Projected photography

One possible idea for my photography project is projecting old photo of when someone was younger, on the body of that person of how they are now, and then taking the picture. I like this idea as you can position the photographs in certain ways on the body to create a illusion or a more unusual piece that fits to the subjects body. 

Memory Video Project - Research for our group idea

The main plot of our project is inspired by the Plastic Bag short film, which showed the life of a plastic bag through voice narration and strong imagery, giving the bag human-like qualities. This helped Tori to come up with the idea of an item representing her life experiences, and showing these experiences in the life of a scarf. Eventhough the narrative will be anchored by a voice over, we still want it to be very much image base, and visually appealing. 

During the first meeting with Rosie, we mainly had to think about what roles each person in the group would take, and how everything will be organised and put into a production folder. We also need to think about how we all are going to contribute ideas into the development of the narrative of this project. This includes working on the script which is currently only on its first draft.

One idea I suggested was when the scarf is in a box or in darkness it can have nightmares, possibly showing images of the nightmare and the scarf ripping, accompanied with experimental sounds which will need to be developed and created by the other members in the group who are dealing with sound.

Experimental sound inspired by the film The Double Life of Veronique (1991) as in one scene she listens to a tape that records the short journey of a man she is trying to find, and just be enviromental sounds she has to work out where the person is and retrace the steps. This will be similar to the dark box scene as the audience will only be able to hear sounds.

Using Audition - Introduction

I had never used Adobe Audition before so I found this lesson extremely helpful in order to know the basics of creating my own mixes, and matching up the sounds to a moving image. I took screenshots of the process of how to create a new track, import clips, and create fades.

This is what I done in the lesson, Its not quite complete just yet so I will probably post a full completed version in the future!

Test Recordings

During this lesson I learn how to use the hand held microphones that can easily be used to capture environmental, ambient sounds and sound effects (location recording). In pairs we went out around Farnham and captured test sounds that we found interesting. I particularly liked recording sounds on the street, where there are different layers of sounds, such as cars and people talking and you have to listening carefully to pick out each aspect.

 This recording was taken closely to a zip on a bag. 

  Recording of shopping trolleys moving in a car park.

  Recording of cars along a main road.

Recording of me walking down a street and passing a kid screaming and having a tantrum.

Recording of someone eating crisps in the university cafeteria.

  This is one of the favourites, and it is a recording of water pouring out of a water fountain, between two vending machines.

Recording of a street singer.

Michael Landy - Break Down

"Its about the amount of raw material that goes into making objects and about the lifespan of things"

Michael Landy Break is certainly a piece that has taken art to the next level. Not only has he used all is personal belongings in this, be he has also destroyed/damaged them, organised in boxes and placed on a conveyer belt. The broken/destroyed item theme has given me inspiration for a possible photography idea.

Objects contain a lot of memories, especially when its apparent from accidental damage and use. This is quite interesting to me as sometimes you can tell a story from items, especially shoes that have got worn/damaged due to going to all different places, and T shirts ruined due to an event that had happened. This could possibly be an idea that goes towards my final photography project, the idea of 'damaged' items. 

Lesson 2 - Volcano in Affect Effects (Attempt 1 failed!)

I really enjoyed this lesson, but at the same time found it challenging. I knew there was almost endless possible in terms of special effects on After Effects, however being able to turn a still image into something that appears as a moving image amazes me. I must say my first attempt was a fail! I found with this it was quite hard to make it look like the camera is going around the volcano smoke, and in my first attempt it just looks like the image is being stretched.

I made notes below, so when I redo this clip in the future I will know what to do! The process is a lot more complex then I thought.

Beyond: Memory Film Treatment

Susan Hiller: Witness

An inspirational piece in terms of coherence of sound and visual image, is Susan Hiller’s installation Witness. Each speaker in the installation transmits a voice telling a story of an individuals encounter with UFOs or other unknown creatures from out of space. Each sphere is shaped like an UFO to visually anchor its purpose but to also visually create a beautiful forest of experiences and voices. I want my project to be similar to this, being the audience is taken through a variety of experiences that are unique, however have a string of similarities, to show the bigger picture and that even though its a personal subject, a lot of people have these encounters with deceased all over the world.

Christian Boltanski

The Reserve of the Dead Swiss (1990)

Christian Boltanski's work is very much based around the idea of memory. He creates installations of photographs of anonymous dead people, which are then lit and displayed. This is quite an interesting installation because eventhough the pictures of each subject are dark and appear slightly gloomy the lights add a more positive feel, and highlighted that these people should be remembered. The lights almost simulate the feel, as if someone was lighting a candle in a church for someone close who has passed away.

"The photographs of anonymous dead people were selected by Boltanski from obituary notices in Swiss newspapers. The lengths of fabric gathered around the shelves are shroud-like and also evoke the curtain of the crematorium. Aside from this suggestion of 'memento mori' the harsh beams that spotlight each face evoke references to interrogation and torture. These aspects together with the sheer scale of death suggested by the title and by the repetitive presentation employed here have led commentators to find references to the holocaust. However by nominating the victims as Swiss, a neutral people, the association is muted and allows for more intimate, personal and wider, historical reflections."

Memory Video Idea

I'm Free (In memory of a loved one)

My Idea

After doing research about the brain and researching into powerful our brain is for manipulating memories, or creating ones that we may not have experienced in real life/ person (such as memories from a previous life, or a glimpse of the after life), I want my project to look into a specific area of a subject where it is unsure if the memory is true or a complete figment of a individuals imagination.

[Post I made about near death experiences (videos included)]

I was talking to my mother a few weeks back and we were on the subject of close relatives that are no longer with us. My mum told me she has has spiritual connections with her mother and grandmother, and have felt/ seen there presence. Every though I have no experienced seeing a loved one that has deceased, I have experienced the presence of my nan. Her favourite animals were robins and butterflies (particularly white ones) and on several occasions when I have been feeling down, alone or stressed these symbolic animals would appear. Taking mine and my mums personal experiences as an idea, I decided to look on forums and research into other people who have also experienced similar things.

For my final idea I home to take a few of these stories and recreate the experiences.

[Link to forum that includes stories from people who have see deceased loved ones after death]

Research

During one of our screenings we were shown a short film (I will put the name of it here once I have found out, I think it was Lohotus Seremonica Consulation Service), which was a two screen drama which followed the story of a couple having a troubled relationship. Although it stuck to a narrative, the way the audience could interpret could be very different. The couple and some friends falls into ice in a lake, and it is unsure of whether they survive or not. After that it cuts to a scene of her in a room alone, when her partner strangely appears but when she goes to touch him he disappears. I interpreted this that he has passed on but she has survived, however she could still see him at that moment and communicate even though he wasn't actually there. Even if this wasn't the directors intention, this is how I interpreted it and how it gave me inspiration for my idea. I like how the film felt slightly mysterious and wasn't set out like a typical film or a documentary and had an almost abstract/poetic feel to it at some point. This is how I want my film to feel.

Inspiration to look into the cognitive side of memories and talking about people personal experiences came from a few documentaries I have watched that show people who have had memories from who they were in their previous life, and also individual who have see their future when they have had near to death experiences.

(Original documentaries I looked got removed from Youtube so must find it from other sources. Although video below is related to subject)

Time Art Treatment (In Progress)

Time Art Treatment by Julia Cowell

Slow Motion

Water is a very interesting substance on a biological as well as a visual level. Due to the density of it, it allows everything to almost be slowed down, and manipulates the image of the subject. When captured as a photograph it can be quite interesting and amusing, as it manipulates body shapes.

For my final Time art project I wanted to use water to show what happens when the human body is placed within it, and when this event is slowed down and sped up.

My idea was to get a fish tank full of water, and get someone to place there face in it for as long as they can while I film there reaction from below underneath. I wanted to capture the air flowing from there mouth and slow this down, as air bubbles can be unpredictable and create all different shapes. I also wanted another screen speeding up the process of fingertips getting wrinkled due to water. However, I found that there would be safety issues with this, because of the electrical equipment and the danger of water overflowing.

To do

Lists

Working in retail I find myself interacting a lot with people, and finding out a little bit about them just from what they buy. However, one day I found a shopping list on the floor. I found this quite interesting as from to do lists you can have an idea of what type of person they are, or what they do (as creepy as it sounds). Sometimes an individuals characteristics shows through. This also connects with the subject of memory, as the concept of a list is to remind people of what they need to do. This could be something I look into the for photography and maybe my memory video. Even if I do not use it for my main piece it is certainly a interesting thing to look into, even if I do feel a bit nosey!

Bio Art Research

Click here to see Bioart website

This website has definitely inspired me to do something biology related for my Time art project, even if they are specifically screen related.

Skin Texture

In the Wrong Placeness - Kira O'Reilly (2009)

Ive seen a lot of artists playing with the patterns, colours and textures of bacteria grown on a petri dish to create interesting photographed art pieces, however after a session with an artist that mainly uses her body with art, I found that different textures can be found on our own bodies. This includes the surface of the body, hand and foot prints to create patterns and art pieces. 

The photo above is by Kira O'Reilly, who used her self and a pig to compare the texture and shape of both backs. This is quite an unusual piece, especially because the shape and texture is so similar, and how it represents our complex relationship with animals.

"Realising the similarities between the pig's skin and her own, Kira danced skin to skin with a dead pig and invited members of the audience to touch both her own and the skin of the nonhuman animal"

Art can be an experiment

In this piece the artist became the subject and put on a performance, using science. With an audience watching and a horse standing in the background, she was injected with blood from a horse. After this she then stood next to the horse in hoof stilts. This shows how your art piece could essentially be an experiment for yourself, as well as educational for the audience, and trying to get across a message.

"Horse immunoglobulins by-passed the defensive mechanisms of her own human immune system, entered her blood stream to bond with the proteins of her own body and, as a result of this synthesis, have an effect on all major body functions, impacting even the nervous system, so that the artist, during and in the weeks after the performance, experienced not only alterations in her physiological rhythm but also of her consciousness. "I had the feeling of being extra-human," explained the artist. "I was not in my usual body. I was hyper-powerful, hyper-sensitive, hyper-nervous and very diffident. The emotionalism of an herbivore. I could not sleep. I probably felt a bit like a horse.' "

Biology sculpture (Like time has stopped)

Anne Brondie 'Bee Box' (2011)

I really like this sculpture as in its natural habitat and alive you would not be able to see bees this close. It also makes it appear like time has stopped while they are still flying.  Even though this also isn't related to the screen, it shows how artists create art to show the audience detail and the little things we may not usually look for. I want to create my piece similar to this in a sense, making the little details and things we don't really think about into an artist science experiment on screen.

Reenactment Photography

Photography From Paintings

I am considering for my final photography piece to do a recreation of an old photo, possibly one when I or my parents were younger. To do this I have been looking at all different ways people have recreated things within photography, including Josef Fischnaller who recreates famous painting but as photographs.

 To do this you have to be very aware and conscious of the set, make up and costume to make it as accurate as possible. Even though recreation photos do not have to involve a lot of individual and unique imagination, it is still amusing to how accurate the photographers have made the pieces to the originals, and can be slightly humorous.