ISTD - THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRYProcess document

2016

Jamie Drummond

The title of this brief is a quote from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The ‘undiscovered country’ is a metaphorical reference to death. In his famous oration Hamlet questions our fear of death and how that fear, ‘...does make cowards of us all’.

It has been said that contemporary Western society has become intellectually and emotionally divorced from death. We are unsure how to deal with it. Issues surrounding ‘end-of-life matters’ have come to the fore in recent years, partly due to the fact that people are living longer, thereby causing significant problems in respect of end-of-life care. Our ‘divorcement’ from the subject however, also relates to the fact that we – unlike generations before us – do not live with death on a day-to-day basis. Catastrophic wars and pandemic outbreaks of diseases such as bubonic plague, tuberculosis, cholera, influenza no longer threaten us on a daily basis. In contrast to this, in Victorian England, by the mid 1800s the life expectancy in cities averaged between 25 and 30 years.*

Brief ‘Stare death in the face’ and find out everything there is to know about it. Consider international, societal, scientific, religious, historical, statistical, cultural, literary and poetic touch-points within your research, before determining your approach. Design a publication that ‘visits death’ – a work that will inform and stimulate the intellect whilst pleasing the typographic designer’s eye.

We do not wish to be prescriptive but suggest that you avoid the ‘Hollywood Babylon’ celebrity exposé approach to the subject, and any sinister or darkly moribund sensibility. This should be an engaging, aesthetic, well-crafted work that is keenly aware of its intended target audience.

Research & Development We expect deep sketchbook research with evidence of your personal responses to the information that you uncover. We would like to see lots of potential directions explored in order to get a sense of your thinking processes and understand how you come to decisions regarding the final outcome. Sketchbooks should be a reflection of your design thinking. They should be colourful, vibrant and organic – full of visual references; notations; sketches; exploration of materials and ideas. They should not be scrapbooks or dissertations and they should not be ‘retrospective’ i.e. ‘Now I’ve finished the piece – time to fill the sketchbooks with photocopies’.

*Colton Historical Society: http://www.coltonhistorysociety.org.uk/sickness-Vict.php

Target MarketA discerning, intellectual, literary and design-aware audience.

Submission Guidance/RequirementsYour project submission should include sufficient appropriate material to show that you have addressed the brief comprehensively and clearly expressed your design and typographic skills. It must include:

• Strategy• Research and design development• Specifications/Grid(s)• Final outcomes• Flash drive recording project development along

with presentation images of your project. Label with your name.

Cross-reference this project brief with the Assessment Criteria guidance notes.

The Undiscovered Country…

2016Project 2istd

Reading through the selection of briefs I chose to settle on “the undiscovered country” the topic seems full of content, and is something that is applicable to everyone. The other briefs didnt really take my fancy , and the controversial nature of the subject matter in this project fueled me with ideas.

I went to the Death exhibition at the Bristol museum in order to attain preliminiary information about death within different cultures and groups. The exhibition had many artefacts from throughout history that related to death mostly in a symbolic way. At the end of the exhibition space was a room kitted with pens, paper, places to sit, and tissue paper. in the middle of the space was a bowl filled with notes. Visitors are invited to comment on their feelings about death. as you can imagine there were some deep responses. This gave an interesting insight into how people feel about death. Opinions and beliefs differ vastly but many hold negative connotations.When I was there I couldnt help but think about the morbidity of death and wondered wether there is anything positive about it at all. My ideas about death are similar to those in the quote to the left. but im also interested in what other posibility might lie ahead of us in death.

Symbolism surrounding death is found throughout Art, Nature and Tradition.

I began looking at litterary examples on western perceptions of death and came across a source that detailed its changing charachter over recent history.

From this I determined that our modern western views on death have only arisen very recently in our history. People have never been so afraid of death. I noticed that historic western attitudes somewhat resemble the more eastern tradtions surrounding death and decided this would be an interesting path to follow. As I began to explore eastern attitudes towards death i learned about the ideas of reincarnation and how those concepts are shared between religeons in the region. I came across an article on the Aghori sadhu holy men of india and was shocked at the morbitity of their practices. Its only when you learn about controversial beliefs like these that you notice how drastically different peoples interpretation of the same thing can be. I decided to run with this and began to look into the practices different eastern religeons undertake in preparation for their death.

Topic description:

ThE Document aims to explore the hindu concept of reincarnation (samsara), those who believe in it and the related practices that they undertake.Book related to topic:Font examples relevant to topic :

Samarkan - Recincarnation is real indonesiana serif - reincarnation is realPad Thai - reincarnation is real Tribal Garamond - Reincarnation is real Type Layouts:• Begin by explaining the concept of Samsara, describe its qualitys, its history, its meaning• Explain what samsara is to different religous groups in the south / southeast of asia• Look at the different practices groups undertake in relation to their faith of samsara

• Saṃsāra,is a sanskrit term used to refer to the idea of reincarnation and the ongoing cycle of birth, life and death determined by one’s actions and their subsequent consequences in the past, future and present. This concept’s name changes between religeons and cultures but a majority of the people living from south to east asia relate with its thought. Samsara can be roughly translated to “cyclic existence” and we are said to wander through it, being reborn in one of six realms depending on one’s karma. Karma is judged on the quality and virtue of ones deeds in their current life, and determines which realm they will be reborn into. Samsara arises out of our fixation on the self, our desires, our ego, and ignorance. It is expressed through our suffering, anxiety and discontent. However, by performing rituals, altering lifestyle and adhering to different traditions and practices it is believed one can acheive liberation from the ongoing cycle of reincarnation and reach a state of trancendance known as Moshka or Nirvana, a sort of Heaven. These terms mean different things in different cultures and religeons but they all have connotations of the same central concept.

Groups that have faith in samsara Hinduism - Agorhi Sadhu Holy Men Buddhism - Sokushinbutsu Bon - Phowa Jainism - digambara, Taoism - from yang to ying Sikhism - 5 K’s

I learned about the ancient buddhist trdition of self mumification and realised I had actually been to see one of these mummys in thailand where i received a blessing and paid respect (and baht) to the corpseI then researched into attitudes towards death from Taoism, Sikhism, Bonism, Jainism and Hinduism,

taking inspiration from cultural influences I begin experimenting with type and designing preliminary sketches explaining how a document may come together

The first mock up I made worked but was completely circular and hard to work with. Also I wasnt left with enough space to get my point across using typographic means. This circular design later gave way to a rounded rectangle shape whilst retaining the origional dial structure.

My inital sketches show how the rounded rectangle would go on to look like. Highliughting where holes will be made in order to operate the dial mechanism. The circular design was incorporated to symbolise the “cyclic nature” of reincarnation. A common theme associated with the concept of samsara in eastern religeons

Sketches gave way to digital templates in order to create and accurate model. once the model had been specified I began creating individual illustrations depicting the realms of existance one can be reborn into, and images of religeous followers and their practices.

‘1’ ‘6’‘5

’4’‘3’2

Illustrations were done in Biro ink, then a filter was used in photoshop to smoothen the image and create something more in line with the rest of the books aesthetics Once all of the images were complete I added them to a dial to fit into the book . The dial turns and with it you see an image relevant to a page also found inside the book.

The image bottom Left shows how the piece has come together

To develop my project further and turn my book into a more detailed and harmonious outcome I redesigned some of the main elements, and boosted my content, To bring forward a more in-depth, culturally inspired and contextually relevant book,. I wanted to keep the idea of a wheel , to symbolise the wheel of life, but without having to incorporate a circle into the form of the book as I did before. After some research into Buddhist artist style I found an examples of a golden mandala from china. These mandalas represent the universe in its entirety. And so the corner pieces represent a part of the universe, disconnected and in a different “state” but essentially part of the same structure. These corner piece designs became a major influencing factor in the layout of the pages. Reading about yin yang and learning about impermanence and interdependence , Zen Buddhism and the Dao, I found the simplistic philosophy really eye opening and that amongst all the Maths and Physics , there seems to be this Ancient way of thinking that points out more than western Science knows just in more simplistic terms. These concepts in mind I made efforts to apply them in a graphical way to my outcomes. Mainly by using a Simplistic style, with dynamic form, And black and white, symbolising cooperating forces, Life and death. Looking through more Asian art-forms, at the different styles of Samara wheels I notice a theme. Most of the wheels were surrounded by smoke and mist, I assume related to some spiritual / ethereal symbol or embodiment of the perished soul. I love the way in which the Chinese depict smoke in some old artworks and decided to incorporate this aspect with the separated corner motifs in the golden mandalas to create a design element I can use throughout the book. This creates a unified feel and an overarching theme. No bias between religions etc. After researching into the Aghoris and understanding some of the grimmer aspects of religious ritual and traditions I incorporates skull motifs into some of the dividing pages symbolising this relationship and its prevalence in that culture. This was accompanied with the endless knot. And so a set “opposing” (cooperating) forces in the same frame together. If this book was about western culture the skull might seem cliché but when the symbology of the skull is so prolific throughout Hinduism particularly, it becomes of strong cultural Importance Experimenting with binding techniques I think back to a leather bound diary made of elephant dung paper from Thailand. It was a wallet type setup and I found a similar (in terms of mechanics) one made from rough paper in the art shop. I went on to create a mini version using tacky glue to perfect bind and a piece of metal forming a clip. In the end I felt most of this was unnecessary and in following with the simplistic nature of the yin yang I reduced it to a convention hard cover type bind, Coming up with illustrations depicting each subject in any way that is relevant. Most things small illustration holds symbolic and cultural reference and relates to the story , quote, philosophy and information its depicting. These illustrations are simplistic and vectorised to give them a refined look in keeping with the rest of the document. The design comes together and presents information in a repeated layout, relating to the cycle of Samsara, this is further showed in the circular space on the page. The smokey corner parts symbolise the ethereal whilst their shape implys a cyclic movement.

Progression onwards (repeated with images to follow )

To develop my project further and turn my book into a more detailed and harmonious outcome I

redesigned some of the main elements, and boosted my content, To bring forward a more in-depth, culturally inspired and contextually relevant book. I wanted to keep the idea of a wheel , to symbolise the wheel of life, but without having to incorporate a circle into the form of the book as I did before. After some research into Buddhist artist style I found an examples of a golden mandala from china.

These mandalas represent the universe in its entirety. And so the corner pieces represent a part of the universe, disconnected and in a different “state” but essentially part of the same structure. These

corner piece designs became a major influencing factor in the layout of the pages.

Reading about yin yang and learning about impermanence and interdependence , Zen Buddhism and the Dao, I found the simplistic philosophy really eye opening and that amongst all the Maths and Physics , there seems to be this Ancient way of thinking that points out more than western Science knows just in more simplistic terms. These concepts in mind I made efforts to apply them in a graphical way to my outcomes. Mainly by using a Simplistic style, with dynamic form, And black and white, symbolising cooperating forces, Life and death.

Looking through more Asian art-forms, at the different styles of Samara wheels I notice a theme. Most of the wheels were surrounded by smoke and mist, I assume related to some spiritual / ethereal symbol or embodiment of the perished soul. I love the way in which the Chinese depict smoke in some old artworks and decided to incorporate this aspect with the separated corner motifs in the golden mandalas to create a design element I can use throughout the book. This creates a unified feel and an overarching theme. No bias between religions etc.

After researching into the Aghoris and understanding some

of the grimmer aspects of religious ritual and

traditions, I incorporates skull motifs into some

of the dividing pages symbolising this

relationship and its prevalence in that culture.

This was accompanied with the endless knot.

And so a set “opposing” (cooperating) forces in

the same frame together. If this book was about

western culture the skull might seem cliché but

when the symbology of the skull is so prolific

throughout Hinduism particularly, it becomes of

strong cultural Importance

Experimenting with binding techniques I think back to a leather bound diary made of elephant dung paper from Thailand. It was a wallet type setup and I found a similar (in terms of mechanics) one made from rough paper in the art shop. I went on to create a mini version using tacky glue to perfect bind and a piece of metal forming a clip. In the end I felt most of this was unnecessary and in following with the simplistic nature of the yin yang I reduced it to a convention hard cover type bind,

gave it to El

Coming up with illustrations depicting each subject in any way that is relevant. all the small illustration holds symbolic and cultural reference and relates to the story , quote, philosophy and information its depicting. These illustrations are simplistic and vectorised in the end product to give them a refined look in keeping with the rest of the document.

The Asura are seen as demi-gods. Although their life is more pleasurable than the life of a human, they are plagued by fierce jealousy, desire and condescension, especially for those in the Deva realm who are perceivable to them in the way humans are perceivable to animals. Also known as the jealous gods they are perpetually at war with each other. They are devoted to warfare and everything that goes with it; anger, pride, and a lust for more. If someone finds themselves in this state of mind they are setting themselves up to be reborn into this realm. Ones intentions may seem good in this life but can lead to negative outcomes and thus karma. Buddhism highlights this dichotomy in its Philosophy whilst also emphasizing that good and bad are interdependent and

should not be regarded as separate concepts.

10 9

The Asura are seen as demi-gods. Although their life is more pleasurable than the life of a human, they are plagued by fierce jealousy, desire and condescension, especially for those in the Deva realm who are perceivable to them in the way humans are perceivable to animals. Also known as the jealous gods they are perpetually at war with each other. They are devoted to warfare and everything that goes with it; anger, pride, and a lust for more. If someone finds themselves in this state of mind they are setting themselves up to be reborn into this realm. Ones intentions may seem good in this life but can lead to negative outcomes and thus karma. Buddhism highlights this dichotomy in its Philosophy whilst also emphasizing that good and bad are interdependent and

should not be regarded as separate concepts.

10 9

Nirvana translated in different languages to refers to the idea of liberation. Different ideology’s think of this concept in a number of ways. But generally they all believe that through the deeds performed in this life , one can break away from reincarnation in Samsara and either become one with nature, god or reach an otherwise transcendental state indescribable in terms of human vocabulary and expression. Nirvana is said surpasses material form, space or time an exists only as an infallible concept that is realised through following the noble eightfold path as described by the Buddha. This includes having “right-view”: a detached way of seeing, without apparent relationships like, wrong or right. right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration are also components of the path with the word “right” meaning wholesome. The Bodhi tree symbolised above is the place in India where Buddhist believe Buddha gained enlightenment and gave his first sermons.

The Enso is a simple, stark black circle usually painted on white paper in ink. Typically the circle is said to represent the eternal material world. Where the brush first touches there is a beginning to life and where the brush leaves the paper there is an ending but this beginning and end revolves, signifying the wheel of birth, death and rebirth. The space within that circle is the inherent emptiness of existence, the void, the understanding of which lies at the heart of Zen and the experience of which is the goal of meditation. What is inside and what is outside the Enso is the same. The circle - the idea of separation - is an illusion which also creates the duality of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. In many ways it shows how the mind habitually creates opposites and relationships where none in fact exist in any objective way. If the Enso is painted in water it may evaporate with time. Revealing the empty nature that is the enlightened mind. The mind that is

beyond duality. Limitless and formless. Infinite.

Enso

3029

Nirvana translated in different languages to refers to the idea of liberation. Different ideology’s think of this concept in a number of ways. But generally they all believe that through the deeds performed in this life , one can break away from reincarnation in Samsara and either become one with nature, god or reach an otherwise transcendental state indescribable in terms of human vocabulary and expression. Nirvana is said surpasses material form, space or time an exists only as an infallible concept that is realised through following the noble eightfold path as described by the Buddha. This includes having “right-view”: a detached way of seeing, without apparent relationships like, wrong or right. right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration are also components of the path with the word “right” meaning wholesome. The Bodhi tree symbolised above is the place in India where Buddhist believe Buddha gained enlightenment and gave his first sermons.

The Enso is a simple, stark black circle usually painted on white paper in ink. Typically the circle is said to represent the eternal material world. Where the brush first touches there is a beginning to life and where the brush leaves the paper there is an ending but this beginning and end revolves, signifying the wheel of birth, death and rebirth. The space within that circle is the inherent emptiness of existence, the void, the understanding of which lies at the heart of Zen and the experience of which is the goal of meditation. What is inside and what is outside the Enso is the same. The circle - the idea of separation - is an illusion which also creates the duality of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. In many ways it shows how the mind habitually creates opposites and relationships where none in fact exist in any objective way. If the Enso is painted in water it may evaporate with time. Revealing the empty nature that is the enlightened mind. The mind that is

beyond duality. Limitless and formless. Infinite.

Enso

3029

The design comes together and presents information in a repeated layout, relating to the cycle of Samsara, this is further showed in the circular space on the page. The smokey corner

parts symbolise the ethereal whilst their shape implys a cyclic movement. The typographic elements of the book resemble that of a western biblical style. Giving a spiritual connotation

for its audience without being overt.

Empty space, nothingness. the key concept to zen buddhism. Inside this seeming nothingness there is something. And so the relationship

between something and nothing is symbolised. You cant have one without the other. Life and Death are treated in the same way in most

of these eastern religeons and philosophys.

Opened Spread

Evaluation

Looking back over my work I now feel like it meets the project criteria more precisely. My level of research has been enhanced

and the book offers much more in terms of information and design aesthetic. Creating the document has enabled me to examine my own ideas in relation to design practitioners in

East Asian art-forms and religion. Through taking inspiration from Buddhist art and incorporating it in a way that is

westernised, I have come forward with an outcome that caters that sort of design aware, audience.

I have done what I can to avoid some of the more dogmatic aspects of the religions and focus on the more philosophical

ones in order to appeal to an equally intellectual demographic whilst maintaining a reasonable and truthful representation

facts and information. The investigative nature of my research and development work helped me to make decisions when

designing my outcomes. I looked at load of symbolism, imagery and literature as demonstrated in my sketchbook and this allowed me to learn so much on a personal level.

Whilst also contributing considerably to my ideas generation and development. In designing The outcome its self, I

experimented with a number of different binding methods, Before my resubmission the binding and fabrication of the piece was poor and in order to rectify this I utilised some

simple but effective techniques in my experimentation, If I had more time I would have liked to explore this more but nonetheless I am happy with the contextually relevant and simplistic design I have settled on. As it gives it a level of

finesse that my previous outcome lacked. If I was going to change anything this time round I might have tried to develop the text more, making it a bit more enjoyable to read. Overall I think my outcome has developed into something much more comprehensive, interesting, well designed and researched. It addresses the ISTD and Module Criteria in a more complete

manner and I am happy with what I have been able to produce.

Bibliography Links to all of my sources of information. Some contributed to the text through quotes or passages others just furthured my general understanding of the subjects. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Attitudes_Toward_Death_from_the_Middle_Ages_to_the_Present www.calebwilde.com/2012/09/5-cultural-attitudes-toward-death/ buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/Six-Realms-of-Existence.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_realm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newar_people en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokushinbutsu journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/jiabs/article/viewFile/8727/2634 www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pvcZE_141E lifeafterdeath.com/life-after-death-taoism/ www.realsikhism.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1248308791&ucat=7 www.realsikhism.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1248308356&ucat=7 buddhism.about.com/od/enlightenmentandnirvana/fl/Samsara.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana buddhists.org/buddhist-symbols/samsara-in-buddhism/ buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/Six-Realms-of-Existence.htm www.examiner.com/article/buddhist-study-understanding-the-six-realms-of-existence en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_(Buddhism) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_(demon) vimeo.com/116877832 www.arrowriver.ca/wheel/asura.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_beings_in_Buddhism#Nature_of_the_human_realm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_ghost zen-ua.org/wp-content/uploads/avatamsaka-cleary.pdf www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8Y4wiCh7-o symboldictionary.net/?p=2544 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_in_Buddhism krishnapath.org/quantum-physics-came-from-the-vedas-schrodinger-einstein-and-tesla-were-all-vedantists/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys_in_Chinese_culture#Religious_significance en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trishula www.quora.com/Why-do-Aghoris-consume-marijuana-at-some-holy-shrines-How-is-it-linked-with-spirituality www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/phowa.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phowa www.sikhismguide.org/fiveks.aspx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turban www.hedweb.com/witherall/zero.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching#Emptiness philosophynow.org/issues/27/Death_in_Classical_Daoist_Thought en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#Buddhism en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_enlightenment en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajra en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology#Desire_Realm_.28K.C4.81madh.C4.81tu.29 www.iep.utm.edu/daoism8