Reflectionsof theInner RealmAn installation built by various design mediums such as colour, lighting kits and typography as well as the thoughts of a literature student written in the story named “Inner Realm”. “Reflections of the Inner Realm” is a project which aims the succesful collaboration between a graphic designer and a literature student.

“Inner Realm” is an explorative story attempting to land at a decision on the effects and potential of the influence of hallucinogenics. There reason it was written was to try and justify the reason hallucinogenic substances are illicit by law. It tells the story of a young boy who is so eager to know the universal truths of life that he is able to transcend and travel through dimensions and drag other people with him.

Statements of the “Inner Realm”:

- Once upon a time, there was a young boy who pondered.

- There are answers to his questions in books.

- Maybe what lies beneath the strings of paper, below the letters and paragraphs and stanzas and chapters. What lay beneath?

- The book wasn’t old enough for the things he wanted it to show him.

- He thought it would be wise to check his mother’s flowers’ roots; maybe the soil had a certain ability to collect photographs.

- Little did I know back then; on my 20’s birthday, with my friends around my house just like guys of my age did, I threw a mini-party.

- I was struck by a lightning of an unknown, inexperienced feeling in a split second.

- I thought it was god had come to pick me out of these false premises of wondrous illuminations of artificial light and misinformation.

- The silence was broken when I saw the mechanism of the earth; the core of the earth, the gears.

- It will never cease to appal me as long as I live in my green and mushroomy world of illusive reality; Or real illusion.

Kleanthis Michail http://kleanthis3rdy.gdnm.org/category/collaboration/-1-

The Collaboration, Research andExperimentation

Collaboration.

First, me and Marios exchanged the knowledge about each other’s field of study. In this way, the whole project development went smoothly and affect our creativeness. He cheerfully realised that new media designers are able to work on movie making, sound design, coding or build up installations. Also, throughout our conversations I found out that literature involves with typography design, movies, theatre(script) and press industry.

In our second meeting we decided which of his stories could be more effective and productive. We finally chose the ‘Inner Realm’ story for the reasons that it is rich in imageries and beautiful dream/illusion descriptions. The fact that the character of the story involves with drugs, lets us explore his thoughts and ambitions, even some of his past experiences.

The third meeting was about our research findings and inspiration we got collecting information and other creative projects where graphic design and literature contributed.

Initial Mediums, Ideas and Experimentation.

The following ideas were generated to represent the various memories, illusions and visions of the main character of the story.

1. Mario’s story transformed into a series of colourful photography.2. An installation: Shadow theatre - figures of letters created by objects that refer to the story.3. A short film with illusions, psychedelic effects and typography.4. Series of kaleidoscopic images telling the story.

We proceed with the idea of shadow, typeface installation to produce colourful typografical compositions and a series of photographs and moving image.

Essential research for ideas and inspiration took place and leaded to experimentation with mirror light-type-shadow reflections, colour transparencies, handwriting, formal letter-forms and movement.

Research.

The research was based on various projects that were produced effectively by design and literature contribution. The “When It Rains” shoes let their owner to read the words ‘water is walked alongside, and loved’ (taken from Dinah Hawken’s poem) when they get wet, preferably by rain.

Ruslan Khasanov’s uses rainbow discs of light to create a new, experimental, hypnotic typography which he called “Lumen Type” (see right figure). This project was the main source of inspiration and influenced us on how our “Inner Realm” project was created.

Also the beautiful publications and animations of “Electric Literature” helped me and Mario to realised how we should proceed on our collaboration by embracing new technologies and mixed media.

Kleanthis Michail http://kleanthis3rdy.gdnm.org/category/collaboration/-2-

The Installation and Evaluation of Collaboration

The way it works.

Written text of letter stickers are stuck on ten small, circular mirrors. Two light kits are placed diagonally on the two sides of the mirrors as shown in the right hand-side picture. Stripes of blue, green, red and yellow transparencies are also placed in front of the lights and mixed together with air blowing generating other colours such us purple, brown and orange, colouring the reflections of the mirrors.

Of course the reflections of the text are not being transformed by the colour but they can change shape by any mirror movement. The table that the mirrors were placed on was able to provide me with that movement, producing interesting, colourful moving image pieces.

More timeIf more time would be provided, we would give more attention to the movement. We might could use some record players as bases for the mirrors, linking in that way movement and sound, responding to each other.

Evaluation of Contribution - Collaboration.

My contribution on the project was to pass information about new media to Marios, look for inspiration (other literature/design collaborations) and work with effective materials to reflect the various abilities of type, text and literature generally. From the beginning of this project I was proposing the idea of an installation, first experimenting and playing with light, shadows, colour and text.

Marios contributed also by sharing his valuable knowledge about literature and write the story, providing it as our project foundation. He involved in the final piece development and researced with me for inspiring ideas. Even by dinstance we chose the suitable materials together and while I was building up the installation he was available to give me any advice or help.

Finally, through the peaceful and creative environment of a successful collaboration, we produced a creative, unique way of representing a story and of course both of our contributions.

Kleanthis Michail http://kleanthis3rdy.gdnm.org/category/collaboration/-3-

The Installation.

The installation reflects a sentence from Mario’s story “Inner Realm”. “The silence was broken when I saw the core of earth” for instance. The sentence shows the story character’s surprise at the sight of something he did not expect when the silence was broken, giving space to music, noise, information and movement.

Considering this, Mario’s thoughts and writing are expressed through the installation and the text reflections, producing illusive and colourful compositions which were recorded by a camera. This has been achieved by giving movement to the reflections of type, the several changes of colours and also the music that was placed. The music seems quite linked to the movement and both give the illusion, dreamy environment in which the hero is stated.