F & J Groundworks // Research

Property Maintenance

Property maintenance relates to the tickling of a property or building and may be a commercial venture through a property maintenance company or a home pastime for example day to day cleaning.

Commercial property maintenance may involve a number of companies and services including a property management company who may look after the entire estate of properties for one particular company. In turn, the management company would employ the services of one or more companies to provide the required property maintenance services.

The services which could be classed as property maintenance are wide ranging and could include many sectors of the maintenance industry such as maintaining wood finishing, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical wiring, roofing, locksmiths, boarding, glazing or refurbishment.

The retail industry, in particular, makes a high usage of property maintenance services, particularly reactive maintenance (also known as response maintenance) since their stores, and in particular flagship stores such as major city centre stores, require the highest standards of maintenance in order that customers continue to purchase goods. If the maintenance of the store is left to lapse then the retail chain often lose trade due to their image being degraded.

Landscaping

Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practised by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice landscape design bridges between landscape architecture and garden design.

Escobar Cantina // Mexican Holidays

Below is some contextual research I've done into mexican Holidays and celebrations, so I can compose and design the three plaques me and Sadie have proposed for the restaurant.

F & J Groundworks // Tool research

F & J Groundworks // Logo/typeface research

Escobar Cantina // Mexican Type

The Universes Pupils // Unusual Shapes

 I've been thinking about different Ideas for t-shirt designs, continuing with some of the illustrations I did in second year for the book fair brief, I want to experiment with some unusual/impossible shapes & optical illusions. The Universe correlates in the strangest of ways, for example the capillaries in our lungs are very similar to the branches of a tree, the colours in someones pupils look like exploding stars and on and on. I want to experiment with forms that make our brain malfunction, after all that's simply what an optical illusion does, its a malfunction of the brain understanding what your eyes are seeing.

Below is a collection of research into unusual shapes and patterns I've conducted;

Penrose Triangle/square/pentagon

M.C Esher

M.C Esher is an artist I've always had a major liking for, His work baffles me! I like illustrations that make your brain work harder than usual to understand, picking out a starting point in Eshers work usually ends up with me admiring his attention to detail and shape. Below is a collection of my favourite works by Esher;

The Universes Pupils // The Universe & The cosmos

When designing and creating ideas for garments, I want my designs to be informed by what 'The Universals pupils' communicates as a sentence/title. The first thing I think about is space, stars and the galaxies. The Universes Pupils, underneath a blanket of stars, I want to use my research below into the Universe to inform my design process.

There are 7 Universal Laws throughout the Universe which keep us in harmony and balance explained below;

The Immutable and the Mutable: Of the seven Universal Laws, the first three are immutable, eternal Laws, meaning they are Absolute and can never be changed or transcended. They have always existed and will always exist. The other four laws are transitory, mutable Laws meaning that they can be transcended or at least "better used" to create your ideal reality. This is not to say that you should ignore these four Laws or attempt to defy them for even if you do they will still govern your existence. Your aim is to master each of the seven Universal Laws and only then learn to transcend the mutable ones.

1. The Law of Mentalism (Immutable): The first of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "The All is Mind - The Universe is Mental". That everything we see and experience in our physical world has its origin in the invisible, mental realm. It tells us that there is a single Universal Consciousness - the Universal Mind - from which all things manifest. All energy and matter at all levels is created by and is subordinate to the Omnipresent Universal Mind. Your mind is part of the Universal Mind - the same in kind with the only difference being one of degree. Your reality is a manifestation of your mind. This is true Mind Power.

2. The Law of Correspondence (Immutable): The second of the seven Universal Laws tells us "As above, so below; as below, so above". This means that there is "harmony, agreement and correspondence" between the physical, mental and spiritual realms. There is no separation since everything in the Universe, including you, originates from the One Source. The same pattern is expressed on all planes of existence from the smallest electron to the largest star and vice versa. All is One. The Ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi was referring to this great Law of Correspondence in the inscription "Know thyself and thou shalt know all the mysteries of the gods and the Universe".

3. The Law of Vibration (Immutable): The third of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates". The third and last of the immutable Universal Laws, tells us that "the whole universe is but a vibration". Science has confirmed that everything in the Universe, including you, is pure energy vibrating at different frequencies.

The axiom that "like energy attracts like energy", upon which the Law of Attraction is based, has it's foundation in this Law. Everything that we experience with our five physical senses is conveyed through vibrations. The same applies to the mental realm. Your thoughts are vibrations. All your emotions are vibrations where "unconditional love" (in the sense of love for another) is the highest and most subtle of the emotional vibrations and "hate" is the densest and most base. You can learn to control your mental vibrations at will. This is true thought power.

4. The Law of Polarity (Mutable): The fourth of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "Everything is dual, everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree". It is also the first of the mutable or transcendable Universal Laws. It means that there are two sides to everything. Things that appear as opposites are in fact only two extremes of the same thing. For instance, heat and cold may appear to be opposites at first glance, but in truth they are simply varying degrees of the same thing. The same applies to love and hate, peace and war, positive and negative, good and evil, yes and no, light and darkness, energy and matter. You can transform your thoughts from hate to love, from fear to courage by consciously raising your vibrations. This is what in the ancient Hermetic Teachings is called the Art of Polarization.

Rising Above the Law of Polarity: This Principle of Duality may appear to be very real in your life but it operates only in the physical and mental realms, not in the spiritual realm where All is One. As it says in the Bhagavad-Gita, "God is Above the Opposites". By always placing the all-powerful, all-knowing Great Spirit of which you are a part behind your every thought, statement and action, and by always focusing on the "good", even when things appear to be going "bad", then in time you will rise above the Law of Polarity.

5. The Law of Rhythm (Mutable): The fifth of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." It is the second of the mutable or transcendable Universal Laws and means that the pendulum swings in everything. This principle can be seen in operation in the waves of the ocean, in the rise and fall of the greatest empires, in business cycles, in the swaying of your thoughts from being positive to negative and in your personal successes and failures. In accordance with this Law, when anything reaches a point of culmination then the backward swing begins almost unnoticeably until such time that any forward movement has been totally reversed, then the forward movement begins again and the process is repeated.

Rising Above the Law of Rhythm: To transcend the swing of the pendulum, you must become aware of the subtle start of the backward movement in any of your endeavours whether it be to improve your health, your finances, your relationships or any goal you may set in motion. When you feel the Law start to draw you back do not become fearful or discouraged. Instead, knowing that you are one with the Omnipotent Universal Mind for which nothing is impossible, keep your thoughts focused on your outcome and fight to remain positive no matter how far back this transitory Law pulls you. Even if your efforts meet with failure, find comfort that by virtue of this very same Law, the upward motion must start again. In time, your perseverance will be rewarded as the backward movements become less negative relative to your previous backward swings and you raise yourself higher.

6. The Law of Cause and Effect (Mutable): The sixth of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause." In accordance with this Law, every effect you see in your outside or physical world has a very specific cause which has its origin in your inner or mental world. This is the essence of thought power. Every one of your thoughts, words or actions sets a specific effect in motion which will come to materialize over time. To become the master of your destiny, you must master your mind for everything in your reality is a mental creation. Know that there is nothing like chance or luck. They are simply terms used by humanity in ignorance of this Law.

Your Intentions are Instantly Created: The Law of Cause and Effect applies on all three planes of existence - the spiritual, the mental and the physical. The difference is that on the spiritual plane cause and effect are instantaneous such that they appear inseparable, whereas on the other planes our concept of time and space creates a time lag between the cause and the eventual effect. Know that when you focus on your chosen goals with intention using creative visualization, that which you want to create in the physical world is automatically manifested in the spiritual world, and with perseverance, practice and continued concentrated thought, it will also come to materialize in the physical world.

7. The Law of Gender: The last of the seven Universal Laws tells us that "Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles". This mutable Universal Law is evident throughout creation in the so-called opposite sexes found not only in human beings but also in plants, minerals, electrons and magnetic poles to name but a few. Everything and everyone contains both masculine and feminine elements. Among the outward expressions of feminine qualities are love, patience, intuition and gentleness and of masculine qualities are energy, self reliance, logic and intellect. Know that within every woman lie all the latent qualities of a man, and within every man those of a woman. When you know this you will know what it means to be complete.

The Law of Attraction as Part of the Equation: You will notice that the Law of Attraction is not specifically mentioned as one of the seven Universal Laws. This is not to diminish its importance but rather to highlight it because the Law of Attraction is the basic Law of the Universe which runs through all the seven Universal Laws discussed here. It holds everything together. It is through the knowledge of the Law of Attraction that one can rise above the mutable Laws of Polarity and Rhythm and gain a better understanding of each of the seven Universal Laws.

Credit to The Science of Being and The Kybalion: This article draws largely on two sources of incomparable wisdom on the seven Universal Laws. First, on the Baron Eugene Fersen's 1923 masterpiece, The Science of Being, which is one of most comprehensive books ever written on the innate power of humanity, the subject of metaphysics and self-mastery; and second, on the 1908 seminal work on the Universal Principles, namely The Kybalion, which is a study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece, itself based on the mystical teachings of Hermes Trismegistus and written by the so-called Three Initiates.

"The Principles of the Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open" - The Kybalion

There are seven major Universal Laws by which the entire Universe is governed - three are immutable, eternal Laws and four are transitory, mutable Laws. As stated in the Kybalion "the Universe exists by virtue of these Laws, which form its framework and which hold it together." Knowing these Universal Laws and the basic Law of Attraction, and learning how to transcend the mutable Laws, is fundamental to changing the circumstances of your life so that you can consciously create your intended reality and achieve true mastery.

 String Theory



A mathematical theory for describing the properties of fundamental particles, which represents the particles as one-dimensional string-like objects, which exist in the normal four dimensions of space-time plus additional dimensions, the total dimensions being ten, eleven, or twenty-six depending on the version of the theory. The properties of fundamental particles in string theory and their manner of interaction with each other depend upon the modes of vibration of the strings{17}. The attractiveness of this theory rests in part on its ability to provide a unified treatment of gravity as well as the three other basic forces of nature, in a manner consistent with quantum mechanics. The great difficulty of doing the calculations required by the theory, however, has thus far (1999) made it impossible to calculate the observable properties, such as the mass, of known particles, such as the electron, proton, mesons, quarks, and neutron; thus there is as yet no experimental verification for the theory. The most popular version of the theory depends on a mathematical property called supersymmetry, and the theory derived form this principle is properly called super string theory, a term which is often used interchangeably with string theory.

Below is a collection of photographs I thought would help to inspire my design process, They're mostly taken from the main Hubble Telescope website which has an archive of images of space, all derived into different sections.

Nebula

A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter

Planets

A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.

 The Universe

A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.

The Universes Pupils // Brand Etiquette & Neil De Grasse Tyson

The Universes Pupils was a name I spent a lot of time thinking of over summer and brainstorming. I wanted a name that becomes less of a brand and more of a cult, 'The Universes Pupils' as a sentence can be read/interpreted in a variety of ways. By using no apostrophes there is no determination between whether the universe belongs to the pupils, or the pupils belong to the universe. This is deliberate, because from a philosophical point of view rather than just a guide to punctuation, these are the sort of questions we need to be asking ourselves in the hunt for mankind's purpose.

Do we belong to the Universe or does the Universe belong to us?

Universe- All matter and energy, including the earth, the galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space, regarded as a whole.

Pupils - A student under the direct supervision of a teacher or professor.

I want my brand to communicate modern and philosophical Ideas, relating to issues that are going on within the world that need changing. Some of the main points I want to make have been derived from the Astro-Physicist Neil De Grasse Tyson. He is a scientist and public speaker who explains science with an educational adaptation with the language he uses so that its easy for people who aren't involved with the scientific community to understand. I love his point of view, because of the way he explains things, hes almost a comedian as well as a scientist.

In one of his Videos, he talks about an asteroid set to hit earth in 2029. This is a topic that I feel not enough people know about, and something I want to incorporate into one of my designs.

99942 Apophis 

A near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a small probability (up to 2.7%) that it would strike the Earth in 2029. Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029. However, a possibility remained that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole, a precise region in space no more than about a half-mile wide, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036. This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006, when the probability that Apophis will pass through the keyhole was determined to be very small. Apophis broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered. Its diameter is approximately 270 meters (885 ft).As of October 7, 2009, the probability of an April 13, 2036 impact is considered to be 1 in 250,000. Of objects not recently observed, there are 7 asteroids with a more notable Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale than Apophis.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9871982/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/nasa-sets-schedule-handling-asteroid-threat/#.UJezXxjhP3Q

Friday the 13th is supposed to be an unlucky day, the sort of day you trip on your shoe laces or lose your wallet or get bad news.

But maybe it's not so bad. Consider this: On April 13th--Friday the 13th--2029, millions of people are going to go outside, look up and marvel at their good luck. A point of light will be gliding across the sky, faster than many satellites, brighter than most stars.

What's so lucky about that? It's asteroid 2004 MN4 ... not hitting Earth.
For a while astronomers thought it might. On Christmas Eve 2004, Paul Chodas, Steve Chesley and Don Yeomans at NASA's Near Earth Object Program office calculated a 1-in-60 chance that 2004 MN4 would collide with Earth. Impact date: April 13, 2029.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/13may_2004mn4/

Collaboration // Retail Graphics : Sugar Skulls

You can purchase blank sugar skulls from the site below, molding our own sugar skulls to work with could be a really interesting method of production. Creating 100/200 of them to be arranged on top of each other inside a frame, they themselves could become the pigment, making a huge skull out of lots of tiny little ones.

http://www.mexicansugarskull.com

 

 

 As the restaurant wants their original wall painting/graphics re-doing, Me and Sadie have decided to stick with their original theme of a mexican map. Below is some research I've done into Mexico, and styles of map we could look into.

Mexican Maps

 

 

Collaboration // Retail Graphics : Mexico

As me and Sadie have changed our brief, from working with shop interiors to restaurant interiors, we have made a significant jump with our contextual research. The restaurant we are proposing work for is a Mexican restaurant and wants us to look at sugar skulls and the Mexican day of the dead, this means that we can link in our previous research into anatomy with a theme that is coincidentally based around the same subject matter. The back of the restaurant has a Mexican map stretch out across the wall that the manager wants re-doing, below is some research I've started to conduct at gathering research into Mexico.

Brief information about Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States , is a country in North America, lying between the United States of America to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast. Its extensive coastlines include the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Mexico has nice and warm weather, unique food, art and archeology, pyramids, museums, Haciendas, 6,000 miles of shoreline, superb architecture and 21st century cities, weather from snow mountains in the Sierras, to rainy jungles in the Southeast and desert in the Northwest, lots of golf courses throughout the country, excellent fishing, world top destinations like Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Los Cabos, and Patzcuaro. Mexico is ranked 7th major destination for foreigner visitors, according to WTO.

Cities

Mexico City - Capital of the Republic, one of the three largest cities in the world, and a sophisticated urban hub with a 700-year history. In Mexico City, you will find everything from parks, Aztec ruins, colonial architecture, museums, to nightlife and shopping.

Acapulco - A sophisticated urban beach setting known for its top-notch nightlife, elegant dining, and nightmarish traffic. Many of the older (pre-1990s) concrete structures have suffered tropical decay.

Cancun - One of the worlds most popular and famous beaches, known for its clear Caribbean waters, its lively party atmosphere, and its wealth of recreational facilities. During Spring Break it is noted for drinking, sunburns, and debauchery.

Guadalajara - A traditional city, capital of Jalisco state, and the home of mariachi music and tequila. Guadalajara is blessed with perpetual spring weather and its colonial downtown is graceful and sophisticated.

Mazatlan - Lively Pacific coast town, Mazatlan is a shipping port, a transportation hub with ferries to Baja California, and a beach resort destination with miles of sandy shore. It is a popular Spring Break destination due to its variety of affordable lodging options.

Monterrey - A large modern city that is the commercial and industrial hub of Northern Mexico. Monterrey enjoys a dry, mountainous setting and is known for its high-quality educational and transportation infrastructure.

San Luis Potosi - Located in central Mexico, a colonial city that was once an important silver producer, but today, relies on manufacturing for its economic base.

Taxco - In central Mexico west of Cuernavaca, this nice steep mountain town was once a major silver producer, and now has a strong place in the trade of decorative silver, from cheap fittings to the most elegant jewelry and elaborate castings.

Tijuana - Mexico's busiest border crossing for pedestrians and private vehicles, and a long-time bargain Mecca for southern Californians due to its proximity with San Diego.

http://www.dayofthedead.com/

Day of the Dead : is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.

Sugar Skulls
How are Sugar Skulls used during Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) today?

Sugar Skulls are often used to decorate the ofrendas on Dia de los Muertos which is November 1st and 2nd. Smaller skulls are placed on the ofrenda on November 1st to represent the children who have deceased. On November 2nd they are replaced by larger, more ornate skulls which represent the adults. These decorative skulls have the name of the deceased on the forehead and are decorated with stripes, dots and swirls of icing to enhance the features of the skulls. These designs are usually whimsical and brightly colored, not morbid or scary. Feathers, beads or colored foils are "glued" on with the icing to create highly ornate skulls. Some companies manufacturer small, edible skulls to be eaten during the holiday and many artists sculpt, paint or create beautiful and ornate skulls to be used as decorations, jewelry and cloth design.

What are Sugar Skulls?

Sugar skulls are exactly that- skull-shaped sugar. Traditional Sugar Skulls are made from a granulated white sugar mixture that is pressed into special skull molds. The sugar mixture is allowed to dry and then the sugar skull is decorated with icing, feathers, colored foil and more. While the ingredients of Sugar Skulls are edible (with the exception of the non-edible decorations you may add) the skulls are generally used for decorative purposes. However some small sugar skulls that are made with basic icing are intended to be consumed.

Where were the first Sugar Skulls made?

Dia de los Muertos was an Aztec ritual that celebrated the lives of those who have deceased. The Spaniards who invaded Mexico tried to eliminate this seemingly offensive month-long holiday with no success. Dia de los Muertos was eventually merged with the Catholic All-Saints day and All-Souls day on November 1st and 2nd in an effort to make the holiday more Christian.

According to Angela Villalba from the Reign Trading Co. sugar art dates back to the 17th century when Italian missionaries visited the New World. Mexicans during that time period had very little money and learned from the Catholic friars how to make decorations out of an ingredient they had plenty of- sugar. Molds were made of clay and the sugar decorations were used to adorn the church as well as ofrendas and gravestones. For the Dia de los Muertos celebrations the sugar was pressed into Sugar Skulls and each sugar skull represented an individual and their name was often inscribed on the forehead of the skull.

I found these prints below, this is exactly up mine and sades street in terms of composition and media, they've used intricate layers of colour to build up a detailed series of Mexican sugar skulls. I want to stray away from the self explanatory obvious subject matter and produce something more abstract but this is a really good example of the work I'd like to produce.

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/august/calavera-prints

Celebrate the Day of the Dead a little earlier this year, with this great set of prints from London-based studio, Telegramme...

The graphic design and illustration studio kindly sent CR a set of their latest printed beauties, the Calavera Summer Series.