Art Project

[Frank]

Apologies if I'm turning this into a 'art help' sub-forum. But I NEEDZ help!

 

I'm trying to think of suitable ideas for my very important art project. Usually we have a week but our year has gotten an extra four weeks due to Easter placement et cetera.

 

The theme is "International Theatre Festival".

Sounds easy but 2 other guys are doing the same theme. Thus I can't have my project based around the skull of Yorick. *Don't know what the 2nd is doing"

 

I brain-stormed today. I'm thinking of portrait style. The lettering (compulsory) will be going in a downwards direction on the left of the page. On the right will be my composition. As it is a poster it obviously has to be easy to understand and for the message to be clear.

 

Thus, I'm thinking of the balcony scene in Romeo&Juliet (cliché? yes but it's a poster). For Juliet I'll be drawing an image of the typical Viking/Fat woman. For Romeo I'm thinking of drawing an Indian man dressed in traditional clothing for Indian Theatre.

 

 

A spotlight will be drawn so all you can see is the 2 characters and a little bit of the balcony but I definitely won't clutter the poster with intricate drawings of the entire balcony.

 

 

Also pondering if I should include the 'comedy/tragedy' masks. Such as replacing them with letters in "International Theatre Festival"

 

Any ideas? I'm still uncertain and stumped on whether it's a good idea

[Paj!]

Bear in mind theatre is so ready for jokes. There's a production currently on at the Rose theatre in Kingston of Hamlet and 2 other plays (in one night I think) by some really avant garde company which like includes props you bring with you, YOU choose things that they then act out etc. And their poster is a really interesting poster, of a skull, but with a definite FACE (not just blank eyes), and bits of carefully placed colour. The text is all drawn on, not just type.

 

Not really advice or criticism, I just wanted to say that.

 

I do think Romeo and Juliet is too obvious though.

[Frank]

Curses! The forum has failed me

Thanks for the, somewhat, suggestion though Paj.

 

If it helps I have some focus on what to include. As mentioned there is the typical fat, viking woman, traditional Indian theatre, traditional Japanese theatre, Romeo & Juliet-style and ballet.

 

Hmm, I thought there was more. Maybe I'm forgetting something. I'm still, however, going through an artistic block at the minute.

 

Since watching Billy Elliot/Black Swan/I hear ballet music when I'm studying, I feel like I could do something really interesting with that theme.

 

As you mentioned theatre is waiting for jokes. Perhaps a ballet dancer yet not your typical dancer. Something more international? I'm on the verge of something...

[chairdriver]

Hmmm... I kinda hate the theme, because there's little room to be interesting without twisting.

 

You could imagine this festival set in a world where there is no such thing as countries/nationalities -- If everyone was free to move around the globe as they pleased would there be culture(s) in the same way? Would there be racism?

If you did it well, looking into anti-statism and anarchy, it would stun.

 

Plus, a thing to do is gender, taking inspiration from Germaine Greer and her theory that gender is a performance. Could tie into the weird sex-change/dramatic irony obsession Shakespeare has.

[Ashley]

Gender performativity is not Greer's theory, it's Butler's.

 

I have nothing to actually add to the thread sorry but I felt compelled to correct that.

[Paj!]

Also to note is that men played women in the olden days of theatre. Or rather, women weren't actors.

[jayseven]

My problem with your concept is that it's rather stereotypical!

 

Theatre = tragedy(drama)/comedy. Think of the roots of theatre; something the world has in common rather than highlighting the different elements of international theatre?

 

I'm somehow thinking of the triforce; love, power and courage. Ethos, logos, pathos -- reputation, logic and emotion. Three elements that work against and with each other. Swirling into a globe shape. Yeah.

 

... Yeah. I don't really know.

[Ashley]

Is it just the one poster you have to do or multiple? If it's multiple you could do what Eric Tan is doing for the Cars 2 posters (as the film goes all over the world) and draw upon stylistic elements of those areas. For example:

 

 

If you look they're both clearly inspired by the locations they're representing so if you could try and do something? Even if its pretty much the same image but done differently (which these are). Or if you're just doing one maybe split it into four and have four images that are clearly location-inspired.

[Frank]

Very interesting ideas, thank you!

 

I came up with 2 ideas but was quickly shut down. My sister said it reminded her a lot of the Village people, which I agreed with.

I'm intrigued by your idea, Jay, of highlighting the similarities rather than the differences. I will test the idea of 3 super-imposed images making a globe shape. It could work.

 

Ash, it's only the one poster so I wouldn't be able to do what you're advising. Thanks though

 

I'm surprised that I hadn't thought of the whole gender issue of Shakespearian times myself. It would definitely be unique, which is want I need.

 

 

 

[chairdriver]

Gender performativity is not Greer's theory, it's Butler's.

 

All I do is embarrass myself nowadays.