Lithuanian Folklore/Pagan History Research Brief - Initial Designs

Idea Sketching:

I knew that I wanted to communicate the theme of Lithuanian Folk Art in either a postcard or publication format. Therefore, I started my deign process by quickly sketching out how this theme could work in those different formats, and what type of style it could be presented in. If I were to choose postcards, I would go for the more simple and minimal illustration style, so that it is clear to the audience what objects/topics they are looking at. If I were to choose the publication, I would also go for the simple, minimal and controlled style, for the same reason so that the imagery/illustrations could be communicated clearly. As I wanted the outcome for this project to be very accessible to a large range of an audience, I wanted the communication of whatever outcome I produce to be very easy to understand and distinguish.

Copy:

To allow myself room to explore both publication and postcard formats, I wrote some copy that is informed by my research about each of the 9 Lithuanian Folk Art topics. The copy is heavily influenced by my research, and tries to clearly and concisely inform about each folk art topic, so that the information would be easy to comprehend by any member of the audience.

Lithuanian Folk Art

Introduction
Lithuania is a small country on the south eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. First mentioned in the year 1009, once 'The Grandy Duchy of Lithuania' that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, several times occupied, and only recently on March 11th 1990 regaining its independence from the Soviet Union, it is safe to say that Lithuania has a long and eventful history. Today, there are approximately 4,000,000 Lithuanians who have preserved one the oldest languages in the world, and with it a unique culture and unique customs. With each postcard, we will take a brief look at the ornate and wonderful Lithuanian folk art that has managed to survive all these years.

Crosses

Lithuania is known as the Land of Crosses, and is famous for the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai. Wooden crosses crafted by 'dievdirbiai' (godmakers) are present throughout Lithuanian roadsides, homesteads, chapels and cemeteries. The crosses used to be erected on various occasions - the birth of a child, a sudden death, the beginning of the construction of a homestead and other such events.

The Hill of Crosses was a pilgrimage site for several hundred years, and is a testament to Lithuanian faith and perseverance. During the Soviet rule, the crosses were destroyed with bulldozers several times, yet the locals would rebuild them almost overnight. There are now over 200,000 crosses on the hill.

Easter Eggs

'Marguciai' is the name for elaborately decorated Easter eggs that usually adorn Lithuanian Easter tables, and is a very ancient custom that dates back as early as the 13th century. The patterns are created either with wax before dyeing the egg, or by scratching away the dye with a pointed tool after having dyed it. Before the beginning of the 20th century, natural dyeing materials were used such as onion peel, birch leaves, hay, oak or alder bark.

Many nations believed that decorated eggs had magic power. When the animals were first driven to pastures in spring, the farmer's wife would place an egg on the threshold to keep them in good shape. The farmer would also place an egg in the first furrow ploughed to ensure a good harvest.

Jewellery
Amber has been used for adornment since Neolithic times. It has been the prime export of Baltic tribes long before Lithuania was founded, as it would have been sold to Roman merchants. Lithuanians have always loved this semi-precious stone, also known as Baltic Gold, and endow it with healing and magical power to this day. Today there are many amber artists who make amber jewellery, paintings, sculptures, souvenirs and other things.

Metalwork
Wrought iron crosses and church spires are one of the most expressive forms of folk art, and are often used to decorate cemeteries, monuments and memorials. Many of their motifs go back to pagan times. The iron crosses traditionally embody sun rays, blossoms and leaves of tulips, rues and other flowers, and sometimes a moon and stars.

Straw Decoration
Historically, Lithuania was an agricultural country. During the months when there were no fresh flowers available to decorate their homes, Lithuanians created their own decorations from straw, which was plentiful on every farm. The hanging geometric contraptions are traditionally used to decorate rooms for various occasions, such as during holidays and weddings. The straw decorations are made from wheat, oat or rye straw. They are constructed by stringing different lengths of straw on thin twine or thread, or by applique method - cutting and gluing small pieces of straw together, into various geometric and organic shapes.

Straw 'gardens' are larger, chandelier-type mobile contraptions. The most complex and beautiful of these were 'wedding gardens'. They would be suspended above the bridal pair, symbolizing fertility, goodness and prosperity.

Textiles
Until the 20th century there were no textile mills in Lithuania. The people would spin linen and wool, then weave all their own cloth to make garments, bedspreads, bed sheets, towels and tablecloths. Sashes were woven not only for use as belts, but also as gifts and special mementos. The beauty of the textiles was the result of the combination of patterns and colours. The majority of patterns were based on ancient geometric ornaments which symbolize the sun and other natural objects.

Wood Carvings and Statues
Every Lithuanian chapel used to contain statues and statuettes of more than 40 saints. The most popular of the surviving Lithuanian sculptural traditions is the image of the Pensive Christ. He is depicted as an old man sitting with his chin on his right palm. He symbolises sadness, as his crucifixion was a sacrifice to humanity to alleviate its pain and wipe its tears. During and after a war Lithuanians looked up to the Pensive Christ as a symbol of their misfortunes.

As well as statues and statuettes, wood carvers created towel racks, distaffs, spoon holders, spoons, spinning wheels, looms, and decoratively painted dowry chests. They also made various musical instruments out of wood, one of the most common being 'kankles', a type of zither.

Palm Sunday Flowers
Palm Sunday is celebrated all over the Catholic world. Many churches hold special Palm Sunday services that involve distributing palm to the congregation. In Lithuania there are no palm trees, so traditionally Lithuanians weave branches of indigenous plants and create 'verba' - an oblong bouquet composition of colourful dried flowers and plants. On Palm Sunday these bouquets are brought to the church to be blessed. It is believed that blessed 'verba' protects the house and keeps the whole family healthy.

A cheerful tradition of whipping each other with the dried flower bouquet on Palm Sunday is still present today. It is believed that if one is hit with 'verba' he will remain healthy for the next year.

Lithuanian Mardi Gras
The Lithuanian equivalent of Mardi Gras is 'Uzgavenes' which means 'the time before Lent', and starts the seventh week before Easter. The festival celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The tradition in Lithuania is to put on scary masks and special costumes as an effigy of winter, that is made from straw and named 'More', is burned at the stake to symbolize the death of winter and the birth of spring. The masks are usually wooden and hand-made. The most common frightening characters created are gypsies, horses, goats, cranes, devils and witches. The characters must be scary and loud in order to scare off and chase winter away.

Illustration:

For the visual content of either the publication or postcard series I decided to explore creating illustrations. I made sure to follow my research and make the illustrations as realistic and clear as possible. The style of illustration I utilised quite simple lines, but with a lot of detail. I did this to allow myself the opportunity to possibly insert colour or pattern into the illustrations later on in the project. I decided not to include any sort of setting/background for the illustrations, so that the topic within each illustration was clear and easy for the audience to understand. Also, because some audience members would come across such culture and fold art expressions for the first time, I want the communication of what they look like to be as clear as possible.

I converted the illustration into vectors so that I could begin experimenting placing it into a publication and postcard format, to see within which it was the most visually engaging and effective.

Publication:

First I experimented with placing the copy I had written and the illustrations I had created into a publication format/context. I choose this context because I believe it would be the easier format for the audience to read and take the information in, as publications are the easiest to flip through and read. I wanted both the copy and imagery to have equal importance and attention placed on them.

For the copy of the publication I knew I would have a simple sans serif so that it was easy for the audience to read. For the title/sub-titles however, I wanted to have a typeface that would support the folklore/pagan inspired concept and aid the communication of showcasing that the imagery and content is about folklore/pagan history. For this reasons I looked at various typefaces that visually communicate either a 'folklore' theme or a 'history'/''old' theme. 

I began with a simple layout, using only black and white colour scheme and placing focus on the copy by bringing it to attention using a black-background. Although I quite liked the use of back and white, I mentioned earlier that I wanted the copy and illustrations to gain equal attention, so this design direction was not appropriate. 

I tried to flip the use of black and white colours, and this time it was more effective and appropriate. Both the copy was being highlighted by sitting alone with no distractions in the middle of the page, and the illustration was highlighted by standing out white against the black background. This direction I was favouring, however, I wanted to continue to explore different layouts and use of colour, and not stop at the first ideas. 

As I wanted both the copy and the illustrations to have equal attention and importance, I tried placing them together on the same page. I thought that this could make for a pleasant reading experience, as the reader would be able to refer to the illustrations easily whilst reading the copy. Although I liked the layout and how playful this could be, the two topics next to one another made the spread of pages feel a little too chaotic and crowded, which may make the content seem boring for the reader. Also, the white background and use of white space was also making this design feel boring, and would not catch the eye of the audience.

I wanted the publication and its design to be more eye-catching, so I explored injecting some colour into the illustration. I used a similar layout as earlier, and had the illustration sit on a black background, but this time I added the colours from the Lithuanian flag into some of the lines of the illustration. I thought this was very effective, because it instantly made the whole design more interesting and visually engaging. The colours yellow, green and red are also very relevant, as they are the colours of the Lithuanian flag, which makes them good at aiding the concept. By injecting the colour only into some of the lines in the illustration, I do not make the use of colour too overwhelming or tacky, but rather keep the serious and informative tone of the design. I knew that if I choose this idea, such subtle use of colour will be something I definitely utilise.

Postcards:

Next I wanted to explore pacing the copy I had written and the illustrations I had created into a postcard format/context. I choose this format to explore because I believe that postcards are symbols for culture, and a lot of people collect postcards not only for souvenir and memorabilia purposed, but also because of their aesthetic and artistic expression. By placing the information and illustrations in a postcard context, I could present the topic of Lithuanian Folk Art as something that should be collected and treasured, and reinforce how they are artistic expressions that should be recognised.

I began with a simple A5 layout a postcard would be, and started to look at how the illustration/imagery and the information could work together. I used a black and white colour scheme as I did for my initial publication designs, because I had realised then that by placing the illustration on a black background, it really highlights the details and makes the illustration stand out. For the other side of the postcard, I decided to add the copy as if it was a page in a publication, and give the audience an experience of reading a publication but in a postcard format. I liked this idea, however I felt that it was missing something more visually engaging and eye-catching. 

I looked at adding some colour to the postcard design. As the topic for this postcard was 'Woodcarvings and Statues', I decided to make the background colour a beige/brown to symbolise wood. I wanted to make the postcard design more visually engaging and somehow add a more interesting experience for the audience. The coloured background was not working, as it took away detail from the illustration and made the copy less legible. Those are two of the most important elements within this project so this was something that could not happen. Also I realised that the way the illustration was drawn, and the way it was vectorized, the lines and style already mimicked that of wood, as if the illustration was etched into wood and then printed. 

I moved away from the publication as a postcard idea, and went for the more obvious and traditional communication of a postcard.  Having the imagery/illustration on one side, and the typical postcard guidelines on the other side. I instantly thought that this was more appropriate, because if I am to explore two different ideas, publication and postcard, then I shouldn't design either in the same way as the other, which is what I was doing with the postcard design up till now. The postcard guidelines on the back I believe gives these designs context and makes them more engaging. Having the copy on the back of the postcard, alongside the postcard guidelines also seems to work, and is something that could definitely be considered if I choose this idea. The black and white colour scheme, again although effective at making the illustrations stand out, it was feeling a little boring. 

To make the postcard design more eye-catching and visually engaging, I explored the use of colour. Like within the publication design ideas I used the Lithuanian flag colours yellow, green and red and found them quite effective and appropriate, I decided to use them again here. Although the 'Fabric' topic illustration really seemed to visually benefit from the colour, the 'Mardi Gras' illustrations did not. Actually the colour seemed to take details away and make them less impressive. I realised at this point that using colour would only work with some of the illustrations not all of them, and also that if I used only the Lithuanian flag colour scheme of yellow, green and red, that would very quickly become boring for the audience, as well as make all the postcards feel too similar, and draw attention away from the details within the illustrations. I knew that if I were to choose this idea, I would not be using colour. 

During the digital design of one of the postcards, I realised that the style of the illustration 'The Pensive Christ' mimicked that of wood etching and carving, and seemed as if it was wood-block printed. This inspired an idea that would solve the problems I have been having about making the designs more visually engaging. Instead, I could make the designs physically engaging. Instead of just mimicking wood etching, carving and wood-block printing, I could actually carve the illustrations/designs and print them using lino. This would not only make the visual etching/carving style seem more natural, but it would also create a very interesting and pleasing texture that the audience could interact with. I could print the illustrations onto the front of plain postcards, or print the postcard guidelines myself on the back, and in this way create a postcard series that is not only about an interesting and unique topic, but is also executed in an interesting and uncommon way. This would definitely reinforce the fact that the postcards should be collected, treasured and recognised.