A Romance of Many Dimensions

I've just had a piece of work (Flatland) entered for this years ISTD 2011 project 05. The brief was to execute a proposal for a reinterpretation of an existing book ‘Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott’ the design should be typographically based but challenge the standard conventions of ‘a book’. at least one chapter is to be produced, with indications of how the rest of the book would appear.

‘Flatland’ was first published in 1884. the story is told pseudonymously by a character (a square) who inhabits a two dimensional world. The book is formed of two parts; the first details the inhabitants, climate, customs, and history of this strange environment. The second part recounts the adventures of the square character as he encounters other worlds of different dimensions.

The environment of Flatland is very prescriptive. as there is no vertical, views of anything are restricted to straight lines. The male inhabitants are all regular sided geometric shapes, with an under class of irregular triangles. There is a strict class system which corresponds to the number of sides a regular shaped character possesses. The ruling classes have many hundreds of sides, rendering them almost circular. Colour has been outlawed but the inhabitants have a luminescence. The population of ‘Flatland’ have developed their senses so that they can identify each other by sound, touch, or sight. Because of their geometric configuration they are able to judge by feeling any angle, the format of their countrymen. Similarly, they are able to judge a shape by looking at the apex of an angle and judging the rate at which the sides fade from view.

For my interpretation, I wanted to devise a language which could be deciphered by an inhabitant of ‘flatland’. Normal typographic conventions are obviously useless, as they are incapable of viewing anything from above. I reasoned that a language formed of the geometric shapes they encounter every day would be an obvious route of investigation. Based on similar principals to morse code, I developed an alphabet based on combinations of five regular shapes. I chose five shapes so that no single character featured more than two shapes which makes the scale less unwieldy. Numbers were to be formed of combinations of irregular triangles (again, any inhabitant of ‘Flatland’ is well versed in judging the formation of these shapes). Punctuation was to be formed of a series of short or long dashes.

We are as much prisoners of our own three dimensional world as ‘Flatlanders’ are of theirs. Therefore I needed to devise a way of rendering this geometric matrix readable in a two dimensional environment. I propose that a single line of text, once translated into this geometric language and cut out of a suitable material, if viewed ‘edge-on’ would be readily identifiable in ‘flatland’.

The size and scale of the piece was dictated by the character count of the first (sample) chapter. I needed the size of the individual characters to be reasonably substantial, with a cap height of 10mm so that they could be easily identified from a distance. As ‘Flatlanders’ would only be able to view single lines, I needed the line length to be reasonably long. I also wanted the overall shape of the piece to conform to the ‘Flatland’ regular geometric aesthetic.

Edge-lit perspex would afford the luminescence I require to approximate the shadow less, colourless ‘flatland’ environment. Therefore my solution consists of a 1200mm x 1200mm neutral coloured panel into which 71 meter long strips of characters has been inserted edge-on. The characters are laser cut from 3mm sheets of clear, cast acrylic. a light source placed behind the panel will cause the edges of the characters to glow.

This installation piece would be viewed in a gallery or similar environment. Subsequent chapters would each have their own separate panel. Viewing the installation requires a certain restriction of the viewers eye line to approximate the two dimensional flatland environment. Therefor a 1200mm high platform is to be placed in front of the piece. The platform is 200mm deep and 200mm wide. A motorised lifting devise is concealed within the platform and controlled by two buttons (up and down) fitted to the front panel. The flatland chapter panel is fitted to this lifting device. Pressing the buttons will move each line of text perfectly in line with the top surface of the platform. To inspect the text, the viewer is required to place their eye level with the edge of the platform. They then move their eye along the front edge of the platform, left to right to read each line, before pressing the ‘up’ button to bring the next line of text into view.

Conclusion

At the outset it was apparent that there was barely any critical commentary on this niche subject matter. There didn’t even appear to be an identifiable name for the genre. The closest approximation is the wholly unsuitable epithet of ‘grunge’. This moniker has too many overtones of the stripped-back, self-pitying, Seattle based, alternative rock genre of the 1980’s and the subsequent disheveled fashion statement. Grunge describes a grimy, polluted aesthetic, which is only true of a narrow spectrum of work that falls under this unfortunate title.

By analysing Carson’s ground-breaking brand of typographic deconstructionism, as evidenced in The End of Print, it was possible to make links to contemporaries who’s graphic output also proposes a subverted or imperfect aesthetic. These practitioners include Neville Brody, Jonathan Barnbrook, and Ian Anderson. Although, aware of these designers, this mode of association was a gratifying discovery.

The promotional proclamations and resultant critical debate surrounding the Anti Design Festival featured many of the tenets of this investigation. The wringing of hands that greeted its inception was certainly more enlightening than the event itself. Visiting the festival was mildly disappointing experience. The chaotic jumble of concepts, redundant office ephemera do-it-yourself displays and faux Situationist diatribe was far too obvious. This type of anti-curating devalues the viewing experience to the point that the only message that can be extracted is ‘anything goes’ – but we already knew that?

The search for more current themes of digital imperfection took this research into unfamiliar territories. This investigation extended from new digital sparseness of an 8 bit pixel aesthetic to Glitch Art. Investigations into digital manipulation and ‘Databending’, have been as initially foreign as they have been technically satisfying.

The process is largely devoid of artistic merit. However, what does have potential creative significance is the application of theoretical reasoning, which can imbue this digital frippery with deeper contextual meaning. Without this intellectual justification, data corruption is merely an exercise in self-parody, an empty vessel, with no greater import than a pair of ripped jeans.

The most intellectually edifying aspect of this investigation has been digesting the Derridean concept of Deconstructionism. This linguistic hypothesis dismantles pre-conceived notions that inspire the visual representation of concepts. This radical approach to creative thinking may provide the philosophical reasoning that can inspire an innovative and challenging final honors project.

“ Deconstruction requires taking the integrated whole apart, or destroying the underlying order that holds a graphic design together”. – Meggs [1]

Is this ‘deliberately damaged’ design aesthetic, an interesting and relevant response to ‘slick graphics’ & the slow strangulation of design by ‘branding’?
Or is it simply the graphic design equivalent of manufacturing distressed jeans?

The subtext of this deliberately provocative proposition hints at notions as disparate as corruption, aesthetics, consumerism, and ethics. This exploration into intentional imperfections in design has led me to reflect on each of them.

Reflections on Imperfection
By its nature human existence is flawed, we inhabit an imperfect world where disappointment and ‘wrong turns’ litter our personal histories. ‘Mistakes maketh the man’. Failure is the necessary by-product of experimentation. Experimental design allows creativity the latitude to evolve. Without experimentation, expected outcomes are limited by existing knowledge. It could be argued that a fractured and malfunctioning aesthetic should be the default language of creativity and that ‘slick’ error free design should be considered an anathema.

By applying Deconstructionist theories to rationalise deliberate flaws in design, you must reassess the linguistic associations of ‘Function & Form’ or ‘Perfect & Imperfect’ in order to dismantle accepted values of clarity and communication. Databending inadvertently employs this very process. Binary coding exists passively behind the scenes of all digital material. The process of creating a ‘glitch’ manifests itself in the disruption of this fragile language. The resultant glitch is a unique entity, distinct from its undamaged format. The binary code has been brought to the surface. In Deconstructionist terms, the internal construct is also external appearance.

st.Allio! - “Glitch Art is a dance on the edge of a failing system”. [2]

Using inappropriate applications to reconfigure digital material has a satisfyingly subversive appeal. It is also removes the ‘self’ from the creative process. This randomness and unpredictability liberates the creator from the responsibilities of aesthetic authorship.

“Irrespective of whether glitch still is, or ever was, cool and interesting, I personally still very much like art with straight lines, blocks of colour and repeating patterns.” - Ant Scott [3]

Reflections on Truth
As previously discussed, ‘to err is to be human’. Design employing elements that allude to fault and error can appear to be more humanistic. This work can legitimately claim to be more ‘honest’ that work that is spotless and error free. However, the very process of deliberately corrupting data in order to achieve this apparent man-made aesthetic is as disingenuous as the pair of distressed jeans.

“A distressed typeface reflects more truly the imperfect language of an imperfect world inhabited by imperfect beings” – Barry Deck [4]

The accidental or forced nature of the ‘glitch’ also raises questions of deceit. Is the planned accident still an accident? When does an error become a mistake?

Reflections on Beauty
Deconstructionism in communication design encourages deviations to modernist design principals and vertical / horizontal grids. The viewer or reader must adopt unfamiliar and disorienting reading patterns in order to navigate the non-linear pathways. Post-modernist theory can be used to justify what to the untutored eye might seem ugly.

Design is only ugly when devoid of aesthetic or conceptual forethought [5]

Commercial graphic design is unable or unwilling to take too many risks with questionable aesthetics. Such highly experimental work usually finds a home in academic or art house settings. Ed Fella was forced to reject professional practice and enrol in the Cranbrook Academy of Art at the age of 48 in order to realise his jarringly disharmonious theories of deconstruction,

Every invention inevitably spawns its nemesis. The computer virus only exists because of the computer. Post-modernism only exists because of the modernism. ‘Deliberately damaged’ design is the obvious counter-point to ‘slick design’, it exists purely as the antidote to bland perfectionism.

Statement of intent:
Pleasingly, there are no definitive answers to any of the questions this investigation may have raised. To date, my experimentations have offered only fleeting glimpses of a distant truth. It is my belief that this research could be the first tentative steps of a more protracted creative examination. This personal journey of discovery has been both technically and theoretically enriching. The research data gathered here, offers significant scope for extended creative synthesis.

In terms of resultant creative outcomes that could lead to a related final honors project, I intend to pursue these investigations in a highly experimental and challenging way. Any attempt to misappropriate corrupted imagery and place it in an approximated commercial environment would be an anathema and a contradiction to many of the principals this document has proposed. Personally, it would also represent a wasted opportunity. Having spent the last 20 years considering the commercial consequences of virtually every design decision I make, this time the gloves are off.

The visual language of data corruption is as startlingly beautiful as it is conceptually derelict. I plan to use these vibrant and often exhilarating patterns of chaos as a vehicle to communicate deconstructivist methodologies. By incorporating layers of theoretical significance to this imagery I hope to realize a series of innovative and ground-breaking concepts. Data corruption affords a glimpse into the point at which the hidden digital infrastructure begins to break down. This event can be imbued with far deeper hypothetical significance. Using Databending techniques I hope to ‘bend’ the relationships of traditionally opposing concepts such as; internal – external, form – meaning, hidden – exposed, reality – representation, mythology – technology, perfect – imperfection. Crossing the streams of understanding and shifting recognised perceptions.

The visualization of this process of dismantlement will form the basis of my final honors project.

References:
[1] Poynor, R (2003) No More Rules: Graphic Design & Postmodernism, London, Laurence King Publishing
[2] Berg. B (2011) Please Do not Adjust Your Magazine. Wired Magazine (UK) 02.11 pp65
Robertson, A (Spring 2010) ‘Famous for Fifteen Megabytes’. Eye 75. VOL 19. pp90
[4] Gerber, A. (2004) All Messed Up, London, Laurence King Publishing
[5] Heller, S (Summer 1993) Cult of the Ugly. Eye 9, [online]Available at:http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=40&fid=351 (accessed 11th October 2010)
Lupton , E (1999) Deconstruction and Graphic Design Lupton, E et al, A Writing on Graphic Design. New York. Phaidon Press
Heller, S (Summer 1993) Cult of the Ugly. Eye 9, [online]Available at:http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=40&fid=351 (accessed 11th October 2010)

Experiments in Data Corruption - Conclusion

Further explorations into the concept of duality may be possible where a multi-layering of meaning or content has manifested itself in a selection of experiments:
• In the experiment with Audacity (D11), the image file is translated by the audio application. The idea that you are able to experience an audio and visual translation of a single image is thought provoking.
• Duality is also present when specific texts are used to corrupt the digital code of an image (D3), the resultant data file becomes a combination of these twin aspects. The text becomes the source of the corruption giving the resulting image a double meaning.
• Another potential route of future exploration is whether it is possible to construct a single corrupted image by combining the code of separate images. What would the resultant image look like, would its appearance be distinct from standard methods of image manipulation?

Experimentation Logbook References:
[1] [6] Berg. B (2008) Databending and Glitch Art Primer, Part 1: The Wordpad Effect [online]Available at: http://blog.animalswithinanimals.com/2008/08/databending-and-glitch-art-primer-part.html (accessed 15th February 2011)
[2] Hass, C (2008) Fix your Corrupted JPEG Photos! [online] Available at: http://www.impulseadventure.com/photo/fix-corrupt-jpeg-photo.html (accessed 8th November 2010)
[3] Temkin, D (2008) Photoshop Truncating Glitch [online]Available at: http://danieltemkin.com/Tutorials/(accessed 12th January 2011)
[4] Praseodym (2010) Databending Tutorial v0.1 [online]Available at: http://praseodym.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2t0wt4(accessed 12th January 2011)
[5] Hyo Myoung, K (2010) Digital Concept: Data Corruption [online]Available at: http://www.hyomyoungkim.com/images/digital-concept-data-corruption (accessed 14th January 2011)
[7] Roberts, A (2009) Databending using Audacity[online]Available at: http://www.hellocatfood.com/2009/11/16/databending-using-audacity/(accessed 12thJanuary 2011)
[8] Roberts, A (2009) Bending a Penguin[online]Available at: http://www.hellocatfood.com/2009/09/08/bending-a-penguin/(accessed 12thJanuary 2011)

D12 Vector file manipulation

Vector file corruption with Hex Editor

Find all instances of ‘8’ then delete them.

Pleasingly abstract results
The code manipulation has repositioned random points of the path. Fills remain unchanged
This sample file contained no curved anchor point. What would happen to curves?

Evidense of horizontal & vertical disruption
Image is disrupted and fragmented but still partially recogniseable

Worthy of further experimentation

D11a Databending - Audio Editor

Image file corruption with Audacity 1.3.12

Using audio channels to combine 2 images
Different results using mono (above) and stereo treatments

D11 Databending - Audio Editor
Image file corruption with Audacity 1.3.12

Audacity treats the image file is an audio file, Audacity will display linea waveform and timeline.
Avoid tampering with the ‘head’ by highlighting the waveform from 3 - 5 seconds into the file.
Menu > Effect > Echo. Leave default settings > OK

Interesting levels of corruption
Multiple fragmentatiobn. Evidense of horizontal & vertical disruption
Wild colour shifts and shearing. Addition of some form of digital noise

Using alternative audio effects may produce different results.
Using multiple channels it may be possible to combine images.
The fact that an image becomes an audio file & can be experienced as sound is interesting.

Worthy of further exploration

D10 Databending - Wordpad

Image file corruption with MS Wordpad

Open Wordpad – File > Open > Files of Type,
select “all documents (*.*)”
Select your file.
Wordpad treats the image file as a text file, it will diligently try to reformat your file to fit the screen, changing straight quotes into “smart” or curly quotes, adding line breaks, and stuff like that. This formatting is what actually causes the glitches in your image. After the file has fully loaded, go to the file menu and click “save”.

Generally JPG files are too fragile to withstand this process. TIF and BMP files are more robust. The preferred format is RAW. The RAW file let you choose the number of colour channels. It also allows you to create files with no headers (which are unbreakable). 'Interleaving' affects the way the code is displayed for each channel.

Evidence of horizontal & vertical disruption
Wild colour shifts and shearing

Pleasing results, worthy of further exploration