Introduction
The artist’s main struggle throughout their
work is communication. The sole
purpose for an artist is to channel their thoughts, ideas and emotions through
their medium of choice. However
these concepts run the risk of losing translation once they reach the audience
intended. Throughout history visual
languages have developed, giving rise to symbology, the main basis of
communicating, in fact the very wording this essay is typed in has become a
global means to understand through designated symbols, as with body language now
being understood, the language in paintings, the poses, the textures, colour
palettes all add to the richness of the artists’ original thoughts. What this project intends to delve
into is the creation of this ocular form of language, the narrator of the
mind’s eye to the parental visual metaphor. There are many debates into whether visual metaphor should
actually exist. As Stanford insists metaphor only
belongs in the realm of words and that symbolism is the visual equivalent and
there is no room for amalgamation.
What if the term metaphor, which is used to describe the language we are
being asked to see in visual art, is only used temporarily, as there is yet a
word for this process? Whittock suggests this maybe the
case, where there are experiences and emotions or feelings that verbal or
written language just do not have the words to express or convey. Therefore metaphor is used as it is the
closest approximation, for in literature metaphor conjures up images within the
reader’s imagination as pictures on the screen are in turn developing
additional imagery and emotions for the audience or the viewer. However once visual metaphors become
common knowledge they become, what is termed as “dead metaphors”, they become
symbolic, it is taken as read that this means that and that means this. Visual metaphor gives birth to
symbolism and language but in the process extinguishes itself. It is the purpose of this research to
show visual metaphor’s rightful place in existence, be it not in the conscious
but the subconscious, where the spark of artistic creation is born.
Throughout the research psychology is the
dominating factor that holds the link between director and audience. The director’s original message relayed
through the art form should somehow be legible and interpreted by the
viewer. Previous symbolism then
needs to be implemented even in a minute or subconscious form. For the idea to be unique the methods
and images need to be new and adventurous thus the creation of visual metaphor. However, dependence on the individual
receiving the information, their experience, knowledge and their own creative
mind will define whether the message is relayed properly. Visual metaphor does not just lie at
the door of the director. As the
viewer also has a creative ability in the imagination they may spark their own
visual metaphors, which could lead to an even richer emotional story, thus
every viewer will receive a variation of their own towards the same film.
It is with this focus that research has taken
a turn towards the mind of psychics and mediums. The rise of Spiritualism in the Victorian period harboured
and inspired many strange and wonderful stories. Investigation into selected period psychics has led to
further information of Psychical Research, the proof of the parlour tricks and
the comparison of Illusionist and Magicians of the time. Therefore coverage of selected psychics,
ones proved to be false and ones that no proof could be obtained will be compared
to selected successful Illusionists who defended their profession against
Spiritualism and the supernatural.
It is the purpose of this research to show the comparison between
illusionists and directors, but also the link of deceiving the mind, the only
difference being the medium in which they ply their art.
With the tool of autosuggestion, a trick
essentially employed by psychics, a director has a structure in which they can
elaborate and develop into their own artistic message, which as stated before,
can lead to the audiences imaginations taking reign. Three distinct directors have been chosen for examination of
the use of symbolism but have broken cinematic rules and in turn have created
their own language in the process, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Derek
Jarman. Hitchcock, born in
Britain, started work in Europe and moved to American made cinema; Kubrick born
in New York, worked for America but made his films in Britain; Jarman’s born
and bred British films. This mix
of subjects will hopefully help to distinguish the varying style’s of each
artist and their use of visual metaphor and symbolism through mise-en-scene
elements of the cinematic form to create illusions to deceive audiences into
believing in the moment.
Therefore the main
objectives this project aims is to explore is the existence of visual metaphor
and it’s use within the cinematic form; it’s relation to hallucination and
psychology of the mind, drawing on Victorian and Edwardian influences between
the battles of the supernatural and scientific trickery for supremacy. Tests of visual effects within
mise-en-scene elements for a short animated film will be carried out, using
symbolism as the basic structure but turning to visual metaphor to create new
ideas and concepts, not only within the film but incorporating the exhibition
to help with autosuggestion. These
tests will lead to the development of a final animated film that will
incorporate the research laid out throughout this project’s research.
