poetics of time

There are 2 posts tagged poetics of time (this is page 1 of 1).

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

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.