To start off my project I have done a lot of research around the concepts, ideas and areas that relate to my work and goal. I have used a range of resources (including academic sources) such as Books, Articles, Blogs and Videos. Below are the topics I have investigated and what I have found.
Habitual Behaviour
A habit or habitual behaviour is a form of routine behaviour that people repeat, often automatically and without much conscious thought (“Habitual Behaviour,” n.d.). It is like an impulse: something that easy and comfortable to do. They are usually done as a result of some sort of cue or context, such as certain visuals or sounds, and develop from repetition (Gardner, 2015). Examples of habitual behaviour are the way we walk, the positions we sit in, routines we have (e.g. getting ready in the mornings or going to the gym), doodling, taking a certain route on the way to work or automatically waking up at a specific time (Trafton, 2012).
Patterns
Patterns surround us every day in nature, behaviour and design. People often use patterns as a way of recording, understanding and displaying information. They can introduce harmony among complex data (Rothstein, 1999). Recognising and understanding patterns can be a good way of discovering new ideas or concepts. In the past, humans used pattern recognition to pinpoint poisonous plants or dangerous animals. That behaviour is still with us as even today people are still fascinated with patterns, although we have different uses for them. They can be used in science, math, design and so much more for learning/observation, aesthetic purposes, or a combination of both. (Barkman, 2018)
Observing Human Movement
There are many ways to observe and understand human movement using techniques and ideas from fields such as science, art and technology. "Interest in human motion goes back very far in human history, and is motivated by curiosity, needs or methods available at a time." (Klette & Tee, 2008). There are also many aspects of human motion that people can focus on with different purposes and intentions. In the past, motion could only be represented through static image such as drawings and sculptures. They have been made to try and observe human anatomy and the poses or gestures we make at different times. An example of this is Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbooks that focus on anatomy. It wasn't until the 19th century that technology developed enough for photographs to be used to capture motion also. As technology evolved again we could start to track motion using technology such as cameras and motion capture software. We can now also create 3D models of humans as well which can be used in conjunction with motion tracking/motion capture to observe the movements capture in a digital 3D environment. (Klette & Tee, 2008)
Photographers - History
When photography was being discovered around 1839 it could not handle movement because of the extremely long exposure time. However around the 1970s cameras had advanced and improved a lot.
Two artists that are well known for their experimentations with photography around the late 1800s were Eadweard Muybridge and Étienne-Jules Marey. Using new high-speed photography, Muybridge made the discovery that when horses run, all their feet are off the ground at one point (Fig.1). "They were taken 1/25 second apart, and the exposure time for each image was ‘less than the two thousandth part of a second’." (Horrocks, 2013). Muybridge took photo sequences of many other subjects to observe their movement as well. Some examples of these "included walking downstairs, boxing, walking of children, and so forth." (Klette & Tee, 2008)
Marey also used photography to capture and study movement. He developed a method called chronophotography by use of a special camera that captured multiple frames on a single picture (Fig. 2). He later found another way to record movement through lines (Fig. 3). "He required his human subjects to wear black costumes marked with vertical white lines so that he could record the resulting linear pattern." (Horrocks, 2013)
Chronophotography
As mentioned above, chronophotography is a technique that captures multiple frames in a single image and was invented by Étienne-Jules Marey. This technique displays the movement of the subject in one image as a pattern. It can be a way to observe the subject and the movement over time. Marey's work (Fig. 4-5) with chronophotography influenced many other artists such as Harold E. Edgerton (Fig. 6-7), Manuel Cafini (Fig. 8-9) and Jean Yves Lemoigne (Fig. 10-11).
Light Painting
Light Painting is a technique used with photography as a way of using light to represent movement. It is done usually done in the dark with a moving light source or by moving the camera with a slow shutter speed to capture the movement. (Lorenzi & Francaviglia, 2007)
An early example of this is work done by Frank and Lilian Gilbreth. They "were among those who researched work habits in the USA. Around 1913 they attached light bulbs to the fingers of ‘Miss McPhail’ in a darkened room and took this time lapse photograph of her folding a handkerchief." (Fig. 12) (Horrocks, 2013)
Another photographer who works with light painting is Stephen Orlando. He used LED lamps on which he put on the subject and set his camera to a very long exposure time (Léa, 2015). This way he was able to capture the movement of the subject in his photos by representing it with light.
(Fig. 13-16 (BELOW))
Marcella Giulia Lorenzi is an artist who had taken photos by holding the camera by hand and moving it around while pointed at the light source. this created images showing fluid movement and energy (Lorenzi & Francaviglia, 2007). (Fig 17-19 (BELOW))
Motion Capture
There are a lot of software available for capture motion. An artist I looked at who worked with motion capture and recording human movement is Susan Morris. Her series 'Motion Capture Drawings' (Fig. 21-24) recorded herself "while wearing reflectors attached to various parts of [her] body including [her] hands, feet, elbows, knees, head and between [her] shoulder blades." (Fig. 20) "The data collected during these sessions was converted into line, using algorithms, and printed onto inkjet paper." (Morris, 2012)
"Although the motion capture studio sessions capture movement in 3D, Morris has chosen to print just the plan, elevation and side views, which show the movement from each of the reflectors worn on various parts of the body during the session." (University of Westminster, 2012). Her series shows the movement and rhythm of human movement. It can be a way of recording habits and gestures that can then be observed. It is both a pattern of design and information/data. It could also be seen as a way to compress time through tracing.
(ABOVE: Fig. 21-24)
Labanotation
Labanotation is a system for "analysing and recording any human motion. Mainly it is used at theatres to archive ballets." (Griesbeck, n.d.). It was invented by Rudolf von Laban and is able to record all types of human movement. "The basis is natural human motion, and every change from this natural human motion." (Griesbeck, n.d.). It has a lot of technical aspects or "rules" whe it comes to recording the data of the movement. It is displayed on a "staff" which shows to sides to represent the left and right side of the body. Each movement of legs and arms has a specific symbol that represents it, and the length of that symbol shows the period of time for that movement to be done. The images below show some of the aspects to recording the movement. (Fig. 25-31 (BELOW))
References:
Barkman, R. C. (2018, January 18). See the World Through Patterns. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/singular-perspective/201801/see-the-world-through-patterns
Gardner, B. (2015). A review and analysis of the use of ‘habit’ in understanding, predicting and influencing health-related behaviour. Health Psychology Review, 9(3), 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2013.876238
Griesbeck, C. (n.d.). Introduction to Labanotation. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt. Retrieved from http://user.uni-frankfurt.de/~griesbec/LABANE.HTML
Habitual Behaviour. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.cres.gr/behave/framework_theory_2.htm
Horrocks, R. (2013). Art the Moves: The Work of Len Lye. Auckland University Press.
Klette, R., & Tee, G. (2008). Understanding Human Motion: A Historic Review. In B. Rosenhahn, R. Klette, & D. Metaxas (Eds.), Human Motion (Vol. 36, pp. 1–22). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6693-1_1
Krčma, E. (n.d.). Time Held Up (Motion Capture: Drawing and the Moving Image). Motion Capture: Drawing and the Moving Image. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/4637845/Time_Held_Up_Motion_Capture_Drawing_and_the_Moving_Image_
Léa. (2015, August 4). Movements Captured in Light Painting. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://www.fubiz.net/en/2015/08/04/movements-captured-in-light-painting/
Lorenzi, D. M. G., & Francaviglia, P. M. (2007). Painting with light: generative artworks or “setting in motion” the fourth dimension, 11. Retrieved from http://bats.unical.it/photo/lorenzi/paperGA2007.pdf
Miklós, V. (2015, February 6). Chronophotography: The Photos That Revealed The Secrets Of Motion. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://io9.gizmodo.com/chronophotography-the-photos-that-revealed-the-secrets-1684269150
Morris, S. (2012a, Autumn). Drawing in the Dark: Involuntary Drawing. Tate Papers. Retrieved from https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/18/drawing-in-the-dark
Morris, S. (2012b, December). UNTITLED MOTION CAPTURE DRAWINGS [Susan Morris]. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://susanmorris.com/untitled-motion-capture/
Perret, R. (2009). Bodycloud (Masters).
Rothstein, E. (1999, October 9). Recurring Patterns, The Sinews Of Nature; Interest in Design Pulls Science Closer to Art. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/09/arts/recurring-patterns-sinews-nature-interest-design-pulls-science-closer-art.html
Trafton, A. (2012, October 29). How the brain controls our habits. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from http://news.mit.edu/2012/understanding-how-brains-control-our-habits-1029
University of Westminster. (2012). Susan Morris - Motion Capture Drawings. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.westminster.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/susan-morris-motion-capture-drawings-0
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