I originally had a more traditional video, I planned to use a total of 6 videos but however due to me not being able to find my tripod. Instead, I began to work with just two clips to start out with, I had intended to use the two clips as a custom transition for the rest the video. I was going to have the video start out quite normal with a strong emphasis on the flowing water of a creek in my backyard. I would use this to lure the viewer into a false sense of security and serenity and then use the custom transition to take the video into a different direction thematically. Once I added the green screened hands into the video I knew I had to use it as the focal point, I tried to add enough hands to create a full kaleidoscope like effect, however the strain of all the animations made this quite impossible. I had to render the scene as a separate video so I could actually use premiere pro, once I finished that I went on to the sunset scene which required a little bit of problem solving on my end, I was running out of time so I had to wrap up the sunset scene and just settle with it being just a simple intro and outro for my project. If I were to improve this piece I would have done more research into how to optimize premiere pro so I can use more than 10 animations in one project.
The Walk
PLACE: Situate to the place that you want to explore for this walking lab. Record the following items:
Where is the location, (country, city, street, can you note the latitude and longitude?)
A pond that was once my own vegetable garden as a kid
What is the place, (describe: a bustling shopping mall, a quite hiking trail by a stream)
Backyard Pond
Why did you choose this place?
Convenient yet nostalgic
UP + DOWN perspective:
Take time to look downward (Take 2 interesting photos – change angles and perspectives).
Take time to look upward (Take 2 interesting photos – change angles and perspectives).
Take a photo of you that serves as a portrait but does not include your face.
ACTION: Take 10-20 steps (or more steps), stop.
3. TOUCH: be as descriptive as possible
Feel a surface and write down 1 sentence to describe it.
Cold, acrid yet brimming with life, flora blooming throughout.
Feel a second surface and write down 1 sentence to describe it.
Morning dew still bursting through, life born anew.
Write a sensation felt within the body and write down 1 sentence to describe it.
Coldness blooming from my fingertips to my arm, evoking a sense of nostalgia of a time long passed.
4. SEE: be as descriptive as possible
Describe a colour and texture of an object – do this for 2 objects
Green and soft to the touch, moisture residue still resonating upon it
Brown and coarse, dries the skin when in your hands
Describe the texture or colour of an object surface and cross it with another sense – do this for 2 objects
(ie. the wetness of brown)
The coldness and roughness of the bark making me reminisce of the soil of my vegetable farm I once had in the same area
The brutish harshness of a rock protruding out of the ground evoking a sense of regret as I remember the memory of me losing control of my dirt bike as a result of me hitting it
Take a detailed photo of one element you wrote about for this section.
ACTION: Take 10-20 steps (or more steps), stop.
5. HEAR: take 3 minutes in stillness, with your eyes closed and listen.
List the various sounds you hear, a minimum of 8 sounds
Caws, cars, wind, water, trees, my own heartbeat, my own breathing
Pair each sound with 1-2 descriptive words
Water flowing: inevitable change
Doodle on a piece of paper (lines, marks, dots) in reaction to a sound – label the sound(s) you focused on. Note how long you doodle for 20 sec, 2 minutes.
Take time Listen to your breath. Write words to describe it.
Calm, steady and filled with cold fresh air
ACTION: Take 10-20 steps (or more steps), stop.
SMELL: close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Write 2-3 descriptive words to explain the smell of this place
Moist soil
Write 2-3 descriptive words to explain the scent of a specific object in that space.
Rotten ropes
ACTION: Take 10-20 steps (or more steps), stop.
TASTE be as descriptive as possible (this one will be explored in your imagination)
Write 1-2 sentences that if you could taste this sense of place, how would you describe it?
A place once occupied by a sandbox, wooden play house and a swing set which all have been lost to memory except for the swing set which lies in ruin and rust.
Describe the object (size, colour, material, handmade, manufactured, etc.):
Roughly lap sized, silver colored and built via hands and pliers
What is the intended function(s) of the object:
Aluminum wire can be used for electrical wiring, welding or in this case used for artistic purposes
What is the cultural context of the object?
(What era was it made? Is there a geographical connection? Is there a connection to gender, class, or a culture? Is the object taboo, a banal everyday item, or sacred, etc?)
Aluminum Wire has connections to the Trades (Electricians and Welders) as well as the Arts. The human skull is synonymous across cultures around the world as a symbol of death, whether the object is taboo or not is ones own perception of the symbolism of the human skull.
Do you have a personal connection to the object?
(Does the object conjure a memory, symbol, or reaction for you on a personal level?)
I have a connection to the object because I made it roughly 2 years ago in a previous class
Name the ways the object can be manipulated? (Broken, wrapped, filled, burned, stitched, etc.)
The wire can be bent in many ways, can be flattened into any shape, glued or melted
Mental Associations 1: Name three (3) things/elements that have a commonality or similarity to this object.
-Creativity
-Senescence
-Inspiration
Mental Associations 2: Name three (3) things/elements that are opposite or in contrast to this object.
-Bordum
– Blooming Life
-hindrance
Object #2
Name the object: Bowtie
Describe the object (size, colour, material, handmade, manufactured, etc.):
Palm-sized, cerulean green bowtie manufactured from silk
What is the intended function(s) of the object:
To tie around the neck to wear formally
What is the cultural context of the object?
(What era was it made? Is there a geographical connection? Is there a connection to gender, class, or a culture? Is the object taboo, a banal everyday item, or sacred, etc?)
It was made in 2023, there is a connection to formal fashion, the object is not taboo and is not an object for everyday use
Do you have a personal connection to the object?
(Does the object conjure a memory, symbol, or reaction for you on a personal level?)
The object makes me reminisce upon the recent wedding of my best friend in august
Name the ways the object can be manipulated? (Broken, wrapped, filled, burned, stitched, etc.)
The item can be ripped apart, burnt, cut and stitched back together
Mental Associations 1: Name three (3) things/elements that have a commonality or similarity to this object.
-Comfort
-Joy
-Remembrance
Mental Associations 2: Name three (3) things/elements that are opposite or in contrast to this object.
-Casual Fashion
-Discomfort
-Forgetfulness
Object #3
Name the object: Wooden Mannequin
Describe the object (size, colour, material, handmade, manufactured, etc.):
Hand-carved wood, Aluminum rod, brass screws
What is the intended function(s) of the object:
To use as a pose reference for the human body for drawing
What is the cultural context of the object?
(What era was it made? Is there a geographical connection? Is there a connection to gender, class, or a culture? Is the object taboo, a banal everyday item, or sacred, etc?)
The item is commonly used by artists to get an exact pose for a reference, there is a large connection to drawing whether it be traditional or digital and is usually never taboo
Do you have a personal connection to the object?
(Does the object conjure a memory, symbol, or reaction for you on a personal level?)
I have no personal connection to this object as I have never used the item
Name the ways the object can be manipulated? (Broken, wrapped, filled, burned, stitched, etc.)
It can be burned, unscrewed and moved around via its moveable limbs
Mental Associations 1: Name three (3) things/elements that have a commonality or similarity to this object.
-Creativity
-Inspiration
-Motivation
Mental Associations 2: Name three (3) things/elements that are opposite or in contrast to this object.
– Uninspired
-Unimaginative
-Lethargy
Object #4
Name the object: Roll of Scotch Tape
Describe the object (size, colour, material, handmade, manufactured, etc.):
Plastic case, metal, and cellophane tape and mass manufactured
What is the intended function(s) of the object:
For quick temporary repairs, arts and crafts and as an adhesive
What is the cultural context of the object?
(What era was it made? Is there a geographical connection? Is there a connection to gender, class, or a culture? Is the object taboo, a banal everyday item, or sacred, etc?)
Verry wildly used as a quick fix for broken objects or just plain arts and crafts, and is a rather mundane household object/tool
Do you have a personal connection to the object?
(Does the object conjure a memory, symbol, or reaction for you on a personal level?)
I used this specific roll of scotch tape to fix my PAL as the laminate began to fall off a year ago
Name the ways the object can be manipulated? (Broken, wrapped, filled, burned, stitched, etc.)
The plastic shell can be burnt/melted and broken, the tape itself can be folded and ripped apart
Mental Associations 1: Name three (3) things/elements that have a commonality or similarity to this object.
– Repairs
-Creativity
-Urgency
Mental Associations 2: Name three (3) things/elements that are opposite or in contrast to this object.
-Destruction
-Unimaginative
-Deferment
Assemblage Stories
-Stupor
O joyous one
Of stupendous stupor
eschew of sobriety
rejoice in celebration
and bask in revelry
-A Birthday to Remember
Miles awakes from his 2 hour Sleep Tindinitus burdens his wooden Cranium, he looks at his wooden torso The words “Happy birthday!” Glued upon him He begins to recollect the memories of the prior night, he equips himself with Wooden risers and brandishes his Plastic weapon as he Prepares for war. A birthday Cake tank bursts into the fray, Miles braces for impact as a Candle is launched from the tanks Саллол He awakes in the midst of silence in the birthday battlefield
-Party like your Dead!
As Percy lifts his Glass towards his undead jaws A Viralent Melody Plays as the liquid flows out of his mandibles A Small Chuckle transforms into loud bellowing laughter He lights up the Candles Petruding out of his skull and Proclaims “Let us drink to the dead!”, he Chuckles as the words leave his jaw.
Collab Questions:
Ideas for assemblage
Aluminum wire willow tree
Ceramic hand holding a wire rose
Aluminum wire Hands paired with ceramic hands
Assemblage:
I played around with a few ideas, few of them seemed a little daunting for me so I had to choose something a little more manageable, my first choice was a ceramic hand that would hold a flower. I found the gesture of a hand to be quite surreal as well as a good option as it was an easy object to make.
Stage 1
The first hand i made had its fingers all break
Second hand was made in response to the first failing
The Aluminum wire i used to stengthen the fingers failed
Stage 2
Stage 3
Project Intent: Senescence
I played around with a few ideas but they all seemed to share the same common theme; the concept of life and death. I had the intent on working fully with wire and then mixing it with another object, however, that was not the main point of the assemblage project so I had to completely scrap that idea (especially because it would take 4 weeks). I had to scale back to something simpler, I had the idea of borrowing the idea of making a ceramic hand from my sculpture class. I wedged the clay at home so I could work at my own pace, but that came at the cost of the stability of the hardened clay which crumbled apart the very next day. There was however a strong message that was created by the hand crumbling away exposing the aluminum wire like exposed bones, this was unintentionally poetic and alluded to the decay of the human body. However I still feel I could have put more effort into how the hand would be displayed, the amazon box was a last-minute choice which I butchered trying to cut off the top parts with scissors. If I were to do this project again I would choose something different than a box to display the hand, possibly a plant pot to go with the soil brimming with growing with grass
Artist research: Brian Jungen
1.
-Brian Jungen was born in Fort Saint John British Columbia in 1970 and is currently working in North Okanagan
– Jungen studied at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design then studied at Concordia University
– He makes assemblage artwork by recycling consumer goods and turning them into whimsical machinations
2.
– Brian works by gathering average consumer good and reassembling them into unique new items as a contemporary style
– The way he can take normal items into new items as well as turning them into Indigenous culture is an interesting take on consumerism
– He uses many items to make his assemblage work i.e.: used Nike shoes, skeletons and other meaningless items
– The concept for his work seems to meld the world of Indigenous art mixed with consumerist items, this seems like an allegory for his swiss-Dane-zaa heritage.
– His work elicits strong feelings as anti consumerism as well as the feeling surrealism akin to the works of Man Ray
-The artist says that the inspiration for his Nike Shoe Assemblage was from when he went to a museum where he found most Indigenous art to be mythologized, he then seen a pair of Nike sneakers and pondered the significance of the two.
-My only question about his work is how the creator comes up with super complex ideas that merge ideas/concepts/culture on such a grand scale.
5.
-I find his use of everyday mundane items to be quite meaningful in a playful whimsical way, I also can relate to his disdain for consumerism.
6.
-I hope to use more mundane objects in a way to capture the playful way Brian uses everyday items for his work.
Layered Temporal Bottlenecked. Shaken Careless Evidence of Self deprecate decay Finding What your Made of Aged Reverent Weathered Chitin Strangled imposed Gesture Torn Shredded Pillow Humorous Flailing around Pristine Fractured Impaled out burst Fabric texture
Open dancing like Free Flowing lines attention from Point to Paint The bags with an impact with the crunkle -RiP -Tear -fold -Melt -Roll – Symmetry -Asymmetry -Rhythm Shedding Ballerina a Empty Forlorn Paper Bay line gesture has more of a that capture the viewers Human Bounce Back Wave like Stepped on dilapidated Abandoned Collapsed neglected Malleable useless. distorted discarded Used and Abused architectural Homeless dirty
