Project #1
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Equally Destroyed Medium: Video animation Date: September, 2017 This piece is meant to encompass the ecofeminist culture and ultimately show the connectedness of female oppression and how the environment is being destroyed. I created a woman out of flowers and leaves, and then destroyed her image with water, stones, and garbage. This artwork is inspired by the work of early stop motion animation artist J. Stuart Blackton. |
Inspiration
I was inspired to create this piece after I read my friends Extended Essay, which focused of topics relating around Ecofeminism and the connectedness between women and the Earth. Ecofeminism is an activist and academic movement that connects the domination of nature to the exploitation of women. This movement grew out of the feminist, peace, and ecology movements.
Women is connected with nature in many cultures. For example, we sometimes refer to the ruler of our Earth as "Mother Nature". This implies that the Earth has the same live-giving aspects as women do. The Godess theory implies that there was once a Matriarchy. Some people that don't believe this ever existed refer to it as "the Myth of the Matriarchal Prehistory". The Goddess theory brings together the connectedness between different women, to the Earth, and to men. I wanted to try a new form of art, and so I choose to create a stop motion. This form of art is versatile because it can encompass every other form of art. Stop motion animations are usually videos that are made by taking 10+ pictures of a moving object a second, and them putting them all together. |
The artist that has directly inspired my work is J. Stuart Blackton. As shown in his animation, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, produced in 1906, Blackton uses a chalkboard and chalk to draw and move different faces. This animation is thought to be the first animation done on standard picture film. This film is silent and runs for three minutes.
In Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, Blackton depicts a chalkboard man who blows smoke all over the woman. The woman face then turns mad and she disappears within the cloud of smoke. I used inspiration from the theme of this particular section. Not only does this symbolize how overpowering men can be, but cigarettes are very harmful to the environment and the world. Unlike my own stop-motion, my inspiration is mean to be a comedy. |
Planning
My original planning sketches are down below in experimentation. I decided to change my idea to something more simple. The first sketch shows leaves forming in the shape of a face. In the actual stop motion, I added one leave at a time to show more movement. The second planning sketch shows flowers added for eyes and a pinecone around the mouth area. The shape is now more recognizable as a face as facial features start to appear. In the third planning sketch, the person starts to look feminine. I had to make sure that the figure in my stop motion looked feminine because this plays a huge role in my theme. I ended up adding smaller pink flowers on top of the pinecone to define the lips.
The last planning sketch shows the end stage of the image. I planned to litter the womans face with actual trash, dump water on it, and throw rocks on it. In the end, her face will be destroyed. |
Process
After drawing out planning sketches, I began to collect supplies. I used a tripod so that I could keep the same stable angle for all photographs, which is important to making a stop motion. I then had to choose the location. I decided to work on a concrete surface outside so that I could get natural shadows and lighting, but so that the face that I made would stand out against the background.
After setting up my camera in a sunny spot on the ground, I gathered different flowers and leaves. I then separated them into piles, and pulled the golden rods and heads of flowers off of the stems. Once I started to create the face of the women with different shaped leaves, I snapped a picture overtime I added something new. Overall, I took over 100 photos. I new that I would be taking this many because Ive made a stop motion once before and know how many photos go into even a few second video. One challenge of creating this outside was that it was an extremely windy day. This caused my work to blow around if I wasn't always holding it down. This however, helped in creating an 'alive' look, as pieces of plant material were constantly shifting themselves, so I didn't have to move them. My project was pretty experimental, which means that although I followed my planning sketches loosely, I was able to change my piece as I went along to make it better. Once the women face had been created, I had taken about 70 pictures. I then slowly poured water on her face, taking a picture every time I had poured more. I continued destroying her face by dumping leaves and garbage as well. |
Experimentation
Stop motion animation is a tedious process. Before I began my animation with plants, I practiced on a white board with dry erase markers. This was a practice run of part of the original animation that I was going to create. I ended up changing my story to make it more simple. Above are the original planning sketches for my animation. I decided against drawing my animation, and instead used objects, because it was super hard to re-draw every time I wanted a new frame. I used a white board and dry erase markers for my experimentation because I figured it was easier to show movement if I could erase and change aspects of the image.
I also experimented with using a different amount of frames per second. Blackton's film is 20 frames per second. I ended up using 10 per second, which is the most iMovie allows.
I also experimented with using a different amount of frames per second. Blackton's film is 20 frames per second. I ended up using 10 per second, which is the most iMovie allows.
Reflection
I had to do a lot of experimentation before completing my final project. Overall, I think that my message was communicated. One thing I would change about my final stop motion is the ending. I would either cover the face completely with garbage or not use it at all. After putting all of the photos together, I think the garbage looks a little random or only placed. One way that I could end it differently would be to have captured the flowers and leaves slowly turning brown. I feel that this would have communicated my message better. I could have left the woman face out on my sidewalk and taken a picture every few hours or days. This would show a slow decay in fast motion.
Otherwise, I think that I did well with choosing the right location and with manipulation of the objects. I like that I presented ecofeminism with a womans face created out of plant material. This brings together the ideas of inequality and the destruction of nature.
My stop motion piece relates to my inspiration through theme and medium. J. Stuart Blackton was one of the first people to create a stop motion. I used some of the same techniques as he utilized in his video, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. The culture of my piece was inspired by Ecofeminism. This helped to determine the materials I used, the location I filmed, and the subject matter.
Otherwise, I think that I did well with choosing the right location and with manipulation of the objects. I like that I presented ecofeminism with a womans face created out of plant material. This brings together the ideas of inequality and the destruction of nature.
My stop motion piece relates to my inspiration through theme and medium. J. Stuart Blackton was one of the first people to create a stop motion. I used some of the same techniques as he utilized in his video, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. The culture of my piece was inspired by Ecofeminism. This helped to determine the materials I used, the location I filmed, and the subject matter.
Connection to the ACT
1) How are you able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork?
I took inspiration from both the ecofeminist culture and J. Stuart Blacktons stop motion artwork. This effected the medium I used, the subject matter, and the materials I manipulated.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
I believe that editions beliefs were probably pretty in line with the social norms of his time. Thus, he was probably not a feminist and may not have known the mass negative effect humans would have on the environment in the future.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I made the generalization that many men during Edison's time looked down on women.
4) What was the central idea for theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my work that was pulled from inspiration is ecofeminism which brings together the destruction of nature and the exploitation of women.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made the inference that Blackton was the first to create a stop motion.
I took inspiration from both the ecofeminist culture and J. Stuart Blacktons stop motion artwork. This effected the medium I used, the subject matter, and the materials I manipulated.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
I believe that editions beliefs were probably pretty in line with the social norms of his time. Thus, he was probably not a feminist and may not have known the mass negative effect humans would have on the environment in the future.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I made the generalization that many men during Edison's time looked down on women.
4) What was the central idea for theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my work that was pulled from inspiration is ecofeminism which brings together the destruction of nature and the exploitation of women.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made the inference that Blackton was the first to create a stop motion.