OPERATIONAL SCEPTICISM

Final Major Project of Lance de Vries Jr

OPERATIONAL SCEPTICISM

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CONTENTS

RESEARCH

ABOUT 3

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DEVELOPMENT

MOCK UPS

SCREEN PRINT

TEST SHOOT

FINAL PUBLICATION

FINAL PHOTOGRAPHS

PROPOSAL / EVALUATION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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ABOUTOperational Scepticism

A graphic design project that consists of questioning.

Operational in the sense that it is an idea or approach to be taken on by the viewer / audience in an autonomous way. It is self governing and open to interpretation, as only something encouraging openness can be.

‘Scepticism’ is perhaps suggesting a negative way of being open and questioning. But I think people should be more sceptical when being told ‘this will improve your life or make you a better person’.

The scepticism is intended to be critical of what is presented to us through mass media and advertising on a daily basis.

However, in my opinion scepticism is positive, something that is worth teaching in schools, it is a mind set that allows for questioning to become a habit, a natural daily occurrence.

Just like the battle against the natural daily onslaught and flood which goes unnoticed by non-sceptics daily, the consumption of advertising has become natural, maybe even unavoidable in modern societies across the world.

My aim has been to document the way in which we consume this media, ie, walking down the street, watching television, and whilst using our computers.

I have used the process of collage to produce my visuals.

Both digital and film photography have been a key tool, as well as such instruments as projection and the ability to take screen shots of films on a computer. The next step, once material was gathered has been to use Adobe Photoshop to then digitally combine different images and statements.

The decision to work with a digital process came from last semesters experiments using printers to combine my imagery, however I have found producing the combinations in Photoshop has allowed for more control.

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RESEARCHThe theory behind Operational Scepticism comes from my own thoughts and opinions but can be stabilized or validated by various theories that began through out the 20th century, perhaps earlier.

Source material for research has come from poets such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg to Debord, Baudrillard, Zizek as well as Hakim Bey’s T.A.Z.

Through conversations with tutors (notes are presented) as well as my own development and understanding of both thought process and visual experiments; the project has become less about a new art movement and more about presenting a critical mind set for the understanding and consumption of the media that bombards our society daily.

Sadie Plant making connections between Situationist Theory and Postmodernism.

‘Poetry, pleasures, cities and subversions are themes common to both frameworks, and their hostility towards the Left, their attacks on the complacency and complicity of established forms of radicalism, their desire to collapse distinctions between the aesthetic and the everyday, and their search for the loci of social power in relations of language, knowledge, and everyday experience, the situationists provided postmodernism with much of the ammunition for its attacks on established genres of thought and social organisation.’

This is a prime example of how one counter culture, one autonomous way of thinking, has breathed life in to another movement. Within art, it could be considered the established practice to question and challenge societies and their standardised ways of thinking. However, in my opinion more of this is needed within design. Yes, we can adhere to and recognise forms that have come before but we must constantly ask why is that done in that way, and so on.

Walter Benjamin, taken from Jan Van Toorn’s Design’s Delight:

‘One should not look at cultural archetypes as timeless essences, but as the result of concrete social and economic relations. The specious illusions of harmony and unity in the bourgeois notion of culture should be destroyed first to expose what it is in reality; a heap of rubbish of stereotypes and clichés, fragments that have piled against ruins.’

Widely accepted forms of culture in western societies needs to be shaken; there is a need for counter cultures. Counter cultures such as the ‘Mod’ and ‘Punk’ movements have spawned so many interesting avenues and ways of thinking for future generations. Not only did such sub cultures encourage advancements within music and fashion but also in people’s minds and therefore their ways of thinking.

Jan Van Toorn: Design’s Delight.

‘The answer to our discomfort about the public role of design then can no longer be sought within the means and methods and our disposal, but in the mentality with which we attempt to bring about social and cultural mobility - in the belief that the established communicative order in relation to the audience can be changed.’

The point above backs up my notion of a change in the way we think as creators and consumers, our mentality and our exposure to a different way of thinking (i.e. whilst in education) has to change before the way media invades lives and encourages greed etc, can be changed.

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Extract above taken from Jan Van Toorn’s Design’s Delight.

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In the aim of being active and gathering visuals to coincide with my research material and initial reading; I began taking photographs in London. I chose London because of its density of people, events and advertising.

The opposite page consists of three films I choose specifically for their culture references (the idea of glorifying the outsider) and the messages underlying within the idea of either a samurai or cowboy as significant figures in western societies.

Taking screen shots from this material allowed me to play with another element of meaning and connotations within my construction of imagery.

I also had an idea that by projecting my own writings and message based upon my research, I could create imagery to photograph and include in my process of image making as another layer. Albeit a very literal way of communicating messages that infiltrate the viewers minds.

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As research and findings developed it became time to start creating visuals.

On this double page spread you get a sense (at a larger scale) of the screen shots and film photography I used to piece together as collages.

Lights; for me, represent a point of realisation. There have been various key points of realisation throughout this project that have sparked a new way of thinking. I have found these points tend to follow a process of trial and error as well as discussion with tutors and peers.

DEVELOPMENT

These images are screen shots taken from individual pieces I’ve created. During the process of altering resolutions in Photoshop, the scale of the image increases as I’ve increased resolution sizes.

At this time you are presented with a larger and closer look at the imagery. I feel this is important as the creator and editor of the imagery because it provides a process led, closer inspection of the layers and saturation included in the individual pieces.

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The process of combing and layering images has mainly been done using Adobe Photoshop. However, there is a certain visual aesthetic that Photoshop can give to imagery that I have purposefully attempted to avoid. The main advantage Photoshop gives me as an image maker is to enable the build up of layers with the ability to make them visible or invisible, so I can decide whether certain photos are working well together and communicating what I want to communicate.

At a presentation of work before Easter, the way in which the work was being edited and therefore viewed was questioned by tutors.

This led to the realisation that the work needs to be seen at a submersed level, as this is a key aspect of advertising and its effect I wanted to highlight.

So by having images set as full bleed, there is an encouragement for the viewer to become emerged and surrounded by content, emphasising the bombardment and flooding of media and advertising in to our minds daily.

I decided to produce a publication to house my imagery and message and to give context to the work.

The version featured in the photographs is an A5 staple bound publication.

I have been experimenting with different methods of binding. I have produced french fold, stitch and staple bound mock-ups. As the final binding will effect the layout and design of the publication, which in turn effects the way it is received by a viewer.

MOCK UPS

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All of the writing included in the publication is my own (apart from the obvious quotes). The statements have been developed based upon my reading and research.

I believe in a larger publication I would include more writing further developing my criticisms; backing up my own statements with quotes from other writers and practitioners. 28

I feel this photo is very important as it represents one of my points very well.

‘Tootsie Rolls’ are a widely distributed American sweet and even despite the obvious artificial flavour statement on the packaging people still purchase and consume them. One could argue in a rather blind manner?

Again, here is a closer look at the publication.

An example of a quote I might included (although it is less critical and more poetic) would be...

‘When I opened my window I could see the sun shining, and hear the birds singing and smell the air laden with scents of spring.’ Dostoyevsky.

This quote captures a sense of realisation I’d like my audience to experience; their eyes to be opened.

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Because my imagery is intense and immersive, I wanted to experiment with reduction, in terms of layers, detail and colour.

To do so, I choose to screen print one of my images. The results are very interesting and I was pleased with them. The results also gave me a good idea of how my imagery would look if I were to get it printed on a Risograph printer, which was a consideration for the publication.

However, this is something I chose not to produce for the final hand in. Although I may look in to having prints to include in the end of year show.

By sticking to digital printing I feel there are strong links to the digital over printing I did last semester. Also, we experience advertising regularly in a digital format in 2012 so feel staying digital is appropriate.

SCREEN PRINT

The next step was to bring to life my idea of a large scale photographic print, which sits alongside the publication, but also as its own seperate entity.

I had a few different ideas, but the one I decided to use is a low lighting, candle lit piece that involves the model reading my book blind folded.

Low lighting and the blind fold indicate the lack of visibility the viewer may have, or a comment of society as a whole. Also, the realisation that if my book were shown to non designers or artists the lack of openness there might be for that viewer to even acknowledge or consider the points I am trying to make within my work.

I am not for moment suggesting any member of society is not entitled to their opinion in the same way I hold my own. I am suggesting that regardless of someone else’s ideas one should be open to them, to at least hear them, and consider why said person thinks the way they do.

Shown here are my tests shots, using a different model within a different setting to work out how the image would look, with lighting, placements and focal points.

TEST SHOOT

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Operational Scepticism: The final publication.

Here are some snap shots from the final version. Most the imagery was laid out across double page spreads, to full bleed, for a submerged effect. Although I did try a few different things out, such as layering type, purposefully as to present the reader with a challenge to make sense of it all.

After printing myself and also screen printing, I decided to send the book to print with Blurb, who are a print company based in America. Sticking with the digital printing but having it done professionally. I tested out a couple of copies before reaching this final outcome. This version is perfect bound and consists of thirty pages.

Overall, I am pleased with the final outcome, I feel the printed imagery looks great and there were no mistakes on Blurb’s behalf. I have included quotes from: Barbara Kruger, Jan Van Toorn and Sadie Plant as well as my own writing.

To view the final publication in full, please click here.

FINAL PUBLICATION

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An idea that has been thought through and developed over a number of weeks has come together. The other idea I had involved the model being submerged in printed ads in a bath, however after test shooting I felt this route was a stronger and better one to take.

These posters are A2 in size, and overall I am pleased with them. I had originally thought I would have them as A1 posters, but found due to low lighting and higher ISO settings on the camera, there was too much grain if the image was taken to that size. As something to photograph again, or for a viewer to look at from a distance I feel the images work really well and communicate my idea and thoughts. I have portrayed what I am trying to say in quite a literal way, but have some how managed to make it ambiguous at the same time. If that is possible? It depends who was viewing it, and along side the book I feel it is all quite straight forward and direct; which is intended, although I do like a bit of confusion as well.

FINAL PHOTOGRAPHS

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PROPOSAL & EVALUATION

I feel the project has evolved and changed direction in more ways than one over the past few weeks. Although it is still very much about producing work the presents and is suggestive of a mind set and an adoption of a new model of thinking. It has also aimed its sights on to the negative effects advertising has on our society. We all need to be more mindful and weary of the things we view, and question the products that promise us some kind of improvement.

In and out of the creative industries (and creative educational courses) I am of the opinion that as a whole society we do not question “things” enough. And “things” is all that they are, messages, commodities, theories, adverts, and programmes.

So far throughout the project I have produced work with the aim of emphasising this flood of messages and media that we are unwillingly exposed to daily. I am not under a false pretence that this information is going to disappear or that the bombardment will cease. Also, I realise that by working within graphic design I am a contributing member to the media created. However, I am keen to stress the importance and need for a new way of thinking about the world we live in now, in 2012. Creators and consumers need to some how be less numb and more active and critical about the way in which we deal with media.

Overall, I am pleased with the work I have produced, I believe a project of this nature could be taken in many different directions and forms to communicate the same points so in some respects I feel as though I’ve only scratched the surface.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books:Beech, Dave. (2009). Art and Text. London: Black Dog Publishing

Bradley, Will. (2007). Art and Social Change. London: Tate Publishing

Danchev, Alex. (2011). 100 Artists’ Manifestos. London: The Penguin Group

Lupton, Ellen. (2008). Indie Publishing. New York: Princeton Architectural Press

Marcus, Greil. (2001). Lipstick Traces. London: Faber and Faber Limited

Plant, Sadie. (1992). The Most Radical Gesture. London: Routledge

Van Toorn, Jan. (2006). Design’s Delight. Amsterdam: 010 Publishers

DVDs:High Plains Drifter. (1972) Directed by Clint Eastwood [DVD] America: Universal Studios

Stalker. (1979) Directed by Andrey Tarkovskiy [DVD] Soviet Union

Two Mules for Sister Sara. (1969) Directed by Don Siegel [DVD] America: Universal Studios

Yojimbo. (1961) Directed by Akira Kurosawa [DVD] Japan: Kurosawa Production Co.

Zizek!. (2005) Directed by Astra Taylor [DVD] America: The Documentary Campaign

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