LAUAN601 : Proposal (for submission)

Explorations of Sci-fi mechanical and robotics design

and how the aesthetic has evolved.

For my COP3 dissertation, I really want explore, in-depth, my core area of interest within the field of concept design and illustration, that is sci-fi mechanical and robotic designs (these includes vehicles, startships, machines, robots etc) . Having grown up watching series like Power rangers and Gundam, these subjects have always been absolutely fascinating to me. But as I grew older and begin to watch news sci-fi series like Star Wars, Evangalion and Ghost in the Shell and playing video games series Metal gear solid and Horizon Zero Dawn, it became an area of design that I want to see myself practicing and mastering in the future. This topic for dissertation then will not only be interesting to discuss but will have major benefits not only for my theoretical knowledge but my practical skill as well, as it is basically great excuse to draw some pretty cool robots.

Breaking it down, I would like first to take a quick look back at the history of sci-fi general, particularly on how much the narrative of sci-fi itself has changed from its conception with the flow of technology, and in doing so, alter the aesthetic of sci-fi design as a whole. To be even more specific, I would definitely want to focus more on the aesthetic development of mechanical design, from the tripods of H.G Wells’s War of the Worlds to the space ship of Starwars to the gritty streets of Blade Runner.

 From this then, I can take out a few specific case studies to dive into further for the main ‘body’ of my essay, that in some way represent the diversity and the different eras of sci-fi mechanical design and seeing the philosophy behind each of them. This would include :

+ The works of futurist artist Syd Mead, whose works exudes a sense of simplicity and practical functionality that came from his experience as an industrial designer with brands like Ford and Honda coupled with the bright, clean and optimistic aesthetic of 70s Sci-fi.  (this can represent the Hard sci-fi narrative and aesthetic)

+ The designs of Star wars, which now can be considered synonymous with the whole genre itself, weather it is the iconic star fighters and destroyers, or the very distinctive droid designs. I particularly love the work of Doug Chiang and what he did with the droid army in the prequel trilogy (this can represent Soft sci-fi )

+ Cyberpunk : In my opinion, the prevailing sci-fi motif currently with titles like Ghost in the shell and Blade Runner. It would also serve as evidence to the points mentioned above, regarding how much the narrative and the aesthetic of sci-fi has change compared to the other 2 case studies. (representing the New Wave narrative)

+ Mechas : Going back to roots and take a look at the hyper fantasized, over the top superbots of Japan, from Gundam, to Metal  gear. I particularly fell in love with the bionic-influenced designs of Yoji Shinkawa – concept artists for the Metal gear series and Zone of the Enders. (representing a contrast between East and West).

From each of this case studies, I want to produce several mechanical/robotic design of myself, using each of their philosophy, and style, just see how close I can make a design that fits well within each of universe. This will test both my artistic ability and my understanding of each of the case study subjects

From all of that, I would finally arrive at my own perception regarding on how the sci-fi aesthetic will evolved in the future, in particular, how VR may introduce new mechanical design potential or how the available military technology shape the battlefield decades from now. This can also come in the form of several concept designs which can be utilized later on in extended practices.

Sources fro research :

Research sources :

Books:

- Chiang D (2008)  Mechanika : Creating the Art of science fiction with Doug Chiang ,  F&W Publications Inc.

- Le Blanc M. , Odell C. (2014) Akira , Palgrave Macmillian

- Hanson M. (2005) Building Sci-fi Moviescapes : The Science behind the fiction, Gulf Professional publishing.

- Holland S. (2009) Sci-fi art : A graphic history, Harper Collins

- Unno H. (2018) The art of fantasty, Sci-fi and Steampunk, Pie International company Limited

- Cohen D, Taylor R. (2017) The art of Ghost in the Shell , Titan Books

- Roberts A (2016) The History of Science Fiction , Springer.

- Bolton C., Ronay C I Jr, Tatsumi T. (2007) Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams : Japanese Science fiction from origins to anime, University of Minnesota press

- Szostak (2017) The Art of Star Wars : The Last Jedi, Harry N. Abrams

- Davies P (2017) The Art of Horizon Zero Dawn, Titan books.

- Zamprioli L (2012) Abakan 2288 – Kallamity’s World of Mecha Design

Websites :

Forbes – For interviews

Artstation – Art display websites

CG world – Magazine

Sci-fi-o-rama – Sci fi art website

Sydmead.com – futuristic visual artist