Final Reflections on the Project and Semester

Alexander von Humboldt and Aime Bonpland at the Chimborazo base,
Friedrich Georg Weitsch, 1809

My interest in Alexander von Humboldt is primarily due to his scientific research into the environment and how ecosystems are connected. With the amount of skepticism about the science behind climate change, I thought that it would be important to make the general public aware of his research. Before deciding to create a short video on Alexander von Humboldt, I researched information online to see if there were any films created about him. As it turns out there is one video which is an animation created by George Mehler:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-is-alexander-von-humboldt-george mehler
It is very informative and conveys quite a bit of information for the short 5 minute presentation that it is. However, for a man as amazing as Humboldt, I was shocked there was really nothing else-at least online.

When contemplating this project, I initially thought I would create an animation but was overwhelmed by the prospect of learning many different techniques that I would need to create an animated film. I really wanted to create a video that added to the knowledge of Alexander von Humboldt and his work. I also was restricted by a limited budget.

When I viewed the animation about Alexander von Humboldt, my initial reaction was that I really wanted to see documents from the journey. As an example, when I learned that he had sketched the Mayan ruins, my first thought was "What did his sketches look like?" I thought they might be very simple drawings, vague lines hastily put down to remind the viewer of the site visited. I was really quite impressed with Humboldt's artistic ability as is evidenced in this self portrait from 1814 or the print made from Humboldt's sketch of a landscape they passed through on their 5 year journey.

Alexander von Humboldt
Self Portrait 1814

The Natural Bridges of Icononzo, Humboldt,
1814

Sketching
 on
site is
difficult.
One has
to transport
paper, a
board to
draw on
and stand
or sit at the
site to record
the view.




Then you have to transport the drawing on your journey.I am actually amazed they were able to transport the drawings at all.

I finally decided that I wanted to take a different approach from a simple or not so simple animation. As my audience would be adults who were not aware of Humboldt's work, I wanted to focus on artwork created about him and by him. During the early 1800's, paintings and drawings served to create documentation of people, events as well as scientific discoveries.

In college, I took a course on English Romantic writers of the 1700's and 1800's. A few years after, I viewed a show at the Chicago Public Library about the art created in the 1800's which was inspired by the work of writers such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, the concept of exploration, the infinite as well as the exoticism of unexplored regions of the world. Having researched the 1800's in various other art and literature movements, I was aware of many other paintings which separately have a presence but if considered together, create a very interesting story. I also felt that the artwork itself conveys information about what the artists and scientists of the time were trying to accomplish.

In creating this video, I was very frustrated as I put the images together because I really wanted to use the material that I read to create a full length movie. His journal is so interesting that I think Humboldt must be the best kept secret of the 19th century. It was also difficult to assemble images which varied in style and create a sense of consistency with the narrative.

The project itself does not seem big enough to have worked for an entire semester. I see this as preliminary study for a longer work. As the content of the video is based on the works I read, creating a longer video is very much dependent on the amount of time I have to read and assimilate the work into a creative format.

Humboldt's scientific method and the research which he conducted on his journey are quite remarkable to read. Everywhere he went, he took scientific readings, measurements, analyzed rocks for their mineral content and made observations about ocean currents, volcanoes, etc. Quite a remarkable mind! I had originally intended to include more quotes from his journal. However, once I put the images together with the script, it became clear that there was a certain amount of time that an image can remain on the screen before it becomes boring. If I had enough time to add animation, perhaps the additional quotes would make sense. It was also difficult to find quotes that stood on their own and made sense, out of the context of describing a 5 year journey through Central and South America.

In the final analysis, I think the video is a good first step towards a project that I hope I will be able to finish-that is a full length movie. It is good to have large goals.

References

Alexander von Humboldt webpage, Wikipedia, retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Humboldt

Mehler, G., 2013. Who is Alexander von Humboldt? TED-ed Lessons, April 3. 2013, TED.com
retrieved from: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-is-alexander-von-humboldt-george mehler

von Humboldt, A., 1814. Researches Vol. I, Oliver's Bookshelf, OliverCowdery.com.
retrieved from: http://olivercowdery.com/texts/1814Humb.htm