Derive

Time lapse collab

Our derive project focused on the layers and complexity of an experience, both throughout our final product and in our process. Vellum paper was used so that the light from the street lamp was visible through the paper. The light from the street lamp in relation to the whole scene established the safe and relaxed setting that made the derive memorable and helped establish its psycho-geographic setting.

Since the lighting was so impactful when we initially went on our derive, we tried to incorporate elements of light to establish the same mood. We ended up using abstract and impressionist elements like bokeh and disjointed scenes coming together as a whole. This better described the setting as we experienced it. We wanted to incorporate both of our primary mediums-photography and drawing. We technically experienced the same thing, having been in the same place at the same time, but we each had slightly different perceptions of the area. In the collage, we incorporated both of the angles we originally viewed the scene at. So while the actual scene portrayed in our collage might not be an accurate view of Uptown Espresso, the scenes within the collage show our experience and perception of the place. We chose to use a collage to display our experience since the object we took back from the place was the sense of the moments we spent there. One photo would only show one moment and one perception, so it seemed only natural that we try to incorporate as much of the experience as we could.
After creating our collage, we hit a wall; our collage didn't wholly represent our vision,. We discovered, by talking with Rob, that the light at the site of our derive was the most lacking element (we also strategically shifted and removed several of the images for a stronger composition). We came to the idea of setting up a time lapse camera at the location to watch the changing light throughout the day. Doing this compared the lighting in our experience to light at different times of the day. The differences in light in the same setting created a dialogue between the times of day and the various emotions created. This showed the many different layers of perception to a single place and experience. The café both remained the same and became different throughout the day. It was interesting to bring a past experience into the present and document its change.  In this piece, we were able to help tell the narrative of our derive and what drew us to Uptown Espresso.