New Idea!!

So I have a new idea for our manipulation project. Last semester I took a class on James Joyce and we had to read Ulysses. The book is very visual, with different type sets, fonts, etc... The way the word is written really influences/ manipulates the reader's mind.

I want to create a scene based on the Circe chapter of Ulysses. In this part of the book the main characters are in the red light district of Dublin. I want to build an entire city completely out of the words from the chapter. There will be snippets of text, all out of place which will mimic the

What to do?

For class on this afternoon we are supposed to have prepared a basic statement of what we plan to do for the first project, however I seem to be suffering from a bit of artist's block. I have never taken a screen printing class before and therefore have no idea what to expect from the process. What can I put in? I know that I want to incorporate some multi-media aspects, but I am confused as to how far a screen print with digital stencils will allow me to go. In the past I have been successful with pure painting, drawing and sculpture. This new inclusion of the digital aspect and the screen printing technique is a bit intimidating.

I think that I would like to play with something commercial, a universally recognized image and then use the tools I have to manipulate it in some way that will completely change the way a viewer interprets it. I want it to be a very recognizable image that way everyone will have some sort of prior connection to it. Possibly taking an object from an advertisement (Absolute bottle? Skyy? I like the idea of using alcohol because it in itself is a tool used to 'manipulate' reality) and then incorporate that image into a larger, partly hand drawn, partly photographic scape. Maybe a cityscape with bottles as buildings? Will that create a narration that is able to be interpreted? What does that say, that alcohol can blur the lines between reality (the photographs) and fantasy (the drawings/paintings?) I want it to be enchanting though, not just a stark narration of the effects of the substance. I am afraid that this manipulation is a bit to basic for this project though. 

Also, as an English major I see a lot of text every day of my life. I was thinking of somehow 'manipulating' text and using it as a form of mixed media, if you will. Maybe taking the information aspect out of the text and using words and letters purely as a design element. Maybe have text/letter/word cutouts on top of an image (so you could only see the image through the text (I would be manipulating what part of the image is seen, and how it is seen-you see the words first, and the words allow you to see the image). Just an idea. 

I need to consider a lot of things and to learn more about the process that I will be using before I can answer these questions and settle on a concrete idea. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated.

Poor Fat Jess

For class, ART344 Digital Printmaking we had to create a quickie manipulation using Photoshop and a current events photograph. Since Jessica Simpson has been getting a lot of heat for her weight lately I figured I would give her the spotlight.

Poor Jess has made the mistake of wearing a very unflattering pair of mom-jeans which the paparazzi went crazy over. The supposedly made her size 4 ass jump to a 16 (obviously impossible and untrue). One tabloid went so far to suggest that the pop-turned-country star should take Kristy Alley's place as the Jenny Craig spokes women. Ridiculous.

I decided to play around with the liquefy tool on photoshop and add a few pounds to the skinny star and try to see what the tabloids claimed to see.

Manipulation

Define Manipulation: According to dictionary.com

Ma*nip`u*la"tion\, n. [Cf. F. manipulation.]

1. The act or process of manipulating, or the state of being manipulated; the act of handling work by hand; use of the hands, in an artistic or skillful manner, in science or art.

2. The use of the hands in mesmeric operations.

3. Artful management; as, the manipulation of political bodies; sometimes, a management or treatment for purposes of deception or fraud.

My favorite part of that definition is "artful management"- Intentionally changing something to fit our needs and desires, whether it be a physical object or image or someone's action's or emotions.

After Dictionary.com I typed the word manipulation into Google, and along with the usual wiki hits, two "related searches" popped up: "emotional manipulation" and "mind manipulation".

When I first considered the technical definition of the word my mind immediately jumped to an idea of physical manipulation, manually (or digitally) changing the appearance of an object. However, once that change is made whoever happens to gaze upon my freshly manipulated design their mind is forced to work in the same way my mind works. They see what I want them to see, and if I have done my job correctly then their emotions are effected as well. Not only have I manipulated the physical appearance of the image but I have intentionally manipulated the way others think and feel.

Manipulation is a powerful tool.