WHEN DID YOU FIRST HEAR OF OR BECOME INTERESTED IN ICONOGRAPHY? WHO/WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE THE ART?
YM: It's difficult to trace our interest in iconography back to a single origin, but I remember when we discovered a fascinating similarity between the pixelated iconography of early Atari 2600 games and the iconic weavings of the Y'ekuana tribe of Venezuela; Using a variety of natural dyes to create color and contrast, each basket is decorated with intricate geometric patterns and Amazonian animal symbols identical to the scorpion from Atari's Pitfall game. I was impressed by how two divergent cultures (both in time and space) could generate nearly the same icon to depict a common
subject.
JT: I grew up in Illinois, surrounded by icons of industrial agriculture: John Deere, Fiat Allis, Dickey-John, Roland.
WHAT FORMS OF ICONOGRAPHY ARE YOU INVOLVED IN (SYMBOLIC, PIXEL,IMPRESSIONISTIC OR PRODUCT). PLEASE GIVE SOME EXAMPLES
YM: Our interest in pixel iconography grew from its potential as a universally meaningful aesthetic. Pixelized imagery can be said to reference both analog and digital imaging techniques simultaneously, as both have demonstrated histories of creating images from minute squares. From tile mosaics to mobile phone interfaces, pixelization is common to our increasingly shared global experiences. The word pixel itself comes from two words, namely "picture elements", where the common abbreviation of "pix" is
used for "picture". Pixel icons are also very efficient for the Internet since their flat, simplistic form is optimal for quick loading.
Our experience developing symbolic icons has been for institutional identity programs, such as "symbols for nourishment" for Project Open Hand, and especially in the form of murals. Traditionally, murals have been one of the most acceptable and accessible means of expressing historical, political and social issues. But murals tend to be monological depictions which illustrate utopian ideals that communities should be heading towards. We are more interested in planting stylized icons that reference commonly understood codes in order to initiate a dialogue of multiple meanings regarding the mural's context. Recently, we developed a dual-panel mural for a San Jose neighborhood grocery - addressing the owner's preoccupation with racial unity in his community. The left panel depicts a customized camouflage pattern, while the right panel features a single icon: a hunting face sock.
JT: We chose camouflage for its intended property: the inability to be read as a whole. Camouflage operates on a basic visual trick: Contrast. Comprised of multiple shapes and shades, camouflage symbolizes collaboration (community) without compromised individuality. Unity without homogeneity. By substituting the traditional camouflage colors with a palette corresponding to the range of races that frequent the neighborhood and the storefront, we aim to exploit the commonly understood use of camouflage to establish an important metaphor: humans working together to hide from our worst enemy -- ourselves.
We chose the face sock for its intended purpose: safety apparel. By design, a face sock issues a visual warning, protecting humans from each other. It's striking "safety orange" color serves to prevent humans from being mistaken as would-be targets, while remaining invisible to their prey. Our desire is to translate the face sock's properties into a simplified icon, an environmental graphic that yields humans as their own enemies. The icon also presents a visual contradiction: a generic face, lacking the unique details (i.e. eyes, lips, skin tone, etc.) that differentiate us, while simultaneously a garment whose openings accentuate and frame the physical features of its wearer. Opting to wear a face sock is a conscientious acknowledgement of vulnerability, especially within an urban setting where both predators and prey are people.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE PLACE OF ICONOGRAPHY IN MODERN CULTURE? HOW HAS THAT ROLE CHANGED & DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST 3 DECADES?
JT: Nowadays, iconography primarily functions in commerce, in the form of trademarks, as brand reinforcement. A significant difference between branding now and that of the prior three decades is that it's become obnoxiously invasive and demanding of all visual space, both private and public, with considerably more brands competing for attention. The role of the trademark has gradually changed from being a 'symbol of product quality' to a 'symbol of self.' We have become mobile icons - extensions of the brands/lifestyle concepts we represent, as evidenced by the passion for expressing our identities by consuming and flaunting the brands we're loyal to. We are what we buy, and logos (the bigger the better) are proof of purchase.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE ROLE OF ICONOGRAPHY IN COMMUNICATION?
YM: Visual iconography may finally bring us closer to universal communication. Those e-mail "emoticons" we all love to hate are just the beginning. :)
DO YOU THINK ICONOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS & PRODUCTS ARE ABLE TO TRANSCEND CULTURAL BOUNDARIES? WHY?
JT: The more basic a symbol is, the more likely it is to be cross-culturally relevant. For instance, the skull-and-cross bones has succeeded as a universally understood symbol for "death" or "poison". Also, in the 1970s the U.S. Highway system successfully shifted to symbol rather than word signs, as part of an international program to make highway signage easily understood, so that an arrow pointing left with a line through it means "No left turn" regardless of locality.
YM: In terms of products, Coca-Cola and the Nike "Swoosh" have crossed nearly every border. Whether or not those are virtuous accomplishments is another story.
ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF ICONOGRAPHIC ART FROM THE SIXTIES, SEVENTIES OR EIGHTIES WHICH STAND OUT IN YOUR MIND AS CLASSICS? DO YOU KNOW THE ARTISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? DID THEY INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?
JT: Who can forget the Smiley Face/ "Have A Nice Day" buttons and stickers popularized in the 70's? Funny thing is, it was actually derived from a 1953 logo for the Los Angeles-based Carson/Roberts advertising agency: a caricature drawing his own smile, with a tag-line that originally read "Have a Happy Day", designed by Ralph Carson and Jack Roberts. Sesame Street too, the contributing artists are too numerous to list, but numbers and letters sure took on a life of their own thanks to Jim Henson and the Children's Television Workshop. I'm sure watching all those short commercial-like skits messed with our heads.
YM: And of course...Atari. It's an outstanding classic that has been an inspiration to us. I mean, what kid that grew up in the late seventies and early eighties doesn't relate to the crude aesthetic of arcade and video games? In 1982, Americans spent more money on video games than on movies.
DISCUSS YOUR FAVOURITE ICONOGRAPHIC PROJECT, INCLUDING HOW THE ICON WAS DEVELOPED AND TO WHAT END IT WAS USED IN THE PROJECT.
JT: The ongoing series of caricatures we create for AIR (our on-line conceptual publication) has been both our favorite and most challenging assignment since each caricature must be rendered in the likeness of the given month's featured guest. The challenge lies in translating unique physical traits into a combination of pixels that communicate each guest's personality to the AIR audience. Working from a photographic source, each subject is carefully condensed to his/her defining features, while conforming to a grid-based pixelized aesthetic. Ultimately, these iconic forms serve to maintain a coherent level of humor and style particular to AIR.
WHAT ARE THE GOLDEN RULES IN CREATING A SUCESSFUL ICON?
YM: Simplicity. Not necessarily in the reductive sense. It should emphasize the the most meaningful attributes of the idea being referenced.
JT: Durability. It should maintain relevance and integrity for its intended duration.
YM: Communicability. When intended meaning is compatible with perceived meaning.
Yvan Martinez & Joshua Trees interviewed by SK Lam for IdN, Iconography issue, Hong Kong, 2001