Week10 working on the artifact
Before I used to write weekly, but now I will try to write daily or minimum of twice a week.
Tuesday 28 November:
Two weeks ago I sent email to two of the most prominent Islamic artists who I found that they live in the city of London, for them to allow me to have a video interview in their work studio to use it in my final artifact. I didn’t receive a reply for a week, I was quite disappointed, but then after speaking to friends, they convinced me that they are many others whose work is really excellent.
On Sunday I sent email to six other Islamic artists, and to my surprise they were very kind and ready to cooperate. They granted me a phone interview, but what I wanted I a video interview and not a voice only so I can edit it and add some effect to practice and enhance my video editing skill.
Following is the letter and their response:
Main email:
Copies of the email and their respond
1. Ali Omar Ermes on the 19/11/06 and a second one on the 25th
2. Fe-Noon Ahmed Moustafa 0n 25 November 2006 on his email "fenoon@fenoon.com"
non of the above two artists respond to my email, for a week, then i sent Ali Omar Ermes another email on the 26/11, simultaneously i sent emails to four more artists.
I was not feeling well on monday, i mean emotionally, but then when i found two email respond, i was in high spirits, and looking forward to the interview.
Wednesday 29 November 2006
By re-reading the emails, I realized that they didn’t understand that I want video interview and not voice only. Mohammed Ali, Eric Brough and Abdallateef Whiteman, kindly gave me their phone number and asked me to contact them.
Abdallateef Whiteman is moving home in Spain, so no chance at all to conduct video interview with him, so it will be either text or voice but after my second email . Eric is in Kabul and wont be back before 7th of December. I have a big hope being able to interview Mohamed Ali, as he is located in Birminham and sounded cooperative, however I have to call him to explain what I want and how I want it.
Thursday 30 November 2006
I realized that two months has already gone, also 3 days of the project 3 weeks is passed, and yet not happy with my progress, I have to work day and nigh to achieve what I want (inshaAllah).
What to do next:
I started writing my list of what to do starting from today and upward till interim presentation
• Try to finish research before end of next week
• Have a clear idea of what is the final artifact is going to be
• Prepare interview questionnaire and be clear of what I want to know and do
• Call the following artists and ask them if they would grant me a video interview
Mohammed Ali
Eric Broug (after 7 December)
• Send interview questionnaire to Abdallateef Whiteman as soon as possible.
• Visit Ahmed Moustafa in his studio Finoon as he didn’t reply to all my emails.
• Edit all video interview to show in the presentation (inshAllah)
• Prepare the presentation very well (inshAllah)
Week 9 finished, interim presentation is approaching soon
From Monday no more lecture apart from database (Monday and Thursday), overwhelmed by the amount of work that is left.
I finished basic action script, moved to advance level but now I’m just finding it very complicating and difficult to understand. Just now I felt that I found an inspirational idea for the artifact. An Interactive software where user can create their own Islamic art piece. User will have the ability to select shapes, calligraphy (different phrases with meaning) then combining the two, he/she will create their own piece. Or can create their own abstract artifact using calligraphy.
While researching I came know that there is only one blog site where I could find a collection of contemporary artists link without any prior information of the artist. I came across another idea “what if I make a website, something unique that can be for both those who know about Islamic art and appreciate it and those who don’t know about it.”
This will serve many of my aims and objectives:
Wanted to explore this field of art
Wanted to use different multimedia artifact
Through this use
Enhance my knowledge in web designing
Gain knowledge and understanding of action script
Increase my knowledge in video production and manipulating
Wanted to promote it to those who appreciate it and those who don’t know anything about it or think it is a past
I’m will be extremely happy if I can accomplish the above within the time constrain, sometimes I panic and other times I feel overwhelmed.
I draw guide line of what I want and how am I going to do it:
1. In order to increase my knowledge in web development, I sought some css tutorial
2. keep practicing action script until satisfying level
3. have a clear understanding of how the web works, the guidelines, etc
4. decide what I want to go on the site (interview o contemporary artists, their work and link to their personal site)
5. history and development of Islamic art
6. arrange interview with those artists (I already sent email letter to 6 of them and waiting for their respond)
7. edit and add some affect using after affect to the interview to make it stimulating to watch
At the moment presentation time table is not put on yet, but I just hope I can be ready before time, I don’t want to fail this presentation, I hope from all my heart to succeed it “inshaAllah”
Week 8: Action script really great thing to learn
Finally I finished basic action script, I learned the concept, as well as many cleaver way to control things with action rather than authoring time.
The extensive research that I did during this weekend make me realize that Islamic art is not a mere history as all Islamic art books refer to. On the contrary this field is flourishing in the last few years with new artists like "Muhamed Ali" coming with all new and innovative ideas that attracted both Muslims and non Muslims equally.
This research helped me greatly clarify my ideas and thoughts about my final artifact which was vague and sometimes confusing and stressing.
MMPM assignment is due this week, therefore I don’t think I will be able to do anywork for the coming three to four days, I just hope we will be able to finish it on time.
Now just wish me luck and I will try to make up this time when I hand in the assignment.
Week7: Time and tide wait for no man
Time is passing very quickly, already 7 weeks of studies has passed, still doing research alongside learning action script.
Last week, I learned a clever way of masking an object using action script instead of time line authoring.
I don’t feel satisfied with the amount of work that I did, because of MMPM assignment. However next week I will make up for these hours by increasing the amount of hours spent on the project.
Week 6: My hard drive is working, now I’m relieved
I’m very grateful to Allah, I was certain deep inside by His will my hard drive was going to work. I gave the it to the computer expert Rob, a uni colleague, and very kindly, he managed to find the fault and repaired it very easily.
On Friday, I managed to do two hours of action script, it might seam a lot but when I look at what I learned, i just get disappointed. However, to understand the concept of action script and put it in practice is a time consuming.
I learned some interesting codes in action script that made realize how easy and time saving is when controlling things using action script rather than real time authoring.
Still hoping to finish learning the basic coding by the end of this month
Week6, wednesday: my hard drive stopped functioning
I feel very low and I wanted to express my feelings to get some sort of a relief. The worse thing that could happen to a student is loosing a work, because no one will ever believe that you just lost it, especially lecturers as they don’t know you (somewhat I don’t blame them). My hard drive stopped functioning since Monday I saved my 3D work on last work, on Saturday saved my research on there and Sunday some of the research that I did for MMPM assignment, which I didn’t make any pack up for.
Despite the fact that it is not working I sometimes feel grateful to Allah (thinking what if it was towards the end of the year and all your project was saved there?)
I think I can manage to redo whatever I had in there, I know it is tedious, and time is critical this year, but still it was a very good early lesson to learn from.
Today I went to Victoria and Albert museum to have a look at the new Islamic collection at the Jamiil gallery there. It was very useful as the collection were arranged in a pleasant way (according to the form of art they perform or to the period of time they relate to) unlike the British museum which I went to two weeks ago.
After coming home and finishing everyday chore, I did practiced action script for 2 hours, which I found it useful today. I applied the code practically to some movie symbols and did work.
I would like to finish as much as I can of action script this week and learn 3D as well if Allah willing.
