DA9012 MEDIA ART NEXUS
AY2021/22 SEM 1
Affinities Process Journal
GWENDOLYN SAY music by VICTOR PHILIPSON
Abstract Affinities imagines the healing and growth that can take place if we begin to understand our relationship with nature as one of reciprocation and connection, rather than one-sided exploitation.
Concepts
Problem
KINCENTRIC ECOLOGY
CLIMATE CHANGE
The fundamental belief that everything is part of a big family. We have to provide for the world in return for the things it provides for us.
Due to our endless exploits of nature’s resources for our own use, we are losing many natural spaces, which is the main reason why the climate is changing at such a rapid rate.
YIN YANG Opposite forces are actually interdependent in the natural world. It is a way of understanding the universe as a place of interrelated forces and beings.
SHINTO An ancient Japanese faith that worships the kami, which are spirits of nature. Shinto rituals are meant to keep the human soul in balance with the spirits of the natural world.
The Message
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE
Endless exploitation for human gain and benefit
Connection and reciprocation
Artist References ABBY SPENCE ↳ Playing with positive and negative space ↳ Interaction of solid shapes and linework
LUKAS BERAN ↳ Stylisation, rendering of fluid lines and forms
GIZEM VURAL ↳ Frames within a
hau_kun ↳ Movement with lines ↳ Kaleidoscope art
frame
Storyboard
Sketches ↳ Developing a stylised version of main elements to be used in the animation
↳ Initial storyboarding for Media Art Nexus wall format at North Spine
ROUGH DESCRIPTIONS 1.
Scene opens with three frames: sky, sea and earth.
2.
Clouds, waves and leaves grow from the sides of the frame.
3.
A pair of birds, fishes and flowers appear and move within the frames.
4.
They morph into spheres and gather in the middle, starting to spin.
5.
Kaleidoscopic images form to represent a harmonious merging of forms.
↳ Adaptation for 10Square LED wall format
Software + Visual Experiments
TOUCHDESIGNER ↳ Generative visuals intended for second sequence of the animation ↳ Look of visuals too inconsistent with the illustration of the first sequence
→
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AFTER EFFECTS ↳ Using CC Glass to try and make the elements look more 3D ↳ After deciding on the Kaleidoscope effect for the second sequence, elements were given a solid colour instead
↳ Additional layer of elements with ‘Vivid Light’ blending mode to increase the depth of the kaleidoscope
Final
Integration of worlds showing the possibilities and beauty of an interconnected relationship with nature
Tutorials
(clickable links)
TOUCHDESIGNER EXPERIMENTS
↳ Line transfer by paketa12
AFTER EFFECTS
↳ Coloured spectrum using audiovisual input by Noto The Talking Ball
↳ Illustrator to After Effects workflow by Ben Marriott
↳ Morphing shapes by MOBOX Graphics
↳ Kaleidoscope effect tutorial by NBC Motion
↳ Line animation tutorial by Andrew Pach
↳ As I didn’t have a high level of understanding of After Effects, I learnt the basics and then combined different basic strategies to create a complete animation, while focusing on making the linework look good in Illustrator.
Effects ↳ Trim Paths ↳ Masks ↳ CC Glass ↳ CC Kaleidoscope ↳ CC Particle World
Thanks for reading!
ABOUT ME! Hi, I’m Gwendolyn and I love illustrating, designing, and creating interactive works. I’m passionate about the good that design and art can contribute to our world, and I am constantly looking for ways to integrate art and life in meaningful ways!
gwendolynsay.com gwendolynsay@gmail.com