Asgardian power is celebrated at GOMA

Installation view of the ‘Asgard: Protector of the Nine Realms’, ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017

Installation view of the ‘Asgard: Protector of the Nine Realms’, ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017 / View full image

Inspired by Norse mythology, Asgard is home to a proud intergalactic warrior race, first seen in Thor 2011 and later in Thor: The Dark World 2013. The Asgardians have been responsible for keeping the peace across the interconnected realms scattered throughout the stars, known as the Nine Realms. Ruled by Odin, King of Asgard, the realm of Asgard was home to Queen Frigga and sons Thor and Loki, until dynastic rivalry saw the family torn apart and Loki’s animosity spill across the universe, wreaking havoc on Earth.

The ‘Asgard: Protector of the Nine Realms’ room in Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ celebrates the heart of Asgardian power – the Throne Room of Asgard. It features major set pieces from the forthcoming Thor: Ragnarok 2017, and costumes and weaponry from Thor: The Dark World 2013.

The Nine Realms refers to a group of planets, cosmically distant from each other yet connected by the branches of Yggdrasil, the metaphysical ‘world tree’. At the head of tree is Asgard, ruled by a god-like people, including Odin and Thor, who aim to protect the other realms and the universe from evil forces. Other realms include Jotunheim, land of the Frost Giants; Svartalfheim and its Dark Elves; Midgard – the Asgardian name for Earth; and Niflheim, the location of Hel, where the dead of the Nine Realms dwell.

Asgardian throne room

Installation view of the majestic Asgardian throne room from the upcoming Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok 2017, ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017 / Photograph: Natasha Harth © QAGOMA

Installation view of the majestic Asgardian throne room from the upcoming Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok 2017, ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017 / Photograph: Natasha Harth © QAGOMA / View full image

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe Gallery of Modern Art installation view costume detail

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe
Gallery of Modern Art
installation view
costume detail / View full image

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe Gallery of Modern Art installation view costume detail

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe
Gallery of Modern Art
installation view
costume detail / View full image

Asgardian life

Situated on opposite sides of the throne are two significant elements of Asgardian life – its history as detailed in the Book of Yggdrasil, depicting The Birth of the Nine Realms; and The Observatory, a gateway between Asgard and the rest of the universe. Gatekeeper of Asgard, Heimdall’s costume, sword and dais are also on display.

Installation view of ‘Asgard: Protector of the Nine Realms’ and costumes from the upcoming Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok 2017, ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017 / Photograph: Natasha Harth © QAGOMA

Installation view of ‘Asgard: Protector of the Nine Realms’ and costumes from the upcoming Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok 2017, ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017 / Photograph: Natasha Harth © QAGOMA / View full image

Gallery of Modern Art Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe level 1 galleries installation view

Gallery of Modern Art
Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe
level 1 galleries
installation view / View full image

Heimdall, a loyal, all-seeing and all-hearing Asgardian, is the Watcher of Worlds. His never-ending vigil over the Nine Realms sees him posted at an observatory at the entrance to the Bifrost Bridge, which is an Einstein-Rosen bridge, or wormhole, that connects Asgard to the other realms, including Earth. His sword, called Hofund, is the key to opening the Bridge.

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe Gallery of Modern Art Level 1 galleries installation view

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe
Gallery of Modern Art
Level 1 galleries
installation view / View full image

DELVE DEEPER INTO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE and WATCH OUR BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEOS

Go behind the scenes of ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ to experience more than 500 unique objects from your favourite films, never-before-seen iconic objects which offer a glimpse into the work of production designers, storyboarding and pre‑visualisation artists, costume and prop designers, and visual effects artists alongside the original comic books which introduced the characters and influenced the films.

TICKETS CINEMA | EXHIBITION | UP LATE / BUY THE PUBLICATION

Purchase tickets for ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe‘ online or at the ticket desk 10.00am-4.00pm daily, and until 8.00pm Wednesday. ‘Marvel’ film screenings and ‘Marvel’ Up Late are separate ticketed events.

‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ has been organised by QAGOMA in collaboration with Marvel Entertainment. Experience ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ only showing at GOMA in Brisbane until 3 September 2017.

Amanda Slack-Smith is exhibition curator ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ and Associate Curator, Australian Cinémathèque, QAGOMA

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You originally began your career as a comic book artist, what inspired you to move into computer games, television and film? I achieved my adolescent dream of being a comic book artist back in the 90’s working for Rob Liefeld’s Extreme Studios (Image Comics) and also did some Uncanny X-Men issues for Marvel Comics. I soon found that the artist inside of me yearned to get a formal art education. Up to that point I was a self-taught artist who knew how to draw with a pencil. But I wanted to learn how to paint, how to use other mediums, to explore the artistic possibilities. I didn’t want to “have” to draw comic books b/c that was all I knew how to do. I knew there were more options out there and I wanted to find out what they were. And a big part of that was growing myself as an artist. So I went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California as an Illustration major. I did return to comics to work on a new Tomb Raider series for Top Cow Productions (Image Comics), but I soon decided that I wanted to expand my career outside of comic books. I loved what I was seeing in the concept art field. It was relatively a new field mainly due to the growth of the digital mediums such as Photoshop and Painter. I loved to paint and that was a career I could do that as well as design really cool character, creature, and environments. So I made the move to become a concept artist. I landed my first job at Sony Santa Monica to work on the God of War video game franchise. And after 5 years there I got hired by Marvel Studios, specifically by Ryan Meinerding and Charlie Wen, to work on their films. The rest is, as they say, history. Can you tell us about your role as Visual Development Supervisor at Marvel Studios? What does this entail? I became Marvel Studios’ Visual Development Supervisor about 2 ½ years ago. Between myself and Ryan Meinerding, Head of Visual Development, we split the responsibilities of leading our films. I lead the team on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and am currently leading the team on Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Captain Marvel. As Supervisor I interact directly with the director, executives, and the other heads of departments such as the Costume Designer, Production Designer, and Visual Effects Supervisor. I then art direct a team of concept artists who design the characters that you see in these films. We also illustrate keyframes, which are key story moments that help inform the look and feel for our films. Can you give a brief overview of the research and development process you undertake from initial drawings to final design? Our department starts developing ideas both conceptually and visually at the very beginning of each of our films. Depending on the film, we might have a brief conversation with the executives or the director. But more often than not we begin designing characters that are known to be in the film even if the story is not fully fleshed out yet. This makes sense b/c very often characters we work on already exist in the comic books. So at least we have that as a starting point. From there we will conceptualize how to make that translation from the page to live action, and of course, considering what they’re doing in our story. We do a lot of research to fully wrap our heads around who this character could be, how he/she could look like, why he/she exists, and what their purpose in the story is. All of this will dictate how we design any given character. From there we will have a lot of back and forth (meetings) between myself, the director/s, the executives, and the other heads of departments showing our ideas and concepts. These visual ideas we create will spur on conversations, thoughts, and further ideas until we ultimately get a consensus on a visual direction. It’s very collaborative and it’s a lot of work to get any given design you ultimately see on film. Is there a process for designing props, prosthetics and other designed elements? The process is somewhat similar to designing our characters, in that it is included during the visual effects stage of the film making process. Very often we will do “paint-overs” to help guide the direction of any given look of a character or scene. But mostly, it’s helping guide the look of our characters. It’s a team process. You’re the lead artist for the upcoming film ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, can you tell us a little about how you approached this particular film? I loved leading our team on Thor: Ragnarok. It was Marvel Studios’ 3rd take on the mighty Avenger. And this is definitely not more of the same. It’s a fresh new take on the hero we’ve gotten...
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