Anna Seng
Australian International School Singapore
CHROMA TO CHAOS
Graphic Design
Photoshop
In Chroma to Chaos the dynamic shift in graphic design styles represents the emotional and psychological evolution from childhood to adolescence. My intention in my body of work was to create a personal memoir from my own photographs while inviting audiences to project their own experiences onto the narrative and reflect on their growth, loss and self-discovery. I've settled into various countries as temporary homes but, as time progressed, I ended up leaving that part of childhood behind, stagnated by expectations of adulthood. My adventurous youth is conveyed through whimsical compositions, with the shift into distressed graphics communicating self-liberty.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: David Carson, Matias Eiras, Pouya Ahmadi, Piet Mondrian.
Marker's Commentary
Chroma to Chaos is a sweeping and imposing body of work featuring 17 elements. These graphic images chart the journey of life, growing up from young child into the years of adolescence, a precursor to adulthood. The submission is presented as an array of individual narratives which flow across the presentation of three rows, with a central diptych middle and centre. Each panel invites deeper investigation, layered photographs combine with striking-coloured elements hosting a rich, diverse collection of fonts. All works stand commandingly as individual artefacts as well as their united collective strength as a set of images. An informed understanding of contemporary graphic design, publishing and page illustration is evident.
Designers such as David Carson are echoed in the typography, complex visual layouts and design decisions. Overlays, overlapping elements, fragmentation, transparency and disjuncture are some of the strategies evident in the compositions that inform the communication of ideas. Each panel reflects a personal diary charting change, growth and self-awareness. The distressed feel and raw visual style also emphasise personal independence and can be viewed by the audience as an evolution of self or roadmap on the way to adulthood throughout this complex body of work.