Invisible cities OGR
So the first few weeks have definitely been challenging but I have learnt so much. At this half way point through the project, we take time to reflect and receive feedback on our processes and intended way forward. In that stead, here is my OGR presentation for Invisible Cities.
Invisible cities OGR presentation by Eleanor 'Nelly' Luckett on Scribd
OGR 05/10/2017
ReplyDeleteHey Nelly,
Okay - in principle, I like your approach here - that sense of Phyllis being rather like a 'coral reef' of different architectural styles that tells us something about the way in which it's been inhabited by different cultures and absorbed all those different influences. That said, I'm not so sure in regards to the 'modern stuff', largely because I can't find evidence of that in the words Calvino uses. There's a certain nostalgia, romanticism and 'old world' impression created by the actual choice of Calvino's vocabulary for describing the various architectural elements here, and I'd encourage you to reflect on what that information is adding up to in terms of the limits of how eclectic your combination of architecture and styles could and should be.
I think you need to be a little more forensic and 'real world' in terms of your research; I'd look at the various words 'Moorish' 'Onion Domes' 'the Three Queens' even that 'caper bush' and get a stronger sense of time, place and actual geography: for example - in which actual countries might you find a caper bush growing?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caper
... and with which countries/cultures might we associate the 'onion dome' as a prominent architectural feature?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_dome
... and what does Calvino mean by Moorish?
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/moorish-art/
For me, the idea of squishing all those different architectural styles together (gothic, art nouveau etc) doesn't make sense of the story of this city as implied by Calvino's choice of words and specific description. It makes more sense perhaps to think of this as a 'layering of influences' - as a city that hybridises the styles of the buildings and motifs most associated with the cultures and geographical proximity implied by Calvino's text - this means I think that you may need a better idea of the mix of cultures that has given rise to the busy collage that is Phyllis.
I do like the mixture of transport too... but I'd just give you the same advice; go back to your real world research, be more of a proactive detective (unpacking Calvino's text in a logical way) and derive transport types from your research, as opposed to imposing them onto the city in a sort of 'decorative' way. Concept art is the meeting of real world logic/research with lots of magical thinking. At the moment, your mission statement is saying 'mish-mash' to me, but not necessarily in the way that feels particularly 'designed'.
Also - those three Queens - who are they? And can thinking about their identity give you some clues as to a significant or meaningful interior or specialist building? Are they the different queens from the different cultures? Are they the same queen, but depicted 3 ways? Is Phyllis a city dedicated to a matriarch? Can thinking more about the significance of Calvino's mention of these 3 monarchs give you something useful by which to understand your city more so?
In summary, I think Calvino's vocabulary is key to understanding the stylistic 'collage' of this city, and I likewise think there's more conceptualisation required to ensure you're not just painting a representation of a city, you're designing a story universe...