AZINE

This magazine is designed for my project called “gaMsweN”. There were 12 lectures, our aim was to attend all the lectures and write about it, which was provided to us by Mark Ingham. I will be sharing the experience I had during these 12 lectures. I hope you enjoy reading my magazine and I hope you learn

something new from these articles.

Contents6 8 10

12 14 16

20 22 24

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4. INTRODUCTION TO GAMSWEN - MARK INGHAM, 6. ARCHITECTURE AND ANIMATION - NIC CLEAR, 8. COMMUNICATING VESSELS - NEIL SPILLER,

10. RECORD SLEEVES - VAUGHAN OLIVER, 12. EVOLVED NOT MADE - RACHEL ARMSTRONG, 14. DIGITAL DEATH - STACEY PITSILLIDES, 16. WHAT HAVE I LEARNED SO FAR? - MARK INGHAM,

20. ANIMATED ROBOTICS - MARK INGHAM, 22. MANIFESTO - MARK INGHAM, 24. ON DRAWING - SIMON HERRON,

26. NOUVEAU BEAUTY AND THE TERRIFYING ARCHITECTURE OF SUREEALISM - NEIL SPILLER

We have to create our professional Twitter account (for graphic design student only), which I have done already. We tweeted at #GAMSWEN’s twitter page. #GAMSWEN twitter page to help us to keep updated about what happens next. Also we use it, to help each other out, if some one misses or did not understand what the lecture was about.

Mark showed us the video from YouTube called “A Magazine is Born – the making of Little White Lies”.

This short video is about how they produce the magazine. It was interesting to watch how they plan and make a magazine. They looked very stressed! They checked each page in the magazine very carefully, if they missed one small mistake, it will be a waste of their time!

I am looking forward to watch and listen to all eleven lecturers, but I am not looking forward to writing the essays! Writing essays is not my forte!

We had our first lecture of gaMsweN, but really it was all about introduction to the brief of gaMsweN project.

Mark Ingham introduced us to the brief, there will be eleven lecturers. The first thing, that Mark has told us How do we learn? and What is the best way to learn? We started brainstorming about how do we learn? The best way to learn by listening, looking, using my senses and experimenting with it.

The reason he asked us because we have to learn and remember the eleventh lecture. I will use the camcorder to record the lecture. At the end of each lecture, we have to write our 300 words articles of each lecture and upload on our blog. At the end of gaMstweN project, we have to produce our articles on the blog, newspaper, magazine or film/animation. I have decided to create articles on magazine. I can make my magazine look creative and exciting!

Introduction to gaMsweN

gaMsweN is spelt backward to NewsMag, a vey unique name!

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11th January 2012

Architecture and Animation Nic Clear came to our lecture, and he talked about architecture drawings, digital architecture and his students’ work. He has been teaching at Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL for 20 years, taught architecture, and now as architect running his own practise. His interest is in using films and animations in the development of architectural ideas.

Himself as a qualified professional architect, he worked in architectural office and ran his own company. As architectural profession, he believes that architecture should be broadened with digital spaces and virtual spaces.

He stated that “[1] Architect drawing is important, you couldn’t have architecture without the drawing”. Nic started to talk about the history of architecture and how it related to drawing. For example, he showed us the image on his presentation, the image show the lady drawing a shadow of his lover face on the wall with candlelight. She drew his shadow face on the wall because she wants to remember him, when he was away for long time. This image tells us that we have to visualise our ideas on drawings.

He showed us the video of Panic Room by David Fincher, the purpose of this video is to show us the movement of camera between virtual and actual spaces, and it shows the development of architectural spaces. I like the way the director filmed all way through the rooms including through the keyholes, doors, window, ceiling objects in the kitchen, etc.

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1st February 2012

Robots of Brixton

At last one of my favourite video that Nic showed us, which is “Robots of Brixton” by Kibwe Tavares. This video has stuck in my mind and makes me consider about the future, that there will be robot polices who control our lives! His video looks really professional like the professional animator!

Overall I have enjoyed the lecture, be-cause Nic engaged us by showing his stu-dents’ videos. I have learned that architect drawing is important, you couldn’t have architecture without the drawing.

He then showed us the animation video produced by his students, using 3-D animation, where different uses of space, perspective and light paths were practised. Their videos look very professional and I was surprised that his students made the videos, as I can’t make one like this!

“Somewhere” by Paul Nicholls, I liked they way it show the different angles of the view of the buildings, like bird eye view, close up view, long shot view, etc. the weather gives the video more atmosphere.

“Argument (hyper)Reality” by Kelichi Matsuda, I like the way he created this with lots of computer effects. You can touch everything around in architecture and it makes me think, will it happen in the future?!

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Somewhere

Communicating Vessels25th January 2012

Angel with Brazilian Bush

Neil Spiller is the Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and Construction at the University of Greenwich. He came and talked about his beloved project in lecture. He is an Architect, artist and writer. He has authored several books on architecture and digital culture. In his lecture, he talked about his beloved project called “Communicating Vessels”. The name of this project was taken from Andre Breton’s book.

His project, he focussed on 250 drawings and a text of a thousand word poetry. In his life, he was enthusiastic and passionate for architecture and design. He wanted to let us know that architecture design is known as new technology. He informed that his lecture is very surreal and it included mood, sex, social thing and this lecture is about art, most of the quotes were taken from the Bible. Architecture is about space and technology space. His inspiration for his project come from Zodiac Mindwarp (philosopher), Salvador Dali, Gian Lorenzo–Bernini (artist and sculpture), Marcel Duchamp (artist and sculpture).

His project started based on the myth island near Kent, where he grew up, but he never went, but lived in the surrounding area. He likes to ride on his bike and see everything around Kent. This is where he gets his imagination. He showed his island in 250 drawings. He showed one drawing that had a story behind it. The story was based in the Bible “Lilith is Adam first wife, they divorced, because she wanted to show that men and women are equal, Adam disagreed”. Also Salvador Dali created Lilith and the Double Victory of Samothrace sculpture in 1966.

He showed us his next drawing of “Angel with Brazilian Bush”. In his surreal drawing it shows the pond, bush, swans, ducks and flowers. I find it most interesting that there’s a sculpture of a fountain by Marcel Duchamp, links with his architecture drawing over when a leaf piling up on the fountain, then in his drawing, the bush is growing too.

His 250 architecture drawings are based on genetic, which linked his drawing. He stated “[1] My architecture have deep meaning”. I agreed what he said, because his drawings show what are behind the architecture drawings, not like what the Modern architecture draws! In his drawing shows the behind of architecture are technology and machinery. This is interesting bit of his “Angel with Brazilian Bush” drawing that the “little soft machinery” which showed in the drawing beneath the gate described as the testicle attached to a bladder, when it filled up and need to empty the bladder by splashing down the ground. Neil said that holy gasoline (bladder) is electricity that can power up the island.

Overall, I found it interesting, when he talked about his imaginary island and how he first created them. It took me a long time to understand what he was talking about, because the way he talks is very surrealist! I had to watch the video of his lecture 3 times!

Record SleevesVaughan Oliver came to the lecture to talk about his past work as a graphic designer and designing record sleeves. Before the lecture started, I was very interested to listen his experiences as a graphic design-er and what his life is like. He introduced himself as an art director, graphic designer, typographer and motion graphic. He had been working for 30 years. He wants to talk about his role as graphic designer, typogra-pher, etc.

First thing he asked us is who is passionate about music. I love music so much, because it gets me in a good mood. He told us that music is so important to his life, because the music gives him ideas to experiment, music affects his moods and emotions. Mu-sic changed his life! When he was teenager, he had two loves, Salvador Dali and music, they helped him in his ideas for his record sleeve designs for his work over 30 years.

Around 1970 – 80, he went to college in Newcastle to study graphic design. While in college, he hated learning typography. He used to think that his illustration and typography work was awful. He also thought that his teacher was not good enough for him to learn. He decided that he wanted to be a record sleeve designer. He finds other products and jam product label of typography easy and used it as inspiration for his record sleeve cover.

Around 1980, he bumped Ivo Watts-Russell (4AD independent music company, music director), Vaughan mentioned to Ivo that his company needs a logo and record sleeves design. Ivo agreed and let Vaughan work for him. They have a strong friendship, they have lots in common in music. He designed record sleeves for bands including, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Dead Can Dance, etc.

18th January 2012

That time, he did not have a budget, he used ink and water and spray to experiment and be playful with design. He wants his own handmade typography to fit in his design. He doesn’t like or use Photoshop, because he thinks it ruins the image, he wants it to be natural images or accidental images.

He showed us most of his work that he has done so far, it was very interesting to look at his work and I think his design work that he showed us looks a bit abstract. Overall in this lecture, it was interesting to listen about his work, his experience of being a graphic designer. I can tell that Vaughan is very passionate about what he did and is proud about what he has done so far. I also learned that I have to take a risk to play with typography to make it fit with image.

He had to listen to bands’ music and asked them what kind of designs they wanted. He thinks that he doesn’t want to use their design ideas, he preferred to use his own design style on their record sleeves. Also he wants to change the song list text into illustration. I like his creative ideas! He stated, “[1] Without listening to music, you can’t design the record sleeve, because it is so important to match with music and the design”. I completely agreed what he said. He worked with Pixies band and his relationship with them is strong. He understood what they wanted for their cover album art.

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Rachel Armstrong is a senior TED fellow also is a medical doctor, since her childhood she had an ambition to work in Biology, she spent hours in the garden playing with mud, touching it, smelling it feeling it, releasing the natural materials in the world.

As a doctor, she visited the Leprosy Hospital in India. Lots of patients diagnosed with leprosy disease, that eat the nerve cell away and patients lost their senses in part of their body. She saw some patients who lost their tooth, it can be replaced by using clay from the ground and moulded as a tooth. I was shocked that I didn’t know that you can use this material to create a replacement, but it won’t regain your normal sensations, but it does affect your appearance the way you look.

Evolved notMade12

15th February 2012

Protocell Technology

She talked about Bio – Architecture, how we using the material to build the Architectural buildings are not sustainable and we are destroying the environment by releasing carbon dioxide from material like factories. She wants to make Architecture more sustainable and she stated there is one possible solution for this is Bio – Architecture. For example she showed us the picture of the lagoon side in Venice, this picture represent the blending architecture and biology to save Venice and repair the environment.

Rachel and Neil Spiller researched the new technology that could make Architecture more sustainable, which is Protocell technology. Protocell does not have any DNA in it. It can produce solid material, like limestone absorbed carbon dioxide. The development is still in the early stages. She confirmed that biological technology will work and change our future homes, make our homes a carbon negative living spaces. Her vision of a new future where the architecture is no longer resistant to nature.

I found this lecture really interesting even if I didn’t understand the scientific words she was saying. I like the way she talks to us in loud voice to keep us in good mood to listen to her talks. I can tell that Rachel is very passionate about her Bio – Architecture and willing to change the world.

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Protocell Technology

Digital Death

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8th February 2012

Stacey Pitsillides has a PhD in Design from Goldsmiths University of London. She is my tutor for Graphic Design Principles. Her lecture is about Digital Death, she told us that it is her passion and her interest. She focuses on her out of working hours, she has been actively writing since 3 years. She have been organising debate group/committees about Digital Death, and does a lot of conferences. She is also involved in various design based exhibitions.

She talked about Digital Death, what will happen to our information when we die. She then showed us the videos of “Avatar Ashes” and “The Digital Foundation of Archaeology”, which she produced for her BA final projects. “The Digital Foundation of Archaeology” was about a lady who visited her grandmother’s grave and she put on her Facebook status “wondering what her gran was like”. One of her friends chatted with her on Facebook about her Grandma, she heard that her grandma had donated her social network to a fiction company called DFA. She was happy because she can look back into her grandma’s social network website.

It made me realise that it is important to have a social network and post memories statuses, photos and videos, because if I die, I would want my family to have access to all this.

Stacey then talked about Princess Diana’s death and Michael Jackson’s death. When Princess Diana died in 1997, everyone was very sad and people left offerings of flowers, candles, cards and personal messages outside Kensington Palace. When Michael Jackson died in 2009, lots of people heard the news and were feeling sad and expressed their feeling to Michael on their social networks, for example “R.I.P Michael Jackson, you will be missed :(“ and “R.I.P Michael Jackson, you was a legend and you always be”. That shows that the digital technology has changed our lives, and we are relying on digital technology like Facebook and Twitter. When our friends or relative dies, we automatically put on the status like “R.I.P to my wonderful friend” and “R.I.P to my best Uncle in the world, you’ll be missed”.

On the television, I saw an advert made by Google. Google advert is about a father who had a new baby girl and decided to set up an email account for her. Her father took a first picture of his daughter being born and posted the photo on email and sends it to her email account. Her father captured many memories of what she have done so far in her life and kept sending the memories to her email account. At the end of the advert, he wrote on the email “I’ve been emailing you all your life. One day we’ll look back at these together.”

Overall this lecture was very interesting, because I didn’t know that digital world have affected our life and what will happen to our information when we die. It makes me feel scared! And it makes me realise that it is important to have social network website, so I can put my memories in there.

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The first thing, Mark told us “How do we learn?, What have we learnt so far?, How have you learnt this? and What is a Record?” In past six weeks, I have been recording videos in the lectures. While I am at home, I watched and listened to the video for 3 times, to make sure I don’t misunderstood what the lecturers were saying. So far I have learned from each lectures and what makes me interested into it.

The lecture of Vaughan Oliver, I found interesting that He had to listen to bands’ music and asked them what kind of designs they wanted. He preferred to use his own design style on their record sleeves. I completely agreed what he said, “Without listening to music, you can’t design the record sleeve, because it is so important to match with music and the design”. Which is true! I also learned that I have to take a risk to play with typography to make it fit with image.

The lectures of Neil Spiller, the way he talked about his imaginary island and his 250 drawings of part of the island is very interesting. Also I found interesting that some of the artists, philosopher, bible and books that he liked had a linked to his drawings of island.

The lecture of Nic Clear, I have learned that architect drawing is important, you couldn’t have architecture without the drawing. Also it has a history of architecture and how it related to drawing.

The lecture of Stacey Pitsillides, I have learned that what will happen to our information when we die, and it made me realise that it is important to have a social network and post memories statuses, photos and videos, because if I die, I would want my family to have access to all this.

The lecture of Rachel Armstrong, I have learned that it is important to create something to save the environment from producing carbon dioxide. She created the synthetic biological material called Protocell. Protocell does not have any DNA in it. It can produce solid material, like limestone absorbed carbon dioxide. She confirmed that biological technology will work and change our future homes, make our homes a carbon negative living spaces.

Overall of today lecture, which I find it really helpful because it helps me to look back, what I have learnt so far. Also making sure that I fully understood what all lectures were about.

What have I learned so far?

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22nd February 2012

The first thing in the lecture Mark asked us “What do you think Animation means?” I think Animation means to create drawings into alive like movement drawings. In 1826, lots of people know the camera is for taking a photo and create into a photograph image. In 1895, the world changed and peoples’ thoughts had changed, because the Lumiere Brother’s first film of moving train has shocked the people. They have never seen moving images before and it freaked them out. If I see the moving images for the first time, I would obviously be shocked and scared, thinking it will move toward to me!

Mark talked about Frankenstein film by Mary Shelley, how the scientists wanted the dead person to be back alive. I realised this film links to the drawing, for example drawing on the paper looks dead and want to make it look alive!

I can’t believe that Winsor McCay used 4,000 hand-drawn frames for his animation called Little Nemo in 1911, because he took a long time to do it and hewas very patient and might not get bored of it.

Animated Robotics

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7th March 2012

I have made my own animation for University project, while doing the animation, I realised it takes a very long time to create perfection, and I had ran out of patience! Also I got bored of it! While watching Little Nemo, I really like his animation film, because it had a good sense of humour and the drawings look really professional, also the drawings movement looked smooth.

The first cartoon I ever watched is Tom and Jerry, they always make me laugh, when they fight each other, especially Tom who always loses!

My favourite animated robotic film is Wall – E because, their story is so emotionally attached and makes me fall in love with Wall – E and I wished he was real, because he makes me laugh. In the film, Wall – E and Eve hardly talk each other but they showing their action through their eye movements. They are very romantic together.

Overall I have enjoyed this lecture and it brought back memories of when I was child and watched cartoons. I didn’t realised that the world has changed so much, because from 1895 people first saw the moving images, now there’s a 3–D animation film!

Little Nemo, 1911

Mark Ingham talked about Manifesto, I think Manifesto means when someone talks about something which they believe in. How they could change the world or something they could do to make it better, or talk about their dreams. At the end of the lecture, we have to write our own manifesto.

Mark told us of his own manifesto “I want my students before lecture to have a look at gaMsweN blog, before you come to lecture!” Then he showed us the video of Martin Luther King and his famous speech “I have a dream”. Obviously lots of people must have heard his speech before, and Martin successfully changed the world by stopping racism. This is a very good example of a manifesto by Martin Luther King.

Mark also showed us another video of Nancy Duarte giving a great talk about Changing the World. She encouraged people that they have the power to change the world with their ideas. She also talked about Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King, how they changed the world by using their ideas. Also she talked about their speech pattern, how they are similar. Both follow the speech pattern of starting with the ‘what is’ and then ‘what could be’.

Near the end of the lecture, Mark showed us one of his videos that he produced called “120 Days and Nights of Staggering and Stammering”. The first thing I heard was his robotic voice in the video, which sounded unusual! In the video it tells us the story behind Mark’s life and his memories, he included Marilyn Monroe in his life. His video is interesting to watch, even the voice sounds strange! I like how he set up his circular images projected on the wall in his exhibition. His images represent his life and memories. This is my manifesto!

“Achieving my dream to become a Graphic Designer and I will not give up my dream!”

Manifesto

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29th February 2012

Simon grew up in a dysfunctional family. His father Ron Herron drew A Walking City in 1964, which is the best known of his work.

In 1964, there’s very limited technology as there were no printers/scanners, photocopiers and computers. So Ron had to trace his drawing over and over again, to make collages work, and he took a photo of his work and produced a negative image. I was amazed with his drawing skills, as it looks really professional and neat drawings. “A Walking City” there’s another seven different collages work with same building, produced by photograph, ink, collages and cut outs.

He showed us the Archigram magazine that was produced from old students in the 50s and 60s. It was a handmade magazine, inside the magazine they used typewriter to write the context, because they did not have a computer or a printer back then. I was amazed to see this magazine, as it looks really professional with hand drawn images inside the magazine. It made me realise that you don’t need to use the computer and use InDesign program to create a magazine. You can use the old fashioned method to create a magazine!

Simon then talked about his students’ architecture drawing, and then he showed the photograph of his students doing their drawing and model of their work. He said, “Drawings don’t have to be professional, drawing is like experimenting as drawing is drawing. Also he showed the architectural drawing plan, which look like a computer chip and he said, “That architecture drawing plan can be made into a technology like computer chips. This is very interesting and I didn’t know about that.

At the end of his lecture, he told us that, it is important to use our ideas on drawing paper, as you have to think about the space, light, movement and flow of drawing. Overall I like this lecture, it makes me realised that drawing is important in our life, or we won’t visualise our idea on drawing!

On Drawing

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14th March 2012

Nouveau Beauty and the Terrifying Architecture of SurrealismFirst thing, the word “Surrealism” I think it means when you go to sleep and you dream something unusual and strange, which you never seen before. Most of the artists and writers woke up from their dream and start drawing, painting, sculpting and writing, what they see in their dream. Or a surrealist idea, imagination that artist can create on their drawing. The most famous Surrealist artist that I have known of are, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, M.C Escher, Hans Arp, Man Ray, Rene Magritte and Joan Miro. I love Surrealism art, because I like looking at strange thing, and make me wonder what the story behind this.

Neil Spiller came to our lecture again, but this time, he gave us a lecture on Surrealism and Salvador Dali. Looks like that Salvador Dali is his favourite surrealist artist. Anyway back to the subject. Neil talked about Dali’s life, his house, his museum and his sculpture and paintings. While he was talking, I still don’t understand what he was saying about Surrealism. However I will be talking about how much I have known about Dali’s life.

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Nouveau Beauty and the Terrifying Architecture of SurrealismThe strange thing in the middle of the painting can be seen as fading creature, tis is because Dali can’t pinpoint the creature exact appearance. The clocks in his painting may symbolize the passing of time as one experience in his sleep.

Of course Salvador Dali is the most famous surrealist artist. He is known for his bizarre artwork! He was born in Figueres, Spain 1904. He was highly imaginative for his artwork. I love looking at his surrealism artwork, especially his most famous surrealist work is “The Persistence of Memory” Dali painted this after he woke up from the strange dream. As you can see in the painting, there are melting watches that related space and time. The sun has melted the watch, which it quite strange! The orange pocket watch at the bottom left in the painting show it was covered in ants, it was for symbol for death.

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21st March 2012

Overall, I think these lectures were excellent, I have learned lots of new things from these lectures. The most interesting lectures I had were Stacey Pitsillides, Nic Clear, Manifesto, Animated Robotics, Neil Spiller – Communicating Vessels and Simon Herron. Writing essays is still not my forte but I don’t mind, because I have fully understood what some of the lectures were about and it gave me confidence to write up essays about some of their lectures. One of the lectures I have most enjoyed is Rachel Armstrong, because the way she talks loudly and she moves about while talking. I never got bored in her lecture, because the way she talks very enthusiastically. The most annoying thing in the lectures, that some lecturers used scientific words or words that I never heard before. But overall I have

enjoyed listening to the lectures.

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ReferencesArchitecture and Animation[1] - Nic Clear, 2012, University of Greenwich

Communicating Vessels[1] - Neil Spiller, 2012, University of Greenwich

Record Sleeves[1] - Vaughan Oliver, 2012, University of Greenwich

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MAGA£2.99May 2012