STEPHEN GALLIC

Father to Miles & Lincoln. Student. Graphic Designer. www.hexanddecimal.com

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Project 2: The Loop

Project 2: The Loop provided us with an opportunity to interact and engage with GIFs in a way that exposes a great deal of intrigue and artistic value within the process of creating them.  Prior to this project, my exposure to GIFs was rather limited and was generally in the form of a text message from a friend, often times a (subjective) attempt at humor.  I suppose I was never too compelled, but when further considering this, realized there is one specific element among GIFs that I have always appreciated: facial expressions.  In my opinion, the most clever and thought provoking GIFs, or at least the ones that hold my attention the longest, are clips that feature a comical or interesting facial expression.  As I explored this concept, I began to think about one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tenenbaums, and discovered that one of the most substantial reasons I enjoy the film so much is due to the compelling and deeply impactful facial features and expressions of its characters.  Featuring GIFs created from video clips of The Royal Tenenbaums seemed to make perfect sense to me.

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Creating GIFs: Fargo

The shower scene!

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This week’s material provided a thorough and interesting look at the history, evolution, and cultural value of GIFs, which is short for “graphical interchange format.”  GIFs are essentially short animation files that require very little bandwidth and are, in general, rather simple to create and distribute.  Our readings offered up a variety of insights into how and why the file format generated its popularity and established legitimacy among certain communities, many of which seem to allude to the fact that GIFs fundamentally align with the core values of generic artistic expression.  One of the readings suggests that GIFs, in many ways, are able to amplify “artistic gestures” in relation to self expression.  Another asserts that GIFs are ultimately “minimal in style and instantly gratifying in consumption.” The notion of “instant gratification,” specifically as a fuel to the social media fire we are currently experiencing, has of course existed at the base of all online interaction and activity since inception.  However, according to one of our readings, GIFs exist in a much simpler “place” than, perhaps, a vast majority of its surrounding forms of media, specifically by offering a format that is “not a super complex system of feedback.”  

The GIFs I chose for selection of 10, in many ways, can be viewed from this very perspective.  I work with a great deal of fonts/typefaces on a daily basis, and although the possibilities are quite literally endless when it comes to typography, the entire process is founded upon a fairly simple, “not super complex” system of letterforms in relation to language and expression.  The GIFs that I posted showcase both sides to this coin simultaneously, with letters taking many forms in a short amount of time alongside the inferred notion that in many instances, regardless of form, we know exactly what the letter/shape represents.  

1. Stroke weight, in terms of a designs impact (in this case a lowercase “g”), makes a tremendous difference that can be witnessed here.

2. The idea that you can create many letters, in this case the entire alphabet, from the same simple shape/form is intriguing.

3. This brief GIF (the letter “s”) displays animation that identifies a few simple, but key, typographic elements that all contribute to the final form.

4. This GIF simply displays an interesting use of color, perspective, and dimension, and is thus “safe” to interact with.

5. A swift current running through the design world currently is how impactful sharp, simple icons can be when paired alongside a well-defined sans serif typeface.

6. This is, by far, my favorite GIF in the entire selection, due to its crisp aesthetic and incredibly effective use of motion/animation to further enhance its messaging related to brand.

7. This GIF, specifically the font/typeface shown, perfectly expresses the notion that simple can be wildly seductive.

8. The versatility of a “lowercase g,” as well as the ability to create this letterform in any number of ways, is showcased here.

9. Another example of how simple icons and letterforms can generate engagement through appeal.

10. This final GIF cleverly depicts the relationship between form and function.

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GIFs!

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Series

For my Series project, I chose to display imagery that was, of course, culturally relevant, while also examining the nature of conflict, controversy, and technology, using the 1940′s as a starting point.  The notion that evolution, progress, and enhanced knowledge has, in many ways, been a catalyst for our own demise was something that I wanted to highlight, and since the subject matter was focused on our country’s downward spiral, I thought I would use large, dynamic numbers to countdown from 10 all the way to 1, with a literal ‘bomb’ going off in the first image and a figurative one, set to explode, in the final one.

The countdown, in my mind, serves as the most influential component in terms of movement, motion, and implied time.  The physical aesthetic, created by pulling images off larger works or photos and combining them with each other while applying blending modes, also contributes to this element.  The colors, in most cases, are sharp with abrupt transitions and contrast; this is intended to prevent viewers from finding themselves too comfortable, which might produce unintended results, and keep people’s minds moving while they interact with images that they know very well in some cases and, at least in my case, some they wish they knew better.  

Another primary component that is worth considering is that, in many of my classes, we are viewing conflict, dissension, and turmoil across social media feeds, televised news coverage, print media, etc.  As many might agree, this is all being provided for our consumption with a sense of cinematic drama and an underlying ability to control our exposure to content tailored specifically for us: reality TV, steaming series that we can ‘binge-watch, etc.’  I suppose I made an effort to disrupt that with my project, by creating images that are, hopefully, quite accessible upon first impression, but end up requiring a bit of closer analysis and critical thought.

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For Disappearing Acts, I chose images that depict one of my favorite hobbies: Snowboarding.  Based on the context of each image and the recognizable shape of a snowboard, I was intrigued to explore just how impactful removing the board would be on the altered photos.  What I discovered, and perhaps some of you might agree, is that the resulting imagery is, in many ways, far more dramatic than the originals.  Action photos generally express motion, in this case through powder trails and height.  However, by removing the snowboards and leaving the rest of the photos intact, the stark white space left in their place generates abrupt and sudden contrast.  I find these images to be quite compelling and feel as though, in relation to the original photography/artwork, they possess equal value.

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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Director Alison Klayman’s documentary titled, Ai Wei: Never Sorry, provides a compelling glance at the life, art, and impact of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, including his brief but assuredly brutal “incarceration” for which charges were never officially filed.  There is an extensive list of intriguing content and considerations brought to life by the film, many of which amplify the disparity and, in some cases, similarities between Eastern and Western culture.  In regard to Weiwei’s art, his messaging remains direct and unapologetic: Life does not “feel” quite right, and at the root, there is someone quite clearly to blame for it.

At first glance, not all of Weiwei’s art intends to provoke or incite:  “Ton of Tea” (2008) and “Straight” (2008-2012), while both powerful and thought-provoking, offer us a glimpse into the artist’s softer, more inquisitive side (***I will post both images below***).  “Tea” conjures comparisons of East and West, old and new, while “Straight” delivers a sense of social urgency beneath the restraint and protocol of a memorial.  The interesting thing here is that with his more gentle creations, one can argue that Weiwei was actually at his most heavy, perhaps even weighed down by his own existence.  

Weiwei, perhaps, found purpose in his more aggressive content.  He was able to express the frustration and desperation of both himself and a massive group of people, many of which were seemingly able to find their own voice through Weiwei’s prominence.  Even though the stakes were at their highest in the midst of his social outcry, as he pointed fingers at tradition and the government under which he lived, the feeling of representing such a substantial group of people is both an inspiration and an obligation.  

However, it seems as though, at times, his inquisition forced itself inwards; although most of us, in this class, at MSU-Denver, will never understand the magnitude of true and horrifying oppression, many of us might find some common ground with Weiwei in the unknowing and insignificance of a life lived. We are brief; we are, even if for just a moment, alone at some point nearly every phase of life; someday, we might be entirely forgotten; we feel like we have ignored lessons of the past.  

Weiwei possesses tremendous courage and handles the responsibility of being the voice of so many people with grace.  His message is one of extreme and absolute importance, and his art intends to propose that even though his problems will never be ours, there is value in knowing that they exist.