Output details

The End

This research interrogates the use of digital print and machine embroidery to (re) present filmic end titles from British and American studio movies from 1924-1970 within non-cinematic contexts. Introductory screen titles have been subject to considerable analysis from a cinematic genre perspective, and as a typographical design phenomena (Bellantoni and Woolman, Type in Motion: Innovations in Digital Graphics, 1999). Since their ‘retirement’ from the studio repertoire in the late 1960s when the closing credits became home to the bulk of the cast and associates ‘End’ titles have been subject to much less research either as historical curio or design reference point,

Attempts at collating and archiving both screen titles and end credits from the major American studios have begun under the direction of Dutch graphic designer Christian Annyas (www.annyas.com) though no attempt has been made to collate British studio end credits or to compare and contrast the design content of these with their American studio counterparts. The artefacts attempt to address this omission whilst also demonstrating ways in which the promotion of these now redundant motifs may be re-presented and promoted as meaningful images beyond their appropriation within graphic design and cinematic contexts. The potential cultural value of the motif has briefly been explored by Ed Ruscha’s painting The End (1991) and Richard Roberts photopolymer gravures. This research explores the translation of the motifs by adopting digitally printed cloth and stitch as alternative substrates to carry and manipulate the image. The processes utilised attempts to capture a cinematic visual content while referencing the hand-crafted aesthetic of the narrative tapestry. The collection of works were exhibited in ‘Men Only’ ‘L’ Aiguille en Fete,’ Paris, 2012, and acquired for the Chanel Art Collection.