Philosophy // Background and Brief Rationale

I have chosen to work with Hannah as she is skilled at handlettering and we were both interested in combining this technique with animation to create something fresh to both of us. We chose to construct a brief around a topic that neither of us was familiar with, and after some discussion we picked Philosophy. I remembered a book I had read as a kid called Sophie's world, which used a fictional story to introduce a lot of beginners Philosophical concepts to children and adults. We looked this up and found some more information on the book:

Sophie's World (Norwegian: Sofies verden) is a 1991 novel written by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder. It follows the events of Sophie Amundsen, a teenage girl living in Norway, and Alberto Knox, a middle aged philosopher who introduces her to philosophical thinking and the history of philosophy.

Summary from Google Books:

One day Sophie comes home from school to find two questions in her mail: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" Before she knows it she is enrolled in a correspondence course with a mysterious philosopher. Thus begins Jostein Gaarder's unique novel, which is not only a mystery, but also a complete and entertaining history of philosophy.

We agreed that Sophie's world would be a great place to learn about Philosophy and wanted to use design as a tool to communicate some of the ideas of the book through animation.

The brief:

Background:
Philosophy is a complex subject and many of the concepts can be difficult to understand. The book Sophie's world is a popular introduction to the world of philosophy. It was published in 1991 and has won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1994. It was originally written in Norwegian and became a best seller in Norway. The novel was later translated into fifty-three languages, with over thirty million copies in print. The English version of the novel was published in 1995. It is one of the most commercially successful Norwegian novels outside of Norway. The book has since been adapted into a film and a PC game.

Concise Brief:
To communicate some of the ideas contained in Sophie's world through the use projection, motion and typography. 

Brief:
Research sophie's world and choose content that introduces the audience to the world of philosophy. Communicate this content in an appropriate visual way for display to an academic audience withouts an existing interest in philosophy. There should be a strong emphasis on typography supported by the use of accompanying visual material and sound, with an aim to create a physical installation to be viewed by small groups. 

Concept:
We wold be looking to make the ideas of the philosophers come alive through the use of hand-drawn, expressive type and animation. We want to create an experience that both informs and provokes reflection in the audience with the use of light, darkness, sound and projection. 

Deliverables:
Installation
Edited recording of the experience for use and promotion online.

Tone of voice:
Awe-inspiring, informative, concise