Barthes, R. and Heath, S. (1977) Image, music, text: essays. ‘Death of the Author’ 13. [Dr.]. London: Fontana.

Your intentions in writing—really you as an artist and author, do not matter as much as the reader and audience. Their perception makes or breaks the work. Their interpretation of your work is ultimately how your work is defined.

How the viewer perceives the work defines it’s reality and how real it is. We only define reality as something we all collectively agree on—how does this definition change when we can’t accept things that historically we have all agreed on—for example is this lemonade real? Or is it glass inside the cup posing as liquid? My intention as an image maker is out the door, as the reality of the scene isn’t determined by me, but by whoever happens to be viewing it.

björk : army of me (HD) (2019). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPeheoBa2_Y (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Michel Gondry uses 2D sets and animation to essentially do low poly in real life. When Björk opens hood of truck, this was a direct reference for me in some images where I cut the car open to reveal something unexpected inside. The liminal aesthetic of this video is somewhat uncanny, though this visual style was echoed in a few Björk music videos in the 90’s such as Bachelorette.

Hatfield, G.C. and Hatfield, G. (2009) Perception and cognition: essays in the philosophy of psychology. 1. publ. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Talks about science of perception and how it impacts our reality. Gives laws to how we perceive shapes and objects—how can I disrupt reality and trust within graphic design, 3D imagery, and photography by breaking these rules? Potentially, how can the rules lend themselves to visual outcomes that push the bounds of what we accept as “good design”.  Can I apply the rules of this text to different mediums and categories within graphic communication design?

Ludovico, A. (2012) Post-digital print: the mutation of publishing since 1894. Eindhoven: Onomatopee (Onomatopee, 77).

Digital publishing has satiated and dominated the demand/market of commercial publishing. Now, physical publishing demarcates boutique and artisanal publications — the mundane has now become the cherished. A reference about demand of publishing and how physical publications suddenly have more weight from a design and value perspective.

I interpreted part of this reference being focused on the dilemma of the virtual vs the real being a thing of pretention/access. Everyone has access to digital tools now—why is aestheticism, or rather, why are en vogue aesthetics, based on a supply and demand system? What makes digital art less compelling than analogue versions of the same thing. How does is “post-digital” applied to other areas?

Petrucci, P. (2014) ‘Processes of Repression: Image, Illusion, and the Uncanny’, The International Journal of the Image, 4(2), pp. 109–118. Available at: https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v04i02/44127.

“the uncanny” is the main topic I’m interested in. this reference delves into the uncanny and how we cope with it when presented with it in image format. This is interesting to me because the uncanny is not quite gory or disturbing, but not comforting or easy to view in any way. It seems familiar but it’s not. The reference suggests that we might construct illusions to essentially protect ourselves from the uncanny. So, when we view an unsettling or odd 3D image we could potentially be seeing things that aren’t 100% there or be forcing ourselves to try and rationalise things that just aren’t right.

‘RMB City’ (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RMB_City&oldid=1220598816 (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Another initial visual reference and piece of inspiration. Constructing her own reality in a videogame, Cao Fei explores lots of the topics (visually) that I’m interested in. She creates a simulacrum of reality via constructing her virtual city in second life. The quality of the graphics of this piece, which I first saw displayed at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., was very striking to me, as it seemed to delicately balance the physical world and it’s properties with the unexpected and uncanny.

SOPHIE — Faceshopping (Official Video) (2018). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es9-P1SOeHU (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Initial inspiration for Methods of Iteration which continued into this brief. Establishes 3D graphics as something beyond the replication of the real—creates its own lane for 3D graphics as something completely standalone from cinematography, photography, etc. by choice rather than something that supplements these mediums. By this time (2018) 3D graphics in most videogames and films looked more realistic than ever (see Red Dead Redemption II graphics — evidence) so by no means was this video a result of graphics being produced at a low budget or unintentional low quality.

Steyerl, H. (2012) The wretched of the screen. Sternberg Press.

Can bad images have value? Who decides value?

Do bad images hold value? Is there value in imperfect imagery? What about uncanny imagery? 

This reference suggests that the never-ending chase of high fidelity is rooted in neoliberalism and masculinity (?) and ignores the often more interesting pirate cinema happening without the support of capitalism. Artists who aren’t equipped with the highest fidelity equipment are not taken seriously. In Methods… this was applied to letterpress, now I’m examining it in more of a 3D graphics setting. Are 3D graphics without an extensive skill set and time frame to produce these graphics visually interesting? What if I only use free textures from blender kit instead of making my own or paying for high quality HDRS and textures? 

Statement 

I’m interested in exploring the uncanny, which I define as unsettling design as a tool to disrupt, question, or invoke the feeling of curiosity within the field of Graphic Communication design. Previously, I have used Blender to create 3D images that invoke this feeling, but I want to challenge myself to create something using a physical medium that disrupts how it’s traditionally understood and utilised. Essentially, what I’m asking is if physical mediums can disrupt our perception of how an image is supposed to be perceived, such as the way that Blender is able to do without much effort.