Creative Project- Influence of Barbara Kruger

The images I have produced are based on Barbara Kruger's style of photography. I have given my own flare to them by creating my own images and text. The text helps to communicate the current issues facing people in society. My images are influenced by Kruger by the use of similar black and white photography and similar accompanying text.

This image communicates the message that your mind is a battlefield. This means to say that everyone's mind is at constant battles with life. The dark picture on the right represents the sadness and turmoil in our lives. Whereas, the lighter image on the left signifies when our life is full of happiness and love. The image shows the girls head on either side of the image. This shows how our mind is in a constant battle with itself, as times can be happy or hard. I chose the red background around the text as battlefields are usually full of blood shed and it's the colour Barbara Kruger mostly uses in her images.

This photograph indicates how gays are excluded from this world as they cannot marry or live together. The gun to the head means gays feel as if they don't exist in our world, by the way they are treated. I chose this concept because Kruger tended to use social and political statements of the time in her work. The text "YOU" is presented in capitals to make the image more confrontational. This reflects Kruger's work as most of her images were confronting. At this point in time gay equality is an issue in society. I decided to use black and white text because Kruger used this colour text in some of her own work. It shows that if you are gay you are excluded and if you are not gay you are acccepted. It's a black and white situation.

In our current society there have been many job losses and this can tear love apart. Job losses and value rising can mean struggling to afford to keep a house, buying food, or going out for a normal household. This can result in a breakdown of love in a relationship, as money is crucial in surviving.

This picture is about a young vulnerable teenager who is susceptible to the opinions, words and gossip of others. Her reflection of herself changes due to the discourse happening around her. This is an issue for many girls at the moment as young teenagers want approval and care about others opinions.

Credit Sequences

ED WOOD film by Tim Burton

The credit sequence blends into the beginning of the movie. The credit sequence attempts to scare but also humour the audience and make them feel vulnerable in the sequence. From the beginning when an elderly man, arises from the coffin and makes the audience feel involved in the movie.Firstly the audience may suspect that the man who sits up in the coffin is a vampire, due to several other movies we have watched before.


unces it is a "mystery" and the "evidence" will be shown. The use of black and white suggests the movie is set in the past possibly in the 60's. Also the black and white film also suggests that things are not what they seem, when something is black and white it means its quite shady and possibly not reality. It shows that the exterior appears fine when really deep down on the inside something is not normal.

As we move closer into the action in the film we realise that there isn't a storm suggesting why lightning is going off in the sky. The audience find out it is UFO's striking each other in the sky that is causing lightning strikes. 

The credit sequence also shows us the famous HOLLYWOOD sign indicating to the audience the film is set in Hollywood. On the contrary font of the people's names who come up are in Hollywood block letterstWhereas the indication text such as director is a 60's styled font. When the camera shows us underwater and the audience see an octopus, the typography moves as if it is underwater in wave like motions. When we are introduced to the graveyard we move past actors names, the fact their names are on a gravestone, provides a hint that these actors are not living in the film.

When the title appears the background flashes from light to dark, this could mean that Ed Wood will be the person with all the answers in the film. The music then changes to a mystery sound as if the audience have become detectives.

The camera maps the setting of the film. It shows that we may possibly revisit this area of land the camera takes us through.
The camera then takes us over Hollywood where the movie then begins.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The key motifs for this credit sequence was the image of a tree, flower, computer cables all of these motifs make sense during the movie. The darkness of the credit sequence suggests that someone is stuck in this space and trapped. Each time they try and escape something just seems to be pushing and holding them down. The text gets smaller as if it is zooming out and all text is in capitals, therefore allowing the audience to read it clearly. As the words are presented on the sides of the screen in small font, it draws the audience to watch what is happening in the credit sequence rather than focusing on the names. The text also works by indicating where the director wishes for you too look on the screen and by doing so controls what you watch and how you watch it. When the title appears it expands across the entire screen and then disappears. As it is in capitals it is impossible to miss.The sequence also suggests the person wants to escape their body but they cant, they keep being constrained. This is further shown by the cloth being held over the humans mouth and some kind of creature breaking through the eye. The Immigrant Song works well alongside the visuals, as it goes with the intense fast paced beat.

Seven

In this credit sequence all the first numbers of the apartment blocks behind Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman start with the number 7. Motifs in this sequence would be the pen, watch and jacket. The words which dissolve on the screen represent what the killer is writing about his victims. The audience know this because he puts hair in a plastic bag and pictures of the victims in their blood. The typography for the first writing such as the director is distorted and blurry. The actual names of actors and people who helped make the film is written in jagged handwriting close to one of a children's handwriting. I suppose this writing is meant to be the killers handwriting, as it represents how he writes down his victims names. Also the distorted text could represent the mastermind of the serial killer and represents that his mind has problems. The music in the sequence cuts and then returns again, giving a distorted view on the situation and that the person is not normal. The jumping of one thing to the next could also represent is killing methods, as after he has killed someone he moves on to the next victim.

007- Gold finger 

In this credit sequence we view the projection of a man's face on a woman painted in gold's hand. The different clips shown on her body represent what the film will involve. However the real beginning of the film is when the man's face is on her hand then it becomes reality. The text appears on the side of the frame and then changes side by side. The use of capitals in the credit sequence allows the audience to clearly read it off the blackened background.

Lecture 10- 1960's Influences

1960's Influences included Pop Art, psychedelic art, art nouveau, graphic art and comics.

Barbarella (Roger Vadim 1968, French/Italian co-production)

In this credit sequence the words float around due to gravity. The words jumble and reorganise themselves just as if they were floating around in a space shuttle. Vadim sends the audience into a world where we are totally consumed in space. The words cover parts of her body to make the sequence more conservative. The individual letters separate and then return. In doing so our eyes follow the bright white letters which attract our attention.





                            
The Witches (Le Streghe, 1967; episodic film, Italy) Title design by Pino Zac

The beginning of this credit sequence is presented on a crossword and the entire sequence uses the cut up technique. There are animated fictional characters of witches illustrated by Pino, which are some what randomly scattered around the frame. We are also introduced to photos of actors and then thin cuttings which look like are from a newspaper.





What's New Pussycat? (Clive Donner, 1965, Great Britain/US) Title design by Richard Williams

This credit sequence shows the lettering of alphabet is stretched. This sets the mood for how the film is to be seen. It needs to satisfy audience expectations so they continue watching the film. This was an extreme credit sequence that many had never seen before. The sequence is similar to that of Pink Panther. I believe this sequence was effective in portraying its comedy genre to the audience, and allowed the film to be seen as playful.



The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966, Italy) Title design by Lardaru  

The genre of this film is European (Italian). The sequence represents the conventional ideas of Western films. However, this credit sequence was presented differently and was influenced by pop art. It reflects pop art in the way it was like screen prints. The pattern of the typography is typically western, and the colour red which indicates that some aggression or war may occur. This sequence was very effective in allowing the audience to decide whether they wish to continue watching as they can decide if they want to watch a western film or not.

Tutorial 9- Credit Sequences

This tutorial was interesting as we watched credit sequences we were told to analyse them. It is fascinating to realise how often we just brush off the credit sequences like they are unimportant. However, from analysing the credit sequences I realised how important they really are. They give you slight hints and clues about the movie before the real drama has even started. It was also intriguing to find out new and different things you missed by watched the sequences over 3 times.

Lecture 9- Credit Sequences

Saul Bass (1920-1996) : challenged typical conventions of Hollywood by proving the studio systems did not control everything. Before Bass hit Hollywood he was a graphic designer.

 He would be given the screenplay and asked to take note how they were presented on the screen. Bass was attentive to the title of the film for his ideas as he created metaphors out of these. He was able to use his own style and was expected to not compromise with the common regulations of Hollywood at the time. His best known collaborations included famous producers and directors, Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger and Martin Scorsese.

Walk on the Wildside (Otto Preminger, 1962)
Bass used metaphors from the title to introduce the attitudes of the characters. The opening credits provide clues to the audience that the film is going to be a cat fight over a man.

Bonjour Tristesse-(Good morning sadness)
The Picasso face crying in the credit sequence indicates the movie will be about a sad woman in France. The face is crucial to the film as it works as a motif. As the film begins in black and white, it reflects the main characters mood of sadness. Whereas, the movie contrasts into colour, at a time when everything in her life was fine. The tears, pentals falling apart, hearts in the eyes are all the colour blue. This reflects the main character as she it represents feeling like she has the blues.

Tutorial 8- Photography and Words

In this tutorial we discussed various artists and their pieces. We talked about how certain angles of particular works present soviet constructivism. Low angle views where the body is central almost forceably draws your eyes to look straight at the picture. Also, mentioned was how image interpretations change when there is text present.

Lecture 8- Photography and Words

John Heartfield (1891-1968)- Photographer and Graphic Designer
Heartfield was also a dadaist and political artist.

World War 2 changed him and this was the major driver in his art as shown below.

The writing says "Capitalism is robbing them of their last piece of bread. Fight for yourself and your children. Vote Communist! Vote Thalmann!" 
The sympathetic picture and assisted text evoke an emotional appeal to those viewing the poster.

Heartfield used photomontage/collage this means the images were edited together much like how cinema is created.



Barbara Kruger (1945-, USA) studied art and design, conceptual artist, image and text. Themes she covers in her work include feminist issues, critique of consumer society, fractured subjectivity of individuals.

The words used in her pictures help support and communicate the message she is trying to portray to her audience. There are falsities in her work however these narratives she calls are "fiction." She used a phrase from enlightenment thinker Rene' Descartes " I think therefore I am." However, she twists this in her images and adapts it to I shop therefore I am. This supports consumer culture and could explain that women are more likely to impulse buy without thinking about products.

Tutorial 7- Anagrams

I found this exercise quite challenging it is difficult to create words out of your name and create a 150 word story using them. After days of struggling to meet the word limit without using too many words not included in your name, became extremely hard. The underlined words are the one's that are not included in my full name: Melissa Jane Thompson.Therefore, I decided to write a poem and display the story I came up with even though it did not meet the word limit.

Melissa Jane Thompson :

It was very difficult to come up with a pure anagram, I had created names such as Janet Elisa Lee, Phil, Sasha, Elaine, Lisa, Tom.

The list of words I created from my name included: 

This is the poem I created: 

This is the story I came up with 2 similar stories which possibly doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it sets a base as a story: 

Janet saw Elisa, Phil, Elaine and Sasha at the shops. Elisa ate milo, Phil held a pot, Elaine sat on a bench, Sasha's son ate ham. Elaine had shit on her ass and nose and Janet had to mop it up.

Janet met Elaine at the shops. The shops sold pots, milo, mops and lemons. Elaine bought lemons to grow in her pots. Janet invites Elaine to her home, where she ate ham. Janet set Elaine ham. Elaine's challenge was to  hop with her ham.

Miss Janet Lee is all alone, 

Lecture 7- Oulipo

Raymond Queneau (1903-1976)

 - 1924 Queneau met and briefly joined the surrealists
 - 1948 Queneau was a member of the Mathematics Society of France
 - 1950 he joined the College of Pataphysics. The surrealists were also part of this college.
 - 1960 he was the co-founder of Oulipo which started out as a subcommittee of the College of 'Pataphysics.'

"Imagination combines the passion of the mathematician with the rationality of a poet," Raymond Queneau.
This explains mathematics as a form of poetry.

Queneau was obsessed with street language (vinacular). He put a map Zazie Dans le me'tro into a film.

Georges Perec- set himself rules and wrote the lipogram novel A Void (169).


He believed that reality was possible to describe words. This included things we can't say through our language or colours.

He wrote Life a User's Manual (1979) the book had constraints on writing.

Street Art Graffiti

Noe Toe a street artist in Paris created this graffiti masterpiece. I love the artistic motion behind it, the work is a portrait and every detail has been perfected. If anyone can stand there and say this is not street art, it is pure graffiti should roll over in their grave. This does not appear as graffiti apart from the usual tags. The colours in the piece are rainbow like and show a girl from Phuket, provided by the tag. The rainbow colours could represent that there is gold at the end of the rainbow and one day she won't have to live on the streets. The girl looks somewhat happy wearing a slight grin, however her eyes reveal sadness. She is possibly poor and spends her time living on the streets which could indicate why she is on a wall in the streets. The wreckage in the background could represent her country and imply distortion with uncertainty when the painting is first viewed. There is no doubt about it, this is a piece of art only the tags imply graffiti. Although, aren't the tags just there like artists names are inscribed in the corners of paintings?

Tutorial 6- Helvetica Documentary

I found the documentary to be valuable as we do not tend to read into fonts we just accept them. The font being neutral has no meaning itself. Although, helvetica is so common, they described the font as just there and we accept it. If I wrote something in times font it may look like this: frogs dance around the kitchen. This changes the meaning of the message, as people may tend not to believe it. However, if it is presented in helvetica: frogs dance around the kitchen, people are more likely to believe it cause the font is familiar to us. When looked at closely the font is heavy in the middle and needs white space.

Lecture 6- Graffiti and Street Art History

In this lecture we learnt that in Paris 1968 there were street slogans for strikes. The art based on the event was called "Beneath the paving stones, the beach". This was when they ripped up the stones on the pavement and threw them at police. Other slogans included how to think freely in the shadow of a chapel, "Be cruel!" The powe is the street not in the poles, this referred to streets fight for political change.

Banksy recreated this image in his own style by replacing someone throwing a stone, to throwing flowers instead. This shows how Banksy isn't a violent person that only wants to have peace in the world.

Early New York, Subway Graffiti (1972/3-1975- First Movement)

Rebellious kids mainly African-Americans tagged their nicknames on trains for recognition in the anonymous cities. These kids felt like they were missing from the world and just by someone looking at their tag they feel they have been recognised. They used hip hop and rap styled graffiti as it represented their black culture. Although, there was different typography in various places.

Tutorial 5- Exit Through the Gift Shop: A Banksy Film Reflection.

Overall, I enjoyed the documentary as it was entertaining and made you want to find out more about street art through Thierry Guetta. Thierry the main character, showed what it is like to be a street artist and the climb to fame. It was great how they showed how Shepard Ferry and Banksy, would be battling against each other with their work. As Thierry's pieces of art were emulated slightly from different artists, Shepard and Banksy were surprised by his quick claim to fame. The intention of the film was to show street artists express their art and should be appreciated for it.

Lecture 5- Conceptual Art

Douglas Huebler (1924-1997,USA) was a painter, sculptor, photographer and used word art.

Hurbler used words in his art to communicate messages to the viewers. 

Conceptual art was no longer conventional art shown in galleries. The artwork not only was on show but was also intended to pose questions to itself. The conceptual art became a subject of itself. They worked with words in minor ways such as providing words on white walls in galleries. This was something different to conventional art as there was no frame present. 

Joseph Kosuth (1945, USA) was a word, neon and illustration artist. 

He created the neon signs which would be displayed with a reference to words. This new creation altered the was words are used. Language refers to itself not the real world. The neon signs would be presented on walls with no frame which intrigued people. 

Jenny Holzer (1950-, USA) was an installation and word artist. She also created city scape projections as shown below. She created a system of signs, writing on the walls using projectors on architectural cities. Onlookers would read the signs which could even spur inspiration. 

Pop Art

Andy Warhol created the Campbell's soup can design This is an image taken in the supermarket where I found the colours really stood out to me and it was instant that I knew it was Pop Art. This limited edition tomato soup can design was released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's 1962 32 Campbell's soup can piece. These soup cans feature pop art labels from the original artwork of Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol created many designs for the Coca-Cola company. Had he not created the image of the bottle as a promotional tool, we may not have seen it advertised. The idea of having the bottle of coca-cola on the left side is something Andy Warhol incorporated into his work never has anyone seen coca-cola presented on the right. Also, I thought the circles presented in different colours could be inspired from Andy Warhol's work as a lot of his pieces were the same design presented in different colours and patterns as shown here.

This image was taken on the tram so it is a bit difficult to see. However, this image is similar to the works of Roy Lichtenstein It appears to be a woman who is in love and focused on that one person, looking up to them. Although this isn't a comic, the way it has been created appears that way. Unlike, Lichtenstein's work there is no speech bubble we as an audience can make our own speech bubbles as to what we perceive her to be thinking. The image is more shown inside what appears to look like a speech bubble as if her expressions reveal what she is thinking. 

Tutorial 4- Pop Art

Painting- Nighthawk

Location: Phillies diner 1am at Night

Characters: -Woman: Susan, Man: Geoff, Isolated man: Phil, Bartender: Graham Dowdy

Geoff (gestures to his right to an isolated man): What's that guy doing over there? No-one usually comes this late at night, except for me

Susan (looks at Geoff, with a disgusted look) : Hey I'm here!

Geoff: Yeah, but you're a pretty woman, probably single and an alcoholic

Susan (her mouth opens with shock): Hey!

Graham (looks at Geoff only, while making a drink): I don't know, it looks like another one of them kicked out of their house by their wife and has no where else to go. 

Geoff (looking at Graham, with a confused face): Oh yeah, that explains it at least he isn't telling us his life story like the last guy did.

Susan (pleads for attention): that's not the case. The man wants sympathy, he wants to tell you he is having financial problems and wants all your money.

Geoff (annoyed with her interrupting, gestures to her and slams fist on table): You look a fine woman, but we are here all the time. We see these people come in all the time and that is not the case.

Susan (can't be bothered): Ask him yourself?

Graham: Excuse me, lady let us two men talk. Who invited you to the conversation?

Susan (pleased tone of voice): Suit yourself, us women are always right.

Graham: women don't know the simplest thing about men

(Susan looks at her nails, as she is not included in the conversation).

Geoff: You're not wrong Graham. Well I spoke to my father and he said he use to work with you at Smith's brewery. 

Graham: what was his name?

Geoff: Simon Jones

Graham: Ohhh Simon Jones, yeah we were great friends. How is he?

Geoff: He is good

Graham: How's your coffee?

Geoff: Good thanks, Graham

Lecture 4- Pop Art

Andy Warhol (1928-1987, USA) used commercials, an illustrator and a painter.


He was famous for creations of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Mouse, Elvis Presley. He distinctively used contrasts with colour and dark shadows around the celebrities.

 
Also influenced by commercial advertising, Warhol recreated a Brilla Box packaging. This era was fascinated with signage and trademarks.
Some of his advertisement recreations include Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, matchboxes, and Campbell soup cans.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997, USA) is a painter who uses strong colours such as reds and yellows. He played on the speech bubbles, using phrases such as sweet dreams. His inventive phrases were implemented in films before someone would shoot someone. He used automateopia in his comics to describe the sounds happening in the narrative. The following is one of Lichtenstein's pieces of work called the drowning girl:



Even this picture describes a narrative and we can assume what has happened. Without having to read the comic, only from experiences and the experiences of others we understand the message of the image. It shows a woman who is love struck, and her emotions are commercialised. The image is a pun, that she crying and looks as if she has taken the water of the ocean from her tears. It explains that she does not care anymore, she would rather just "sink" hide away and never come back than call Brad.

Lichtenstein has the ability to isolate a moment and make us focus on the one situation. It displays a problem in a narrative and what she her head is thinking. The speech bubbles are the monologue, as verbally they express what she is thinking. The narrative could again be love struck and that there is no point running after the one she loves when it is hopeless when he doesn't love her back.
Below is the image Hopeless:

Tutorial 3- Cut Ups

This tutorial was interesting as we experienced avant- garde practices.  We cut up pieces of newspapers and magazines. We put columns and sentences together in order to create different meanings and stories. I found this tutorial challenging as we needed to concentrate and ensure the context of the sentences made sense.

Story Cut-Up

Image Cut-Up

This cut-up circles around the central text "10 facts about coconut oil." With the mouse indicator on the text, it could represent our technological world. The other words on the page could symbolise the several links from an original website. The cut-up contains 10 "facts" that are used in advertising to promote a product. In this case the product is coconut oil and they go about promoting it by showing pretty pictures of celebrities and state you will look like them. The different words is how they may advertise the product stating you will feel like the words shown, if you purchase the product. This cut-up explains how fantasies are portrayed as reality.

Lecture 3- Cut-Ups

Cut-Up Method

American novelist William Burroughs and Brion Gysin created cut-up techniques which would be used in more ways than they first intended.

The cut-up method was actually thought of before Gysin invented the technique. Tristan Tzara, part of the Dada movement formed an idea of randomly choosing words.This shows they could see what would occur in years to come.

Gysin's skills from various occupations such as being a painter, writer, sound recordist and poet, could be a precursor for the formation of the cut-up technique found in 1959.

Brion Gysin

William Burroughs

Burroughs whom respected Gysin, used his cut-up techniques in his own writing. Experimenting with perceptions Burroughs took many drugs in order to view the world, through different and sometimes even whacky perceptions. He noticed that human perceptions of the world change when under these condititons.

Possibly due to his experience with various drugs, Burroughs believed the cut-up method not only includes the forming of words, but also the use of images and blocking the cut-outs into different positions, preferrably long columns. Due to the cut-up method Burroughs had the ability of making lyrics for music.

 

Kurt Cobain was fascinated by Burroughs and used cut-up techniques in his own music.

 Gysin was fascinated by music and cut-up the human sound on tape. However, Gysin was always given credit for his discovery of the cut-up method.