Sight of Sound(Edited by Chat GPT)
By Yewon Park and Wendy Tang
Upon embarking on our project, we pondered several questions: How can we portray the imperceptible visually? What visual manifestations do various sounds assume? The primary objective of this undertaking was to delve into the crossroads of sound and graphic design, aiming to lend a visual dimension to auditory experiences. Our challenge involved interpreting 16 seconds of a song through the medium of design and typography. Choosing Dreamcore as our theme, we sought to unravel the parallels and connections between design and sound.
What is DreamCore?
Online, it’s characterized as a surrealistic aesthetic that taps into motifs commonly linked with dreams, daydreams, or nightmares. This vibe frequently finds expression through various media like images, videos, and music. Notably, it bears a striking resemblance to Weirdcore.
Brainstorm
Our brainstorming journey began with the exploration of various emotions we could potentially convey in our project. Eventually, we collectively gravitated towards cultivating an eerie, dream-like atmosphere, drawing inspiration from the unique aesthetic of dream core. Anchoring our vision in this surreal, game-like experience, we deliberately selected the song ‘Undertale’ to intensify the dreamy and absurd elements inherent in our concept.
As we delved into references, we found ourselves contemplating the nebulous boundary that separates the dream world from reality. Our discussions extended to personal dream scenarios, extracting symbols that could effectively encapsulate the essence of dreaming. The objective was to weave these elements into a nuanced narrative for our RISO video, adding layers of meaning and depth.
Concurrently, our focus expanded to the potential of animation in constructing a cohesive and immersive world. We pondered on leveraging animation as a potent tool to breathe life into our dream-inspired vision, exploring ways to seamlessly integrate it into the storytelling process. The harmonious convergence of emotion exploration, music selection, dream symbolism, and animation techniques emerged as the cornerstone of our creative endeavor, promising a rich and contemplative experience for our audience.
Ideas Explored
Dreams possess numerous layers, delving into the intricate interplay between the subconscious and conscious realms. This involves navigating the delicate boundary that defines and distinguishes our own dreams — questioning why certain elements manifest as they do. For instance, pondering the significance behind being chased or experiencing free fall. The enigma of entering dreams without recollection, the dichotomy of control through lucid dreaming or the haunting entrapment of sleep paralysis. Moments where events slip away like mist, creating a foggy recollection, or instances so vivid that reality blurs with the dreamworld. Deja vu, a phenomenon that leaves us questioning whether we glimpsed it in a dream. The clarity of faces seen, distinguishing between those from reality and the hazy, imaginary ones born from our mind’s depths. The eerie familiarity of dreamscapes, simultaneously foreign and exotic, creating an uncanny aura. The unsettling aftermath upon waking, haunted by a disturbing residue. Dreams, a nostalgic yearning, whether it be for those idyllic reveries we wish never ended or the nightmarish landscapes we escape with a cold sweat. These were the realms we explored and unraveled as we delved into our project.
Process
We shot our own footage for use in our animation, inspired by the concept of a certain type of dream where you are guided by someone, someone you may or may not know in real life. Importantly, it’s almost impossible to figure out their identity. Therefore, we captured footage of one person guiding another, walking or running in different scenes, creating the effect of being guided by an unknown figure through the dream. After capturing the footage, we both individually created 15-second animations in After Effects.
Once the editing in After Effects is completed, the next steps involve exporting frames to ensure the highest quality visual output. Add the edited sequence to the render queue, ensuring optimal quality settings are selected, and choose PNG as the export format to maintain image integrity. Maintain a frame rate of 16fps to synchronize with the intended visual flow.
Moving to the InDesign stage, create a document sized at 11 x 17. Efficiently compile the exported frames by placing 64 frames on a single page. This step-by-step process ensures a seamless transition from the dynamic editing environment of After Effects to a cohesive, visually impactful contact sheet in InDesign, offering a comprehensive overview of the animation’s evolution.
After the challenging RISO printing phase, which often proves to be the most intricate part of the process due to its unique characteristics and demands, the next step involves scanning the printed sheets using a high-quality scanner. This is a crucial step to capture the nuanced details and unique texture that the RISO printing process imparts to the frames.
The journey then shifts back to Photoshop, where each frame is carefully sliced, leveraging the digitized versions of the printed contact sheets. This meticulous slicing process allows for precise control over each individual frame and sets the stage for the final animation.
With the sliced frames in hand, the process loops back to After Effects. Here, all the frames are seamlessly reintegrated, and adjustments are made to refine the animation. This iterative process, involving lots of back and forth tweaking, ensures a smooth transition from the physical to the digital realm. It allows for fine-tuning, aligning the animation with the envisioned creative outcome. The cyclical dance between the tangible and the virtual, characterized by numerous iterations, adds depth and richness to the final narrative and visual experience.
Deliverables
In contemplating our deliverables, we delved into the realm of Dream Journals/Dream Diaries. These journals serve as personal repositories for our dreams, encouraging immediate documentation upon waking to enhance understanding and clarity of dream memories. Analyzing recurring themes or topics provides insights into the psychology of one’s dreams. Our note-taking and journaling took the form of Post Its and a Memo Pad.
Post Its:
For the Post Its, we crafted frames and various graphic visuals inspired by our risograph video. Each person generated 100 distinct 3 x 3 inch squares, corresponding to the individual videos. These squares were meticulously cut out and assembled into an accordion-style stack of Post Its. We used repositionable glue, allowing them to adhere like authentic Post Its while remaining removable. The edges were then trimmed to perfection.
Memo Pad:
Collaboratively designing 50 spreads, split evenly between Wendy and myself, we took distinct roles. Wendy focused on page breakers, chapter names, and informative spreads featuring sleep talk dialogue. My contributions leaned towards visually rich spreads, encompassing backgrounds, patterns, graphics, and images. Risograph printing lent each spread a unique shade of blue, differentiating them and creating a low-saturation background overlay for note-taking. Mixing the spreads based on page breaks and themes resulted in a cohesive blend. The Memo Pad, perfect-bound with a designed cover, featured a notes section on the last pages, encouraging user engagement. The easily removable pages mirrored the functionality of a classic memopad.
Yewon’s Process
I chose to explore the disorienting and jumbled aspects of dreams, where reality and fantasy blend in a confusing haze. This theme permeated my color scheme across the risograph animation, postcards, and posters, creating a muddled and foggy atmosphere. The intention was to convey disjunction, confusion, and a hint of headache.
In the postcards, legibility takes a back seat; the visuals are obscured, inviting viewers to engage in a closer study to decipher the obscured scenes. The posters echo this blurred effect, as the chosen colors blend to produce a dark, muddy appearance. The risograph animation embraces this motif, utilizing offset animation and color halftones to intensify the chaos, deliberately hindering comprehension.
The video commences with a repeated call to “wake up,” followed by a dialogue asking an unanswered question about the journey’s destination. Throughout, there’s an absence of resistance or inquiry. In the end, the revelation dawns that we’ve been trailing an unidentified figure without a visible face. The narrative concludes with the question, “Who are you?” This dialogic approach pays homage to Undertale, the nostalgic RPG game influencing the ambient soundscapes of our project.
Wendy’s Process
In working on my animation, I took a different route. Instead of relying solely on the footage as my main visual language, I decided to use it more like a “caption” within the animation, sort of guiding the audience back to reality at intervals. This approach helps viewers get a sense of being guided without a clear destination, adding an interesting layer to the story.
I focused on the characters and scenery in the footage, with a special focus on the mysterious rabbit and quirky stuff like eyes with wings. By deliberately choosing and emphasizing these elements, my animation became a more focused exploration of dream-inspired visuals, offering a distinct interpretation within our collaborative project.
The shifts between scenes in my animation weren’t just for show; they aimed to illustrate the idea of dreaming as a journey. Even though it might seem a bit crazy, the vivid and lively dream world sometimes made me want to stay there a bit longer. I saw it as a way to escape, a desire to linger in the imaginative landscapes my mind came up with. This became a key theme for the poster I made, where I expanded on the idea of wanting to stay in the dream. The creatures from my imagination felt like they were calling, creating a sense of longing that echoed throughout the poster design.
Throughout the process of working on this part of our project, I made sure to add a personal touch, bringing in layers of creativity that enhanced what we were doing together. Both the animation and the posters went through careful printing using a four-color risograph, making sure the final pieces kept the vibrancy and little details that were important in our dream-inspired exploration.
Installation
Our installation found its place at Gallery 5 in the College of Fine Arts at Boston University. Each group was allotted a pedestal to showcase their deliverables. To make our display more interactive and engaging, we didn’t just stick our posters around the pedestal; we also placed the memo pad and poster on top of it. Adding an extra dimension, we suspended fish wire from the ceiling to clip our postcards, creating a dynamic visual element.
Given that one of our deliverables is a memo pad, we took a creative approach. Removing the note portion, we clipped it onto the fish wire along with our postcards. This setup encouraged visitors to the gallery to share their own experiences and stories related to dreaming. The intention was to foster a sense of connection and collective storytelling, inviting others to contribute their narratives to the evolving tapestry of dreams.
Takeaways/Challenges
The process of using the risograph turned out to be quite challenging. Achieving the right alignment and ensuring proper paint coverage proved to be crucial aspects, demanding a considerable number of iterations and a good deal of patience. Since our animation incorporated four colors, the initial rounds of risograph printing resulted in a somewhat muddy appearance. This led us to rethink our strategy and make adjustments by shifting to color halftone. This change not only smoothed out the printing process but also reduced the likelihood of paper jams.
Beyond the technical challenges, crafting a narrative that resonates with people can also be quite tricky. This project taught us a valuable lesson: storytelling isn’t just for ourselves; it’s equally important for our audience. It’s not merely about conveying our own interpretations but ensuring that the narrative is accessible and engaging for those who experience it. This realization prompted us to consider not only our own perspectives but also to embrace a broader storytelling approach that speaks to the varied understandings of our audience.
Next Steps
Our project’s interactive nature sparked a flurry of notes and responses from participants. We prompted them to document the various types of dreams they experienced. With this wealth of collected notes, we aimed to enrich and evolve our installation. The gathered ideas could be transformed into additional risograph prints or posters, seamlessly integrating with the existing visual system we’ve established.
Social Media
Throughout our creative journey, we took on the role of the promotional team for the Sight of Sound show, actively engaging with social media. As part of this effort, we curated videos and frames contributed by our peers, weaving them into a compelling poster for the official Sight of Sound promotion. These posters were strategically placed in galleries to draw attention to our upcoming show. To boost anticipation, we established an official Instagram page, initiating a countdown series starting from D-3 leading up to D-DAY. These countdown posts featured snippets from our risograph animations accompanied by whimsical and distinctive audio elements. The aim was to showcase the expansive scale and versatility of our projects. Our teaser video followed a creative narrative, depicting a poster transforming into a book, which then metamorphosed into the risograph printer. This visual journey mirrored the iterative process each of our projects underwent.
