#vertical project

Final GIF for Vertical Project

GIF in progress for Vertical Project

I really enjoyed this project for a number of reasons, the theme Memories intrigued me and also the exhibition. The exhibition in many ways was like our critique, I spoke to few people about how they viewed my puppet and learnt a lot from the process.

I decided to make a puppet as a response to Memories because I wanted to create a 3D physical presence in the exhibition. Furthermore, puppets in memories are related to many things - the classic movie psychiatric scene where they use puppets to explain past events, childhood puppet shows of punch and judy and the fact they’re almost in the same field of creepiness as clowns. Puppets are a mask, a lie, a dramatisation.

Also, after recently going to the Moomins exhibition - where a few puppets were on show, the tour guide told us a story. One of her party as they were going around the exhibition was hooked at staring at these puppets, she asked why and he remembered them from his childhood. He said he had no recollection of knowing they were moomins characters, but that he must of played with them everyday.

I found this story really interesting and wanted to develop on it. So I related it to my own memories. I went home and looked at my baby box, full of memories of school and learning. During my ‘life education’ I learnt that I hated lying. I had very physical signs of lying would go quiet, red, hot, eye to floor basically the guilt was too much for me. Most of my clearest memories related to, in some way, lying. So I wanted to create a puppet which presented how I felt when I lied. On one side, straight faced but uncomfortable on the inside dying inside from the guilt.

In many ways the puppet was success, people really enjoyed it. However, many people were asking me the story behind it. Although, I knew it wasn’t a clear connection to lying I was met with looks of confusion even when I explained it.

Therefore, post exhibition/mini crit I decided to make my links clearer. I looked into gif making and how I could elaborate in it’s meaning a short clip. I decided to do the classic ‘Hands Up!’ as though someone had been caught and then the ‘Hands Down.’ because when you’re a child the lies you tell are very small and unimportant to everyone but you and you’re forgiven.

Vertical Project Research development

H.Y.T, a graphic design studio made this bold and enticing gif which is exactly what I am looking for as a development piece for my vertical project. I like the clean animation and illustration. While the yellow and blue face remind me so much of my own puppet.

For my vertical project I made Pup the Puppet, I love him - he’s well crafted, fully functional. However, I found myself having to explain him a lot during the exhibition, which is probably why I left the project at a bit of a cliffhanger ending.

My concept for the vertical project was that I would create a piece around the subject of lying. My strongest memories are ones in which I would lie, giving such an ugly emotional result allowed me to remember them better because I felt guilty.

So I created a naive puppet to provide the outer feeling of “Who me? You thinking I knocked over that ornament? No way! I have no idea, how that would happen.” - to - “Please don’t be angry!! I’m so sorry.” (Happy and Sad face). However, I feel like this connection with lying didn’t fully come through.

My puppet in Barcelona

I originally had the idea that for my journey project I would bring my puppet (made in the vertical project) around Barcelona with me and take pictures. I have been doing this however, I don’t feel like it’s experimenting enough with the format of a zine. Eventually, it would just look like a photo book which personally I feel doesn’t utilise or meet what I want to be making in my zine.