Logo Gif Animation

Art & Design Foundation Exhibition

Planning The Final Major Show

Today we began to plan the promotional side of our show, such as the title and logo designs. After a long discussion we came to the conclusion of '18 Degrees', which I love! Later we began to think about the logo design. Which led us to the conclusion that our logo shouldn't be round because it looks like a birthday badge, and for the same reason 18 should be written as a word (in lower case) rather than a number. However, we also liked the idea of Roman Numerals. And lastly from looking at everyone's designs we came to realise that we liked the pastel colour scheme, that will involve 5 colours to represent each specialism.

After hearing all these thoughts and ideas I felt inspired myself to have a try at creating a logo, to the left is my results...

Jim Campbell - Scattered Light

Jim Campbell is an artist – known for his light sculptures – who was born in 1956, and currently works and lives in San Francisco. Campbell attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were he achieved a B.S. Electrical Engineering, and Mathematics, in 1978.

“Scattered Light, features nearly 2,000 LEDs encased in standard light bulbs, suspended within a support structure spanning 80 feet in length and standing 20 feet high and 16 feet wide creating a vibrant light grid across the center of Madison Square Park’s Oval Lawn. The LED bulbs, programmed to flicker scattered light, create the illusion of figurative images that explore and reflect the human experience amidst the urban landscape, creating the appearance of giant human shadows crossing a floating 3-D matrix of light. As one travels around the piece, the vantage point alters and the light figures begin to abstract, blurring the boundaries between image and object.” –Madison Square Park Conservancy

Ideas From Pinterest

      

Bruce Munro - Light Showers

'In 2008 Munro was commissioned to create a piece for a contemporary highland lodge at the head of Loch Ossian in Scotland. Spending some time in the property he found himself sitting on the main stairs absorbing the magnificent, uninterrupted view of the Loch and range of snow-capped mountains beyond it. It was raining in squalls against the plate-glass window, which distorted the view with rivulets of water streaming down the panoramic pane. The words ‘light’ and ‘shower’ registered in his mind and the idea formed.'

'The first public exhibition of Light Shower came in 2010 when Munro was invited to create piece for the Nave of Salisbury Cathedral. Since then it has gone on to be created as a site specific installation at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania and Cheekwood, Tennessee.'

Source of Information: http://www.brucemunro.co.uk/installations/light-shower/

Creation of Light Showers: https://vimeo.com/66607554

CLOUD

‘Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett (Calgary, Canada) work with diverse mediums and materials, ranging from artificial light to re-appropriated architectural debris. Their practice combines divergent aesthetic and industrial backgrounds, often resulting in transformative public sculptures and installations. Beckoning viewers with interactive contexts and novel materials, their projects invite strangers to share in experiential moments, prompting collaborative viewership. Using mass-produced objects as a reference to cities as an immeasurable quantity of materials, people, and situations, Brown & Garrett’s practice evokes the possibility of renewed understanding through a critical shift in perspective.’

"CLOUD is an interactive sculpture created from 6,000 incandescent light bulbs by Canadian artists and collaborators Caitland r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett. The piece utilizes pull string switches and everyday domestic light bulbs, re-imagining their potential to catalyze collaborative moments and create an enveloping, experiential environment. As part of the process of building the sculpture, the artists collected burnt out bulbs from the surrounding community, forging an informal relationship with non-artists, reducing costs, and asking audiences to reconsider household items in an alternative context. During exhibition, viewers interact with CLOUD by initiating impromptu collaborations, working as a collective to animate “lightning” on the surface of the sculpture, turning the entire cloud on and off.

Simple, bright, and playful, CLOUD functions as an icon of hope and optimism, illustrated by upturned faces, glittering eyes, and a whole that is greater than the sum of its many parts. As incandescent bulbs are phased out in the European Union and various countries around the world, the sculpture gains new meaning as a beacon of transitional technologies and changing futures – where are we going next? On a more symbolic level, CLOUD relies on the universal language of environmental imagery – despite language barriers, cultural differences, and geographic distance, rain clouds are understood by people all around the world"

Source of Information: https://incandescentcloud.com/aboutcloud/

I really like the idea behind this, as by using light bulbs that you can switch on or off, it then presents the constant change in weather and how the clouds colour changes with it. 

Photoshop Experiments

    

When I look at these experiments they remind me of paintings, such as the work done by Guy Yanai. Therefore, I want to try these experiments again but with paint rather than Photoshop.

Blurred Photos #2

More Blurred Video Experiments

Blurred Photos Experiments

    

Blurry Video Experiments

I believe that by blurring the lens and only using light and movement as my main subject it allows me to create a dreamlike state. I definitely want to try this again when the weather is sunnier, however, this time i should use a tripod in order to make the filming more steadier. But what would happen if I did this again on a dark and dull day? when its raining perhaps?

Light Photoshoot

Uta Barth

Uta Barth is a contemporary photographer, who was born in Berlin, 1958 and currently lives in Los Angeles. She received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1985. In 2012, Barth was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She has taught at the University of California, Riverside since 1990, where she is currently a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Art. 

“For seventeen years I have made work that consists of sequences in order to talk about the passage of time while looking at things that don’t change much at all. The strategy is about duration, and about vision for vision’s sake. Nothing much changes in these sequences except maybe the light or a slight turn of the camera in order to follow it.

I want to slow the viewer down. I want a slow rhythm from image to image and from work to work when the pieces are installed for exhibition. Slowing down the viewer is hard at a time when people race through exhibitions. But I watch people in my shows, watch many of them move slowly, return to the beginning of a sequence, circle the room once again. Viewers who are not art writers talk about my work as being quiet, being slow and being calm. I think that is only one aspect of the work, but I always find myself smiling when I hear it.”

Therefore it is the act of experiencing the photograph, rather than the subject itself that makes Uta Barth work so unique.Her signature unfocused photographs invite the viewers to make their own interpretations, thus creating a unique meaning that is personal to the viewer. Therefore, the majority of her work uses the theme of involving the viewer by challenging their preconceptions in order to find a focus on the image and creating a ‘feeling of familiarity’.

 

Barths work managed to effectively convey a mood and atmosphere that has an element of familiarity, thus giving the location a meaning. For example this image Ground 95.6 creates a tranquil and calm atmosphere that radiates warmth.  Someone once described the photograph as “a place untouched by human influence that belongs only to nature, and I can almost feel the heat of the sun and hear water moving at my feet.” 

I completely agree with this statement and I can fully relate to what they are saying. The gentle warmth of green alongside the angelic glow of white creates a heavenly vibe that seems untouched and un-ruined by human influence. Yet it almost suggests that our human influence has caused nature to fade away. To the extent that we need to help the environment before we can no longer see it. 

On the contrary, Barth has the skill of creating the sense of familiarity within her work. As the unclear background creates the feeling of a forgotten memory that you can only remember small detail to. Thus creating a unique bond between the viewer and photo.

To see more of Uta Barths Photographs go to her website: http://utabarth.net/

10 Home Remedies for Seasonal Affective Disorder - Comments

"Last winter i bought a salt lamp. It has worked wonders for my well being in general.A Himalayan Salt Lamp is made from a chunk of salt crystal rock that was taken from the salt mines found in underground caves in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan salt lamp makes use of the minerals that have been preserved for millions of years, releasing their special properties through the introduction of heat from an electric bulb or from the flame of a candle. These special properties emitted from the Salt Lamp are responsible for promoting the health and wellness of individuals via ionization of the air and the eradication of pollution. The special properties of the Himalayan Salt Lamp consist of negatively charged ions that act on the contaminants in the air by neutralizing them and weighing them down so they can no longer circulate. When this occurs, individuals can breathe more easily and many ailments and allergies that frequently afflict them start to disappear. Having the light on in the evenings is also really comforting in the cooler months. Mine only cost about $40AUS, worth every cent." - Kara

"I have this in reverse. I know it sounds really strange but it’s true. I live in Brisbane, Australia, where summer is really, really hot – the heat in the middle of the day almost makes me panic. I get depressed in summer! How weird is THAT? It is summer here now and my remedy is to talk a walk around the city around 5 pm when I finish work and it has cooled down, the air is fragrant and the city is suddenly beautiful." - Jenny 

"I second the Himalayan Salt lamp. I have one and I LOVE it. It is beautiful and I can feel a shift in the energy of the room when I turn it on, especially if I am having a “down” day. I also love yoga and Nia. Another thing, the writer of this blog, Julia mentioned is getting outside. Sometimes, this isn’t really possible in the winter so I take a vitamin D supplement and find that to be helpful." - Ashley

"Exercise is key for me at this time of year, and I think it is important to note (at least in my experience) that it has to be some cardio everyday, getting your heart rate revving to give the best mood-lifting results. In the past I’ve tried just walking everyday but it just doesn’t do the same." - Amanda

"I use a full spectrum light, it mimics the sun so it’s like natural sun light. You can buy light boxes that have full spectrum lights in them online" - Sylwia

"I have had a history of SAD and moderate depression at other times of year. Some years back, I stumbled upon an article about the connection between sunlight deprivation, vitamin D deficiency, and mood. Because I’m a stay at home mom often tethered to her desk, I don’t get to enjoy what little sunlight we occasionally have during our long, bleak, Dickensian Midwestern summers. I have found combining a regimen that includes vitamin D, St. John’s Wort, omega-3 and other fatty acids, exercise, and tons of sleep keeps me alert, motivated, and able to home school my babes. I like the bone building stack that comes in Schiff’s Super Calcium 1200 with Vitamin D http://www.schiffvitamins.com/product_detail.asp?id=54. I like that the serving size is two softgels. I only take one, and get the rest from my diet. I also use a full spectrum light, like Sylvia mentioned above, and it has been a miracle worker!" - Jackeline

"After being diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, my doctor instructed that I get out in the sunlight for at least half an hour each morning. After about a month of this treatment, I was feeling much better, but the Missouri weather was getting colder and colder. After resraching the top rated SAD lights (source: http://www.lighttherapyreviews.net/ ), I finally switched to using a full spectrum lamp on cold mornings, though I still prefer the sun most of the year. I’d like to attest that both strategies work very well, and my Seasonal Affective Disorder hasn’t come back since!" - Herb

10 Home Remedies for Seasonal Affective Disorder

1. Get your daily dose of sunlight.

I know it sounds difficult (especially to me, I love my sleep) but try and pull yourself out of bed a little bit early each day, allowing yourself some morning sunlight time – go for a run, take a walk, ride your bike, it’s up to you.  If you can’t get out in the morning (or if it’s still dark when you wake up), make an effort to take a lunch break and sit outside for a bit during the day. The added time in the sun (even if it’s cold out!) will work wonders for your mental well-being.

2. Exercise!

Getting your heart rate up and breaking a sweat is a sure way to raise serotonin and endorphin levels – this will be especially beneficial if you do it in the morning.

3. Eat foods containing tryptophan. 

Many who suffer from seasonal depression experience decreased levels of serotonin, the brain’s neurotransmitter.  Tryptophan is an amino acid known to be a precursor of serotonin, so eating foods that contain it may increase your body’s production of serotonin, thus making you feel better. Turkey (get a nice dosage of this on Thursday!), spinach, bananas, seafood, and egg whites are rich in tryptophan.

4. Cut back on stimulants like caffeine, alcohol and carbs.

They might make you feel better short-term but with every high comes a low, and these can lead to mood swings that can deepen your depression.

5. Fill your home with light.

Open up the blinds and let those rays in – not only will they act as a natural form of warmth in your home but every added bit of light you can bring into your home will go a long way.

6. DIY time!

Now that you’re not spending every waking moment outdoors, you have plenty of time to get crafting. 

7. Use essential oils.

Essential oils can be powerful mood-lifters. Jasmine oil is a great anti-depressant that stimulates beta brain wave activity and can make you feel euphoric.  Citric oils like lemon can also stimulate the autonomic nervous system and have a similar effect.

8. The warmth of color.

Wear and surround yourself with warm colors. Yellow, orange, and red can stimulate your mood greatly!

9. Try something new.

Enroll in a class that interests you – whether it is yoga, photography, cooking, you name it! It will give you something to look forward to and take your mind off the gloomy winter days.

10. Laugh out loud!

Laughter is the best medicine – it may sound simple but it’s so true! Laughter stimulates endorphins much like exercise. Take some time to watch your favorite sitcom or comedy films and let yourself laugh out loud. It’s the easiest and most effective way to make yourself feel better!

Information Source: Home Remedies for Seasonal Affective Disorder http://blog.freepeople.com/2012/11/10-home-remedies-seasonal-affective-disorder/#ixzz48F4tV8oU

The One Show - What Is SAD?