ALEATORY REFFERENCE - JOSEBA ELORZA

 Joseba Elorza  

  

CONTEXT:  Joseba Elorza is a graphic illustrator/ photographer who makes a living with his unique brand of digital collage and illustrations. Elorza successfully blends humour, technology, science fiction and anonymous historical photography to create some unique and versatile  imagery. While researching on Pinterest for my imagery I was instantly attracted to his style of work, due to the surrealism and simplicity of the digital collages.   

  

CONTENT: Elorza's pictures imply a sense of ironic humour addressed to the society, showing ordinary, well-known things in a confusing new way. His work is a fluid integration of two mediums,  digital collage and illustration. There is a common narrative amongst the imagery one which  tells a story and the other is found, archived photographs. This found imagery and his newly designed illustrations create  new intersections of reality for the viewer with both of

these imagery  feeding off each other. Thus, creating a peculiar aesthetic that is incredibly cinematic and dramatic. As seen to the left the images included colours and exciting imagery which creates a vivid and animated effect. Elorza's work comes under the surrealist category as there are a lot of surreal motifs used in his work for example the heightened visual imagery along with the resembling of a dream like state.   

  

TECHNIQUE: Elorza uses copy and paste as a technique to de -contextualise the pre-conceived  notions of the viewer for instance using opposing imagery to create surreal imagery. This can be seen in the image to the left with the child walking through the woods.  Another notable technique is used is the blend of the past with the future. Using vintage image with futuristic illustrations crate a world where anything can be possible.   

INFLUENCE: I think Elorza as a reference will influence my work die to his graphic illustrative background. His images include different formats and editing tools when exploring a theme or context. His using of mixed media collages as well as digital collages have influenced me to explore Aleatory in a visually communicative way using different formats such as audio, animation and illustrations. 

REFERENCE ANALYSIS  (Semiotics / Composition Biases) 

SEMIOTICS. 

Connotation/ Denotation.  

 The image can be denoted as a young girl floating in the clouds, holding on to an anchor. Suggesting her feeling of being lost or lioness. However there are many layers of meanings to this image. With this imagery Elorza connotes to the suspension of reality and the taking over of fantasy. There is a strong influence of the dream like state and parts of the subconscious are also presented here. The image signifies the feeling of lost with juxtaposing imagery of the clouds and the young girl. Here Elorza creates an illusion with the imagery, by creating a deceptive and exaggerated idea of being lost.   

Symbolism  

Clouds symbolize  higher power. Relying on a person's mood, cloud in a dream can be a symbol of doom and depression or religious connotations.  But in this instance the clouds can represent a new beginning for the subject, a start of something new as clouds are an indicator or the skies, which has positive connotations of moving forward or going laces. Alternatively, the anchor may represent something negative that is holding them back and restraining their freedom. When looking at the imagery it's like eh anchoring is bringing the girl down.   

Icon  

Surrealism used within the image, this creates a direct link between the reality and the idea of fantasy. Fantasy is creating an idea within no basis of reality and I think with the mixture of all these visuals creates a reality that is unrestricted.    

Index / Paradoxical Signs    

The index sign here is the Clouds also warn of the possibility of difficulties and dangers ahead. I think the clouds also evokes a feeling of being lost due to the use of composition and spacing.   .  

Binary Opposites  

His works creates a world with opposing images through the use of digital illustrations and archived images.  This intriguing juxtaposition of old and new, analog and digital, dreamscape and reality gives Elorza’s illustrations an overwhelming visual impact that demands attention from the viewer, his wants to be heard and anaylized. This he successfully achieves through the surrealist influence.  

COMPOSITIONAL BIASES.  

There are many compositional techniques used within this image. Leading lines have been implemented through the upside-down anchor. The minimalistic approach with this imagery has helped Elorza to used leading lines as a powerful tool to tell a story. The line instant allows the viewer to examine the image by following it down the frame.  The successful integration of the leading line adds balance and proximity to the image. Rule of thirds have been use to compose the image thus creating true balance. He has utilised the negative space to convey the emotional distance between the subject and the rest of the image. I would state the dominant visual element of this image are the contrasting colours and the overall juxtaposition of the dreamlike state vs reality. This has been used effectively to create compositional tension which grabs the viewer attention and evokes an emotional response in them.  This is what first  to his work, the ability the imagery has to instantly portray to the viewer of its surrealist influences and ideologies. His work creates a possibility to create the unimaginable and transfer it to the imaginable. The child holding on to the anchor while floating on  the clouds destroys our pre-conceived notions of reality and brings a strong element of fantasy.