I’m in the gestation phase of something new. Ideas that have been rattling around in my head:
Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, particularly in regards to gender & queerness relates to sci-fi narratives
Absurd enthusiasm as a response to dystopianism
Introducing cameras with a different ‘look’ than my previous work:
Instant film-a sort of consumer/unprofessional aesthetic that harkens to a nebulous period between the 1960s and 1990s.
Sharper imagery-using digital and higher-grade glass-based film cameras
Creating/using paper dolls, particularly of a fashion illustration style
Building dioramic sets to play with perception and the idea of a ‘constructed’ photograph
Making more music, with an emphasis on creating more atmospheric work
Introducing interactivity into my work
Creating a comic or otherwise ‘linear’ sequence of images + text
PeeWee’s Playhouse-esque strange vlog
Using glow sticks, fairy lights, light painting, and prisms more
So… This amalgamation could be made into several independent bodies of work, or they could come together as a single project. For me, I find naming a project to be especially helpful in solidifying what it’s about. Whether things fit with the title—categorization as a tool to define work to be done. Current at the forefront of my mind: PostModern Girl Café and TeleSiren.
So, let’s consider them both, and how they mesh with the above ideas.
PostModern Girl Café
A name like 'PostModern Girl Café’ reads as semantic nonsenseas if from a random word generator rather than a person. It has a glitteriness in its lyrical rhythm, a joyful coziness one associates to coffeehouses, and a meta commentary by explicitly referencing postmodernism. I like these sorts of titles as they gesture towards a definition, but it’s hard to articulate what it actually means.
If I went with PostModern Girl Café, I’d probably be doing something more in keeping with the Strange Vlog, Paper Dolls, Absurd Enthusiasm, and Dioramic Sets.
TeleSiren
TeleSiren, I will admit, is derived from a random name generator (“Television Siren”). For me, it sounds like something that fits into my older Arietta Electrica work. By the nature of including the term ‘siren’ it has an inherently musical and performative nature.
TeleSiren would likely play heavily into Ziggy Stardust, Music, and Light/Prism work. This work would also have more to gain from a different photographic style as it would an aid to visually separate it from my more fantastical work.
Leftovers
Well, if I did both, what happens to the remaining two aspects: comic making and interactivity?
Comic or game making could potentially work for either, assuming a full narrative could be found. PostModern Girl Café could make for an interesting setting for a slice of life eutopia, while TeleSiren sounds like a dystopia. Making something interactive, I feel, would push further into this division between a eutopian and dsytopian perspective, possibly of the same fictional setting.
… When I started writing this journal entry, I’d expected to come to some sort of conclusion. A decision.
And, that’s not what happened. Instead, I’m actually intrigued about the potential dialog between these two projects.