For my project, I chose a verse from a song by Bob Dylan called “Dark Eyes” (though I prefer the cover by Calexico and Iron & Wine, which has a much more serious tone):
They tell me to be discreet
For all intended purposes,
They tell me revenge is sweet
And from where they stand, I’m sure it is.
But I feel nothing for their game
Where beauty goes unrecognized;
All I feel is heat and flame
And all I see are dark eyes.
Bob Dylan wrote the lyrics after passing by a prostitute in a hotel in New York. The tone of the song is contemplative and disheartened. Each verse tells a different story, but they all end with “all I see are dark eyes.” I interpret this song as a commentary on the condition of society and how there tends to be a strong focus on appearance versus reality (for example, this is one of the reasons why the current state of our economy was generally unforeseen). It’s so easy to slip into the unspoken rules governing our perception of how we should live our lives that beauty can pass us by without us ever knowing it. Even the most successful people can feel dead inside from an inability to interact with what is beautiful in the world. The person in the song can see others falling into this trap and refuses to be a part of it.
Because the words I chose have a dark and severe message, I plan on using chalk on black paper to obtain strong contrast with a black background. In terms of the actual image, I can choose to depict anything that represents injustice or sadness in the world. I think it would be interesting to incorporate a flame somewhere into my composition given the unique qualities of chalk.
Artists and designers whose work might inform my own creative process:
Amsterdam Linocut by dexter1uk contains red words on a black background and a variety of typefaces, which make the words appear bold and visually interesting. Love by Tsang Kinwah has words creating the shape of an image and uses the same sans serif typeface consistently throughout. James Brown by Sergio Moctezuma also has type creating an image, and what I like most about this piece is that the spaces between the lines of type represent the actual lines of his face.