Experimentation with Color and Shape

This week I have focused on building upon the parts of my mock-ups that work best and strengthening those facets while simultaneously trying out new techniques, colors, and layout approaches. I decided to produce a mock-up with a black background as a way to stray away from the white paper I utilized last time. I did this in order to see how the colors I chose would work differently and to begin reflecting about the effect of the background color on my viewers. I think that having such an intense color as the background for the painting and video pieces would encourage my viewers to let themselves enter into a meditative state. The black voids of negative space between each painting/screen alludes to the 'unknown' and the mystery that surrounds language.

I also decided to utilize different colors than those I painted with last week because I wanted to avoid utilizing a pastel-y palette. However, after viewing this new mock-up, I am now heading in a direction that will focus more on the minimalist aesthetic of the piece, and as such I plan to produce something that has a monochromatic color palette. I imagine such a controlled use of color can function to my advantage because it visualizes how the facets of language themselves are truly arbitrary, and it is only through its speakers that such components acquire and retain meaning.

My research for the week consisted of a piece by Saussure, "The Nature of the Linguistic Sign." In it, the philosopher clarifies that the link between signifier and signified in language is arbitrary. It is only because of the traditional nature of language (handed down through generations, never questioned) that each spoken tongue continues to survive and thrive without consistently switching signifiers and signified. I also thought Saussure's observation about language as an untouchable system by which we all live was very intriguing. He mentions that language is the only system in society that everyone participates in, as opposed to systems of government, religion, or legal procedures which only a select number of people engage in. According to Saussure, it is for this reason that the "community's natural inertia exercises a conservative influence" on language. I think this is very relevant to my project because it shows that each language exists as its own entity because of its consistent, undisputed, and regular use. It is just another example of how its importance escapes our awareness.