Experiments in Constructivism

Back to laboratory ... Mwa ha ha ha ...

Flipping through a design book and some Franz Ferdinand CDs sparked me to ply with designs for Animal Farm. Earlier, I placed an emphasis on the windmill as that was an important plot point. But in looking at some artwork from the Constructivism era (1921-1932), I decided to focus on the pigs. If you recall, Napoleon, a Berkshire boar, seizes power with Stalin-like tactics.

 Some inspiration ...

 I started with a stock photo of a metal piggy bank. Running it through the editing mill, I added an eyebrow and a sneer. After removing the color, I blurred it just a smidge and applied a half-tone which is found in some of those Soviet posters.

Three little pigs ...

Next was the text. I've a few free font site I visit on occasion to see what's been added. Finding just the right Cyrillic-inspired alphabet took longer than I thought, but I finally found one that was suitable. Of course, this was all set against a nice Commie red background.

 On the left is the first Cyrillic text I used, and deciding it wasn't good enough, 

I searched until I found the one on the right.

While I think this is a good effort, I'd like to take it further. I should hit the antique shops and try to find a piggy bank I can photography from a proper angle, preferably looking up so the pig is looming over us, like a statue. I also have some abstract shots of a barn roof -- playing with the subtle curves -- that could be interesting as well.

Hmm ... What would really be cool is if I found a set of farm animals -- in metal -- and do a series ... One with a pig, a horse, a sheep, a chicken, etc.

Given the magnitude of reference images found, I'm undoubtedly going to tinker with this some more. I've always wanted to do a radio-style reading of this play -- adapted from Orwell's book by Nelson Bond. Have a row of mikes; a sound man in the background. Perhaps someone else will be inspired, too.