PROJECT I: Word Play Poster
A visual representation of the word ‘silence’.
For this first project, I have chosen to visually represent the word ‘silence’. I was drawn to the word mainly because it can go in so many different directions, and silence personally is something that I have always struggled with mastering in the past. It’s oppressive, it’s peaceful, it’s limiting, it’s hurtful, it’s darkness, it’s light, and overall it’s… really subjective, when it all comes down to it. So I wanted to take a chance and tackle something that has an infinite means of representation, and narrow it down to a single, readable idea that everyone can grasp, no matter their interpretation.
Step 1: Word List
Below is alist I compiled with words that related to silence. Whether that be direct, symbolic, indirect, etc, I threw the word in there. Bold words are important ones that stood out and contributed to my final theme.
abyss
darkness
emptiness
nothing
peace
quiet
deep sea
chamber
isolation
still
stillness
tranquility
outer space
no talking
no communication
void
voiceless
mute
tranquil
secrets
secrecy
censor
stealthy
sneaky
deep
uncomfortable
aweing
miserable
long
distant
white noise
to be
shy
enclosed
secluded
sealed
consciousness
unconsciousness
danger
unknown
suspenseful
potential
loneliness
usurp
to silence
freedom
meditating
balance
A major source of inspiration for this ‘silence’ interpretation was the article “The Aesthetic of Silence”. It’s an article that kind of covers how we as artists, as well as we as general thinking organisms, see and analyze the idea of silence. Furthermore, how the artists of today have chosen to interpret the topic. The article is listed below, as well as the poem that inspired it (and in turn, me):
KEEPING QUIET
by Pablo Neruda
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.For once on the face of the earth,
let’s not speak in any language;
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.Fisherman in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Step 2: Sketching and Planning
Below are my initial matrices for the project:
Matrix creation is something I didn’t fully understand and am still attempting to grasp as I continue to use this method of brainstorming. The themes of these matrices are ‘Silence as an oppressive force’ (left) and ‘Silence as a concept with multiple interpretations’ (right).
When moving to the sketch phase, I narrowed my focus down to the theme of silence as a sort of limitation or boundary. Through the sketches, there are many ways I explored this sense of limitation; cages, phases of emotions, isolation, etc.
Below are the sketches for the final poster (pre size change):
Step 3: Digitization
The digitation process for this project was stumbly at first, an attempt to get my ideas on screen with some… awfully dodgy sketches, looking back on it. Though this process did eventually help me get to my final point a lot easier than it originally would have been.
My mini-posters that came before creating the final:
My first attempt at the final after getting a size change, and narrowing my options down to the image on the far right (working with the image in the globe was an interesting angle that I believed I wanted to take and best represented the “cage” imagery that I was thinking about approaching):
For this piece above, I wanted it to be more about how silence is a strict and demanding command that can sometimes cage someone in. I attempted to make that cage with the lettering.
For the final, I ditched the caged words and focused more on how to separate the two subjects I had presented. Using the globe as an overall cage, versus creating a second one. It became more about silence and what it can potentially provide in the cage; isolation, peace, and other themes that surround that.
I believe that my final attempt truly exemplifies all those themes. There, of course, could have been parts that could have been brought out better (for example, moving the quote, and working more with the figures, and bringing out their true ignorance of the silence happening besides them). But overall, I’m pleased.
Below is my final attempt:
