Cabinet of curiosity
What is a Cabinet of curiosity
A Cabinet of curiosity is a
collection of unique and
unknown items. these were
very popular between the 15th
and 17th century, before the
rise of cinema, film,
photography and easy form of
accessible transportation.
Since they were the main and
sometimes only way that
people of lower classes could
see things from other parts of
the world. The cabinet of
curiosity could also be used to
tell a story or event. However
this might not be clear to the
viewer as it might only be
recognisable by the maker of
the Cabinet of curiosity.
Idea generation (mind map)
Idea generation 500 word explanation
part1
•
•
To start off my interest in fantasy started at childhood. It began with my disability
putting me in a wheelchair this then led to kids at school picking on and bullying
me. This then led to my social difficulties developing this then led to redeveloping
escapism. (Escapism refers to a situation where someone constructs fantasy and
make-believe worlds to escape from the hardships of real-life) This illness led me
to have counselling sessions.
Then as a back story I will look into the fantasy that interests me. We begin with
Disney, after all Disney films I’ve seen. There are three main ones that have
inspired me over the years. This would be the Jungle book, Peter Pan and the Lion
King. The next set of animated films that inspire me the most were the
DreamWorks films. Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How to train your Dragon and its
spin-offs ,TV series Dragon Riders of Berk. The two main film series I watched
growing up were Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. These films are very popular
with young people so I naturally got drawn into them. James Cameron’s Avatar was
a film inspired me a lot in my graphic and animation field due to its state-of-the-art
CGI and special effects it was also influenced by a long love of sci-fi. The three
main sci-fi franchises I have enjoyed are Star Trek, Doctor Who and Star Wars. This
sci-fi interest would also lead to me taking a great interest in many games such as
Halo, Mass effect and Ratchet and Clank. …
Idea generation 500 word explanation
part2
• Another thing that would inspire me to play games was how restraint I felt
by my body. Games like Assassin’s Creed increase my escapism that I could
imagine myself doing things such as running and jumping like the
character in the game. Things I knew I was physically incapable of doing in
real life.
• I first got into animation by watching the Disney films listed above. Also
watching Saturday morning cartoons such as Looney Tunes on BBC and
Transformers on ITV. My biggest inspiration was Scooby Doo which I got
into while I was in St James’s Hospital having operations performed on my
arm. It was also around this time I first got into comic books this was also
inspired by Saturday morning cartoons of famous comic books such as
Spiderman, X-Men and Batman. However I would not get fully into books
until year seven. When we had an author who came to visit us called Peter
J Murray. Who presented his book Mokee Joe which became the first full
paperback book for me to both own and read. In secondary school I would
listen to lots of audiobooks while doing homework. This would inspire me
to read several book series such as Redwall, Narnia and Inheritance Cycle.
concept 1
• This is my first
concept idea I
came up with after
receiving the
project brief. It is a
very simple idea of
a normal box with
colleges of images
from the different
medias listed
above fixed to the
sides.
Concept 2
• This is my second concept idea is a virtual
repressentation. It was inspired by Dr who’s
Tardis the way it worked was by spinning round
on the spot then the doors opening to reveal a
different theme of images.
Concept 3
• My third concept
will return to a
physically built
piece of work. It
was a simple scroll
with some visual
images on it that’s
moved and
changed as you
rotate the handle.
Roller handle.
Concept 4
• The 4th concept idea
is my final one. This
was an animated
piece based around
the idea of the old
film spinners. It will
be made with a large
hexagon with a
couple of images
placed on each face
of the hexagon. It
would then rotate at
high-speed to give
an illusion of the
images moving and
blending together.
Visualization sci fi
• This next slide shows a concept idea for the visual
language. This would be used in my box. This is my scifi mood board it combines images of Star Trek, Doctor
Who, Star Wars, Stargate and Andromeda.
Self criticization of work so far
• To start by criticising my work so far I have come up
with a main theme for my project and four possible
roots for it to take. I still am not clear on the
visualisation and have not managed to understand how
to use symbolic and metaphors to tell my story. I also
feel that I might change the plan of this project a bit
due to the fact I cannot in good faith say that. I am
completely comfortable with diving into my troubled
and in some cases painful childhood memories. For
that reason I have spoken to my tutors about some of
these problems mostly the metaphor and symbolic one
and have this and have decided to do a section of indepth research help me better metaphors and
symbolisms in art “
Joseph Cornell
• Joseph Cornell was not a sculptor, a
draftsman, or a painter. This
internationally renowned modern
artist never had professional
training. He was first and foremost
a collector. He loved to scour old
book shops and secondhand stores
of new York looking for souvenirs,
theatrical memorabilia, old prints
and photographs, music scores,
and French literature.
• “http://www.josephcornellbox.co
m/lifeart.htm”
Cornell Family, c. 1915
Joseph Cornell Study Center,
Smithsonian American Art
Museum, Washington, D.C.
Why I'm researching Joseph Cornell
• I am researching Joseph
Cornell due to his
extensive use of boxes
and his style of telling a
story within these boxes.
I hope to use these as
inspirations to create a
better cabinet of
curiosity and making
sure I can tell a decent
story with in that
cabinet.
Rene Magritte
• “Belgian Surrealist painter. Born at
Lessines. Studied at the Académie
des Beaux-Arts in Brussels 1916-18,
and settled in Brussels. Made his
living for a time by designing
wallpaper and drawing fashion
advertisements. Became very
friendly with poets and writers
such as Mesens, Goemans,
Scutenaire and Nougé, who shared
his interest in evoking mystery and
were later the founders of the
Belgian Surrealist group”
“http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists
/rene-magritte-1553”
Why I'm researching Rene Magritte
• I am researching Rene
Magritte to help me get a
better understanding of
symbolism and
methodology.
• I also researched him
because a lot of his work
is inspired by the idea of
dreams and fantasies in
the mind similar to what
my project is based on.
Pink Floyd album covers
• Pink Floyd were a rock ‘n’
roll band in the 60s.
• Their album covers are very
much about symbolism and
methodology. Like using a
man on fire from the wish
you were here Album cover
symbolises Alienation
• While the covers have been
made by a number of
different designers and
artists. The visual language
always has symbolism and
methodology.
Research in to boxes and cabinets
• To help me better understand how to draw concepts and
ideas of what the exterior of my Cabinet of curiosity look
like. I have looked at several different boxes and cabinets in
order to help me get a better idea of what my final piece
might look like.
Result of the combined research
• After researching into the several different
fields. I feel, I have a greater understanding of
symbolism and methodology, as well as a
good idea of how I want to design to look like
in the animation.
Box concepts
• Above you can see several hand drawn concept ideas
for what I want my boxes to look like for my animation.
I hope to build one of these concept ideas in 3-D.
• These concepts were inspired by the research I did into
boxes and cabinets see previous slides.
Limitations
• I would like to confess now that due to limitations
in my design skills I am going to use photographs
to create my animation. The two main reasons
for this are as followed.
• Firstly I do not have a very good drawing skills
which removes the possibility of using traditional
hand drawn cell animation.
• Secondly I have not yet learned how to use
Cinema 4D, so for the moment 3-D modelling
animation is also not a good route to take.
Solving the problems
• Because of the problems I previously listed the
technique I intend to use is photographs
combined with After-Effects. This eradicates
the animation problems as I mentioned
before.
• I have also decided to make sure I do not
require any physical practical work in this
project due to my own physical limitations and
time restraints.
Simplifying original project
• After speaking to one of my tutors about my project. I
realised the main problem with it was time restrained
and I only had two weeks left at this point.
• So to simplify the project down. I decided to tell a
story. In my box based around sci-fi and the first sci-fi
film I ever watched Star Wars by thinking of the first
thing that came into my mind. Then writing it down
and continuing the journey. By writing down the first
thing that came into my head until I reached a dead
end or it got too low to animate and would be
shortened down.
The journey
Explaining the journey
• As shown on last slide the journey is nine
things that are my first thoughts when I think
about the previous item on the list.
• The way I intend to use this list is by getting a
photograph of each item and a box and using
after effects to fade the images of the items
listed gradually following into the box the
journey as shown on the previous slide.
Criticising journey
• My main criticism about the journey is the length
of it while originally I had planned to do a long indepth journey. Time restraints have forced me to
do a journey of only nine different images of the
thoughts I had about sci-fi.
• My second area criticism of the journey is that no
one but me can understand it on its own. So I am
not sure whether this piece will work or not. I
guess only time will tell.
Storey boarding journey 1
• Continued on next slide
Storey boarding journey 2
• This is a storyboard of how I imagine my
journey will look in after effects. It is the first
step of my visualization and I hope that it
works in after effects.
Creating animation
Creating the first animation I started by collecting images of the things
listed on previous slides as well as a background image of a box interior.
I then brought the images into after-effects and turned them into
animation by having them fade in order of how they appear in the
journey.
Criticising first animation
• The first major problem with the first animation was the
length it was only five seconds long which did not give me
enough time for people to view and understand the work.
• Another problem was that the way I positioned the
images originally covered the box and did not look like
they were in the box which led to a misunderstanding of
my work.
Creating second animation
• The second animation was just slight alternate version
of the first. The main different in this animation was
the position of the images. these were now in the
center of the box and not on the edge like they had
previously been giving the illusion that they were in the
box.
Criticising second animation
• The main problem with this animation was the same as
the first in fact it was shorter than the first due to a
mistake I made in editing the timeline.
• Another problem that they brought to my attention
was the fact the animation did not feel complete as it
only had a middle and not really a beginning or end.
Creating third animation
• My third animation is in many ways a longer version of the
second one as the animation is now just over a minute long.
• I also added text at the beginning. Introducing the animation
and text at the end to mark the ending solving one of the
problems listed on the previous slide.
Criticising third animation
• While previous main criticisms have been addressed in my
opinion on the third version of my animation. I feel that I
could still do with finding some sound for the animation.
• As well as some of the text animation is a bit quick and not
always readable could do with some future work on this.
bibliography
• Slide one image found at
http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/wonderbound/
crocodiles.htm.
• http://www.josephcornellbox.com/lifeart.htm
• http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/corn
ell/imagination/
• http://keepcalmitsonlyart13.wordpress.com/abo
ut/
• http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/rene-magritte1553
• http://images.miandn.com/www_miandn_com/8fadad18
.jpg
• http://whitney.org/image_columns/0008/6090/92.24ak_cornell_imageprimacy_800.png
• http://www.surfacetoair.com/blog/V2/wpcontent/uploads/2011/10/Wish-You-Were-Here-Man-onFire-Pink-Floyd.jpg
• http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://images2.f
anpop.com/image/photos/10500000/Pink-Floyd-pinkfloyd-10566687-19201200.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/pinkfloyd/images/10566687/title/pink-floydwallpaper&h=1200&w=1920&sz=134&tbnid=Tq0tV2l1xLP
PPM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=147&zoom=1&usg=__DPiSilJi9riZU
35L89_NhsJQ0Ow=&docid=8P_iHZA4ibIKaM&sa=X&ei=nE
SiUqrbKcWShQfA4oGYBA&ved=0CKEBEP4dMA0
• http://www.pinkfloyd.com/history/biography.
php
• http://www.woodencraftsshapesandboxes.co.
uk/products-page/wooden-craft-boxesunfinished-to-decorate/small-blank-woodentreasure-chest-craft-to-decorate/
• http://www.cropmobilya.com/masif-kitaplikmodelleri.html
• http://www.deanorgans.co.uk/
Sci-Fi mood boarded bibliography
• Star trek image from
http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=39916
4
• Tardis image from
http://www.adaptiveglass.com/build-a-tardis/
• Stargate Atlantis image from
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STARGATEATLANTIS-ORIGINAL-Daedalus-IntruderUniform-COSTUME-Prop-/280888449450
• Star Wars image from
http://www.rabittooth.com/800x600StarWarsWall
papers2/AnakinSkywalkerV2Wallpaper.jpg
• Dr who image from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/75
44817/Doctor-Who-Matt-Smith-interview.html
• Andromeda image from
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/An
dromeda
Images used in animation bibliography
• Image of Box interior from
http://scrapngrow.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/Edited-Bottom-of-ToyBox-Interior.jpg
• Image of Star Wars logo from
http://www.wallpaperhi.com/Entertainment/Mo
vies/1977_awesome_The_Star_Wars_Logo_1747
6/download_2560x1600
• Image of Light saber from
http://ultradownloads.com.br/papel-deparede/DOTA-2/
• Image of Lightning from
http://www.solarfeeds.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/07/lightning-blue.jpg
• Image of magic from
http://dc127.4shared.com/doc/VZHMmTUn/prev
iew_html_3f1fdfa3.gif
• Image of Negima from
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc16/chisa
me-h/negima-book13.png
• Image of Manga logo fromhttp://www.newsanime.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/07/MangaEntertainment.png
• Image of naruto
fromhttp://webtaj.com/naruto-shippupisodes-vostfr-hunter-tail-17461.html
• Image of ninja from
http://kushanku.de/grafik/ninja_nic_ohne_hin
tergr_k.gif
• Image of Japanese flag
http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/4
017170/Dear+Lord/6#6