Informed Practice Year 1

1.1 Lecture 1: World’s End Introduction

I thoroughly enjoyed this lecture in which I became aware of the various forms the concept of “Utopia” can be manipulated and conformed into. What I have discovered is that we are more inclined to view a utopian society/the end of the world in a pessimistic light due to the all the current socio-political and economical predicaments that are prevalent in the world. I feel the idea of a dystopian fiction is our response to an unanswerable question which I found really compelling as we try to decipher this artificial future that very well maybe be a factual reality. I was really intrigued by the work titled Fantastic Planet due to the psychedelic aesthetic and the way the more subdued colour palettes induced this alienated atmosphere. I am intrigued to explore a Utopian society that’s driven by social class privileges and I would like to expand on this lecture by delving further into the question of how much of a dystopian society is fictional in contrast to an extreme narrative of real world issues.

1.2 Storyboard: “The Last Night of The World”

In response to the project brief ‘Last Night of the World’ I decided to formulate an unconventional love story of an alien destroying the world to be with his lover in which they leave earth in a irreversibly perishable state. I enjoyed responding to this brief due to the unpredictability of the situation. No one knows how the world is expected t end or how it’s expected to look so my imagination felt unbounded and the most unconventional ending could take place. I think the world functioning is highly dependent on love and started on the foundation of love hence I found it fitting that the world would come to end on the basis of love. A. feature of the storyboards that I love is the monotone and illustrative comic like style heightens this sense of absurdity and unconventionality inherent in the storyline. I also like that I explored an abnormal dynamic of an alien and a teenage girl has it amplifies the abnormal ending of the world. I also like how the love story in itself feels very hopeful and lighthearted in contrast to the more existential themes portrayed in the disparaged surroundings, these very complex themes are thoughtfully juxtaposed to create an engaging arch. On the their hand, I would gave liked to add a more diverse range of camera angles such as a POV shot of the alien reaching his hand out, immersing the viewer in the story.

1.3 Lecture 2: Mutate Britain

I personally found this lecture hard to follow as I struggled to decipher the main message that was supposed to be retained, there was a level of abstractism. Something I took away was how power in a sense was interchanged in Britain and how there were these small societies in a sense integrated within this big society that is essentially the UK. I was most intrigued by Joe Rush due to the way eh infuses this steampunk aesthetic with real life objects to induce a party like experience. I love how the art was an integral part of creating this culture as opposed to simply decorating it, there was a purpose to it. I was surprised to find such a colossal shift in culture and how prominent these subgroups in society were and how obsolete they have become under todays power regime. As an extension to this lecture, I would like to inquire further into the concept of cognitive extension and decipher for myself how much my actions are constituted by the world around me in contrast to my own independent free will.

1.4 Lecture 3: Space & Mind

I thoroughly enjoyed this lecture as I we got to delve into a new segment of dystopian worlds in terms of how physical spaces/ environments affect and interact with our psyche. Additionally, I was captivated by our discussion regarding Metropolis. The movie instigated thoughts of 1984 in which the cinematic stylings all complimented each other well. I loved the dramatic music, exaggerated theatrical like acting and thoughtful camera angles that functioned interdependently to build this dystopian futuristic world. I was particularly intrigued by the way the camera movement felt more stagnant and stiff when portraying the low class workers in contrast to the fluid movement when depicting the high class. This representation of a distorted reality was very progressive for its time, alluding to the dangers of misplaced power and inequality in a segregated society. Overall, I think the movie made a Staten t not only in terms of cinematic styling but also in terms of message. I loved the various traditional noir movies we looked into outside the realm of metropolis and the way some of them infused impressionistic and cubism based styles to create this cryptic and riveting cinematic masterpiece. After reflecting and evaluating these movies I am intrigued to experiment with shapes and monochromatic palettes to depict my final animation for informed practice.

1.5 Humans in the Year 2525