Dynamic Page: Process

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Concept Statement

The idea for this project was to create a visual narrative while collaborating with a partner by exploring paper mechanisms. We had the opportunity to focus on stop motion or a kinetic paper mechanism and in my group we decided to explore paper mechanisms. Our whole idea was showing the evolution of male and female fashion from the 1920s to the 2020s by illustrating formal attire that represents both decades. We were able to learn how to pull and push different pieces of bristol paper together to display the change in clothing differences. Fashion is a huge influence on society and the flapper era in the 1920s was very influential on today’s clothing choices. Although dresses and suits are extremely different between the 1920s and 2020s, they both influence each other in many ways.

 

Ideation

To start off this project, we were instructed to follow a set of instructions to create our first paper mechanism. This paper mechanism’s goal was to show the transition between a closed eye and an open eye by using drawing paper, scissors, and glue.
After we completed our first paper mechanism, we were instructed to make our own paper mechanism. For this one, when you pull down the tongue of the animal, its ears fly up. This one was a bit more difficult than the first exercise due to the open-ended-ness of this one.
In our exercise for this project, we were instructed to listen to a song (preferably without words) and create a visual that describes the song with only basic shapes (squares, triangles, circles) and lines. The song I chose to analyze was Mr. Brightside by The Killers and I found an instrumental version of the song. The different shapes focus on different parts of the song such as different instruments, tempo, and sound intensity.

 

Iteration and Production

Before my partner and I decided on a ‘fashion’ route for this assignment, my original thought was to have different push/pull paper mechanisms regarding the beach at both day and night. We ended up not pursuing this idea due to the simplicity of the scene.

Link to dress inspirations

My job for this project was to create formal dresses for the women, one in the 1920s and one for the 2020s. I used Adobe Fresco to create my designs and got inspirations from the flapper era in the 1920s and from prom dresses for the 2020s.
Final composition: Women. The series of photos displays the change in formal dresses as you push/pull the tabs.
Final composition: Men. The series of photos displays the change in formal dresses as you push/pull the tabs.

 

Reflection

This project, alike all others, brought a number of challenges and advancements. My biggest struggles with this assignment was the actual construction of our paper mechanism. I knew in my head how I wanted the movement to look, I was just unable to put my thoughts to words. After many hours of troubleshooting and many prototypes, I finally found a way to make my idea come to life. My inspiration for this project was children’s sticker books I used to play with as a child. The books would give silhouettes of people and stickers to put on the silhouettes and there were no rules. You could mix and match any outfit you wanted. I wanted our paper mechanisms to be playful, but I also wanted the outfits to look professional. In addition, my biggest strengths with this assignment was creating the dresses for the woman to wear. I have always had a sweet spot for fashion so this project really allowed me to incorporate an addition strength into my composition. The song my partner and I chose to go along with our two compositions was Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray. The theme of this song is about time passing and people changing, similarly to our compositions because as the years go by, fashion changes. Overall, I did enjoy this project quite a bit, although it did bring a handful of challenges. I enjoyed learning about paper mechanisms and how each one operates.