The future

Another way of looking at my project, is to look into the future. Instead of the past before the one who receives a postcard of there future selves memories. It could be of the present self being the one who receives postcards from there future self. I decided the best way to explore this idea would be to look into artist impressions of there idea of a futuristic landscape.

There are two different ways in which people have visualise futuristic landscapes, the first which is the most classic, yet becoming somewhat outdated is as below:

http://everypictures.blogspot.com/2009/10/futuristic-landscape-photos.html

 

 The reason I say that this design style is outdated isn;t because people having stop making concept like this, but because the new eco design ideas into homes is becoming a lot more popular and is our present future. I do like the style of this photograph and feel it is more like a hundred years on our future, although the rate at which the world changes we never know. The future is the unknown and is fascinating, it is a path which is lead out to happen, but I feel is not set in stone.

 

An illustration line drawing concept:

http://jay60.cghub.com/images/

  As I am not very experienced with digital style illustration, and I am more into traditional illustration. I wanted to look into other ways in which the future is shown in art and line drawing was also often found. This is something I could use and work with in my own project. It also relates to the idea of how the future isn't set in stone. The postcard could suggest this is how the future is to, but depending on your decisions in life you could basically rub it out and change it.

I talked about how there are two different versions of the future, the one which seems to be taking hold is as shown below:

http://everypictures.blogspot.com/2009/10/futuristic-landscape-photos.html  

The idea of this future is very green and environmentally friendly. Designs for buildings which would fit in this world have already but done and placed to be built and even built in some areas. The idea is to make a world which will last and we will all become more substainable with in it. 

   There are different ways to show this concept including another illustration line drawing design, and a concept idea of a single building:

http://fs-testserver-v2.com/editt-tower-by-trhamzah-and-yeang/?isalt=0

The design for this building is in the not too distant future as plan for it have already gone ahead in Singapore. The vegetation on the building allows for natural ventilation. It will be 55% self sufficient, it goes to show just how the world is becoming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This drawing simply had the text 'Organic building design' next to it with no other explanation. But again I like the style of drawing which would work with the same idea as the other line drawing, in my project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking into this futuristic idea has given me some ideas of one way to go about my project which I would like to start working on concept this week. To have a background of an illustrated world and in the foreground a billboard with a photograph of the modern world, showing how the world itself could change.

Past and present

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonepowell/3283244808/in/set-72157613841045343

I decided that I wanted to look into other people ideas of past and present, seeing similar images before to the one above I already had an idea of what I was looking for. Jason Powell whose flickr account I found these photographs from wrote his own reason for taking these photograph:

'Images are made by finding old photographs of places, printing them out, and then holding the print up in the modern day location that the original photograph was taken. So far, most of the historical images have been available for free at the Library of Congress.
Project was inspired both by my love of history and Michael Hughes' Souvenirs.'

The reason I like this photograph, and others like it; is because it shows how a place once was compared in the same photograph to the present day. You get a feeling for how the world changes around you but also see how it is the same, with building left static through time. Although I like the concept, of showing the difference in time withing one image, I do not like the way the hand is shown held up in the image, this seems to be a common theme within images recently such as some I am going to show later on. I do understand why the photographers have chosen to use the hand, because it is as though they are holding up one image and seeing the rest made up of what is in front of them. The image is leaking out into reality. 

I decided to take a look at 'Michael Hughes' as he inspired the work of Jason Powell example of his work below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_hughes/14310582/in/set-346406


The image above is very clever, and out of the series one of the more subtle and clever position images. The idea of his project was souvenirs which he would place in front of the objects themselves. The one above is of a lolly in the shape of the leaning tower of Pisa. This idea although doesn't relate to my project directly, some involve postcards as the souvenirs such as the one below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_hughes/496246900/in/set-346406

  

I like the photograph above because what is in the postcard has completely changed to the way the landscape is now, but the postcard itself holds an imprint of what once was.

Another style of this type of photography is illustrations mixed with photography by Ben Heine an artist I first saw while I was in the USA this summer, and his images have kept in my mind since:

 

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/benheine/5631996970/in/photostream/


The above image is similar to the others I have looked at because of the way a hand is used in the photograph holding an image over a real background. I found a short verse written on Flickr of why the artist has done this type of photography:

'Pencil Vs Camera" is nothing but the result of a long graphic exploration and a logic consequence of my artistic evolution. It's a new concept. My primary intention was to create a "battle field" between 2 disciplines: drawing and photography, mixing imagination and reality. The only boundary is my own perception of the world. It's a very exciting project because I can share "pieces of dreams" with the world through illusion and surrealism.'

I like the concept of using illustration and photography at the same time, as two of my main skills are photography and illustration; I would like to experiment with similar ideas involving both medias. I think this style of work would fit in well with the theme of postcards. I have started to work on my own illustration ideas which could fit into photography, so once i have scanned them I will upload them onto the blog.

 

Further visual research

My main skills are in photography and illustration so this is how I feel the practical element of my project will be presented. At this point in time I am not sure if I will use both mediums yet, but want to get a clear visual research basis, so that I can explore different ideas before deciding on my final. To start my visual research I thought it was best to look in techniques and styles which made me think of memories. Faded and black and white photographs came to mind, which gave me the idea of looking into colour popping.

Below is an example of colouring popping:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/tommysphotos/art/1753513-colour-pop-the-poppies



The general idea of colour popping is to introduce colour into a black and white photograph, by selecting an area which stands out. This to me pulls out a moment in time which can be focused on within the image. By thinking of the concept of old photographs being faded it gave me the idea of which I could do reverse colour popping, for example in the image have the background in colour and the person in black and white, which would show that you leave an imprint of yourself in time.


Walking through life, leaving imprints behind you, here is an example of this idea:

http://hersilent-thoughts.blogspot.com/2010/11/st-10-footprints-in-sand.html





Carrying on with the idea of imprints left behind you in your life, left me thinking about the some what cliche example of footprints in the sand. All through your life you go to the beach and repeat the same ritual of taking off your shoes and walking through the sand barefoot. The feeling on your feet brings you to a place in your mind where you remember all the moments in which you have done this previously. The prints left behind stay until washed away by the sea. The image of this itself shows a physical imprint, I feel I could take this idea into my own project but change it in my own personal way.

Looking back in your past, example idea:

http://cigarettesmokewillfollow.blogspot.com/2010/11/nirrimi.html

  

 My project of postcards from the future, gave me the idea of your future self looking back into the past. The image above doesn't directly link to this idea, but the concept of looking into a mirror and seeing something different then your own reflection. If i was to involve this idea in my own project, then the present self could be of an old lady looking into a mirror and seeing how she once was in the prime of her life.

 

Initial visual Research

 

http://musosguide.com/manic-street-preachers-postcards-from-a-young-man/11672

I started off my visual research by looking into the album 'Postcards from a young man' By Manic street preachers. The title of the album itself drew me towards it, as it links into my own ideas of postcards and memories. I found this review (on the link above) written about the album itself. It is said the this album shows the personal history of the band, bringing the abandoned Richie's words to life, and how the band no longer wanted to hid from their own history.  The album cover to me suggests that photographs hold those memories which otherwise could have been forgotten, they are a visual aids to our own mind.

When I first came up with the idea of postcards and memories, my first thought turned to the classic 'Wish you were here' and 'Greetings from.....' style postcards. Examples below:

http://editdesk.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/wish-you-were-here-8/

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/therapist-within/2011/07/2697-mindfulness-self-therapy/

The two images above are both good examples of postcards with the classic, popular and some what cliche sayings which you see all over the world, and many send to loved ones from there travels. Using similar sayings which relate more to my project such as 'Greetings from you future', 'Wish I was there again' and even the classic 'Wish you were here'. Would make people realise that the images were simply representing a memory they would show they were also postcards from the future, making my theme stronger and more present to the viewer of the project itself.