Studying the work of Marcel Duchamp, Kurt Schwitters and David Carson I realized my strong appreciation for work inspired by visual garbage. I became more aware of how the work of certain artists influenced the design world today. There is a strong correlation between the work then and now. It made me realize that computers may inhibit our creativity because Duchamp was able to attain a boundary pushing collage technique that is not only highly acclaimed today but also very popular; and Schwitters idea of forming a visual piece combining images and words is also present in today’s advertisements, this was achieved without digital technology. A sense of letting go is emitted from their works, their work does not follow rules or structure, they let it happen in order to achieve the best result, and this loss of sophistication, I believe, cannot be reached through digital realms. I feel the idea of grunge is very hard to gain on a computer.
I feel that in today’s world there is an innate desire for everything to be perfect, which can sometimes be suffocating. From this, I have created a book representing the idea of freedom and letting go.
Every artist feeds off one another depending on their beliefs, style and the work and I fed off the techniques of Duchamp and Schwitters to create “the rigid book”. The ‘book’ I created breaks the boundaries of a standard format book, as when you open it up you realize that it is not a book, it opens up into a reversible poster. The squares represent pages, but they do not fold over to the next like a book. Instead, the opening up of this ‘book’ is left to imagination, which enhances the idea of letting go. The title ‘the rigid book’ juxtaposes the content, as it is far from a rigid book; it breaks the sophistication of a book, enhancing a sense of the loss of sophistication. In the process of creating this book, I aimed to keep the use of digital techniques to a minimum to gain the best result.
I chose to merge the content ‘Graphic Design before Computers’ into my mixed media piece, as I felt that the content would be supported by the technique, texture and colour and vice versa. Each tile represents a page of a book which represents certain chapters of ‘Graphic Design before Computers.’ There is no specific order of the way it has to be looked at or read. The book is designed to illustrate freedom and demonstrates the outcome of mass experimentation. Silk-screen printing and collage were the dominant techniques in this piece, and the use of layering and overlapping was incorporated to create depth and a voice of freedom moreover, also enhance a sense of letting go. It made me realize that not every word has to be read, individuals can choose to pick out and read what they like.
Initially, I based the squares to tile up to an A1 size sheet, however after creating my chapters, I realized that I did not want each tile to be the same size, as I felt that was too restricting which is why all the tiles are slightly different. This once again breaks the boundary of a book, as pages are always the same size. Some tiles share commonalities because each tile is representative of a certain chapter, each chapter was created on a sheet of paper and the process of creating those chapters was never planned, rather it was a result of experimentation. Each chapter sheet was then cut up into squares to represent the pages.
I chose the final size because I wanted to create something that was large but not overwhelming. I felt that the size helps create a sense of letting go, as it is not a standard paper size used for a standard book. Visually, the size is more appealing as it encourages viewers to want to create their own interpretation of the ‘book’. The book was hand laminated with the use of an iron and self-adhesive sheets to achieve the best result by limiting digital realms and the lamination works for basic protection. This once again breaks the rules of a book, as the pages of a book have the tendency to get ruined, this ‘book’ is protected.
The book is a representation of inspiration from visual garbage. I incorporated random collected materials into this piece to enhance the idea of collage. I chose to package the book in a plastic carrier bag so it could be passed around to those feeling suffocated and wanted to remind themselves of the feeling of letting go. The bag can be re-used and it may be the base of a new piece to represent freedom or it can be seen as the visual garbage that has been merged into a piece. I feel that this piece successfully allows the viewer to let go and feel free. Moreover, it encourages viewers to break free from the power of rules and indulge in experimentation.
