20th Jan - Space - Time
27th Jan - Space - Time
MinJeong and I did some brainstorming today together for our project. We came up with a few ideas that related to the brief - one involved the use of green screen, but instead of using it as a backdrop, our idea was to lie on green fabric as if someone was lying on a bed. Using Adobe Premiere Pro, we would then edit in a video or still of an actual bed into the green fabric. The film would be a time lapse of somebody sleeping to show the passing of time and the absence of time within dreams.
Monday 13th Jan - Lux
Having collected footage from visiting Whittington Park, I began playing around with effects on Adobe Premiere Pro. I had filmed a shot of my eyes at the park which symbolised the act of observation and how I was the observer during this experience. Inspired by the style of Shana Moulton, I turned my eyes into cut outs and overlaid them on top of shots of the park. To me, this represented me watching my surroundings whilst also establishing a sense of being enveloped in nature.
Monday 6th Jan - Lux
Contextual Review
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Unit 3: Developing Specialist Practice
I tend to be somebody who works in sporadic bursts when I suddenly become so inspired that I will not rest until my vision has been translated into a form I am proud of. I find it difficult to come up with ideas under rapid time conditions because I become very self-critical with the lack of depth and meaning they possess. I found the idea generation exercise for the Ideas Factory workshop very challenging and thus did not feel as confident as I had hoped to be during that lesson. However, after spending some time carefully coming up with underlying meanings to each idea, I ended up with successful results. Although the Diagnostic phase has introduced me to a range of artistic pathways and approaches to media, I have noticed a pattern in the way I approach these seemingly separate workshops. I am most excited when it comes to making artwork that is heavily conceptual and personal to me. For this reason, I feel I am more suited to Fine Art as opposed to Design, seeing that I prefer working from within and not for a client or purpose.
I especially enjoyed the Fine Art 4D workshop due to the amount of scope that was available to me. The brief we were given was highly conceptual and allowed me to explore what I was interested in. What excites me the most about this pathway is that it isn’t limited to digital art. I chose to do the 4D extension project as a result of this and combined the acts of prop-making, painting and even applying makeup with digital media. Very much inspired by artist Rachel Maclean, I am interested in the overlap between moving image and fine art. Maclean has said that she often blurs the line between painting and green screen, shooting her films and then inventing her own backdrops to place them in. Adopting a similar approach in my own work in the future could open the door to endless possibilities; I believe that this is the power of mixed media. Drawing, to me, is an outlet I use to communicate my ideas as opposed to the final form of a concept. Although I am very comfortable with drawing and enjoy it, I feel that it doesn’t stimulate me as much as other forms of media do. I would be interested in incorporating drawing and painting into moving image however, because this would place it in a new context where I would be able to manipulate and play with the art form.
I am fascinated with manipulating the human face and body and feel that this is best communicated through digital forms. Whether this be performing for the camera like Rebecca Horn or crafting entirely new personas like Cindy Sherman, the complexity and layers within digital art are the most inspiring to me. The transformative masks Gillian Wearing creates ties into my fascination with the power of depersonalisation. I often find that once something has been altered to an extreme degree, audiences find it more accessible and easier to relate to because it is so confrontational. I find Shana Moulton’s video work very stimulating in that her use of special effects such as green screen and editing unlocks a whole new form of art that can be explored and played with. I am drawn to the way she presents intimate details of herself through her alter ego, Cynthia, as I realise I have a tendency to allude to personal anecdotes in my own artwork.
Much of the art I am interested in centres around identity, the self, culture and taboo. I am drawn to the work of artists that are unsettling and at times considered grotesque. The work of performance artist Orlan is an example of extreme art that I appreciate. Oftentimes I find myself critically analysing why I am so fascinated with the audience response of shock and confrontation, questioning whether or not there is a degree of superficiality to ‘shock art’. I believe that yes, if an artist’s intention is simply to unsettle then the skin-deep nature of the work will be revealed, but if the element of shock is there to supplement societal commentary or underlying personal themes then that is when it has been successfully executed. Orlan’s various surgical procedures are a perfect example of societal criticism conveyed using a grotesque approach. The theme of cosmetic surgery and toxic beauty standards is being addressed through her work, and seeing as the procedures were filmed and photographed, it is perceived as performance.
Bibliography
Abrams, A., 1999. The Essential: Cindy Sherman (essential (harry N. Abrams)). Harry N. Abrams.
Vincente, J., 2001. Gillian Wearing. Fundacion La Caixa De Pensiones.
Luckraft, P., 2015. Zabludowicz Collection Invites. London: Zabludowicz Collection.
Zweite, A., 2007. Rebecca Horn: Drawings, Sculptures, Installations 1964-2006. Hatje Cantz.
Donger, S., 2010. Orlan. Routledge.
Sylvia, M., 2006. Video Art (basic Art). Taschen.
Zabludowicz Collection, Chalk Farm, Shana Moulton, 12 September - 15 December 2019
Tate Modern, Nam June Paik, 17 October 2019 - 9 February 2020
National Portrait Gallery, Cindy Sherman, 27 June - 15 September 2019
National Portrait Gallery, Only Human, Martin Parr, 7 March - 27 May 2019
21st Jan - Space - Time
Tuesday 7th Jan - Lux
Today mainly consisted of me editing my footage. I am still adjusting to using Adobe Premiere Pro and I find it difficult to get used to. I played around with various video effects to see if they enhanced the sense of duality between human and animal that I am trying to convey through my project. I found the overlay effect quite effective - having two videos playing on top of one another that represent the same thing draws the eye into the centre of focus.
Datafied Crit
- Set up my Datafied piece (Vivienne Goes Job Hunting) for presentation
- Printed out a plumbob template to hang above the screen, element of 3D
- I covered the table with green paper to further exaggerate the green theme within the Sims video game
- Printed out a fake resumé written in Simlish (Sims game language) to make it more realistic and immersive, humorous
26th Nov 2019
- Experimented with Adobe Illustrator and iMovie, Premiere Pro
- Created my 'Employability-o-meter' bar
- Experimentation with avatar creating apps
- Edited my green screen footage
Today I worked on my Datafied film and created my 'Employability-o-meter' bar on Adobe Illustrator. I looked at the graphics of various video games in order to take inspiration from them. Seeing as I have never created graphics for a film/made an animation before, this process proved to be quite challenging and it was difficult to get my graphics to be high quality images.
25th Nov 2019 - Datafied
Visit to VIRTUS Data Centre in Slough
Our visit to VIRTUS was unlike anything I'd experienced before. It was jarring to see all the machines containing huge amounts of data stored in a single location. Today has made me feel even more wary about what I share online and my digital footprint. Being a relatively cautious person online, this experience has reinforced my anxieties about what I leave on the internet.
18th Nov 2019 - Datafied
We were given a lecture on the Datafied project today which I found very engaging. Although the work I have made previously has not fallen into the category of automation and digitalisation, I was very excited about this theme because a lot of the themes I am interested in can be related back to the advancement of technology.
14th Nov 2019 - Re-Edit
Feedback on my Re-Edit film
- Sense of suspense is very effective
- Highlights the cultural differences between Asians and Westerners
- Almost a parody, satirical take on cultural ignorance
- Music choice is very fitting
- Starts off slow, then becomes fast paced and comical
- Slowly builds up
- Interesting overlays depicting Chinese cuisine
The feedback I got from my peers during today's crit was very positive. It was interesting to see my film shown on a large scale and I was able to identify minor editing faults this way.
12th Nov 2019 - Re-Edit
11th Nov 2019 - Re-Edit
7th Nov 2019
What did you identify as being the most important related to being human?
Although I wouldn't classify this topic as being the most important issue when it comes to being human, I took interest in how artificial intelligence and digitalisation could be represented in the form of a film. The theme of artificial intelligence is getting more and more relevant by the day and will inevitably be our future. Jobs that are considered more manual than others are still sought after today, but with the rise of automation, the demand for manual labour will gradually decrease. I decided to look into the jobs that are predicted to be replaced by robots/automation in the future.
Do you think that what you produced raised awareness about your interest?
The rise of automation is clearly a topic that people are already aware of - we see it happening in front of our eyes. However, I feel as if we as a collective don't focus as much on the consequences of this.
4th Nov 2019
What were the three points your group highlighted?
Our group targeted various different issues to discuss regarding being human, including class divide, our climate, and prejudice/unjustness towards minority groups.
What other points made by your group interested you and why?
One point that was brought up referred to us as human beings and our constant need to be in control. I think this applies to many things such as our l
What issues/sub-themes are you going to explore?
A different group brought up the topic of artificial intelligence and the rise of technology, which was something that sparked my interest. Although this issue is not considered as pressing or critical as others are in the grand scheme of things, I feel as if there is a lot of scope in this topic and is something I am keen to explore.
What materials/resources will you need?
Having worked with green screen for my final diagnostic project, I feel confident in using this again at a more proficient level. I have set up a makeshift green screen in my room at home using green sheets of paper which means I can film what I need at home, with ease. In terms of props, I think I am going to need various objects to help communicate my idea.
How can you get them in time?
I am going to scavenge amongst the materials provided in the sculpture yard at school, and will hopefully end up finding objects that relate to artificial intelligence, robots etc.
23rd Jan - Space - Time
Thursday 16th Jan - Lux
Feedback from peers
- The eyes act as a third party observer, idea of ownership, seeing from both perspectives
- The music worked, montage in an action movie, suspense
- The comparison people vs dogs, more effects added, comparison is easier to see
- The eyes let you draw comparisons in your head, entertaining
- Relatable, collections of people, animals, mirroring how your brain would react to seeing these things
- Builds up suspense
- However, the overlapping - kills the climax, less effects are more effective
Thursday 9th Jan - Lux
SILENT CRIT (INITIAL UNFINISHED CLIP)
Humourous. Reminds me (due to the audio annd fast cuts) of Scooby Doo. An adventure track if that makes sense. This is also due to the inclusion of the look left and right close up of your eyes. The horizontal banding is that an export error or file transfer error or intentional. Anthropomorphism of humans? Humans best friend - the relationship between humans and dogs. Personally I think it works best where the base aspects of the human body are and life are mirrors across the species such as boredom, running, shitting, eating. Yes, I think I should keep the concept simple and stick to the basic needs and necessities of humans/animals. I don't think you need the shot of the bin with the sticker. I would return to the park / parks and focus on making more of particular acts such as the above and how this is mirrored across the species.
How do you all feel about the audio?
I think the audio makes the video more humorous since it is hard to build a relationship between dogs playing in the park and such an overly exciting audio which creates anxiety. I think this was part of the artists intention to create this dilemma.
The music adds an overwhelming feeling to it and it sort of reminds me of the feeling one gets when you are super anxious to go outside and everything that is happening in the world is amped up to 100 in your brain even though they are just normal daily activities, it is very effective.
How did you make the dogs and the people appear with those lines?
I like the music, it makes you reflect on what's happening. Kinda like a spy movie but I don't know what it means in relation to what one is seeing on screen. I think the piece talks about the relationship between man and animals/nature. And how man is just an animal. How park spaces are a place where animals and humans come together in our modern world and in cities. I think if what you want to do is show the similarities between humans and animals/dogs, maybe a slower tempo song could help achieve this. The fast tempo makes you focus on the movement and less on the meaning of what you're seeing. Maybe slower music would allow the viewer to reflect on what he's seeing. I think short clips allow the viewer to reflect on the similarities between the dogs and the humans. If they were longer it would be harder to find the parallels between them.
Looks a bit like a trailer for an action movie. It's quite humorous since I'm getting anxious by looking at cute dogs.
Are you trying to build a connection between humans and animals - or pets? If so why?
The presence of your eyes towards the middle makes it seem that you you have woken up to all this chaos - Like you woke up from a dream or you just started to dream
You zoom into the statement saying "clean up after your dogs" - does this have any significance conceptually? Maybe make a person eat out of a dog bowl, or put a leash on someone? Have you seen parents that put a leash on their kids? Like a harness and a leash. You see this in airports especially. Find some video on the internet of this and add it, it could be funny.
I like how you have mirrored the actions of the humans with the animals through use of overlaying them it's really interesting. It gets more interesting the more I watch it as I begin to understand what I am looking for within it.
I really like the shot of the crow
It took me a few seconds to realise that the actions of the people are reflected back to the movements of the dogs which is really cool and interesting, was that what its supposed to show?
I'm just curious, why did you choose to reflect humans actions to dogs or vice versa
Where did you get the audio from?
All the shots were shot in the park, which is very life-like, except for the eyes, what do the eyes represent?
Okay I understand what you're doing here. I think you can film the gaze of person in the park, cuz the eyes in the video are a little bit obtrusive.
I like how the soundtrack increases the tempo of the piece as a whole makes you wonder what's about to happen next. The layering of the videos with reduced opacity is cool showing the mirrored actions of the dogs with the people. To make it more cinematic you could 'Cine-cut' the clips to give the black bars above and below adding a new sense of cinematography. Playing around then with the colour palette to amplify this effect of it being more cinematic. That's just the impression I got from this piece - it being somewhat like an action movie with the soundtrack and sharp cuts.
I think if you are to continue with the theme (audio and fast cuts with eyes) then it needs something more as a finale. Also why this time of day? In this light? Did you try shooting at dusk or in the am early as the light is different and makes the banal and everyday seem special. That is just a thought. Also what about PACK behaviour such as birds swarming humans and pack animals and so are canines I believe.
CAN ANYONE REMEBER THE NAME OF THE ARTIST WHO JUST PHOTOGRAPHS HIS DOGS
William Wegman??? - beat me to it thank you.
Also Patrick Goddard annd Gimples Filis (Gallery - some vid artists there that would be relevant)
Maybe take close-up footages of dogs in the same way that you took a close up video of your own eyes
6th Nov 2019 - Contextual Practice
Tate Modern Visit
For Contextual Practice today, we visited the Tate Modern and looked around at the free exhibits. I wanted to go to the Nam June Paik exhibition but was unfortunately unable to due to time constraints. What inspired me the most was the way many of the pieces on show were displayed - I especially liked the usage of CRT televisions as a form of presenting video work. Rebecca Horn's exhibition was one of my favourites, and I thought the mixture of sculpture and video work in one room was highly effective as it told a narrative. Horn's work had me thinking about incorporating body extensions and props in my 4D work. Perhaps this is something I will consider for future projects that require a longer period of time to complete. I found myself drawn to many of the paintings as well, which was unsurprising, seeing as I was largely focused on painting in the past.