Cinemascope:
I am working on motion graphics for a feature film. This uses
wide cinema formats 3840 x 1608 pixels. My work is intro
graphics, title captions, lower thirds, a map, stills
treatments, graphics sections, end credits and captions.
This film launches in April.
This is an exciting project about politics and football.
My research includes 1980s and 90 East European: Polish,
Balkans and Communist graphics. My styles are
printed, posters, with lots of textures. This includes a
lot of sports graphics.
Project Research: Dekalog, 2022. Source: Author.
Project Research: Film Posters, 2022. Source: Author.
I am working on a very short short. This is an idea from
a friend, Maurice Carlin. This is a piece of work to
explore my own practices, processes and styles. I am
working on visuals, styles and stills, taking reference
from Tom Haugomat. I am making work about outdoors. I
am using cinemascope for this, to experiment with wide formats.
Film Stills, 2022. Source: Author
Drawings, 2022. Source: Author.
Drawings, 2022. Source: Author.
Sunday 27 March 2022
Cinemascope, Research and Film
Saturday 12 March 2022
Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, Dnipro HES and Modernism.
I am presenting a photo essay of sorts. This is a
collection of photographs from my trip to Ukraine in
September 2021, shot on 35mm film. Below are images
of Verdansky National Library of Ukraine. A statement
about these collections and archives are on British Library
blog pages here (British Library, 2022). Inside is an
amazing mural. I was not able to take photos, my
sketches are below. With stunning architecture is also
an atmosphere of study and work and beautiful
typography.
Verdansky National Library of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2021.
Source: Author.
Verdansky National Library of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2021.
Source: Author.
Verdansky National Library of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2021.
Source: Author.
Verdansky National Library of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2021.
Source: Author.
Verdansky National Library of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2021.
Source: Author.
I travelled to Zaporizhzhia in south Ukraine. This was for
a visit to Dnipro-HES power station. I also visited
Sotsgorod, a socialist housing estate in Zaporizhzhia.
Dnipro-HES is a powered by water, a hydro electric
power station. There is a huge dam and on one side a
park dedicated to energy workers. I spent a lot of time
here, and there are beautiful views looking back over
Zaporizhzhia. This is a long Soviet style city all
formed around one 10 km street running through its centre.
I have discovered on Wikipedia Zaporizhzhia is
twinned with Birmingham UK. There are links in how
industrial this city is. There is a celebration of metal workers,
industrialisation and engineering. Russian troops are
now on borders of this city and have attacked
another power station south of Zaporizhzhia. A nuclear
power plant.
Zaporizhzhia Maps, 2021. Source: Author.
Dnipro-HES, 2021. Source: Author.
Park of Energy Workers, Zaporizhzhia, 2021. Source: Author.
Sotsgorod, Zaporizhzhia, 2021. Source: Author.
Sotsgorod, Zaporizhzhia, 2021. Source: Author.
Circus, Zaporizhzhia, 2021. Source: Author.
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Sketchbooks, 2021. Source: Author.
I got a lot of my travel ideas from Soviet Modernism
(n.d.). This is a fantastic website documenting Soviet
architecture. Other places I explored were Obolon
north of central Kyiv. This is accessible by
metro. Russian forces have reached Obolon. My
photos are of residential architecture, a housing estate
close to Obolon station. I also got references from
Ukrainian Modernism on Instagram (n.d.). This site is by
photographer Dmytro Soloviov. Soloviov has
documented Ukrainian architecture, campaigned for
survival of buildings and is now documenting war
images.
Obolon, Kyiv, 2021. Source: Author.
Obolon, Kyiv, 2021. Source: Author.
References:
Keating, R. (2022) Memory of a nation – the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine [Online]. London: British Library. Available from: <https://blogs.bl.uk/living-knowledge/2022/03/memory-of-a-nation-the-vernadsky-national-library-of-ukraine.html> [Accessed 12 March 2022].
Glover, S. (n.d.) Soviet Modernism [Online]. Sam Glover. Available from: <https://sovietmodernism.com/> [Accessed 12 March 2022].
Soloviov, D. (n.d.) ukrainianmodernism [Online]. Kyiv: Instagram. Available from: <https://www.instagram.com/ukrainianmodernism/> [Accessed 12 March 2022].
Saturday 5 March 2022
In one of my most brilliant moments over these last few
weeks on Thursday 3rd of March my Ukrainian lesson went
ahead. This was from Kyiv and was as scheduled. This
lesson was translating a Ukrainian test about war. This
included a lot of jokes about news reports I have seen,
memes and social media. It also included a lot of realities
of a country now at war. In a very short amount of time
Yelyzaveta pointed out how language is changing. Some of
this text is in Russian, some in Ukrainian and there are
derivates of Russian, Ukrainian and English works all
merging. There are also examples of language shifting,
changing, shortening and becoming more brutal, abrupt and
derogatory to adapt to new circumstances in Ukraine. This
is fascinating. This lesson was moving and an
emotional experience.
Text extract 2022. Source: Yelyzaveta Taranukh.
Ukrainian Lesson notes 2022. Source: Author.
Ukrainian Lesson notes 2022. Source: Author.
My homework from two weeks ago is about normal life in
England. This was in response to a Ukrainian textbook piece
about normal life in Ukraine. Reflecting back on this is
heartbreaking. Whatever happens in Ukraine from now, things
will always be different. My text describes average
family life, lifespan, occupation and hobbies in UK.
Ukraine’s boundaries and borders are shifting and changing and
will forever be different as from this moment.
Ukrainian Homework Звичайний британський 2022.
Source: Author.
Ukrainian Homework Звичайний британський notes. 2022.
Source: Author.
I am learning grammar using podcasts on ukrainianlessons.com.
My Ukrainian Duolingo is now complete. I have
loved this and it has been a brilliant way to practice
and learn a lot of vocabulary. My practice now is more
grammar, reading, writing, speaking and translating. I am
reading a lot of Ukrainian articles and social media posts.
Duolingo 2022. Source: duolingo.com, n.d.
References:
Duolingo (n.d.) Duolingo: Learn [Online]. Duolingo. Available from: <https://www.duolingo.com/learn> [Accessed 5 March 2022]
Ohoiko, A. (2020) Ukrainian Lessons [Online]. Khmelnytska, Ukraine: A. Ohoiko. Available from: <https://www.ukrainianlessons.com/> [Accessed 5 March 2022]
Friday 4 March 2022
Research Supervision Meeting with Lisa and Simon
Friday 4th of March
Слава Україні, glory to Ukraine, protests, engagement,
fighting, Kyiv, language, Ukrainian lessons, thesis
amends, cyclical sections, yellow highlights,
one document, submission, meetings and deadlines,
film festivals, Cambridge conference paper submission,
films screenings and distribution, press and sharing,
participants’ packs, Jerry Berman’s letters,
Holodomor Museum, Ukrainian histories, independence,
memories, statement on current events, blog,
Liz Truss and Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s visit to
Holodomor Museum, new website, policy, students
protests, meetings at work, Ulysses diagram,
methods, oral histories, Beckett and Pavel Büchler
fighting, work in Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro HES,
Russian convoys, military operations, Intershorts
Festival, diagrams and highlights, in person and
online meetings, archiving, work to save work in
Ukraine, political and personal stories, meetings in
research, glory to Ukraine.
