Perceptions of Sublimity - A unitfifteen M.Arch 3 project 

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Hidden within the unconscious, there is an insatiable desire to journey towards the unknown, the mysterious. 

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The projects in my M.Arch 3 year explore the ideas of the natural sublime and the perceptions of it through creative representation. It investigates the theories surrounding the alluring nature of the vastness, darkness, solitude and obscurity of those environments. From this exploratory piece, I look at the potential characteristics of the individual living in a catastrophic reality. Inspired by specific themes and aesthetics in the influential art of the romantic era, and of Hollywood films that present similar themes in their representation. Films such as: Blade Runner. Scott, R (1982), Blade Runner: 2049, Villeneuve. D (2017), 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick, S. (1968) and Interstellar. Nolan, C. (2014). Mediums which successfully represent the beauty in this vastness, the seduction of the oncoming storm and the dread of night. 

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I draw from scholarly texts and studies on cognitive responses to human attractions, specifically to natural and digital sublime, for it is the response to that form of sublimity which I want to explore, its modern day representation and its catastrophic future equivalent in which my design work is situated. This project analyses the imagery in creative medium, to further explore the ideas of sublimity in it's own respective aesthetic. The theories surrounding phenomena like darkness, mountain landscapes, obscurity and the dread of night usually make a thing intriguing enough to arouse the emotional connection associated with the sublime. Space emptied of matter, light and sound or other humans resulting in this solitude; the capital source of the sublime. The solitude represented by the recurring silhouette figure in my visuals, aptly named "The Wanderer". 

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The project is split into a number of sections which have developed over the course of this academic year. There is TMA 1160 - Dissertation, which is arguable the most important piece of this puzzle. The dissertation works as a detailed introduction to the project, explaining the theory behind the design with the aid of art history (romanticism) and science fiction. TMA 1180 presents the bulk of the overarching story and the practicality of the project itself. There is the design portfolio, which tracks the development of the project from inception to completion. TMA 1180 also includes the final piece of the puzzle, the unitfifteen animation. Something that, until M.Arch 3, I had never tried...but thoroughly enjoyed. The film follows this central figure in my story (The Wanderer) as he embodies that very romantic characteristic and embarks on a journey that forces him to escape from the confines of his city, through the decaying world, towards this mysterious monolith at the centre of the last vestige of nature on the planet. The film utilises 2.5D and animated matte painting techniques to present the story, it presents the experience of The Wanderer as he tries to piece together these fragments of information recalling his experience.