Media, Events, Experiments
Stuart
Works created by Stuart Ward, primarily artistically related.
Creative Circuit Board Etching
Jul 2nd
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Revisiting a project created in 2003…
Etching circuit boards as a form of creative expression? I made a series of images by combining 19th century botanical illustrations scanned from antique hardcovers with circuit-like shapes created in digitally. The images were used as light resists in the creation of a photoresist, which was in turn used as an etching resist. The first part of the process is similar to traditional photography, performed in a dark room with developer and stop bath chemicals.
The series, titled ‘Circuitree’ was displayed at the Nickle Gallery in Calgary, Canada.
The relationships between the dualities of nature and technology; science and art; creative processes and analytical processes were investigated.
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Digital Drawings etched on circuit board.
Average size 6” x 6”, series of 8
2003
I would like to once again use this technique as a creative process, with a more technological final work in mind. I would like to see the circuits actually able to perform a task beyond a being a decorative and contemplative form.
Recycled Painting Project
Jul 2nd
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An ongoing project using waste cardboard from boxes and packaging as a painting surface to renew the refuse materials’ perceived value, and to raise awareness to the amount of waste which is created by western lifestyles. The pieces shown are two collared shirt packing boards and a piece of the packaging for a home storage unit, all of which would normally be disposed of and promptly forgotten. Not shown are cereal boxes, a cookie box and the stiffening board at the bottom of a paper pad.
The process of creation also plays a key role in the final rendering of the pieces. As gestural and random layers of paint are built up on top of each other, a composition emerges. Only after the first few painting sessions do I know the outcome of the painting. The decorative pseudo-ornamentals are references to Mucha’s illustration style.
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Mixed media on card stock paper and cardboard.
Varying Sizes – mostly small
2007- Present
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Shinagawa, Tokyo, 2007 品川、東京
Jun 24th
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A digitally manipulated image of the crowds of commuters in Shinagawa station was recently retrieved from my digital archives, readjusted and submitted to a photographic competition. Whether or not it wins, I still like the photo.
Japan is arguably the world’s most technologically driven society. Common assumptions of society in Japan are that salarymen are all the similar in thought and mind, yet this is not the case. My photograph depicts a man resisting the surge and heading upstream, possibly to forge ahead and conquer unknown goals. A part of a greater whole, yet as individual as anyone on earth.
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Dream Sequences
Jun 22nd
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It’s the end of term one at Vancouver Film School, and a short video project has been completed, titled Dream Sequences.
The subject matter is dreams and reality.
Here’s a little background story:
I was traveling in China a few years ago seeing some of the sights off the main tourist routes. My path merged with a wonderful lady from Australia, and we journeyed together for several days. We had interesting discussions about the sites we visited, and had non-stop laughter and emotional connection throughout our time together… and then I woke up. The entire experience was a dream. Does the fact that this chance encounter in Asia was not ‘real’ in this world make the experience any less valid? The lessons learned from the dream are the same as they would be if it were real. I wonder if one day, I’ll meet the lady, perhaps somewhere else in the world, and she’ll have a shared memory of the dream? Would we recognize each other?
The subject matter of the film asks questions about the relative meaning of being awake versus the meaning of being in a dream state. At what point are we fully awake? What are the intermediary states? Wikipedia might have factual answers, but at this moment, I prefer the questions.
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Returning to study for one year is turning out to be a positive experience, not only for technical skill development, but also for the open opportunities to produce more theoretically and conceptually based design and art work.
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Underwater Filming
Jun 22nd
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I shot some underwater video for a student project which will be released shortly.
Here are some pointers for filming underwater video more successfully for the unexperienced.
1. Weight your camera so it is neutrally buoyant when filming underwater. If the case makes the camera float, holding a steady shot underwater is much more difficult.
2. Wear swim fins for mobility. I didn’t do this the first time around. I’ll definitely do it next time.
3. Larger goggles are better than smaller goggles for visibility.
4. A weight belt would also be helpful, to keep your own body neutrally buoyant. Just make sure that you can swim well enough.
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Oil Siren: we need you, we love you.
Jun 22nd
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I developed an oil monster character illustration over the past week. The initial concept came from what has been happening recently in the Gulf of Mexico. Initially, the intent was to create a dark and evil menace which was killing everything in its path, except the process of drawing, digitization and coloring left the character decidedly ‘beautiful’. Years of being inspired by Mucha must have left a mark on my style. Instead of changing the drawing, I decided to amend the concept to suggest that our unquenchable addiction to oil turns the oil monster into a thing of beauty. It is an Oil Siren. We need her, we love her, we cannot stop burning her or forming her into plastics. We are powerless to her siren calls. The Oil Siren is so entrenched in our society that we cannot break our addiction and will destroy ourselves in the process. She could be a contemporary version of the legendary siren myths from antiquity.
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Pixel Paintings
Jun 5th
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I just found a couple digital images of paintings I did back in my university days.
A discussion of technologically mediated communication, the paintings depict digital communication systems overlayed on pixelated imagery of found webcam screenshots. The overlay style, painted in a definitely analog method, reference the digital layer opacity workflow found in applications such as Photoshop.
It cannot be denied that communication methods have changed as a result of technology. Just over a century ago, communication across oceans took months, and now, real time HD video can stream. Speaking over the phone is different from speaking through connected computers. Video chat and web cam communication has changed our conceptual size of the real world, bringing people closer together, yet there is an increased psychological distance between humans emerging related to digital mediation. Do the benefits outweigh the detriments? Only time will tell.
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Sakura and Kimono
May 31st
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A quick short film made from stock footage I shot in Tokyo in the spring of 2010. Colour graded and vfx added in May 2010. Cliche or Archetypical? You be the judge.
It is an interesting cultural aside to mention that the lady in the video has only worn a kimono twice in her life. This is a common phenomenon in Japan: the first time a young lady usually wears a kimono is for ‘Coming of Age’ day, when she is 20, and the second time is frequently her wedding or university graduation.
Older ladies find more occasions to wear a kimono, including tea ceremony and other traditional cultural affairs. Does this mean that the cultural heritage of Japan is in decline, and that young people are turning more towards an international style? Hardly so: I remember seeing photographs of a temple’s ladies’ club spanning through several decades, and the members were consistently over 50. Perhaps the keen interest in traditions only grows with maturity over the years.
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Ancient Tranquility
Dec 1st
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In the summer of 2009, I traveled to Yakushima, an island in the southern archipelago of Japan, to watch the total solar eclipse. Unfortunately, due to cloudy weather, I was unable to see or film my first eclipse. However, despite the clouds and rain, I journeyed deep into the ancient forests of the island to see the famous Yaku-sugi, (giant cedar) and the gaze upon the landscape which inspire scenes from Hayao Miyazaki’s film, Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke).
The island has no large predators, hunting has been forbidden for several decades, and the visitors to the island come with a deep respect for nature. Thus the animals have little fear of humans and wander through the deep forests with relative comfort and tranquility.
Music composed by Only Music. Davy Bergier “Flooting” . Published by Only Music. © 2008 onlymusic.fr
Filmed in HD with a Canon HF-S10
UPDATE: The video has been re-uploaded with new color correction.
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Hanami: Peeko’s Melody
Oct 26th
Hfour produced an experimental relaxation music video in collaboration with Empty Universe. The piece, originally composed in Tokyo in 2004 by Canadian Artist, Mark Thomas creates an emotional response and feelings of uplifting tranquility.
“Hanami, or ‘cherry blossom viewing’ is my favourite time of year in Japan. It reminds me of the impermanence of life and that nothing lasts, which although somewhat melancholy, also teaches me to value every moment. Each year the blossoms come and go, reminding me that another year has passed, I am a year older and there are a finite number of hanami opportunities in life.
This video is intended as a relaxation piece. There is no story, only a theme. Enjoy the music and the images with a spare 7 minutes; don’t rush it.”