THE CARTOON METAL EXPERIENCE

2R - TOXIC TOYS - VOKALIST

DESIGN GRADUATE - THE CARTOON METAL EXPERIENCE - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT - THE CREATION OF A BAND

In my Thesis from collage THE CARTOON METAL EXPERIENCE I studied the field of Image, Identity and the use of Archetypes in the music industry. I made an experiment to create a band from a designers hand, where I gave the band members a new invented music genre CARTOON METAL, costumes, a band name TOXIC TOYS and individual personalities and characters built on archetypes and cartoon characters from Warner Bros. to play with for the experience and innovation.

My Major was exhibited on the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Oslo the capital city of Norway in February 2002.The final work was presented in The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in capital city of Norway Oslo as the installation FANROOM. The band was displayed with posters on the walls with their music presented through a CD rack and the merchandise spread around the room. All for the celebration of music and entertainment presented as a complete concept that shows the nostalgia of growing up with music and the inspiration it beholds.

My intention for the hole project was to bring the use of archetypes both good and evil into a context and also give a dualistic confusing message for the viewer with a psychological intention. In society we have a tendency to give an external look the indication of the content. We judge on first impression, and try to simplify humanity this way. Good or Bad. Kind or Evil. A metal band player must bee "evil" and in the opposite we serve children time with children cartoons that in the first hand seem children friendly but have a violent approach and content. This is preconceptions of archetypes in human culture. A cartoon must be kind with its approach for children and metal music content evil messages.

The band TOXIC TOYS, have a double meaning with my intention of confusing dualisme. First the name is ment as a fun something silly. Second the band members look like toys with wadded fabrics and soft pastel colors a children friendly aproach as cartoon characters. Though the music and external characters are also violent archetypes from our human history and culture.

The name of the characters internal personalities in the band comes from several Looney Tunes characters from Warner Bros. And the external personalities and costumes have inspiration from different aggressive archetypes from human culture.

The choice of music, invented for this experiment, are also chosen for the reason to create a contrast of the kind cartoon sound and the agressive metal music.
The musicians that participated in this experiment was given the concept to create music within. They composed the song JOIN MY REVENGE .The song was recorded in studio, and played on Norwegian radio P3 for this occasion. The song could also be heard inside the FANROOM through a CD rack.

For myself I created the character DR. Lou Denz, A crazy professor and inventor who breaths for only joy. The brain behind the band. An anagram born from the Latin word ludens . Wiki : Homo ludens comes from the Latin word meaning people at play. I was given the chance to put the experiment alive for Oslo Synth Festival where I used one of the characters to create a performance around. Read more about this under DR.LOUDENZ ROCK FACTORY.