Invisible Cities:Online Green Light Review
Below is my first online green light review presentation about the project 'Invisible Cities', included within the power point you will find my thought process along with all my different thumbnails and influences.
OGR 05/10/2018
ReplyDeleteHey Shannon,
Some lovely thumbnails, very exuberant - and Armilla - nice, and I can see perhaps why you're drawn to this one, as it is arguably the most 'narrative' in nature, with its emphasis on the behaviours of those water nymphs. I'm just going to take issue with the idea that Armilla is 'under the ground' somehow... I say this, because Calvino does in fact mention 'the sky' - my sense from his description is that Armilla is like a coral skeleton or lung-tree - it's the inner-workings of buildings of all types and sizes, now visible and exterior, when before they would have been 'inside' and visible: so...
https://www.tes.com/lessons/fgpXJtVbcdITig/copy-of-lung-structure
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1-Gorgone.jpg
So Armilla is not 'under' anything (though yes, absolutely, Armilla would have an entire system of underground pipes as these would represent the infrastructure of the city's pipe-work), it's actually a vertical city, but it's like the 'skeleton' of the city - the 'veins' of a great city - left upright and standing, while everything else has disappeared for someone reason...
http://www.fubiz.net/2015/09/01/impressive-wire-mesh-installation/
http://craftedrepetition.blogspot.com/2014/04/giant-mesh-installation.html
https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/hospitality-event-pop-ups/wire-mesh-installation-by-edoardo-tresoldi-yellowtrace-07/
I enjoyed your idea of the transportation system (and your underground themed thumbnail is fun), but again, if you think of your city as being more aerial, then maybe this sort of thing comes into play too?
https://lolamamma.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/aquapiper.jpg
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/526780487636982653/?lp=true
Somehow, these chime with the rather hedonistic, pleasure-seeking inhabitants of Armilla...
Also, I do want you to think about the practical 'real world' consequences of what conditions might be like in this city; with all that water around the place, there would be a lot of 'nature' - plants, and insect/aquatic wildlife. There might be a bit of a rainforest vibe - a whiff of the garden of Eden no less... One practical problem would surely be.... all the mosquitoes - I wonder, if Armilla at night, would be illuminated by the glow of citronella insect-repelling candles!?
Short version is, Calvino's text suggests that Armilla is above ground and open to the elements; if so you'll need to think what this means for your city. In terms of interiors etc. this might seem like a contradiction because the whole point of Armilla is that there are no walls etc, but that said, even so, there would be 'inside' spaces created by networks of pipes etc.
The big thing here is that Calvino gives us those nymphs... a quick glance at Wikipedia tells us that 'nymph' is a category comprising many different sorts of characters with different associated imagery and behaviours:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymph
In terms of thinking about your 'interior' and ensuring it is specific to something (and not just another image of pipes), you may want to consider creating a space that belongs to a particular type of Nymph - and thinking about ways in which you can ensure the environment reflects her character etc.
The other big thing is a simple one: scale - Armilla is a vast 'skeleton' of a major city, so be wary in your establishing shot of shrinking it to a collection of buildings - find a way to express what is extraordinary and strange about Calvino's vision.