APD: Play + Abstract

By Amber Stacey

Method:

Create an abstract story in motion, solely using cleaning sponges to create a scene.

Context:

Abstract thinking allows us to speak figuratively, create things, form theories, solve problems, tell stories and put things into perspective through a wide range of mediums
and disciplines – in which playing with metaphors, analogies, personification, improvisation, building 3D objects and exploring optical illusions can all assist towards helping us to improve our abstract thinking. Technology, engineering, arts and crafts all play a part in the language, exploration and development of abstract thinking and learning to express ideas about human nature, conflict, figurative comparisons, history, philosophy, social problems and conflict.

One of the common themes that runs throughout abstract thinking, across this wide range of mediums is the use of different shapes, colours, and textures to express an idea.

Throughout researching what the theme of abstract might look like in a world of play, I came across an art director from Argentina, Pablo Alfieri, who designed a series of still-life images exploring the use of everyday cleaning products and sponges, in which he transposes these utilitarian objects into whimsical compositions, exploring texture in a playful and colourful way. As an art director throughout advertising and design, his aim in life is ““to find a new language, or a mix of styles or poetic idea.”

I found myself captivated by his soft and playful design style, creating stories through physical or 3D play to create playful typography and abstract designs, which led me to wanting to explore the idea of cleaning sponges to create artistic expressions through a different way – motion.  

Response:

• Buy lots of sponges
• Improvise building a scene
• Add a little bit of stop motion
• Take some interesting stills of the sponge scene close up
• Search for sound effects
• Composite video to create an animation
   

Video: https://vimeo.com/544886599

Reflection:

The goal for this week was to bring a simple object designed for practical use, to life through exploring shapes, colours and textures through play to create an abstract work in motion. There was no plan, other than to use sponges and make some sort of motion when embarking on this idea inspired by Pablo, in which through solidarity play improvised my way through building a scene as though a child with building blocks or lego.

Throughout this experience, my mind was thinking about the materials themselves and how cleaning products are toxic to the environment – this world that is our home. As a result, the scene evolved into an abstract looking city through the formation and patterns of the materials, which were developed throughout the play session. Having not touched stop motion in nearly thirteen years, it was a little rough around the edges in terms of working out the focus on the camera, however the sketchiness of it influenced the post-production effects through the application of colour and sounds, in order to create this idea of old and new, repetition of daily life, the evolution of technology and how over time we are killing the planet.  Although a short little test and experiment through its style, it holds a lot of essence and has potential to develop into something a lot more complexed throughout it’s storytelling.

The sound design evolved from the idea of technology taking over and with the quick shuffle of moving object and sketchiness of animation, I wanted it to have a sense of chaos throughout the repetition of daily life, which I feel was successful in it’s outcome and blending a variety of different free sources from Soundsnap together. It would have been nice to have worked on it a little longer to test out the combination of 2D animation layered over the video to create things such as smoke out of buildings for example, however this is always something that could be explored should the idea ever be tested further.
 

References: 
https://www.we-heart.com/2017/08/31/pablo-alfieri-interview-playful/
https://www.pjponline.com/the-environmental-impact-of-cleaning-products/
https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/abstract-thinking