Masters Proposal

Masters Proposal 2010

Julie Garrod

MA Animation & Sound Design

Unconscious thought/abstract image/triptych

The journey so far

It has been almost 13 years since I moved to Norwich to study animation; in those years I have grown as a person and have seen my work mature in that time too. I do not remember exactly when my drawings became dark, they were cartoon like when I was a child but somewhere between junior and high school my drawing took on a more sinister tone. Cartoon animals were replaced with depictions of my nightmare world: monsters, demons and darkness. This aesthetic continued throughout college and is especially clear to see in my animated work.

Over time I have come to realise that there is a distinct separation between my ‘self’, that is how I appear as a person, and my work. While my work is dark my personality seems much lighter, my appearance also does not reflect the kind of work that I do. The tattoos I have depict ladybirds, flowers and bright colours while the animations I produce are much more morbid in tone. I think I began to realise some time ago that I needed to express my dark side in order to be the cheerful person that I am to my family and friends.

I have had a longstanding interest in psychology that started when I was about 13. It was at that age I discovered that a close family member had suffered a psychotic breakdown, this had occurred before I was even born but I wanted to prepare myself in case it happened to me too. I started reading as much as I could about the subject in the hope that this knowledge would protect me from developing similar problems. During my BA dissertation I started to look towards Carl Jung, previously I had been introduced to Freud but I never really took to his work in the way that I identified with Jung’s work. Most of my interest was centred on Jung’s archetypes and collective unconscious theory.

Birth of an idea

Last summer I found myself looking at a triptych by Jill Leech (Fig 1) and began to question why that particular format was seldom applied to moving image. Most of the time we show work in the landscape format and not portrait. The idea evolved and I started to think about how a moving image/sound triptych would function. In the beginning I had no theory or basis for this triptych, just an idea about the format. I started thinking about how the sound and image would interact. I intended on producing a triptych that would function ‘as a whole’ but could still be separated and viewed as 3 distinct animations/soundtracks.

Fig 1

Jill Leech, Coalmine Group, 2001.

While this was an interesting technical idea it lacked a ‘soul’, there was nothing at the core apart from wanting to make it fit together. I found that without a central theme I was floundering around. It was at this stage that I decided to look towards Jung for inspiration. As well as having a firm theoretical basis I would also need to look at the purpose of the triptych and how it would appear to the viewer.

Historical context

Classically triptychs were used in religious art and were painted onto hinged panels (See Fig 2). Many triptychs merely split one image into three; commonly the centre image is the focus with the two outside images being smaller or somehow inferior to the central image (See Fig 3). In my opinion the most interesting static triptychs take advantage of their format by showing a different perspective in each part or they use time in a way that suggests narrative (See Fig 4). In that sense the image is sequential which is something that I am particularly drawn to when I see it utilised in static imagery.

Fig 2

Joos van Cleve, The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor. ca. 1520

triptych

/triptik/

• noun

1 a picture or carving on three panels, typically hinged together vertically and used as an altarpiece.

2 a set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works.

ORIGIN originally denoting a set of three writing tablets hinged or tied together: from TRI-, on the pattern of diptych.

http://www.askoxford.com/ (Accessed on 08/11/09)

Fig 3

Hieronymus Bosch, Triptych of Temptation of St Anthony. 1506.

Fig 4

Francis Bacon, Triptych. 1973.

I am looking towards psychoanalytical theorists like Jung, whose work involves looking at the different parts of the psyche. My interest is in how these parts are divided and categorised and how this might be applied to my own interpretation of the psyche. So far my research has centred around Jung and in part Freud, but I would like to expand on this by looking at other more contemporary psychologists who have been influenced by their work. As I am working in a time-based medium it might be helpful to look towards developmental psychology. I have had some interesting ideas involving Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development (See fig 5) as this kind of theory shows continual psychological development throughout a lifetime.

Fig 5

Erik Erikson, Stages of Personality Development. http://www.electrical-res.com/EX/10-19-11/ericksone28099s-psychosocial-stages.jpg

(Accessed on 11/02/10)

There seem to be more static examples of the triptych format than there are in animation. Francis Bacon’s ‘Black Triptychs’ are a good point of reference as he sometimes utilises the triptych format to show sequential views of a particular figure (see Fig 6). Bacon is one of the artists who I feel has influenced my own work, especially my drawing that has taken a ‘screaming pope’ style over the last few years. His Black triptychs could be viewed as a response to losing his lover (George Dyer), whom he depicts in these images. Bacon himself avoided attempting to analyse his work and preferred not to try and elicit meaning, stating during his 1985 interview with Melvyn Bragg that he didn’t even really know what his work meant. During this interview he also claimed that he was not an expressionist painter. (Bragg, "Francis Bacon" BBC. 1985)

“Chaos, for me, breeds images.”

(Bacon. Interview with Bragg.1985)

My work is often an expression of what I feel, though I am selective about what I express. I have, unknowingly, already explored the shadow aspect of my personality in many of my animations. What I have failed to explore so far is how my ‘shadow’ has come to the forefront of my animation work when it fails to be present in other aspects of my life and work. Like Bacon my working methods are rather chaotic and as such it can be hard to control the outcome, but this could be of an advantage during a project like this.

Fig 6

Francis Bacon, Triptych. 1972

Objectives

Subject of analysis

For this investigation I will be the subject of my own analysis as I feel that it is the right time in my life for me to do this. I would like to document the communication between the different aspects of my psyche in the form of a triptych. I will be specifically looking at Jung’s archetypes to form the basis of my triptych, using the persona, ego and shadow to help define each of the three parts. I may also look into using other, related psychological frameworks if they seem apt.

Thus far I have been able to draw the following conclusions about the 3 parts of the triptych/psyche:

Persona

o This is the part of our personality that we project to the outside world

o Conscious

Ego

o Handles the communication between the Persona and Shadow

o Centre of consciousness

o Personal identity and purpose

o Perception

o Memory

o Feelings

Shadow

o The part that we hide away and hide from

o Unconscious

o Material that threatens the Ego

Using an abstract approach

Using models or puppets and stop motion animation lends itself well to surrealism and that is one approach that I veer towards. In this instance I am not sure that a surrealist approach or this form of animation would be suitable. Instead I will try something that is has a painterly style, for this in my mind is more reminiscent of abstraction. My experiments so far have mostly consisted of animations that are filmed from above and I have used textured materials such as sand, paint, pencil shavings, sediment, oil, food etc. I have found that ‘playing’ with my medium has been a good way to access my unconscious.

"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves."

Jung

ThinkExist.com Quotations Online

Already I can see patterns and themes emerging from my animated experiments. I initially produced some animations using shadow; these didn’t work especially well. The best results so far have come from using textured materials such as paint, sand and 3D objects. There seems to be a ‘bursting’ motion that has developed during my testing, it has been present in all of the animations except for the shadow animation. I have recently been doing some stop motion involving eggs that have had coloured dye injected into them, then animating them as if they were bursting open. This mirrors the circular bursting patterns in my sand/paint/oil animations. I have yet to decide what type of imagery would be best to use. Should I rely on abstract shape and movement or should I be more figurative?

Attempting to access unconscious thought

I have looked at artists like Kayla Parker who have worked to try and unlock the unconscious through keeping dream journals (http://www.kaylaparker.co.uk/films/films/cage_of_flame.html). This is something that I have started to do myself and have been surprised at the results. I am also starting my own ‘Black Book’ that in a sense reflects Jung’s own ‘Red Book’. My Black Book will consist of notes relating to events from my past that I believe have shaped my work. Dream journaling and animated play are devices that I will use when trying to access the part of me that is hidden even from my view. What techniques will work best for me to channel my unconscious thoughts?

Expressing emotion effectively

Much of the ‘dark’ imagery that I produce is tied to certain events in my life; these events have been a huge influence on my work but much of their effect has been unconscious. I am not usually aware of where my work is coming from; I am more conscious of where it is going than worrying about its origins. Last year I embarked on a course of counselling in an attempt to get to know myself better and to work through some personal issues. This has also been a source of inspiration as I feel that I have made some connections based on the conversations that I have had with my therapist. One very important thing that I realised is that in previous work I have epitomized my inner feelings by creating characters, specifically the character of Elizabeth who I used in my BA animation ‘Broken Objects’. I would like to see if I could instil such meaning into something that is not a character. In my terms trying to create something that is ‘abstract’ is like writing music that doesn’t have lyrics. You have to rely on other devices to convey your ideas. In the absence of something literal the viewer has to decide on the meaning based on feeling rather than knowing. Can people identify with a more abstract art form as effectively as they can relate to a character or narrative? Should I take a figurative approach or should I work on pure feeling?

Producing a successful animation/sound triptych

My final product will need to function as a triptych and it is my intention that it should be exhibited as an installation. There will be 3 animations/films representing my own persona, ego and shadow. These animations along with their soundtracks can be shown individually so that the viewer can experience each personality aspect on their own but they will also work when shown, with sound, as a triptych. The idea is that the 3 aspects should be shown together as they would then form Jung’s notion of the ‘Self’. The viewer may find it interesting to see that the parts can be split to show more of their own individual qualities. This should enhance meaning for the viewer and provide a challenge for me as an artist.

Much of what I have discussed in this proposal has to do with the visual aspect of this project but the sound must play a huge part in the installation. It is of paramount importance that the sound and image are synched in a way that enhances the visuals. The sound must be able to make up for the lack of narrative or central character and help draw in the viewer and ensure that they identify with the feelings that I am trying to convey.

Bibliography

Books:

Jacobi, Jolande The Psychology of C. G. Jung (Routledge & Keegan Paul Ltd, London. 1951)

Jung, Carl The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Routledge, London, 1968)

Jung, Carl The Red Book: Liber Novus (W.W. Norton & Company, New York & London, 2009)

Leiris, Michel Francis Bacon (Arthur A. Bartley Publishers, New York & London, 1987)

Sylvester, David Interviews with Francis Bacon (Thames and Hudson, London, 1975)

Sylvester, David Brutality of Fact: Interviews with Francis Bacon (Thames & Hudson, London, 1987)

Films/Television:

Persona, Ingmar Bergman. 1966.

Toive, Carolina Melis & Lorenzo Sportiello. 2009.

Francis Bacon, South Bank Show. BBC documentary film. Bragg Melvyn. Aired 9 June 1985.

Cage of Flame, Kayla Parker. 1992.

Websites:

http://www.animateprojects.org/films/by_artist/p/k_parker (Accessed on 15/01/10)

http://www.kaylaparker.co.uk/index.html (Accessed on 15/01/10)

http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/medulla/ (Accessed on 08/11/09)

http://www.askoxford.com/ (Accessed on 08/11/09)

http://vimeo.com/7262934 (Accessed on 10/01/10)

http://www.jill-leech.com/ (Accessed on 02/07/09)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/aug/10/art (Accessed on 15/01/10)

http://fac.hsu.edu/langlet/lectures/dev/Erikson/erik_erikson.htm (Accessed on 11/02/10)

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/carl_gustav_jung/ (Accessed on 11/02/10)

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:WshRFUmIy_AJ:www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/E1750224109000634+classic+triptychs&hl=en&gl=uk&sig=AHIEtbSN-mQVvsJ1X7H0sk1ilgaWiHH8_A (Accessed on 27/02/10)

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/ (Accessed on 25/02/10)

http://radicalfilms.co.uk/2009/04/25/francis-bacon-interviewed-by-melvyn-bragg-on-the-south-bank-show/ (Accessed on 28/02/10)

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=684 (Accessed on 25/02/10)