PROJECT EVALUATION

The aim of this project was to create an online exhibition that investigates the phenomenon of dream and to present dreams as stories. The exhibition follows the stories of five dream protagonists, each representing a different dream state or sleep phenomenon; their stories are portrayed through haunting and thought-provoking photographs accompanied by cinematic sound and film. Visual imagery throughout the exhibition is created with a unique and filmic style utilising vibrant colour to mimic the vivid madness of dream.

Initially, in my project proposal, it was proposed that the final outcome would integrate the theme of fairytale because I was inspired by Sigmund Freud's theory that dream symbols can be understood through the analysis of symbols in fairytale. However, very early on in the project and after some discussion with my tutor, I decided that exploring the theme of dream and sleep phenomenon alone would be more interesting and lead to a more unique outcome. Although, I didn't expand on the idea of fairytale, the final outcome undoubtedly has a fairytale aesthetic - I think one can interpret the stories of each character as dark fairytales when viewing the exhibition. However, I feel that these 'fairytale' characters are much more unique because they are not inspired by any existing fairytales.

The target audience for the final outcome still remains the same - this project is aimed at the eighteen to thirty age group who have an appreciation for art, beauty and horror. I aim for the same audience as dark beauty magazine and beautiful bizarre magazine who exhibit a similar artistic aesthetic as what I have produced. 

Throughout the creation of Phantasia, I have developed my ability as a creative practitioner in many ways. I chose to depend on myself for the majority of the project and it is a decision I don't regret. Although directing and working as part of a team would have perhaps improved my ability as a creative director, by depending on myself I was able to gain a better understanding of image production and greatly expand my creative and technical skill set. Power was something that I strongly valued whilst working alone, I was able to capture my visions without the worry of being able to communicate them accurately or having my ideas changed to satisfy others whilst working in a team - this exhibition is completely of my own vision. I have realised through this project that I have a great interest in creative direction as an alternative career path to makeup artistry.

Photography was the most challenging part of the production process. I am glad that I had assisted many shoots in the past for I feel that without those experiences I would never have found the confidence to photograph the majority of images - I was also able to easily communicate my vision to the photographer who shot two of the characters. I spent a long time studying the work of other photographers such as Sarah Moon, Paolo Roversi and Tim Walker, I was very much inspired by their use of colour and dream-like aesthetic and I proceeded to experiment with different techniques to achieve similar effects. I am a believer of improvement from trial and error, an experimental mind set was key to the success of the project because I was able to develop my personal style of photography and express it through the visual imagery I produced.

Although project progression was mostly smooth, I often found myself questioning and doubting my abilities because I would notice all the imperfections of my work in post-production. Having discussed this issue with my tutor, it was agreed that this kind of mindset was not a negative one because in order to improve, one must never be content with their work.

Throughout the entire production of Phantasia, I knew it was important to utilise social media to promote my project. I made to sure post regular updates including behind the scene pictures, cropped detail shots, inspiration, short videos and gifs. I valued comments and likes as encouragement and motivation. I also received a lot of positive feedback from my tutor and peers who I have discussed the progression of my project with and felt reassured of my abilities.

During the first couple of shoots, I spent an excessive amount of time setting up the lighting and camera leaving very little time for hair and makeup, studio time was also very limited. I learnt how important time management was and decided that the model was to come in at least two hours prior to my studio booking for the remaining shoots so that I can complete the hair and makeup without having to waste precious studio time. As I became more experienced in photography, shoots became progressively smoother and less stressful. I initially planned to create six characters in total but decided midway in production that cutting the number of characters down to five would increase the overall quality. It was not until I began creating the imagery that I realised that I had set myself a very ambitious task. Taking inspiration from filmakers such as Guillermo Del Toro, Dario Argento and Wong Kar-Wai; I worked extremely hard to achieve impactful images with a filmic aesthetic and I am very pleased with the final images.

Apart from photography, I also experimented with film as I wanted to incorporate moving images throughout the exhibition. Reflecting back on this project, I realised that I should have asked for help and collaborated with the film student. Although, there are still film elements within the final outcome, I feel that the quality would have been much better if I had collaborated with someone more skilled in film as I found it very difficult alternating between film and photography as lighting had to be re-adjusted for each mode. I mostly used the film I captured to create the exhibition trailer and short gifs that I have shared on Instagram to promote the project. Although having expressed my worry for the quality of the film with my tutor, it was agreed that the quality of the film appears to be deliberate and works in context with my project – the motion blur and graininess of the film add to the dream effect.

This project began with a love for storytelling through the use of makeup, I feel that I have greatly improved my skills as a makeup artist throughout the production process. 'Beautiful' was always the description I strived towards in regards to my work. Before this project, I felt as if I was stuck in a box and tied an idea of perfection that limited my creativity. Yet during this project, I discovered that 'beauty' comes in many forms. 'Beauty' can describe something angelic but also something dark, twisted and sinister. I started to branch out from my usual style of perfection and experimented with textures and unconventional materials to create unique looks. Rather as a makeup artist who was so concerned about the beauty of the model, I was able to take a step back and reflect on my work as an artist, as a painter. I started to look at skin as though it was a canvas; this really boosted my creativity because I was able to see makeup in a new light.

Another challenging stage of the project was designing and constructing the website that would feature the online exhibition. This process was more time consuming than I expected and I regret not starting this process earlier. I experimented with multiple website building softwares and platforms including Muse, Squarespace, Tumblr and Wix. I ended up creating the website via Wix because I found it to be the most reliable and customisable. Designing the website was the most difficult part of the process because I wasn't sure of the structure and order in which I wanted to present the images. I experimented by creating one page layouts, Tumblr inspired grid layouts and photography portfolio layouts but felt that they did not create the viewer experience that I envisioned. I brainstormed my ideas and thought about how the exhibition would appear if it were to be physical. I worked to translate these ideas into pages and finally decided on a click through slideshow gallery layout accompanied by cinematic sound with each series of images separated by short quotes and moving images.

Despite all the difficulties encountered in this project, I am very pleased with the outcome. If I was to develop this project further I would like to create more characters and have a physical exhibition where the viewer is physically immersed in the dangerous dreamland of Phantasia. Another alternative to a physical exhibition is to produce a book compiled of all the imagery alongside short stories or poems about dreams written in the style of Edgar Allan Poe or Angela Carter.

Phantasia – “Imagination unrestricted by reality”

The aim of this project was to create an online exhibition that investigates the phenomenon of dream and to present dreams as stories – symbolic manifestations that could establish themselves as links to the anima and spirit of the beholder. Dreams provide continuous symbolic imagery, whenever language fails to convey a particular inner experience, dream imagery can capture it both vividly and authentically. (Freud, 1900)

The exhibition follows the stories of five dream protagonists; their stories portrayed through haunting and thought-provoking photographs accompanied by cinematic sound and film. Narration throughout the exhibition supports the idea of purposeful dreaming and that our dreams are affected by our personal history and emotion. Phantasia seeks to explore the dream realm on a more spiritual level and relates dream to the supernatural through the exploration of sleep phenomenon such as visitation dreaming and sleep paralysis. Phantasia hopes to create a personal connection with the viewer by truly capturing the ideas, emotions and sensations experienced in dream.

Inspiration for this project comes from the love of visual art and storytelling. Phantasia is aimed at those with an appreciation for art, beauty and horror but also exists as a portal for those who wish to escape reality and immerse themselves in an emotional, memorable and greatly unnerving cinematic experience.

LAST TUTORIAL

Before submission I made sure to go to one last tutorial to see if I can make any more improvements. 

When presenting the website to Sharon, she was very pleased with the outcome but gave me a few pointers to work on before submission. 

I was most insecure about the writing running throughout the exhibition, but upon reviewing, Sharon was very excited about them and encouraged me to write more narrative running alongside the images, she suggested that the creative writing works well and will provide a narrative voice throughout the exhibition. This would also help emphasize the images and encourage the viewer to linger longer on each page which would prolong the experience. 

Another strong suggestion was to reorder the images so that the images flow better as a story. She also recommended that I adjusted the sizing of the images so that they do not stagger as that could be distracting and to also crop into areas of the images that have interesting detail to make the images appear less repetitive. 

Sharon also wondered if I could add a logo to the top center or corner of each page to remind the viewer where they are. I have since tried this and I felt that it was too distracting, and decided to put a big logo on the credits page instead as a reminder for the viewer. 

Re-adjusting the order of images and sizing of the images didn't take too long but having to come up with new creative writing to go along with the images the day before the hand in was a little stressful, however, I was able to power through it by listening to dark entrancing ambient music as a main source of inspiration. 

I am very glad I went to a last tutorial as I feel these minor changes have vastly improved and complete the exhibition. 

WEBSITE PROGRESS

Despite all the difficulty I experienced with website design, I am now very happy with the layout that I have created - the most important aspect of the exhibition is that it is able to deliver the viewer a cinematic experience. To do this I have incorporated moving images that fill pages accompanied by unnerving text and static sound in-between the silent pages of still imagery.

(I created the sound by layering static tv sound over soft piano music which I have slowed down - the sound used is free royalty music I found on Soundcloud.)

The viewer is greeted by a simple landing page - the logo fades in followed by the explore button which turns red upon hovering over it.

I introduce the exhibition by presenting dreams as unique stories dictated by personal history and emotion. Static sound becomes louder as the viewer reads the statement. 

Images are either displayed by themselves or in a pair to give maximum impact.

Moving images fill the screen as the next character is revealed accompanied by a statement about dream.

When doing my research for sleep paralysis, I came upon this powerful quote describing the emotions, and sensations of sleep paralysis written by Charles Dickens. I thought that this was an incredibly haunting and beautiful piece of text and included it to introduce my character inspired by the sleep phenomenon. 

The exhibition is concluded with a quote from Stephen King leaving the viewer disturbed. 

I thought that it was very important to put the acknowledgements at the end of the exhibition, as the team was kept minimal, the names work when aligned in the centre. The viewer sees a summary of the characters and can click on each character to go back to that specific stage of the exhibition. This page also has much more relieving sound. 

DOMAIN NAME

I have purchased a one year domain name for the exhibition: www.phantasia-exhibition.com

TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

Perhaps the most challenging part of this project is actually compiling all the materials and creating the website. I am not highly skilled in website design which made the process very frustrating. Having been more concerned over the content of the exhibition, I found myself procrastinating designing and putting the website together. Putting the website together is taking longer than I imagined and i regret not starting this process earlier.

Initially I planned to have a very simple website in the layout of a gallery. Here is a snippet from my project proposal:

I used website builder Wix to create the mock website for the proposal. Since then, I had experimented with alternatives Adobe Muse and Squarespace. I found Muse very difficult to use as it was a software that I had never used before, I decided that I couldn't waste anymore time trying to figure out the software.

Afterwards I spent a long time experimenting with Squarespace. Although Squarespace provided very aesthetically pleasing templates, I failed to find one that enabled me to fully customise the pages - the gallery templates were the most frustrating as they kept cropping into my images and the sizing was a problem. I tried to create the website on a few of the templates before I gave up and went back to using Wix. Wix was able to give me a blank website that was fully customizable and I found it a lot easier to use.

I had fallen out of love for my initial mock design and felt that it looked very amateur. The main issue regarding my initial design was that all the characters are revealed in the home page, I decided that I wanted to reveal the characters as the viewer navigates through the exhibition which would evoke an element of fear and excitement as they cannot predict what comes next.

For design inspiration; I proceeded to find examples of good web design by looking at other online exhibition, galleries and photography portfolios including that of Tim Walker. My main concern was how I was going to arrange the images. I found the Postmatter exhibition which was a one page website, I thought the layout was very sleek and decided to arrange my website in that format to see if it would work but half way through decided that a one page exhibition would make the exhibition experience very short. 

Although I was very concerned about the time remaining for me to complete my website, I had to take a break and freshen my mind. I had a think about what experiences an online exhibition should give to the viewers and imagined what my exhibition would be like if it was physical:

• Visitors are greeted by a black room with an introduction projected on the wall accompanied by loud static noise, they are unnerved. 
• The next room is bright crimson, a projection of a girl dances on one wall to ambient sound - introduction to first series of images.
• The images in the gallery are mounted on black walls, one/two images on each wall

I went on to transfer these room/wall designs into pages for the website. My aim is to create an atmospheric experience for the viewer, as though it was a physical exhibition equipped with sound and movement. 

Website Design Sketch

PHANTASIA TEASER TRAILER

I decided that a good way to promote my exhibition was to create a teaser trailer. I collected and reviewed clips of film that had taken from the shoots and spent a day putting them together to create a thirty second video which I thought was enough to capture an audience's attention without revealing too much, I only showcased three characters out of five to keep the project mysterious.

I spent hours alone trying to find music to go with the video, I decided to use free music from Soundcloud - I liked the effect of the gentle piano, distorted sounds and static which I find unnerving and haunting. I used Final Cut Pro to edit the video, I spent a long time cutting clips to capture the perfect moments and slowed down many of the clips and added different effects to accentuate movement. I found colour correction difficult because all the clips were captured on different shoots which meant that the lighting was always different, I adjusted levels of exposure, contrast and tones, going back and forth making adjustments until I found all the clips to appear coherent. Overall I am happy with the outcome, and I have posted the video on my professional Youtube channel and shared the video on Facebook and Instagram. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Ever since I started creating Phantasia, I knew it was important to utilise social media to give my project recognition. I posted inspiration, snippets of behind the scenes cropped previews and also short videos and gifs. I valued comments and likes as a form of encouragement as sometimes I would find myself questioning my work and my abilities, it was good to know that people gave my project a positive response. Facebook and Instagram are the two main social media platforms that I use, although I found that I have a larger audience on Instagram. The use of hashtags makes it easier for to come across my work.

One Instagram that I find a lot of inspiration on is beautifulbizarremagazine. I have used the #beautifulbizarre and they have liked a few of my Instagram posts which made me a lot of motivation and encouragement. I feel that my work very much relates to the aesthetic of the magazine and  I hope to get in touch with the magazine in the future and submit some of my work as being featured would be a very exciting accomplishment and will hopefully open up more opportunities for me as an artist. 

SHOOT 6: SNAKE

This shoot was the easiest of them all because it was a series of self portraits. Since I was the model, I was able to adapt my poses quickly to portray the emotion I needed. I was wearing a long green cheongsam which I found restricted my movement as I tried to pose, however I think that the dress works to give a subtle snake element as because the dress was wrinkling with the contours of the body just like how the skin of a snake folds as it moves. 

Overall, I think the shoot went really well and that we were able to capture a snake like essence. The only think I may change if I was to reshoot this look was the hair. I chose to wear a wig because it would drastically change my appearance. I chose that peculiar style of hair to make me look younger and more innocent however I don't think that the hair works as well with the sleek movement and slender long shapes I was creating. 

I used red mesh to symbolise the shedding of a snakes skin, although subtle, I think it creates very interesting images.

The image above is one of my favourites from the shoot because the angle has really elongated my body with the hip sticking out resembles the curves of a snake. This photo is eery because the viewer is not sure whether the eyes are open or not; there is simply a line of red. My arms look awkward but I think it works for the context of the picture, I look as if paralysed. 

MY DREAMS & SELF PORTRAITURE

Since I was a child, I have always had very vivid dreams. I have many memories of dreams, some dreams from many many years ago still haunt me. Growing up, I have always been very intrigued by the supernatural, horror has always been a love of mine and I often fill my mind with stories of ghosts and demons. Nightmares are my favourite kind of dream, the feeling of terror brings excitement and upon waking I feel very much inspired. I guess my own dream world is the main motivation and inspiration behind this project. 

My most vivid dream memory is being chased by a gigantic emerald green snake. Snakes are my biggest fear. They always slither into my dreams and terrify me. I have not questioned the meaning of these dreams until I began this project, dream dictionary gives a plethora of explanations such as running away from emotions or dealing with intimidating situations. However, the explanation that I am most drawn to is the symbolism of transformation - snakes shed their skin. I feel that especially during the last couple years and throughout this project I have transformed not only as a make-up artist but also as an artist. 

For the last character of my Phantasia series, I want to create a series of self portraits reflecting on my personal dreams - the idea of incorporating the self into my work is inspired by the art of Cristina Francov which I have talk about one of my previous posts. I think that concluding the exhibition with a personal message will create a personal connection between the viewer and the artist. 

In a subtle way, I plan to use the theme of snakes - I will become the snake who sheds skin and transforms. 

Mood board of lighting, colour and beauty inspiration.

For styling, I am thinking of wearing a emerald green cheongsam - a tight traditional Chinese dress. The sheen and pattern of the dress can resemble the skin of a snake from a distance.

BACK TO SEXSOMNIA

Sexsomnia was the shoot that I was least happy with so far in the creation of Phantasia, I found myself pushing this series away because I felt that it didn't reach my full expectation or potential, however at this stage I do not think that I will have the time to reshoot. I think perhaps, I couldn't capture the essence I was truly looking for because this is the only series of images that are not photographed by me. Although the style of aesthetic is there, I felt less connected. The main issue regarding this series of images was that it appeared too innocent and lacked the darkness that manifests within each of the other characters. Therefore, I have returned to these images to reselect and rework them in post-production to bring back the darkness. I needed this character, like all my characters, to appear tainted - therefore I have not selected any images from the first look I did from this shoot. In post production I flushed the images in a bright crimson red and increased the contrast and darkened shadows to give the images sharper edges creating a more erotic feel - I wanted to replicate the colour used in hammer horror: 

Hammer Horror: The Masque of Red Death (1964)

I wanted this character to 'exist within the red', as though she has been confined within this dream space, I wanted to capture an aspect of insanity and finally a cold awakening. After completing the edits, this series of images very much reminded me of dark and sensual text "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter and I am very pleased with the result. I feel that although, the makeup and styling is the same throughout the images, the angles and subtle change of lighting and pose are able to tell a story. 

SHOOT 5: MADNESS

This shoot is another that I shot myself. I found that during the shoot I was very comfortable, I think that having to depend on myself for the majority of the project has really expanded my skill set - I really like having ultimate control. 

I had a very engaged model who I thought portrayed the character really well and I was pleased that I was able to capture it vividly on camera. One problem that arose was that the paint on the arms kept transferring on the dress as she moved, but this is a small problem as the paint stains can be easily removed on photoshop. Another issue that I thought would ruin the images was the shadows in the background, initially I was very frustrated by them and tried to remove them by changing the lighting setup, however, on reflection I found myself gravitating towards the images that consisted of a strong shadow. I felt that the shadows gave the images more depth and gave a unnerving aspect as it can appear as though there is an entity following the character. In this context - the shadow works. 

MADNESS: CHARACTER DESIGN

People who have nightmares are more open to their feelings and the world around them. In fact, nightmare sufferers are more likely to be creative people and artists. Hartmann calls this trait “vulnerability” because these people have a greater ability to be touched by the world, to experience life and all of its pain. So this vulnerability is a double-edged sword, pointing towards both creativity as well as increased suffering. And also madness. It is true that nightmare sufferers tend to be more creative, but they also have a greater chance, statistically speaking, of being prone to mental illness (schizophrenia). This is the opposite of neurosis – which is having too many psychological defenses in play. (Hartmann, 2001) 

For this series of images, I wanted to create a character that represents madness, referring to the text above, I want to create very painterly portraits to symbolise the creativity of the character and capture her descent into insanity.

I wanted to create the texture of broken wood on the skin which could make the character appear like a broken doll, heavy paint strokes on the skin would create the effect of cracks when the paint dries, creating texture that could also give the illusion that her skin is deteriorating.

To give the character a more doll like effect, I will be blocking out the eyebrows and lips and then painting on the features messily. The way the eyebrows will be painted on will give the model the expressions of anger and sadness.  Relating back to the links in creativity and madness - I want the character to appear as if she is a watercolour or acrylic painting, forever trapped in this 'canvas of dream'.

To keep an oriental theme running throughout my project, I took inspiration from geisha and Chinese theatrical makeup for this look especially with the placement and choice of colour. For styling, I have purchased a black floor length kimono with floral patterns, again to complement the oriental theme.