FAA - Quick Assignment 1
author: Jana Nikolić

Translation into English: Ivan Milenković

That which can revive even the most inert creatures and systems is an intense and unstoppable personal commitment. When you stop taking personally the job you choose, that is the end. If you lost that attitude somewhere between making a most amazing sand castle, herbarium or a report on endangered tropical forests of the Amazon and this moment, it is perfectly OK to have someone remind you of it.

When you tune in to an existing system, whether as a student or a rookie amongst teachers, you agree on the formerly established rules and try to transform and advance them, try to recognize your own role in that group of interactions. If we value our self as people and experts and understand that the school we've gone through is one of the elements that contributed to our forming, it is only needed to recognize how to refresh that frame and make it more actual and dynamic.

The existing system of assignments that third year students of Applied Graphics are exposed to has a worked out chronology and meaning in its order. Introduction of shorter assignments in between more long term projects that students work on in Applied Calligraphy practice has for its goal to jump start and shake-up their creativity, to eventually sort out some dilemmas and hold-ups that necessarily emerge during work.

It is envisioned that the first assignment is not connected to the actual curriculum with which the students dealt on practice in Applied Calligraphy or other courses. Its essence should be that of design, enjoying your work, playfulness and childlike pleasure that engulfs you in such moments!

Each of the 30 students in the class has brought a black felt-tip pen or marker. They receive instructions and 4 tracing papers of A6 size. The task is to make 4 portraits using 6 punctuation marks which are given on the instruction papers. We expect much more that ordinary emoticons.

The results were fantastic. Totally unexpected. Stylized faces, serious portraits, profiles, humorous interpretations, beasts, dragons, gorillas, horizontal compositions. Through the amazing atmosphere in the room challenges flew, so originated the “Montenegrin”. Although irresistibly charming, there were some missed themes. A rabbit, a whole figure, a part in negative and a black surface couldn't count as portraits. Nevertheless, it was enough to know how to defend your own work and say that the black speck is actually a portrait in darkness.