Summer 2023 Research Proposal
Abigail G. Ostorva
Artist Statement
As a new practicing artist Abigail Ostorva strives to make work that can clearly communicate to a wide audience and has two personal philosophies when it comes to creating art. The first is that all the disciplines of it are intertwined and this should be encouraged. The second is the idea that art should be for everybody, whether it be for enjoyment or commercial use. The process of finding different elements and seeing what works best to convey a meaning can be euphoric when accomplished. Using graphic design as a tool to problem solve creatively in a way that can convey messages in a fast, easy to digest format is what makes it so exciting. Her work is primarily focused in graphic design, although she does enjoy working other art practices such as illustration and photography into projects to enhance designs when needed. She is heavily influenced by not only artists' work that she sees on social media, but also by the art forms often seen within nature.
Artist Statement
(continued)
As an aspiring design artist, she tries to connect her work with the idea of being as inclusive as possible. She wants to create work that a majority of people can look at and understand the message behind it, even if they don’t speak the language. She tries to actualize this idea by carefully considering each project when picking layout, color, type, and imagery. When all of these elements are put together she can find the best solution to convey feelings that can transcend language and social barriers. She is designing her Project DIVE for this reason. She often felt disconnected to the world around her, until she began meeting people who shared some of the same interests as her. These people introduced her to the world of tabletop role-playing games and opened up a new world for her. She hopes that she can design a game in a way that even those who have never played a game like this before can immerse themselves in a new world and find connections to those around them.
Mission
I often make work to be able to express myself since I find it hard to talk about things or feel connected to myself and others. I found a way to keep the creative play aspect of my childhood alive without the use of toys, replacing it instead with tabletop role-playing games. For this project I realized I want to reach a diverse audience and introduce them to a new creative way to connect with others. I want to remind people of a time when play was something that was okay to do. And hopefully through this they can find something that allows them to enjoy their time that reminds them of how they felt when they would just play for hours at a time and connected to others in a simple way. I also want to build upon the world I had previously created within DIVE to make it seem more concrete.
What is the idea?
The plan is to make the world of DIVE Real.
How?
For my summer 2023 project I want to expand on how the world of DIVE actually came to be. DIVE is set in a distant future that I believe would be true if one of our worst timelines were to happen. A world full of pollution, rising sea levels, corrupt government, extreme capitalism, and desperation (all which are true at this moment but we are, somehow, still holding on). I plan to do this by creating a series of posters which mimic these ideas that have been present in our current history and upping them to the worst degree, while still keeping an almost positive spin on them.
Poster 1
About capitalism
This poster will encourage the general population to throw away the idea of keeping their money safe in banks and instead invest in a new form of currency, credits! These credits can be accessed through a special account attached to a waterproof wrist device. Much safer than those old banks that lost everyones money in the early 1900s…
Poster 2
About pollution
This poster is meant to mock the idea of those who do not believe pollution to be a problem. Instead of bring awareness on how the pollution is affecting sea creatures negatively, the poster will talk about the benefits of sea life evolving and how this could lead to bigger sea life to eat.
Poster 3
About politics
Poster 3 focuses on how many amazing choices the population has in terms of choosing their next leader, a whole 2 candidates and a bunch of other people that seem more like a formality at this point. But it’s ok, because we live in a democracy!
Poster 4
About rising sea levels
Who doesn’t love the beach? Well now instead of driving hours away to swim in the water, the water is coming to you! How convenient. Rising sea levels are only a problem if you make them one.
Poster 5
About desperation
It’s time to pull yourself up by those bootstraps and get yourself out of the mess you were born into. That’s right! It’s time to be a contributing member to society and get a job! And lucky you, you’re desperate enough to risk your life as a deep sea diver, research assistant, or even amateur diver for just a sliver of credits to feed yourself.
Inspiration
My inspiration for this project comes from the various propaganda posters governments often used in the past, specifically during wartime.
The Plan Laid Out
Mostly online materials such as news articles, historical websites, and Adobe Suite
Research from articles combined with Adobe Suite to create beautiful graphics with an ugly message
Research every idea behind each poster and decide how to spin it positively.
1 week prep, 2 week to complete each poster (1 week of research, 1 week of design) and 1 week finalizing (12 weeks total)
A budget of $90 for Adobe, $250 for printing on poster board, and $400 for 11x17 flyers (1000 count)
I’d prefer to have flyers around town than in a gallery
Methods
Materials
Techniques
Timeline
Budget/Scale
Audience
Links To Related Articles
Poster 1
Poster 2
Poster 3
Poster 4
Poster 5
Inspiration
And Remember…
We are in the worst timeline.
Thank You!