Project 4- Poetics of Time

This was my initial proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wMZOfx4MIOI3l2ymYVhpaffsdDNaIMZS2Lm2gKmiOe0/edit?usp=sharing

Feedback from Serena:

  • Concept relatively strong
  • With regards to the commentary, I needed to have more focus on the element of ‘time’ rather than my experiences- the linkage needed to be stronger.

Hence, I updated my commentary:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NDRa84T02PsZCikC0jTSyu0HgKuCnk1N3Ux4wSl6OyA/edit?usp=sharing

I made it more explicit by separating it into paragraphs of ‘time passing slowly’, ‘time passing fast’ and ‘time not measured w my experiences anymore’.
In order to incorporate more time elements,
Within ‘time passing slowly’, I used actual minutes to depict the slowness.
Within ‘time passing fast’, I used the comparison within past and now.

Work in progress:
There were a few distinctive changes I made to my video.

  1.  I wanted to give my video a context- why I went off Instagram.
    So, I got my friend who inspired me to get off instagram to record what he told me:

    His recording was use in the background in the first portion.
  2. While editing I realised that the time I need to insert the stop motion of the clay morfying was too long for it to just cover my voice-over of 2 lines. ‘At first, time past really slowly’ and ‘time feel like it was zooming pass’ so I decided for it to cover the last para instead. This was for the better since I wanted to audience to give attention to the lines of the last para instead of being over-whelmed by the visuals.
  3. Subtitles
    Besides the fact that yellow is most read-able colour to use for fonts, I wanted to use yellow fonts also because it will add on the indie-film edit i was going for. Very much like: Caroline Koning’s Love storiesChallenge:
    So, since was a personal project turned to 4d project which went on for about 6 weeks, I had ALOT OF FOOTAGES.

    This meant that I needed to think of which to filter and how to arrange.
    I mainly took inspiration from Wong Kar Wai’s works.

    Rain shots:
    I used a lot of rain shots, both in day and night time to evoke a sense of sadness and loneliness. This was when time felt the slowest.

    Dynamic camera movements:
    I used such shots when time picked up just to show that everything wasn’t still and to show contrast to the previous segment.

FINAL FILM:
Time was our zero-sum game- https://www.instagram.com/tv/BqMCknIHN56/?hl=en

Reflection:
I really enjoyed the project, it gave more depth to just a simple personal project. I came to realise time is a very unexplored genre I have yet to play around with- excited for more to come next sem.

I really you guys enjoyed the piece!

Here is the reaction and feedback I got from the class: https://youtu.be/Rbdu1IYg_nE

In-class exercise: Project 3 Re-visit

Project 3: https://vimeo.com/296915528

  1. Rhythm
    Background music: there is a sense for rhythm in the background track after o:12, its a beat made by the drum
    this was used to establish a sense of anxious-ness because time was running out
    Visually: repeated occurrences of 90s references can be seen throughout the video such as windows pop-up, blue’s clue etc.
  2. Movement
    in this film, you can see that theres a lot of exaggerated movements, when my avatar was shocked, my avatar WAS SHOCKED. there was a lot of pacing up and down together was hands gestures to show anxious-ness too.
    As for camera movement, I didn’t manage to do it Brooklyn99, The Office style because I was on a tripod. But I did attempt on sense types of shot instead, such as wide, mid, tight shots.
  3. Causality
    I think there was clear causality in terms of playing the game: upon finding the clue, you gain a point. I think what was unexpected was when the timer ended even before I found all clues.
  4. Duration
    Even though we were given leeway of more than 1 min, i felt i could tell my story within a minute so I stuck with the project brief expected duration of 1min.

In-Class Assignment: 10sec Performance Art

What would engage me? What would I want to watch, hear, taste , feel, smell? (experience)

Brainstorm of events that last about 10 seconds:

  1. Taking 2 big gulps of bubble tea
  2. Bending down to take my drink from the vending machine
  3. Opening the ferrero rocher wrapper
  4. For a popsicle to stop smoking heavily
  5. To finish pouring the bingsoo milk
  6. Wait for the polaroid to finish developing
  7. To finish chewing on a pearl
  8. Pluck my earpiece in and start listening to music
  9. To finish putting mascara
  10. Putting on lip tint
  11. Deciding how to pose for a photo

Final:
https://vimeo.com/298345633 

I decided to use the time taken to gather for a photo to represent 10 seconds because I wanted everyone to feel an emotion during the 10s. By inducing a common goal of being in the photo, I manage to get everyone to have a sense of togetherness and engagement during just a short span of 10s.

The final photo that came out:

Project 4 – Research

According to Guggenheim Museums, time-based Art refers to works which have duration as a dimension and unfold to the viewer over time.

  1. David Medalla’s Cloud Canyon

I managed to catch this piece (specifically No. 24)  in Singapore last year in the National Gallery.

This series of work represents cloud-like clusters (subject). The form is constantly changing the moment the work is being displayed because it relies on the process of bubbles being made, then shot up the tubes before sliding back down, if it doesn’t burst. The mediums used for this art piece are soapy liquid (detergent and water), which is turned into foam by compressors located at the bottom made of wood, perspex and time represented with a timer.

His works are placed in galleries with probably great lighting and calm ambience. However, I think with reference to his work, I think that the fact that his work is placed on earth, where his works would be exposed to natural earthly processes such as gravity, and humidity as the context, is more important.

His use of bubbles were connected to specific childhood memories. According to an article by Tate, it included the clouds in tropical sunsets in Manila; watching his mother cooking; a visit to a brewery in Edinburgh; and the frothing mouth of a wounded Japanese soldier he discovered in the family garden. Although his work was inspired by personal experience, he also  intended for his works to evoke imagination within an individual. He said in 1968:

The most important thing is to give life to materials, so that instead of finding ourselves separate from them, we find a complete dialogue with the material.
(Quoted in Brett 1995, p.62.)

2. Rachel Knoll’s Listen and Repeat 

https://vimeo.com/64517752 

This piece required a modified megaphone, twitter, and equipment for filming. The modified megaphone was used to recite tweets from Twitter with the tag “nobody listens”.

This was set on a mountain in Washington where at that point no one (except the crew) would have heard what was being broadcasted through the megaphone.

My interpretation of this film is to serve to show how we are increasing disconnected to reality, the real world and slowly we are relying more on social media to satisfy our emotional needs. There is an apparent paradox- a form of connection online, as emphasised by the used of the tag, yet in reality, it doesn’t exist, as emphasis by the content of the tweet. We could be together in this virtual reality space but the feeling of together-ness is not guaranteed.

CONTRAST
The difference between the 2 of these works is the way time is expressed. In the first piece, time is simultaneous with the experience of the participant. It has the element of ‘experienced time’– where the process of imagination dictated time. Hence the work was measured by the psychological disposition and attention of the participant. As for the second piece, there was a need for time to pass in order for an inference to be made and then  measured with (the inference) the effects of how social media has changed our relation with reality.  With this inference being presented in a film, which had time as a medium as well. Hence, comparing both, time was more prominent in the first piece and more subtle in the second. 

SIMILARITY
The similarity between the 2 of these works is how time evoked change. In the first piece, as time pass, the overall form changed with the interaction of its surroundings. Whereas for the second piece, as time pass, our view of social media has changed and even in the film itself, the tweets being read out has changed as well. Hence, comparing both, time led to ability to change.

 

 

In-Class Exercise: Soundwalking

Fenella and I worked together to record the following 20 sounds:
https://youtu.be/XFuWuEAOHBU 

Personally, my favourite were 7. tearing of the toilet paper and 14. flipping of pages in a book. That is because they seem  to give off the feeling on tension which is often not associated with sounds. Hence the physical attribute of these 2 sounds gave off an intangible feeling.

Overall, there were both organic sounds such as sounds made by humans, and also inorganic, mechanic sounds such as the narrator in the elevator or the beeping sound. All of which evoke different emotions and feelings.

Project 3: Impossibilities of Being

STAGE 1

20 Places

  1. Dream country: Cuba
  2. Where I want to live: California
  3. Most vivid dream: In the drain
  4. Favourite movie place: The VR space of Ready Player One
  5. Favourite hotel: Juvet Landscape Hotel
  6. Place out of access:
    1. North Korea
    2. Galaxy
    3. Heaven
    4. The Whale that swallowed Jonah
    5. Noah’s ark
  7. Who needs help:
    1. Female Kids
    2. Rohingya Muslims
    3. Chinese sold woman in North Korea
  8. Small spaces:
    1. Water pipes
    2. Watch/Clock
    3. Typewriter
    4. Bottle
    5. Starbucks cup
    6. Earpiece
    7. Ear piercing

STAGE 2- Hi-fi Storyboard

1st idea storyboard
https://youtu.be/10lj2kySmzA 

Feedback at Stage 2

  1. Too monotonous
  2. Needs more extreme happenings, such as someone giving birth and throwing the baby into sea, to show that a long duration was passing even though it was just 1 minute

However, before continuing to Stage 3,

So, yes, I went back to my list and decided to re-do with Idea 4.

New Storyboard:
2nd idea storyboard
https://youtu.be/KUKc_0la-bU 

Really glad given the limited time, the second idea didn’t turn out too shabby

Final video:
https://vimeo.com/296915528 

This video is titled ‘The OASIS’ to pay tribute to its inspiration. This short video is inspired by the film Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. What you see is my character, which looks like me, in a virtual reality space. So in Ready Player One, avatars were able to gain coins the VR space by playing games in different sectors, to buy stuff in the real world such as gears, running tracks ; so similarly, in my video, my avatar was initially worried because she had no more cash left.

Also, in the movie, there were many retro references made such as RoboCop, Startrek, so I tried to do something similar by using a Windows pop up, Super Mario’s coins, sound effect and the avatar was also playing a game based of a old cartoon show Blue’s Clue.

Why I chose this concept, because I wanted to show how cartoon, game made sound effects can merged with real life sounds can come together simultaneous to form cohesive. It might be a virtual reality space but you can still use real life sounds to aid the message you are trying to send across.

The Process

Filming and organic sounds were done by me.

I mainly used the technique of Foley, such as, to recreate the sound of
1. the first contact of the hands with the cloth hangers: i placed a metal straw into a cup and swirl it around
2. arms swinging: i grabbed the curtains and dragged it down really fast
3. footsteps: i used my leather wallet to hit against the table because leather would provide a soft tension upon lifting up
4. body stretching: tore tissue paper and recorded the sound just before the breaking point.

These are a few examples. I mainly looked at tutorials and researched  online. Such as: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSARKDwU0og&t=776s
Then I varied the real-life sounds to give depth to the actions such as how hard i’m hitting the shelves

I have also given sounds effects to the actions my avatar made, such as, her head spinning, her body stretching and her eyes opening to exaggerate her actions and these sound effects were from Creative Comms.

I also had voice-overs to let you hear what my character is thinking, and to provide engagement. 

You would have also heard a constant background sound to signify the time passing which has been manipulated to become louder as time is running out

Then the computerised sound effects such as the ‘Round 1’ ‘Game Over’ Narration or the Mario coin sound effect to tie the whole retro, VR theme together.

Hope you enjoyed my documentation!

In-Class Exercise: Sound is

Munch, Fenella and I worked on:
The Story

Thoughts and reflection:
My group chose to believe that sounds could also be tied to emotions and even have a metaphorical element to it. With that we decided to make it a story based on family interactions. We told the story in 3 perspective, silence which comes from a personal point of view, noise creating the setting using environmental sounds and listening as a form of respond and actions taken in the story.

If we had more time, I would definitely have liked to clean up the poem by having more interactions with people of the family through the various sounds because characters such as the grandma was only mentioned once.

Project 2: The Subverted Object

The object that I picked out was an ice cube.

As for Component 1, I wanted to bring out what I felt was unique about ice.

For the first photo, I thought that something really interesting about ice is that even as a solid it is able to float in water which is a liquid.

Hence, I chose a patterned cup to emphasise the refraction that happens when there’s a tension that happens as the ice floats in the water.

For the second photo, I wanted to captured how ice interacted with fabric. Upon long contact with fabric, ice melts and freezes the fabric with it causing the fabric to stick to the ice.

Hence, you see here that even though lifted, the fabric doesn’t drop.

The last photo is taken to depict how brittle ice is. Upon dropping it, it will break apart.

Hence, you see the literal broken pieces of the ice.

Moving onto Component 2, as I was researching I came across a surrealist photographer Ben Zank and I was very inspired by him.

His works often only features 1 person who never has his face full-fledged shown and 1 subverted object. It’s a very minimalist vibe, very clean.

Hence, I tried to adopt that style and if there’s anything at the back, its solely to help with the composition, to help to draw the viewer’s attention to the subverted object.  

So as I was thinking only how to subvert the object, I remember a question that Serena asked during our brainstorming session, which part of the body does the object come into touch with? Typically, ice comes to contact with us on the lips when we are having a drink.

Hence, this factor of what the ice comes into contact with was what I decided to change in component 2.

In this first photo, I have made the ice into the beads of jewellery and this is because I wanted to emphasise how the ice cube has now come into contact with the neck.

In this next photo, the ice has been modified into a phone. As for phones it’s often in contact with our ears and hands, which here brings out how the ice is now in contact with these 2 parts of the body.

As for the last subversion, I wanted to go extreme and play with the scale which is why I decided to have the ice in contact with the entire body and have turned it into a bed.

This leads me to Component 3.

I have added 2 sentences (linguistic messages) to the last photo of Component 2 and turned it into an advertisement for King Koil, which is a mattress company, and is targeted at new customers.

I have added 2 sentences.

The first line “Without King Koil” acts as a relay as it expands on the idea that your current mattress is just like how ice is hard and cold because your previous mattress was not from King Koil.

The second line “Visit us at one of our outlets today to find out more about our mattresses!” acts as an anchorage because it’s a call-to-action, an emphasis on King Koil better mattress.

In conclusion, this linguistic messages would help shape the context of the photo.

Thank you for taking the time to read! 🙂

Brainstorming Ideas – Ice Cube

The object I picked out was Ice Cube.

The research process:

This is a quick sketch on how I would have removed, replaced or redefined certain properties of the ice cube:

This is a quick sketch on how I would have associated an ice cube with the given verbs.