FMX463H Blog
Blog Post #1: Introduction
Hello, I'm Jennifer(Jen). I'm taking this class because I've always been interested in art installations or art that is interactive. Anything that can draw your attention to the point of forgetting the outside world.
Most of my themes are pretty "Dark". That's just how I am. I have a joy of horror movies and monsters stemming from suffering from night terrors and sleep paralysis since I was little. As someone once told me, "Eventually you have to embrace your demons." I went further than that and made them my friends.
I also come from a Forensic Entomologist field originally(dead people and bugs). So I enjoy the look of destruction and decay. Most of the worlds or art I've done stems from a "post-apocalyptic" style. I truly find beauty in the worst of places.
Project 1
Project 1 proposal:
Since this was a non-linear narrative. I did a version of a day in my life. There is no order to anything in the videos. I tried to let them happen naturally and recorded when something struck my interest, besides the ones I had to stage to show some creepy stuff. It ranges from things at my work to what happens in my daily life and then what happens to me at night some days(Night terrors and sleep paralysis). I also tried to make sure that all the lighting was as neutral as possible to keep with it being hard to place. I like that I could just film when the mood struck and I think in the end it made everything come together with there being no strings.
Materials:
-Iphone 8
-Adobe Creative Cloud(Premier Pro CC)
-My Cat(Boom Shakalaka)
-Lizards at work
-Lamp from Ikea
-Creepy closet in my room
-The rain over the weekend
Process Post 1:
Filmed scenes over the weekend.
Learned new things in Premier Pro and hated every moment of it.
Thankfully it rained which made my cat cuddly
Taught myself how to use Premier Pro and add sound as well.
Artist Research:
My professor told me about The Brothers Quay because of my fascination with horror themed things. I have to say immediately upon googling their name I immediately fell in love. Their things are stuff of nightmares and that is wonderful. They do stop motion animation with their work that is usually based on stories. They use doll parts inorganic and organic materials all in a moody atmosphere. These are things that should be scary to most but I just find it fascinating and as I am watching love to break down every scene and motion.
These small films are bringing life to something people usually shy away from. Almost facing you're fears by manipulating them and becoming the master. The fact that they do it all in stop motion just adds a deeper level to it by having to minutely moving every object and on top of that building the characters as well. Their dedication to the craft is amazing and truly inspiring.
Process Post 2:
Decided how I wanted the layout to be of the videos.
Uploaded and cut the frames.
Process Post 3:
Put finishing touches on everything.
Did artist research(watched a lot of clips)
wrote artists research.
Finished all parts of project
Artists Statement
I found this first project pretty easy for me to do. It dealt with daily things I go through from happy and bright to dark and scary. I want to be able to show people that even through something might horrify you there are ways to overcome them and in the end control them. That's why I took the suggestion of researching the Brothers Quay because they do just that. If you never become the master of your own world you just allow yourself to be chained down by your fears and will never reach your full potential.
Project 2:
For our second project the theme is "Space", or how we want our viewers to feel. I'm sticking with the horror genre again. Our project in the end will have to installed and viewed in our blackbox, which is great because I plan on working with the darkness of the room as part of the feel. All of my items are made to remind one of your childhood. They are all innocent in nature until what I project onto them is seen. I want the viewers to feel small and uncomfortable. To bring back memories of being alone and afraid in bed after a nightmare. These are things that I feel almost constantly but have learned to control them and find the beauty in it. I want to see if my viewers can as well.
Process Post 1:
-Planned out scenes.
Put together the objects to be used.
Timeline:
-Feb-15th:Film clips + extras as needed.
-Feb-17th:Edit clips in CC (try out on mad mapper)
-Feb-19th:Prepare items that will be used. Purchase or create.
-Feb-22nd:Record and edit noise to be projected in room.
-Feb-25th:Do a test run if possible of objects.
-Feb-26th:Edit, make sure everything is going good.
-Feb-27th:Show finished project today or the 28th.
Process Post 2:
-Shopped for items
-Planned layout of items in room
-Setup how scenes will be shot
-Found scenes for free that could not be filmed
Materials:
-IPhone
-MadMapper
-Adobe Creative Cloud(Premier Pro CC)
-Foam craft ball
-White Sheet
-White small couch pillow
-Stuffed animal
-Automan round chair
-Lighting
-Sound recording(if possible)
Artist Research:
Nobumichi Asai (WOW)- Japanese media artist who uses face-mapped video projections. Who first release OMOTE(2014) and has since gone on to explore this technology of juxtaposition, especially in the performing arts. He has a fascination blurring the perception between virtual and physical reality. Has also produced holographic art(Light Of Birth).
Uses open source programs like OpenCV to create his works. "These are two similar works using the same code: OpenCV. Both virtual CG space in the computer and physical space overlap, so that images on the PC can appear in physical space. These images track and react to the movement of the subject."
The universal laws of mathematics and physics are open to everyone and available to be known, because the things that are essential to us are shared by everyone, just like water and air.
Process Post 3: Worked on video shots,Editing clips to be used.
Tried to figure out how to edit and arrange videos in Premier Pro CC.
Artist Statement:
You cannot master your fear until you let it consume you. That is one of the first things I learned when I started having night terrors. You have to be able to let it surround you and at the same time stay calm in knowing you control it. That the images you see are a product of you and your imagination. As with the past theme I head down the tunnel of horror. I want the viewer to take on the part of both the monster and the child. To show yourself that you can see it from both points of view and be able to shift how you see everything.
Project 2 MadMapper
Project 2 instillation.
Project 3:
In this project it is important to begin to think about video as a material at your disposal, a material that can add texture, light, and drama. Think about the space you are creating as a stage and consider the experience of your viewers or participants. How will they move through the space or work? How will they interact with you, the space, object, or projection?
This project is to be a site specific installation, in which performance is encouraged (you do not have to be the performer).
The topic is open, but you can choose to tell a story, involve or implicate the viewer, place one space inside another, utilize a live feed, create an earthwork…etc
I've always loved Earthwork. The fact that it uses the material and space that nature gives you. I have yet to see anyone do projections onto their Earthworks. I like the idea of making a nest not to big/but not small either and projecting different types of birds or forest animals into it. I want it to be surrounded by trash or the nest to be made out of trash. I want it to show the reality of what we are doing to our planet and how animals have to adapt around us because we are destroying and polluting their home. It's a subject I hold close to my heart, because I want to see the world thrive while taking care of it.
Timeline:
-Mar-20th: Look into building or buying bird nests
-Mar-21th:Edit Film footage of birds. Also look up free footage of trash dumps and birds.
-Mar-24th: Scope out area for project
-Mar-22nd:Record and edit noise to be projected in room.
-Mar-25th:Do a test run if possible of objects.
-Apr-1st: Make final touches in mad mapper
-Apr-3th: Film and upload final product
Materials:
-Iphone 8
-Madmapper
-Nature
-Sticks, moss, cigarettes, leaves, glue, trash
-Projector
Process Post 1:
-Looked for ideas(interested in making something in the earth) earthworks/landart
-researched artists who did small artworks based around nature
-look into how to build a birds nest
Artist Research:Andy Goldsworthy
He is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural and urban settings. From the age of 13 he worked on farms as a labourer. He has likened the repetitive quality of farm tasks to the routine of making sculpture: "A lot of my work is like picking potatoes; you have to get into the rhythm of it."
Photography plays a crucial role in his art due to its often ephemeral and transient state. According to Goldsworthy, "Each work grows, stays, decays – integral parts of a cycle which the photograph shows at its heights, marking the moment when the work is most alive. There is an intensity about a work at its peak that I hope is expressed in the image. Process and decay are implicit."
His art involves natural materials and the passage of time.
Process Post 2:
-Filmed some footage of birds
-looked up nationals geographic footage
-build 3 nests
-collected a couple pieces of garbage birds would use
Process Post 3:
-Found out I can't film at night in the parks around me.
-Found a spot outside my housing complex
-rebuilt nests
Artist Statement:
It's proven that humans are destroying nature. No matter how many of us are trying to save it, there are so many more that unknowingly go against it.
I wanted to show the isolation and assimilation animals like birds have had to go through just to survive around us.
Project 4:
For my final project we are not really given rules of what it has to be about. With this freedom I want to have a little fun.
I plan on setting up a table filled with tons of sweets and drinks(cookies,candy cakes,soda, etc). However projected behind the table will be an oven/fire.
I plant that with the amount of food that is taken/eaten from the table I'm going to increase the sound of someone burning alive.
Because the more you eat the more you kill the witch.
In part I'm going to have the class be Hansel and Gretal.
Timeline:
-Apr: Look into building or buying bird nests
-Apr:Film footage of birds. Also look up free footage of trash dumps and birds.
-Apr:Scope out area for project,Record and edit noise to be projected in room.
-Apr:Make sure to have all supplies stocked and a plan of action to get the into place
-Apr:Do a test run if possible.
-AprMake final touches in mad mapper
-Apr:Film and upload final product
Process Post 1:
-Find out food allergies of the class/teacher
-gather recipes if going to make at home
find or record the sound of a fire/someone screaming
-draw up image of setup
Materials:
-Iphone
-Video Images
-LOTS OF FOOD/DRINK
-Blackbox
-table
-table cloth
-chairs
-fake candles
-Air freshener
Artist Research:
Thomas Czarnecki- Is a photographer known for his series called "From Enchantment to Down". It is a collection of photographs depicting fairy-tale heroines in scenes that are darker than their idyllic stories. The twisted series illustrates an alternate ending to the well-known narratives, offering a dramatic contrast to the child-like nature of the original story. He looks into each tale and takes it apart to restage it the way it would be in todays world. All of these "Tales" are so very adult themed and would most likely be on an episode of Law and Order SVU. He shows that beautifully/darkly. He was tired of seeing these "Princess" be know around the world and children idolizing them to the point of obsession and overlooking the themes they were meant to show and tell when they were originally created.
"The theme of this series is universal. The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland… So many Disney characters embedded in the collective culture as sweet and innocent creatures that I decided to get out of their recognized fairy-tale frame and universe. I staged these same childhood heroes face against the ground and by doing so, create something of clash and culture shock between on one side the naive universe and the innocence of the fairy tales as such and confront them to the other side: a much darker reality that is as much part of our common culture and which is provided to us, incessantly through the darker side and imagery broadcasted through tv, cinema and others."
Process Post 2:
Found/filmed fire burning.
Mades sketches of how scene might be.
Found Audio of someone screaming/burning alive.
Process post 3:
-Bought most of the supplies needed for the table.
-Put together small clips for mad mapper.
organizing and planning out the finishing touches.
Artist Statement:
Horror is the style I will always head towards. For this project I went with a bit of Grimm Fairy Tales. It has been referred to as the story on how to not raise your children. I wanted to give the class a taste of that by having a table full of sweets overshadowed by something darker. The psychology behind the story and what I'm doing to my classmates will do a good job in creeping them out and making them uncomfortable.
If you can't look at something truly horrifying to yourself and be able to analyze it you will never overcome your fears. Each project I have shown something close to me to prove to myself an unknowingly others that I have and still am overcoming these things and building myself up. I use these scary themes as an outlet because it is the easiest way I can express myself to others. No matter how dark it is there's always a light somewhere.
Final Instillation Video + Pictures:
