PROJECT #01 LOST AND FOUND

A HIGHSCHOOL CAMERA

Description

Brief: To translate someone's description of an object from their memories into an image using 2D primitives and other simple functions on p5.js

Aim: (1) To learn the basics of image construction using p5.js and understand how vectors are created (2) To recognise how data is lost/reinterpreted when an object is codified or retranslated as it passes different media

Desciption of the object recieved: "My object is a plastic box camera. The shape is rectangle and the lens is at the center. The viewfinder is on top middle and the shutter button is on the right. The left-top side it had the knob to turn the film inside. The color of the camera is navy blue and it has a circle/bubble shaped patterns on its body in the shades of red. The red shapes were mostly around the lens, they were like bubbles. It was a camera that I had in high school. It's meaningful for me because I used it a lot with friends to capture good memories. It was an anlog film camera."
- by Murat Barlas

Design Process

Step 01 Emotion X Object

The object recieved for this experiment was a navy blue analog camera. The owner (Murat Barlas) of the camera shared clear information on the basic structure of the camera, and its colour and patterns. Murat shared how the camera was connected to highschool, and helped capture good memories. This helped me try and not just replicate the object, but try to incorporate more into the image.

Step 02 Rough Sketching

A few sketches on paper were made to explore general composition, the form of the camera, and how the emotion/ethos of the object could be interpreted.

Eventually I was inclined to a version where the lens of the camera reflected the photograph of a group of friends hanging out. I then sketched out the composition on Procreate to figure out the colours and composition details.

I wanted to push myself and understand what is possible by only using 2D Primitives, fill(), push(), pop(), translate() and rotate().

Step 03 Speeding up Graphics

Post sketching it on Procreate, I realised how much time the details were going to take. I recalled as a Web/App designer how we'd used Figma to handover design assets and their positioning to software developers, and realised using Figma's developer tools would help me speed up the calculations required for creating this image.

This helped me save a significant amount of time, and focus on creating the details on the camera that could perhaps do justice to Murat's description. I rotated the camera, to make it feel more dynamic and playful.

Reflection

Reflections on Tech Neutrality

Through the multiple “awkward translations”, from life to memory to English words in someone's mind (in my case Murat's) to comprehension and imagination of another person (me) to abstraction and code sketch, we experience first-hand how in practice it is extremely difficult to maintain the truth of the imagery that existed in the first reality - when the object was first experienced.

It made me wonder if tech can ever be neutral. Tech simplifies our lives, simplifying leads to erasure, and erasure is always going to be biased.

Perhaps tech just can't be neutral. Perhaps instead of neutral, we can strive to make it as accessible and plural as possible instead, so that many possible realities can exist in a mish-mash, and together they may cover more perspectives, even if not all.

Reflections on Technicality

I'd used vectors before very often on Illustrator and Figma. Through this exercise I was able to better understand how vectors work behind the scenes, and reflect on how vector art is light and simple (and hence very popular today), but it carries many limitations in forms, shapes and textures that raster images have. (Raster images also being a simplification of reality - which limitations in colour, dimension and quality.)

Reflections on the Interpretation of the Text

Given more time, I'd have loved to create a reflection on the lens of the camera, of a couple of friends posing for a picture, as a reminiscence of the role this camera played for Murat. I had created a mock-up for this (see below). I also wanted to add some ghost hands, to practice drawing with curves and experiement with blendMode().

I also realised its not clear that this is an analog camera (and not a digital one), when I shared my work with peers. So in hindsight I would draw some analog film into the canvas.

Credits

This project used the typeface Roboto Condensed by Christian Robertson licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0