Project 1A

Inspiration

Image Reference: Mulvaney, K. (2017). The song of 52 Hz, the loneliest whale in the world. Retrieved from: http://www.afr.com/content/dam/images/g/u/2/k/3/r/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1486731192933.jpg

For Project 1A, I had gotten my inspiration partly from

1. My previous papercut of a whale back in the Papercut and Stencil tutorial, and

2. Whale 52 also dubbed the Whalien (portmanteau of the words Whale and Alien), or the “Loneliest whale in the world”!

Some backstory on the Whale 52: back in 1989, calls from a lone whale at a frequency of 52 Hertz was picked up. This was very unusual because whales communicate at a much lower frequency – meaning that the Whale 52 would be unable to receive and send signals to any whale in the world! That’s as good as being closed off from all of whale civilisation and society, given how vast the oceans are and the lack of any other viable communication means ): Whether this whale truly existed or still exists is still up to scientific debate, but regardless I thought I could incorporate the idea of a lonely whale into my graphic illustration project as a social commentary of the ills of loneliness in the 21^st century.

I also wanted to make use of the Fibonacci Spiral, as it was mentioned before in the lecture that it is hard for photographers to use as they are capturing the shot; but different for artists and designers as we are starting with a blank canvas. It would be good to capitalise on this natural structural opportunity.

Work Process

First of all, I wanted main elements of the illustration to be in the centre, being the focal point of the picture. This is the reason why I didn’t use the rule of thirds here, because I thought the centralisation of elements key to the image could also be an allegory to loneliness being integral to everyone’s lives.

Next, I also thought of incorporating form (3D) into the illustration, by making use of foam boards to create depth and a sunken-in area where the main features of my image could be clustered into.

Thus, I proceeded to cut out a hole in the centre of the foam board. I used the image of the building I had used in the Scale/Repetition/Deconstruction tutorial exercise, repeated, and scaled it to different sizes on a piece of white paper with a similar whole cut out in the middle to give the illusion of a bird’s eye view of the sphere we are looking at.

I then glued the main elements of the photo – a photocopy of the whale papercut obtained from the Papercut and Stencil workshop, and the lined drawing of an astronaut obtained from the Line workshop – within the sphere and according to the curvature of the Fibonacci Spiral. Also included was the upturned mountain as a background from the Disturb/Abstract/Make Strange homework exercise.

Next, I overlaid a clear plastic sheet on top of the cut foam board to create a vacuum like a snow-globe. Within this vacuum I put in a handful of clear sequins. I then overlaid the piece of paper with the scaled and repeated buildings on top of it, and further enhanced the effect of the Fibonacci Spiral by adding repeated and scaled down versions of the Guy Fawkes and Clown Mask (from the Papercut/Stencil and Disturb/Abstract/Make Strange exercises respectively) along the tail end of the Fibonacci Spiral. The final product is now completed!

The final product, scanned for greater clarity

You can't quite tell from the image, but in real life the image/sequins can be shaken, much like a snow globe!

Response

The unusual, quirky combination of a whale and astronaut floating in spacing makes for an arresting image, and draws you in at first glance.

Description

In this picture, Gestalt’s principles of figure and ground – perceptual grouping of identifying figure from background – have been used to distinguish between the foreground and background. In this case the use of form (3D), in the indentation of the circle further enhanced and made the figure-ground effect more obvious. We can also see multi-stability at work here: Are we looking at a snow globe? Or are we in the interior of spaceship or telescope, looking out? Or are we having a macroscopic view or bird’s eye view of the world? Scrutinising society from afar, in a detached and impartial manner, much like a scientist looking at something under a microscope? The different perspectives and interpretations the piece offers make viewers think of the role they want to actively play in this social phenomena.

The Guy Fawkes and Clown masks resembled random space debris at first but upon closer scrutiny, because of the principles of similarity and repetition that were used to create harmony, we are able to perceive them as a group. We come to realise that they are not debris but rather faces – or facades, given the context of the piece. It can be a symbolism of how we mask our emotions today, and how through text and social media, everything is a façade. It is a criticism of how technology acts as a contributory agent to the rift between emotions and people, and ultimately led to the malaise of loneliness that we see today.

Analysis & Interpretation

We come to realise that all the elements of the image serve a purpose in critically examining the reasons, processes, nuances and ultimately the effects of loneliness. It all combines to tell a cohesive tale. The buildings, for instance, are a representation of how society has changed nowadays. Our communities, villages, towns and cities are different. We move away from our support networks – for work, for training, for college, for university, and families are getting smaller than ever, with people choosing to postpone marriage or not marry at all.

The whale and the astronaut, are of course an obvious reference to how isolated and awkward individuals have become nowadays. Even the sequins serve a semiotic purpose besides adding texture and an aesthetic appeal to the image. It gives off the illusion of snow in a snow globe, being a metaphor for the cold and seemingly bleak society that we live in. The shiny and reflective nature of the sequins also mirror the superficiality of communication today. Similarly, the upturned mountain, aside from giving the illusion of zero gravity in the globe, makes viewers question the rationality behind the piece, of how everything seems normal but yet not quite right. Is loneliness something that we are supposed to live with?

Evaluation and Judgment

This work is a social commentary of the ills of loneliness – perhaps loneliness is becoming a way of life. The irony is that we live in the most technologically-connected age in the history of civilisation and yet rates of loneliness have been increasing. Loneliness is no longer something that affects the old, it has become an affliction of all ages. The problem I think is that we’re all a bit scared of loneliness – of being alone. Of being left. Of not being loved. Or needed. Or cared about. Loneliness hits a spot of fear in all of us even if we don’t acknowledge it. Thus, I think the whale and the astronaut in this picture is a good semiotic representation of how all of us have become lonely, detached, and closed-off as a repercussion of how society is nowadays, and is a design piece that hits close to the heart.

Summary of Visual Communications Principles and Skills applied for Illustration Project 1A (Non-Exhaustive)

• Form
• Repetition
• Similarity
• Figure & Ground
• Multistability
• Line
• Collage
• Papercutting

Key Takeaways for Project 1A are combined with that for Project 1B, so keep a lookout for the next journal post!