Dynamic Pages

Research

To begin thinking about the feelings that can be associated with different instruments or songs, we did an activity in class where we listened to 5 different songs and drew what we heard using symbols consisting of shapes and lines.

The next activity we did was a competition in a class miro board to get to know our partner. I had not known my partner before this project so this was helpful to get to know some of their interests.

Next, my partner and I began to collect samples of instrumental music and used sketches to analyze these selections. The sketches helped me create connections between what I hear and see in relation to the top 4 songs we chose from our samples.

Sketches representing the relationship between visual language and music organization principles for our top 4 song choices.

After looking at the surface level details of our top 4 songs, we narrowed our choices down to 2 songs and we each made lists of vocabulary that we thought of while listening to the songs.

After looking through both of our sketches and vocabulary lists, we decided to use the song, Decay, by Blood Estate, for our project. To further analyze the song and begin thinking about ways we could represent it through paper mechanisms, my partner and I created a chart mind map.

For the last step in the research process, my partner and I each created a sample color palette and a list of ideas as a form of brainstorming the 2 separate parts of the song.

Exercises

The first exercise for this project was to follow a class demonstration of how to create a pull tab paper mechanism. This exercise got us thinking about how paper mechanisms could potentially work and how they could reveal or conceal certain images and ideas.

The second exercise was to create two paper mechanisms from the templates on the list provided to us on Carmen.

The first paper mechanism starts as a folded piece of paper.

Then, you activate the mechanism by pulling open the two front flaps of the paper.

The second mechanism I tried creating was one that began as a flat piece of paper and then had lines through the middle that criss cross when you fold the paper in half.

The end state as the lines crossed over each other when the paper was folded.

Iterations

When beginning to test paper mechanisms for the final product, I looked for templates that had a contracting aspect so that it could condense into a small object, but also flatten out out. This is because the part of the song that my half of the diptych was representing, has an echo of voice notes, so to translate those sounds into visual means, I needed something circular that creates circular motion as well as an element of contraction to demonstrate the transitions between many voices to one prominent voice. For the first mechanism, I created one that looked like a spiral and opened flat when the sides are pulled.

Notes in my sketchbook about which mechanisms to test.

The beginning state of the mechanism which is a tight spiral and a closed composition.

The opening of the mechanism as it is in transition from a tight spiral to becoming a flat, open composition.

The end state of the mechanism as it fans out into a mainly flat state with the lines still demonstrating the movement of a spiral.

The mechanism on the left is my first attempt and the mechanism on the right is my second attempt. This mechanism uses the pull of a string to reveal a new image behind the paper which moves in a circular motion.

After failing to get the last mechanism to work properly, I decided to experiment with some other techniques like the waterfall mechanism and shapes lined up in a way that uses a domino effect.

My next idea was to place pieces of paper in a spiral and have them fold over onto each other creating a domino effect to emphasize the echo and atmospheric aspects of the song.

First, I used the compass to cut multiple sizes of semi-circles

Then, I filled out a sketchbook page to brainstorm how to get the technique to work with semi-circles.

Testing the domino effect with square pieces instead of semi circles.

Concept Statement

The song Decay by Blood Estate invokes feelings of anxiety within an atmospheric setting.The guitar notes of the song portray the chaotic and clashing side of anxiety, while the ethereal voice notes portray the underlying and uneasy feelings that accompany anxiety and discomfort. My partner’s mechanism portrays the chaotic and clashing side of anxiety which is present in the first 40seconds of the song as well as between the times of 1:08-1:36. Their mechanism uses the element of line to create a collapsing motion and demonstrate the overwhelming feeling associated with their parts of the song. On the other hand, my mechanism uses shape to create a movement that represents the ethereal voice notes which are present within the times of 40seconds-1:08 and 1:36-2:04. The three triangular pieces connected to the pull tabs are placed in a spiral shape and utilize movement to emphasize the echo and atmospheric aspects of the song. The layering of colors also represents this echo because they progressively get lighter towards the outside. The colors also represent the shift in the song in which there is a transition from chaos to a moment of peace. The three pieces then pull out from the center so that all that is left is a light blue circle representing the subtle and angelic voice that is prominent within these parts of the song. The light blue circle that is left also represents the moment of peace or tranquility that accompanies the delicate voice notes after the overwhelming instruments in the beginning of the song.

Production

After multiple attempts at using templates from the sources provided on Carmen, I ultimately could not get the mechanisms to work as smoothly as I wanted them to, so I began to try some new ideas for my final design, mixing together different elements from other mechanisms.

The first thing I did was gather my materials and I knew I needed the mechanism to be circular so I began testing designs with the compass.

After cutting out the circle around the outer rung, I tried to hold it together using a pin so that I could have other pieces of paper move around it in a circular motion.

Since the pin in the center didn’t stay, I decided to cut along the spiral lines to see the separate pieces laid out and see if there was another way I could create movement among them.

I also looked at the paper which I cut the triangles out of to see if there was a way I could move each of the three pieces in and out with a possible pull tab.

After multiple tests, I figured out that I could cut along the third rung and have the separate triangles slide in and out using a pull tab.

Pushing the triangle further towards the center using the pull tab.

I decided to test using fishing wire to keep the triangles connected to the circle so that they didn’t entirely disconnect each time they’re pulled out. The fishing wire also allowed the triangles to move completely outside of the circle, yet not detach.

The fishing wire taped onto the back as a temporary way to attach it to the paper.

Then, I decided to add layers of other shades of blue to each triangle piece to create an effect similar to an echo and have the colors each line up in a circle when the pieces are all touching in the center.

using the pull tab to push the last piece to the center where the colors align and radiate around the circle.

Lastly, I figured out that the best way to attach the fishing wire was to tie it into the paper and then I also glued the pull tabs to the paper with tacky glue.

Final

Full composition with one piece partially pulled out.

Full composition with each piece partially pulled out.

End state of mechanism with all three pieces pulled out to represent the singular voice that stands out when all the echos go away and the removal of the darker colors represents the transition from harsh instruments in the first portion of the song to the ethereal voice notes in the second part.

Detail shot of the wire connecting the two pieces.

Final PDF

Ohio State nav bar