02.2 Methods of cataloguing

< I decided to focus on my 3rd experiment >

I also decided that I will look now at this project with the idea of perception. How can one perceive plants? How can perception vary from one to another? How can one perceive something completely different from the original item, without actually distorting, cutting, framing the subject?

Re-categorising the shapes

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I decided to select two of those experiments to push further. I decided to keep the first and second experiments because they were the most relevant in relation to the subject and the idea of perception, now the main focus of my project. Both of these experiments -with the way they have been categorised -emphasise this idea of using the shape of the plants as it is and seeing how some are more ‘intuitively flowery’ than others.

Missing shape:

Decided to generate the shapes that are ‘missing’ in between the original shapes. The idea was to create those mysterious silhouettes and also to explore how two shapes that are extracted from the same collection of drawing can end up being something completely different.

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I decided to keep the first experiment (from the most to the least recognisable) because it felt like it was the most relevant in relation to what I want to express with this work. Then I asked 4 people to write what they see while looking at each shape. The idea again is to explore perception and how without changing anything from the given element answer can be different from the original item, as well as the differences –or not– between each of the people.

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With the answer:

Once I got the answer, I decided to cross the answer and re-categorised the shapes. I categorised the shapes by the number of different answers – 1, 2,3 or 4.

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I randomly picked 53 of the shapes/answer out of the 103 that I had because the original collection of botanical drawing was 53.

Then, with the answers I had I decided to look for images to represent the answer I had to create collages. The idea was then to create a publication with these collages called “Surrealist catalogue of botanical drawing” / using the idea of surrealist collages and the perception of it -of the visual.

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Draft/experiment for the publication (way it intends to be presented)

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Feedback:

• Rework some of the collages > make the collages fit the environement
• Try to put the images together to create anthoer flower?
• the collages need somehow to go back to the plant > go full cirlcle
• use tracing paper to come on top of the collages that have the shape of either the flower or the shapes of the elements use to create the collage.
• have more intention on the composition > find the right images for each elements of it.
• create a system on how to put the elment/images on the page?

Rework the project – response on feedback

In relation to the feedback I had, I decided to keep working on this project. I re-designed all of the collages + printed the publication called ‘catalog of surrealists botanical drawings’.

For the design of my collages, I’ve decided to follow the principle of ‘cadavre-exquis’ (see below) – which is a way of drawing or collating where you add up elements together in order for them to create a new shape/visual but you can see some kind of continuity in between those elements which give the result of a visual that is quite plausible.

I also decided that instead of picking the silhouettes at random, I will choose 52 (so the amount of original botanical drawings) of the most interesting ones shape-wise.

silhouettes chosen:

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collages:

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the publication

For the form of the publication, I decided to print it in a A6 format, and bind it with a screw at the top. This enables us to see the multiple ‘surrealist botanical drawings simultaneously, as well as referring to the silhouette page if wanted. I also added an introduction page that explains the aim and context of the collages + the silhouettes chosen + the original botanical drawings. The publication is printed on a redeem 290gsm because I wanted a bit of texture with the paper + some kind of thickness as the format resembles a card format. Moreover, I wanted the overall publication to be quite thick to emphasis the extent of the collection.

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more images here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:da4df84c-346f-36c1-8fd9-e348b549eb88