June to July

erm so basically since the last post i freelanced for the light surgeons working on a title sequence for channel 4 How Clubbing Changed the World, that should airing soon. Doing this animation work has really enforced my thoughts on staying away from animation and intense interactive design and graphc design as im just not into it.

so far the dps has given me the opportunity to try out all the different fields i thought were an option to me : initially stating interactive design, installation art, graphic design/editorial film. intense or high tech interactive work consists of alot of coding which doesn’t seem to be me, i thought that coding could be something someone else could do on my behalf but realising how possessive i am of the work i create i wouldn’t feel comfortable with it.

graphic design for me is a little to monotonous for em i dont like sitting down on a chair from 9-6, 5 days a week, you dont see enough people randomly and it gives you a flat masoko/nyash.

almost forgot to mention that whoever reads this i hope you enjoyed the opening ceremony, im working on the closing and the Paralympic opening and closing and there’s alot more advanced skills of the performers. once again met some good people and got to see Muhammad ali. and some very interesting dancers etc…

anyway in regards to Read a hero the final designs have been drawn up by yours truly and are in production finally after finding components or getting them custom designed/coded.

web design is also something i have received quite a few offers to do but thats not creative enough for me to do day in day out, the money is alright but i need soem more varying jobs.

so all that i am left with is installation artwork and film, which for me has to be site specific because i realsie the reason why i struggled so much in LCC with stress and dissappontment in myself regards to my work is because i spend so much time tryng to make somethign completely unique through imagery primarily, i disregarded the narrative or it came second rather.

from now i have reversed the order and pursue the discovery of interesting stories or situation then make imagery/document it in a way that reflects the way i see things, not for commercial eyes.

as you may notice i have got to the point where i want to make things that are personal to me, otherwise i just don’t see the point, think of it as a journey of discovery or a therapeutic exercise. thats the way i like to see it or do it at this point in time.

im working on a sumer brief for IMI and have applied this and have actually come up with something i am happy with. for once

last thing, i realise i dont like to make images whether that may be illustrations, photoshop manipulated images etc… i want my imagery to be documentation. so photography and film of documenting an experience. thats where im heading.

very emotional/sentimental post i know but its all development.

almost finished dissertation as well.brap

129 weeks / 32 months and still going…

I was just looking through my DPS Report and the criteria of the course, i remember Sarahsaying  that the minimum requirement was 28 weeks minimum / 7 months. so i was looking through for dates in emails of when i started and finished placements and came up with 129 weeks / 32 months of placements completed this year which i can’t believe went by so quickly. it made me laugh reflecting back.

Nevertheless im my placement with the Light Surgeons is over but they want me to come back and freelance with them.

my work with the olympics is still going where i am now working with the rehearsals of the performers as well as the stadium sound testing. i moving inbetween their sites each weeka nd met some nice peopel especially one person who i works on doing sound design for X factor who wants to collaborate on a sound design project for a film im planning on making

my work for readahero is continuing, where we are now into the 3rd draft of the website, entering phase 2 for a full launch in August. its been a long gruelling time since last year september but things are evolving and its nice to be part of soemthign from the ground up and see my influence init.

iv also been commissioned to design a website for them. which is nice as im in a place of evaluating what im doign with myself and whether i should quit my retail job and focus on my work. especially after hearing how well people in IMI are doing coming out with First class degrees

’til next time,

March ’till the end of May

ok Apologies for the delay in an updated post. here’s whats going on:

1-  Kinetica Museum internship is over i produced a film which everyone liked they also used all of my raw footage on their Vimeo account, i also produced a film and they featured it on their website http://www.kinetica-artfair.com/?blog.html with that film my 5 months with kinetica drew to a close which was good, as i was keen to move onto something new.

2- i finally started working with the light surgeons, for a few months now i have been working on their relaunch of their website which you can see here http://www.lightsurgeons.com/ with such a long journey to work with them working on their website almost felt a little bit of an anti climax in comparison to all fo the work i am  so interested in  featured on their site. however i got my hand on some useful tips and advice on working on video editing as well as back end website development which will prove useful in the future.

witnessing the process of getting jobs from clients and the role of a producer i realised the amount of work that preceeds the creative process which is truly excessive. and slightly creatively dampenng. i am on a little break from them at the moment s work is a little slow however i will be jumping back on board for post production work on a shoot for coco cola sponsored snowboarding film. i will update as of when i get images.

3- at the same time as this i worked na collaboratiive commission by southwark playhouse for a sound design job fo rthe theatre production Black Battle With Dogs, which was a priveledge but also a struggle. i am proud to say that my ideas were all accepted and despite not know ign how to use key software i managed to pick up how oto use programmes Qlab & Logic Pro in order to edit sounds that i as well as Sebastian Willan collected especially for this production. it was paid as well which  was a benefit  here are links that document images of the show a film including the sound deisng i collaboarted with Sebastian with and evidence fo my filming and editing and photographic documentation in practice plus reviews of our work

film - http://christopheramaning.com/bbwd.html

review - http://www.thepublicreviews.com/black-battles-with-dogs-southwark-playhouse-london/

4- since this job my work in RAH (readahero ) has elevated from beign a mere intern to becomign head of design , our work with a revious web designer failed due to a lack of professionalism on their part. which teaches me a lesson that there are alot of people that claim they are professional but truly are not, this set back cost us dearly however we have found a new web design and aim to launch in august after many drafts and a successful soft launch earlier this year.

5- not sure if i mentioned earlier btu i am officialy workign for the olympics and i must suggest that you all must watch the openign ceremony as it will be amazing if what i saw comes into full flourishen.  the work demands of it are quite high and have put me in a difficult situation where i may have to quit my job to fullfil my commitment to them, so come july there will be a decision to make. illlet you know how that goes.

6- my second draft of my dissertation is going well but slow, chapter 1 is in its second draft however chaoter 2 & 3 are still to be written however all fo the artists i needed to contribute to my dissertation have contributed in primary research interviews which i am extremely happy with.

7- im still working retail at the same time pulling 7 day weeks.

8-  i decided to rake a week off since june last year and have a summer break and went to morrocco to indulge in some culture and food and get reacquainted with my girlfriend .

9- since i have returned i have heard of the Perception exhibition by RNIB for sensorial artwork and i am currently working on a sound and analogue haptic installation that i hope to submit and hopefully successfully exhibit and mayb document for my final year as a project for my BA. ill let you know if that goes through.

till next time … bon nuit

 

Ending of 2011 . . . Beginning of 2012

so the last thing i blogged about what  the exhibition of the London riots,

so novemeber…

1a – so i got the internship at kinetica museum, basically i got involved in a proposal to re-brand kinetica also i have been part of all of the design for all the merchandise designed for kinetica art fair. this proved to be difficult when working in such a small team.this has been difficult because each member has grown an attahcment to certain roles.

Imagery of the re brand proposal will be posted soon as i get time to pull it all together.

1b – The main benefit of this placement has been the connections made with artists that are informing my dissertation.

Interaction Design is an ineffective attempt in re-enacting human engagement with the world. Discuss.

I am drawing connections with interactive art piece to humanities first encounter with nature. i will post the first chapter soon.

2 – Meeting with the Light Surgeons has been difficult they have expressed interests with getting me on board but scheduling conflicts seem to be a problem.

3 – i got offered a job to do info design as part of a creative agency but i turned that down because i wanted to explore new fields. my enthusiasm for branding has been slightly exhausted as of late.

4 – Designs for RMH/RAH have been developed  http://christopheramaning.com/rah.html we currently have roughly 100 members in our soft launch but our official launch is coming up in the next month with 2,0 website. we are also in contact with sponsors. which is good news.

5 – i have been working on my personal projects which have been developing where i am saving for my use as final year projects, recreating moments. almost tribute to nostalgia.

6 – i have had interview with the olympic to be a member of the communications and sound department working on all of the opening and closing ceremonies and live performances. I got the job i hope to learn some great practical skills in add to my list of skills

7 – i had a n interview with the BBC RED BEE Media, it went really well we will see if it happens.

8 – Almost forgot to mention that i am th lead designer for this new online magazine that a friend of mine is starting initial designs for the website are currently in development.

9 – Might be having a meeting with Light suregons next week friday.

10 – Im a little bored i want to do something more creative

beginning of March. . .

 

Conversations With My Conscience Exhibition (Community Feedback)

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Welcome to our community’s feedback to party statements.

Istanbul, Turkey (Behind the Scenes)

This gallery contains 10 photos.

 

Back in London

Ok so last thing i spoke about int he previos post was my trip to Istanbul , i touched down in the early hours of friday morning got home with the last bus to my house, instead of going to sleep i was up until the sun rose preparing for the perspective installation (getting a projector and the materials needed) i was asked to make in collobaration with Efe Igbinadolor.

please forgive me for the lack of images in my posts i know most people who look at this are visual people.

so that exhibition lasted for one night put up the work in 5 hours  finished at 10pm the event continued until 5am so i went home went home and came back at 7am to take it down. i forgot to mentin that the work was exhibited in the Indigio, o2 for the Sencity event.

anyway that was all over and done with, i had 2 days to unpack my suitcase which i didint get round to, try and upload the footage from istanbul whch took me 3 days to do and start updating mywebsite which is being difficult so i have redesigned the website and plan to launch it on monday if not sunday night when iv got more time,

so the following tuesday after i arrived from istanbul i began another internship with Pitch & Sync and i have to say hat i am doign the job of my dreams, workign in the area i have set my eyes to work in when i graduate and go out in the area i already visit.

since the secodn term of foundation i am actually not depressed or annoyed about art & design and enjoy myself and the days i work.  its all about sound and music just helped out on one of the companies projects delivering music for one of their clients of specific genres for their brand and if im honest if i was offered a job with the company i wold take it without any hesitation.

at the same time as this internship i am still workgn on my book which sems to be takign a back seat which frustrates me because i really want to wrap it up  as its take years to get to this point.

while all fo this is going on i am still working with the CSM MA student for her final project so thats a job in itself, ill let you know how it turns out.

also i pitched an idea for the riots exhibition an alumni student is organising and im working on that as well whcih i have to say is being neglected but i shall deliver even if it means sleepless nights.

ermmm whats else.. im still tryign to secure a place with another company which potentiall be a another job of my dreams. ill let you knwo when i sort it out.

im thinking about taking a little bit of a break in december, im kina abit worn out working everyday since august can be  bit much.

 

oh i forgot i had an interview with walker books about a small film project dunno if i got it or not ill post if i do.

 

by for now, the next post will be all pictures i promise, still editting images.

thanks to joel and sarah for all the help

The Next Chapter

its been a while since my last post and alot has been going on:

1- after some testing as you saw in the previous post the sencity perspective installtion is almost due we finalised a loation but need to get our hands on a good projector. if anbody knows someone who is willing to lend it to us for a little biti please let me know only to set up and outline th eimage then we will give it back. aprt from that materials are all sorted etc…

2- in regards to the design for my brothers comic book network the designs are complete and im working with the web developer to finalise the website and hopefully launch on the 15th October, im holding off showing all the images but heres the logo

beign honest workign for a family member for a paid piece of work is a challenge, you need to be professional establish boundaries nd because you live in the same environment they alway like to discuss the project so i had to establish boundaries in that sense. furthe more after working in a branding company and being involved in a few projects with outside clients he clients input seems very limited they brief us on what kind of thing they would liek and as designers we would have enough freedom to create a variety of designs that we feel are well designed (hands off approach). However work for Readahero has been very difficult to the client is very hands on and is constantly bringing elements fromother ares in which can be frustrating as they may not be well designed but the concept may be interesting. so as result i include of the elements the client expresses he likes to unveil a clutered pick ‘n’ mix visual which does not work and is an example of every info designers worst nightmare. its a tedious process but as i refine the client begins to see why ‘less is more’ and how each element has a function. ill keep you posted .

3 – the book i am working on…. i got to gether with a few illstrator friends to help create imagary, but first we needed to esatblish genres etc… now we have settled on two ‘the overlooked’ and ‘ the battle between logic and irrational’. unfortunately i needed to take a step back from the image generation because of other opportunities which i will get to but also because im working on fine tuning the individual poems, blurbs etc… which i have brought in a couple friends to assist to write the blurbs and a fellow wrier to proofread and point out any grammatical issues i hav have overlooked. images of process will be posted in the next week or so…

4 – in september i went on a few interviews with companies such as Pitch&Sync (muscial composers) who work in moving image and installations they liked my work and what i proposed to do for a final piece in my final year and said when i have free time the placement is mine. so im waiting to come back to London to start…

5 – i also went to an interview with Kinetica and was offered a placement but awaiting confirmation from the company directors as in when interns should start. i was told this information would be distributed in the early weeks of October so im still waiting but sent off a kind email so they wouldn’t forget about me.

6 – after i fiished at Creative Leap the design consultancy they passed my CV and portfolio to a broadcast company called Markettiers4dc they recently got back to me and told mem to come in for an interview i accepted but asked if it could be scheduled once i return to london they agreed fortunately as i found it difficult to ask for soemthign from them without offering anything as of yet.However they were willing so im grateful.

7 – earlier in this post i stated when i get back to london a few times…. the reason why…… at the grace of Gulizar and Sarah, i was selected to go to Istanbul to make a film about Istanbul design week along with hannah black more a recent graduate who has some interesting work, worth checking out. google her piece occupied which is my favourite.

anyway we set off for Istanbul in the hope fo making a film about Istanbul Design Week… after a few days of planning and storyboarding the film and giving a brief summary of what the film was about to the company DDF who brought us out there and gave us a place to stay which we are very grateful for they approved the proposed film. GREAT!

unfortunately, 3 days into our 10 days in Istanbul there seemed to be some complications into what we were making. the original brief was to make an artistic creative approach to istanbul design week, however it became apparent that what they ideally wanted was a commercial promo video… mmmm ok… so how can we make this promo video as creative as possible we suggested a few tings but they didnt seem to like any of them. so at the sam etime in adapting to collaborative work which got a little heated in the beginning we needed to rethink our aproach as our days in istanbul nearly reach the halfway point and missing certain moments which in the long run could have been instrumental to the commercial video.

however i thought we are in another country making a film lets make the best out of this situation hannah and i were very disappointed that we couldn’t break the mould of promotional videos/films as much as we wanted to but i understand as a company they need marketable material to promote the next Istanbul Design Week. so at the very least we need to make our mark on this video and try ou best to find a balance between commercial and documentary (hannah) filming with a hint of object symbolism (chris).

at the moment we are in the final stretch in edittign and hope to finish the film today and hopefully get to see istanbul a bit. we’ve been working everyday and networking so we haven’t had a chance to explore the city as tourists but we are hoping we can find something to do in our spare time if we get some.

The Good:

- what a city, its a contrast in everyway, definitely worth seeing
- the people are really nice, but a little bit of staring lol not quite sure why.
- at first we lived in the turkich equivalent to Oxford Street, from now on i will never complain about oxford street being overcrowded u have no idea what its like over here.
-the city in my mind is a place of moments its a place where you will take a photograph of everything (i just wish i had the time)
- im already booking my next trip here, this time i will be arriving as a tourist and taking full advantage of the sites.

the bad:

- the early stages, even though hannah and i knew of eachother we never really were that close so being put in the same room together was a good way to force bonding we actually got to know quite abit about eachother, but it became a tad ove whelming work together, go out togther eat together and then go to sleep together (separate beds). i think its a glimpse of married life. a little too much too soon but we got over it we had times to ourselves which we both appreciated.

- the filming and collaboration. we both have different specialist skills in our situatin which is what we thought would marry very wel together but the simple elements of communication was difficult we had different personalities diffeent work methods etc… so there was a butting of heads a few times. i think she would agree.

all that i have written above about hannah and myself, specifically the negative elements in collaborating in such close quaters in the early stages was a lot to take on but after establish personal time nd boundaries every now and again i think we have established a format in which we could work together. theres a much more relaxed atmosphere between us and i hope the film is evidence of that. ill post the film when we’ve finished till then ….bye

next installment of dps

1- after finishing my internship with creative Leap a creative strategic consultancy working within the packaging design department for 3 weeks, i can say i have had experience in a field i wouldn’t have naturally gone into however i learnt alot. ont he lat day of this internship day within the packaging design department i was offered an extended placement within creative leap but  now within the corporate design department where i suggested producing an animation for one of their clients Sigma Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc. a multi million pound company for their new treatment product. im most proud of te fact that i knew the animation would be a challenge but at each obstacle i overcame my inexperience proving i could produce work of a professional polished standard.

the animation will be featured on Sigma Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc. vimeo channel, the products new website on the home page  as well as my own website.

once this internship was completed they were so pleased  they recommended me to a broadcast company markettiers4cd which is a big bonus as im interested in getting involved in filming , TV and radio and app creation. pending placement offer.

****might be called back to do a showreel for creatie leap on a whole since they like my work and the web design formats i presented to them to revitalise their website.

2-  still working on publishing my won book working through the stages of naming, illustrations and materials should hope to conclude the guidelines at the end of September and being the creation of imagery throughout october and finish by november/december, to sell the book in a few independant stores an don my website. keep a look out.

3 – im still working with the MA student her narrative spaces project im meetign with the MOD on wednesday for a technical meeting presenting what we hope to create and hopefully gettin guidance in how to create the technology.

4- im still doing an installation with Sencity in the Indigo at o2 in greenwich which will be up on the 8th october. just did a trial installation of the art piece and all looks good.n below is an image of the test carried out today.

in collaboration with Efe Igbinadolor

5- in my last post i think i mentioned interest by Kinetica and the light surgeons in october well today i went to a an interview with pitch & sync and i got the placement their but i postponed takign the place until october because of an opportunity that has come up …..

6 – Istanbul design week i was selected alogn with hannah Blackmore to film the 5 day event of Istnabul design week. the video will be featurred on the website, in therir press pack and will be shown all over the world and we will be creditted int eh production of th efilm. we leave on the 25th september for istanbul.

also we will be exhibiting in istanbul during design week. thats a bonus ill post in a little while to keep thisup to date

7- im still working retail ….. i think my retail days r coming to an end soon.

8- still redesigning my brothers company merchanidse, recently i have been made creative director of all forms of branding for the company just finsihed ll the print work im working on the website now with a developer. images will follow soon

9 – i’m just grateful for all for these opportunities,

update on progress

its been a while since i last contributed to the blog so heres everything thats happening

1 – im not sure if i posted this but after the space between exhibition i was approached to be part of a MA Narrative Spaces project at CSM, before i stated it was a job but i class it now as an internship. so i have been working on that organising a meeting with the MOD for technological support by their engineers. here s a link to the piece i exhibited

http://www.christopheramaning.com/whatusedtobe.html

2- i randomly got an email from this branding/ddesign company called creative leap, i had no idea who they were and was contacted by their director, apparently i was recommended by a tutor that i only spoke to a few time. so afte ri showed my gratitude to this tutor i followed up on the offer of a paid internship within the packaging design department, which includes branding and marketing, after attending the interview i was offered the place along with another student from LCC for 3 weeks, on the last day of the internship, i was offered another placement with the company but in a different department this time in the corporate design department which i am currently on now, where i am producing an animation for a company to go on their website single handedly. Unfortunately i cannot post any images of this placement as it is possible to revel information which will conflict with the confidentiality agreement i had to sign.

3 – During my placement with Creative Leap, i became aware of an interactive event in the Indigo at the O2 on 8th October, on behalf of Sencity. this seems to be more connected with what i want to do in the future. i am currently producing an installation piece within the indigo space.  images will be included of researched images of what i want to produce. im taking this Sencity project as an escape from corporate design.

4 – So basically monday to friday 930 – 530 i work at Creative Leap, Wednesday 6-8 Sencity, Tuesday 6-8 i am working on designing the book i am publishing, in hope of selling in a design stores which i am in the process of approaching. saturday- sunday i work part time in retail, then it all starts all over again this will be going on for about 2 months.

5 – A placement at creative leap has given me the opportunity to push my practical design skills and thought process in which i am applyign to the design of my book, as a result of this placement i have developed a sense of clarity snowballing in me redesigning my website to a more professional standard.

6 – I have made some good contacts, within cretaive leap, sencity, CSM etc.. so i am now tryingto get al my design related friends involved by gettin them placements and recommennding them for jovs placements etc…

7 – ohh i forgot i am currently taking the position as creative director of my brothers company where i am designign all the merchadise and website working with a web designer. this has brought up some challenges i will reflect on those another day when im not so busy.

8 – i was offered a place wiht the light surgeons but unfortunately i couldn’t take it just yet so i have been offered to come their in October to intern with them, so thats a positive.

9- i havent conacted everyone on my list yet but things seem to be snowballign into placment after placement so im happy .

10- i think the most surprising and important this so far is that people who are seeing my work actually like it, this is the most important thing to me, as i have a very pessimistic perspective of my work, but with all of these positive feedbacks from companies even those who avent brought me on for a placement in helping me develop some self belief in my art/design eye and a little bit of a confidence boost. which i think is all i really wanted.