Category Archives: Sam’s script.

Hello.

Navigator 1999 Revisited. The condition some are in # 1

These ceramic tablets are in a bad state, but at lest they are dry. However, the problem is, just by brushing them to clean them, may rub of some of the details off. Also, there is growth greens to clean up. Because the tables are only bisque fired and very porous, cleaning becomes quite a task.

Collingwood

Collingwood

Black and White.

First, I have to say that I don’t suffer from synaesthesia.      

Collingwood traditional colours are black and white. Here I am using colours
that I have associated with the 12 tone music. Therefore, they are two
different colour systems at play at the same time. In my colour system black
and white are both NATRUAL, however they do have certain characteristics like
the rest of the other 12 colour.

Think of it like traffic thinking. You are in four lanes or more. Two cars
are traveling parallel one way and, the other two travelling parallel the
opposite direction. Some of the cars have passenger’s other don’t.   From
outside they look similar but we know that they different, doing similar functionality.
Each car is independent from the other and travels in a different manner, but
they travel in an orderly direction.

Methodology.

First, I painted in black acrylic paint the word Collingwood a number of
times, in my English script. At all time thinking of the final composition both
visual and conceptionally in music terms, as I am using my 12 tone colour
system, and not the normal colour system. Here I am painting a music composition
and, as different words are used no two compositions should be the same.

What dictate the colour musical composition is the name/s or word/s used, in
this case Collingwood and, its associated colour scheme.  Here, Collingwood is used to emphasis the
black and white. This mean that every word has a designated colour scheme. The
most interesting part is just like the 12 tone music, which is fixed and
specific is How it is interpreted to create the final composition.

Message Carriers.

Both back, white and other colour can be used as text carriers. Here the emphasises
is about neutrality. This is just like black ink and white paper, but act as massage
carriers. One is the positive as the black ink, and negative for the white
paper in this case. However, both black and white are interchangeable, there
they are both equal in value of neutrality. For example, the ink has no baring
on the massage, it is simple a neutral messenger.

Shades of Grey.

Black and white greys are neutral. Colour greys carries the association of
the colour. Dark, not with black coloured grey associated with deep feelings, and
tinted colour greys with higher, lighter feelings.

Take a hint from music at how the coloured scales are used.

Navigator 1999 Revisited. State of some 001.

This is going to be a weekly update, if anything it will help me eventually finish the job so to speak. It is not usual my way of doing things, but there is always an exception. The main reasons are priorities and time.

This is a new phase, and learning on the job. These ceramic tablets, as there are visual images to communicate with outer space, a la Mariner space program, but not the Ten Commandments. The state of many is very poor, as they have been in a water-logged condition.

Most of the time, the best solution is to let them dry, and then they could be handled. As the example above they just disintegrate, not a healthy prospect as they might end up on your foot.

Navigator 1999 Revisited #137

The above image is the reverso ( the back side.) of Ceramic tablet #137.

Every ceramic tablet that I made for The Navigator was meant to be as individual piece, a standalone art work, solo individual peace that can coexist as part of a group. Another way of see it is thinking about it as a solo vocalist, that can accompaniment, or be part a choir. Preserving the individual of every piece is of utmost critical importance. A practice that I still carry to this day.

Some of these ceramic tablets as each carries it own massage, have a image on the reverso side ( the back side), while others don’t. Being all these years out in the natural elements took their toll. Some are in a very poor state.

Where possible and if there is no image, a number and other notation related to the number are added in acrylic paint. The advantage of this is that, that becomes its cataloging number. If it breaks when too wet, it gives you more visual clue of how to put them back together.

Then the tables are steam clean, and sealed with binder.

Navigator 1999 Revisited # 135

This was my final project at WSU Kingswood in 1999. I made few hundreds of these paper clay tables, for a four-sided square pyramid 7m high.  Not all these ceramic tablets survived, some in reasonable, others in very bad state. I am trying to salvage what I can.

The missing parts are lost children, creating their own stories , until they meet again.

14 musical notation rests at play.

Description: When I created my music notation system, some very important aspects I was looking at. These fundamentally were,

  • freedom from the musical staff.
  • playful as a character.
  • fun as a ballerina or ballerino.
  • to make characters self-standing.