Method of investigating 3

Following last week’s feedback, I decided to research for facts about conkers and weather and I found an article that said that the conker is endangered due to climate change.

This research led me to produce a final output on the subject of conker and climate change.

In the previous feedback, people in the tutorial were interested in the visual development inspired by Japanese weather symbols. With this idea, I asked some feedback from a Graduate Graduate Teaching Assistant in a tutorial.

The feedback I received that the part about the decay of the conker and how climate change was not well linked. I also received a response that both are big enough as one theme that it might be possible to focus on one or the other.

As there is certainly no link between conker decay and climate change, I decided to focus more on the latter, climate change.

I wanted to express the fact that the conker is in danger of extinction by making a video of the decreasing number of conker patterns appearing as the final outcome.

Visual Developments

Instead of developing variations of the decaying symbol, I created one symbol that could represent the conker.

As I had not yet designed a symbol that I was satisfied with, I did some research on symbols in CSM library and found the following book.

This book helped me to develop my visual experiments.

However, as I began to create them digitally, I found that the symbols lost their identity as conker.

So I went back to the beginning, re-observe the characteristics of the conker and try using colour.

I felt these symbols were clearer than any of the previous symbols so I decided to use it in my final outcome.

Video experiments

As I did not have much experience in creating moving images, I had a difficulty in using After effect and the resulting work turned out to be very boring for me.

Then I tried another experiment in a physical way, this time by actually printing the symbols.

I then tried to create stop-motion by moving these symbols one by one. In addition, I also incorporated in the video the feedback I had previously received from my tutors regarding the ‘conker sound’.

Feedback

Feedback from tutors and course mates was that although the response to the video with sound was positive, I could have included aspects of the changing patterns of decay of the conker that I have been doing. I thought it would have been more complicated to include both the decay pattern and the climate change aspect, so I focused on one or the other, but realised that I should have included that part as well, reflecting the observations I had made so far. In the end, I thought I had thought too much about things and my outputs were a little off the axis of the project, which was the most important one. This was a big lesson for me as I move forward with the project. In the future, I will make use of this reflection, and if I feel like my axis is going to be blurred, I will go back to the brief and try not to lose sight of what is most important.

What is working well

• The moving image was dynamic and different from the static images of the past.
• The disappearing pattern of conkers visually communicated that they were in danger of extinction.
• The use of a video with the striking sound of the conker gave the impression of a movement.

What is not working

• The original idea of the conker pattern was not included.
• The video was too short.
• The conker symbol was one pattern.

To develop further

• To develop further: Include the various patterns and symbols of the conker I have done so far in visual developments.
• Experiment further with using Japanese weather symbols which I got an idea from.
• Make the video longer.
• Try out variations by combining sounds and rhythms.
• Try new techniques such as stickers.