Looking at the content I have gathered over the summer period there are multiple ideas that could be developed further :
1) Thinking about the material in the context of a publication, one possible idea would be to produce a publication that could be used and distributed through the Metro system. This could manifest as a short newspaper-format publication that commuters and tourists would use to learn about the station and/or the surrounding area in Paris.
2) Looking at the materials used within the Concorde Metro Station, another potential avenue for this project would be to focus on the use of tiles and ceramics. Combining this material with the format of a publication could have the potential to produce a range of interesting results - text could be written or printed onto thin ceramic tiles to emulate book pages.
3) Alongside a publication about the station, ceramic could also be used to create a range of small sculptures to illustrate the atmosphere of the station and to reinforce the ornamental side of a coffee table book.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - Presentation and Feedback
Slides from the formal presentation of the summer work are featured below:
During this presentation I discussed with peers the potential to use ceramic material within this project and after presenting my ideas I gained some positive feedback. It was agreed that the concept for the project was interesting and unique. Many people suggested that the images I had taken in Paris were more suited to a coffee table book-style publication, which was interesting as I had not previously considered creating this style of printed matter. This also helped me form a better idea of how I might incorporate ceramics into this project - perhaps in a more abstract and sculptural form, bringing in the idea of creating something ornamental to accompany a decorative book.
To further my ideas I will explore different techniques of printing onto ceramic material, either through screenprinting or transfer paper. I will also start research into a variety of ceramic artists in order to help my sketch out some ideas, and finalise a timeline to ensure all ceramic pieces can be completed before the deadline.
OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - Summer Project Work
Over the summer we were assigned a typographical brief:
'Your task is to collect and organise photographic and copy content that will be used in a publication entitled “A-Z: Type in context”. Your publication will explore the typography specific to a particular place. Which place you look at is entirely your choice – it could be home, abroad or here in Leeds.
You must collect at least 26 photographs – at least one per letter. These can be from road signs, shop windows, newspapers, placards, etc. For each one that you collect you must write a short passage about the context in which it was taken – where is it used and for what purpose? Is it effective? Is it easy to read? Does it communicate well?'
During the holiday I was fortunate enough to visit Paris for a couple of days. While there I used the infamous Metro system, multiple times a day, which is where the source of inspiration for my typographical project comes from. Most of the main Metro stations within the city are themed - some reflect the monument they are situated near and some portray the famous artists of Paris. One such station was Concorde Metro Station, a station situation in the heart of the city. Concorde is historically themed, exhibiting the famous document entitled, The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1798 - one the fundamental documents to come of the uprisings during the French Revolution. Each letter of this declaration is portrayed on an individual ceramic tile, and together the station comprises 49,000 tiles in total.
The station was designed by a Belgian artist named Françoise Shein in 1990. The majority of her works feature lengthy text pieces spelled out over vast areas of the major cities in the world.
I used these letters as the basis for my project, as well as small variety of numbers and punctuation. I identified the typeface as being Garamond BE Regular., which is a classic serif typeface dating back to the 16th century. It’s solid yet versatile letterforms portray unique characteristics, such as the un-connected bowl featured on the letter ‘P’, and the overhanging serifs featured on the letter ’S'.
Due to the limits of the French alphabet and the text featured, not all of the letters and numbers were present in the station (see last slide). The letter 'Q' in the original Garamond typeface also differs slightly from the letterform found within the Concorde station, which lead me to believe that this letter had been re-rendered for the purpose of the declaration.
As a typeface Garamond is actually highly legible but in this context the text is unreadable, although that can be attributed to the scale of the text and the nature of the design within the station.
