10/03/11
From dada to drink

My research in to the reactionary performance and fantasy of the dada movement led me to thinking about the American speak easies that were being hidden away at around the same time in prohibition America. The bar owners were also reacting to outside circumstances and creating places of escape and excitement. I find this a really exciting concept idea for my space as it ties in perfectly with my previous work on the theme of escapism. Could I create a space for Lucy that has hidden and secret section?

Also I feel that SpeakEasy would be brilliant name for a place that offers bibliotherapy!

"To order one would 'speak easily' (in a quiet tone) and then be served a tea cup of gin or whiskey that would either be the 'real McCoy' or just brewed in someones bathtub"

I think Lucy would appreciate a secret hide away that serves gin in teacups! The idea of a speakeasy style space also fits in with my thoughts about escapism as a group or single pursuit. I am really inspired by my most recent research and feel I have found a good idea that I want to take forward and create some designs for.

My initial idea is for a space split in to two sections, at the front a bookshop/exhibition space for display and sale of Lucys work /books. Access is only granted to the second area/room after you have made a purchase, through a secret/hidden door, marking the transition between fantasy and reality as you enter the speakeasy a place to escape from the outside world, indulging in talking, reading, drinking tea, relaxing either with others or alone.

06/03/11
Dada meetings

The Dada movement was born in Switzerland as a reaction to WWI and anger at modern society. Artists, intellectuals and writers joined together to create 'non-art'. The artists were serious about their work but it was sarcastic, silly and frankly ridiculous yet amusing and enjoyable to those who went to the meetings and performances. It was an escape from the devastation going on outside as war raged and the Battle of the Somme saw hundreds of thousands of men killed.

"We held Dadaist meetings, charged a few marks admission and did nothing but tell people the truth, that is, abuse them. The news spread quickly and soon our meetings were sold out, crammed with people wanting to be scandalized or just after fun. Between insults we performed 'art,' but the performances were as a rule interrupted."

--George Grosz, The Autobiography of George Grosz [1955]

An example of a Dada performance; Hugo Ball performs his 'sound experiments' wearing a cardboard suit

"avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind"

Reactionary, Performative, Expressive, Distracting, Indulging, Fantastical, Ridiculous

06/03/11
Revisiting old ideas and coming up with new ones
Having spent the last month or so planning and making the look book and then the film I had got behind with things in my sketchbook as usually its easier to quickly blog an idea. Ive spent the last week catching up with that side of the project, revisiting past research has helped me to move forward and come up with a whole new set of ideas and a few potential concepts for my final space.

I had time to think about what I learnt from making my book and film, the look book giving me the idea of escapism and then expanding on that with the film. Thinking about escapism as an individual pursuit, how it means something different to everyone, we aren't all after a big green field. Can it ever be group experience as well? The butterfly 'character' in my film also made me think about Lucy and her role in Bibliotherapy, do we need someone to tell/show us how to escape?

An expression of my thoughts and ideas at this point in the project in the style of Picabia's The Dada Movement

In my look book I demonstrated the importance of tea breaks which is something I want to continue looking in to. I discussed it with Fabrizio in my last tutorial and he suggested escapism for him can be as simple as grabbing a tea/coffee from pret in the mornings before work. We also spoke about Dadaism and how they held vibrant meetings, poetry readings, performances in clubs and cafes in the 1920's. I found this really relevant and interesting, this could be the perfect environment for Lucy; creative, cosy, intimate, people talking and sharing, staging and storytelling. Its certainly something I will think about more closely.
I have also had ideas about escapism in terms of addiction, repetition, distraction from unpleasant reality.

20.02.11
Storytelling & Staging: My short film
Escape;

15.02.11
Practise using Windows Live Movie Maker
In my tutorial today Fabrizio said it would be ok to use whatever video editing program was easiest for us so I have made this very short piece on Movie Maker to practise. I don't have a mac and would like to be able to make my video on my own laptop so I have easier access to it so I think this is the program I'll use.
I took some quick photographs of the tortoise moving across my desk, uploaded them to movie maker and played around until I found how to change the duration each image is shown and sped the sequence right up to 0.50secs per slide. This is the finished 2 seconds of video!

14.02.11
Interesting collected items; Escapism short film
I went home this weekend and acquired some interesting items that I might use in my film. I have been researching animating objects and keep coming back to the idea of using these porcelain animals tying in with Lucy's collecting and imagery from my look book. My current idea is to use the figures as the protagonists for my film, they are escaping/looking for a safe place and could be seen in lots of different scenarios. Alternatively I could use them in one shot of the sequence but I am still undecided.
The piece of card with the heart cut out I think could also be useful, somehow...
Here are some other animals;




Sort of sweet looking yet depressing...

And a beaver with no face.

I also liberated this old suitcase from my parents loft after remembering this image I had collected of one being used as a puppet theatre. I thought it might be useful in the film in some way as it ties in with Lucy's style, my look book mood and something could escape from it/you escape on holiday when you pack a suitcase...

After looking at this website www.jellymongers.co.uk I have the urge to encase my porcelain animals in jelly and eat them free. I think they offer quite a good opportunity for a quirky, amusing yet slightly sinister film about escapism... acting things out through them? As i have blogged before,

'Could my film be lots of shots of animated objects 'escaping' and coming together at the end in some way to suggest a safe place or permanent home/environment?'

11.02.11
http://vimeo.com/19044038
I found one quite interesting video about Escapism called Curiouser by Michaela Lynch, she says the piece "explores the ideas of escapism through three different endings. While investigating what traps us, why we are miserable, why we want to escape." When i was watching it I didn't really feel escapism was being communicated to me, more the mundane of everyday and how it grinds you down. However visually I thought it was really attractive so have included some stills below. The one to the left was from the start of another film but I thought I would record it. Perhaps I might start my piece with a definition to set the tone?




I liked how the space fills up with boxes as the film goes on and reaches a denouement where everything becomes to much and she has to go to bed with the quilt over her head.



This film was just something I came across on stumbleupon.com, not really relevant, just a clever little film with interesting effects. And an interesting soundtrack.



I have included this film for its use of text in the video. It just something else I stumbled upon but I do really like it. The way the words illustrate the song and glide across the screen kind of draw you in to the music more.