This blog post explores the workshop process stages of the Write it project. Notes, research and project proposal can be found here.
Workshop One; Play With Text
This workshop required us to take segments of text and explore different ways of rewriting these segments, and presenting text. Drawing from OuLiPo- style writings.
"Oulipo (French pronunciation: ​[ulipo], short for French: Ouvroir de littérature potentielle; roughly translated: "workshop of potential literature", stylized OuLiPo) is a loose gathering of (mainly) French-speaking writers and mathematicians who seek to create works using constrained writing techniques."
For this task I wanted to keep the handwritten elements I was inspired by through my queer narrative research, so therefor decided to use torn notebook pages, ink pen and my own handwriting. From left to right the above images rewrite the text as:
An inventory mapping feelings and physical motifs throughout the text.
An inventory mapping feelings and emotions only which are expressed through the text.
A tally of specific and key works from the text.
Spoken word segments throughout the text compiled.
This workshop allowed me to identify key emotions of shame, anger and sadness within the text. Considering text alignment allowed for experimentation with building poetic structure with existing text. However I feel the numbered list format is too simplistic, and doesn't flow as effectively as other examples.
Development:
From workshop one I was inspired by identifying key emotions in my texts, and wanted to expand on this further by creating spot illustrations narrating segments of text.
"Their bodies washed up onto shores, withering in hospital beds, and taken oh so young."
This line explores the idea of queer identity stemming from the historical implications of queer, focusing on the key repeated phrase 'my ancestors'.
"Their bodies washed upon shores,"
This line specifically refers to the death of trans activist Marsha P. Johnson, when her body was found in the Hudson River in 1992. Johnson was only 46 when she died, and despite some of the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, it was ruled as a suicide with little police investigation. To emphasise the horror and injustice of Johnson's death, I have repeated the segment of the quote, their bodies washed upon shores, 5 times.
To create a visual diary of Johnson's memory, I collated her photograph and a clipping of a newspaper article documenting the first Stonewall riots in 1969, of which Johnson is famous for her involvement.
To create a vintage quality which reflects the historical implications of the piece, I overlaid a grain texture, and yellowed the tape shapes.
"Withering in hospital beds, and taken oh so young."
This segment of text refers to the AIDS epidemic throughout the 80s and 90s, which took many queer elders from as young as 16. This collage attempts to create a visual archive of the life of Lou Sullivan, a Trans activist and reportedly the first openly gay trans man, who died of AIDS complications aged 39.
I incorporated pressed flowers into this collage as it was something I liked within my research of my own visual journeys and they act as a motif to his passing.
I include an element of text from Lou's published diaries, We Both Laughed in Pleasure. Inspired by Lou's own handwriting from his original diaries, I use a calligraphy style font in blue ink, overlaid on yellowed notebook paper, to seem as though it was taken from the diary itself, and yellowed with age.
This collage aims to create a visualisation of the life of Keith Haring, a queer artist who died of AIDS complications aged 31. I wanted to capture his bold spirit by overlaying a photograph from an ACTUP protest, an AIDS activist group of which Haring did a lot of work for.
I feel this could have been pushed further by adding graphic elements representitive of Haring's artwork.
"To make love as though it is an act of defiance."
This line narrates the idea that being queer is inherently political, and what implications are therefore places on the private manifestations of queer identity. To narrate this line alongside the idea of ancestors, I aimed to create visual narrative of the life of Jo Orton, a homosexual playwright, renowned for his outrageousness and promiscuity.
I include a scanned segment from Orton's diaries which were eventually published, I wanted to capture the sense of intimacy which is portrayed within the scrawled handwriting of a journal entry.
I chose a photograph from a famous photoshoot of Orton's, where the photographer recounts: "They were to be body-building type shots, as he wanted it to be known that he was the fittest, best built playwright in the western hemisphere." I felt this fit within the idea of acts of sexuality being reclaimed as acts of defiance and power.
I also included a suggestive homoerotic clipping from a 1950s advertisement. The positioning photograph insinuates the two men are having sex, both a nod to the quote from my text and Orton's own graphic descriptions of sexual encounters in his diaries.
"Pain is queerness, as it is spat in my face, as I catch the blood with my hands, as it falls from my face."
This line narrates my own personal experiences of facing violence due to my queer identity, recounting an incident where I was attacked on a train.
These initial notebook drawings experiment with image composition, textual incorporation, and the flow and movement of blood. Using a mixture of red ink, pencil, and biro it communicates a personal aspect to the works as though they are lifted from a personal diary.
These digital illustrations focus on black line, the use of negative space, and the flow and movement of blood. The black against white allows for a boldness, which positions the blood as contrasting to the image and allows for a study on its movement. The illustrations sit within boxes in response to the vintage comic book strips which inspired much of this work, this allows for these images to be 'clipped' and added to a personal diary which documents experiences.
This image focuses on the text itself, attempting to draw attention to the blood, and desperation insinuated by something being written in blood. Inspired by my studies of queer diaries, I laid the text over a ruled notebook paper clipping, developing the idea of the imagery being created within a diary of sorts. This allows for development in the studies of blood flow pictured above, creating smudges and drips as though the creator of the piece was bleeding as they wrote.
This final image collates the imagery created throughout my response to this quote, laying over a picture of my eye after the actual attack the line is based upon. I composed this chosen image within a polaroid frame, in an attempt to further the idea this piece is a documentation of the actual event. This idea is emphasised by the blood plaster.
The collation of imagery expands from the ancestors pieces, creating a visual documentation of the event the line narrates. I use the grain filter again in the image to create the idea of a memory, through the impression of a vintage and faded final image.
I do feel this piece is weaker, as the separate elements seem very static as opposed to flowing as a complete image.
"To make love as though it is an act of defiance,"
Expanding from my initial response to this line with my collage narrating the life of Joe Orton, I wanted my response to this line to contradict both the statement and the brash personality of Orton. Creating a documentation of a soft moment of affection between lovers.
These illustrations use black line to illustrate moments of passion between two lovers, I feel the thin lines and shadows conjure a feeling of vulnerability shared between the lovers, whilst the use of black space allow for the emphasis of body shapes and figures. Again I used the boxed in format to reflect the comic strips I was inspired by in my research process, letting the images inside overlap the boxes to create a three dimensional effect.
I also experimented with the placement of the text in the last two images, exploring how the repetitive composition would draw further attention to the text. I decided to use a black text box with contrasting white text, creating a bolder text which draws further audience attention.
These developments experiment with the black and white composition of the piece, to explore the most effective shade composition. Whilst the greyscale image creates a flat effect, the darker images with purposeful white space allow for an emphasis of the shape of the lover's bodies, highlighting the intimacy of the moment.
These collages combine the blackline illustrations with some of the imagery I was inspired by throughout the process, creating archives of the feelings and experiences which inspire the text segment.
This image utilises a picture of two army officers kissing in a grainy black and white photo, I felt this image related to the text segment as it visually represents an act of defiance - looking as though it was from the 1920s-40s when being gay was still illegal. I collaged this with an aged postcard which shows the text, I love you, this was to emphasise the intimate mood, through the secrecy of lover's correspondence. I also incorporated a condom wrapper a motif of the act of making love itself.
This image attempts to create a sense of movement within the black line illustration, overlaying the kiss to create a blur. I overlaid an out of context comic book clipping, which can be perceived as two men having sex, which alongside the condom wrapper and vintage photograph of two lovers creates the visual archive of a relationship.
This image experiments with the composition of illustrations, layering images and changing the formatting of colouring. This attempts to create a sense of movement, which I think could be developed further.
This image combines ideas from image 1 and 2.
Analysis of work created from this task:
In these initial images I feel the contrasting elements are both strong. The monochrome line illustrations are strong, they portray the desired emotions of intimacy, sorrow and pain and show a strong start to consideration of movement. Furthermore, the collaging aspects seen in the ancestors collages is really strong. I think these overall images use considered found imagery to relate to my subject, and composition of images and text begins to create a strong atmosphere of sorrow/brashness/loss.
However, I think these two elements do not currently combine effectively, the collages which attempt to combine the elements seem very static, and the individual images seem separate. I need to look at different collage artists, and look back into my diary research to consider how to thoughtfully combine these elements whilst maintaining the idea of a visual diary.
Workshop Two; Move It
This workshop was split into two parts, exploring the relationship between movement and illustration.
Part One:
Watch and Draw; Draw as you watch. Use lots of paper. Focus on movement and notice the composition but don’t fixate on the outcomes of your drawing. Draw freely as an investigation of space, movement, sound.
For this workshop I wanted to focus on capturing the movement of people through illustration, exploring how line and tone can be used to narrate human movement. I decided to focus on the people as oppose to the objects, as I feel human movement relates more closely to my text, and I am interested in how the human body moves in ways that we often don't notice without focused observation.
Responding to this film I tried to create the woman's movements through shape, tone and line.
Using pencil I created frame by frames which showed slight changes in the woman's posture, face shape, and hair flow, exploring how slight movements change the shape of the woman's body. I think the drawings of the lips are weaker, as they are inaccurate and seem to draw from the perceived shape of the lips, as oppose to the lips as I saw them. When creating these images there was a rigidness to my practice which resulted in the linework looked forced, and not flowing with the actual movement seen in the film.
In contrast, the sketches which represent the woman's head turning as she moves down the street, are a lot stronger, there is a clear visual path representing the movement as she checks before she crosses the road. The use of simple line and shape here allowed the images to flow together in a much stronger way, and allowed for a study which focused on shape, tone and line.
Responding to this film, I tried to capture the sense of wonder which is expressed by the young boy in the video, looking at his slight movements as he looks around in amazement.
Again I focused on recreating the basic shapes seen in the boys movement, the changes of his neck and facial shape as his head turned. This use of simplicity allowed me to move freely from frame to frame and create images of the movement which were closer together, enabling me to conjure the movement itself. These images are strong for quick sketches but I would like to develop this further, exploring how I can begin to incorporate the scene around my subject to create a stronger overall narrative.
Part One, Development:
Outside of this task, I was inspired by observing film and movement, and applying this to some of the imagery I am already trying to create within my work. To do so I focused on the line visualised in the first workshop - to make love as though it is an act of defiance. I felt some of my initial responses to this line were static, so felt this would allow me to develop the movement of lovers. To do so I used the below video to create a study on kissing.
I chose to draw from this video, as it has a bare focus on the couple's movements, shot against a plain background with a focus on how their bodies move alongside each other. I focused on the changes in the subject's face shapes, neck, and head, creating sketches as the couple moved.
To respond to this video I created 3 studies: One exploring tone with a thicker ink pen, focusing on using negative space to emphasise the shape of the couple's movement. Another using fine liner to create continuous line which documents the relationship between the couples movement. The final study uses pencil similar to my studies from the initial workshop task, creating a focus on shape and tone to explore the changes in the composition of each subject.
I feel the strongest images here are the pencil studies which focus primarily on shape, as they document a stronger sense of movement. The thick ink drawings create a strong study of shadows and contours, however the linework is less accurate in comparrison. The fine liner creates the weakest studies as the layered lines overcomplicate the image and distract from the shape of the movement.
Part Two:
Create kinetic/sound sculptures to illustrate parts of your text.
In response to this task, I chose the line sweat exchanged in passing moments of a nightclub, which describes a shared moment of passion between two people in a nightclub. I wanted to recreate the imagery of two men kissing against club lights, choosing to create silhouettes similar to the kiss I illustrated in the first workshop. This would help me develop shape and tone in my images.
I began by creating cardboard cut outs of the kiss based on the illustration created in the first workshop which would act as my silhouettes.
Using a set of disco lights I positioned the silhouettes so the lights created a shadow, which moved as the lights changed colour.
As the lights moved so did my shadow people, giving the impression of the movement of the kiss, the shadowed imagery evokes an intimacy as though the audience is observing a private moment. The disco lights are representative of the club lights, and hot stage lights mentioned in my text.
I feel this workshop task allowed me to experiment with the context of the text segment, the shadows capture the softness of the moment I tried to create in my initial studies, whilst the coloured lighting creates a nightclub scene. I don't feel my 3D work is strong enough to pursue in development, but this study has inspired the incorporation of shadow and colour in my imagery.
Part Two, Development:
This study focuses on recreating the shadows and lighting which inspired me within the task within my 2D illustrations.
Creating this image I created silhouettes of two lovers similar to the cardboard cut outs but in block black, to recreate the shadows. I slightly blurred these shapes to capture the sense of movement noted in the changing of light colour. Further emphasising movement, and wanting to incorporate the linework drawings, I overlaid white line versions of the shadow shapes, using the image boxes to introduce the comic strip ideas. This was laid behind a blurred and morphed image of club lights.
I like the shadows created in this imagery, however the initial portraiture isn't strong, the inaccuracy of the shapes evokes feelings of awkwardness and hesitation which does not align with the intimate mood I was aiming to achieve.
Returning to my video responses, I recreated initial sketches from the video as digital portraits by scanning the original image and creating both a silhouette and line version of one frame. Line elements focus on the key shapes of the subject's faces to emphasise their form. Again I blurred and overlaid the portraits to recreate the sense of movement. I then edited the colours of the lighting, focusing on the pinks and reds to evoke feelings of passion.
This development is much stronger than the initial version, the bends of the lights merge with the forms of the lovers, emphasising the sense of movement and tying the image together. The shadows create the sense of intimacy I tried to capture, and the centralised text allows the image to flow well.
Workshop Three; Make a Special Book
Task One
Look at the book by Colin Sackett. Discuss what is interesting about this book? Make 3 observations about it.
"'Black Bob' comprises sixty-three double page spreads of an identical black and white image of a shepherd, a sheep-dog, a sheep and a flowing river in the background. The work is entirely visual, resembling a flip book. The sense of movement within the image (wherever it is first encountered) leads the reader to expect that there will be a development over the series of images, perhaps in the form of a picture story. This expectation is soon thwarted however as it becomes apparent through flipping back and forth that all the images are in fact the same." - V & A
How does it feel to read this?
Looking over the book, it feels as though I am looking for something, the intricate illustrations make me search for small details I may miss, whilst the repetitive imagery drives me to look for changes between the pages, even though there are none.
What sensation do you get?
The book gives me a sensation of wonder, I am drawn into the detailed illustrations and linework, yet perplexed by the lack of difference between each page.
What is the point of this book?
Perhaps the point of the book is to contradict the pattern of storytelling, and make the audience question how we consume narratives. Is there no narrative, as there is no progression? Or is the lack of movement and change, what creates the narrative itself?
What is happening?
A man - Bob - is walking through a woodland with his sheepdog and flock of sheep, perhaps the repetition of the image signifies a routine, that Bob repeats in the same nature of the book. The intricate detail bring the woodland to life, thin lines build up to create a thick, three-dimensional scene, the later seems to flow with the lines of the illustration, overall the image is moving, although it is static.
Task Two
Make 3 blank books by using paper folding. Make simple concertina’s or use the instructions on Padlet.
Making these three books, allowed me to experiment with format for the final design of my piece this term, with the plan to create a book. I would like to experiment with this further by formatting my digital designs as worksheets to cut out and shape in a similar way.
Task Three
Make a very quick book using one of the prompts below to generate content. Try to use experimental work generated in the workshops. You can use drawings from the Move it workshop, or secondary texts made in the Play with Text workshop. Create short narratives in your sketchbook first. Then apply to your book pages.
This concertina book aims to collage imagery narrations of segments of my text, collating key imagery from the workshop and development stages of this project. This allowed for experimentation on how to merge images within one another, illustrating a sense of movement and evoke a sense of passing time. I also experiment with how text is composed within my images.
There is a strong sense of movement captured in this piece by the flowing and sketchy linework. There needs to be further development on key images in this text, to strengthen the visual imagery. Furthermore the use of text is quite weak, although I noted the handwritten text is a key element of my concept, I think the same use of text makes the piece boring and overly wordy, I need to focus back on my initial responses in task one which experiment with creative textual layout.
Development:
For this development I wanted to focus on putting more detail into the sketches created in the workshop, to create similar concertina books. This was to develop the designs in preparation for creating some final designs. I wanted to explore linework and shading using markers, inspired by Black Bob and the detailed blackline work which made the book so effective.
These developed blackline illustrations take segments of text, and imagery from the workshop task 3, to improve the depth and narration of select designs. Analysis from left to right:
This image takes the line 'I shall tell you of cruel laughter' referring to discrimination and queerphobia. The repetition of the head creates the idea of endless laughter, while the boxed image with the 'ha's filling the empty space, creates a wall of laughter. This is representative of the sneering surrounding of laughter, felt when faced with a discriminatory joke. I like the image, but think this could be made busier, to further overwhelm an audience with the feeling of being laughed at from all directions.
This image takes the line 'when I watched myself shrink into nothing at all' referring to experiencing body image issues as a result of my queer identity, and a subsequent eating disorder. Mental health disproportionately impacts LGBTIQ+ individuals, therefore I wanted elements of mental illness to be evident in my text narration. The small figure sitting in the emaciated body emphasises an idea of helplessness, of feeling small and insignificant, and feeling out of control within your own body. Whilst the shadowy figure, and black shaded background emphasises the dark and twisted nature of an eating disorder. I would like to develop this further by beginning an investigation into life drawing to improve my composition of human form.
This image illustrates the line 'to do so would be to tear free from the flesh which wraps my bones', representing the idea of feeling trapped in ones body, and queerness being something which is inescapable. The hands tearing at the flesh illustrate that it is not just the individual who wants to break free from their queer identity, but others around them, while the zip is representative of unzipping your body as though it is an item of clothing, and something which we can choose. This image is powerful, but feel it can be developed to be more grotesque and representative of the pain which comes with trying to escape from my body.
This image narrates the line of text "Thinking the last thing I would hear on this earth was 'fucking faggot'" referring to an experience of hate crime, which I have discussed in previous lines. I wanted to capture a sense of pain in the illustrated bleeding eye, using fine line to create a watery look as though the beholder is holding back tears. Whilst the hand is bony, representing weakness, and dark black blood drips down the fingers, narrating the moment of pain. I think this is a nice contrast to the other images, using simple line and blank space to represent feeling small after being the victim of such an attack.
This final image is a development of image 2, adding depth with the use of shading to further create a scene of darkness associated with the line.
I then incorporated these developed designs into a new concertina book, exploring composition and text layout. Making this small book, I tried to create a contrast between simple line designs, and more detailed shaded designs. I also utilised empty space to incorporate text. Again I stuck to handwritten text. I want to develop these further, exploring bringing my collage into 3D book tests, and bring these designs into my digital work by recreating images as digital drawings.
Workshop Four
Your task today is to turn your text into a collection of ‘books.’ You will enter them into
a ledger/list. You need not make the books (for now), just invent them. Aim to create
at least 15 titles. The idea is to expand what your text could become. For inspiration,
look at existing books and at online book descriptions. You could start with looking at
descriptions on Amazon. Be as imaginative as you like. What is a book? You may
choose to create some of the books later, or they may never come into existence
To respond to this task I looked at some vintage paperbacks which have inspired my practice. I like how the vintage paperbacks act as a motif for the popular culture of their time, whilst their worn and faded quality gives a sense of time to the images. This therefore creates a visual archive of the story within the novel.
There are two styles within these paperbacks:
Traditional style which have a more novelty quality and reflect upon the imagery of comic strips I was initially inspired by. This uses slapstick over emphasised imagery and bold tabloid style titles and subtitles.
Experimental style, such as overlaid line drawings, abstract shapes and colour, and experimental composition which parodies the traditional layout of the paperback.
I feel the consideration of both these styles is important as it allows for a consideration of how I can begin to incorporate more illustrative line drawings with vintage found imagery, whilst still creating a sense of time and personality that relates back to the idea of a diary/journal.
Experimentation
To experiment with the idea of creating a book, and incorporating the inspirations of vintage paperbacks, I decided to create my own versions of some found paperbacks.
I decided on these two found covers as I felt they both coincided with imagery themes within my text. The left, with plumes of red which evoke imagery of smeared blood. The left with a faded dusk of warm yellows, purples and blues, evoking similar imagery of the stage lights I explored in the third workshop.
To give myself blank canvases for my own interpretations, I edited out text and imagery I didn't want in my final image, using the smudge tool, paint too, and clipping to cover unwanted images/text.
This final image illustrates "sweat exchanged in passing moments of a nightclub." I chose to centralise passing moments as I felt this was the integral phrase of the segment which narrates passing moments of love and queerness. To merge the edited segments with the overall image I overlaid a canvas filter which retained the blurred and faded quality. I also clipped a previous line drawing into the centre of the image, the sunlight then acts as a spotlight, representing a club stage light mentioned in the text.
I think this image is strong, the colours flow well, the dark blues creating a night scene, and the golds and yellows recreating stage lights. The lovers are quite clean in comparison to the overall image, perhaps I could be more experimental with line composition here.
I imagine if this was a book it would be about the romantic side to queerness, the feelings of love, and secrecy which so often clouds queer love.
This image narrates the line "I cannot peel away my queerness, believe me I have tried." I wanted to visualise a desire to be freed from your skin, a feeling of sadness so deep you would like to escape your own flesh. To create this I wanted a gruesome element, so used bones and dripping blood to evoke visceral feelings of horror. Whilst the hands represent the idea of peeling something from oneself, and tearing free.
In comparison with the first example, this image seems a little too clean in comparison to the overall image quality, this could be adjusted. Also there are some sections where the edited out images shows evident discrepancies, this needs to be refined to achieve more polished works. However, I feel the image manipulation is strong, and there is a sense of horror and disgust created in the image that can be developed on.
If this image was a book cover it would be about feelings of internalised queerphobia, an integral element to queer identity manifesting through mental health issues, depression, and self-harm.
Development Plan
During the workshop stage, I realised I wanted to focus on:
Developing my portraiture and hand drawn illustration with an aim to begin incorporating this more effectively into my collages. A focus on using found imagery and life studies to develop the strength of my portrayal of the human form.
Further research into collaging, to apply new found knowledge and technique to directly improve my collages.
Further exploration of the inspiration of the project - my 2014-16 journals - identifying strengths and weaknesses to develop my present process.
To do this I aim to complete the following studies as sets of experimentation:
Tactical collage, using magazines, found images and photography. In order to strengthen overall composition.
Photography focusing on key visual imagery found in my text, both to use within collage and in life drawing studies.
Series of life drawings in different mediums from hand drawn to digital.
Further exploration of incorporating text from my prose into designs.
Exploration of combining the above four experiments to begin to establish composition of developed designs.
To strengthen this process I plan to complete further research in terms of:
Collage artists who inspire my practice.
Analysis of extracts from the 2014-16 diaries which have inspired my concept.
Further exploration of queer narratives, and analysis of this research.
Collection of found objects and tactile images such as: pressed flowers, book pages, transport tickets, letters/notes, photographs.
Audience, peer and tutor feedback.