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OGR 08/10/2015
ReplyDeleteHey Joe,
There are some really interesting thumbnails getting started in your Despina musings - a graphical style that puts me in mind of this from the game Journey:
http://www.jennreese.com/wp-content/uploads/journey-09.jpg
While I really enjoy your enthusiasm and musings on Despina, I feel duty bound to return you to Calvino's own language in terms of the 'ship vision' in the desert; he describes an image of modernity; skyscrapers, radar antennae, wind-socks and chimneys producing smoke, so this is clearly a more industrialised city, and the ship something epically big. I left similar feedback on Robin's blog, which I'll link you to, as you may find some of the visual references useful:
http://sakerandco.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/invisible-cities-online-greenlight.html
Calvino does also refer to the 'shipness' of Despina as like a windjammer - which is a big ship with sails - and suitably old-school - but it's hard to reconcile that image with the belching smoke and antennae - or rather, Despina has qualities of both. It does seem as if Despina's skyline must be something like this:
https://secure.ifai.com/fabarch/repository/4/7876/full_0710_cs_2.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c5/38/94/c53894968f632dcddc2c8cf3ff2e4e10.jpg
http://payload330.cargocollective.com/1/14/464529/8918161/LVF_858.jpg
All of which suggests that the uber-modernness of Dubai (and surreal whiteness out there in the sand) was a good first impression of yours:
https://mediastream.jumeirah.com/webimage/heroactual//globalassets/global/hotels-and-resorts/dubai/burj-al-arab/carousel/burj-al-arab-exterior1-hero.jpg
Though all of this does suggest that the grubbier romanticism of your influence maps might be at odds with Calvino's vision of this great 'ship-like' city on the edge of the desert, unless, as you say the great white hope of the city has grown out of much more humble origins; port cities are always fusion towns in this respect; maybe your city is actually a flotilla of 'ships' from different places, all beached together?
In terms of your interior shot, perhaps you need to focus on an environment that can best express this 'fusion' - a market place, or spice hall - or somewhere wherein the new and old collide or intrude?
Hey Phil!
DeleteThanks you very much for the feedback, there's a veritable amount for me to think about. And actually, I really like the idea of the flotilla of ships; perhaps every inhabitant lives on their own bespoke ship? It's definitely another layer to add atop the stuff I've previously thought about.
As for the interior shot, I completely agree. Those sort of communal areas are definitely a place worth focusing on! :)
Thanks again :)