When I first started with this piece I was thinking about religion in general. Then I decided to stick with one specific religion. Islam. I had to do research, which was very enlightening and interesting (which is one reason why I picked it in the first place) I decide to do the misunderstanding (which is the title of my book, in Arabic) and the realistic points to the religion. With my 9 words I portrayed positive and of course the negative aspects people think about with the Islamic religion.
Hidden: I took this to be a balance of positive and negative. Some see it as hidden because of the secret ness of an Islamic home, like the hiding of women and issues in the religion. And some might take it as hidden like mysterious. I used the smaller colored dots to hide the black dot underneath.
Secluded: I wanted to portray this as a negative aspect. As seen in my imagery, there is a woman in a burkah, only her eyes showing, secluded from the mass above her in the left corner. She is being secluded, being pushed out of the picture (so to speak).
Hierarchy: The black circle above is over powering and bearing down on the smaller dots. This is portraying that the bigger dot is stronger and in control. My word transperereny is doing the same, with the bigger "hierarchy" word overpowering the smaller dots. This was also seen as a positive/ negative aspect. Positive because one might see it as Allah, which is God in Islam, like as to show a higher being. Or negative, seeing the man as a higher person in the Islamic faith and household.
Journey: Shown as a positive side. Their religion is a journey through life. And also about the journey of Mecca. One is to try to travel to Mecca at least once in there like, and of course pray to towards Mecca 5 times a day. The framing used gives the absolution that it continues on, that there is more, more to fallow, and the dots move all about the page to show that of course a journey doesn't have a straight path.
Controversy: Is word was to show the controversial sides. For example, what the western world thinks of this religion based on recent events. The left dots show the peaceful, real side to Islam and the right shows the negative thoughts. The dots are scale changed to show that they are not the same and have a slight conflict; and the colors help to portray this also.
Complex: This word was basically to say that the misunderstanding is very complicated and complex. That there are so many views and "misunderstandings" it makes it complex and cause confusion in the knowing of the Islamic religion. I used a pattered, which originally was based off of a DNA molecule. I chose not to use imagery much. Mostly up-close patterns of head scarves and clothing, and stuck with the color scheme.
Forbidden: I thought of this as a negative aspect. The imagery shows walls and barbwire fences and guns, making the one dot in the right corner seem as if it was not able to enter. As if it was forbidden to be with others, or be like others. Just as a westerner might see in the religion.
Extreme: Realties to what Westerns might think. That this religion is radical and unpeaceful. When in honest this religion is very much like Christianity, but most seem to see the negative. The dots are placed to the far left to show this meaning. The imagery was used from graffiti and religious/political art.
Peaceful: I decided to show this positive word in the mellow color sceme and whimsical feel of the dots. Peaceful was choosen because when really seeing the big picture, this region is peaful and similar to the many other relgions.
Each page in my book also included black and white vector drawings of prayers in Arabic. I think this was a nice touch when using the black and white backgrounds, and of course using Islamic prayer.
My cover is also using the black and white scheme and the written Arabic language, saying "Misunderstood"
I believe the complete artifact flows very well. I really enjoy the monochromatic color scheme and the simple black and white.
I would like to improve on the craft and the imagery used. I didn't want to use images from the Internet, so it was a bit challenging. Hopefully my point is accurately portrayed. And though I have greatly improved on my craft skill, I am continually learning. Measurements have always been very tough for me. They are a very important skill to have, and I will continue to improve and learn. Lastly, I am very proud of my book.
I tried to take a few snapshots of my work progress. Next time I am going to use a different camera, this one isn't doing what I need it to.
Kind os a close up of Jouney.
Jouney, the making.
Extreme, with transparency. In processes.
