DESIGN NAME: Found
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Awareness
INSPIRATION: I suffer from anxiety and whenever I experience an episode the only way for me to relax is to go into a quiet space and imagine something symmetrical or to solve a pattern, essentially to find balance. Therefore the challenge was to identify patterns from studying the different found objects on a microscopic level. Then using parts of each element and juxtaposing them into what would essentially become its Elemental Face. Almost as if trying to give life to t
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This self initiated project was, like most ideas, born out of pure curiosity. As a creative it is vital to always stay curios, to not be afraid of exploring the unknown. This specific unknown is based on a world we can not see with the naked eye. I spent some time exploring my studio space, specifically the spaces between the floor boards, under the carpets and the usual places we tend to ignore. The concept was to show there must be something beautiful to be found in the least likely of places.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The main purpose of the designs is to serve as a meditative aid. The viewer should gaze into the depths of each piece. He or she should open their subconscious and allow the individual designs to evoke emotional experiences from their past. It should allow the viewer to face mental obstacles or it should simply allow them to just relax in a neutral state of mind. Essentially the shapes are recognisable, but as a whole, each design should be viewed as abstract expressionism.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in December 2018 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa and finished February 2019 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Photography and Photo Manipulation Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Each piece was made by photographing the corresponding element using a digital microscope. After carefully studying the different textures of each element, I then proceeded to juxtapose the selected series of photographs to create individual masks or faces for each element by mirroring one half of the mask using photoshop. Once each composition was complete I wanted to break the symmetry by adding complementing textural elements to each mask while still maintaining a balanced composition.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Each piece was made up of a series of microscopic photographs focussing on areas no larger than 4 x 4 square mm. After each composition was finished the final dimensions were 297 x 297 mm. The project is meant to be used as a meditative aid for self reflection by gazing into the depths of each piece.
TAGS: microscope, photography, photo manipulation, abstract expressionism, masks, symmetry, textures, balance
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: I started researching the idea of using a microscope to photograph textures in mid 2018. After allocating an affordable microscope I simply started capturing images in order to become familiar with the tool. I quickly realised that certain textures translate better than others. Smooth elements ended up looking to flat, where as elements like a puff of pet fur was too busy. Elements with a more structural base that consisted of rough textures had the best results. Once the compositions were made I had to research lighting treatment in order to maintain a 3D look and feel.
CHALLENGE: The first challenge was choosing the series of photos that made up each composition. While building each composition I had to pay close attention to the initial lighting of each photograph in order for the composition to make sense. The second challenge was that the microscope images were not the best quality. Two megapixels to be exact. Therefore I had to treat the images in photoshop to ensure the best quality for final viewing. Finally I didn't like that the designs were exactly symmetrical, so I added ambient elements to offset the symmetry very slightly while still maintaining balance.
ADDED DATE: 2019-02-15 08:45:52
TEAM MEMBERS (3) : Creative Direction: Chris Slabber, Photography: Chris Slabber and Photo Manipulation: Chris Slabber
IMAGE CREDITS: Image 1: Photographer and Designer, Chris Slabber, 2019.
Image 2: Photographer and Designer, Chris Slabber, 2019.
Image 3: Photographer and Designer, Chris Slabber, 2019.
Image 4: Photographer and Designer, Chris Slabber, 2019.
Image 5: Photographer and Designer, Chris Slabber, 2019.
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