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Bass Resonance

John Cayley is a professor of Literary Arts, who practices as a poet, translator, publisher, and bookdealer. In this article named ‘Bass Resonance,’ the writer seems to investigate the history and future of digital politics emphasizing on real-time and trans-media experimentation with Saul Bass as his base for the whole study.

The writer begins by questioning who Saul Bass is and how his work can be seen as a writer’s art. These questions are followed by quoting the words of N. Katherine Hayles who suggests that the materiality of text show up as a dance between the mediums physical attributes and the work’s signifying strategies and Saul bass applies this through words. We need to follow the dance when we read and write since our moves require a ‘media specific’ analysis of language art. The writer states that in such cases, Saul Bass re-emerges as the so-called new. The writer then realizes that words move. He then re-analyses when it began and states it all started in films (Film Titling, where we notice the practice of dynamic typography/writing ). Usually, writings in films are not given much consideration. But ever since this change brought about in films, there has been an increase in the importance given to ‘type in motion’ and it plays a huge role in advertisements too. Nowadays we get to see brands use moving texts to introduce their products into the market in advertising videos. All these analyses made by the writer is based on the exhibition held in London’s Design Museum. Thus he considers it to be essential that such we take notice of Saul Bass contribution as the first film title designer and he remains a unique artist in this field. His style is cool, flat, monochromatic design, with clever use of abstraction. The writer states that the most vital part is the film title. He states that Bass uses abstraction in a manner that is similar to Scott Mtclouds sketch of the subject in Understanding Comics. He states that Graphic design continues trying to make paratextual writings both aesthetical and substantively meaningful. We can interpret Saul Bass as someone who sparked the importance of typography through the then-new technology of film by making us experience the literal performance of the crucial teamplay between language as a visual form and as a symbolic representation. The writer then continues to look at some of Saul Bass most notorious includes The Man with the Golden Arm, Psycho etc. Bass then moved from film titling to working more directly with the visual images of cinema. The writer then introduces typographic ‘rule’ (typically a printed bar of ink). Rules are essentially paratextual. They share the surface of writing and also its graphic materiality. They are also lines which may shape themselves to abstract visual representation and a good example is the title for The Man with the Golden Arm. Rules in Bass work does not turn into letters alone, they also interfere with the surfaces of writing and a good example is the title for ‘Psycho’ where he uses them to represent the emotions of the film. Paratextual elements, like rules, can crossover, through abstraction but words remain clear. The writer states that the most important characteristic of Bass works is the continuum in literal time-based art.

The writer also praises the ruled gridlines of North by Northwest, which is faithful to graphics, typography, visuality, and text all at once. The movement of all the elements in Bass works is well-set and respectful of typographic principles.

In the film ‘Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’(1963) he tries to introduce as much wit as he can to support the title and story of the film, Thus making the pretext itself a work of art. The use of animation and strong and contrasting colors, help in making it more suitable for the plot of the film. It was able to give the viewers an insight into what to expect from the movie...

Saul Bass seems to take into consideration everything regarding a film including the story, the emotions etc to present the titles in such a way that it too gets its recognition. This spark started by him can now be seen in many films throughout the industry and designers are still coming up with more ways to creatively display moving type and pretexts.

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Slaka, your dream vacation...

Malcolm Bradbury was an English author and academic, famous for the creation of an imaginary East European country 'Slaka', which can be found in two books written by him. Many critics have proposed this place to be a satire of Romania during the 1980s. This is an excerpt from his books explaining this imaginary country.

It begins by giving us an introduction to the place and all the features that define it happens to be exciting and hair-raising. The way the writer introduces us to Slaka seems to be so descriptive that it does better than any tourism advertisements!! The twist of humor to it and the spelling errors makes it even more amusing to go through. At first, I was surprised at the errors made by the writer and was blaming the publisher, but later it just made the reading even more thrilling. The writer says that "Slaka is a country not to be missed". He also gives us an insight into its most stunning features and how it invites sportsmen, horse-riding fans and tourists. The writer states that Slaka is very famous among travelers and points out a review given by one of their most famous travelers, 'Vrop Personip' who said that "Everywhere you go in Slaka there is something, and then a lot more!". Comments like this usually attract the attention of the readers, which increases their urge to visit the place. Throughout the reading, the writer insists that Slaka is the most beautiful and thrilling tourist spot that although it has its limitations will still leave us mindblown!! The writer points out that "in Slaka there is something for all!!". He doesn't forget to give examples of some places including- 'The puppet theatre', 'Gorky-Ensemble theatre company', 'Z. Leblat Musiology Festivi'.

The writer also tells us when to visit the place and to our surprise, you can visit Slaka in every season as each one holds a beauty of its own and is delightful. Spring is a time when "warm zephyrs of the Mediterranean meet wafts of the norths", during summer they would retire to the lakesides and make one endless sportfest, Autumn is the fruitiest time since the sun is gentle, and in winter when it snows and fogs it is ski-time. Hence they seem to have a fun activity for every weather and the writer insists that we could come anytime we like. The author then informs us on how we could reach Slaka- by Airs, Rails, and Roads. For some surprising reason, Slaka cannot be reached through seas. He points out that the Slakans like to drive with a little excitement, so we should always expect some surprise on the roads.

The writer also gives us a phrase book introducing the language used by Slakans which I find to be very humorous and entertaining. He introduces us to phrases that could be used in the airport, in the Slakan airlines- Comflug. Some of my favorite phrases include- Lupi Lupi(Fasten your seatbelts), Bone flugso(Have a good flight), Noki moti(Do not move). The writer then tells us about Cosmplot, which operates all tourist hotels and trippings, plans our congress and overseas our vacation from start to finish. He promises that we just need to ask and they would serve us and that it is impossible to travel in Slaka without their help. He says that they also provide travelers with the best hotels and gives examples of some. He also names some of the must-visit restaurants. The writer also provides us with some phrases to be used in hotels. The writer then moves on to talk about shopping in Slaka. He points out that if u put a Slakan on an island then he would start a shop. This shows that trade has always been a character of the Slakans. The writer also names a few places to drop by for shopping and also introduces the phrases to be used. He then ends the writing by saying that "Noone leaves Slaka with an empty hand or a full purse!!".

What I loved the most about this reading is the non-existence of the very of this place called Slaka. The writer was able to come up with a very creative Utopia which could be the dream of every traveler. He was able to build up its characteristics, create a language, describe the type of people in it, the places that are found there and so on. I found the reading very humorous and amusing from the beginning to the end.

“A land for all curious tastes” (Malcolm Bradbury, Why come to Slaka)

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The Many Faces Of Home

Michael Allen Fox, an American/Canadian/Australian philosopher is the author of many amazing books including “Home: A Very Short Introduction”, published in 2017. This book by Allen Fox seems to focus on what exactly the word 'Home' represents. It explores the word Home, not as something that is already existing in the dictionary, but as something that needs to be explored since it has a wide influence in human life.

The Introduction starts by pointing out that “Home’s have always been gathering places”. It views home to be central to human existence. Home is something that people long for, it is something they treasure, a place where people are comfortable. Home plays a role in defining who a person is and what they become.

Most people consider home to be a fixed conception. But the writer denies this and says that it is something wider, with layered meanings and differs according to each person. The writer examines home to be a universal and fundamental concept, which has “deep emotions and creative expressions that are both heartfelt and more intellectual.” As a result, it is something that surprises us by turning out to be “a restless, shifting, somewhat illusory notion”. Thus we start focusing on home as something more than architecture, design, interior, etc.

Then the writer seems to concentrate on what really builds up the word Home and concludes that we can only declare this when we “look carefully beneath the surface”. Defining Home can be the hardest part. Some individuals take homes for granted. To them, home is a place that provides solace, peace, quiet, love, warmth, etc. Then the writer gives us an example to prove this by explaining the longing for home by Odysseus, the mythical adventure hero of Homers Odyssey, who longed for home, “a place full of wholeness and respite from the stresses of life”. The writer throughout the reading quotes various views of home and what home meant to people. One of my favorites is the one by Maya Angelou who states that “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned”, as I can relate to this sense of comfort.

The writer then moves on to state that although the word Home, has been given various definitions, there still has to be found a meaning to it that reflects its richness. Home is merely something in the beholder's mind. To some, a Home is “A construction within a built environment”. To some, it is a “place of escape from the troubles of the world outside”. But it is sure that there are some essential ingredients that make a home a home. A home can also define who we are and also decides who we become.

  The writer then proceeds to focus on the definition of Home in different languages and through this, we come to know that every language has a different interpretation of the concept and that it is impossible to put an explanation to it that could be widely accepted. We then proceed to focus on people’s attitude towards Home. Some have positive associations to it while others have negative associations (due to the serious forms of abuse and oppression they face at home). Thus it could be understood that the thought of home is not always bright and sunny to all. It may ignite both good and bad feelings.

The author then concludes that a home has many faces and giving it a one sentence meaning shall never be able to incorporate all the feelings and characteristics it is composed of. But it is a sure fact it plays a key role in our life and also has a role in contributing to who we are.

I loved going through this reading since it felt like a rollercoaster ride. The author has defined the word by exploring all the various fields, taking into consideration the views of different people, the customs and so on. I would definitely suggest this to people since it would make them realize what exactly a home means to them and this way they could learn to value and appreciate it more.                   “Home is just a place one takes for granted” (Michael Allan Fox, Home: A Very Short Introduction)

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DESIGN WEEK

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LEONETTO CAPPIELLO

-Le Frou Frou

(Iacopetti, 2018)

                                        “Paris, the city where people think the most, work the most...”. This was the testimony given by Italian poster art designer and painter ‘Leonetto Cappiello’, who worked and spent much time of his life in Paris. He worked for many journals like Le Rire, Femina and so on. This man was one of the most recognized artists during the Art Nouveau movement popular between 1890 and 1910. Natural forms and structures, particularly the curved lines of plants and flowers inspired this art style. He was given the title ‘Father of Modern Advertising’ due to his innovations and breakthroughs in poster design. Receiving no formal training in art, he could create a style of his own and revolutionize the art of design. That his work stood out in the streets of Paris when they were being flooded with posters is noteworthy. He was the first artist to experiment and innovate new graphic styles while the rest of them blindly followed the trends. 

                                What’s more interesting than his works is how he ended up doing them. It all started out when he decided to visit Paris in 1898, he immediately fell in love with the place. Before taking up poster art designing as his career he was indulged in caricatures and released a book named ‘Gen Du Monde’.He then shifted from caricature work and took up poster design as a career in 1900, when he met with the printer ‘Pierre Vercasson’ and entered into a contract with him. Pierre’s goal was to bring vibrant colors on the streets of Paris and this was a success ever since he found Cappiello. His posters were straightforward, used enlarged bold characters with unconventional colors, and had a very dark background which made his art pop out! He let the colors to emerge and escape through his works! Wasn’t this enough to grab the attention of even a distracted passerby?. He moved away from using intricate details in his artwork, thus his work did not exactly represent Art Nouveau. His humorous and joyful style of art shocked, surprised and moved the people of Paris. 

                        Another noteworthy point about him that stood out was that his work offended no one. He only used subtle exaggeration in his works. And this plus point gave him access to a group of performers in Paris who did not want to be caricatured such as Rejane and Sarah Bernhardt. In this way, he could win the hearts of woman performers in Paris. ‘Jules Cheret’, a French painter and lithographer who was a master of ‘Belle Époque poster art’ inspired his works. 

                           He made constant shifts between caricature and poster making during the world war period. He returned to Italy to work as an interpreter during the world war. During his lifetime he created more than 530 advertising posters! He worked on posters for ballets, champagnes, spirit bottles and so on. He was a part of both art movements ‘Art Nouveau’ and ‘Art Deco’. He also worked as an interior designer. In 1914, he received the Legion of honor. 

                               What is fascinating about his work is that they are still fresh enough to grab the attention of viewers. While I was going through his works I wasn’t just sliding past them, each detail caught my attention, it was as if each of his works had a story to tell. Since I too love to work with bold colorsI found his works really inspiring. Who knows maybe I might use him as an inspiration in my future works!!

(Taken from Leonetto Cappiello’s works)

Asti Cinzano,1920

(Iacopetti, 2018)

Mossant Hats ,1938

(Iacopetti, 2018)

Maurin Quina,1906

(Iacopetti, 2018)

Musica E Musicisti

(Iacopetti, 2018)

REFERENCES

    RetroGraphik. (2018). Leonetto Cappiello: The Father of Modern Advertising Poster. [online] Available at: https://retrographik.com/leonetto-cappiello-posters-collection/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

    Iacopetti, C. (2018). Leonetto Cappiello (Leghorn 1875 - Cannes 1942). Biography.. [online] 800 Art Studio. Paintings for sale on line. Available at: http://www.800artstudio.com/en-paintings-for-sale/artists-on-catalogue/leonetto-cappiello/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

  Artsy.net. (2018). Leonetto Cappiello - 59 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy. [online] Available at: https://www.artsy.net/artist/leonetto-cappiello [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

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STREETS-my observation

Street- an ordinary word we hear almost every day. we pass by one every day; we use them to give directions and what not. There seem to be so many things going on if I pause and observe it for a second so I thought I'd do so.

 I decided to spend my day off from university watching the streets outside my window. I even filmed a time-lapse video in case I missed something worth noticing. Since I live near a school, I get to witness the hustle and bustle of everyday school life. Every day I get to see smiley faces. The children rushing off to their buses to get home after a tiring day at school, parents waiting outside to pick up their kids and the smiles on their faces when they see them once again, teachers and staffs going home to see their families. It’s not just the buzz of the school that caught my attention the other side of the street too, has a whole different story. Here we see small shops - a supermarket, a restaurant, a grocery store. Every dawn while I wait for my bus to arrive I see the restaurant filled with laborers having their morning coffee and then they are picked up by their company buses. I see children waiting for their school buses to arrive. I see adults running off to work, with their blank faces moving forward with a bag in one hand and coffee in another. I notice the lights from the supermarket, a big banner in front of it that says ‘OPEN 24/7!!’ - what a big help this might be to people who wake up early and need to fetch something or to the husbands who return from work but forgot to buy their house groceries!!. 

Every day I see different people, they walk past me, chances are we must have passed by each other before. But no one seems to notice due to the busy life we all lead. Everyone has a life of their own, everyone has a different story. There were a few times I would just sit and wonder what kind of life a person might be living? what might be his/her story? where might the person be heading to? what does he/she do? I could build a hundred different stories in my head, but still, I might never be able to tell who they are. But isn’t it well off if those questions remain unanswered? That’s what makes it fascinating. That we could make stories about people but we never know who they really are. Streets have their own stories to tell too. Maybe I wasn’t observing them well enough. Maybe they have a tale to tell which might be easier to recognize than those of people. Maybe the stories behind them might be more indulging than those of people. Or maybe I was completely wrong, the streets might be able to tell me the stories of the lives of the people in it.

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FLANEUR

Lauren Elkin is an English professor who adores writing. She is also the co-director of the Center for New and International Writing at the University of Liverpool. She can be recognized or loves to be regarded as a flaneur; 'one who wanders aimlessly.'                    

                        Her book ‘Flaneuse’, published in 2016, incorporates her notions on why women too should be part of the ‘flaneuse’ category, due to the prominent belief that it is a masculine noun. She hopes to redefine the concept to promote the feminine form of 'flaneur' - a 'flaneuse'. During her stay in Paris, in the 1990s she was introduced to the word flaneur, a person who receives the world from another angle, Someone who understands ordinary things in a fascinating way.            

                       At the introduction of the reading, the Elkins drives our attention to a picture of a woman in Paris. The woman seems to pause to light a cigarette. We take notice of the surroundings around the woman, the writings on the wall behind her, her shadow, her motionless soul in the photograph. But what Elkins sees is a whole different story she sees how this woman’s act of smoking remains an act of transgression even though we might have seen a good deal of woman smoke. Throughout the reading, we can see the world through Elkins’ eyes. But what stands out throughout the reading is her point of view on the word ‘flaneur’, she seems to highlight that flaneur shouldn’t be seen as a masculine noun, a woman too can qualify for this characterization. Around the nineteenth century, such a figure was considered out of the question. They considered a woman on the streets a mere passerby. No one seemed to consider that she too can be a flaneur, she too could take notice of the details around her, absorbing her surroundings, taking notes. she might not stand out in the crowd but she does exist. She could be sighted in the streets, in a corner of a cafe, watching the people, observing the very place she stands in, taking in every moment.                  

                  Towards the end of the reading, we see that the author brings in the word ‘psychogeography’ in which we connect a story or a strong emotion to a specific place. And this is the part I felt was easy to associate with to last weeks theme. The fact that every street we pass by has a story to tell, something that might be years old or part of a tale. What had my attention throughout the text was Elkins love for the streets of Paris and how vivid her expressions are, this shows she is a sharp observer and loves to capture and value every moment in life, which is one thing I love to do. The reading has opened my thoughts on the theme since hearing a person’s real-life experience is more amusing and extends the interest in the subject.  

                  I personally had an amazing experience reading it since it shows a persons love for the tiny details around her and the importance of equality in every aspect of human life. I would definitely recommend this reading to the people who love to admire the ordinary things in life.

           “Sometimes I walk because I have things on my mind, and walking helps me sort them out”(Lauren Elkin, Flaneuse)

(image by Mike Kus; Graphic Designer, Photographer)