12/11/24
– Introduced personal approach to the project and relationship with father, intention to translate photos of his life in an attempt to conserve snd archive him in th midst of a ydifcitul relationship in his last years.
– Material is openly critical and celebratory as per upbringing
– Illustration method. Initially liked kids drawing contrast, reference Louis Rossignol, but that just wasn’t me. Images needed a parity. Started with an outline, adding writing, doodling, found imagery, photos I’d taken, documents. Quick, meaningful and collage-like style. Could spend 2 weeks developing the illustrations , no editing took place for immediacy.
– Presented as an interactive online piece, ideally a website, to include audio. Paper concertina version presented as a visual aid.
– Linear time, left to right feels right. Vision of lines onto of each other, for whole family. What happens when his line ends and we all continue?
What do you think is working? As a method of translation?
– Emily – a culmination of translations, photos to illustrations to type to memorabilia, like them all together.
– Jane – reminds her of overlaid graffiti text in first project, Methods of Investigation, it feels very warm.
– Highlighted levels of detail.
– Explained cultural ism of ‘NOT ARF’ to Sid, Cockney east London reference.
– Sid – sees that extras even of detail. So much more you was to put in, could spider out.
– Max – really like the illustrations. Like the warmth. Kind of balance between empathy and warmth and criticisms, but they’re less obvious. They’re getting a little lost, could they be brought out of separated out? Scaling them up?
– Highlighted criticism in there, “Trying to connect with you, Dad”.
Role of illustration is what? What is the illustration for me?
– Illos open the original photographs up, by brining all the things from the photo and audio, it opens ups like a flower, bringing stuff I didn’t know. Good and bad, it enriches the original material. Little tear on Mum’s face as a reference.
– Daniel Hopkinson, working mens club illustrations, as reference.
Further development…
– Could I appraise the illustrations? Apply a key to them? More structure, catalogue it? All illustrations at the moment are from the hip. Art Direct and appraise the illos in the next stage
– Max really likes illos, likes it when I’m adding handwritten text. Adding the typography (typefaces) doesn’t fit as well. Doesn’t blend in yet. Use illustration to blend them in more? Give some context to the tear?
– Interactivity- Sid. Animate certain aspects of the composition, a video, come in sequentially.
– Could this go out to a wider audience? He’s a BOOMER, could that work? Need to sanitise content a bit. Is there a way of making this culturally relevant in a broader sense, like THE DAD PROJECT and assisted dying?
– Could I access college resources – Javascript? 4DE Computing Lab with Sean, ask for some help with incrementing this with web design. Aesthetically working, bring in context like animated pieces, history pieces, enlarge documents.
– Could it be a type-on-photo project, where I commission illustrators I admire to write on photos about their fathers? In an attempt to bring those relationships closer. Boys Cry Too ref, mental health.
Takeaways:
– Wasn’t forcing development of this project. Finish of a day, try and force it overnight in my head, but then let the material lead. Pleased with this and the results.