Micro-Project 7: Video Selfie

Video Selfie

I am a messy artist, but that’s okay. I make things work, out of what doesn’t.

This is my performance for the video selfie. What I did was to open my wardrobe to a mess and start rummaging through it. I picked out certain objects to look at it / wear it. Finally, I found the item I am looking for and turns around, to which I pick up my phone to show what it is — a cactus and a succulent. I watered them and rotated them to reveal that there are more parts of the plants than what it was initially shown to look like.

Some screenshots:

ONE OF THE JUNK COINCIDENTALLY LANDED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA

Meaning

Here are the significant objects I used

From top left:

Some random junk – Junk thoughts
Spoilt vinyl record – My love for music
Whiteboard – My love for organisation
Poster of the game “Portal” – My love for gaming
Vietnam hat – Just a prop honestly
My plants – The representation of a good idea that can be developed
Batik prints from Penang – My appreciation for art
Nerf Gun box – My love for fun stuffs
Acrylic painting from Hong Kong – My appreciation for art

This video represents me as an artist in the way that I search for ideas. My mind is a haphazard mess and my ideas are represented by the objects.

By opening the wardrobe to reveal the mess, I am showing the inner workings of my mind. The items I threw out are what occupies my mind. Random thoughts, music, plannings, games and playing, art.

After searching throughout and emptying my thoughts, I found my idea and brings it to the window. These are revealed to be my cactus and succulent. I water them, which represents me nurturing the idea. Afterwhich I turn the plants to reveal that the cactus has small buddings (unintentional that it looks phallic… It’s just the way my cactus grew #dontjudge) and that the succulent have an extended part to it. This represents the way I can grow ideas to change perspectives.

Music Choice

Image taken from https://genius.com/Shura-white-light-lyrics

I chose White Light by Shura, specifically the part from 5:17~.

What I love about it is that at about 5:51, there is a sequence which reminds me of a journey (through space). I tried to time everything so this part will start when I pick my plants from the wardrobe. This represents the finding of something important and a shift in pace.

Also, this song stuck with me for about 3 years, which is a classic for me, so I thought it was appropriate to have it to represent me.

Questions

How can the video selfie be used to alter identity?

To me, the video selfie is just a representation of my inner identity and not something that alters it. It may be scripted, which can show people what you want them to see, so it can be faked easily. I feel that the video selfie says little about a person, unless the video selfie shows something impactful or shocking. Perhaps, like any other selfies, they are mostly insignificant.

How might video be used to conceal identity?

As mentioned above, it can be scripted. It can be made into a very elaborate performance, but that may not represent you.

How do the objects that surround you contribute to your sense of identity?

They are representation of my inner thoughts, and so they do offer some insights for others to know who I am. In some ways, the objects create intimacy.

Conclusion

Overall I want to portray myself as haphazard and messy, but also can provide the world with a piece of myself that is fresh and can change perspectives.

31 March, 201831 March, 2018

Final Project: Split Chef (Trial)

Intro on what we are doing

Our team (Brendan, Bryan, Dion, Joel) came up with a cook-off game that uses the third space as a form of communication. There will be 2 players, one will be drawing while the other will be buying the ingredients and cooking.

The two players are connected to each other through Instagram Live, which works similarly to Facebook live. The two can communicate through this third space. The facilitators will be the ones filming for the players so they can do their thing while still be communicating.

Firstly, the drawer will be given 7 seconds to draw the ingredient given. The second player will have a minute to find the item and add it into the basket. After buying all the ingredients, the buyer will go to the kitchen and the drawer will have 15 seconds to draw each step of the cooking process. The second player now will cook the food and the end results will be judged by the facilitators.

Trial Part 1 – The Groceries

So in this trial, Brendan and Dion are the facilitators while Joel and I are the players. I am the one drawing and Dion facilitates me while Joel is the buyer and Brendan facilitates him.

When BBQ sauce becomes Tabasco sauce (like c’mon guys that’s clearly a BBQ pit and spatula)

Lime! The droplets gave it away very easily

Taco wrap that looks like burger bun and Joel got it!!

Seashell pasta that became dumplings but it’s okay because this is a decoy ingredient

Here are some screenshots of what happened. Here’re some pointers I got from this experience:

we initially gave the drawer 10 seconds but it was too long. We lowered it to 7 seconds so that it is still a lot of time but not too much.
There are some instances where the drawer need to be creative. Example (not captured in screenshots unfortunately) will be the Shiitake Mushroom. I literally drew a pile of shit and a mushroom and Joel instantly got it. It was a funny experience.
Joel understands a lot of the ingredients I drew which was very surprising for me! For instance, I drew the taco wrap (pic 2) and it looked like a burger bun to me. But he got that it was taco wrap for some reason. I’m guessing he guessed it based on the other ingredients that he had to buy, since he have experience in cooking. His cooking instinct made us wonder if there are other ways to team people up. (initially we wanted friend vs non-friends, but now we can consider cooks vs non cooks or something like that)
Joel sometimes took a long time to find the ingredient which dragged the game. We need to set a time limit for the buyer to figure out what they need to buy and find the item. This can make the outcome more interesting as, if the buyer is unable to obtain the item, the final dish will be off (and more glitched).
The connectivity is alright but sometimes it gets a bit pixellated

Overall, being the drawer is a very fun experience. The 7 seconds time limit and the rush to draw something meaningful to the buyer is exciting. Watching the buyer buy the food, is also fun. If the buyer gets something wrong, I laugh. If the buyer gets something right from a bad drawing, I am impressed. I think watching the buyer buy the things is also part of the fun experience as a drawer so it’s fine and not so boring.

Trial Part 2 – The Cooking

I wasn’t around during this part as I had to rush off to somewhere. Zhen Qi is very kind to help take over me so we can continue the game.

Unfortunately I can’t say much as I wasn’t around, but I can tell that connectivity is a big issue. The pantry isn’t well connected by wifi or data, so the live feed keeps getting cut off. I also feel that there is a lot of waiting time for the drawer while the cooker is cooking.

I feel that the drawings are okay, that the time frame given to draw is enough for the drawers to express the instructions properly.

The outcome is delicious (according to the rest of the group members). The Tabasco sauce created an interesting taste, so the glitch wasn’t that unpleasant. It actually enhanced the dish.

Videos of the cooking process:

15 March, 201815 March, 2018

Research Critique 3: Glitch & The Art of Destruction

“For me this approach to noise or noisiness, or dirt, or dirtiness, is a way to foreground as you say, an aberrance or perversion of normative message or what we might perceive to be logical reasoning. Because there is a poetics to that obviously and people who inspired me most directly in that matter would be Netochka Nezvanova, who did this comingling of functional code with highly politicized and poetic language.” – Glitch Expectations: A Conversation with Jon Cates

The idea of noise as aberrance is obvious but at the same time, poetic in a sense. Noise, defined as a disturbance of the norm, can be compared to glitch and destruction. We deconstruct a subject through destruction; and through this abstraction, our minds go through a different thought process to create a whole new meaning to the subject. Rather than seeing destruction as vandalism or something offensive, we see through the eyes of the artist and realise that destruction is a statement.

The iconic Mona Lisa, masterpiece by Da Vinci, was chosen as a symbol of traditional art form, representing not just all the paintings that exists in history, but also and the rules and properties tied to it. We printed an image of it on paper in black-and-white pieces before being assembled together into one image. Stripped from its colours, texture, and proper medium, this artwork is glitched intentionally. Devoid of its original meaning, the artwork is recreated as a symbol rather than to replicate the original.

In our iconoclastic performance of burning the Mona Lisa, we do not only reject traditional art rules and forms, but also releases “art” from its static medium, freeing itself from its own rigidity into a formless, seamless entity that is ever present. The resulting corpse, its ashes, is now a soulless and empty shell that flakes away. This corpse bears no resemblance to the original at all and is now just a relic of what it used to be.

The entire process of destruction — from the careful handling of the image of the Mona Lisa, to it being engulfed in flames, to the ashes it left behind — is captured in a video. By watching the video, the audience can get the idea that we are trying to convey. The new meaning of art that we have created have left the image that we burnt and enter the medium that we have recorded it in!

Video:

We see a similarity in Ant Farm’s Media Burn (1975), a performance that made an impactful statement against the influence of television and the American lifestyle. By smashing the car and television together, Ant Farm demonstrated, through destruction, the clash of the two core subjects that Americans were obsessed with at that time. The spectacle of the performance, rather than the destroyed meaningless pieces left behind, have caused awe and mass media attention which amplified its intended meaning as it have made use of the very medium that is is trying to address.

“Here noise exists within the void opposite to what (already) has a meaning. Whichever way noise is defined, the negative definition also has a positive consequence: it helps by (re)defining its opposite (the world of meaning, the norm, regulation, goodness, beauty and so on).” – Glitch Studies Manifesto

The idea of what brings meaning and what does not is in the matter of perspective. One can see positive in something negative, and thus, by shifting our perspectives to align to that of the artist, we are able to find a new meaning defined by the artwork. Similarly, the lack of imagery in the new Mona Lisa, although meaningless and ephemeral, is the product of a process that represents the new icon for art. The “corpse’s” lack of meaning is the very definition of its meaning, which is that art is finally freed, and its meaning can be everywhere.

14 March, 201814 March, 2018

Micro-Project 5: The Art of Destruction

Destruction of Traditional Artwork

Our group printed out black-and-white parts of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and put it up together to form a 53 by 77 cm image of Mona Lisa, which is the actual size of the original painting. The iconic Mona Lisa is a representation of all traditional form of art, and may even be the icon of Art itself. The replication of Mona Lisa is a form of destruction of its originality, where the artwork is stripped of its colours, texture, and reality. By piecing up many pieces of the Mona Lisa, we also glitched it up slightly as it now is a combination of 8 pieces of paper rather than a whole canvas.

Our artwork is a performance where we would burn this piece of “artwork” as a symbol of rebellion. It represents the destruction of the rules tied to art that have been established for many years. To burn the icon is to say that art does not have to have an image tied to it too. Art should be formless, everywhere, and most importantly, it should be free. It should be like the air surrounding us.

The performance art itself is also a destruction of the meaning of art being just a static piece of painting, as art in modern day is broadened with introduction of things like performance art and concept art. Therefore it breaks the idea that a painting should represent art itself.

By destroying the artwork, one does not only reject traditional art rules and forms, but also liberates the art from its frames, releasing itself from its own rigidity. As it turns into smoke and ashes, it leaves in its new and better form — freed, formless, and eternal, rather than being trapped in the painting.

The final outcome has a unique texture — it appears solid, but it is soft. The burnt ink also created a sepia tone to the new Mona Lisa.

The Video

14 March, 2018

Micro-Project 6 – Super Participation

Super Participants

On Wednesday, 7 March, Kai Ting, Melodie, Niki, Samantha, and I took part in a 24 hours super participation project. We posted whatever we wanted to post from time to time within the 24 hours.

It was probably a sleepy and slow morning. We snoozed 582901 times and woke up unwillingly due to things we have to do. Meanwhile, Kai sleeps in peace, sending automated messages every hour. It’s a bliss to be Kai.

Lateness is a trait found in all of us, as we soon found out.

FOOD

Food is a common theme amongst us. Throughout the day, we post what we ate, what others ate, and other experiences tied together with the food.

Food is such an important theme for us and we have influenced each other because of it. Suppers are the most tempting, where a person’s post on supper could influence others to want supper. Envy is a driving force to hunger.

TRAVEL

In between activities, we like to also share our travelling experiences and thoughts while travelling.

It is during these period of time where really interesting things happens. Our senses are more alert as we are not distracted by activities. We notice things that are strange, curious, or funny.

In travel, we also made connections, unintentional or not.

The lack of things to take while travelling brought the attention back to ourselves, which have made other people notice things about ourselves that creates the connection.

HAPPENINGS

Things happen, we share. People meet, we share. As long as something new happens and it feels interesting, we make a post about it. The keyword is new. If it is something that seems to be a continuation of something that have been posted before, it is ignored. Happening posts are usually the beginning, or the end of something.

WORK

Work, on the other hand, is the opposite. We post about work while we are in the middle of it, perhaps, as a form of distraction. Either that, or that’s because there is no end to work. :’)

SLEEP

Another day ends, as always. We update each other on our sleepiness and our sleep times. We all are very late sleepers, and all of us slept past midnight, tired and dead from the activities in the afternoon. The last human update is at 3.40AM, and that’s the last goodnight we hear from all of us.

Then, we have Kai.

In our comments, we are very supportive. We feel for each other when we get hurt or when we share negative feelings. We compliment each other when we see something nice posted by a person. When we see something we have in common, or we can relate to, we post a comment.

Now come to think of it I guess we relate a lot more to work than to anything else.

Our posts are very personal and trivial most of the time. It is a more direct reflection of our life as we express outwardly rather than our internal thoughts. We are trying to create an identity that is controllable and relatable, that others can see, quickly know what we are trying to say, and move on. We don’t want a great deal of attention put on us. We are uncommitted to our digital life, and share only things that we think others may enjoy looking at, thinking about, or empathising with.

In this super participation, our motivation is to keep the page alive, while at the same time doing it minimally so we don’t overwhelm each other. We created a persona for ourselves, to a certain extend, where we only show what is worth showing. The more perfect and calculated version of ourselves that is showable, yet candid.