1) David Bowie at Kirkstall Roller-arena for two nights in Leeds.
Bowie switched venues from Leeds University refectory on the day as the stage was 'too small', despite being more than enough for Pink Floyd, The Who and so many others. Bowie changed the tone in music events, being the first time 'a man in a leotard' preformed in Leeds, which in itself encourages social and cultural progression.
It was the first visit with 'the Spiders From Mars', and Bowie preformed as Ziggy Stardust, featuring the iconic circle on his forehead and iconic orange mullet. The classic Bowie iconography directly communicates who he is, as well as his message of reinvention through his characters.
The public space is Kirkstall roller arena, where the gig-goers were sliding around on the slippy rollerskating floor, as well as queuing and crowding down the street. Many articles I have read, one previously mentioned on The Guardian, have mentioned the hilarity of sliding around listening to Bowie. It is tricky to tell from the internet if the Rollerarena is still a place, as many forums about Leeds History are questioning its location. This is interesting point, as the brief is about the spaces of Leeds, so its good to know where it is in the city.
One visual idea I discussed within the feedback with Sophie Oldham, was photographing (or creating) an image of the roller arena now, overlaying with screen print a bowie style party scene, suggesting how the public space has transformed over the years.
2) The Rolling Stones, Roundhay Park
An ultimate triumph in public turn out, masses of fans overtook the streets towards Roundhay and flooded the park itself. This concert was one in a string of huge Roundhay park gigs, which has become famous around Leeds especially. The presence of the Stones informed the music scene of Leeds, and lead to a thriving music culture.
The stones also have very iconic visuals, with the tongue their most recognisable icon. These could be incorporated as part of the design, communicating The Stones in fewer words.
3) The Who, Live at Leeds University Reflectory
The Who preformed at Leeds Union initially, responding to a mass demand amongst the music scene at the time. They were one in a string of (now) huge artists, and later returned to play a sold out gig in 2001. When the Who first hit Leeds, they recorded their iconic 'Live at Leeds' vinyl, with the famous brown paper artwork.
“Without those unions to play to play, the venues were thin on the ground, so my big thanks to Leeds for being there” said Roger Daltrey. Since its hay-day, Leeds Union have lit up their stage for many bands, old and new, and have been awarded a blue English Heritage plaque for its contribution to the music culture.
The luggage tag and 'Live At Leeds' typeface could be visually interpreted, as well as other 'Who' related iconography, such as the mod emblem, the over extension of the letterform with a slender arrowhead, and the Union Jack.
Feedback:
Sophie liked the rough visual I had. We discussed all aspects of the research into the idea, as well as brainstorming a few ideas.
- Incorporate the 1973 Bowie image into the poster design as thats when he was in Leeds
- "It's interesting to think the different outlook on fashion people had, so i wonder how Bowie was taken in a leotard?". Its interesting to think about the reaction was to a 'starman' dancing around a stage in Leeds, yet no negative reports have yet been found. Its also worth questioning if the Leeds street style became more flamboyant and radical after Bowie's visit, or wether the prominent trends still remained.
- Bowie iconography is instantly iconic (lighting bolt, any photo, costume prints)
- Typography based solutions with Bowie lyrics from the 1973 Rollerena set list, which relate to the impact David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust has had on Leeds since the event.
- The overall feel of the Rolling Stones gig should be interpreted as a positive message, so avoiding overtly dark 'rock and roll' imagary should also be considered.
Direction forward
After the feedback it was clear that the Bowie brief grabbed the most attention from Sophie, as well as tickling my personal interest more than the others.
After speaking to Simon Harrison after feedback, I found out darkroom printing is not possible with regards to photography, so my primary method of production needs to consider colour ways and mixing ink. I am finding it difficult to apply colour in work, as my personal preference is for monochrome or a very minimal pallet, the opposite of Bowie in some instances. This will be a challenge for me but an exciting one as I adore Bowie as an artist so want to do it right
My plan now is to research into Bowie's identity, as well as visual representations of his image through graphic design. I want to see how I could incorporate the Roller arena gig as an abstract work of art, away from the traditional poster prints of the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment