1.7

Operative Collage :: Photomontage

Your main task this weekend is to compose a photomontage. Photomontage is the process (and result) of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture is photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. Hannh Höch and Raoul Haussman are two German Dadaists that pioneered this operative process during the Weimar Republic.

You will not physically cut, instead you will be photoshoping the composite image. You will need to photograph your model in plan and or in elevation during its operative process. So in other words photograph your model during its transformative stages. When taking your photos please use a clean black or white background, and one strong single light (good lighting), this will make it easier for you to cut out your models from each image. You will then take these process photographs and manipulate them in photoshop. Bump up the brightness and the contrast of each photo before using the polygonal lasso tool to erase the background. REMEMBER TO DOUBLE CLICK ON THE LAYER THAT SAYS BACKGROUND IN THE RIGHT COLUMN OF PHOTOSHOP, IF YOU AVOID THIS STEP YOU WILL NOT EFFICIENTLY ERASE EVERYTHING BUT YOUR MODEL. ESSENTIALLY YOUR BACKGROUND BECOMES LAYER 0. WHEN YOU ARE DONE MANIPULATING YOU SHOULD HAVE SEVERAL IMAGES OF FLOATING MODELS. THE ONLY THING LEFT IN EACH IMAGE SHOULD BE THE MODEL ITSELF. Here is where you are to play with the transparency of each image. Please reference to first two images of this post. So you begin with the first process stage of your model and work towards the final stage of your model, dragging each layer onto the final image. So say your model has five transformative steps, steps one though five. Step one would be the most transparent, then the second would be a little less transparent, the third less transparent than the second, ect, ect, until you finally arrive at the last step, #5 in this case, and you would overlay steps one through four onto the fifth and final image. Here you would have one single image that documents the operative steps of your concept model.

Some of you I talked to yesterday will not use this overlay technique because your models may have too many varying parts and you should aim for composing individual evolving steps on a linear sheet of paper like the third image in this post. Yours I will make reference to as a set of sequential photographs that represent the trace movements of your concept model. You should still use many of the techniques listed in the paragraph above, like bumping up the brightness and contrast, using a plain white or black background, and cutting out the actual model from the background in photoshop. You can also play around with the Inverse tool in photoshop. If you take your white model and photograph it on a black background, bump up the contrast, and then move into photoshop and press "control I" for Inverse. Then you will have a black model on a white background.

Play and Move with this assignment guys and gals!

These operational collages are superficial or surface translations that relate to the manipulations of the shirt. At this stage we are still developing rules and forms for your concepts.

Then after you complete the photomontage, take the composite image into Illustrator and start drawing the notation you have been using through these steps especially if you are having trouble representing your model through CAD drawings. Please reference the third image in the post. This image uses the photomontage technique as well as Illustrator to further notate the operations of the model. So yes draw on top of the composite photograph. Use the notational techniques familiar to you and your shirt diagrams. Draw, draw, draw.

Due on Monday ::
Photomontage or Sequential Photographs with high resolution on an 11x17 (some of you are doing more than one montage, so each should be printed out on an individual 11x17 sheet). If you are doing the sequential photographs as discussed before you may need a print out that is longer than 17 inches. It may be more like 11x24.
Photomontage with Drawing (plans and or elevations, depending on what we discussed in class on Friday) on an 11x17
If you are still working on your CAD Elevations and or Plans please also print these out on 11x17's. For those having trouble representing your concept models through CAD drawings, the photomontage with drawing can sub for this step.
Everything should be printed by 8h30 at the latest!

Have fun. Email me if you have any questions.