Negotiated Project: 2017

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Creation Myths and stories

After having researched and read various versions of world/earth creation from around the world. I have discovered that they all have similarities in their narratives.

All cultures show that human experience seems to have a need of having an organised principle to our world. Something which we can understand and make sense of how we came into being.

First there has to be a creative force that appears, then everything else follows on. By taking opposing sides such as Heaven and Earth, day and night, male and female, good and evil etc.. all myths and stories fall into one category or another.

The various categories are as follows.

Creation from Chaos

Earth Diver

Emergence

Ex Nihilo (out of nothing)

World Parent

One brother killed by the other

Having so many stories to choose from i decided to look at a number of factors:

Is it too complicated are there too many factors to the story?

too many, too much

Is it going to be visually interesting?

Compositions and storyboarding to work this out

Are the characters believable?

what do they add to story?

I have only considered stories that were cohesive and relatively uncomplicated as myths go. The first choice was the Maori creation myth which comes under the World Parent category. This threw up an interesting set of visuals and a possibly muted colour palette.

Other choices considered were Pan Ku the Chinese myth of creation, which i feel came under the creation from Chaos category. Producing a slightly shorter version of creation than the Maoris but equally interesting.

The third myth chosen was.. either going to be Japanese or African.
More research to do to choose this last one.
I looked at various other artists such as Sarah Yoon and her pullout book Go to the moon.

I also spent time looking at Oskar Fischenger's Optical Poem (1938) and his other art work.

These images remind me something of a planetary formation happening.

I also like the style of Sandra Dieckman

Absolutely beautiful, i think this collage type painted imagery is something similar to my previous work on Emus last year.

I have also looked at Luke Pearsons comic storyboarding on his Hilda books for influence in page compostions.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Mother earth what is it?

Here is some of the research i found...

Mother earth what is it?

noun

the Earth considered as a living being and the provider of all that is on the Earth

plants often haven't time to grow as Nature intended and enrich themselves properly with nutrient goodness from Mother Earth.

Mother earth is a concept that is quite well known and most have a general understanding that she is the creator of life, whist also being earth-the planet as well. The earth anthropomorphised into a woman who births life of all kinds.

Some more research below

"One of the key tenets of Aetherius Society teachings is the belief that the Mother Earth is a living Goddess. This belief has been held by numerous cultures throughout history, and, in certain traditions, such as shamanism, is still regarded as central in terms of both philosophy and practice. In recent years the concept of the Earth as a living entity has even gained a controversial foothold in the scientific community, in the form of the “Gaia hypothesis” which was formulated by Prof. James Lovelock in the 1970s."

"The Gods from space teach that the Earth is a conscious, living, breathing entity – with feelings and thoughts just like any other conscious living entity. She is extremely advanced, and more than qualifies for the title of “Goddess” due to her extraordinary wisdom, compassion and spiritual power."

GAIA
Mother Earth, Mother Nature

" The first Greek god was actually a goddess. She is Gaia, or Mother Earth, who created herself out of primordial chaos. From her fertile womb all life sprang, and unto Mother Earth all living things must return after their allotted span of life is over.
Gaia, as Mother Nature, personifies the entire ecosystem of Planet Earth. Mother Nature is always working to achieve and maintain harmony, wholeness and balance within the environment. Mother Nature heals, nurtures and supports all life on this planet, and ultimately all life and health depend on Her. In time, Nature heals all ills."

Air pollution affecting children in London

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/stand-with-sephie/

http://www.a-gallery.de/docs/mythology.htm

"Many African peoples regard the earth as a female deity, a mother-goddess who rules all people and is the mother of all creatures. The earth lives and gives birth to ever new generations of beings. She will make the grass grow when heaven gives her rain and if there is no rain, she withdraws into her own depths, waiting for better times to come. Many regions of Africa have to endure a dry season when nothing grows and death reigns. As soon as the new rains, life begins miraculously. Grass sprouts, flowers open and the frogs croak, creeping out of the earth who hid them. Thus the earth conceals life, protects it against desiccation and revives it as soon as better times arrive. Without the gifts of the earth no one lives. Many African peoples believe that the ancestors live in the earth, in houses very similar to the ones they had here, on the surface of the earth. They also own cattle and goats there. Indeed there is a Zulu myth in which people go in search of the milk-lake under the earth, from where the milk is absorbed by the grassroots so that the cows and goats have milk from the earth. Where else could the milk come from? Our own flesh is earth; even the name Adam means 'earth'. All creatures are earth. Fire too, lives in the earth, which sometimes spits it out when in anger. Fire comes out of wood, so it, too, must come from the earth. Wind too, it is believed, comes out of caves in the earth. Thus all four elements come out of the earth. Yet, the earth is seldom worshipped; the libations which are poured down during numerous ceremonies are more addressed to the ancestors than to the earth as a whole. Nevertheless, the earth has a very powerful spirit which rules over our life and death. Sometimes, when she is perturbed, she moves, forests and mountains and all. Unlike man, the animals understand their mother and obey her, although sometimes she will have to punish a disobedient creature."

"Our Mother Earth

Published: May 2008

This Mother Earth,
Who gives us life;
This Mother Earth,
Heart filled with strife,

We love her not,
Though love we should;
Her death we plot,
For life's "own good;"

She gave us air, and food, and home.
That's not enough we humans scream;
With greedy lust, our mouths do foam,
With evil hopes, our eyes do gleam;

Her air we fill
With smoke and death;
Ourselves we kill,
For lack of breath;

The sea once clean,
Now choked with waste;
To drink, we fear,
Will death make haste;

The soil once pure
And full of life,
Now barren sand
Of farmers' strife;

No longer she
Can stand our "love;"
Now we must flee
Like scattered dove;

She gave us all,
Unto the end;
Now we appalled,
Our lives defend."

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/our-mother-earth

Mother Nature

Published: June 2011

Our world is always changing,
Constantly rearranging.
From ocean depths to mountain peaks,
Mother Nature moves and speaks.
While telling stories of our past
She tries to teach us how to last.
Mankind, so smart, sometimes blind
Leaves common sense far behind.
We're moving fast and living large,
Forgetting Mother Nature's in charge.
Amazed when she rings our bell,
Sending us through living hell.
She can twist our steel, shake any city,
If her wrath you feel, we shall pity.
Yet some who speak on her behalf,
I fear just seek the golden calf.
It's true, we must treat her right.
Or we will incur a deadly plight.
Treat her with distinction
Or surely face extinction!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/mother-nature

"The Environment

Published: June 2011

The stars shone in the night sky
The moon was sitting bright and high
The sun shone in the morning sky
The birds were flying really high

The rubbish sways in the cool breeze
So take your litter home please
We keep the forest neat and clean
so there is no pollution to be seen

The tall grass is spiky and green
when the wind blows it is clearly seen
Upon the mountain the trees sway
the leaves blow away"

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/the-environment

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/if-polluting-is-all-we-do

All accessed 17 Oct 2017

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/something-bigger-than-what-we-see-on-the-outside

Mother earth research sketches

After quite a bit of time reading up on goddesses, mother earth, father sky I produced some sketches in my book. I spent lots of time looking at different cultures and the way they saw the world. Some of the ideas were similar pointing to the earth as a female entity and how she grows and gives birth to everything in our world. The main points seem to be that we are just a blink of an eye but we have to remember to respect the land and everything in it, to leave it well for our children.

Some of the cultures i looked into were Navajo Native Americans, African, Hawaiian and Aboriginal and Maori cultures, legends and myths. The importance of the earth and the stories that have been handed down through the generations.

Each culture has its own characters in their stories with roles and responsibilities. These stories can be quite complex as i have found during my research of this subject. Some becoming so over complicated simplifying them into picture book form would be quite difficult.

The Yoruba religion has quite a long plot involved before the earth is form and creation happens.

The chinese creation story was one story i thought that could be used for the book.

It refers to a cosmic egg made up of two balanced opposites: yin and yang. Panku the devine embryo grew until it burst his shell. He then set to work creating the earth by carving out rivers, valleys and piling up mountains. Eventually his body became part of the earth and mankind.

I quite like the visual ideas that sprang to mind but still did not feel that It was the right narrative for me to work with.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Some Environmental literature currently available

Below is a list of environmental type literature i have researched.

Dr Seuss (1971) The Lorax Trees overuse and ecology, Random House. A good example of a bright colourful children's book. Dr Seuss is quite a well known author whose work appeals to people of all ages.

Kathryn Laky (1997) The most beautiful roof in the world, Houghton Mifflin Rainforest canopy ecosystem. An alternative look for a children's book using photos for the main imagery.

Byrd Baylor (1993) Desert Voices, Simon and Schuster. Animals and habitat. I came across this author by chance and really enjoy their use of white space and bright colours. Below are two more examples of the author /illustrator team.

Byrd Baylor (1986) The Desert is theirs, Atheneum Books. Desert people and animals.

Byrd Baylor (1998) The table where rich people sit, Aladdin picture books. Lesson about being rich in things that matter outdoors and experiencing nature.

Nicola Davies (2014) The Promise, Walker books. Changing a harsh world.

This is one of my favourite illustrators- Laura Carlin. The compositions are interesting and nice to look at. Laura's pencil and mixed media style gives a dream like feel to her images.

https://images.penguinrandomhouse.com/cover/9780763693039

Image result for the promise nicola davies

Jeannie Baker (2008) Belonging, Walker books. Re-greening the city.
I found this complex layered mixed medium book inspiring. Baker's use of texture and imagery is awesome, i find myself examining all aspects if the pages, trying to see what else i can find! Love it. Just what a picture book should be.