Lonely, Loud

How did you intend to visually communicate your themes/ideas to the viewer in terms of the formal qualities of your video (i.e., describe the pace/flow of the video, the types of imagery used and why, the relevance of the audio, etc.).

            For my video project, I wished to convey the feeling of loneliness and its effects on the brain. I decided to try and incorporate the color and composition of my shots in a way that evokes feelings of isolation or abandonment. The audio I included in my video is meant to correlate with the hypersensitivity and hyper awareness that individuals experience when they are in a constant state of seclusion.

Describe the content-based research you engaged with. Without discussing any expressive aspects of the video, discuss how this research informed the production of your work and helped you to critically engage with your ideas.

            The content-based research I engaged with included articles that described the neurological effects of loneliness on animals and the way their resulting behavior can be observed in humans who experience the same type of isolation. Since animals isolated from their groups are consequently placed in an increased amount of danger, their senses respond instinctively by become hyper aware of their surroundings. In humans, this effect causes sufferers to over analyze or solely focus on the negativity that they experience every day while ignoring any positive events that simultaneously occur. They are thus subject to a cycle of stress, anxiety, and loneliness.

Video Project Rough Cut

How did you intend to visually communicate your themes/ideas to the viewer in terms of the formal qualities of your video (i.e., describe the pace/flow of the video, the types of imagery used and why, the relevance of the audio, etc.).

            For my video project, I wished to convey the feeling of loneliness and its effects on the brain. I decided to try and incorporate the color and composition of my shots in a way that evokes feelings of isolation or abandonment. The audio I included in my video is meant to correlate with the hypersensitivity and hyper awareness that individuals experience when they are in a constant state of seclusion.

Describe the content-based research you engaged with. Without discussing any expressive aspects of the video, discuss how this research informed the production of your work and helped you to critically engage with your ideas.

            The content-based research I engaged with included articles that described the neurological effects of loneliness on animals and the way their resulting behavior can be observed in humans who experience the same type of isolation. Since animals isolated from their groups are consequently placed in an increased amount of danger, their senses respond instinctively by become hyper aware of their surroundings. In humans, this effect causes sufferers to over analyze or solely focus on the negativity that they experience every day while ignoring any positive events that simultaneously occur. They are thus subject to a cycle of stress, anxiety, and loneliness.

Do you believe that the audio of the video engages successfully with the concept of hyper sensitivity? How do you think the audio could be strengthened?

Do the shots function appropriately in terms of length and composition? What effect do they have on you as a viewer?

“New Media in Art” by Michael Rush, and “Video, Flows in Real Time” by Maurizio Lazzarato

In Michael Rush's "New Media in Art," the concept of time and its representation within the artistic world is explored through the very manner in which artworks are subject to temporality. Rush discusses the immunity of of the interactive video format to the limitations that other more traditional pieces are subject to. This is a very interesting concept because it calls to mind the immortality of a work that completely lacks a traditional narrative format and instead asks the viewer to participate in a tangible and immersive interaction. The very possibility of preserving a specific series of events in time provides artists with the opportunity to preserve such an uncontrollable and untamable entity, a concept that truly provokes deep investigation and thought.
Maurizio Lazzarato's "Video, Flows in Real Time" discusses the very components that give essence to the structure of video technology and why these things are important to consider when examined within the context of their content and creation. The author includes a quote by Angela Melitopoulos that references the impact of the construction of these moving visuals: the technology utilized to create these pieces operates in a way that must transform and manipulate light in order to create the desired image. The energy that exists in the objects being represented and their subsequent changes when represented with video technology provide a view into a reality separate from the original experience. This concept references the layers of mystery that are always incorporated into works of moving image, something that significantly ties into our class because it reminds us that the very images of our video projects can contain plentiful sources of expressive thought and critical thinking, without the need for music or narratives. How can the technical procedures and the philosophical components of video technologies influence the creation of our video assignments?

"Digital Appropriation as Photographic Practice & Theory" and excerpts from Post-Photography: The Artist with a Camera

In Helen Westgeest's "Digital Appropriation as Photographic Practice & Theory," the author elaborates on the idea of seemingly inevitable appropriation surrounding the realm of photography in today's digital age. Throughout this segment, Westgeest presents different processes of appropriation, discussing concepts such as the difference between "taking" and "making" images. The evolution of photography's creation and development has also given rise to thoughtful considerations, including the observation of a "relationship between how we deal with images nowadays and the great quantity of images we are confronted with" (Westgeest, 2). In accordance with this idea, Westgeest also discusses the link between photography and tourism, a relationship that calls to mind a somewhat innovative execution of appropriation performed by many individuals. While the wide availability of these images may lessen their value, the very accessibility of these photographs and the techniques used to create them have revolutionized and added "new" elements to modern image-making processes.

In correlation with Westgeest's own discussion, the passages from Robert Shore's "Post-Photography" exhibit the increased scrutiny with which modern day culture regards photography, seeing as the vast accessibility of technology allows anyone and everyone to create these images. An interesting idea to consider is the constant theme of viewing photography as "a medium of witness" (Shore, 8). This active incorporation of the photographer into a powerful and important position allows modern artists to retain a new level of creative autonomy.

If we are to acknowledge the creative possibilities present within the concept of appropriation, would it also be logical to assume that the limitless resources of inspiration we have at our disposal can also put our work is at risk of being unapologetically unoriginal? Is this necessarily a "bad" thing? Is it even possible to ever be truly original?

"Introduction" to The Digital Eye: Photographic Art in the Digital Age by Sylvia Woolf and “Digital Manipulation and Fair Use”

The first section of this reading exemplifies the historical impact and influence of the photograph as an expressive art form. An interesting concept brought about by photographic manipulation and design included the position of artists as testers or "innovators." This principle signified not only the possibility for evolution within the artistic field as a result of new developments like technology, but also bestowed artists with the ability to generate original work through this manipulation. The creative liberties provided by digital photography are further explored in the reading: since digital images do not have the grain of photographic film, the pixels that do compose these photographs allow for a much broader degree of manipulation, which in turn allows for a much more infinite realm of innovation. This capability thus provides not only the possibility for creative innovation, but also allows each digital image to truly become unique and unparalleled in its creation instead of simply exhibiting traces of that which was photographed.
The reading also discusses the evolution of the photograph from a more luxurious item to that which belongs to and can be created by everyone. This concept leads into the second section, which discusses the fair use regulations pertaining to digital manipulation and various technical processes by which said photographs can be edited. Both readings pertain strongly to our class and especially to our next assignment, since they describe the histories and methods that are involved in digital photography and include the official terms for the techniques we will be implementing.
To what degree should we trust what we see in photographs and when is it useful to question what we see portrayed?

Wangechu Mutu: the Value of Collage and its Forms

Wangechi Mutu. Untitled (Pearl Teeth). 2008. paper collage, spray paint, beads, glitter, and acrylic on vellum. H. 44 in. (111.8 cm); W. 58.5 in. (148.6 cm). 

Source: http://wangechimutu.com/art/on-paper/

In accordance with the guidelines of Assignment 2, Wangechu Mutu's works exhibit an effective, precise, and intentional use of collage and its features to express a specific theme. In the video, the artist discussed the influence that maternal figures have on her pieces, as well as the instances of segregation that she and her friends experienced as children. These experiences transition into her work through the method and the image; for instance, in her piece Untitled (Pearl Teeth), the chaotic composition of the figures meets its balance through the control of their overall forms and outlines. Although the artist works with tangible materials as opposed to digital processes, the application of natural fluidity and imperfection through this hand-made approach reflects the entire theme of her individual pieces. Such intentions and application of the material can be applied to our digital collage assignment. The ability to cut, paste, undo, and color correct, among others, can give us not only the ability to more freely explore the collage's potential but also the capacity to convey a message that makes use of the synthetic, of a contrast between organic and geometric or a deliberate acknowledgement of the control of technological approaches. When examining the emotion of Wangechu Mutu's pieces, do you think that there are certain components that could possibly be strengthened or weakened by a technological approach to the formation of the collage?

On "Collage Culture: Nostalgia and Critique"

The interview with David Banash not only showcases the relevance of collage as an impactful artistic form of expression, but it also produces thought-provoking dialogue on the creative strengths and ironic weaknesses of the technique.

"This is one of the paradoxes of collage. It has the power to be critical of ideology at the level of its content, but at the level of its form, it depends on the materials of consumer culture and quite literally re-enacts the exact processes of mass production and consumption" (Collage Culture: Nostalgia and Critique).

To me, one of the most interesting points within the reading discussed the inability of any incorporator of collage to analyze their target without taking part in the very practices and ideas they may wish to criticize. While the process of collage does retain its own power in the content it produces, the very existence of the issues being studied is inherently what allots such great expressive punch. If not for the presence of serious issues and problems, the need and demand for critical collaged pieces would not occur, and though these pieces do succeed in critiquing their desired targets, they simultaneously continue and engage in the practices they wish to disband. Truly a paradox.
As stated in the reading, in terms of consumer culture, the artist inevitably assumes the role of consumer when he or she chooses the components of their collage piece, alluding to the inconsideration, selfishness, and chaos that normally accompanies extravagant and problematic lifestyles. The final piece inevitably requires the creator to tear through materials, preserving only that of highest quality and discarding the rest, a process that highlights this art form's incapability to escape the qualities and dispositions of consumer culture.

"Nostalgia itself, however, is incredibly powerful because it is a desire for the past, and it turns our attention to what has been lost and holds onto it, keeps it from slipping away - which in a capitalist context of disposability can itself be a kind of resistance" (Collage Culture: Nostalgia and Critique).

I also highly appreciated Banash's discussion of nostalgic focuses within collage. Why do you think the inclusion of nostalgic themes within collage is so appealing to contemporary artists and how could collage successfully express it in ways other techniques can't?