Based on the critical reflection of the completed project in Unit 1, I chose to investigate new research areas with the project Methodology. What I explored was based on the routes inherent in climbing walls, which are formed by the rules inherent in the sport of rock climbing. However, when the rules are broken, i.e., when the whole wall is no longer differentiated by color, the routes become more diverse, and more ways may arise.
In the first week of 100 iterations, I chose to redefine the climbing wall and create 100 different routes based on the trajectory of the climber’s interaction with the wall while climbing. This iterative process was designed to focus on exploring the movement trajectories generated by the dynamics of the human body as it interacts with space.
In further exploring the trajectories generated by the dynamics of the human body as it interacts with space, the reference material has had a strong influence on the direction of my iterations. I attempted to record and visualize the movement of the head and limbs based on five points, simulating the trajectory of the human body through the action of points and lines. In addition, this project used a flipbook presentation to represent the temporal trajectory of the human body’s dynamic residuals in a four-dimensional spatial concept.
References from the reading list
Ludovico, A. (2012). ‘Post-Digital Print: A Future Scenario’ and ‘Print vs. Electrons’, Post-Digital Print: The Mutation of Publishing since 1894, Eindhoven: Onomatopee.
According to Ludovico (2012, p153), “the real power of digital publishing lies not so much in its integration of multiple media, but its superior networking capabilities.” Digital publishing can transform into multiple media forms by linking with various media. This idea opens up more possibilities for the mediums I can experiment with within the next iteration of the process. Digital publishing may be more graphic in recording the human body’s dynamic trajectory than what is presented in print publications. Experimenting with After Effects to record and visualize the course of the human body as it interacts with space and offering it in a digital publication.
However, the digital publishing format does not fully render the dynamic residue of the human body in its whole temporal trajectory. The flipbook that followed was another attempt at digital publishing based on dynamic trajectories in the form of printed publications representing the temporal trajectories presented by physical movements and spatial interactions in the project. As you quickly flip through the book, you can see the dynamic trajectory of an entire period in a flash.
Latour, B. (1986). ‘Visualisation and Cognition: Drawing Things Together’, Knowledge and Society Studies in the Sociology of Culture at Present, Vol. 6.
In Knowledge and Society Studies in the Sociology of Culture at Present, Latour explains that the Dutch ‘distance point’ method of painting is even more striking. According to Svetlana Alpers (1983, p9), The Dutch convert 3D objects into small 2D surfaces using painting surfaces that depict the world.
As Latour (1986, p9) states, “The main interest of Alpers’ book for our purpose is the way she shows a ‘visual culture’ changing over time.” Based on this content, I attempted to reconceptualize the trajectory of human movement in three dimensions in subsequent iterations, using the visualization of points and lines to translate this trajectory into a two-dimensional surface. The position of the limb joints is also used to drive the movement of the lines over time, showing the residual effect of the limbs as they move.
External references
Gao, M. (2010). Genius or Psychotic. Beijing United Publishing co., LTD. pp.10-14. Available at: http://x5v.net/f/vGhEC3cBYP3XuJXsXESA
According to the conversation recorded by Gao, M. (2010, p11), an interesting perspective and point of view are mentioned. People are four-dimensional creatures, existing not only in space but also in the timeline of four-dimensional space-time, and must follow the laws of the passage of time. Therefore, we can only see the dynamics of the current second. If viewed across time, the dynamic trajectory of the human body over a while is strung out like a very long worm; the length of this dynamic trajectory is the length of time rather than the length of the distance moved.
The presentation of this interesting idea has influenced the direction of my iteration. It seems to be leading me to base the trajectory of a person’s movement overtime on a timeline with an eye to the whole movement. Since the human eye cannot see the entire trajectory, if we cross the time limit, we can imagine the whole trajectory, like continuous stitching together of a dynamic residual image into a time trajectory. This concept has also become one of the main focuses of the next step exploration through iterations.
Einstein, A. (1916). The Foundation of the Generalised Theory of Relativity
Einstein introduced the concept of four-dimensional space-time in his theory of relativity, which influenced how I see how the trajectory of human movement exists on the timeline from a more macroscopic perspective. According to Einstein’s concept of four-dimensional space-time, our universe is made up of time and space. Space and time are related by the addition of an axis of time to the architecture of space on top of the three axes of length, temperature and quantity of ordinary three-dimensional space. (1916)
People are four-dimensional creature and also exist on an axis of time in four-dimensional space-time, so they can only follow the passage of time and cannot see the entire trajectory of time over time at a macro level. How to present each moment in time simultaneously became one of the focal points of my iterative exploration. Through experimentation and exploration, I found that when the flip book is flipped quickly, the entire dynamics of the human body can be seen in the shortest possible time. This means that when flipping through the book quickly, it transcends the limits of time and presents the trajectory of time in four-dimensional space-time.
External practices/projects
Bennett, L. Butler, A. etc. (2019). Artificial Things | Dance film. Stopgap Dance Company. Available at: https://www.stopgapdance.com/production/artificial-things-dance-film/
Artificial Things is a re-imagination of a contemporary dance performance of the same title by Stopgap Dance Company. This dance work integrates dancers and artists with and without disabilities in a unique aesthetic of physical movement that expresses the interplay between human interdependence, strength and vulnerability. The interaction of physical movement with the sense of light and space in the work is also translated into the visual language of cinema, creating an atmosphere of solitude and melancholy, giving the impression that time stands still.
I was inspired by the trajectory of the dancers’ physical interaction in this project. The trajectory of the body’s dynamic interaction with space is perhaps more likely to convey emotion and content than the physical movements produced during the climbing process. In subsequent iterations of this project, I experimented with the trajectory of the dancer’s interaction with space. The project also visualises the movement of the human body, through the visualisation of points, lines, surfaces and movement residues.
Gingko Smart Accordion Lamp. Available at: https://www.gingkodesignstore.com
This organ smart table lamp is a creative home product developed by the Gingko brand. Its main function is the freedom to change shape in order to match different interior styles, reflecting the brand’s design philosophy of creating stylish yet functional, modern yet great sustainable designs.
This iteration of my process was also influenced by the form of this creative home product. When the lamp is turned on, its shape takes on the same trajectory as the movement of the opening. The shape of the lamp also records the complete trajectory of the act of turning on the lamp. In terms of form, the shape of this product matches the continuous dynamic residue of the human movement trajectory. Therefore, product form also became the inspiration for the human dynamic trajectory that I wanted to carry out through iteration.