Saturday, 16 May 2009
Friday, 15 May 2009
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
RATIONALE
My intended outcome is a typographic print depicting a passage that I have constructed, using the conventional language typical of porn films and ads. The type will be highly embellished and drawn, alluding to illuminated lettering. The ornamentation will contain hidden pornographic images taken from films, magazines and online sources. The final image will be screen printed onto prepared A0 wood in a single colour. I will then add gold leafing to chosen areas of the image.
Why?
There are a number of ideas underlying this outcome with which I have been working with throughout the project.
-To disguise pornographic content in a way that appears beautiful and of a higher cultural form than the original media. Throughout the project, I have continued to remind myself of the quote, “I know it when I see it”. My conclusion deals with both visual and literary language used in porn.
-The result being the viewers unknowingly condoning the porn in appreciating my product, unaware of the true content on first glance. The aesthetic quality would win the audience over before they learn the true meaning and intention of it.
-The language used is normally crude, blunt and inexplicably to the point. By embellishing it, I am dressing it up, temporally masking the obscenities (both visual and textual).
-I wanted the end product to be something beautiful – a piece of art in its own right.
Below I have broken up the different aspects so I can more easily explain why I have made the decisions that I have made:
Why draw it?
Because whatever the end product is, it has to be something that is beautifully executed and quite obvious that a lot of time and effort went into the making of it. Drawing makes it feel more personal.
Why illuminated lettering?
I had to choose some sort of cultural form to use as a vehicle for my idea. I have experimented with various classical higher class/cultural forms – etching, painting etc. The style of decoration alludes to illuminated lettering – more often associated with the art/craft world than with porn. Illumination represents an art that takes a lot of time, money and effort and was only obtainable by the higher classes. This is also why I have chosen to use gold-leafing.
Why these words?
I wanted something that included the typical words, phrases, grammar etc used in porn. I’ve included a website to emulate some of the absurd address’s that have came up. It makes it more like an actual advert, the true intention of the piece is still to draw in customers. Also, the idea of someone writing the website down amuses me. I’m going to set up a page of that address just in case anybody actually does that.
Why screen-printing?
I initially wanted to paint the image onto canvas to make it more substantial than card, more of an object. I was going to project the image onto the canvas to enlarge it, pencil in and then paint with ink or acrylic. Screen-printing the image would save me a lot of time, enabling me to take more time over developing the drawing – which was the more important aspect.
Material?
The reason I am using wood instead of canvas is that it would be much harder to do the gold leafing on an uneven surface.
Size?
I had wanted it bigger than A0; maybe 90cm x 130cm, but the screen-printing bed I am using is A0. I did consider other ways of printing but I think this is my best option. Now that I’ve started drawing at this size, I realize that it will be OK at the size.
Colour?
The reason I am keeping it to three colours (including gold) is that it would be too busy, as the image will be quite detailed.
Intended Audience/ How will people react?
One side of the audience is the people that would see it as a piece of art – they will admire the work that has gone into creating the drawing but won’t necessarily be interested in the content. The other is the people that would normally be interested in the content of the work – people who respond to the website address will do so either out of curiosity or actually in the hope of further titillation.
I wanted the first line to draw anybody into the text – non-gender-specific (for instance “Hey Stud” would typically be addressing a male audience) but I also wanted the first line to be more ambiguous so people won't be immediately put off by crude words if they are more sensitive.
After showing the idea to a lot of people to test reactions, they are shocked by the type (because it is not expected by the first impression of the overall image) but not because they are offended, they are just surprised. I’ve shown the drawings to lots of people and they have all reacted in same way I want them to – they say how much they like the image and then after about 15 seconds they suddenly see the sexual images. People are shocked at themselves for not seeing them but they think its funny.
Why?
There are a number of ideas underlying this outcome with which I have been working with throughout the project.
-To disguise pornographic content in a way that appears beautiful and of a higher cultural form than the original media. Throughout the project, I have continued to remind myself of the quote, “I know it when I see it”. My conclusion deals with both visual and literary language used in porn.
-The result being the viewers unknowingly condoning the porn in appreciating my product, unaware of the true content on first glance. The aesthetic quality would win the audience over before they learn the true meaning and intention of it.
-The language used is normally crude, blunt and inexplicably to the point. By embellishing it, I am dressing it up, temporally masking the obscenities (both visual and textual).
-I wanted the end product to be something beautiful – a piece of art in its own right.
Below I have broken up the different aspects so I can more easily explain why I have made the decisions that I have made:
Why draw it?
Because whatever the end product is, it has to be something that is beautifully executed and quite obvious that a lot of time and effort went into the making of it. Drawing makes it feel more personal.
Why illuminated lettering?
I had to choose some sort of cultural form to use as a vehicle for my idea. I have experimented with various classical higher class/cultural forms – etching, painting etc. The style of decoration alludes to illuminated lettering – more often associated with the art/craft world than with porn. Illumination represents an art that takes a lot of time, money and effort and was only obtainable by the higher classes. This is also why I have chosen to use gold-leafing.
Why these words?
I wanted something that included the typical words, phrases, grammar etc used in porn. I’ve included a website to emulate some of the absurd address’s that have came up. It makes it more like an actual advert, the true intention of the piece is still to draw in customers. Also, the idea of someone writing the website down amuses me. I’m going to set up a page of that address just in case anybody actually does that.
Why screen-printing?
I initially wanted to paint the image onto canvas to make it more substantial than card, more of an object. I was going to project the image onto the canvas to enlarge it, pencil in and then paint with ink or acrylic. Screen-printing the image would save me a lot of time, enabling me to take more time over developing the drawing – which was the more important aspect.
Material?
The reason I am using wood instead of canvas is that it would be much harder to do the gold leafing on an uneven surface.
Size?
I had wanted it bigger than A0; maybe 90cm x 130cm, but the screen-printing bed I am using is A0. I did consider other ways of printing but I think this is my best option. Now that I’ve started drawing at this size, I realize that it will be OK at the size.
Colour?
The reason I am keeping it to three colours (including gold) is that it would be too busy, as the image will be quite detailed.
Intended Audience/ How will people react?
One side of the audience is the people that would see it as a piece of art – they will admire the work that has gone into creating the drawing but won’t necessarily be interested in the content. The other is the people that would normally be interested in the content of the work – people who respond to the website address will do so either out of curiosity or actually in the hope of further titillation.
I wanted the first line to draw anybody into the text – non-gender-specific (for instance “Hey Stud” would typically be addressing a male audience) but I also wanted the first line to be more ambiguous so people won't be immediately put off by crude words if they are more sensitive.
After showing the idea to a lot of people to test reactions, they are shocked by the type (because it is not expected by the first impression of the overall image) but not because they are offended, they are just surprised. I’ve shown the drawings to lots of people and they have all reacted in same way I want them to – they say how much they like the image and then after about 15 seconds they suddenly see the sexual images. People are shocked at themselves for not seeing them but they think its funny.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
The Typeface
I’m happy with the typeface I’m using – I was a bit dubious before because it wasn’t one of the ‘classics’ – and therefore unsafe in my mind at least (I don’t know about the various typography faux pas’). I had visions of typographers pointing and laughing because I’d actually chosen to use Academy Engraved as the basis of my type. As it happens, I’m happy with my choice, the shapes are right, they go with the embellishments, sod the typographers.
Monday, 11 May 2009
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Ideas for The Day Of The Letterpress
All the conventional words used in porn films taken away so that the actual meaning can’t be understood – these adverts don’t actually contain that many ‘swear words’, it’s the meanings that can be deemed offensive.
Mmmmmm, you ever two girls at once? I love to a big fat . Oh, call us. Oooo yeah. Oh, you’re so . Call us. my big . Oh, I’m so , I wanna you. Give it to us and in our little , yeah. And I’m gonna with her while you do it and I’m gonna her too. Now it’s my turn. Oooo, your so and . Ooooo yeah, me, oooo. Look at the way she’s . Oooooo, call us. Mmmm, oh yeah, I wanna your , oh yeah, all over us, call us.
Mmmmmm, you ever two girls at once? I love to a big fat . Oh, call us. Oooo yeah. Oh, you’re so . Call us. my big . Oh, I’m so , I wanna you. Give it to us and in our little , yeah. And I’m gonna with her while you do it and I’m gonna her too. Now it’s my turn. Oooo, your so and . Ooooo yeah, me, oooo. Look at the way she’s . Oooooo, call us. Mmmm, oh yeah, I wanna your , oh yeah, all over us, call us.
Today's Actions
This has taken SO MUCH longer than I thought it would! My intention was to plan out the drawing in pencil and pen and then to have the final drawing done with ink but I quite like the way the pencil drawings look, where you can see the sketchy lines, no, just decided, this isn’t the look I want, so I’ll stick to my original plan – I’ve got a long night ahead of me!
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