Concept One

COMMUNICATION

Emotional and physiological light sensing will become integrated into the skin and our boadies will create a new indirect way of communicating through the medium of light. As a reaction to our environment we will produce an aura of light which will depict an emotional response. Light will become a segment of our body language. Movement will allow us to communicate as the light imprints on the space around us.

(Inspiration)

I feel it is important for the imagery produced to have an organic feel to it, by this I mean the effects featured should not be added in post production. As a creative I want my imagery to display technical  skill produced in camera. Although being able to super impose effects in postproduction takes incredible skill and precision, the ability to do it in camera makes more of an impression. As an audience, we often assume that any digital imagery we see is photoshopped beyond the recognition of the original piece. On first glance I want the viewer to think the image may be super imposed, like much of the digital world, but really what the viewer will see, will be the same as what I see on the day of the shoot when I look through the lens.

To achieve this aesthetic I will need to be open to experimentation and ensure the team I have lined up is willing to play around with different tricks and techniques to create unique, high impact imagery!

Influence has been taken from the film Orphee (1950) by Jean Cocteau. In Cocteau's film it is particularly the seminal picture of Orpheus face pressed against the mirror, about to enter another world, the world behind the mirror that comes to mind. Although, in Cacteau's film the world behind the mirror is unreachable, the mirror is also a link between the real world and the would we can't access - the world we can only imagine.

VORTOGRAPH
'Inventing Abstraction'

Alvin Langdon Coburn

In the early 1900's a photographer, Alvin Langdon Coburn experimented heavily with the use of multiple exposure freeing the camera from the representation of reality. He later went on to

invent a "kaleidoscope-like instrument with three mirrors clamped together, which when fitted over the lens of a camera would reflect and fracture the image" (National Gallery of Art). The imagery produced by Coburn was incredibly innovative at the time of production and the vortographs he made display a dynamic arrangement of forms. 

On the day of the shoot I aim to combine this traditional technique with the use of coloured gel filters to enhance the colour of the models skin. I want the light to appear to be coming from within. Some may have tried to achieve this by using body paint, but I think the look will have a more authentic feel to it when produced in this way. Before the shoot I am going to test creating a vortograph using a pyramid of mirrors.

Testing, using Vortograph technique (mirrors)

In order to create this effect I first needed to source acrylic mirrors, as I was conscious that I would be using them in a raw state having glass could been quite dangerous, as well as heavy. The photographer/assistant will need to be able to hold the instrument over the lens at a specific angle in order for the effect to work. A real mirror would be uncomfortable and impractical. As well as wanted to use the Vortograph technique I also want to use the mirrors to create a more simple reflection within the image so ordering them in a size that would work for both will allow for less budget to be used. 

Finding an online company that was flexible and reliable enabled me to have acrylic mirrors sent next day that where cut and ready for the day. 

Above are a few practice shots I took, I am so pleased with how effective this technique is. It adds a completely different feel to anything it is put in front of. The ability to obscure and alternate an image so instantly is incredible. 

Feedback 

After meeting with Jennifer we also discussed the idea of using a glass to obscure the image, possibly through a glass prism or a plasma ball. Plasma balls are incredibly fascinating and aesthetically stunning. Capturing the lighting produced through the glass sphere could look incredibly interesting. I imagine the light rays to seems as though they are being projected outwards from the body, as though
the model is electronically charged.

Plasm ball image testing

The effect that the plasma ball adds to the image is very electronic and abstract, I wish there was a way the physically place the model inside the ball so the waves of coloured electronic charge would completely surround her body. But unfortunately that is not achievable so inside I plan to hold the plasma ball in front of the lens, in a similar way to how the mirror is used to capture the vortographs.

MADAME PERIPETIE

Sylwana Zybura

'If it can be imagined it exists'

Having a one on one tutorial with Sylwana was an amazing way to receive personalised feedback on my own concept and artistic direction. Her expertise and experience in the creative industry allowed for me to gain relevant information about how best to develop this project. 

At this stage of the project one of my main concerns is  producing imagery that not only fits within the genre of fashion but also that they display my ability as an artist. Sywana understood why I may be concerned about this as my topic could easily fall into the direction of fantasy makeup. To avoid this influence on my work Sywana stressed the importance of looking to new technology to inspire my designs rather than endlessly scrolling through make-up that has already been produced on sites like Pinterest. The work displayed on this sites can have a direct impact on you and subconsciously we often want to reproduce art that has this sort of effect on us. In order to produce innovative outcomes resourcing and referencing technology magazines such as 'Wired' will become key. Sywana also stressed the importance of keeping up to date with the newest fashion shows. Fashion shows work in a cycle and are always 6 months ahead, what is portrayed to the audience within these shows is upcoming and about to hit the rest of the industry in the near future. Artists designing the makeup and hair looks for these shows are at the cutting edge, predicting the future and direction of trends. These artists are at the top of their game and often successfully reflect abstract creative ideas in a high fashion way. 

Other key points she suggested I focused on to support the development of my practical outcomes were looking in  at the future cyborg generation, UCL research on innovative materials and the Welcome Trust Future of Humanity. 

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Lecture Notes and Inspiration

CREATIVITY IS A MUSCLE

- Train yourself visually

- Constantly learn and try new things

- Be open to experimenting, you never know what the outcome may be

- Adapt

- Loop of creativity

-Train your body and mind

- Keep your integrity and style

- Treat the body as a sculpture

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SCENIUS

'Scenery and Genius'

Collaboration brings together fresh ideas and presents different approaches to specific topics. Never work in isolation, collaboration will enable you to focus on what part of the creation you are best at.

Key points when working in collaboration:

- Set the rules.

- Be inspire, and inspire.

- Be the driving force, know what want and try to make it work.

- Outline what you don't want rather than focusing on something you think you do want.

- Have your own unique language and style, find your signature.

- Sometimes it is not even the work of an artist that collaborators seek, it is you and your creative style and aura that you project. 

- You need to know what team you can depend on in order to deliver what a client wants.

- There will never be a job like the last.

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DEFINE YOURSELF

- Collaboration is key to developing more skills and experience in different areas.
- Stick to your skills and collaborate to elevate your own work.
- Define who you are and find your niche.
- Go back to what you do naturally, your creative roots, and reflect this within your work.
- Do not adapt to be something you are not, authenticity is key.

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HYBRIDS FUEL EVOLUTION 

APPROACH

REFERENCE

RESEARCH WHAT YOU LOVE AND HOW THIS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN YOUR WORK! 

           

REFLECTING OF FEEDBACK

With the feedback received from my FMP Proposal I feel confident in driving this project forward and developing the concept into physical output. Rigorous research has supported the ambiguity of this project proposal and will be essential to the development and realisation of visual outcomes. Through out I will continue to undertake primary research to aid inspiration for my own work and ensure the outcome is relevant to the target market. 

It is clear that when explaining the context of the imagery I need to be specific and realistic in order to ensure the visuals are successful and are what I perceive them to be reflecting. After each shoot I will touch base with a small group of creatives and ask them to tell me what they believe the content is portraying. During the development of the project proposal this was deemed incredibly effective and enabled me to gain critical and creative input into the project.  Having outside opinion on the development of visual imagery will ensure the output is powerful and engaging to the audience or viewer. Visual language is crucially important to the concept of this project. 

NEXT STEPS

This journal will be used through out the production of the project to document and reflect upon each stage of production. The next stage of this project is to clarify each narrative, that will be featured in the online exhibition at the end of production. Receiving further feedback on these concepts from tutors will ensure ideas are clear and concise. Once each narrative has been clarified testing and experimenting with products, lights, and SFX will explore whether each design can be achieved effectively.  I will enter this stage of development with an open mind as the creation of different aspects are likely to arise through 'happy accidents'. During the proposal stage I undertook two test shoots which I used various props to explore if certain effects could be created. Before shooting I was unsure what would happen and what I did achieve was incredible! I must bare in mind that testing will not always be as successful and it will be critical to keep trying in order to produce something innovative and unique. 

Summative comments and advice

Innovative and highly original approach to a project in Make-Up and Hair Design informed by rigorous research. You have considered both the process of design and the presentation of the work (and how these elements create impact upon the viewer) in developing a proposal that is a very exciting proposition. Please do be mindful of the 'claims' - you are clearly enthusiastic and ambitious, we don't want to dampen that, but consider your language carefully to ensure that you are setting realistic goals, particularly when viewing online platforms, as they are now a very 'everyday' activity (it may just be that certain ideas need further clarification so we understand better the what and how) for example "being taken to the peripheries of reality" can be read in different ways. Excellent and wide ranging primary research. 

First and second marker agreed grade: A2