Jo Spence - 'Cancer Shock'

I visited the Wellcome collection and saw the exhibitions 'Misbehaving Bodies'. Jo Spence and Oreet Ashery challenged the medical gaze and looked beyond a diagnosis to form more complex portraits of their subjects. The main aim of their works was to represent the theme of illness and death and present it as a part of the creative texture of life. Many people may see diseases as a 'negative' connotation, but these artists took this as an advantage to question typical narratives and structures. The artists worked collaboratively to create a series of portraits that portray the voices of those who lived experience of life-limiting and chronic illness. This allows audiences to gain a better understanding of these issues. It makes us questions 'how do we care for ourselves?', 'how do we care for those who are ill?'. Through looking at the works exhibited in Misbehaving Bodies and in Being Human, I noticed a similar theme which explored the fragility of human existence and their ability to survive in terrible conditions. I was especially intrigued by the series 'Cancer Shock'. The way it was displayed on the wall seemed very much like a scientific report that could be seen in a laboratory. This inspired me to create a series of works in relation to the ides of medical reports.

Misbehaving Bodies - Jo Spence & Oreet Ashery, Gallery Visit

Heather Dewey - Hagborg's - 'Stranger Visions', 2012

In the Being Human exhibition, I was particularly inspired by Heather Dewey-Hagborg's works on 'Stranger Visions'. Stranger Visions is a series of portraits created from DNA which the artist had collected from discarded items such as hair, cigarets, and chewing gum. One of the DNA portraits was exhibited in the gallery and it intrigued me how real the portrait looked even though it could've been a non-realistic individual. This made me realise simple it was to identify a person by just using their DNA and genetic information. This made me want to further explore the biological genetics in our body as well as what happens when our body is infected by a bacterial disease. Since I took biology and psychology in my previous studies, I feel like it would be an interesting idea to incorporate these two subjects in my artwork. As such, Fine Art is interdisciplinary, I believe that by incorporating a wider area of knowledge into my works would allow audiences to gain a better understanding of themselves and their human bodies. Moreover, I think that the idea of incorporating biology and genetics into artwork is very uncommon. Hence, being able to look at all the different artworks in the Wellcome Collection relating to being human has definitely sparked my interest to trying something 'different'.

Rogan Brown - 'Magic Circles' - Hand and Laser Cut Paper Microbes 

I saw Rogan Brown's work - 'Magic Circle's in the Wellcome Collection. The Magic Circle series is a collection of both hand and laser-cut specimens, inspired by tree moss, cell structures, bacteria, coral, diatoms and radiolaria. I was so intrigued by its delicate patterns and the thin piece of paper which it was made out of. It was almost impossible to create this one my own, but I love the different layers that branch out from the canvas. There was a combination of both small and big fungi-looking shapes which looked very aesthetically pleasing. The process of Brown's work must have been very time consuming and labour intensive since the pieces looked so fragile, it could easily break if a mistake was done... For my project, I was going for a more scientific piece which I assume will look more realistic, however since this exhibition was the first gallery I've visited for this project, Brown's work was definitely an important 'starting point' for my project to be introduced. Looking at the artist's work made me want to communicate my fascination with the immense complexity and intricacy of natural forms.

"My work is an exploration and re-presentation of natural organic forms both mineral and vegetal. I look for patterns and repeated motifs that run through natural phenomena at different scales, from the microscopic to the macroscopic, from individual cells to large scale geological formations."

"I am inspired in part by the tradition of scientific drawing and model making, and particularly the work of artist-scientists such as Ernst Haeckel. But although my approach involves careful observation and detailed “scientific” preparatory drawings these are always superseded by the work of the imagination; everything has to be refracted through the prism of the imagination, estranged and in some way transformed."

Rogan Brown - 'Outbreak.' 2014. - Exploring the microbiological sublime
http://www.medinart.eu/works/rogan-brown/

Elin Thomas - 'Petri Dishes'

By studying the biological state of being human, it is crucial to study the smallest details of what it means to be human. I came across Elin Thomas' work and was inspired by her use of materials in her series - 'Petri Dishes'. Elin Thomas studies corals, lichen and mould. She predominantly uses yarn/wool to create textured surfaces that mimic the shapes of bacteria. I was intrigued by the amount of detail and texture that was created, along with the use of earthy colours. From far away, it almost seemed as if was real which shocked me even more I really liked how the artist left the material standing up as if creating a furry texture. I think that this further created the realistic texture of bacteria that we cannot see from 'real bacteria'. I also really like Thomas' choice of colour in her works, she particularly chose natural colours such as black, brown, white and beige. I think that these colours really allow the 'bacteria' to stand out in the petri dishes which made me want to try using yarn and wool to create a similar approach for my bacteria as experimentation. Wouldn't it be interesting to use bacteria as part of my project? It would be even more interesting if I was able to grow my own bacteria. 

 Aldo Tambellini - Cell Series

Aldo Tambellini's works predominantly focuses on expanded media, which meant bringing together photography, television, and poetry. His works are mostly created by applying black paint onto glass sides or celluloid film. Then they will either be burnt or scratched to create textured surfaces onto the sculpture. The artist even pierce circles and spirals onto the surface which made them look a lot like cells seen from under a microscope. According to the artist, the recurring circles convey a sense of 'rippling cosmic energy'. When I looked at his works, I felt immersed into the darkness of the photographs, it looked very scientific and seemed like it would be found in a surgical room or hospital. Tambellini's works are exhibited in exhibitions by projecting them on the ground, allowing audiences to walk over it. I chose this series of works as part of my research as I really love the patterns that were created from the paint, it looks as if the paint has spread outwards which looked a lot like microbes.

 Aldo Tambellini - Cell Series

Nina Sellars - Scan (Interactive Performance)

I was very interested in the psychological state of the human body due to my previous studies in Psychology classes. I was also very interested in both the biological and cognitive conditions that are occurring inside the brain which causes them to react to certain situations that way they do. In Nina Sellar's work 'Scan', she focuses on the enactment of knowledge - portrayed from the anatomy as it unfolds as a process. A QR code is created as part of her work which contains an encoded body of information. Once the QR code is scanned by a viewer, the code links to and activates an online animation/gif which shows the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of the artist's brain. I thought this was a very smart thing to do, not only does it show viewers what the artist's brain looks like and is doing, but it also shows the audiences how the brain works as the information coded is being activated. The main purpose of the MRI scan was to show the artist's brain after the surgical removal of a tumour. I really liked the interactive notion of the work which enacted as a durational performance, with the physical body of the artist forming part of the artwork. All together, it seemed very natural. The idea of incorporating  technology with the biological state of humankind is very interesting, this shows the importance of both matters and how human anatomy has its symbiotic history with arts and technology.

 Suzanne Anker - Astroculture (Shelf Life) ) 2010, Inkjet print, 24×36″

Suzanne Anker is an artist who investigates the ways in which nature is being altered in the 21st century. She mainly focuses on genetics, climate change, species extinction and toxic degradation. Suzanne also likes working with petri dishes, she mainly creates an individual environment in a petri dish using things that can be found in nature such as flowers. The results of the petri dishes looked very beautiful. One of the artist's works that gained my attention was the 'MRI Butterfly'. The MRI Butterfly is a 50 second video which captures the movement of the  butterfly flapping its wings accordingly to the music in the background. I love how the butterfly movement was moving simultaneously with the music pattern. It even amazed me more how quick the pace what, the audio further added a playful effect. This could resemble the idea of nature and its playful environment. The image below is a series of photographs showing the human brain and a butterfly. In every image, the movement of the butterfly is different from the previous one. I can see a sense of transparency from the brain scan. After watching the video multiple times, I start to understand the relationship between the butterfly and the brain, this was all about coordination. I think that the butterfly is moving according to how the 'brain' sends the signals, as if the music is portrayed as the signals, whereas the butterfly shows this movement by performing its action. The reason why I love this video is because it feels so hypnotising and mesmerising.

Suzanne Anker - MRI Butterfly

Susan Aldworth - 'Out of the Blue'
https://susanaldworth.com/

'Out of the Blue' is an installation piece created by Susan Aldworth which included 106 pieces of Victorian Underwear, embroiled with the stories of 100 people who had epilepsy. The 106 pieces of underwear were sown together to form 100 pieces and were suspended on the ceiling with wires, attached to motors and computers. It not only included the stories of people who had experience a biological condition, it was also specifically programmed to match the algorithms of an epileptic brain. I was in full of shock when I realised what the meaning of this piece was - the movement of the underwear was so calming and beautiful, it almost looked like a blue sea of brain activity. The installation itself was very big and dynamic, almost having a religious effect. I can't help but watch in awe with how gorgeous the installation was. This piece felt meaning to me as it holds the history of people who wrote their stories and experiences with the living condition. This piece made me realise how important the human brain was and also made me question how much we know about our own bodies.

24 hour Psycho was one of the videos that I was most intrigued by due to the scenes being lengthened. This not only altered the context of the original film, but it also removed the immediate tension that would be present if the scenes were played at normal speed. When a viewer is watching the film at its normal speed, he/she can see the terrifying scenes which cause them to shiver and block away from. However, when the scenes are lengthened, the viewers can't help but be forced to watch it since it takes a long time for the action from the film to be initiated. This means that the viewer will only see the visual image from the video but not the action that is being held/initiated. When this happens, an inversion is produced which modifies the viewer's way of seeing and thinking. I really liked this video piece as it plays with the audience's emotions by manipulating the viewer's vision, forcing them to look at the image instead of thinking what happens next.

Christian Marclay's 'Crossfire' is the perfect example that shows various techniques of editing which included removing, arranging, erase, and to speed up video clips. In the beginning of the video when the guns start shooting, there was a sudden black screen before it starts shooting. This allowing viewers to prepare themselves for the violence in later clips. For me, it was so surprising and sudden that it made me widen my eyes. It was like a quick flash, I felt as if I didn't even prepare myself properly before the firing of bullets. What made the video even more intriguing was the fact that the guns were editing with the purpose of aiming straight at the viewer. If I was in the middle of the installation room, I would definitely feel the intense atmosphere and violence. I think it would've felt very horrifying. This made me realise the importance of gaining the audience attention as well as playing with reactions.

'Black Mirror' - Shut Up and Dance (Netflix Film)

I came across an episode titled 'Shut Up and Dance'. This episode explores how a virus infects a teens laptop, leading to unwanted threats given from an unknown individual. I was really happy that I came across this episode because this was EXACTLY what was in my mind when I was thinking about http cookies and the impacts of accepting terms and conditions. While watching this episode, I had so many different thoughts which started to piece up together into a puzzle - I looked at the captions and script in 'Shut Up and Dance', there were phrases like: "I joined this website, I was curious. Just wanted to see what was on there". "But not just pictures, chat messages, all the arrangements, where and when - they've got it all". I thought these phrases in the script were very strong by itself which reflected how dangerous the internet can be. It also shows how blind humans are by their desires. The overall summary for this episode simple talks about how humans are blinded by their greed, desires and lusts which in turn leads to unwanted consequences. The writer specifically portrays this using 'data' technology by spreading the individuals personal information and privacy. I thought this was very important as is clearly portrayed the horrifying consequences of technology. After watching this episode, I also felt very frightened and creeped out by what technology and data can do to our lives. The main teenager in this episode was caught by the camera in his laptop device, which therefore allows the 'unknown' to track every single thing that the teenager does. It made me wonder if there could be someone secretly watching me through my camera as well... The thought of this really creeped me out. But that's exactly why I wanted to show this through visual imagery.

'Black Mirror' - Nosedive' (Netflix Films)

When I watched this episode, it immediately reminded of my part one extension project - "Come here, I want to see you". It reminded me of how much we as humans depended on the number of likes or popularity we deserve. In this episode, the characters specifically depended on the number of stars they were given in order to place their ranking and status in their technology world. I found it quite ironic how everyone in the episode knew each other through technology, it seed very 'fake' and 'artificial' by the fact that the people were able to know everything about a person by just scrolling their phones. I think the writer of this film is trying to show the connection between technology and humans, and how much information can just be shown via our technology devices. I also really liked the idea of how the main character in the episode was able to learn from the impacts of social media and technology, thus being able to break away from the 'technology world' and going back to normal where the number of stars and media was never an issue which represented their lives. Even though this episode held such an important moral about technology and social media, I felt that this wasn't the main theme that I want to focus in my datafied video. This was more to do with social media data, but I wanted to deal more with cookies and accepting terms and conditions.

Oscar Sharp, Ross Goodwin - Sunspring, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7x2Ihqjmc

I never knew how powerful and advanced technology was until I discovered Oscar Sharp and Ross Goodwin's film - 'Sunspring'. This film was created by feeding a machine learning algorithm with Sci-Fi movie scripts and allowing it to stitch a new script. It intrigued me how the script in the film did not make sense at all, but it definitely widened my perspective of what technology in modern society is capable of. I find the film both humorous and strange - it was interesting to see what the machine had thought about sci-fi movie scripts. It could've selected the most common scenes from the scripts which then creates a new script which in fact makes no sense at all. There were scenes where I was completely lost and didn't figure out what was happening, but this was the main intention of the film after all... It was to show how machines have taken information from real word and appropriated it to a completely new script from the machines perspective. To be honest, I thought this was a very clever and amazing idea, at one point I hoped it would create a new story which would make complete sense, but at the same time I didn't want this to happen since it would mean technology has already overtaken human's intelligence. 

Still Image in 'Sunspring' film

David Birkin, Untitled from Embedded, 2011
https://www.davidbirkin.net/embedded

David Birkin created a series of works titled 'Embedded' which focuses on the 'production and dissemination of images taken in times of conflict that have been the subject of censorship or authorship dispute'. From the image shown above, the artist selected twenty names from the Iraqi civilian casualty database and inserted them into the digital code of an image. When the code is inserted into the image, this disrupts the computer's encoding process and causes the digital photographic files to distort and glitch. They are then rendered back into visual form. What I liked most about this David Birkin's works is the process of casually inserting real names into the code of an image, this not only makes the final result of the work more meaningful, but also holds an important story which can be special for each of the individuals whose names have been picked to be inserted. I think this is a very clever way or portraying the idea of conflict in society. It also shows the diversity of what we can do with coding data.

Ruth Jarman & Joe Gerhadt, 20Hz Semiconductor, 2011

The 20 Hz semiconductor was created by Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhadt. The work portrays a geo-magnetic storm occurring in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The artist works with data collected from CARISMA radio array and turns it into an audio which consists of tweeting and rumbles sound effect caused by incoming solar wind, captured at the frequency of 20 Hertz. I was more amazed by the visual imagery portrayed in the video, at one point it looked like scales from an reptile, but it also looked very much like flower petals. This made me realise how beautiful it looked with the sound audio. It had a hypnotic effect which was very eye-catching. This made me realise how advanced our technology has been in our society and the ability to morph data into sounds and visual imagery.

Closeup screenshot of semiconductor video

Ricardo Dominguez - Electronic Disturbance Theatre

Ricardo Dominguez was the founder of the Electronic Disturbance Theatre which created artworks that raised awareness of political issues and recombinant activism regarding their perspectives against the Mexican and US governments. The artist along with other artists raised the issues against the war being waged against the Zapatistas and other in Mexico. I really love the use of old internet sites as well as the use of simple colours such as green and red. These colours immediately reminded me of the Mexico flag which clearly represented their concerns towards the political issues occurring in present society.  I also love the visual imagery in the websites, contrasting with other internet artists, Ricardo Dominguez focused on a more historical approach.

FAITH - Itch.io Edition Website https://airdorf.itch.io/faith

I came across this website through an advertisement from a YouTube video and was immediately interested by it due to its pixel typography. This website was created in the form of a game which allows users to click on it and play. Serval levels are included in the game which made it even more interesting and exciting. The theme of this website was supposed to be horror, and this is clearly evident from the use of black and red colours. It instantly reminded me of halloween. What caught my attention were the little pixelated graphics, they were 'cute' but unwelcoming at the same time. It made me feel like visiting the website was a 'mistake'. I felt as if something dangerous would happen when I click into this website. I think this was why the website itself was very successful as it was able to convey the idea of danger. I was also very inspired by the layout and composition of the website, this includes the small tabs on the corners as well as the headers. It instantly looked like a gaming website which was one of my intentions for this project.

Evan Roth - Internet Landscape: Sydney, 2016

The two things that caught my attention the most in Evan Roth's works was the installation and the colours being used in his video works. As referred to the artist, the use of cables lying on the ground and being attached to the monitors are all part of the installation which helps distract the viewers attention. I love the idea of using cables as part of the installation since it reminds the audience about the importance of technology and how it is being spread out in our society. It also makes the whole installation very exciting. I really love the pink themed images that are being displayed in the monitors, in a way that the artist is trying to display landscapes through the eyes of internet. It not only looked very scientific but also very futuristic. It would be interesting to install my work using cables and wires.

Henry Driver - Symbiosis (Still Images)
https://vimeo.com/376228987

Instead of a calm relaxing approach to convey the theme of nature processes, Hnery Driver uses a more scientific visual imagery to portray this. Symbiosis aims to explore "how agriculture could become resilient, sustainable, and have the potential to drastically offset global carbon emissions via carbon sequestration". Instead of the actual concept of the video piece, I was more interested the visual imagery of this video. I wasn't really able to figure out what each image was displaying, however it had clearly represented the action of symbiosis in action which was displayed when the nutrient exchange points. At this moment I'm not sure how this would relate to my own work, however, I believe that it would be interesting to look at nature from a more scientific/alieniated point of view.

Henry Driver - Symbiosis (Still Images)

ae73edb74571e4e2
https://aos.arebyte.com/contents/ae73edb7aeaeaeae-io/

Within the AOS website (arebyte on screen), this piece of work caught my attention not because of the swamp images, but the concept and theme that the work is exploring. ae73edb74571e4e2 is a "stack of software and services managing the creation, distribution and tracking of data computed from a virtual flood-plane model". In other her words, it represents the swamp as a data-factory. I found this very interesting - not only does it explore the beauty of nature, but it also records the information and data of the events that are occuring around the swamp. An instagram account is created which consists of a series of posts that helps surface outlet for this content. In a way, I really like the interactive essence of this project as it also engages with the audience by letting them follow the account in order to be updated with new posts. Despite not being an video programmed project, I found this work quite astonishing and it really helps widen my areas of knowledge and creativity as to what I can do with green spaces.

Emily Richardson - Aspect, 2004
https://lux.org.uk/work/aspect 

When I first watched the video, my immediate thought was that this piece was DEFINITELY not calming at all... Which to me was very exciting since I have been wanting to explore more of a horror/nightmare theme in my project. I really love the sudden jerks from the camera lens where it zooms up into the trees. I think it really helps create tension and suspense in the video, contrasting with the beautiful scenes of green spaces where it resembles how light, colour and shadow travel across the surface of the branches and leaves. I also love how the artist is using natural light instead of artificial light since it further reflects the beauty of nature and the way sunlight travels across the landscape. There are many different photographic techniques used in this video which included lapsing as well as long exposures on single film frames. I think this really adds a punch to the video itself by creating a mysterious effect. It made me feel like somewhere in the forest, there is an 'invisible figure' traveling from one area to another, very ghost-like features. I had this feeling from looking at the light and shadows as they travel slowly across the forest. It's really interesting to see the movement of light and shadow abstracting the real environment which made it so mesmerising. Especially with the combination of the audio and different sound effects of nature, I think this further portrays the ambiguity and sinister aspects of nature.

Nicolas Bruno - Two Divisions (SleepParalysis)

Since one of my main concepts for this project is exploring the idea of sleep paralysis, of course I had to look at Nicolas Bruno's works. I first watched a few of his documentaries gain a deeper understanding of what it feels like by transmuting images from an individual brain/memory into real life. Nicolas Bruno is a conceptual artist and a condition photographer who too has experienced sleep paralysis since his childhood. His works reflects the horrors of his conditions and showcases the deepest, darkest depths his mind conjures under sleep paralysis. What I found interesting about Nicolas Bruno's works is the way he created the setting and composition of his works through the vision of his dreams. Not only was he able to create a spiritual and haunting atmosphere in his photographs, but he was also able to use the relentless nature through drab environments, wooden props and anonymous figures to create sinister events. Linking back with this project, it was intriguing how nature and different environmental surroundings can completely change the setting and narrative of a photograph. I love the visual aesthetic in his artworks and how he utilises the environment and nature around him to create images of his dreams.

Ann Veronica Jessens - Ciel, 2002-2003
http://www.labellerevue.org/en/calendar/11institut-dart-contemporain-de-villeurbanne/ann-veronica-janssens

I was especially drawn by Ann Veronica Jessens' 'Ciel' which displayed an image of the sky and clouds. Just by looking at this work, I immediately feel relaxed and comfortable, as if I am dreaming. I love the way the artists explores with space in her installations in order to allow viewers to feel immersed in her works. I think her works can easily initiate a sensory response due to the calming environment that was portrayed on the screen. In addition, she uses light, sound and artificial fog to make it seem more realistic. I love how dreamy this piece looked and I aim to also create this effect in my project.

Bernardo Oyarzún - Eco Sistema, 2005
https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/69493/artist-bernardo-oyarzn-and-curator-ticio-escobar-to-represent-chile-at-the-57th-venice-biennale/

This project didn't really have much to do with the installation of a piece of work. However, I just felt the need to add this as part of my research for this project. Bernardo Oyarźun had created an installation piece which depicted the image of an ecosystem. He creates each landscape digitally and assembled them together creating a box-like shape. I really love the large and scale of this piece as it not only allows the audience to feel as if they were in the forest, but it also looked very realistic. Maybe it's only me, but this piece of work kind of reminded me of terrarium jars. It seems as if I am looking at the huge forest through a glass jar or box in this case.