Alas, the beginning of a new project, Ideas of the Year! Ironically named as I have no ideas! 😱 First things first, what do I have to do? Create my own Manifesto and then from that an Artefact. Okay, hold up, maniwhatnow?
Manifesto |manɪˈfɛstəʊ| noun (plural manifestos) a public declaration of policy and aims.
Okay thank you Dictionary app, now how? Research!
This first Manifesto I looked into was actually a Manifesto on how to write Manifestos. More simply put, The Manifesto Manifesto, by creator Geoff McDonald.
McDonald’s purpose with this was to provide a fundamental manifesto that defines the nine principles of a manifesto.
Those being;
- Manifestos are primal
- Manifestos terminate the past
- Manifestos create new worlds
- Manifestos trigger communities
- Manifestos define us
- Manifestos antagonise others
- Manifestos inspire being
- Manifestos provoke action
- Manifestos command presence
In all honesty, after taking down a few pages of notes, I didn’t take in everything this manifesto had to offer. It became a bit like Russian dolls, each principle had their own entire set of points to delve deeper into. However, I did find it helpful to begin writing my own as it pretty much gave me a basic understanding of what to include in my own. That being, that manifestos are our foundation on which everything else is built. They illustrate what our motivating force is, what change we are striving to achieve, They become our anthem, badge of honour, and identity. A good manifest will scream THIS IS WHO I AM!
Other readings; Given to us on our briefs were various Manifestos, which I admit, I skimmed over before following the 1000 manifesto list.
Following number 1 being the manifesto manifesto, I got to number 2. Apple: Here’s to the Crazy Ones
Apple: Here’s to the Crazy Ones. (1997). New York City.
By Advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day in 1997, Apple released this as a promotional
campaign as a series of television and print commercials.
What I like about this manifesto is how just by listening or reading it you know what this company is about and what they stand for. you know who they’re backing, The crazy ones! The visuals of the video, celebrities who have had a positive impact on the world, also go along with what is being said – “They push the human race forward.”
2 out of the 1000 manifesto list seemed pretty good, so I decided to look into ones that were more related to my practice and what I want to do.
A manifesto I have previously come across in the last project was that of Plastik Magazine. According to their manifesto, Plastik magazine is a real creative collective of imagery and thought, and whatever the f#*k they want. Created by fashion and fine-art photographer, video director, and visual artist, Eli Rezkallah, Plastik has established itself as a platform for young talents to showcase their work, as well as sharing Rezkallah’s unique vision of the world. I connected to this magazine as my work shares the juxtaposition of pure flawless beauty with off-putting melancholia and lethargy.
ABOUT. (2017). PLASTIK MAGAZINE. Retrieved 25 June 2017, from http://www.plastikmagazine.com/about1/
Although this manifesto tends to be more like a novel in length… It does have redeeming qualities. What I like about Plastik’s manifesto is that it suits their brand. They’ve developed a personality and a signature style throughout their publication and they have brought that through in their manifesto too! This is done by having an attitude in the writing. They state their intentions, their views of the world, who their audience is and lastly, the don’t shy away from calling Barbie a bitch. Very On Brand from them.
I started to look more into illustrator related manifestos. I did this not only to get an idea of the creative ways they’re put together but how they are written in relation to the artists practice of being an illustrator. the first one I came across was An Illustrators Manifesto, by Temujin Doran.
Doran, T. (2012). An illustrator’s Manifesto.
What I liked about this manifesto was the fun personality it emitted. The video format with the ukulele background music introduced the personality but the manifesto itself carried it through to the end. This was because each sentence finished with a word ending with ‘ation’. The added illustrations with each new sentence were an added bonus.
Continuing with the illustrated manifesto theme I came across one titled My Struggle by Salvador Dali, actually by Illustrator and author Molly Crabapple.
Like the previous manifesto, I love the playfulness surrounding this piece. The cooky lettering and whimsical detail together, give off a personality where you can instantly understand the person behind the manifesto. Well, in this case, you understand the person this manifesto is written for… Anyway moving on!
While looking up illustrated manifestos I came across A Responsibility to Light: An Illustrated Manifesto for Creative Resilience and the Artist’s Duty in Dark Times or more simply put, Focus, by Illustrator Wendy MacNaughton and writer Courtney E. Martin.
The creativeness within the writing from stating that this is an assignment, to feel all the things, to focus, to pick up your damn chin, and to GET AFTER THAT LIGHT! gives off a motivationally aggressiveness that gives the manifesto personality. It’s like getting a lecture from a poster but not in a bad way but more of a “Damn, okay b*tch!” kinda way? To me, this is what makes it really successful, along with the colour scheme used, in this particular rendition anyway. Rainbows, gotta love em! (It’s a gay thing). But I do really like the variations of this manifesto, and you can tell they’ve designed it to be a poster. This suits the manifesto itself I believe. Who would want a rainbow coloured lecture in the morning when you get to your office/studio/workplace!
From all these different manifestos, I was able to take away a better understanding of what I can and should do to write mine, as well as a few ideas for the artefact! In particular, I need to be true to myself which is #1. Which means INCLUDE SOME PERSONALITY! and make sure that the personality is true to me and is aligned with the personality in my work!
thehoaroscope 