Tuesday 7 December 2010

Unit 3 Environment Research

For this unit I have been asked to produce a tableau vivant-style scene, combining a digitally modelled set in Maya with a matte painting from Photoshop.

The challenge is to produce a piece that communicates the nature of the uncanny, not to be confused with gothic, fear or supernatural, for me, the trick will be to produce a scene that has "familiar" homely touches with a hint of the unusual.

Following on from the lectures from Phil, the pieces that really spoke to me were the works of Edward Hopper:

Edward Hopper: Night Windows

Edward Hopper: Nighthawks

I love the uncomfortable feeling like we (the audience) are peering into peoples private lives, if only in passing. The stark contrast in the lighting emphasises the fact we are on the outside looking in and is something I would like to carry forward into my work.

Like wise, Jeff Walls The Destroyed Room has a similar affect like we are looking into the aftermath of a domestic disturbance, something we really shouldn't do but can't take our eyes of it:

Jeff Wall: The Destroyed Room

Gregory Crewdson's photographs are very carefully set up and could be mistaken for movie stills:


Gregory Crewdson: Hover series

Gregory Crewdson: Beckoning School Bus

Gregory Crewdson is a master of creating visual theme, telling a story in a single frame. His way of creating a "mise-en-scene" is something I would like to try and replicate in my final piece.

With this in mind, I have decided to base my work on a comic book, or rather a scene from a comic book which I beleive inherits all of the above qualities. As Phil put it in his Podcast, we are playing this game of uncanny, so I don't want to do a "Chucky" from Child's play and tell you my monster. I am hoping that the objects that populate my scene will tell a story of its own and resemble an uncanny theme.

Here are some more pictures rooms and objects I have found in my research to inspire me:





























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