Idea for Final Project - Thinking Process

Theme/Purpose
Although thinking process takes place in a linear time frame, what we are thinking isn't necessary happening linearly because our thoughts may be jumping around, we might be thinking about something else all of a sudden or one thought might expand in different directions. It can be a constant thinking cycle and there is no specific structure. We perceive the time in our minds differently from the actual time in the real world. The concept of time is subjective in the first place.

Process

Therefore, I'm thinking to draw a series of portraits of a person pondering using either pen or charcoal on paper. The subject will be in different poses and drawn from different perspectives but the transition will be consistent.

Examples of referencing photos of poses:


I will also be juxtaposing the portrayal of the thinking process that takes place in the real world with the thoughts that are happening through the stream of consciousness technique. These will be drawn around the figure, appearing at different times. These thoughts will be accumulating and eventually overwhelming the figure where you can no longer see the person pondering.

Inspirations for the stream of consciousness:

Photos will be taken and the whole process will be made into a video accompanied by a soundtrack that I will be making as well. The individuals portraits will be presented at a irregular interval and inter spliced with pictures of the stream of consciousness at random times.

This video would not only depict the actions of a person who's pondering but also create a sense of confusion and disorientation that one experiences when thinking (a labyrinth) by putting these drawings together in a non-linear format mixed with images of the thoughts taking place inside the mind.

Memento (2000) Response

Memento (2000) is a film directed by Christopher Nolan and the story is depicted through the perspective of Leonard Shelby who suffers from anterograde amnesia, aka not having the ability to create new memories, after his injury. Throughout the entire movie he tries to find out the murderer who killed his wife and he takes Polaroid photos of people and objects, writes himself notes, and uses tattoos to remind himself of the information he has obtained before losing his memories.

This entire movie resembles a labyrinth in terms of its structure and concept. Since this story is told through Leonard's perspective and as a man who suffers from amnesia, his mindset can be very confusing and ambiguous. Therefore, it contributes to the formation of the structure of this movie which creates a labyrinth that lacks clarity and chronology.

The movie starts out confusing as it constantly shifts in between the black-and-white and colored films, which are presenting the same storyline but in different orders. Viewers are able to make the assumption that the colored films are shown in a reversed manner as the first section of the colored film literally shows actions going backwards in time. The black-and-white films portrays the story in a linear time order. In addition, there is a clear connection between the colored films themselves and the black-and-white films demonstrated by their continuation from the previous film. The interchanging scenes allow the viewers to connect different parts of the story to form the actual one and this constant change in between the past/present and beginning/end, but also Leonard's continuous cycle of forgetting and reminding illustrates a labyrinth that involves a cycle of confusion.

However, the confusion due to the result of the structure and narration (Leonard's perspective) makes the movie is very interesting. Every scene in colors explains the factors that contributed to the happening of the previous one. For the black-and-white films, the viewers learn the history or contributing elements that took place in the beginning of his search for the murderer. Therefore, starting with the ending of the movie, slowly giving away information that leads up to the ending that is shown in the beginning, and ending with the actual beginning of the story makes the story mysterious and intriguing.

In conclusion, Memento is a thought-provoking film that challenges the standard representation of time in movies and resembles a labyrinth. The distortion created by the interchanging sequences not only is a type of labyrinth itself but Leonard's mental status is also a labyrinth, conveyed by the used of different time sequences.

The Circular Ruins and The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges

The Circular Ruins 

The short story begins with describing a wounded man who decided to take a rest at an old and abandoned temple. He falls sleeps and dreams about a man being in the center of an amphitheater that resembles the ruined temple and giving a lecture to a group of quiet students. Labyrinth is depicted in the story through the interchanging scenes between reality and dream. The subject changes in between an unknown man and the narrator, there is no sense of time, and the perspective switches throughout the story. Sometimes it sounds as if the unknown man and the narrator are the same person and sometimes it sounds like there is a dream within a dream. These factors all create confusion and the idea of a labyrinth.

The Library of Babel
Taking a different approach to depict labyrinth compared to "The Circular Ruins", "The Library of Babel" describes the structure of a labyrinth. Borges describes the universe in the form of a library that is composed of an indefinite amount of identical hexagonal rooms that contains and infinite amount of books.