Steve McQueen, Deadpan, 1997
Original Version of Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) (Left) vs Remake version of Deadpan by Steve McQueen
Deadpan, 1997 is a black and white film by Steve McQueen based on the original film - Steamboat Bill (1928). The film lasts 4 minutes and 34 seconds, re-staging a death defying Buster Keaton stunt. In the original version of the film, Buster Keaton is seen struggling from escaping a typhoon. He encounters a terrifying situation where the side of a house collapses on top of him, seconds away from getting hurt. Due to the shock and surprise created from the sudden chaos, Keaton shows frantic facial expressions as he runs away and encounters another windstorm. In comparison to Keaton's stunt, Steve Macqueen's had a similar concept in his film, showing the side of the house collapsing over his body. However, instead of expressing a terrified reaction as shown in Steamboat Bill, McQueen remains unfazed by the situation. Instead, he stays unharmed and unflinched due to the carefully positioned window, which allows the side of the house to fall through Mcqueen's body. What makes McQueen's film so interesting was the way he created a sequence of shots and dissected it from various different angles. The scene was shot in different locations and was joint together to create a film where the clips are played over and over again. As the action increases, the speed of the house collapsing increases as well. This not only creates tension to the film, it also puts the audience into a sensitive position, where they feel confused yet nervous while watching the installation. When I first watched Buster Keaton's stunt in Steamboat Bill, I couldn't help but laugh due to his expressive facial expression, thereby portraying the frightening experience. The following scenes in the film further depicts how Keaton struggles to remain calm and intact in the same position as he was blown away while in the windstorm. I compared this with Steve McQueen's film and there was a complete different style that was depicted. Mcqueen's film made me felt both scared and anxious at the same time, due to the repetitively played clips and the increase of speed in the action. The distortion and transition of the clips at various angles further creates as fast pace, which increased my heartbeat and gave me chills as I watched the film. I was very interested in how McQueen approached this remake film, the fact that he kept the video black and white really reminds me of the original version, yet in a more serious way. The reason why I decided to chose this installation film as part of my research for this extension week's project was because of how he utilised an idea from previous history to create his own style of the film. I found this concept of "re-making" the film very interesting and this makes me think about whether I should also use a concept from my research and expand further on it, by integrating its meanings and function into my own film. I think this idea would act as a 'remake' of a specific part of the artist's work.
Research Notes on Steve McQueen's film - Deadpan1997
Buster Keaton - Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Kimsooja, Beggar woman in Mexico, 2000
Kimsooja - "A Beggar woman in Mexico", 2000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0le-hqLVJm0
"A Beggar woman in Mexico" is a 6 minute, 33 seconds installation film created by Kimsooja. It incorporates an aesthetic and transcendent experience of repetitive actions in mediative practises and serial forms. The film reflects a human condition which offers open ended perspectives through what the artist presents and questions reality. I think that the film involves a conceptual, logical and structural investigation of real life situations that are seen to be an issue in society but always ignored by people. The artist inserts herself as both an object and a subject through the viewer's gaze. The film clearly depicts a beggar woman as conveyed in the title. It documents the placement of the artist in a crowd in Mexico. The film only shows the back of the woman's body, making it anonymous and mysterious at the same time. The female figure is dressed in grey, who remains silent throughout the whole video while she sits straight in the middle of a large location. When I watched the film, it's as if the woman is contemplating about her life as a beggar, as well as allowing passers to notice her presence by lifting her hand up for money. The artist describes the woman "disrupting the traffic of befuddled pedestrians", her presence forces people to stop and inspect her. While others were amused by the camera recording, and some who didn't notice the female figure at all. I felt sympathetic while watching the pedestrians walk straight past the woman. To me, it just felt like a blurred place with hundreds of people hurrying to work, without a glimpse of the female figure. I guess the artist wanted to portray the theme of 'ignorance' and how this has caused people to stay away or avoid the female figure. I chose Kimsooja's work to be part of my research as it strongly relates to my project aim. It shows how we perceive others and make judgements base on what they wear and the physical action that is being performed by the individual. This made me realise what it really feels to be judged at. Moreover, it tells me about how vague an audience's perspectives can be as they can be influenced by anything the see and lay their eyes on. In my opinion, I think that Kimsooja's work has successfully reflected the identity of a female figure as a beggar woman, and the social construction of gender and race. Furthermore, it also portrays the relationship between human condition and it's reality. One of the main elements that made the artist to create this film was when she saw a beggar woman in Mexico City. Considering that this was a real life situation, I think that it is really meaningful to re-stage this vision of the beggar in the streets. The artist uses her own body to reflect the tiny female figure, sitting tightly in zocalo square. The only form of 'language' that was being portrayed through the artist's work was body language. The act of pulling her hand out to ask for money signifies hope and trust. However, it hurts me to see so many people who just ignored the artist and treated her as an actual beggar. This related back to the questions that was given from our tutors about 'objectification'. I think that the female figure in the film was clearly treated merely as an 'object' and this was shown from ignorance by the pedestrians in the street.
Research Notes for Kimsooja - A Beggar in Woman
Fatima Al Qadiri, Bored, 1997, Dragas
Fatima Al Qadiri, Bored, 1997, Dragas
Fatima Al Qadiri is a musical and conceptual artist, one of her most famous work was known as 'Bored'. Bored is a digital print portraying a series of photographs taken in 1997. It presents a tableau of a young girl dressed in men clothes. The main aim of Fatima's work is to present a performance of fictional male identities to the audience. She took a series of photographs of her younger sister dressing up in his father's clothes - this diverts to the theme of gender reversals. Her work not only questions the transgender population society by also raises Kuwaiti rituals, thus covering the social and cultural relationship of humans with different religions. The reason why I was particularly interested in Fatima's work was due to her interesting exploration of different cultures as well as relating it to theme of social identity and gender. I believe that this plays a big role in my extension week project as it also looks at 'identity' and the way we present or express ourselves. Seeing Fatima changing gender roles to represent gender reversal shows the diversity between opinion in society and whether our opinions effect society's view in any way. The "Wa Wa Series" was also one of her famous works portraying a series of Kuwaiti couple portraits which explore the relationship between over imagery of today's Arab pop female icons. This questions on the concept of gender stereotypes. The reason I chose to research on Fatima's works was mainly because of her approach in defining identity. She integrates both identity and gender stereotypes into her works which in together matches really well to the topics being discussed in society.
Notes for research on Fatima Al Qadri
Pope. L
Amalia Ulman
Amalia Ulman - "Excellencies & Perfections"
https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/39375/1/amalia-ulman-2014-instagram-hoax-predicted-the-way-we-use-social-media
TATE MODERN - BIG BANG FOUNTAIN
In Olafur Eliasson's Big Bang Fountain, the water pumps upwards in bursts and is illuminated by a slow flashing light. I find this installation very fascinating. The fact that the light has the ability to catch the water in the air, freezing the burst in globular forms, it almost defies gravity! I felt that it seemed like a film, due to the quick blackouts in between in between the time intervals. I felt that this not only helped create tension, but also increased the suspense delivered, given that it was exhibited in a dark room. I think that this would be a good idea to adapt to my work, to add blackout into my film to create suspense and tension.
SECONDARY RESEARCH - SUBTITLES
RESEARCH, PLANNING, PROGRESS, DEVELOPMENT
EXTENSION WEEK PROJECT - 'COME HERE, I WANT TO SEE YOU' (FINE ART - 4D)
13/10/2019, SUNDAY, EXTENSION WEEK - PROJECT 7, Research and Planning
Out of all the different workshops that I have tried throughout these few weeks, I particularly enjoyed the 'Message Vacuum' workshop. In this project, we were introduced to the Fine Art 4D pathway which focuses on the interplay between artistic experiment, media and technology. I was not only excited, but also filled with an intent curiosity as to how we were supposed to approach the project. This project really grabbed my attention since I really enjoy working with digital technologies. However, I didn't always get the chance and opportunity to physically learn how to edit videos, let alone being able to use softwares that were suitable for video-editing. In the beginning, I only knew how to use IMovie, since I have used it a few times for my previous film projects Hence, we experimented with different functions in the software and this was how we created our final film (outcome). Even though the functions that we used in IMovie were very simple and basic, but I was very surprised with how the video came out. There were many new functions and special effects from the software which I never thought I would use, but once I saw the final outcome, it was as if I've fell in love with video editing and making. This made me want to further experiment with film-making as well as video-editing.
For this extension week project, I decided to expand further on my previous outcome in 'Message Vacuum'. The project for this week is titled: "Come here, I want to see you". The brief explains that in the Fine Art curriculum area, we are given considerable freedom to explore whatever interests us. In this project, it is centred on the use of the smartphone as a 'material' - a medium and tool for reflection and conceptual engagement. The main concept of this project is to focus on using smartphones to explore identity, the self (real/imagined) and the ego. As an artist, i want to use my work to engage with the audience, therefore I decided to create something which is relatable to society as well as each individual. I also want to create a video which is both personal and sensitive to an individual, thereby incorporating the theme of identity into the film. On Sunday, I went to the library to do some research relating to societal issues and how we present/represent ourselves through the use of images and social media. Today, we use our phones not only to talk but also to take pictures and look at them. Social media has also become one of the most common technologies that allows us to post online about our life and the smallest things that happen everyday. We can express ourselves through social media and interact with other people to fully understand who we are. The following questions below acts as a template which allows me to further expand and develop on my ideas.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT:
How do we present or represent ourselves? How are we perceived by others through these mediated devices and means?
There are many ways in which we can present or represent ourselves. An example of presenting ourselves to an audience is through fashion clothing and accessories. Since we can visualise the clothing that we wear on our body, it not only complements the individual's shape and structure of the body, it also helps show their personality and identity. This could be referred to the status and hierarchy of the individual. However, this may not clearly represent or portray our emotions and actions. Therefore many people use social media and the internet as a form of self-expression. For example, the choice of phone case and screen wallpaper that we use for our smartphone can determine an individual's identity. Since we have the ability to choose the colour and customize the screen layout to our personal preference, this can really show what kind of person we are, as well as what the person likes and dislikes. Moreover, social media also allows people to post things online about their life and personal experiences. This is also a form of self-expression and can bee seen from the interaction and sharing of every day life events and personal experiences with other people online. The digital self is a completely different identity compared to the one in the 'real world'.
How are we perceived by others?
Perception can be a very subjective process based on the content that you are willing to show to others. This can be impacted by a number of variables. One of the most common factors that can influence the impressions formed by other people include characteristics of the person you are observing. This can be shown through our own personal traits such as facial features and behaviours as well as past experiences. Many people tend to form impressions of others very quickly, resulting in false assumptions and judgements of the other individual. Since we frequently base our impressions on the roles and social norm we expect from people, this has led us to create a specific 'standard' of what we normally see from a person. Another example of how our impressions can be influenced by others is through social categorisation. Social categorisation is a psychological term which explains the process of how we mentally categorise people into different groups based on common characteristics. This can be developed unconsciously as a habit when we first look at a person. The way we are perceived by others can also be determined by physical cues. For example, if a man is dressed in a professional-looking suit, you might immediately assume that he is rich with a high status. Compared to a man who's dressed in old, ragged clothes, you may assume that they do not necessarily work in a formal setting. Overall, we tend to focus on the most obvious points on the person's body, rather than noting background information.
What does technology tell about our identity, ethnicity, gender and social expectations?
Smartphones are a very useful tool which allows us to portray our identities. You may have realised that when you search up options through google search, different outcomes are displayed based on your interests as well as other people's common searches. The internet has developed significantly to recognise the things that we like and the things that we don't like. Based on our common searches, it has the ability to select certain contents which may interest us. I think this is what helps us know more about ourselves and the things that we find interesting in social media.
What does it mean to objectify a body?
Objectification can be defined as the action of degrading someone to the status of a mere object. The practise of objectifying a body is referred as "sexual objectification" which is the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire. In my opinion, I think that the act of consent is very important in situations like this, as the individual has the right to show off their body to an audience. Therefore, if a body is being displayed into social media, this could mean that the audiences were given the 'permission' to look at it, thereby providing them the pleasure that they needed. However, there are times when the individual refuses to display their body towards an audience, but due to the act of force and pressure, they have no choice but to display their bodies to an audience, even without the individual's consent. Humans tend to propose assumptions and judgements regarding things that they see or approach, hence the idea of treating the person as a commodity or an object without regard to their personality or dignity is inevitable.
Is it possible to have a digital self? How can technology of the smartphone camera reveal new spaces for performance and representation of the self?
It is totally possible to have a digital self. One of the common examples of having a digital self is through social media. Social media is a platform designed for people to share content quickly and efficiently. People can share selfies as well as the different places that they went through social media. However, the content that is posted may not actually reflect the actual life of the individual. An example of this is seen from Amalia Ulman's Instagram account where she posted a series a photos commonly known as "Excellences & Perfections". Her photos had tricked many fans in believing the "imaginary life" that she has been living as shown in her posts. However, she revealed that this was all staged, further stating that the 'girl' in her posts was a digital self of her true self. Hence, this proves how gullible an audience can be about what they see on an online platform.
RESEARCH, PLANNING, PROGRESS, DEVELOPMENT:
I first looked into the artists that were provided in the extension week brief. Knowing that my project relates to scientific technology, smartphones and identity, I particularly focused on the artists: Amalia Ulman - 'Excellences & Perfections', Eva and Franco Matters 'Ricardo Uncut', 2018, and Laurie Anderson - 'Fully Automated Nikon'. I felt that their works really linked to my project in so many different ways in terms of concept and idea. Amalia Ulman was one of the most important artist's who inspired me throughout this project. She uploaded a series of posts in her Instagram feed which featured the phrase "Part I" in black letters against white. It was accompanied by an underlying message that read "Excellences & Perfections". Ulman wanted to explore the theme of femininity in a more mature way, partly as a reflection of her own life. Moreover, the artist made a commentary on the models available to women entering adulthood in consumer societies. The images she posted on Instagram were preening selfies taken on her iPhone, documenting her attempt to make it as an "It girl" in Los Angeles. While the audience thought this was all part of her "every day life", Ulman took this opportunity to "stage" a series of photos which showed a more exaggerated version of Ulman's personal story; where “a provincial girl moves to the big city, wants to be a model, wants money, splits up with her high-school boyfriend, wants to change her lifestyle, enjoys being single, runs out of money because she doesn’t have a job, because she is too self-absorbed in her narcissism, she starts going on seeking-arrangement dates, gets a sugar daddy, gets depressed, starts doing more drugs, gets a boob job because her sugar daddy makes her feel insecure about her body, and also he pays for it, she goes through a breakdown, redemption takes place, the crazy bitch apologizes, the dumb blonde turns brunette and goes back home. Probably goes to rehab, then she is grounded at her family house.” (Taken from: https://1granary.com/journal/) Instead of posting photos about Ulman's own personal "real" life, she fabricated a fictional persona manifested through her own physical body, turning it into a "imagined" life - 'fake identity'. By doing this, the artist had the intention to prove how gullible an audience can be about what they see on an online platform, in this case - Instagram. Taken this to account, I decided to used Amalia Ulman's idea, to explain the horrors of social media through my own film/video. Thus, explaining how an individual's "normal" life turned upside down, thereby losing her "real identity" by creating a fake one through her social media platforms. I think that this was a really clever idea to trick an audience, allowing them to easily believe in something through a staged performance.
Laurie Anderson was also a prior research artist who have strongly influenced my developmental ideas for this project. The "Fully Automated Nikon" is a series of photographs of men who made comments to her on the street. She aimed to explore the theme of femininity in her pictures and show a direct response to the male gaze, taking away the power of looking. The pictures were taken with her Nikon camera while walking alone in the streets. While looking her photographs, I realised that all of them were in black and white, and a white strip was used to cover the eyes of the men who made comments on her. This made me think that the artist wanted to cover the identity of the men who made comments on her for private purposes, but also a sign to portray the blockage of the mens vision. So that they would be prevented from looking at any other women, thereby making comments to them on the street, manifesting her objection of the rendering of herself into an object. Laurie Anderson said: "I decided to shoot pictures of men who made comments to me on the street. I had always hated this invasion of my privacy and now I had the means of my revenge. As I walked along Houston Street with my fully automated Nikon, I felt armed, ready. I passed a man who muttered ‘Wanna fuck?’ This was standard technique: the female passes and the male strikes at the last possible moment forcing the woman to backtrack if she should dare to object. I wheeled around, furious. ‘Did you say that?’ He looked around surprised, then defiant. ‘Yeah, so what the fuck if I did?’ I raised my Nikon, took aim, began to focus. His eyes darted back and forth, an undercover cop? CLICK." (Taken from https://actipedia.org/project/fully-automated-nikon-objectobjectionobjectivity) By incorporating this idea into my video, I decided to blur the figures face in my video, in order prevent the audience from knowing the identity of the individual. This will be explained further on throughout the page.
Amalia Ulman - 'Excellences & Perfections'
Laurie Anderson - 'Fully Automated Nikon'
Resources:
https://1granary.com/journal/
https://www.instagram.com/amaliaulman/?hl=en
https://1granary.com/interviews/artists/amalia-ulman/
https://elephant.art/sunday-read-excellences-perfections/
https://actipedia.org/project/fully-automated-nikon-objectobjectionobjectivity
https://www.academia.edu/33147127/Fake_It_Until_You_Make_It_Amalia_Ulmans_Recent_Work
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1482&context=honorstheses
https://fyeahfeministart.tumblr.com/post/12016169727/laurie-anderson-fully-automated-nikon
Further Research:
For further research, I decided to look at basic examples of what changes our identity as well a what determines our identity while using social media platforms. Some of the examples that caught my attention were "focusing on likes", "cyberbullying", "making comparisons, judgements and assumptions", "fake friends/companions", and "self-esteem". The need of gaining "likes" on social media determines whether the audience likes your or not, and causes teens to make choices regarding to their likability from others. It is also a way of gaining attention through social media based on appearance and behaviours. Therefore, if the number of "likes" is not what the individual expects, this may alter their way of thinking and thus changing their identity of who they really are. The idea of cyberbullying is a very common in social media since it is a practise of harassment using electronic means. This elevate to depression, anxiety and even risk of suicidal thoughts. Rumours, judgements, assumptions and lies will also be aroused, thus making the individual doubt their own identity, thus lowering their own self- esteem.
Following my research taken from the internet, I also picked out a few books that predominantly focus on how social media and technology affect our lives. This revolves around the use of smartphones and how they can be used as a form of self-expression to represent our identities. I came across an artist who I was particularly interested in - Ana Voog. Ana Voog is a visual artist who's works are mostly created digitally through webcams. She records everything that happens throughout her life, even the smallest things like the type of food she ate and the places she went during the day and night. One of her works was titled "Anacam - (1997-2009)". This artwork depicts the artist's lifecast, typically known as the first conceptual art webcam - showing an abstract and conceptual layout composition of her every day life events. I really liked the way Ana played with the hues and saturation of the colour on screen. It creates a vintage, old film effect which I am particularly interested in embedding in my own work. I also really liked how she overlaid videos with texts and captions like "I haven't gone 2 sleep yet. I'm going 2 try 2 stay up all day 2 get up on a regular schedule. Wish me luck." These captions may sound confusing to the viewers, but at the same time, it seem as much like tweets and comments that are to be said directly to an individual. It felt as if the artist is talking to the viewers directly, therefore initiating interaction and communication with the audience. Overall, I think that the texts not only adds aesthetic appeal to her works, but also complements the video with its use of colour and composition.
ART AND THE INTERNET - pg. 18 & 19, (Ana Voog - Anacam, 1997-2009)
Another artist that caught my interest was Golan Levin. The work of Golan Levin explores the ways in which human communication has adapted to new forms of digital technology. The artist created a website titled "QR Codes for Digital Nomads (2011)" which allowed viewers to create an "infovis graffiti" stencil of their own QR code. Once the QR code stencils are printed out, suitable instructions are given according to the type of material and pattern of the QR code. It offers the best markers to use with the stencil once it has been printed and cut. The main purpose and aim of these QR code stencils is to show how humans are dependent on mobile technology and that we can access for assistance at any time. A collection of 100 stencil designs were created to be used to warn people about danger or clue them into good situations. This concept was inspired by 19th Century "hobo symbols", which allowed the stencils to be understood as a covert markup scheme for urban spaces - providing directions, information, and warnings to digital nomads. The reason why I chose to research on Golan Levin's work was because this related to my project - the use of smartphones/mobile phones as well as advanced technology. I wanted to incorporate both smartphones and advanced technology into my work, to portray the scientific world that our society has become. Humans have gradually associated their lives with advanced technology and social media. Thus, I wanted to show how humans have adapted to different social medias and scientific technologies to navigate themselves as well as for interaction and communication. I found this idea very interesting as it allows my audience to not only interact with my artwork, but also allowing my viewers to acknowledge the development of scientific technology in today's society. Seeing Levin's work made me am very curious as to whether creating a stencil for my video would work when people scan it.
Resources:
https://vimeo.com/224774208
ART AND THE INTERNET - pg.150 &151, (Golan Levin - QR Codes for Digital Nomads, 2011)
19th Century "hobo symbols" - (symbols placed/marked on fences, posts, sidewalks to aid nomads and others of their kind in finding help or preventing them from danger/trouble)
https://technology4democracy.com/2013/10/30/the-hobo-code-is-a-precursor-to-the-like-button/
Another artist that I looked into was Aram Bartholl. Similar to the previous artist, Batholl's work also revolves around the use of QR codes. However, instead of creating QR code stencils and using markers to spray over them, he drew the QR codes by hand using pencil and markers. One of his works known as "Google Portrait Series (2007-2013)" consists of four framed, hand-drawn QR codes titled, "Penelope Umbrico", "Jason Smith", "Ai Wei Wei", and "Aram Bartholl". These QR codes were generated from Google search results of each of the names in the titles. When I first saw these few frames, I thought they were just normal QR codes that have been printed and framed on the wall. I only used it as a reference for my final outcome, however, when I looked at close up images of the actual piece, I realised that the QR codes were all hand-drawn by either pencil strokes or markers. I was not only fascinated by how real it looked, but also the fact that it worked when I tried scanning the QR code with my phone. Because of this, I wanted to try turn my QR code into a drawing as well, thus use it as experimentation and for developmental purposes.
ART AND THE INTERNET - pg.170 & 171, (Aram Bartholl - Google Portrait Series, 2007-2013)
I also read another book titled "Ill Effects", the book explores the effects of social media and internet to a wide range of audience involving children and teenagers. It also focuses on how violence, and abuse can be deduced through social media. There were certain extracts and sections from the book that caught my attention, and made me realise how big the impact of social media is to social media. After finishing the book, I began to question on the difference between real life and imagined "identity" between in media and in real life. In order to summarise my research, I summed up all the key points that explore the different ways of how smartphones can represent our identity. Some of the examples were: social media (facebook, instagram, snapchat, skype), screen layouts, apps, texting style, and popularity. The idea I came up with was to show how internet and social media has affected our lives, thus "controlling" our identity and who we are. My aim within this project is to engage with social issues as well as to show how smartphones and social media "make up" our identities, morphing us into completely different individuals from what we expect ourselves to be. I aim to also show the "real" and "imagined" world of social media and the internet, and how this has affect an individual's life.
DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS:
INITIAL IDEA: TEXTING STYLE (FIRST IDEA) - NOT USED
The first idea that I had in my mind was to solely use text conversations as the mains of creating my short film/video. I wanted to develop a story/narrative using only text, since it is a big part of identifying one-self through smartphones. It is also an important form of self-expression, for example, through the use of emojis and slang. This can also determine an individual's personality, behaviour and reveal underlying emotions. The idea I wanted was to use "text" as the main source of communication and deliverance of identity, but also keeping the idea of "not being able to reveal their real identity" - appearance. However, I thought that this idea was too common and plain to be able to accomplish. Plus, I did not want to focus solely on texting, as there is no uniqueness or concept behind the idea. Therefore, I decided to not use this idea.
PLANNING, PROGRESS, DEVELOPMENT
14/10/2019, MONDAY, EXTENSION WEEK, Planning
Monday was the first day to begin our extension week project. We were first given some questions from our tutors to aid us with our development of ideas. We were split into groups to discuss the following questions as well as to receive feedback from our peers.
what do you already know about the pathway/project?
From my prior knowledge, Fine art is a very broad pathway which allows us to experiment and explore different areas. In terms of concept and ideas, it is very important in order to communicate and interact with the audience to show social and political issues that occur in modern society. It also explores critical engagement with the works as well as with the audience. Regarding to the Fine Art 4D specialist pathway, it is inevitable that smartphones and other technological devices will be predominantly used throughout the whole developmental process. After reading the extension project brief, I have a better understanding of the project description as well as what direction my video/short film should be heading to. The whole project is centred on the use of the smartphone as a material, medium and tool for reflection and conceptual engagement. Since I like to use communication as a form of delivering information to an audience, I feel that using video/film and text can properly show my intensions to a desired audience.
Identify the material you will be using for this project
The material that I will be predominantly using for this project will only be my smartphone. But other than that, I will be also using a model, a chair and other video-editing softwares to help aid the production of my video. The chair and model helps give a proper setting following with my concept and idea of my video.
What do you want to explore/discover in this project?
Since my project surrounds the use of camera and smartphones, I would like to research and explore further in to the functions of my smartphone and familiarise myself with my camera. Alongside this, I will also look into different video-editing softwares; predominantly Adobe Premiere Pro CC. As mentioned before, I will also explore further on the use of smartphones and how they can be used as a form of self-expression. Plus, have a deeper understanding of how social media affects an individual's life.
Consider the site, audience and function of your project
The site of my film/short video will be presented in an exhibition as an installation piece. Two QR codes will be presented with a television in the centre, between the QR codes. Headphones will also be provided next to the installation piece so that viewers and audience can gain access to the exhibition work. The main purpose of this installation/film piece is to engage and interact with the audience through communication of the video. The video helps deliver a message that relates to the use of smartphones as well as social media platforms. My aim is to create a video that relates to societal issues as close as possible, hence allowing viewers to understand my perspective of what using smartphones are like and how this can affect our identity. The main function and aim of this exhibition piece is to deliver my message on the use of social media and how this can be used as a form of social-expression.
What is the reason you want to do this project?
The reason behind doing this project is to spread awareness of using social media as a form of self-expression. Similar to Amalia Ulman's aim of her "Excellences & Perfections" project, I wanted to show and prove how gullible an audience can be about what they see on an online platform. The posts that people share online may not be the same in comparison to their real lives. Because of this, the reaction derived from audiences may instead change the identity of the individual, thus turn him/her into a completely different person.
IDEA GENERATION + DEVELOPMENT:
We were first told to create ten initial thoughts for our final outcome and turn each thought into a sketch. At first I was struggling to come up with a "decent" idea since most of my ideas were all scattered everywhere in my brain. I had the research, I knew my concept, function and aim of the video, I had the important bits and pieces that show how smartphones and social media make up our identities... But I had difficulty considering how to combine the ideas together to form one idea. I was only able to use words and language to describe and explain what I wanted in my video. I was very sure that I wanted a model/individual in my video, but I didn't know what to do with the rest of my ideas. In order to further develop my ideas from this, I came up with more questions in regards to how I wanted to my my video. First I considered on the materials that I will require in order to pursue with my final outcome. Since I wanted to create a very simple video, while still delivering a strong message, I decided to go with the simplest setting. By just using a grey chair and a white wall as my background. In this case, the only choice I had was the walls in our classroom. Even though the walls had paint on them, and seemed to be a little worn off, I felt that this will help create a more mysterious and eerily effect into my video. Thus, generating a more dynamic tone and sensation, allowing the audience to sympathise with the individual in the video. Secondly, I knew I wanted to incorporate the idea of social media and how gullible the audience can be about what they see on online platforms. Therefore I decided that I will be recording short clips of the screen, scrolling through different social media platforms. This will not only show a wide range and variety of social media, thus, it also reminds the audience of the number of social media platforms that were created in the past few years, just for the purpose and sake of interaction, bonding and communication. Lastly, I knew I wanted to blur out the identity/face of the individual to create a more sinister and mysterious effect, thus allowing the audience to build up their curiosity while watching the video. With everything I had and as mentioned above, I started plan how I wanted my layout and compositions to look like in my video by drawing sketches in my sketchbook - as shown below.
EXPLANATION OF FINAL IDEA:
Aim: To show how smartphones can represent identity, used as a form of self-expression, thus proving how gullible the audience can be about what they see on online platforms.
- Show how internet is representing an individual's identity, instead of the individual him/herself trying to represent/express it.
Sketch + Planning of my short film/video
IN THE VIDEO (COMPOSITION & LAYOUT): (SUMMARY)
- A chair will be placed in the middle of a room, the background (wall behind the chair) is plain white
- The model/individual will be sitting on the chair, talking about herself/himself, using her own voice to show who she is, to show her identity. By expressing her emotions.
- The voice of the model will not be heard, it will be muted
- The face of the individual will be blurred out/bocked (mosaic)- prevent her identity to be shown (Instead her identity will be first determined by internet, social media and apps.
- Subtitles will be written at the bottom of the video - explaining why it is muted: (even if the audience can here what the individual says about her own identity, it will not be heard, people will not believe her. WHY?
- Because the background will be filled with popped up images of text, social media and flickering images of website platforms. Which are the subjects that control who the individual is, and her identity.
- The identity of the individual will be determined by: texting style, social media - number of likes, number of shares, popularity, screen layouts, images-selfies posted online
- The overall meaning of this video is to show that social media is the catalyst of changing and individual's identity, restricting them from revealing their real self.
- The project title is: Come here, I want to see you
- There will be a blackout after the video with the text: Come here, I want to see you - to portray the literal meaning of want to see the real identity of the individual.
- This whole video will be turned into a QR code, so the audience can scan the code to watch the video - interactive
- this installation will be put in the exhibition for all audience to watch
First Page: Final Plan Summary & Description
Second Page: Written timetable/schedule for the production of my final outcome (will be mentioned in next section)
FILM MAKING, PROGRESS, DEVELOPMENT
15/10/2019, TUESDAY, EXTENSION WEEK, Planning, Making, Development
Following from yesterday's planning, we were given a few more questions to consider before we begin the making of our final project. Although some questions were repetitive, but they were all very important for my progress of developing different ideas. Again, we were asked to consider what we want to explore throughout this extension week project including the materials, concepts, ideas and process. An interesting question that made me want to develop my idea further was "how can we explore them?". The teachers told us that were have the permission to go to different workshops to create 3D models for our designs. I found this very interesting, considering that one my my research artists - Golan Levin, had created multiple copies of QR code stencils. Although I didn't know what material he used to create his QR code stencils, I thought that it would be worth a try to also create a stencil of my QR code using one of the workshops that are provided in our school. In this case, I was thinking of creating a stencil with one of the workshops that use plastic. I felt that it would be a good idea for my experimentation process as well as development of my ideas. I also recently went to a gallery exhibition in Tate modern - Olafur Eliasson, and there were many different works which were all very interactive. Hence, I think that the idea of using a QR code for viewers to scan and watch the video would be a perfect way to initiate interaction as well as communication with the viewers. Another aspect that I considered in the making of my film was "time". Since Fine Art 4D is very time-based, it is important to know how long I want my video to be. Taken into account that I will also be putting subtitles at the bottom of my video, this will prevent the audience from getting bored as they will be able to read the subtitles, as well as sympathise with the individual in the video as well. Before I get started with filming, the tutors told us to write a timetable/action plan for this project, so that we have a clear understanding and mindset of what we want and need to do throughout these past few days. (The image of my timetable is shown above, explaining the tasks I need to complete within a set limit of time.)
FILMING PROCESS:
As mentioned previously, I did not have much experience in video-editing as well as film-making but I was still really excited in doing this project. Since I was fully prepared for my project and had all my materials with me, I knew exactly what I was doing and was looking forward in producing my final outcome for this project. For my first task, I needed to record clips of an individual sitting in a empty room with a blank white wall. The process was simple and straightforward as shown in the images below. I wanted to include all the actions that was performed by the individual, including the scene where the individual walks towards the chair and begins sitting on it. I decided to do this because I wanted to make the video look like a 'recording' that was done by the individual herself. In simpler words, I wanted the video to look more natural and personal to the individual herself. Therefore, I aimed to make the surroundings as empty as possible, so that the video only focuses on the figure in the middle. In order to make the video even more natural-looking, I instructed the individual to "be herself" and speak as if it was just a normal conversation. I also instructed her make various hand gestures because hand gestures really tells a lot about a person even if the face of the individual is blurred out. From this, we can clearly identity what kind of person the individual is, thus using nonverbal communication to reinforce and express a certain message, opinion or emotion. While filming these short clips of the figure speaking, I felt really happy and thankful. I started thinking to myself: "I'm very thankful that the model knows what she needs to do just by listening to a few instructions that I gave her" It made me feel like I was able to clearly establish my main purpose towards the individual, allowing her to portray what I wanted in my video. I felt very proud once I finished recording the short clips and this surprised me as I never had this kind of feeling when I did the other workshops. Maybe it was because I was given the freedom to think creatively without any restrictions, plus I really enjoyed the fact that I was also able to deliver an important message through my works. To me, I think that the most important thing in a piece of artwork is to deliver a message to an audience. Once my message is delivered out, the rest depends on the audience and viewers to interpret.
(individual scenes from videos) - I directed/instructed the model to use different hand gestures to represent herself and to talk about her own identity.
VIDEO EDITING PROCESS:
I was introduced to a video-editing software called Adobe Premiere Pro CC. I was completely new to Premiere, and I have little experience with editing videos and clips. However, I found the software fairly straightforward and quickly understood most of its important functions. In my own time, I decided to go through all the functions of Premiere Pro by looking at Youtube tutorials as well as videos that were provided from the software itself, overall I thought it was pretty straightforward, but there were still some difficulties in locating all the different functions as well as to get it to work. Even so, I was able to learn how to cut the clips, overlap them, experimented with different transitions and colour effects, then learned how to include text into my videos. Other than inserting text and overlaying videos on top of each other, I was also able to insert audios into my own video as well, thereby creating specific sound effects using the functions that were provided in the software. I thought it was very interesting to work on the computer, I was glad that the different functions that were provided were more than enough to complete my extension week project. This was quite a new and exciting experience for me, as I have never studied film and hardly touched on video-making in my IB years. Fortunately, after this week, I found that I really enjoyed video making and editing, which gave me the final decision to work with videos in the near future for my future projects. Learning how to work with Premiere Pro widened my perspective and allowed me to see the different effects and outcomes I can make through 4D art. Not only did I successfully learned how to fully blur out the individual's face using Premiere Pro (mosaic function), I was also able alter the colour to try out different effects for my video.
I documented the different levels of contrast, exposure, saturation, tints, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks of each video clip so that all clips are under the same alterations; making the entirely of the video more uniform. I experimented with different levels because I wanted to create a "old recording/film" effect. I proceeded to edit each clip to achieve a "vintage" effect, making the entire video look older.
EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS
Using Adobe Premiere Pro CC and IMovie to edit videos - (Trying out different functions) - mosaic function to blur out face
Experimental files and trials in preparation for my final outcome - (Three audio soundings were utilised in this video)
SOCIA MEDIA ONLINE PLATFORMS
Separately, I also created videos using my iPhone and laptop by using the screen recording function. I screen recorded videos of my own photo gallery, messenger, whatsapp, snapchat, facebook and instagram feeds. Through these screen recordings, I will be layering them on top of my original edited video of the girl sitting in the middle. They will be used as a background to show how social media as 'taken over' the identity of the girl, thus morphing the individual's identity to something different, to something that does not represent the individual herself. In order to create a more abstract effect, I used different special effects from IMovie to create a more abstract and scientific, technological look. Overall, I found it very fun to play with, the different functions gave me a wider scope of what I can do using different video-editing softwares.
Relating social media and different platforms/websites with identity, using my own social media and texting style as a part of my identity.
SUBTITLES PLANNING (PROGRESS & DEVELOPMENT)
16/10/19, Wednesday, EXTENSION WEEK, Subtitles Planning (Progress & Development)
Once I have fully finished editing my video, I had to add subtitles at the bottom of the video, to give the video a meaning, purpose and function. In my opinion, I believe that subtitles are one of the most important aspects in videos as they give the audience and viewers a clear vision of what is happening, thus allows them to understand and contextualise the video content. I think that by adding subtitles to the video, it 'completes' the whole video by generating all sorts of reactions from the audience. For example, sympathy, anger and frustration. It also allows the viewers to relate with the video. This is my main aim of the video after all, to allow viewers to relate with the social issue that is being portrayed and depicted in the video. In order to create tension and mood into my video, I utilised rhythm and pattern in the process by reviewing the subtitles over and over again, as if I was the viewer. There will always be a small pause in between phrases which helps create tension, allowing the viewer to have a moment of thinking by themselves. I wanted to create this effect of building up tension, but also balance out the time in order to allow audiences to read the subtitles at ease. Therefore, I had to adjust the suitable amount of time given for each phrase so that it matches the viewers breathes, as well as the tone and tension built within the video.
Subtitles Planning:
Aim: To explain that even if you can 'see' and 'hear' the girl's voice, there is no way the audience would believe her. The social media behind her acts as the catalyst which 'determines' her identity. Through the number of likes, the number of positive and negative comments, the texting style and the use of different social media platforms, this changes the individual's perspective of life and questions what her real identity is. Social media has overtook her identity. The subtitles further shows how social media and internet can lead to negative problems, thus reveals negative effects that can change the individual and her perception of life.
A section from my notebook showing the process of how I planned the subtitles (They may be all over the place, but this helps me gather up my ideas in order to develop my final set of subtitles for the video)
Further Development / Planning + Ideas:
This is who I am.
This is my life.
This is my identity.
WHY DON’T YOU LIKE ME?
I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU...
YOU’VE SEEN MY PICTURES, POSTED ONLINE
THE LIKES KEEP INCREASING
BUT THE COMMENTS ARE ALL NEGATIVE…
WHY?
COME HERE, I WANT TO SEE YOU…
We all have our fair share of insecurities that we don't want to show online
Why? because you’re afraid. Because i’m afraid
FINAL SUBTITLES:
I never once thought that stepping into the world of social media would turn my life upside down.
I was never really the “social” person like my other friends were.
I always hid behind them, only hoping someone would notice me.
It was until I discovered another world.
A world which never felt real.
A world, which allowed me to fake my identity.
A world, where everyone would notice me.
I wasn’t really aware of how my life changed once I started using social media.
I just had this compelling need to post something online, to remind people that I’m alive.
So, I made rubbish excuses, like the places I went, and the food I cooked.
Sometimes, even some absolute shit about my life that no one actually needs to know.
I forgot living in the moment while I was too busy recording it.
It changed me into this obsessive attention seeking person that I never thought I would ever become.
But, what I had return wasn’t the reaction I expected.
I must say, the internet is indeed very powerful.
It controls you.
It traps you.
It watches you, as you slowly deteriorate into thin air.
And this all happens in just a matter of seconds.
My life, turned into a complete disaster.
I was humiliated.
I was tortured.
I was suffocating from all the rumours and lies.
I didn’t want this.
But why?
Now, I’m sitting here in this room, speaking with all my heart.
This is who I am.
Why can’t you see me?
Why can’t you hear me?
The words coming from my mouth means nothing to you.
Do you really know me?
Do you really know who I am?
OUTCOMES, REFLECTION, IMPROVEMENT
17/10/2019, THURSDAY, EXTENSION WEEK, Outcome, Critique
On the last day of our project, we were able to present our final outcome to the class and receive feedback from our peers. I was waiting for this day to come throughout the whole week! Not only was I excited by also very nervous at the same time, since I knew it was my first time creating a video with only my iPhone and video-editing softwares. I knew I still have a lot more to learn throughout the foundation course, but I was very proud of how my final outcome had came out. Since this is an extension of my previous workshop, I wanted to create two stories, using my first video that I have created with my group members. In order to relate my first video to my current extension week final outcome, I cut out the clips that I did not want, and inserted subtitles into the clips so that it generates a story which links to my final outcome. The first video acts as an introduction which leads to the second video. As mentioned before, I was eager to try and turn my videos into QR codes. Therefore, I generated two QR codes which allowed people to scan them as they walk past my work.
Through this one week project, I learned about the importance of editing in video clips and films, it may not always be perfect in the very beginning, therefore this requires endless work of editing, cutting and removing certain clips in order to make it as perfect as it can be. Plus, the use of audio can also help generate a sense of tone which also complements the whole concept and idea of the video. The alteration of the audio in my video changed the interpretation of the audience, allowing them to assume the idea that this was like an actual "recording" which was documented by the individual herself. This was exactly what I was aiming for while making the video. I also learned about how transitional effects used between clips when putting together are incredibly important; the suddenness and tension built when watching a film/short video can be altered greatly just with the use of transitional effects. As seen in the video, I also added short clips of the video "glitching" which also helped build suspense and tension. Whereas in soft, smooth, transitions, it can create a completely different reaction from the audience, generating a calm and tranquil feeling, alongside with a hint of sympathy and emotional thought towards the individual in the video. In addition, I also learned that the the speed/duration of a clip can also change the mood of the film/video entirely, slowing down the duration of the subtitles/video can usually make the audience want to know what will happen next, whereas speeding up the video will also generate another eerily effect towards the audience, thus adding suspense and tension to the video.
The concept of this project was quite new to me and very different from what I have learnt before in previous art lessons and courses. I found this project very intriguing as I had little to no idea that such simple setting and clips can generate such a meaningful and relatable film/short video for the audience to watch. I am quite happy and proud with how everything turned out. During the critique process where everyone walked around the classroom to look at our works, many people were impressed with my writing and video too, which made me very happy and satisfied with what I have made and accomplished. I was very surprised that a lot of people actually went up to my work and tried scanned the QR code with their smartphones; this not allowed me to achieve my first goal: showing how people have adapted to using phones to access anything easily at any time. My second goal: To engage and create interaction with the audience through physical actions by scanning the QR code. Lastly my third goal: To deliver a message through my video so that viewers would relate to the context of the video, thus using their own interpretation to critically analyse the video through their own perspectives and expectations. I was also very surprised that people had left post-it notes which commented on how my work had great visualisation and clarity of communication. Being able to receive such positive feedback and comments made me felt so happy, it was a feeling I couldn't even describe in words. The feedback given from other peers has motivated me to work harder for my upcoming projects, it also made me feel relieved, thinking that everything I have done was all worth it.
I think that the transitions between each separate clip were quite smooth, and the glitches functioned as I intended them to create tension and suspense, thus making the entire video more unified. However, I wasn't able to keep the whole video less than two minutes due to the subtitles. Since I wanted to create tension and suspense throughout the video, I wanted to make sure that the subtitles were transitioned at the exact time that I wanted them to be. It wouldn't make that much of a difference if I shortened it to two minutes, however, I felt that this would lose the tension and suspense that I had intended to make in order to allow the viewers and audiences to think about the video as well as the subtitles that were used as well. Despite this, I really enjoyed this project and I am actually considering to specialise for the 4D pathway for my future studies in the foundation course.
FINAL OUTCOME: (QR CODE)
First Video (Left) - Previous Project (Message Vacuum): 'What Makes Up Our Identity?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z21FQcEQx4E
Second Video (Right) - Extension Week Project: - 'Who Identifies Who?' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHU4Kt5JrNs
A screenshot of my video, showing my final outcome (please scan the QR codes above or click the youtube videos to view full video)
FINAL OUTCOME: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHU4Kt5JrNs
Feedback from classmates:
CONTEXTUAL PRACTISE - REFLECTIONS FROM BRIEF
How did the use of your smartphone enable you to comment on your social and personal identities?
The smartphone is invented for many different uses. The three most important aspects from my smartphone that I have utilised to comment on our social and personal identities were selfies, social media, and texting styles. People can access their different platforms very easily on their smartphones. Plus, they are all perfect in portraying an individual's personal identity. For example, if you take a selfie on your phone - camera. 'click' Your whole facial appearance can be captured, and this can clearly show your physical appearance and identity. But that's not it, if you decide to "post" your selfie onto social media, this will further spread your identity; allowing other people to be able to identify who you are. If we look from a different perspective, social media itself has also many functions and purposes which allow people to comment on your social and personal identities. People on social media can judge and make assumptions based on what you have posted online, therefore they can and have the right to spread rumours, lies, assumptions as well as false judgements of an individual, thus preventing the individual from finding his or her own 'self-identity'.
Think about the medium did it constrain your ideas or advance them?
In my opinion, I don't think that the medium - 'smartphone' had constrained my ideas, in fact, I think it has helped me advanced my ideas. Knowing that the project description surrounds the theme of identity and usage of phones. This has given me a huge advantage to explore everything that relate to smartphones as well as develop an idea or concept relating to the theme of identity.
What does the use of the selfie reveal about the politics of images online?
A political issue is currently occurring in Hong Kong regarding to the freedom of rights. Many protestors have been walking in the streets to show support for Hong Kong Independence. In order to document all of these issues as 'history', many people use their phones and cameras to capture the life-threatening events that have been happening in their home, the place where they have been living for years. Through using a camera, or even just using the selfie function, this allows the protestors to voice out their opinion as well as allow other people from other side of the world to feel and experience what it feels like to be fighting for freedom in Hong Kong. I believe that it is important for the protestors to speak up their voices, and to do that, they have to spread the word through their electronic devices.
Does the selfie show a reality?
As a matter of fact, selfies do not always show reality. There are a lot of celebrities and famous people in the internet who use filters or any photo editing apps or softwares such as photoshop to alter the face of an individual, thus changing the physical appearance of the individual to match with their beauty standards and expectations. Arguably, if the individual only takes a selfie and keeps it in their photo gallery without sharing it to public, one may assume that it has to be a reflection "reality" - her real self. However, there are also different filters which allows the face to be altered or toned in order to allow the photo to look better than it was before. This can change the 'identity' of an individual in many different ways, based only on their physical appearance. Therefore, I believe that using the selfie function in the camera does not always show a reality of who the individual actually looks like. In simpler words, it may not show or portray the individual's 'real self'.
Are there any themes that cross over from your peers and if so how did you incorporate this?
There were other briefs that I was a little interested in, however, not many of the themes were able to be incorporated into my project. Since I want my project to be very personal, other themes do not seem to cross over or apply to my project based on my expectations and standards for my project.