An Artists Journey and making the Map

'Hero journey' stories take their character as far from home as possible in search of a prize. The golden Fleece, Smaug's gold in The Hobbit, The Alchemist, I could here reference to dozens of Disney and Pixar films. These journey go full circle to reveal the prize the hero sought was at home, within them, all along. The journeys value is in self discovery rather than material discovery. These journeys and myths teach us that we must venture outside of our limitations to truly value our self and that the journey of discovery is not complete until the knowledge is brought home and shared... through story.

In real life there is no singular hero journey, nor is there ever one home to return to. There are many. This process of discovery is continuous and cyclic. After years of working in film, a place I called home, I decided to take time away. I ended my work on the Hobbit almost 3 years ago now. I ventured into the unknown, made work, found myself teaching at Toi Whakaari and started a family. I've been busy. The teaching environment was foreign to me as were my new colleagues. It was a whole new culture and language to go with it. The learning curve has been immense, the experience wonderful and at all times challenging. A family has been learning on an exponentially greater level. I have gained knowledge, experience and connection that I wouldn't otherwise have been awake to. Now though to complete the journey I will take this home, back into the industry and work I took time away from. Does that end the journey? No it merely begins another all the more complex.

Once I see my new skills in practise I will be equally as hungry to share my new questions with the colleagues I have gained. The challenges and joys I experience I will want to share with my family. I have new homes to return to now. Each home feeding, serving and growing the other.

An artist is always on a journey of discovery. Assuming, as myth teaches us, that discovery is not complete until shared with those at the origin of the story then the artist exists in a continuous process of Bilbo's 'There and back again'. 

The challenge for me now is working with the complexity of having multiple paths, multiple journeys and many homes often co existing and all needing appropriate attention. The map is no longer a venture from A - B as it seemed when I began as a graduate. It seems now the map itself, rather than the journey, may be the most challenging piece of art I ever create.

Ground Control - The film that didn't happen

Just clearing through the old film files and came across these images I pitched to the film commission for a film called 'Ground Control' Written by Jared Lambert and myself.

I had hoped to bring Gentiane Lupi, Jamie Irvine and Michael Ness back together after our first effort with 'Night Storm'. Alas no luck.  Maybe Casting a bearded Steve McQueen in the last image was a bit ambitious. I'm sure if he could he'd came back to work with us. The character was to a be a cross between his character Henri in 'Papillon' and Hilts in the 'Great escape'. The fun we could have :)

Earthquakes in London - Costume Construction 1

Construction for Earthquakes has began. A great team are on the job! Fittings start with cast next week. Look forward to sharing more pics as the costumes come to life.

A Picture of Humility

Production Designer Dan Hennah told me the quality he holds in absolute regard is humility. I have, since then, been considering what an active working relationship of humility looks like.

When I began my practise in the film industry I moved quickly between designers and films. I was hungry to learn from as many talented people as possible. I cast myself as student and the designer as mentor. The relationship was of great value to me. I learnt. But the relationships did not sustain for a long time.  My working relationship with Dan was different. This relationship, along with others, is a lasting one. Why? Through humility? Yes both Dan's and mine. A humility that is practised alongside courage.  In this working relationship I cast myself again as a student as well as a teacher. So does Dan. The humility is acted through respecting that no one can know everything and that we are all students in some way or another. It takes courage to act this way.

I met with Ra Vincent recently.  We discussed a new project. Ra designed my short film 'Night Storm' and we have collaborated on a number of other large works. Ra is now an Oscar Nominee for his outstanding (and courageous) work on the Hobbit. When we discussed the project I was nervous of where our relationship might stand. He has learnt a great deal. It would be fair to call him an expert in the field of design. In no time at all though the discussion moved away from expertise to what we can learn from the job. We explored what interesting territory we can explore next? Humility allows us to travel the work together rather than isolated within our own field of expertise.

I am in a similar piece of work with Toa Fraser and Marc Tyron. Humility and Courage once again are the defining characteristics of the work. I look forward to sharing the images and art that results from these collaborations. It may be some time away. In the interim I will continue to share what I can of my insights into the process.

“I wrote this film for Tekeshi.”

In my previous post I spoke of the process of listening, seeing, responding then building new pathways and work from that response. In the post I was alluding to the grand challenge of creating innovative new art, mediums and ways of working.  This is ambitious. For me the challenge is to develop art that connects and grows creativity. I’m addressing this through design, art direction, film, writing and teaching. For the sake of describing this concept I’d like to share an example of this process at a purely creative level.  I’m still working on being innovative on the broader canvas I’ve just described.

Back in 2009 I was working on a film called Laundry Warrior. It was released under the name ‘Warriors Way’. The Director Sng moo Lee and cinematographer Woo-hyung Kim aka ‘Whoosh’ both spoke English as a second language. Communication was a challenge.  For a month I produced art and designs for Sng moo. Every day the limited response was the same. “It’s good but wrong”.  That was the end of the conversation.  Listening and seeing was difficult when so little was being given. Over the month from little snippets I was building a picture consciously and to my surprise quite unconsciously. The script gave me a sense of time and place but style was proving difficult to crack.

Over that first month I produced work not for the film but rather to gauge the director. I wanted to see and hear him. I needed too. The best way was through offering him work to respond too. The breakthrough came one day by chance.  Everyone was meeting together. Director, Cinematographer, art director Phil Ivey, Designer Dan Hennah, Set Decorator Ra Vincent, producers and myself.  Sng moo had dropped reference of Anime as well as the revealing thought of an Iggy Pop soundtrack. I was forming a response, not a picture, but a response. Sng moo wanted something cool! He wanted something still and violent at the same time. Without thinking I blurted out mid meeting ‘Like Tekeshi Kitano standing in the doorway at the end of ‘Violent Cop’!’ Every one stopped and just stared at me. God, I thought, who the hell in this room will have watched Violent Cop?’ Perhaps this response was all wrong?  Sng moo just stared at me in surprise. Then he spoke. “I wrote this film for Tekeshi.”

I’d cracked it. Violent cop was an awesome Yakuza film. Violent then still with high contrast light and shadow. Good and evil all contained in the hero character. In the scene I spoke of the light looked like shards of broken glass breaking against the screen. Stunning. Now when I revisited the art it was ‘Good and right’! Even the work from the last month could be re worked to meet with Sng Moo’s vision. I shattered light across the imagery. The painting you see here was the first one I created once I had a response that Sng Moo registered with.

Often in design for film we talk about working from the script. This is only half true. I always go to the script for answers. But the work I make isn’t built from the script as much as it is built from my response to the script. 

This is the process I’m suggesting we need to teach. To be clearly aware of our response and have ways to create work from it that moves us all forward.

Check out my art for the film here at this link. Warrior's Way Art .The film, because of financing and production problems during the recession, never reached Sng Moo’s ambitious script.  Hopefully Sng Moo and his team will get another chance one day. If I were to work with them again I would be all the more aware of my response and capable of building from it.

'Earthquakes' - Costume sketches 3.

What must education become to stay relevant?

Many think teaching is about passing on knowledge.  If this were true then teaching would be redundant.  There is no need in this age for an individual to hold knowledge to then pass on. Knowledge is now held for, and by, everyone. The Internet has, or will in time, given us all free access to information.  So in this new world what is a teacher? What is their job?  Is education no longer necessary? Why go to university if I can simply download all the lectures for free? What will education need to become to stay relevant?

Teachers are necessary. Teaching information is not. What we now need to teach is this.  How to see, listen, respond and most crucially how to build work and our future from that response. 

We are bombarded with media. We are confronted with a world struggling economically, socially and environmentally.  At the moment most are absorbing this information just like we have been taught to, passively.  How many of us are looking, listening and responding? Some. You can see thousands in fact on the streets of Egypt.  How many know how to practically translate their response into a better future?  Not many. I doubt I do. How many are trying?

The world needs us to be active participants in building new pathways. The future for education and teaching must focus on preparing us to do just that.

Summer Reading List

Better late than never but here's some of the reading that influenced my work and this blog over the summer months... Less reading over the winter and more viewing so the Winter list might be a film list:)