Final Project: Poetics of Time – The Joke Is…

For this final project, I mainly decided to play with Edited Time, incorporating a bit of Linear as well as Experienced Time. I also tried to infuse my Style into the video as well as the live performance.

Medium Chosen: Video Installation and Live Performance

Inspiration:

Due to my awkward and quirky nature, I decided that a joke would be an appropriate way for me to express myself in this manner. Hence, I thought of how to play with edited time mainly focusing on the 2 areas of changing the sequence of events or playing with the speed and duration of the joke itself.

I also decided to play with edited time because I was inspired by Douglas Gordon, Through a Looking Glass, where he used edited time to bring out the psychotic behavior of the protagonist through mismatched time in an enclosed space.

Video analysis (Video Installation only):

” Do you know why Bruce Lee died of thirst? Because he wanted WA-TAAAAA (water)!!!”

Duration What happened in the video? Intention
Before the Video is played Live performance:

“I’m going to tell you guys a joke through the video. Listen carefully and you may respond when a question is posted to you.”

Setting the Audience Expectations

–          Listen: They expect to hear something.

–          Joke: It should be Funny.

1 to 13 seconds The joke had no sound despite there being a “beep” and a “huh huh” sound. Playing with the Audience Expectations

–          Before the video begin, I told the audience that I was telling a joke and asked them to listen carefully.

–          Joke: expect something funny

–          Listen: expect sound

Yet, only the joke had no sound hence it was something different.

 

“Huh huh”

–          A predicted reaction I intended to get from the audience.

21 to 28 seconds The joke was played again but in a much faster speed, followed by the zooming to my eyes to show bewilderment and the sound of “What the hell is this?” Playing with Edited time

–          Compressing the video and hence speeding it up

–          Second time the audience are unable to hear the joke

 

“What the hell is this?”

–          Audience are likely to be confused at this point as they are still expecting to hear the joke but there is none.

40 to 70 seconds The joke was played again but in a much slower speed, followed by the zooming to my eyes as it was being rolled and the sound of crows in the background. Playing with Edited time

–          Stretching the video and hence slowing it down

–          Third time the audience are unable to hear the joke

 

Rolling of eyes and crows in the background

–          Audience are likely to be frustrated and annoyed at this point as it may seem like they will never know or hear the joke.

80 to 95 seconds The joke was played again in a normal speed, followed by the zooming to my mouth as I gasped and maintain still for a few seconds. Gasp

–          The gasp was a reaction predicted that acts as a form of realization where the audience can finally hear the joke after such a long time of expecting the joke.

Stillness

–          Create a form of anticipation as to what may come next in the video, but the video simply ends there.

96 seconds till the end of the performance Live Performance, Live Joke:

I repeated the Joke again here as a live act.

Live joke

–          Ensure that everyone could hear and understand the joke and therefore would result in a live reaction of laughing together.

In between every joke, I would ask the audience “Do you guys hear the joke? Do you guys hear the joke? Its okay, cause you are not suppose to hear the joke! Let’s watch the video again.” (seen from the Video recording of the Live performance below)

 

Structure of my video installation

Telling the joke in different ways –> Predicted reaction of the audience

  • Soundless joke –> Confused audience
  • Fast joke –> Confused and Frustrated audience
  • Slow joke –> Frustrated and Annoyed audience
  • Normal joke –> Enlightened audience
  • Live joke –> Laughing audience

Analysis of Concept

Edited Time: Lengthening and Compressing of the joke duration

Linear Time: Predicted reaction in a chronological order adds a sense of time as compared to the joke being on a loop.

Experienced Time: The audience experienced the confusion, frustration, annoyance, realization and laughter. Each having different spans of time for each individual.

Rhythm: “Do you guys hear the joke? Do you guys hear the joke? Its okay, cause you are not suppose to hear the joke! Let’s watch the video again.”

Movement: Each reaction filmed moves from the face to a specific part of the face such as the eyes and mouth.

Stillness: Gasp, to create a sense of suspense of what is coming after that realization.

Causality: The expectations and reactions that where being played with.

In order to make the video more engaging and entertaining by itself, I dropped hints of the joke such as the posters of Bruce Lee each time his name was mentioned, imitating his signature shout and actions as well as placing the sound of water flashing whenever the joke ended.

 

Reflection:

I was very proud of this piece of work as it not only had my style in it but also because I was able to incorporated the elements we had learnt about time into this piece of work. The specific planning of expectations resulted in reactions that I wanted and the audience did laugh at the joke itself, making it very much successful. This would not have been possible without the constant help from Serena and my friends who actually participated in the response section of the live performance. Through this Foundation 4D class I was really thankful for all that I had learnt and it felt amazing that I was able to accomplish something like this and make a work I am proud of when I wasn’t confidence with the medium of videos and ideation at the very beginning. I felt that it was a successful piece of work for me despite and I really enjoyed and grew from these lessons.

Check out the live performance and presentation below and the responses of my classmates!

(PS: The front part was cut off as the operator was tricked by my soundless joke and thought that the audio device was damaged.)

 

 

In-Class Assignment: Project 3 Revisit

Documentary of JUPJUP ISLANDA

Rhythm: Repetition of regulated sound

For this Project 3, I think the rhythm was set by the “Gibberish Talk” that was always at a constant tone and pace. The continuous usage of the same tone to speak and talk allows the rhythm to be set.

Movement: Shift or variation in location of anything

The video was set as a documentary of JUPJUP ISLANDA, introducing the different places and aspects of the islanda, moving from place to place.

For 58 to 60 seconds, there was a perceived absence of movement, stillness, that was present before the individual falls from the JUPJUP JUMP. This allowed some contrast as people were more likely able to focus on the background sounds of the heartbeats.

Causality: Principle that everything has a cause and effect

The documentary has a linear narrative, by first beginning with the big picture of where the islanda is located, followed by how the islandars live their life through play only and finally ending with how an islandar would end his or her day.

For 42 to 46 seconds, the jailed lady throws a bottle and is followed by a black screen accompanied with the sound of glass breaking. From the sound, viewers can infer that the bottle is now broken.

Duration: Overall length of time

The video lasts for 1 minute and 41 seconds. This was an appropriate time for the documentary as it encompasses the lifestyle of the islanda from morning to evening without the viewers getting bored.

 

 

In-Class Assignment: Sound Walk

Sound Walk

During this class exercise, June and I took a walk to various places to capture the sounds around us.

STE – 000: Toilet Flushing
STE – 001: Footsteps while walking
STE – 002: Ping Pong Ball
STE – 003: Pond water falling (1)
STE – 004: Watering of Plants
STE – 005: Pond water falling (2)
STE – 006: Pond water falling (3)
STE – 007: Running on Grass
STE – 008: Dried leaves rustling when stepped on
STE – 009: Mechanical Machines (Fan Turbine)
STE – 010: Birds Chirping
STE – 011: Van Driving Pass
STE – 012: People conversing
STE – 013: Sensor beeping when door is open for long periods
STE – 014: Typing on Keyboard
STE – 015: Pages of book being flipped
STE – 016: Snoring
STE – 017: Impatient Hand Movement
STE – 018: Vending Machine Buttons
STE – 019: Ice cubes clanging in a cup

The 3 most interesting sounds to me are those that are in bold (STE – 002: Ping Pong Ball; STE- 011: Van Driving Pass; STE – 019: Ice cubes clanging in a cup).

STE – 002: Ping Pong Ball

It showcases as a Synchronized Sound as conversations of people are recorded at the same time as the sound of the ping pong ball. There is also a foreground sound and a background sound that was recorded. This tells the listener what the recorder wants to focus on.

STE – 011: Van Driving Pass

This was interesting for me as it was the only sound that could showcase distance. At the start of the sound, it was softer and gradually becomes louder suggesting that the van is moving closer towards the recorder. At the end of the recording, the engine of the van becomes softer and gradually fades away. This suggests that the van has now moving further away from the recorder.

STE – 019: Ice cubes Clanging in a cup

When June and I reviewed this sound, we were actually very confused about what it was. It was interesting because the sound effect that came out was very different from what we expected and did not seem to connect to the action that produced this sound. In fact, it even gave us creepy and eerie vibes instead. Hence it was interesting.

 

 

 

 

In Class Exercise: Text and Image

Group 2: Text and Images (June, Tom, Shin Yi)

Literal: Identifying what is actually present in the image.

Symbolic: The pure image (without linguistics) that offers symbols (signifiers) that relate or review some kind of concept (signified).

Linguistic: Concerns the text — involves Anchorage and Relay

  • Anchorage:  Clarify or emphasis something in the image, anchors a certain part of the image (usually a logo)
  • Relay: To expand on or explain the significance of the image such as providing context

NOTE:

  • Literal: Should not use African Man but simply Black Man as you cannot observe that he is African unless you read the text.

Project 2: The Subverted Object

Component 1: Denotation

Since Denotation means the literal meaning of things, I decided to focus on mostly the characteristics of the measuring tape and also the function of the tape.

Image 1

Showcasing the flexibility and texture of the object

There are 2 kinds of measuring tapes, one is a Mathematical tool and the other is usually meant for the measurement of the body. I wanted to showcase the difference between the 2 types of tape and capture the unique property of this measuring tape, its flexibility, compared to the more rigid tape measure that is often used as a Mathematical tool.

Furthermore, the texture of the measuring tape can also be seen here with a slight reflective feature at the 42 to 43 and 12 area suggesting that the tape is smooth.

 

Image 2

Showcasing the numbers and order of the object

Numbers are a key feature of a measuring tape regardless of inches or centimeters. A reason why I choose to focus on inches for this image instead of centimeters due to the fact that such flexible tape measures are generally used for the body measurements.

Why didn’t I want to focus solely on one number?

I felt that the order of the numbers from small to large is also a key characteristic of a measuring tape and this feature should also be included.

 

Image 3

Showcasing the function of the object

This picture depicts the general function and association of a measuring tape. As these tapes generally measure the body, I have placed it on my waist, which is one of the areas I am more concerned with in terms of my body image.

 

Component 2: Connotaion

By subverting the object, it allowed me to add new layers and meanings to the object.

Image 4

Blindfold – Criticizing the social standards in body imaging

For this image, I wanted to subvert the measuring tape into a Blindfold. The numbers 33 inches and 13 inches are placed on my eye itself. This is because 33 inches is often seen as the perfect bust size and 26 inches the perfect waist size. In this case, 13 inches was used instead of 26 inches as 13 inches is a more common representation of 26 inches especially on clothing.

Why the inclusion of my hand?

I wanted to include my hand to showcase that I blind myself to these standards. There is also a certain degree of tightness and tension, as seen from the fats on my under eyelids, because I wanted to suggest that like even though my body is not at the “perfect sizes” I still try to forcefully bind myself to them.

Comments and Improvements:

Unfortunately, the this photograph was not well executed. It provided a very minimalist feel and did not truly seem to represent a blindfold.

A possible idea to improve would be to totally cover my head with several measuring tapes, and tie a knot at the back of my head. The shooting from the back of my head, making it seem more mysterious and similar to the idea of a blindfold.

There could still be the focus on the numbers on each side of the head through techniques such as blurring out the other irrelevant numbers. Furthermore, the repeat and focus of the specific numbers (33 inches, 13 inches) could be more defined and obvious using several measuring tapes.

 

Image 5

Ballet Ribbons – Criticizing the mandatory body images required for performers

I have been dancing since I was in Kindergarten and it is an activity that I truly like and enjoy. However, as performers, we often don’t have a choice but to have a certain specific type of body, shape and size in order for us to perform.

Although I was doing something that I truly liked, the constant contact with these ribbons every lesson forces me to remember that my abilities and talent are not the only ones I’m measured against.

 

Image 6

Handcuff – Criticizing on other aspects of how numbers define us

On the Right hand, it generally focuses on inches, which is a common unit of measure for our body. While the left hand generally focuses on centimeters, that is used in this case to represent our IQ level, with numbers ranging from 114 to 148 .

The general public usually has an average IQ of 85 to 110. However, the numbers shown are all above the average IQ level, suggesting how we bind ourselves to standards above average and sometimes forcing ourselves to work beyond our capabilities so that we can excel and impress.

Comments and Improvements:

Unfortunately, the this photograph was not well executed. It failed to give the representation of a handcuff.

Perhaps a solution would be to wrap several of the measuring tapes onto a toy handcuff in order to attain a defined shape of a handcuff. Furthermore, the image can also be taken from the back with my "hands behind my back" to give the feeling of being arrested if the social norms and higher standards are not kept up to.

Each ring of the handcuff should also be coated with specific number ranges to further highlight and re-emphasize the significance of the numbers.

 

Component 3: Text and Image

This image is taken from component 1, picture 2.

 

Image 7

Analysis

Numbers to letters As mentioned in component 1, the order of the numbers are a key feature of measuring tape.

–          Despite being used to measure the size of the body, the measuring tape is often only related to numbers and not the letters that also indicate the size of our bodies.

–          Hence, I changed the numbers to letters as they still represented the same thing.

Why does the letters decrease in size gradually? So usually XXS represents “extreme extreme small”

If its suppose to be small why such a big text size? (vice versa for XXL)

–          Generally, the bigger text often means something of more attention and importance. Hence, in society, XXS has become something of much importance to us as it becomes something that we desire and want, the smaller the better especially for sizes of clothes. This suggest that slim bodies that are “desirable”.

–          Whereas for XXL, since it is the least “desirable”, it has the smallest text size suggesting the insignificance in society.

–          Hence, the gradually decreasing size of the text in despite the increasing body size.

“Size doesn’t matter, they are only letters” Relays

Used to expand on or explain the significance of the image.

Font of “Size” For “Size”, I literally used different sizes and fonts to create this effect of different body sizes. Eg. I even though its usually v skinny, I used a small and bold text font to showcase short and stout.

I felt that it gave more effect on how size is in real life, especially if you imagine each letter as a single person, instead of just the size of our bodies dictated by S,M,L.

Font of letters For Letters, the different fonts and sizes suggests that we are all of different sizes just like how each character in the word “letters”.

If only society was as simple as these letters with different fonts and sizes, accepting of each other to form a bigger meaning and picture.

 

Comments and Improvements:
  • The decreasing sizes of the fronts are not obvious enough. Hence, does not really showcase the effect of importance or hierarchy within a society.
  • Certain contradiction, even though the poster says "Size doesn't matter, they are just letters", the decreasing font size of the sizes had an importance in showing the attention given to each different body size in society.
  • Perhaps it would be better if I played with the unrolled areas of the measuring tape
  • Or include other sizes such as 5XL and not just the mediocre sizes. There is no need to list all the sizes out as well.
  • Not very good and still can be further improved.

 

Personal Reflection

Compared to project 1, this project was definitely more in depth and I felt that I had a certain degree of growth as compared to before. Although it may still be a little tough for me to grasp the concept fully, it was definitely a brain wracking project as I had to think of several ideas and ways of executing the plan out. Most of the time, the images in my head did not match what I wanted to portray or the potential image that I imaged. Even so, I think there was a certain degree of improvement for me and I picked up more new skills in this area. I will do my best to improve and do better.

 

In-Class Assignments on Project 2: The Subverted Object

Class Exercise

I really found this activity very interesting because it helped me to create more ideas and better concepts. This exercise was particularly useful for me due to the introduction of the techniques of Removal, Replacement and Redefinition.

 

 

Some of the stronger concepts and ideas were actually developed through this process and I decided to use them in my Project 2.