On Monday my design group and I went to visit the V&A Museum to see a few exhibitions: the Memory Palace, V&A Illustration Awards and the Making It Up: Photographic Fictions.
I found all of them quite interesting but the one that was the most unusual was the Memory Palace. It was set out as a “walk-through book” which was something I haven’t heard of nor experienced before so I was quite excited to see it again as I went there previously with a friend over the summer.
The Memory Palace
I have to admit that I much enjoyed the second trip compared to the first as I was a bit overwhelmed by how strange it was, but now I was able to think deeper and analyse some of the pieces there.
The “walk-through book” was actually much easier to follow than it is in a normal book, as every part is sectioned off with plenty of illustrations and typography. The text wasn’t displayed in blocks of texts but broken up into two or three sentences. This created a sense of flow because it allows the viewer to take their time when going around the room and follow the story at their own pace, allowing them to take all of the information in rather than glazing over a large amount of information.
However it was quite difficult to follow exactly where to go next because of the fact that this “book” is spread across various walls, but somehow everything is still flowed perfectly as the mind will then take the pieces of information they have gathered and connect them. This means that it might be easier to read this “book” as an actual book, because it’s clear what to read next.
Francesco Franchi
As the “walk-through book” covered a whole room, it meant that everything was larger so that all of the little details could be seen up close. An example of this is the first illustration done by Francesco Franchi, which was an infographic poster on the art of mnemonics (an aid in remembering).
The poster itself is extremely large, much larger than A1 and is set out in a portrait orientation with the timeline at the side. This means that the viewer is able to see the type clearly, even the smallest one. It is quite hard to follow the type due to the poster’s incredible detail, which is probably why the designers had used a monotone palette as a colourful one would only confuse the viewer and all of that detail would be lost.
Both of the typefaces they used were sans serif, meaning that it was easier to read as there weren’t any little serifs to get in the way when they’re at a small scale. The one used for the heading has a digital/sci-fi appearance – much like the ones used in digital clocks – which could relate to the technology that had been lost in this future world. The other typeface is quite plain and this might suggest that people have forgotten what printed words looked like and so used its simplest form.
This means that at first the poster is quite overwhelming because there is a lot of type, little illustrations and symbols to read. However the way it’s been displayed allows the viewer to take each part by circle before moving onto the next one. The eyes flow accordingly to how everything is placed: from the silhouette of a head at the bottom, then across all of the circles that are connected by thin lines.
These lines could bring up connotations of sunrays or the solar system, as a series of circles are connected to such lines. This thus is connected to science which and supports the whole subject of this infographic as it’s showing the art of mnemonics.
The combination of these “sun rays” and circles bring up the overall image of cogs, so might suggest that the human mind is similar to that of a clock, as when time goes by our minds expand to take in more knowledge.
Jim Kay
Further on was an interesting illustration done by Jim Kay; instead of it being printed onto a flat surface, it was three-dimensional, meaning that it was easier for the viewer to engage with it. The whole wall behind this cabinet became a part of illustration as crows had been placed on corner shelves so that they appear to be looking down at it as well as the reader. It creates a sinister effect due to the way the crows look down, almost sneering. Their sneers could be mocking the author as they represent of the old world that he has lost. There are two other crows closer to the cabinet – one atop of it with a branch in its beak, and the other just behind the door.
Like the illustration, done by Franchi, this illustrated cabinet was extremely detailed and there was more than meet’s the eye. The paintings on the doors reflect the styles used in illuminated manuscripts, and they display the religious story of Christ although depicted in a slightly different way. Instead of having the cross they have a lamp with a dead-end road sign pinned to it, and the characters surrounding Christ have been mixed up with objects such as a telephone box and metal fences. There are even modern police batting away the crowd, their shields and batons raised. Above all this is a man burning machines, which is what is currently going on in this new age.
The illustration on the right-hand door displays the day when all machinery was destroyed and there are crucifixes in their place, like the cross on a grave. Everything is in chaos – much like the other illustration – and painted in dark and gloomy shades of brown, which enforces the idea of decay and makes it look like the end of the world, “doomsday”, is taking place.
This confusion could reflect the pieces the author is trying to put together from what he has learnt from his memories, and that his mind is producing an image that is – although not accurate – quite interesting to see as these are probably what were influential before. This idea is supported by the fact that in the cabinet draw are artefacts such as a tape measure, bones and snippets from newspapers like the items of saints. He’s trying to piece everything together and figure out what these were and what meaning they held in the “previous age”.
At the centre is a tree painted in gold, which reflects the religion of the day as nature is worshipped and protected. Each branch has icons of birds on it, although there is one branch that has been left “natural” without being painted gold and has icons of crows. Crows are a symbol of death so this could be portraying the death of nature and, along with it, memories. There is even a crow perched atop of the cabinet with a “dead” branch in its beak.
The type is displayed on the frame of this cabinet in the Blackletter style, which further enhances the whole “medieval” appearance and shows that it had taken inspiration from the illuminated manuscripts. This also strengthens the religious aspect of this cabinet so that it is more of a shrine than an ordinary collection of relics.
Another object that supports the idea of this cabinet being a shrine is the icon placed at the centre – a picture of Charles Darwin with the words “Milord Darwing” beneath it.
This illustrated cabinet wouldn’t be as effective if it was displayed in the book as it doesn’t allow the viewer to look up at the ravens glaring down at them, meaning that the connection between them and the ravens would be lost. There would be no interaction between them and the details within the illustrations on the door are so subtle that there are new things continuously cropping up that weren’t noticed before.
Other Illustrations
There were several other parts of the exhibition that caught my eye such as the one where the there’s a quote fixed to the wall. However each letter had only been fixed to it on one edge so that it’s raised and throws shadows across the wall. If this was printed on a page this wouldn’t be as effective as it’ll only look as if the typographer had added shadows behind each letter and wouldn’t show that you can only clearly view it at an angle. This is much like the other three-dimensional illustrations dotted around the exhibition; you can only see the details up close.
The fact that they could be viewed at an angle means that the typographer had to accurately measure the angle that they’re placed in so that they’re all at the same one, with each letter perfectly spaced so that their shadows didn’t overlap the form of the next letter.
The reason for such a placement of text is unclear, which makes it all the more interesting as it contains that aura of mystery. This idea is supported by the fact that the letters could only be read properly at an angle, so only viewers interested in this artefact would take their time to discover which angle this is.
One of the pieces that also contained a hint of mystery is the one right at the end. Compared to the rest of the text dotted around, this one is broken up to smaller pieces although it starts off as a small paragraph, ending in a couple of words. This probably reflects the author’s short intakes of breath as he nears his final moments. There is a hint of panic in this, and this notion is expressed through the words the woman in the story asks: that they have to “download” him in order to preserve his memories before he dies, and that there wasn’t a way to save him from the clutches of death.
The viewer would then be able to engage with the author through this placement of text, because they would also notice that the paragraph is getting shorter and shorter and the fact he is dying might bring up emotions of sadness or feeling lost because they are nearing the end of the story and they would never know what happens to the world after the author dies. The connection with the author is dying, just as his connection with the living is.
The way that his sentences are getting shorter and shorter could be similar to those in a book that describes a dramatic moment, whether sad or dangerous, so the viewer might unintentionally connect these two feelings together.
V&A Illustration Awards
The Illustration Awards was another exhibition I went to, and although there were only a few pieces displayed there I was really inspired by one or two of the winners.
Anna and Elena, also known as the “Balbusso Twins”
One of the pieces that was quite dramatic in their usage of colour is a book illustration for “Eugene Onegin” by Alexander Pushkin. There is a strong contrast between the vibrant orange light that engulfs the woman and the muted green-grey tones of the background. It creates a vintage appearance as all of the colours have that flat appearance reflected in Art Nouveau posters, although there is a hint of shading on the house in the background. This thus creates a sense of direction within the painting; the eye immediately goes to the couple, then straight to the house, which could mean that these two objects are significant to the story, they’re portraying. Another aspect that creates a sense of flow is the way that the trees are bending against some sort of wind, thus strengthening the direction that the eye follows to the house in the corner.
They have chosen an unusual colour palette and this, together with the glowing light around the couple, creates a feeling of mystery about it. It is beautiful and eerie, as the woman’s face portrays innocence and yet the man’s is obscured. This technique is often used in Rococo paintings where the subjects aren’t looking at the viewer and, despite this, engages with them. It’s as if this is a secret scene and so the woman is looking up to see who was “trespassing”.
Her gaze can be connected with those of family portraits hung in castles, which never seems to leave passers-by even if they walked to the other side of the room. It’s a somewhat chilling thought that one can never be free from their eyes, which brings up the question: is this woman good or bad? She appears to be an ideal woman: her hair is tied back high to show discipline, she is well-dressed for the era (as women were normally very covered up in the Victorian era), and her eyebrows have soft arches which highlights the ‘goodness’ in her eyes.
The light that surrounds her is quite peculiar, as it resembles a flame of some sort, which could suggest that maybe she isn’t quite as innocent it appears. Although the artists have used orange there is a hint of red that immediately sets off connotations of danger. The fire swirling around the male figure seems to be lightening, perhaps trying to distract him from how potentially dangerous this woman might be.
On the other hand, this could be a heavenly light and instead of reflecting danger it could reflect the hidden side of the woman, her strong emotions and desires for this man she is with.
The idea that this painting creates a vintage appearance is supported by the fact that the brushwork is clearly visible, enabling the viewer to almost feel the rough texture of the canvas. This then gives an idea that this is a one-off painting only available in the book, or as some prized possession because it isn’t available anywhere else.
Conclusion:
I am quite interested in the method adopted by the Balbusso twins and how they have integrated the use of traditional and digital media perfectly. Their illustrations have shown me that it is possible to create a story within it by the careful use of subject placement and colour. I would like to research more into combining their techniques so that when I would know how they do it come to the sketching process of both of my APPs.
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