Loving Vincent

21:55 14.10.17
It was in Screen 13, Row H and Seat 23

The agenda that night was Loving Vincent.
Vincent Van Gogh.
I didn't really know much about Van Gogh
I  knew he painted 'Starry Night'
and he was a "misunderstood genius"
with amazing and captivating paintings
and that's it really
In the film there was a brief
flashback to his childhood years,
his brother Theo
his doctor
his paint supplier
his self mutilation
him going to the asylum
him going to th-
I'll stop here I might spoil the film.

It was entirely done in oil painting
and set the mood of the film perfectly
But, while watching the film
I've become engrossed into his life
and his tragic story;
his passion and dedication to his
art is incomparable, even through
the scrutiny, mockery and misunderstandings that he was facing
He was happy when he was painting,
Art was more important to him than himself.

It was a movie
that truly left a deep impression in me
I was left in my chair in awe
listening to Starry, Starry Night
while the credits roll
it was already 23:35 but,
"the sadness will last forever".

Colours May Vary

Colours May Vary
Away from  the centre there was
Colours May Vary
The neon signage was lit and the 'Open'
sign indicating we were welcome to
come in, it was -
Colours May Vary
It was neat, quiet and bright
full of interesting books,
small books,
big books,
expensive books,
something you want for the aesthetic books
but, in the end I opted on the free books.

Colours May Vary
they also hold event there regularly
Right now there's a pom pom
making workshop
It ends in November
so I might go there before it's over
They provided flyers and
gallery opening information
they all sound fun but,
with my crap time management
they all might be done before I've gone to one.

Colours May Vary
it was fun
but, as soon as we came out
rain was pouring and we had to run.

PP4 - Group Presentations (3 Picks)

From our group presentations I've picked three groups which I really liked.

The first group I liked was the group that wrote the Haiku on pieces of board.

                

• I liked how simple the concept was and having different people write and hold it up can represent different opinions and views around the Haiku itself.
• The muffled noise with the black and white video created a nice atmosphere and made the video more engaging and effective as made it seem more sentimental. Also the fact that it's shot in portrait mode captures the feeling of being trapped and puts the focus on the people and the board.
• It could be improved however by maybe paling the video slower so all the words on the Haiku can be read as I had difficulty reading after the ..."human race" line.

The second group I liked was the group the made the scrapbook Haiku idea.

• For this group I like how there's a narrative going on, much like a story that the audience can follow and relate to.
• The images and pictures makes the scrapbook more lively and interesting to look at rather than just having the typography there. 
• I also liked the layout of the scrapbook and how not everything is all together and it's balanced.
• Though this could be improved by maybe muting the sound as it doesn't really relate to the Haiku and gets a bit distracting. Also maybe frame it closer so the book is the only thing that can be seen and is the focus of the whole thing.

The third group I like was animation with beer and spiders.

• I really liked the production of the animation despite the limited time we had.
• It's also very interactive and keeps the audience interested as it's witty and includes little props and materials that makes the story more vibrant and fun.
• I also enjoyed the close ups for certain frames, showing a more dynamic and detailed view of a prop of line from a  Haiku; it also makes the animation seem more alive.
• However, maybe they could've put the whole lines of the Haiku in the animation in order to keep the Haiku sense in the animation. 

PPP4 - Group Haiku Visuals and Crit

Group Haiku Visuals

After making our Haiku's, we then split in groups of 4-5 in order to create a Haiku ( a Japanese style poem which consist of a 5-7-5 ratio with the first and last line being 5 syllables long and the middle line to be 7 syllables long. Instead of having a 5-7-5 ratio we instead tried to convey the depth of a Haiku in our own poems using the answers that we wrote for the four questions. 

Planning materials and ideas for our design work

Our group decided to create a 3 set GIF which explores each line of the Haiku that we made. We complied all the GIF's that we create in the video below.

I think that overall our work portrayed the meaning of the Haiku fairly well. I think that we visually showed the Haiku lines effectively through using props and materials that have some connotation with key words in the Haiku e.g. "look shit", "slept', "work". BY doing this, I think it shows to the audience effectively what were trying to saying the GIF's. Showing someone looking at a distance while smoking can show contemplation about the future, while lipstick writing on the mirror can show how someone can look and think about themselves physically, while sleeping on books portrays being exhausted and tired about everything that's going on at the same time. In addition I also think that having it as GIF's give it more movement and makes them more dynamic which can make it more alive and interactive to the audience. 

Besides from the GIF's we have screenshots and put subtitles on the pictures which were the lines of the Haiku to see how the work will look and feel when static. I found that by making the work static it makes them more appropriate to have digitally or online e.g. social media such as memes; which can be relatable to young people. It's also easily understood though only still photos with subtitles as people can make the connotation theme selves. I also think that instead of having a more serious tone or connotation like the GIF's, I think having still pictures gives it a more light-hearted vibe just like meme's does as they can be read online and shared to friends were people can comment that they can relate and have an influx of people also react to it or share their own worries.

Group Haiku Visuals - Crit

These were the things that some people said and suggested for our group work in order for us to improve it or what they said they liked about it.

• "Maybe have an actual book sculpture instead made on top of the table with all the words constructed on it."
• Some of it is too distracting, maybe take of the jacket with lettering on the first GIF.        
• Be a bit bolder. e.g. actually have a living sculpture of someone sleeping on the table while people are going around; or have people actually put books on the person sleeping. 
• Like the mirror GIF with writing as it is relatable and people feel like 'shit' too.
• Panning up from the ground to the full view of person sleeping and typography on books is effective.                         

PP2 - Finding Local Typography

In this seminar we were tasked to go around Leeds and find local typography. We mostly found handwritten type especially in local pubs and shops. We then had to select two of our best types and submit it to typesetting.co which is a website that showcases local Leeds typography.

These are the two typography I found that I submitted on the website:

I chose this photo as I thought that the fonts and colours used resembled something from the 50's and how appearance was more important than the product itself. I also liked how it was doe on a mirror and on a reflective surface which may be unusual for something that is found in a town market. However, I think it didn't get chosen as it may be too generic and it does not directly link to anything in Leeds.

Similarly, my second submission was taken form the market at a bakery stand, but is a handwritten sign. Again, I liked the way it was layed out and composed on the page and how it was posted up on the wall ad the paper resembling a rolling pin. Maybe it did not get chosen as it's too simple and the typography isn't really eye-catching or interesting enough.

From my research around Leeds I also have three other favourites from the photos that I have taken.

• For me it feels very nostalgic and perfectly captures the vibe that a music hall would have through the choice of typography which looks very approachable and friendly; also I like how the typefaces are made out of lights which give it a very indie and cozy vibe. 

• I like this photography as the serif font gives a traditional yet contemporary vibe. As it's made with silver metal and the faded/broken number '3' along with the black/grey colours it looks 'sophisticatedly rundown'.

• Unlike the other two this typography was made free-hand which I think gives it a raw feel and I like how they cleverly wrote the 'G' on the ground instead of cramming it on the space which also give the typography some wit and an 'idgaf' attitude.

                     

PPP1 - Time Management

For our first Professional Practice seminar we learnt different ways to manage our time and to make a schedule in order for us to be on track for our work; balancing studying time with our social life to decrease our stress and be on top of our things.

I made two timetables which I will use in order to set myself times of what and when to do things every hour from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm at night everyday. By doing this, I will spend my time efficiently as I already know that I'm going to do and decrease the amount of time I'll be contemplating and procrastinating instead. 

I also made a Trello account which I will use to list all the things I need to do as well so I don't have to keep physically making timetables on paper. It's also easier to access as I can download the app on my phone and look at the timetable there. 

PPP3 - Haiku's

In this seminar, we were to answer four questions anonymously and write them on four separate sheets. We then put the answers orderly and look at what everyone wrote to see if any of them applied to us and were relatable. This exercise helped us to become more open and honest about our feelings as we didn't have to worry about getting embarrassing of what we have said. 

Upon reading all the answers for the questions I felt that we all had similar fears and were anxious of similar things as well. I felt a bit relieved as I realised that people were also worried of things that I'm worried about and I'm not alone; I also think that by doing this exercise we became closer as a group as even though we didn't know who wrote what we all knew that we were all in the same boat and we're similar to each other.