LSM 2015-16

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Experiment 3

Evolution of the chicken, journey of the egg, the universe, and beyond. This piece has roots in my earlier piece utilizing the Möbius strip. I like the idea of an endless loop without much evolution, as I believe our existence and world is just part of a larger scale, continuously repeating loop: life, radical change to environment, extinction, repeat. We are just a small blip in one iterative loop of identical cycles. As to the actual components of the piece, there are a few worth further explanation. The grey line in the background was used to ground the eye, create a horizon rather than have the egg floating in the screen. The scale of the piece makes a massive difference to interpretation and to understanding of the data presented. To process it more effectively it has to be large, when making the piece I used my laptop which has a relatively small screen but also linked up to a large screen television. I found that on a small scale there was much less impact, which could be attributed to the lack of noticeable detail. On the larger screen the animation is much more effective. I would actually like to see the piece as a projection m, larger than life to see if that makes more of a difference, but for the showing of this piece the television in the space we chose had the impact I desired. The piece is composed of about 250 single images presented in a stop motion effect. I felt the jerkiness and intentional pauses stop motion creates lent a feeling of anxiety to the piece. I did not want smooth transitions and a smooth flow, I felt the feeling of skips and breaks in the stills created more tension and unease. As for the actual imagery, rather than hatching, the eggs consume themselves in an almost cannibalistic manner. The chicken then forms out of the almagamation of the two halves (which can metaphor for reproduction) rather than hatching from the egg. Then close up of the chicken shows the universe in the eye, which brings up the question of the chicken being part of the universe or encompassing the universe within itself. Then we see the universe implode and become an egg, so does the chicken create the universe or does the universe create the chicken. The morphing nature of the egg when it consumes itself is inspired by several Escher works; particularly Bond of Union, Stars, Gravity, and Double Planetoid. The pieces by Escher seem to often fold back in on themselves, never ending iterations that have no evolution nor any direction other than familiarity through repetition. Bond of Union has an interconnected was that I tried to emulate in my piece, the two beings while unraveling are still of the same material. Double Planetoid seems to expand outward but simultaneously fold back into itself, another technique I tried to employ in my animation, the egg expands and retracts continuously confusing the viewer to its actual size and relation to the universe. The influence from Stars is the feeling of space and the universe as well as the presence of creatures seeming to lurk. Gravity has a feeling of a being trying to emerge from the geometric shape, struggling to escape, the chicken in my animation is comparable to that being, it tries to break free but is eventually pulled back into the force that contains it. The journey of the egg, the loop without much aim rather than surviving the day is derived from the feeling evoked in The Road. The film focuses on the man and son's survival, there is no other goal but to live, no radical plot twist or ultimate goal, it is a simplistic act that many of us don't consider on a daily basis. For most inhabitants of first world countries, survival has become a common involuntary action, like breathing. We can control it but often it is subconscious and not at the forefront of our mind, The Road draws attention to this and focuses our attention on such a mundane task. The time space continuum universe aspect is inspired by Hollinger, the clip is on a continuous loop that doesn't have a definitive start or beginning. The "evolution" is cyclic so it seems it could start at any time or could represent time travel as it reverts back to its former state continuously. References Escher, M. C. (1948) Stars. [wood engraving]. Escher, M. C. (1949) Double Planetoid. [wood engraving]. Escher, M. C. (1952) Gravity (aka Gravitation). [mixed media]. Escher, M. C. (1956) Bond of Union. [lithograph]. Hollinger, V. (1987) Deconstructing the Time Machine. Science Fiction Studies, 14(2)201-221. Hillcoat, J. (dir.) (2009). The Road. [film] New York: Weinstein Company.

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Critical Reflection to Experiment 3

My work for this experiment struggled with a slow creative start, given the opening focus on creating the experiment brief itself. Once this was completed, the task of wrangling together all of the ideas was at hand. 

Horrific Time was the main theme for the experiment, however following discussions with Dean and Rob, the suitability of themes regarding mapping, travel and journeys was discovered as a possibility. As a result, the idea of the journey or travel in a post-human world or environment was the one theme that stuck with me creatively, and seemed like a challenging task as a way of rethinking a timeless piece of human technology; the map.

Maps stand as the symbol of human mastery over geography, and represent an archive of exploration and cohesion. By positioning this technology in a conversation about the post-human suggests that all previous history imbued in the map form is irrelevant and abandoned. As a result, the formal implications of dimension were the first boundaries disregarded. This ties in with Escher’s artwork; the most influential apparatus for this experiment. His fascinating geometric structures in his two dimensional artwork defy possibility, and as a result, this style seemed perfect for reimagining maps beyond the human. 

I should emphasise that maps came about at the topic given the selection of The Road as one of the apparatus, in which the lead characters are on a journey through a desolate post-event (apocalypse?) world, their end goal seemingly unknown. The title of the film itself points towards the meaning of the film being found in the journey that these characters undertake, rather than the outcome. Maps are designed to clarify the route to the outcome in simplistic Cartesian terms, and therefore dwell little on the importance of anything on the route. Directions rarely give instruction to take not of a passing cloud or interesting geographic formation. 

By manipulating the imagery associated with Ordnance Survey maps for our intentions, the metaphor becomes rendered in our own two dimensional representation of a three dimensional space, which draws directly from Escher.

However in an attempt to extend beyond Escher’s dimensional limitations, the project is intended to be rendered into a three dimensional space, the logistics of which are yet to be established. 

Overall, the final images of the project look underwhelming, but represent my technical limitations in three dimensional renderings, and hopefully represent the culmination of my conceptual response to the apparatus provided. 

References

Burroughs, W. S. & Kerouac, K. (2008). And the hippos were boiled in their tanks. New York: Grove Press.

Escher, M. C. (1948) Stars. [wood engraving]. 

Escher, M. C. (1949) Double Planetoid. [wood engraving]. 

Escher, M. C. (1952) Gravity (aka Gravitation). [mixed media]. 

Hollinger, V. (1987) Deconstructing the time machine. Science Fiction Studies, 14(2)201-221. 

Hillcoat, J. (dir.) (2009). The Road. [film] New York: Weinstein Company. 

Kerouac, J. (1997) On the road. New York: Viking.

(Some references to be added). 

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Response to Experiment 3

After viewing all of the apparatus’, and reflecting on the conversations had in the first workshop regarding this experiment, the productive response has been awkward to formulate. 

The experiment devised by myself and Adrian was designed to be intentionally open ended, leaving any and all responses the opportunity to dive off into any tangent deemed relevant. As a result, my response to the task has taken a theme and ran with it.  

Inspired by Escher’s geometric formations, I placed Ordnance Survey Maps onto 3D shapes within photoshop, as a proof of concept for what will (hopefully) form a physical rendering in the following exhibition. The choice of maps as the texture for these shapes comes from the themes of journey and travel from The Road, but also from the conversations regarding travel from the first workshop. Within that workshop was the suggestion of manipulating the visuals of a roadmap within physical dimensions. 

Maps are two dimensional tools, so by transcending dimensions, the function of a map is distorted. Some sense can still be made perhaps, but the more complex and Escheresque the geometry, the more complex and impenetrable the map becomes. As a result, I planned to morph the 3D shapes together, to create my own ‘Gravity’ piece. 

The outcome is the following image, which currently stands as a proof of concept for the final construction, which may formalise in a different way. 

The image essentially shows the sort of construction to be created, attempting to morph together the different mapped landscapes in a similar way to which the concepts and themes have been morphed together, to create a new understanding or landscape, literally in this sense. 

Reflecting on all of the content that has contributed to this experiments endpoint, I can say that I have tried to produce something new and unique, that whilst not artistically stunning or even attractive is a marked attempt to render the discussions of journey in a post-map and post-human sense. 

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Unravelling Hollinger

Veronica Hollinger’s piece ‘Deconstructing the Time Machine’, published in the Science Fiction Studies Journal in 1987, works through various iterations of time machine technology in relation to linguistics, space and representations in media objects, whilst continuously referencing academics like Derrida (heavily) and Barthes. 

The piece looks into the Grandfather paradox, presented by Larry Niven. The idea of the paradox is built on the frailty of time-travel when travelling back in time to alter the past. If a grandfather invents a time machine, but his grandson uses it to travel back in time to kill him, before he ever met the grandmother, sired the father, or invented the time machine, does the grandson ever exist at all?  Time travel is always potentially deconstructive. p204.

The idea of time loops is also presented, reminding me of the mobius strip pieces that Adrian posted about in the previous experiment. The word loop also reminds me of films like Groundhog Day, and more obviously Looper, which fits perfectly into these discussions of time travel affecting the future. 

The most useful aspect of the piece for my concerns are the notions regarding time in terms of spatiality. Language speaks of time in spatial metaphors and produces the concept of time travel. p202. By visualising time in spatial terms relates to the already spatial theme of my evolving idea as it stands. Representing the concept visually in a physically rendered object in three dimensions allows the viewer to rethink concepts of space, given the influence form Escher’s artwork. 

The aforementioned paradoxical nature of some time travel theories links to the optical illusions of Escher, with both seemingly impossible from the fixed perspective of reality. If we take these themes going forward, the four apparatus’ have been drawn together succinctly, each providing an aspect to the final response being developed. 

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Idea so far

Combining the themes I have taken as inspiration from The Road (found in this post) with the Escher themes from this post, my current ideas are to construct a shape using (road)maps to reflect the convoluted nature of a journey, referencing the issues of human mastery over space (demonstrated through comprehensive mapping for example). The proposed shape will attempt to reflect an impossibility, akin to the images Escher often published, in an attempt to provide a visualisation of the opposite of human mastery. 

By constructing a three dimensional object, plastered in maps, the object can be placed into a space, and observed from all angles. For this to happen, possibly hanging the object from the ceiling will provide the most accessibility for those interested in viewing. With this in mind, I’ve began sketching possible formations for the structure, which I’ll post once completed. 

The next stage is to look through the Hollinger apparatus, in an attempt to clearly tie together the themes from all provided apparatus. 

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The Road is now clear

The Road, directed by John Hillcoat in 2009, tells the story of a father and son, walking through a post-event (cataclysm, apocalypse?), looking to stay alive and avoid hunters and cannibals. 

After several encounters with both aggressive and passive travellers, the pair are low on supplies, morale and energy. An arrow wound rapidly deteriorates the health of the Man, who dies shortly after. The Son is then effectively adopted by a family that have been following the pair for a while. 

This is only a short summary of the story, however the main themes to take away from the film for our concerns are of the journey, rather than the destination. The title of the film suggests to us that the most important part of this tale is that the characters are on a journey, and given that their intended destination is never stated or obvious, this remains as the foremost concern for the characters. Surviving from day to day, finding supplies and avoiding confrontation become more important that finding the greener grass, a narrative present in many apocalypse films (see Children of Men etc). 

The film was chosen for a piece of apparatus for this experiment due to its post-anthropocentric themes, given the fall of recognisable civilisation and widespread cannibalism practices. However the main aspect I’ve taken away for my own experiment response is, quite simply, that of the road, the journey being more important or worthy of more attention than the destination itself. 

This ties into some of the topics of discussion made in the 16/3/16 workshop, posted about here. With three of the apparatus’ reviewed, as well as some surrounding pieces, a clear idea of using mapping as the basis of imagery for any constructed response to the piece is coming together. 

The next post will quickly summarise the ideas I have regarding the final response for this experiment, and then I will look into the final piece of apparatus as well as any other supporting pieces of relevant content. 

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Escher Inspirations

The given artworks for this experiment are from the Dutch artist M. C. Escher, known for his geometric art, and print work.

Gravity, sometimes known as Gravitation, depicts a seemingly impossible structure, with a number of protruding limbs, reaching out to connect with one another. The concept of manipulated perspective and dimensions in also present in the other works being used as apparatus for this experiment.

Stars, apparently a compound of three octahedrons, shows a cosmic version of Escher’s complex geometric artistry. Within the structure, we can see two chameleons, against a black backdrop containing other complex structures. Immediately, the concepts of complex geometry are coming forward as one of the main themes of Escher’s work. 

The final piece of Escher’s work being used as a piece of apparatus for this experiment is Double Planetoid, another piece of work utilising the combination of three dimensional shapes, in a two dimensional piece of art. This particular work combines two triangular pyramids, one adorned with natural geography and the other decorated with manmade structures. Having these two pyramids entangled provokes thoughts about the combination of humanity and the natural world. I am also reminded of Wark’s thoughts on the layers of nature, with the first layer being geographic. All in all, this piece of artwork from Escher is the one that is most thought provoking for my interests in this experiment. It provides basis for discussion in the areas of human agency in relation to nature, on dimensionality and space as well as geometry and art. 

To tie these artworks into the thoughts presented in previous posts, manipulation of dimensions and geometry is becoming a strong theme, and consequently, something I intend to include in my final response to the experiment.

A quick word on the final response; I am interested in creating a physical object that can be placed into a space and interacted with, and given the apparatus reviewed so far, I think that attempting to create a shape that resembles Escheresque geometry whilst reflecting the other themes would be the best response at this time.

Following posts will review the remaining apparatus, and then begin to construct the final response, with a view to considering the subsequent exhibition of the modules works. 

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And the Hippos were boiled in their tanks...

Burroughs and Kerouac came together in 1945 to write this novel as part of the Beats Generation, however it laid unpublished until 2008 due to concerned parties (namely the accused murderer Lucien Carr) remaining alive. 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/dec/06/beat-poets-kerouac-ginsberg-william-burroughs

The novel tells a fictionalised version of Burroughs and Kerouac’s experience of being arrested upon suspected murder, however for the purposes of the experiment, we will be focusing particularly on the opening chapter. Chapters are lead by characters, either William Dennison or Mike Ryko, which is generally agreed to represent Burroughs and Kerouac themselves respectively. The opening chapter is from the perspective of Dennison (Burroughs). 

Following a first reading of the piece, the chapter starts normally enough, finding the character at 3.45 in the morning, just returning home from an evening of drinking. Events quickly descend into pandemonium, with characters eating crushed glass, followed by a serving of razors with mustard. The preposterousness of this situation is heightened due to the extremity of the lateness. The dead of night offers the possibilities of deviant social behaviours. 

Immediate thematic connections with the task at hand are drawn in relation to time, given the prevalence of time as a theme and topic across the previous experiments. Unthinkable time, inhuman time, and rethinking timelines have all been approached in the experiments leading up to this final experiment. Reviewing these in relation to the Burroughs and Kerouac literature, I am lead to think about the extremes of time, and how they distort the boundaries of reality. That which is extreme is more accessible in the lateness of night, demonstrated by ‘And the Hippos...’, which opens creative possibilities for this experiment to address. 

Up next, we will look into how Escher’s work can support our ideas, and develop new creative outlets for the actualisation of our response to the experiment. 

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Workshop Notes (16/3)

After presenting the first draft of the experiment sheet to Rob and Dean, found here, we discussed ideas that arose.

Given the consistent focus on human and inhuman throughout the module, we aimed to involve anthropocentric themes, looking at the mastery of humanity over earthly space, with technologies like maps providing dominance and omniscient knowledge.

Conversation turned towards notions of mapping, which came up previously on the course through Mckenzie Wark, and his overlaying maps of connections. As a result, themes of roadmaps came to the fore in conversation, with suggestions thrown around like having actualised roadmaps in a physical space, perhaps aligned with Escher-esque visual trickery and optical illusions to add a dimension of impossibility.

Dimensionality is another important aspect of the project, with dimensions being something addressed in a number of apparatus, as well as in previous experiments. In projects, this may be approached in an infinite number of different ways, with not only space but time also being manipulatable, as well (theoretically) any as yet undiscovered dimensions.

Somewhat iconically iconoclastic artists and authors were discussed, starting with Burroughs, moving through to Kerouac and the Beats Generation, and also mentioning the photography of Robert Frank, whose work detailed a gritty reality of American life, opposed to the idealised American Dream.

In summary, the conversations touched on topics of human mastery and disillusionment (in terms of visual, spatial and emotional), as well as the concept of anthology, or how to combine multiple works into one larger piece.

The next stage of developing my response to this experiment will be to work through the apparatus in relation to each other, building on some of the topics presented in this post.

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Experiment 3

Human and Inhuman in the 21st Century

EXPERIMENT #3:

The Horror of Time; The Here and Now

“Time travel is always potentially deconstructive, effecting as it does a displacement of the human “here and now” upon which we tend to base our interpretations of reality.”                

                                                                                -Veronica Hollinger

INTRODUCTION/AIM

The previous experiments have explored timelines and archaeology, both tied into the idea of time and temporality. This experiment continues in that vein, looking at how time is horrific, and can form the basis of horrific experiences. The extremes of time can provide the basis for fictional explorations of horror, like the apocalyptic film The Road, set in a timeless apocalypse, or Burroughs and Kerouac’s fiction.

Time travel is another extreme possibility, which many have tried to envisage. Hollinger suggests it offers up destructive qualities, though alternate opinions on the outcomes of time travel exist, and some see it as the pinnacle of human technological advances.

This experiment will draw from the discussions of time from Experiment 1, exploring the possibilities of inhuman time, with more specific references to geometry and spatiality.

DURATION OF EXPERIMENT

3 Weeks (+2 for Easter)

METHOD

To develop an installation or exhibition to demonstrate an experience that utilises the concept of horrific time.

We will present our findings to the group in the form of a planned exhibition, either in the form of an installation or something similar. This will also form the basis of the exhibition in the following week, which may take on content from other experiments.

As ever, guidance on the uses and techniques of specific media can be provided on request.

APPARATUS

·      ARTWORK: Works of M.C. Escher, particularly Gravity (1952), Stars (1948) and Double Planetoid (1949)

·      LITERATURE – J. Kerouac and W. Burroughs “And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks” (Written 1945, published 2008).

·      FILM – “The Road” (dir. John Hillcoat, 2009).

·      ARTICLE – Veronica Hollinger (1987) Deconstructing the Time Machine. Science Fiction Studies. 14(2) 201-221.

LABORATORY REPORT

Your laboratory report, submitted to the collaborative blog must include the following (note that the report can be split over several blog posts, i.e. it can be produced as the idea develops):

·      Results

     o   Full experiment response

     o   Final exhibition plans, ready to exhibit the following week

·      Conclusions

     o   Written reflection on the process, drawing critically on the concepts and themes explored (please reference and/or link to cited material). You are encouraged to further explore the ideas and methods introduced in this experiment, perhaps in combination with other apparatuses, in your own time.

Your report must be submitted to the blog by 10am, Wednesday 6th April, 2016.

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Newly Discovered Lovecraft

A long-lost Lovecraft manuscript has recently been discovered, which seems wonderfully fitting. 

His work has been brought out of history, and into the present. 

Just thought this was an interesting idea, given our area of interest. 

http://www.cnet.com/news/lost-lovecraft-manuscript-penned-for-houdini-found/

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More on Experiment 3 (Apparatus)

After attending the 2 March 2016 “Horror of the Anthropocene” lecture, I noted a few authors/pieces that might be worth more exploration (listed below):

Samuel Beckett short story, 2014, Echoes Bones Story was a nightmare, according to editor Not published until 81 years after being written

Darkening Garden - Klute

Veronica Hollinger

Thacker, In the Dust of This Planet

Stewart Kelly, Blog about Horror

The Road (film and book)

Alex and I decided on using The Road (film) and a piece by Veronica Hollinger, Deconstructing the Time Machine (La déconstruction de la machine du temps). I’ve noted a few excerpts from the piece, that would be applicable, below:

“The idea of time travel has for many years exercised the ingenuity not only of SF writers, but of scientists and philosophers as well; neither the equations of quantum physics nor the rules of logic have managed definitively to prove or to disprove the possibility that this most paradoxical of SF concepts may some day be realized.' The purpose of this present essay is to examine some aspects of time travel within the framework of Derridean deconstruction, since, as I hope to demonstrate, the time-travel story always achieves a deconstruction of certain received ideas about the nature and structure of time.” (Hollinger)

“As linguistic construction, time travel is never "true," but its very status as pure sign gives rise to one of its most valuable functions within the SF genre: the time-travel story provides literary metaphors of our ideas about the nature of time; it is a means of working out the logical (and the not-so-logical) implications of our interpretations of this most nebulous aspect of human experience.” (Hollinger)

“Time travel is always potentially deconstructive, effecting as it does a displacement of the human "here and now" upon which we tend to base our interpretations of reality.” (Hollinger)

“If the reading of time takes place within the paradigm of Classical Physics, temporal structure will tend to be linear, homogeneous, and consecutive; on the other hand, relative time is nothing if not a "post-structure," tending towards heterogeneity and indeterminacy.” (Hollinger)

“ This "inevitable drift" of the stars is both a fact of Wells's narrative universe and a resolutely spatial metaphor for the fixed structure of time.” (Hollinger)

“When time is read as Work, SF tends to function metonymically-that is, as extrapolation-since temporal structure is comprised of a rational and successive series of cause-and-effect events. Temporal free play is usually limited to forward movement in time; the "scandal" of temporal paradox is quite firmly excluded from the game.” (Hollinger)

“Scientific discourse admits its own status as metaphor. Time has no reality outside of our interpretations and it invites a potentially vast variety of possible ‘readings.’“ (Hollinger)

“As as point of reference, the time traveller acts as both the functional (not absolute) center of the temporal structure and as a floating signifier released from any fixed relationship to that structure. Time-travel stories, then, are never "really" versions but are always subversions of traditional temporal structure; their absolute rejection of an absolute Present works to negate the very concept of temporal Presence.” (Hollinger)

“Time is the machine which will eventually crush the life out of the very universe.” (Hollinger)

“Wells's repudiation of "the anthropocentric fallacy" (Philmus & Hughes: 8) is demonstrated both in the disappearance of the human race from the universe of the far future and in the disappearance of the Time Traveller him- self from the universe of the story.” (Hollinger)

“Parallelling this subversion of logocentrism in Wells's text is the displacement of the human subject from the center to the periphery of natural structure, and, finally, to a point outside the picture altogether. This movement is analogous to the reversal of the evolutionary process which the Traveller discovers to be the fate of humanity. If we view the time from which the Traveller embarks as one in which humanity is the center and meaning of the natural world, then the world of 802,701 is one in which the Eloi and the Morlocks are less central and more marginal-that is, less "human" and more "natural"-than before; in the distant future at the end of the world, humanity is no longer even a peripheral presence but a complete absence.” (Hollinger)

“[Referencing Wells’ work] The "object" has overwhelmed the "subject" in a deconstructive reversal of the traditional scientific conviction of the power of the Cartesian res cognans over the res extensa.” (Hollinger)

“The Time Machine is essentially an exercise in aporia, an oscillation between the desire for presence and the awareness of absence, between the objectivity of extrapolation and the subjectivity of metaphor, between-one is tempted to add, given its historical moment-the 19th century and the 20th century.” (Hollinger)

“It [The Time Machine] attempts at once to displace a smug humanity from its privileged position at the center of creation and to remind us of our ineluctable ties to the natural world.” (Hollinger)

References:

Hollinger, Veronica. Deconstructing the Time Machine (La déconstruction de la machine du temps). [online] Available from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4239816 (Last accessed 11/03/2016).

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Experiment 3 continues

Following class Wednesday, Alex and I met to discuss possible apparatus additions for this project. Having little guidelines other than a blank module template, we’ve sought to tie in the final experiment with our existing work and to incorporate suggestions from the lecture I attended, Horror of the Anthropocene. (mentioned below, in Alex’s post).

We decided to include “The Road” as one apparatus, which was discussed in depth at the lecture and I viewed the other day. Alex has already mentioned this as well as Burroughs’ work, so to avoid seeming redundant, I’m only briefly mentioning them.

After Wednesday, I was tasked with finding an Escher piece that would tie in with our experiment. I read up a bit more on his background and found the following:

“[Escher] was a sickly child who was interested in carpentry and took music lessons, but failed his final school exams, except for mathematics.” (Poole)

"Escher then studied for a few years at the School for Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem, but he abandoned architecture to try to carve out a career as a graphic artist.” (Poole)

"After failing his high school exams, Maurits [Escher] ultimately was enrolled in the School for Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem. After only one week, he informed his father that he would rather study graphic art instead of architecture, as he had shown his drawings and linoleum cuts to his graphic teacher Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, who encouraged him to continue with graphic arts.” (MCEscher.com)

"Escher was admired mainly by mathematicians and scientists, and found global fame only when he came to be considered a pioneer of psychedelic art by the hippy counterculture of the 1960s.” (Poole)

“But Escher did not belong to any movement. In a 1969 letter to a friend, he observed testily that 'the hippies of San Francisco continue to print my work illegally.’” (Poole)

“[Escher on Ascending and Descending] That staircase is a rather sad, pessimistic subject, as well as being very profound and absurd...Yes, yes, we climb up and up, we imagine we are ascending; every step is about 10 inches high, terribly tiring – and where does it all get us? Nowhere.” (Poole)

Escher has done many pieces, but I wanted to focus more on works that induced a sense of horror. My choices were influenced by the H. P. Lovecraft pieces we reviewed, these seemed as if they would easily be companion pieces to his stories. I also chose them based on the idea of temporality and space, which runs through many of his works and ties into my previous piece as well as Alex’s work. I’ve linked a few that at first viewing were perplexing, horrific, and impossible. These are initial ideas and Alex and I mean to utilize the blog to work through selections, aka Alex what do you think of these?

Gravity

1952 Lithograph and watercolor. 297mm x 297mm

Stars

1948 Wood engraving in color

Double Planetoid

1949 Wood engraving in green, dark blue black and white, printed from 4 blocks, second state

Bond of Union

1956 Lithograph. 339mm x 253mm

References:

M. C. Escher Biography. [online] Available from http://www.mcescher.com/about/biography/ 9Last accessed 11/03/2016).

Poole, Steven. The impossible world of M. C. Escher. [online] Available from http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/20/the-impossible-world-of-mc-escher (Last accessed 11/03/2016).

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Experiment 3 Begins

The final experiment for this module gives us no point of departure, no apparatus, and no method. As a result we are left to create our own, and then respond to the experiment as we would normally. 

Considering this experiment follows on from the previous 2, the momentum carried through the module will continue, meaning our chosen apparatus, method and style should all be informed by this experiments predecessors. 

Following on from Adrian’s and my own response to experiment 2, we chose to start with Burroughs and Escher as possible apparatus starting points. In a meeting we also agreed that a feature film and at least one academic work would form the remaining apparatus. 

Literature - ???

Art - ???

Film - ???

Academia - ???

Adrian then attended ‘The Horror of the Anthropocene’ lecture, hoping to garner some anti-anthropocentric material. From the session, Adrian suggested we should consider looking at works from Veronica Hollinger and Eugene Thacker. Another suggestion was from The Road.

We have chosen to take The Road as the feature film apparatus, given the films post-extinction-event setting. 

After searching through Burroughs’ catalogue for something that might work with the modules theme, I found his collaboration with Jack Kerouac, namely ‘and the hippos were boiled in their tanks’. The full work is some 200 pages, however the opening chapter will provide enough material for the development of an experimental response. 

This gives us two of the targetted 4 apparatus that we are aiming for, and a meeting tomorrow will help us finalise the last two. The following step will then be to agree on a method and title for the experiment, before developing our responses. 

Literature  - Burroughs & Kerouac ‘and the hippos were boiled in their tanks’

Art - ???

Film - The Road (dir. John Hillcot, 2009)

Academia - ???

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Experiment 2 - Critical Reflection

Reflection

At the end of this experiment, more so than any of the other experiments, I am interested in pursuing the results further. The concept of having physical, tangible and interactive objects to demonstrate a concept really helped to work through ideas, and commit something to reality. In doing this, my idea becomes fixed, and therefore I am restricted to having a finite and final concept (there is still some availability for tinkering, but this is more final than written ideas).

Reflecting on the apparatus, there was no clearly dominant influencing piece, but the work developed as a culmination of strings of content from a range. If I had to choose the most influential apparatus, it would be the discussions and conversations undertaken in the sessions and workshops. These conversations developed as a collaborative undertaking, which was unfortunately the limits of collaboration with the development of this piece. However to combat this, the interactive element of the final output is a conscious effort to incorporate the ideas of others. By allowing participants to create their own timelines, and also suggest and perhaps create new squares, the concept is open to expansion, development and interpretation. 

During the development of this piece, rather serendipitously, I was listening to a song by C R O W N called ‘Tension of Duality’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=badcNkuoSQs) in which the lyrics pointed suggested evolution did not end with the creation of the human. This song used writings by William Burroughs, an American Novelist, and helped me to maintain my thinking about evolution in non-anthropocentric terms. As a result, the final project intends to provoke non-anthropocentric ideologies in the minds of the participants, that may not have existed before. 

In summary, I am interested in developing this concept further, perhaps for a future experiment or festival experience. Early ideas include a space in which participants are presented with a range of (well produced) squares (perhaps interlinking, like jigsaw pieces) to create their own evolutionary pictures. The idea is to work outside of the concept of linearity, although it would be interesting to see if participants initially tend towards using lines. The space could also be illuminated and aurally resemble a nebula, to add an affective perspective to the experience, contributing to the overall feeling of non-human evolution. 

References

Carruth, S. (dir.) Primer. [film] US: erbp.

Carruth, S (dir.) (2013) Upstream Colour. [film] US: erbp.

C R O W N. (2015) Tension of Duality [CD track] 10 mins. 20 secs. Natron. Wallingford, UK: Candlelight Records. 

Johnson, R. (dir.) (2012) Looper [film] California: Endgame Entertainment.

Watts, P. (1999) Home. [online] Available from http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/PeterWatts_Home.pdf. (Last accessed 02/03/2016). 

Woodard, B. (2009) Dark Vitalism [online] Available from https://naughtthought.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/dark-vitalism/. (Last accessed 02/03/2016). 

Zylinska, J (1999) Minimal Ethics for the Anthropocene. London: Open Humanities Press. 

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Experiment #2

“Biological evolution is defined as any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. These changes may be small or large, noticeable or not so noticeable.”

“Biological Evolution is essentially the process whereby new species arise from earlier species by accumulated changes. By extension, as this process of speciation proceeds with time, increasing numbers of species appear, becoming increasingly different”

Inferred from the above definitions of biological evolution, a new species must arise during the process. Instead of this occurrence, I will be looking at evolution as a mobius strip, cyclic rather than as a timeline w beginning and end, much like the worm/pig phenomena in the film Upstream Color.

Influences can be found in the work of M.C. Escher, his work was illusory in nature and many times the imagery seemed to fold back into itself through repetition and morphing into it’s antithesis such as in his piece ‘Encounter’ (below).

Another work of his, ‘Reptiles,’ exemplifies this idea as well, the alligators/lizards “evolve” from non-biological roots: a drawing (below).

Escher also illustrated a mobius strip with ants and his other piece ‘Knots,’ which actually drew me to his work though it’s a bit overly popularized and overexposed.

In my piece there are changes over time, yet the evolution devolves over time as well. No new species ever arises; it’s the same species continuously imploding on itself back to its original state which by definition is not biological evolution.

It would be constructed on a mobius strip like this one:

There would be several types of evolution represented from various species, much like this representation:

The species would evolve then devolve in a never-ending cycle, creating an Escher like optical illusion.

References:

http://biology.about.com/od/evolution/a/aa110207a.htm

http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/ev.not.html

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Experiment 2 Response

After inferring the study of astrobiology as the main theme for my response to this experiment, I was reminded of a previous experiment response. Drawing from my response to Experiment 3 in the first semester, the Vector Portrait, I have considered the visualisation of this response as similarly ephemeral and shapeless in form. 

Now comes the time to construct a tangible response. 

Obviously the themes of cosmology and astrobiology are most prevalent in my thinking on this matter, and this will therefore be the main foundation of my work.

After reflecting on the content of my previous post, I felt that the response needs to cleave closer to concepts of evolution, rather than pertaining exclusively to astrological concerns. As a result, my ideas for the final response to this experiment is to combine traditional imagery from evolution and also from astrology and cosmology. 

The first image that comes to mind is the evolution of man, the quintessential linear, homo-sapiens-privileging, bipedal representation of how humans evolved to be set apart from everything else. 

My response is to now merge this imagery with that of the nebula presented in the previous post, which in turn infers the ideas we drew from Zylinska about moving away from anthropocentric evolutionary imagery. 

The results of the first attempt are seen below.

As you can see above, the nebula imagery has been covered by the evolution of man imagery, which serves as a comment on the previously anthropocentric nature of evolutionary imagery. The second image then inverts this, by placing the image of the nebula within the figures on the timeline. At this point, the images begin to work together as a collection. 

To develop this further, I altered the progression of the evolution, and added possible points of entry and exit, which hints at a complete atemporality, with time-travel and the movement of matter outside of the bounds of linear time progression. 

In doing this the, time ideas of evolution begin to depart from conventional scientific linear understandings. The final part of this response is the following five images, which place each stage of the ‘evolutionary ladder’ in separate frames. By doing this, viewers of the images can place the images in any order, and by aligning the nebula’s on both sides, a continuous image can be made at the viewers on volition. This allows the interaction of the viewer to create new timelines, with 120 possible outcomes from only 5 stills. 

These images will now be printed and backed onto card, such that they can be presented to participants, encouraged to align the cards into their own new evolutionary timeline formations.

Going forward, this project can incorporate endless images in the space between the nebula, not limited to humans. As a result, this interactive time-lining process can be expanded further, and perhaps work as a future project.