Taking a step back

We all got some feedback individually from tutorials today which helped develop our ideas a bit more. After speaking with Geoff Kim, Dave and I thought more about editing our manifesto so it is more concise or really emphasising how long and unwieldy it is.
And, from their tutorial with Jim, Ali and Anna thought about looking at it on different levels - possibly three books. The original text, our creatures interpretation and then a scientific study of our creatures/ amoebas. So the last book would be really taking a step back and getting out of the amoeba world. It reminded us of this episode of the Simpsons. (see the video at 7mins 30 seconds)

Hidden Imagery

Today some of us talked to Goeff about using hidden imagery in our manifesto. Looking at colour-blind tests and optical illusions is pretty relevant. 

The Giver Chapter 9

Re-listening to this book (which is written for young adults).

It's about a society with lots of rules and it is peaceful. The story follows a boy who is singled out at the Ceremony Of the 12s (or coming of age), when duties or roles are given out (jobs).

Appreciation of individual talents.

Roles given to individuals so they can serve their community best.

Precision of language.

Rituals- The telling of Dreams, Sharing Feelings.

Suppression of 'love/lust' (called Stirrings)
No doors in are ever locked.
Family Units. Dwellings. Sleeping Room. The book of Rules.

The language and words used to describe things may be helpful when writing our manifesto.

This chapter is quite a good one if you've never read it- it's right after he is given his special job.

p.s. I just re-listened to Gathering Blue and The Messenger, which are sort of 'sequels' to this. It's really darn good (partly about a girl with a physical defect who has 'magic' in her fingers and makes threaded illustrations... yeah, i know!...). I've also started listening to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's another one about different human societies. It's great hearing how resourceful humans could be- how they get by, what they make... the way they live. Interesting to be sure!

Manifesto Draft

1. BE ACTIVE IN AMELIORATION

2. INFORMATION IS FOR SHARING

3. ALWAYS QUESTION

36.WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?

4. ENCOURAGE SHIFTS IN THINKING. OPEN MIND IS A HEALTHY MIND

5. BE PEACEFUL TO YOUR FELLOW LIVING THINGS

6.CONDUCT TRANSFERS OF KNOWLEDGE

7. EXPAND YOUR CREATIVITY

8. EXPAND YOURSELF BY ABSORBING YOUR ENVIRONMENT

9. BUT REMEMBER YOUR ENVIRONMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT YOU….RESPECT (SEE NATIVE AMERICAN IDEAS)

10.  FULFIL POTENTIAL

11. RECOGNISE THE BENEFITS OF CHANGE

12. REMEMBER, REALITIES EXIST ON MULTIPLE PLAINS

13. FOLLOW YOUR HEART

14. CONSIDER ALL LEVELS OF MEANING.

15. CONSTANTLY COLLECT

16. LOOK BEYOND

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

17. DISCOVER

18. RESPECT PRE-EXISTING IDEAS OBJECTS PLACES PEOPLES

19. WE DO NOT DWELL ON THE PAST, WE ONLY LEARN FROM IT

20. THINK LATERALLY. 

21. WE DO NOT EXIST IN A VACUUM

22. MISTAKES LEAD TO ORIGINALITY.

23. INTELLIGENCE IS DYNAMIC AND INTERACTIVE

24. OBSERVE

25. IMAGINE

26. CREATIVITY IS SOMETHING YOU'RE BORN WITH- YOU MUST RE-CONSTITUE YOUR CONCEPTIONS OF YOUR OWN CREATIVE CAPACITY

27. APPRECIATE THE CURIOSITY OF LIFE

28. DISCOVER YOUR TALENT

29. BE PREPARED TO BE WRONG, DO NOT STIGMATISE MISTAKES.

30. EVERYBODY STARTS FROM THE SAME PLACE.- WE ARE MADE FROM THE LIVING MATERIAL OF ALL THINGS

31. THERE IS NO LEADER, THERE IS ONLY POSITIVE INFLUENCE

32. DON'T MAKE HEIRACHIES BASED ON OTHER PEOPLE'S IDEAS OF STATUS AND IMPORTANCE

33. BEAR IN MIND, UNPREDICTABILITY

34. VALUE WHAT YOU DO

35. INDULGE IN THINGS YOU ENJOY

36. HONESTY PREVAILS

37.  ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

Manifesto Introduction

INDIVIDUALLY, WE ARE A DELICATE INSTRUMENT, TOGETHER, WE ENDOW YOU WITH LIFE. 


WE ARE MADE FROM THE LIVING MATERIAL OF OF ALL THINGS. 

WE HAVE LIVED FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.

WE HAVE COME TO REALISE THE THINGS WE VALUE IN LIFE AND THE BEST WAY TO PROGRESS AS LIVING THINGS. iN OUR SOCIETY WE VALUE WELL BEING, COMPANY, PROGRESS, COMMUNICATION. WE HAVE SPENT MANY YEARS GATHERING KNOWLEDGE FROM THE WORLD TO TEACH US HOW TO LIVE BY THESE VALUES. 

HERE IS WHAT WE LEARNT.

THREE INCHES IS A VERY GOOD HEIGHT TO BE!

Life cycle of a caterpillar

Lovely!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Snodgrass_Schizura_concinna.jpg

Risograph test prints

On Thursday we spent a few hours trying out the risograph printer as we are thinking of using it to print the final manifesto. It prints in layers like a screen print but is faster and inexpensive so would be ideal for our project as we are hoping to print quite a few with a view to selling some.
We wanted to experiment with how the colours overlay and what colours/ textures/ original material copies best. As well as different types of paper. Here are some of our experiments.

Altermodern Manifesto

ALTERMODERN
MANIFESTO

POSTMODERNISM IS DEAD

A new modernity is emerging, reconfigured to an age of globalisation – understood in its economic, political and cultural aspects: an altermodern culture

Increased communication, travel and migration are affecting the way we live

Our daily lives consist of journeys in a chaotic and teeming universe

Multiculturalism and identity is being overtaken by creolisation: Artists are now starting from a globalised state of culture

This new universalism is based on translations, subtitling and generalised dubbing

Today's art explores the bonds that text and image, time and space, weave between themselves

Artists are responding to a new globalised perception. They traverse a cultural landscape saturated with signs and create new pathways between multiple formats of expression and communication.

The Tate Triennial 2009 at Tate Britain presents a collective discussion around this premise that postmodernism is coming to an end, and we are experiencing the emergence of a global altermodernity.

This is a section from the Tate Britain website

Also the suggested manifesto of the Monster Raving Loony Party.

And the Declaration of Independence 

Also I like that this manifesto (cyberfeminism) states everything they are not about.

Another student's manifestos -thank you Joe Egan

My friend Joe had a project to graphically represent two manifestos earlier this year and I thought it would be relevant to look at the way he has done this.

The Happiness Project

Interesting blog about the persuit of happiness through a personal manifesto. 


"THE HAPPINESS PROJECT is the memoir of the year I spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier – happily, it was a #1 New York Times bestseller. As one of the hundreds of experiments I've conducted, I started this blog. Here, I recount my daily adventures in pursuit of happiness."
 – Gretchen Rubin

Manifesto Project

The next stage of our Society project is to write a manifesto on how our society works. This is HARD!
As a group we thought that our primary needs could be quite succinctly collected (amoeba concept, we just progress, learn, grow), and our work so far has been quite simple, with a target audience of children. I'm not sure we want to keep this for children but maybe go down the route of a philosophical approach- as in that we are a basic life form- what do we need to have a good life, learn, grow?
(This is a very quick summary of what we talked about)

Some research so far:

Sister Corita's rules-

> This video is from an amazing website, has loads of American lectures on interesting things. We thought this was really relevant:

Defecation- The Video.

Defecation. from Kim Smith on Vimeo.

Here is the final video. Sorry if it's still a bit loud near the end, thought I'd fixed it. Anyway...
DEFECATION!

little working stopframe!

Working on Defecation. from Jazz Greenhill on Vimeo.
(I'm sorry about the first picture- maybe jazz can edit that on vimeo!)

These were all taken by Jazz. [:

Thinking about titles. Kid's TV shows, Cartoons. Fun fonts. Idea is to hand draw them.
These are from the free DA FONT website.

working away...

It's Thursday and we are all working at my (kim's) house!
We have an animation station set up which I was working on earlier, and now Ali is slaving away :]
Anna and Alice are helping with cutouts and the animations.
Dave made a great soundtrack and now Jazz and Dave are recording the dialogue from the script we wrote.
My job is to pop it all together in Final Cut.

I was going to take pictures of this, but my camera is being used for the stop frame.
Getting things done!

Progress

Some base images from the animation.

storyboard for drawn section

Storyboard

This is our storyboard so far- bit of a work in progress...

first meeting.

On our first meeting, four of us did quick little drawings of our costumes to see how they work together as a 'family'

some references

OUR PRIMARY NEEDS

PROGRESS (SELF GENERATING)

COMMUNICATION

COMFORT

COMPANY