Launching Design Domain Part 1
“Form is the end, death. Form-giving is movement, action. Form-giving is life” Klee 1973.
Words that resonated with my idea of form;
HOLLOW, FLAT, UNNATURAL, UNINTENDED, CLASH, EXISTENCE, SPACE, CONSTRUCTION, FORMATION, APPEARANCE.
What is form to you?
I gave myself two minutes to write my definitions of form. The process cleared my mind and let me focus on the word itself, the connotations around the meaning and how I personally would use it in conversation.
FORM IS...
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the visible
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the shape
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the human body
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to create
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the tangible and non tangible
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the combination
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the descriptive
Can image manipulation change final form?
Designer Philip Schmitt created the Selfie Machine that allows AI to alter the image of the human face until it is unrecognisable, what does unrecognisable form look like to the eye?
Can objects exist in 3D and 2D spaces? What if the object was never designed to exist outside of its original form?
What happens when you form a new form from the original form? Too many forms...
Primary Research For Part One
Matthew Plumber Fernandez
By using a 3D file search engine, artist Matthew Fernandez searched for every Mickey Mouse model that had been created. There were a range of Mickeys, from professional concepts to amateur interpretations, he knew they were all clearly in breach of Disney's infamous character copyright laws. By making a compilation of all the models into one, it circumvents copyright laws (under US copyright law, a compilation of existing material constitutes a new work of authorship). Further to this, Fernandez argued that "amalgamating all the files into one monstrous multiplicity, disfigures the figure beyond the protected threshold".
This piece of work immediately makes me think of how many forms one object can take, like Mickey, there are a number of well known characters that have all went through a creative rebrand at some point. I wonder how creations like movie or game characters' physical form could change over say a 50 year time period?
This is also cool to imagine how peoples digital files combined will look in a physical 3D artefact, maybe the 3D printer could be of use...
Paul Klee
These artworks are taken from Paul Klee's 'Magic Squares' series, a collection of paintings based around patterns, simple shapes, colour and topography.
These paintings consists of a pattern that has been meticulously organised, it is a logically laid out sequence of squares, each different through clearly distinguishable colours. The work is widely viewed as a reflection on the nature of rhythm, repetition, form and similarity. I'm interested in how the square alone can be used to create landscapes and architecture, how can simple forms be part of a much larger complex creation? If each part of an image is broken down into 1cm squares what can be found inside those boundaries and what patterns can form within such a small area?
Maybe this kind of exploration into form could be an option when looking at purely visual aspects such as colour.
Lane Walkup
Lane Walkup mostly uses metal wire as a medium for her work, this work includes a wide-ranging array of creations from jewellery to interior furniture. Her process of taking the literally drawing to final artefact is unique and she does little editing between stages, she would rather work directly with the material rather than edit on paper. The final artefact is also a homage to the original sketch she produces with very little differences in form from 2D to 3D.
The objects she creates are completely transparent, hollow actually, which gives this really interesting perspective when her work is placed in an open scene. The finished work looks almost like an illustration has come to life in the room and makes the eye wonder, each sculpture is a bit like an optical illusion. I am going to look more at Lane's work when for considering how to communicate the differences in 2D form and 3D form or if there even should be any differences.
Beate Karlsson
Beate Karlsson is a fashion designer and creative director of Avavav who uses the body and form to create weird and wonderful abstract clothing and shoe designs. She was the designer who recently made the wearable pink Kardashian silicone bums (The Face) alongside her collection 'The Claws' which were a range of sandals inspired by hands. Karlsson has also launched a new sustainable collection where she took old materials from fashion houses such as Burberry and Fendi and remade them into bespoke creations, this collection has now sold out.
I thought this was a good addition to my research as I don't normally draw upon fashion as a source of inspiration, however I made an exception for these designs as I think the footwear in particular takes the concept of FORM, specifically human form, and turns it into a high fashion humorous experiment.
Although her designs can be worn and walked in, Karlsson holds the idea of function as non essential with her primary focus on aesthetics and form. This is the first fashion designer I have seen who is using the human form in ways never done before. The elongation of limbs and fingers are exaggerated by the clothing and the freakish nature of the clothes are made even better by her choice of material. The shiny and thick leathers, PVC and acrylic resemble all too well skin and faux animal skin which in turn adds to the grotesque vibe.
Karlsson has made me consider what I deem to be functional and if such creative designs even have to be functional?
Form over function, yet still fashionably functional.
Rogier Van Der Zwaag
Rogier Zwaag is a digital designer based in Amsterdam, above is his series 'Nothing Stands' which was an exploration into how light affected form. To me this was a very relaxing clip to watch, I found it soothing and peaceful. It is pretty cool how something as simple as a panning light can make such a dramatic change to overall environment. This makes me think of other ways in which a shapes physical form can be altered without actually physically altering its dimensions.
I could further explore light, texture, tone even colour or pattern to see how these could affect a shapes overall appearance. Can purely aesthetic factors create some kind of form optical illusion, maybe the pattern makes the squares look ridiculously tall or the gradient of colours makes it look like the square stretches for miles.
Strijdom van der Merwe
Strijdom van der Merwe is a South African land artist who uses materials he finds on-site to create his artworks. His materials include sand, water, wood, rocks, metal and stone. He approaches form in an interesting manner, considering scale and position closely to create an optical illusion. His work 'Stairway to Heaven' is a great example of this, this is a vertical ladder that is standing straight but the angle at which the wood follows creates this narrow upwards path for the eye to follow making it look like stairs.
His installation of 'Giant Paperclips' in South Africa I found quite whimsical. Using the shape of a paperclip Merwe played with scale and created metal bicycle stands. Two objects that are completely unrelated yet the form of one is a perfect solution to the others function.
Felice Varini
Swiss Trompe L'oeil artist Felice Varini creates artworks and installations playing with optical illusions. His work looks digitally edited however everything is real and created physically within a space. The space informs the work and each piece is relative to its environment.
If I were to create physical tangible objects, I want to revisit his work at that time to look at how he uses lighting and colour around an object to create an illusion.
Peter Kogler
Austrian computer generative artist Peter Kogler has created hundreds of these optical illusion installations globally. Using computer generated images and video he can display these abstract shapes and lines to create a confusing atmosphere within a space. When he pairs this with lighting and mirrors the effect is fully realised.
By only using the FORM of a kinetic like black line he has managed to display an incredibly effective visual, turning the space into an all round trippy experience.
What am I
drawing from my
secondary
research?
3D
2D
Point 1: How does Form and Function Relate?
Horatio Greenough
"form
follows
function." 1739
American Sculptor
"The American sculptor Horatio Greenough first stated that "form follows function" in 1739. His phrase became a battle cry for the architect Louis Sullivan roughly 100 years ago and was restated as "form and function are one" by Frank Lloyd Wright. Both statements have contributed to a seeming divorce between that which works well and that which is beautiful. The implication in "form follows function" is that as long as the functional requirements are satisfied form will follow and seem pleasing. Others have put the cart before the horse and misread these statements to imply that "ideal" form will always work well."
The concept that works well will of necessity look well has been the lame excuse for all the sterile, operating-room-like furniture and implements of the twenties and thirties. A dining table of the period might have top, well proportioned in glistening white marble, the legs carefully nurtured for maximum strength with minimum materials in gleaming stainless steel. But the first reaction on encountering such a table is to lie down on it and have your appendix extracted. Nothing about the table says: "Dine off me." Le style international and die neue Sachlichkeit have let us down rather badly in terms of human value."
'Design for the Real World'
Victor Papanek
1972
An interesting excerpt from Victor Papanek discussing the functionality of an object and how the physical appearance can have such an effect then on how we feel towards the object. In this chapter he touches on how functionality of designs can be arguably more important than aesthetic choices. This book has made me question the relationship between form and function particularly how purely visual choices can have effect on the designs actual function and how then a person chooses to interact.
Point 2: How Can Paintings Become 3D Forms?
He uses colour, shape and form to paint a wooden board holding papers, writing implements and a comb in a style that is influenced by realism. The way in which he lays paint on the canvas performs such trickery on the eye that at first glance it looks like you could grab the newspaper from off the wall. His use of colour is clever with the red accented metal drawing the eye to the middle so instead of seeing the objects behind primarily, the eye gets rather fixated on these bold lines cutting over the top. The slight shadow contrasting against the underbelly of the lines onto wood creates depth of view that again adds to the illusion perspective.
Edward Collier
Trompe L'oeil
'deceives the eye'
Just working on some illusion web graphics here. If I create the digital illusions I could project them onto the walls in my room to create the backdrop for the scene.
Point 3: How Can You Visually Express Real Form And Implied Form?
"Form refers to three dimensional objects. While shapes have two dimensions (height and width), forms have three dimensions (height, width and depth).
Forms that are three dimensional, such as sculptures or buildings are called real forms.
Two dimensional work can suggest three dimensional objects by including implied forms. This means that lines or shapes are shown in a way that suggests they have depth. This can be done using perspective, or through tone or colour effects."
-BBC
REAL FORM
IMPLIED FORM
Sketching...
My initial sketches for this project all seem to relate to a physical experience such as a walk through room/gallery/space. The construction and contents of the space is how I plan to explore the theme of FORM, particularly by drawing upon the technique of 'Trompe L'oeil' or optical illusion to the English speakers.
I'm definitely leaning towards physicality for this project but I will have to consider my limitations when it comes to space availability and the creation of 3D objects. I plan to continue exploring this digitally since I do think that could be an interesting angle to explore in part 2. For possible digitally aided outcomes I am thinking along the lines of projection or a VR experience as I think these are interesting ways to still have that physicality while using my skill set in digital workflows.
I'm inclined to still experiment with creating tangible research like wire furniture alongside using my love of illustration to create illusion art to be displayed on walls to play with object perspective within the space.
Experience
For a final output I will be drawing upon my inspiration from artist research in particular Peter Kogler and Felice Varini, as I want to create similar colour palettes utilising contrast between black and white to create optical illusion. Objects in the room such as chairs, lights and pictures will all be handmade creations either physically or digitally depending on what path I choose to go down in Part 2.
I aim to make the room as dynamic as possible for anyone visiting, so I am looking at ways to make this a full sensory experience which would include audio. I have a piece of kit called ‘PlayTronica’ which allows me to connect crocodile clips to conductive materials, after you have connected the object and clip you connect this to the playtronica which is then connected by USB to an audio interface which is linked with a library of sounds. This would let me use physical objects as MIDI keys, so I can for instance play the keyboard with an assortment of earrings if I hooked up a keyboard note to each earring.
Below is a PDF file of the final proposal.
Part 2 Design Domain
Revisiting my proposal...
So it's now February and a Monday, it's time to start revisiting my proposal to make the final artefact. When I was writing this proposal originally I was very ill with COVID-19 and looking back in hindsight I'm not sure if this is the path I would've taken had I have been in fighting fit condition. With that being said I'm really pleased with my secondary research and this has given me a good base to start forming a response from. Tomorrow I have a tutorial and I am going to discuss mainly my research into Lane WalkUp and how her practice is going to inform my final outcome.
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I am still most drawn to her sculpture work and perspective room creations. In my proposal I originally wanted to create a physical experience within an empty space in the studio, however, I feel time is not on my side on this project especially since I haven't been inducted in any kind of metal, wood or casting workshop which is what I would need.
TUTORIAL
I had my first tutorial for this project with Neil on Tuesday which went quite well. We talked about possible outcomes and how optical illusion could be both achieved in the physical and digital world. Virtual Reality is looking like an option that I really want to explore in this project. I think it will be a good resource to allow me to utilise the skill set I have without worrying about creating real world objects in materials like metal or wood. I'm also more confident in the time period and what I can achieve in the given time if I do this as a virtual environment rather than a physical.
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We partly discussed my initial research into functionality through my readings into Victor Papanek, and how Papanek alludes to the factor of Function being superior to Form in the case of some designs. Papanek particularly takes an interest into an object's material choices and how ornate editions and aesthetic choices can inform how a person interacts with the design. From this research, I was curious to turn the design rule of thumb 'FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION' on its head when creating my final outcome, by instead valuing adventurous aesthetics over functionality. Any bold aesthetic choice I make would ultimately relate back to the theme of FORM through designing either REAL FORM or IMPLIED FORM. I aim to achieve the finished look by drawing upon my research into the French technique 'Trompe L'oeil', and creating a visual outcome celebrating optical illusions.
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We talked in depth about the idea of a gallery space, how I could draw upon the functionality of art galleries to inform the final form of my space and all in all piecing together creating a space that links back with my optical illusion idea. I raised my concerns about creating this in person, to which Neil was very supportive of a VR option. Anything within the space can be 3D modelled and the space itself could be the link back to optical illusion but instead through a screen, in fact the headset may even add to it.
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We also discussed the current relevancy of digital galleries and I brought up the company Spatial who design environments for the metaverse, weirdly they had just designed and sold out of a NFT gallery space when we were talking about this. We talked about how functional NFT galleries were and what they actually looked like since an art gallery in the metaverse should be fairly visually rich. To our disappointment however the gallery they had created was fairly simple and bland. It seemed more like a money making trap accessible only through premium tickets, rather than creating a really unique VR art gallery environment. From this discussion I started coming up with my own ideas for more visually interesting virtual environments but using my main theme of FORM to heavily influence the design. Below are some images from my initial secondary research into artist Felice Varini. These are real world creations, looking at how colour and shape can alter how the eye perceives the space, this is what i'm going to try to replicate through virtual technology.
Moving Forward.
For now I am curbing the research and sketching stage to start on making the final piece.
The final output of this project I have decided will be a VR environment. Made to explore the theme of FORM in contrast with shape, looking at how 2D can become 3D.
By using mainly digitally primitive sculpting techniques I aim to create a VR illusion space using a combination of shape, colour and material to explore both 'REAL FORMS' and 'IMPLIED FORMS'. I hope to achieve this outcome by combining my knowledge of the technique 'Trompe L'oeil' alongside my artist research into Felice Varini and Lane WalkUp .
Process
Varini Collage
This was one of my favourite images by Varini, I especially liked the grid like structure created. The use of primitive shapes is something Varini does often but it seems to be one of the most visually impactful, I think it's because they contrast so much with their surroundings. I made a couple of collages, pictured to the left, where I played about on Photoshop with object selection and looked at the organic shapes created by the objects in the image. I highlighted these shapes through editing colour, light and textures. I think it's interesting how you can direct the eye by just changing how light or dark one object in an image is.
The plan...
To explore FORM in a way that will be interesting for people to experience in VR I will have to factor in some key details to the design like interaction features, a game objective, cool visuals and engaging sound.
I want this to be like the orginal walk through experience I had thought of so making a multi room scene would proabbly be beneficial. I'm thinking of doing three scenes so it's like a collection but given the time frame this might be a bit ambitious. I'll aim for 2 completed and 1 in the works.
INITIAL SKETCHES
Video Documentation
Above is a video channel with screen recordings of what I've been doing in order to create the virtual environment. I'm using a range of workflows for this project but the one I'm most excited about is NOMAD SCULPT to UNITY.
I had originally an idea of exploring both 2D and 3D form, more specifically how I could convert my flat sketches into real form optical illusion objects. Nomad Sculpt is an app for iPad and lets you hand draw on the x,y,z axis using the Apple Pencil. You can use images as reference and use a huge library of sculpting tools to get your desired effects such as clay, smooth and pinch. You can also export with your materials or simply your standard model as a .obj file.
Nomad Sculpt UI
This was me first playing about in the interface. I was using the path tool and the curve tool to see what a random line would look like. I could adjust each curvature point like there were anchor points throughout the line, this is a pretty good feature since you might not get the line right the first time. The UI is fairly easy to navigate but there are a lot of buttons and options for editing. You can add materials and lighting in a separate effects panel as well as adjusting the intensity of the material, above I tried a copper effect.
NOMAD to UNITY
I made a quick square structure on Nomad to test out if I could successfully export my objects into Unity. The whole process of exporting is actually very straightforward. After you choose all of the export settings such as the resolution, file type and location etc you can export your model as a .obj. That .obj file I then airdropped from my iPad to my desktop and dragged it into my Unity assets on the project. Once I was in Unity I could edit position, scale and even materials and lighting again if I wanted to. To the right is a screenshot of me first importing into Unity.
PROCESSING
To make large scale visuals I thought to integrate movement and create video files. To get some interesting visual results I played about with Sin() waves in Processing and exported as mp4 files.
This was a really helpful tutorial for starting out with Sin() and it led me onto looking at how line(), rect() and Sin() can be used together to create fractured waves.
Audio
To match these really busy and dynamic visuals I was creating I wanted there to be some sound. I think an experience can really suffer when there is no sound, it really just completes the experience even if it isn't the most complicated of tracks.
I love German deep house and techno and these types of shows always have some wild stage visuals. The black and white colour palette reminded me a lot of some of the album covers.
To create some soundtracks for the scenes this is the kind of music I was listening to, especially the band 'TUBE AND BERGER'.
Tube & Berger are a German electronic music duo consisting of Arndt Rörig and Marko Vidovic, active since 2000.
The song 'Mexican Dog' was probably one of my most listened to during the week of production.
