Final

Rationale

Rationale

I chose to present my triptych as a loop, to mirror the cyclical and repetitive nature of the song. I decided to represent Hotel California as a statement on cosmetic surgery, mostly due to the lines, “we are all just prisoners here/ of our own device”. It seemed to me that it was a line about willingly trapping oneself in a vicious cycle, and in this case, the vicious cycle of trying to improve one’s looks.

The first sequence is based on the lyrics “stabbed it with their steely knives/ but they just can’t kill the beast”. There was a discussion on what knives could represent, and from knives we went to scalpels and from there another step to needles. To me, the lyric meant that you could inject as much botox as you could into yourself, but that it would never satisfy the basic insecurities you had about yourself.

The second sequence is based on the line “we are all just prisoners here/ of our own device”. It shows a parade of people going through a revolving mirror and ending up on the other side all looking the same. It’s about how people just keep trying to change how they look in order to suit society’s standards, and in the end lose what they really look like.

The third sequence is based on the line “there she stood in the doorway/ I heard the mission bell”. In this case the “she” is referring to the nurse, motioning in a kind of sinister welcome. I thought it would be an appropriately creepy way to end the triptych.

Inspirations

NATHAN OTA

ZDZISLAW BEKINSKI

These two artists are my primary sources of information for colour palettes and the generally creepy gothic feel I'm going for. While Nathan Ota has a very clean style with occasional bursts of colour, Zdzislaw Bekinski's art  is more subdued in tone and his line work is less defined. Currently, I'm looking to Bekinski for the treatment of his backgrounds and combining it with the colours Nathan Ota uses. 

Triptych initial tests

Stabbed it with their steely knives / But they just can't kill the beast

I substituted knives for needles to convey the message that no matter how much cosmetic surgery a person does, they'll never "kill the beast" of their insecurity .

So she lit up the candle / and she showed me the way

The lady in this case is a sinister nurse

And she said, "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"

It's supposed to be someone who looks into a mirror and sees herself as a less attractive version of herself. She  tries to change her appearance but in the end keeps finding other things to change, thus entering a never-ending vicious cycle. I'm still tinkering with the imagery; the mirror could possible resemble a surgical table etc.

Thumbnails: Story 1

Story 1:

Girl in a surgical gown running down a dark hospital corridor. She has flashbacks of various things she's seen in the hospital; people getting botox, people constantly trying to improve their appearances through surgery etc. She finally almost reaches the exit door, but catches sight of a mirror near the exit. She looks into the mirror and all she sees is a grotesquely fat person. She turns and sees a nurse, who beckons to her. They disappear down the dark hallway together.

Reference: Distorting mirrors

Reference: hospitals

References: nurses

References: cosmetic surgery

Further Interpretations of Hotel California

Hotel California - More than just a place

We discussed about how the idea of a Hotel California could refer to more than an actual physical hotel, or even any sort of place. So we came up with a list of metaphors Hotel California could possibly be alluding to:

- Alcohol/ drug addiction
This one was one of the first things to came to mind, especially when referring back to the lyrics of the song (you can check out any time you like/ but you can never leave), possibly referring to hard it is to kick the habit.

- Mind
We came up with a theory that Hotel California could simply be an allegory for the workings of the mind. Be it mental illness, or simply thinking so constantly and obsessively that you are unable to leave the inner workings of your own mind.

- Jail
Again playing on the last line of the song, but also with the idea of repetition in the song. The idea of these people trapped in the hotel going over the same motions over and over again has the image of the prisoners doing about their routine. Also, the lyric that says "stabbed it with their steely knives/ but they just can't kill the beast"  somehow brings to mind a prison brawl.

- Relationship/ divorce
We also thought this song could be about the aftermath of a relationship.

- Cosmetic surgery
Then she lit up the candle/ and she showed me the way - the nurse
Stabbed it with their steely knives - scalpels or syringes
Just can't kill the beast - the patient's own insecurities about their appearance

Mirrors on the ceiling - was thinking it could be one of those warped mirrors from the circus that makes you look fat
Pink champagne on ice - a blood bag?
We are all just prisoners here/ Of our own device - The patients choose to inflict this on themselves

The Chorus

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year
You can find it here

Such a lovely face - the image of a face inked with the pre-cosmetic surgery markings

Chosen segments (tentative)

Verse 1:
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Verse 2:
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "

Chorus:
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Different interpretations of the lyrics

Wikipedia:
The lyrics weave a surrealistic tale in which a weary traveler checks into a luxury hotel. The hotel at first appears inviting and tempting, but it turns out to be a nightmarish place where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave". The song is an allegory about hedonism, self-destruction, and greed in the music industry of the late 1970s.

"Don Henley and Glenn wrote most of the words. All of us kind of drove into L.A. at night. Nobody was from California, and if you drive into L.A. at night... you can just see this glow on the horizon of lights, and the images that start running through your head of Hollywood and all the dreams that you have, and so it was kind of about that... what we started writing the song about. Coming into L.A.... and from that 'Life in the Fast Lane' came out of it, and 'Wasted Time' and a bunch of other songs." - Don Felder

The term "colitas" in the first stanza means "little tails" in Spanish; in Mexican slang it refers to buds of the cannabis (marijuana) plant.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_California

Schmoop:
According to some interpretations, "Hotel California" is a song about drug addiction; others have viewed it as a song about a mental hospital, or devil worship, or – in one especially oddball take – even a real hotel run by cannibals. (That one sure puts a delicious new spin on "you can check out but you can never leave.")
Most likely, however, it is a song that chronicles the culture of excess, wealth, decadence, and self-destruction in the Southern California cultural milieu of the mid-1970s...the Eagles are criticizing the culture of excess surrounding the rich and famous in Los Angeles – a culture that they were a part of.

Link: http://www.shmoop.com/hotel-california-eagles/meaning.html

Other Interpretations:
- The attractive qualities of worldly things and their ultimate unfortunate end
- Once you're sucked into the west coast dream "you can check out" via drugs, or whatever "but you can never leave". Whatever youthful idealism you once had is forever gone and sucked up by the machine that is the music business.

Link: http://www.lyricinterpretations.com/eagles/hotel-california

My Interpretation:

 Before I'd read any of the previous interpretations I'd thought it was simply a ghost story or a tale of an insane asylum or someone with schizophrenia.
However, now taking into account the culture of the era in which this song was released, and that of California itself int eh 1980s, the interpretation that it is about drug addiction rings truer to me. However, I think it might be an interesting idea visually to combine both ideas in my final submission, i.e. a Gothic hotel filled with drug addicts.

Hotel California music video

Hotel California

Hotel California
Song and lyrics by: Don Henley, Don Felder, Glenn Frey

On a drak desert highway
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
Saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night

There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
This could be heaven or this could be hell
Then she lit up the candle
And she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
Thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Anytime of year
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany twisted
She got the Mercedes benz
She got a lot of pretty pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard
Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget

So I called up the captain
"Please bring me my wine"
He said "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969"
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night]
Thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise
Bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember
I was, running for the door
I had to find a passage back to the place I was before
"Relax," said the nightman,
"We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave!"

Assignment 2 Brief

Assignment Two:

Create an triptych based on a song that uses a non-linear narrative structure.

Medium: stills, booklet, objects, animation, installation, or automata

Pick one of the songs below. Chose 2 verses and the chorus and research what is the story implied within the song.

1.    Civil War -  Guns and Roses

2.    A boy named Sue - Johnny Cash

3.    Space oddity - David Bowie

4.    Shine on you crazy diamond - Pink Floyd

5.    Excuse me Mr - Ben Harper

6.    Paparazzi  - Lady Gaga

7.    Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
8.    White Rabbit  - Jefferson airplane
9.    Hotel California - The Eagles
10.  Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush