CPS Folio #1

CPS Folio

Week #1 - Observation

http://magistudio.net/work/cps-week-1-observation-7

My method for the week was ‘I will go outside and draw an auditory & visual observation of various subjects.’

Though sounds usually initiate a strong mental image for me, actually trying to get it down was difficult, especially with limited colours and materials. This was especially hard because I couldn't animate them easily using a notebook and pencils, and there is definitely a dimension of 'sensation' that is lost through depicting in 2D rather than animation, which (like sound) is a time-based medium. There were so many sounds and objects to choose from as well walking around the city; it’s understandable why our brain usually filters out a lot of background noise, or else it would become totally overwhelming.

Another drawback is that impressions of sound don’t last long in the mind - by the time I finished focusing on the mental image enough to fully visualize it, I’d lost some essence of what I was actually trying to depict. I can see how working from a recording would be beneficial instead, as it builds a stronger impression in the mind upon subsequent replays.

Week #2 - Tinkering

http://magistudio.net/work/cps-week-2-tinkering-as-method-1

As I was absent this week, I did the Tinkering task at home during week 2. It was a great opportunity to try out a new program, testing out its functionality without expecting any particular result. The program I used was RoughAnimator, which is a frame-by-frame animation program for the iPad Pro - it’s what I had on hand at the time! To figure out the tools, I played around with drawing frames blind, seeing if I could intuitively figure out directions and smears to create a convincing sense of movement.

Tinkering with a program is a great way to discover new methods of working. Some of the most unexpected things I’ve learned in animation & design have been from playing around with random tools and windows. By using a new program instead of resorting back to the familiar, I’ve found a new way of working that lets me integrate animation into my on-the-go workflow. It’s something I’m sure to use again in the future for ‘sketches’, especially since you can export PNG sequences and GIFs very easily for use in other programs.

Week #3 - Found Objects

http://magistudio.net/work/cps-week-3-found-object

This week I aimed to look at the ‘transformational’/’material’ qualities of objects, within their environment, and designing a short animation around it.

I made these quick animations using RoughAnimator for iPad inspired by objects around me. For the purposes of this task I chose a water bottle, a bouncy ball dispenser, my iPad, and the iMac in front of me. What would it be like if these objects reacted in ways we didn’t expect them to, based on our knowledge of their functionality? Following the previous week’s activity, I used RoughAnimator again to do these on my iPad. It was a lot of fun to transform the objects in silly ways, demonstrating how important it is for certain objects to be functionally built.

Week #4 - Place

http://magistudio.net/work/cps-week-4-place-4b5fcb

My method for the week was 'What artefacts of belonging, present in a space, can tell stories that language can't?' I was also inspired in this idea partially by Tracey Emin's 'My Bed'.

I was absent for the week on 'Place' so I undertook a task at home. Mainly preoccupied with the 'place' around me, I became interested in how certain objects build 'character' in a space - we can become dependent or inseparable from our surroundings based on the posessions we decide to keep. For example, I looked particularly at the places my cat enjoyed living around; to someone who visits this place and sees cat fur & a food bowl, it's clear that I own a pet, which then ties into my character as a person.

It's also interesting to see the places that my cat has made 'her own'; the spaces she chooses to inhabit within my house are like a window into her personality that she can't share through language. I can see that she likes warmth as she sleeps at the foot  of my bed, but has a bed downstairs for when she doesn't want to have to put up with a roommate (rude!). Given how dirty her bed is, you can also tell she's a cat who really enjoys rolling around in dirt. Space is an important way to bring out and express the character of those who reside or move within it.

Week #5 - Objects Are Not Exhausted

http://magistudio.net/work/cps-week-5-objects-are-not-exhausted-9

I found this week's task very difficult, honestly. My method was to examine how ‘objects animate other objects’. Though I understood the concepts,  I struggled to think of a task to do, so I kept it simple using phone recordings to capture what I saw. As it was a windy day, I found the moving leaves to be a great example of an object being animated by another object - this is strangely difficult to find in the city, where cars and other moving objects are operated by humans. I also found a charming bird, whose movements caused me to reflect on the nature of object and perspective.

Ironically, my hands & use of a computer are necessary to upload and capture this footage.

To me, the ivy is decorative, or something I wouldn’t interact with, but from the bird’s perspective, it’s a shelter from the busy world around it. Something like this could be a great design solution for a game or character designer. Viewing objects from the perspective of other objects can really help us with new ways of seeing, which we can then use in our design process to create interesting solutions.