My original idea was an animation with typography. But this just isn't coming together in my head. Messy.

So my next plan of attack is to try and create some photo narratives using the monsters, that will illustrate the personalities they represent. So in the situations I put them in the dominant personality traits would take over...leaving the others behind. I've chosen 5 traits to focus on and I've scribbled together some story boards so now I'm off to try it out!

twenty

Twenty. That is how many monsters I have. Twenty little slices of personality. Now I'm going to play around with the text to make the typography describing each character really reflect that aspect of the personality.

WATCH THIS SPACE.

The definitive monster spotting guide...

Thought you might like my skanky scribbled on list of all my monster personalities :) ENJOY.

GROUP HUG!!

Here's all my little monsters so far:

They jumped into the scanner...I had no choice in the matter. Little fuckers.

So...in this mash up there is-

I am your bad fashion sense.

I am your 9 to 5 routine.

I am your odd socks.

I am your trashy party girl.

I am your self destructive tendencies.

I am your childlike excitement.

I am your girly emotion.

I am your inner pervert.

Can you guess who's who? :)

Stop wittering Rebekka!!

I will stop talking soon....I promise.

But I'm becoming less interested in the opinions of the outside observer. More interested in the expression of the self. I want to create something that people can relate to in some way. So like...if each monster is a personality trait then I'd present them like "I am your something", and out of all of the ones that make up me there would be ones that other people could relate to. Therefore giving them a small sense of hope that they are not alone! :P ...Make sense?

Quite PostSecret-esque. The think that strikes me about PostSecret is how often I see one and think "OMG that could be me." I want to try and create that feeling :)

Thanks for reading, here's a video to watch as a reward :P

STOP. Continue...

"You will be expected to explain the project , justify your design decisions and indentify an audience."

So what am I trying to achieve? How am I going to go about doing it? Who is it for?

• I want to communicate the convergence of different personalities within one person, both from the subjects own perspective and from the perspective of an unknown observer. I want to explore what details make up the different personalities, and how these aspects are forced to intertwine and merge to exist alongside each other.
• I want to represent the subjects perspective of their self through a series of 3D monsters, which act as the subjects inner self. I then plan to juxtapose this with typography explaining an outside observers judgement of the subjects personality, this feedback will be collected anonymously. I plan to combine this in a cyclical animation, where there is no beginning or end.
• My audience is the average young adult between the ages of 18-25.

I think what I'm trying to achieve is something that the audience can relate to...each monster will represent a statement about the person, and it is inevitable that other people will relate to one or more of these statements. My animation will aim to offer the viewer some hope that they are not alone.


I'm a bloody public service me!

Sound good to you?

BREAKTHROUGH!!

Here is the sketchbook page from my breakthrough moment!

I have some sort of idea in my head about my inner monsters :)

I'm actually properly excited about this project for the first time!! It makes sense to me :)

Hmm...

Can I represent my multiple personalities as a series of monsters??

Edit: YES! Yes I can :) This is the inspiration I was thinking of:

People watching...

I'm realising that people watching is a huge influence on this work.....

Research

I've been looking into multiple personalities. Both the positive and negative aspects and how the people with this type of condition manage in society.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article6250768.ece This article was really interesting, about how a woman developed multiple personality disorder as a coping mechanism after years of abuse.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/personality-traits-list.html This seemed worth a peek. Bit simplified.

Basically the idea I'm toying with is: trying to communicate the convergence of several distinct personalities within one person. A comment on how a person changes to adapt to the situation they find themselves in and how they are perceived by the people alongside them in these situations.

What I've been reading about Multiple Personality Disorder, while interesting to me, doesn't seem very relevant. I'm not looking at anything as extreme as that. Just everyday people... :)

That reminds me of this:

A Nokia ad campaign from about a year ago? Offering a glimpse into someone elses life (even if they were tragically fictional) I am a shameless voyeur. If I found your phone, I would DEFINATELY look through it.

Here goes...

Riiiight, I think this is the point where I disregard what my lovely tutors tell me to do and do what actually interests me for my project. Good bye good grades!!

But yeah, I was told this needed to be based around an event. And so I was GOING TO make little magic parcels of stuff to represent each personality...and leave them for people to find. In like cafes and public places like that. Probably film the results. and invite the finder to make a judgement about the person who left the stuff.

But I am feeling a little cynical and I don't actually believe that that will work. And to be honest I have little interest in filming people finding my stuff...MEH.

I just want to collect the responses, I like words. Soooooo...To give myself more possible chances of responses...I have photos of "stuff"...offering a glimpse into someone elses life...see:

So these will be printed and left around to be discovered with a scribbled note on the back inviting a response.

IT'S MY BLOODY PROJECT, I'LL DO IT MY WAY.

Sticking...sticking...Stuck!

Hmm....I've been playing around with ideas of how to visually represent the "personalities" in my project. NOTHING IS WORKING. It's all feeling too literal. Like...Person is described; Person appears in animation. I can't really explain. But it's boring me...

I really just want to play with the actual words. I think I'm going to stop dicking around and just make the event happen!! Have three "personalities" planned, and three visual examples of what makes them....them. Lets go see how people judge them.

ALSO! I have been going off the idea of separating out each personality... I think I would rather look at how they merge and overlap. As...that's how they make up the person. I'm becoming increasingly interested in the idea of the transformation from one character to another.

Slightly relevant:

I love this. It's not entirely relevant, but sort of is. Says something wonderful about our societies perception of beauty...

Inspiration...

I like animated things wth voice overs...it seems. This is cool.

More playing with animation...

Stop frame experiment. Wanted to play with he idea of an image building up so as more information was given the image would grow and change.

I'm prettty MEH about this. I have now had an idea of doing this with collage, having layers build up....will play more!

I made this!

This is me playing with Flash, re learning what is possible, and seeing how the type could be animated:

It's based on one of the responses from my "Who ARE you?" Webpage. I'm pleased with it as a starting point. :)

Typographic inspiration

I wanted to play with animated typography so I thought I'd see what has been done already :) Here's a few that caught my eye:

I love the actual words in this, and the animation really does them justice. Poetic. x

I like the scuzzy effect of this one. Again, the style really compliments the scene.

...and this is slightly irrelevant. But I like it. Can I have performers?? :D

An experiment...

As an experiment I set up a web page with a form for visitors to submit an anonymous message. It simply asked the question "Who are you?" I gave out the address to friends, and posted it on forums and urged them to do the same for a few days. I did this out of curiosity, to gain an insight into how people see themselves, what they choose to share with a stranger. Here are some responses:

I am...waiting to fall in love. (sent on February 14th)

I am...wearing 2 pairs of glasses...

I am...Independent, stubborn, loyal to a fault. caring. deep. confused. quick witted, sarcastic. cynical yet optimistic. different.

I am...wasting your bandwidth.

I am a girl.

I am a lost girl.

I am an ever-learning girl.

I am an independent girl.

I am me,

and "me" is she.

"Me," however,

does not know "she."

Together, we will be,

forever bonded with

me and

she.

Since leaving school i have realised that i only made friends with Christians or rich people with large houses, thats how i learnt about things such as glyndebourne and ended up taking my mum on trips to fortnum and masons to buy champange and strawberry jam because i wanted to fit in with my friends. i did also have other friends so have come to the conclusion that i may be a social chamelion - flexible in any situation - and also that Christianity leads to people having a big house, only if they are gluttanous god squadders.

I am...The gray sheep. Not black, not white. Just gray.

I am...a shy girl with big dreams. I am an athlete, coach, musician, artist, lover, risk-taker, friend, gamer, adventurous, nature loving, candle burning, t-shirt and jeans kind of country girl. I am me.

I am...extremely lonely...but kinda ok with it.

I am...Helen. I am a Snowy Owl. I am a step-mum, I am a fiancée, I am an administrator, I am slightly loopy, I am a denizen of The Flat, I am 28 years old. I am a Christian. I am a muppet who does too much to have much spare time. I am a member of Weightwatchers and have lost 4lb in 3 weeks. I am many other things as well which I don't have time to list.

I am...watching you...

I am...Batman.

I am...someone who is afraid to try for fear of failing.

I am...getting stronger every day.

I am...22 years old in my last year of studying Human Geography at Reading, UK. I'm usually happy but a lot of things about society tend to irritate me and thus I complain a lot. However, I generally think that my complaints are fair and not simply rants of a madman. Therefore when people discredit my opinion on a whim without any retorted argument, I instantly label them as morons.

Thanks,

Jonny.

When the great scorer condemns us all to the the great subs bench in the sky, I'll be in the press box with cheap champagne screaming 'I WAS RIGHT'

I am...gay.

I am...your father.

I am...a 19 year old guy at Southampton Solent University in England studying Computer Games Development as a doss. I have no aims or goals in life.

I enjoy the range of responses, from "witty" to revealing, to utterly pretentious!!

...it starts.

This blog serves as a record of my Extended Major Project at the Arts University College Bournemouth.

For my Extended Major Project I want to explore my interest in participatory art forms and expand upon my work from my Digital Revolution project last year. (Which you can find here: http://chaosfollows.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-found-your-balloon.html) I am inspired by projects such as Postsecret and FOUND Magazine, which allow a brief glimpse into the thoughts and life of another individual.

I want to explore the idea of identity and representation of the self, both my own identity and the identity portrayed by a stranger to a stranger. I am intrigued by the idea of “first impressions”, and the differences between how we try to represent ourselves and how we are actually observed by others.

I intend to experiment with different ways of collecting peoples opinions, so as to gain an understanding of the different ways in which an individual will choose to portray him or herself. I find it interesting to note the details people feel are relevant and those details they choose to leave out; the discarded aspects of their personality.

My aim is to create several physical representations of the varying aspects of my personality and then have them anonymously subjected to a strangers’ judgment. I will then ask the stranger to briefly describe the impression they get of this person. I will then use this feedback to inform a series of animations depicting the “multiple personalities”.

I am completely undecided on the aesthetics of my final outcome at the moment and therefore intend to thoroughly research other creative practitioners and experiment with a variety of approaches. I am currently being inspired by one interactive animation project by BubblyNumbers and another by Chiu Kwong Man, though I do not invisage my work mimicing either of their styles. (Available from: http://www.book-of-numbers.com/ and http://www.myeyeisonfire.net/sex_lies_fairytales.html)