Filmmaking today is more than a narrative, it's the freedom of expression that can only be understood by those who are willing to understand.

Art Journal #2: Bone Play by Michael Sappol & Eva Åhrén

In Bone Play by Michael Sappol & Eva Åhrén, the main topic discussed was the basic idea of the dead, its bodies, and how overtime people have changed their views of respect for the dead. The article first introduces the idea of the dead through the historical use of anatomy with human bodies.
Sappol and Ahern start by saying how people at first respected the dead because of fear and religion. Then as anatomy was introduced in the mid-sixteenth century, though controversial as it was in that time period, it was the opening factor of how the dead would eventually be viewed today - in some way equally viewed as the living. The dissection of bodies in the medical profession became required and it wasn't so uncommon to use the deceased without worry of religious superstitions or respect for the dead. Sappol and Ahren said that their profession allowed them to 'play with the dead' through their practice of anatomy, and because the dead was initially to be feared and respected, students often had the impulse to 'dramatize and fool around' to avoid the thoughts that provoked disgust and remind them of the taboo of touching the dead. So to cope with working on cadavers, students covered it up with the act of 'playing' with the dead as if it were a joke. This act eventually became the norm in today's society starting with medical professions and later other people who came to wear skulls on their shirts, put it on their album cover, and etc. This respect for the dead, though not completely disappeared by religious means, has altered through the decades by people's actions and thoughts creating a new perception of the dead.

And so today, it is easy to point out the skulls that are printed on shirts and other common everyday objects. An great example of today's value of the dead would be the store, Torrid, which sells a gothic style clothing for females that often features dark clothing with skulls. It is not that they 'value' the dead but that they value its symbol and use it as a statement for their style - to be feared (perhaps), different, and unafraid for their bold use of skulls. Bikers also are often portrayed as dark, mean riders with skull tattoos and bandannas. This new perception of the dead is one I feel has become normal in today's society as if it being present make it acceptable to see death and that it's not something to be feared. I think that for the most part, to make the dead look like it is something not to feared is exactly the goal - to not fear the dead. By making it part of our lives with it printed on objects, it's a statement that we do not fear the dead but in theory, I think we really do. Like how Sappol and Ahren mentioned earlier about the medical students not being able to go through with dissecting cadavers was because it was originally taboo to touch the dead as well as nauseating to go through the procedure, the students made it seem like a game or a joke to play with the dead as if the body were nothing but a toy even going as far as taking pictures of the skeleton dressed up. It's no different in today's society in comparison to what the medical students did; to get over our fear, we make it normal to see skulls on consumer products. To see it on consumer products make it more of a decoration of accessory and it is no longer a reminder of our ultimate fate.

STOP.LOOK.LISTEN.: Janet Bigg's Predator and Prey

Janet Bigg's Predator and Prey was a quite amusing piece of sound and depiction of predator and prey. Her work was a two-channel video installation shown on eight Plasma screens. On the subject of imagery, it consisted of many scenes with animals (horse hooves, eagle, and polar bear) as well as man in two scenes. Overall, I found Bigg's Predator and Prey extremely fascinating and appreciated the work that was put into it of the different kind of focuses with two screens showing one thing different from the other.

The sound that accompanied the wonderful imagery was of great amusement in the way it was developed with, perhaps instruments to represent the animals in the video. In the first scene, both channels show a horse's hooves trotting on which looks to be moving ground (like a treadmill). In that first scene, the sound of trotting hooves was the dominant feature but because of the double screen, it was also double the sound of trotting. In contrast to Patty Chang's only soundtrack of slurping every now and then throughout the video, the introduction sound of the hooves related to me like a steady beat that could be more closely associated to music as Aaron Ximm would put it. Then as we proceed to the next scene of a man with his expression of pain in his head on the left plasma screens, the right screens displayed an animal. The sound this time is a type of a screaming sound which couldn't be identified as music to one's ears but one that I could connect to the imagery that was displayed. This made me be able to understand the pain the man was expressing in the left screens from the guess that the animal on the right had possibly produced the scorching sound. Thus, I interpreted that the animal was the predator and the man was prey to the effect of the sound made by the animal.
Moving on to the scene that made the most impression on me was the one that showed the eagle on both screens in mirrored images of the eagle; so that the left screen he was facing himself on the right screen in the same position. The sound in this scene was like a substitute of what you'd hear for the flapping of the wings as the eagle flapped it at its attempt to get its food from off the string. I believe this was the only time that the sound had a fade in the left speaker to fade out in the right speaker in the headphones. The instrument used to make the sound would not be easily identified - perhaps a drum? Regardless, the sound engrossed me to the screen and my attentiveness to what was being presented at the moment led me to think of how everything worked together in that moment with the sound, image, and mirror view of the eagle. This very scene made me ponder on the effect of the substituted sound that was used versus if the literal sound of the eagle's flapping wings was used. I think what Bigg provided in this scene seems to be more intense with the substituted sound of the wings, inviting the viewer to stop, look, and listen.

The last scene also made an impression on me, although not as much as the scene with the eagle did but it was still a great part of the video that I enjoyed. The video finished off with the horse's hooves again but only this time, the sound of the horse's hooves was not working harmoniously but the sound of left screen being played a little before the sound for the right screen was played. So to me, it was like finishing with music, and I think it was a great way to end it. I will admit that the rhythmic sound of the hooves this last scene made me want to dance to its beat. It sounds silly, but I felt that even with so simple of a sound from a horse could be appreciated. I don't know how I would feel if I were to see two horses first hand and trotting in the fashion that Bigg was able to create, but I have to point out that because the scene was manipulated into creating this specific sound, that it could definitely be credited as a dancing beat – something can be related to the performance of Riverdance.

Overall, I found that the sound used throughout Bigg's installation was an alternate between music and just sound that related to the image displayed on the screen. I admit that even though I found that there was an alteration between my feelings for the sounds, I enjoyed Bigg's work immensely upon the fact that the video was able to project feelings into me from beginning to end. In connection to Aaron Ximm's four artist statements (provided below), I think Bigg was also able to pinpoint each one in her work.

First. I want to recontextualize the sound around you.
Second. With composition I often aim to evoke specific emotional colors.
Third. I want to provide an environment for different thoughts.
Fourth. I want to take you on a trip.

STOP.LOOK.LISTEN: Patty Chang's Fountain

Patty Chang's Fountain video work displayed at Haggerty Hall Art Museum was intriguing to watch. It first caught my eye recognizing that a girl seemed to be making love to herself or another person who shared her physical qualities, and since it was the first video that caught my attention, I literally stopped, looked, and then listened. The video drew me in because it triggered my curiosity of how Chang was able to portray the act of lovemaking to herself in front of the camera. My first guess had been that they were twins that were in the video. In Fountain, Chang seems to have put the camera at a 90 degree angle that would capture the footage at a length that would deem appropriate in capturing her act of slurping water off of a mirror laid down on the floor. As I watched her taking her time drinking the water off the mirror’s surface, the pauses that were taken in between her drinking were great in emphasizing her looking at herself in a deep stare that could be taken as a ‘seductive’. I interpret her look as seductive because she certainly took her time looking at herself as if it was another person then slowly drinking the water off the surface as if she was deeply kissing someone. If I had not read the brief abstract provided in the pamphlet, I would have mistaken Chang being insanely in love with another female. This work of hers can be related to the familiarity of the Greek myth of Narcissus - of a man whom fell in love with his own image. The Greek myth could be easily understood of what happened to Narcissus but to see it in Chang's Fountain brings out a different feeling in witnessing such an act - it's disturbing to witness such intimacy that is often thought to be private.

In Chang's Fountain, the only sound that could be heard throughout the video is the sound of her 'slurping' the water off the surface of the mirror. The pauses in between her slurping offer a silence of observation and thought of what can be interpreted of the actions made by Chang. In connection to Aaron Ximm's idea of sound providing an environment for different thoughts, Chang was able to establish, you can say, a type of 'environment,' in which the only sound heard was her contact to the mirror. Thus that specific sound took me on surprise at first because I had no idea that she was drinking water off the surface of the mirror until I read the abstract provided in the pamphlet. Therefore the sound was able to trigger a curiosity, a concentration of what the sound was and its purpose in the video. I couldn't seem to put a finger on it so I assumed that it was just a sound made when contacting her other self whom seemed to be in another world. Thus it created a type of environment because of the sound provided by Chang's drinking of the water, but in contrast to Ximm's idea of regular sound as music, I think the slurping is as plain as the 'noise' a drain would make.

Art Journal #1 - Part 2

Through God’s Left Eye by Paul La Farge discusses the idea of Caodaism. He speculates the idea of communicating to ghosts and how it has shaped Caodaism religion and impacted on society – particularly the Vietnamese who carry and invented this religion. It started out with the wildfire news of the two sisters, Kate and Margaret Fox, ages ten and eight, who heard a noise in the attic and started to communicate to the ghosts through the act of tapping – one knock for yes and two knocks for no. With that start, it traveled all across the globe and there was a new sensation of communication – the communication with spirits. It finally hit Vietnam in also becoming a new sensation of communicating. What was interesting with Vietnam was that they were able to communicate with many famous dead such as a past emperor, Joan of Arc, and Victor Hugo. Not only that, they were given the foreshadowing of the first Caucasian Caodaism follower that proved to be true. With this new way of communicating that was introduced across the globe to Vietnam, came into development a new belief that trusted the guidance of spirits. Thus, Caodaism came into existent.
This idea of Caodaism is interesting because it was through the communication to spirits that a new religion was born. With the guidance of historic figures that communicate with the living, the people of Vietnam have come to trust the advice and knowledge given. This subject circulates the idea of one of the many possibilities of what could be beyond our world if taken the time and effort to discover it. In some way it connects to the Rosalind William’s interview in discussing what could beyond our understanding or what we believe that exists.
This type of media of communication across the globe (assuming that the Fox sisters were on newspapers everywhere and the story traveled by radio or mouth of word) has great ability to influence people to come to believe differently in terms of religion, such as Caodaism with the Vietnamese, with great consequences in shaping people’s lifestyle and thoughts. Through this article, the discussion seems to overlay the possibility the existence of spirits and the question of another world. It makes me question that if there is indeed a way to communicate with the dead, is there no hell or heaven? For if Joan of Arc was indeed communicating with the Vietnamese, why would her spirit be wandering the Earth, giving support in their time of French colonism? I’ve heard of spirits ‘stuck’ on Earth because they’ve ‘unfinished business,’ but with what I read in La Farge’s article, anything can really be possible of what really waits for our souls after death.

Art Journal #1 - Part 1

“In Notes on the Underground (MIT Press, 1990; revised edition 2008), Rosalind Williams, Bern Dibner Professor of the History of Science and Technology at MIT, examines how actual and imaginary underworlds shaped our attitudes toward the manufactured environments that we inhabit.”
The article, Underworld: An Interview with Rosalind Williams by Sina Najafi, is a very fascinating article discussing the many possibilities of what may be lying beneath the earth. It is questionable of what exactly may be waiting beneath the depths of the earth; perhaps it is Lucifer and the undying fire that torture damaged souls that await many other wrong-doers or mayhap it is just really the subways that occupy the space below and nothing more. The article also goes into depth of many publications of books that idealize their (the authors’) thoughts of the “underworld”. The ideas discussed throughout the article usually circulate on books that speculate the idea of an underworld that, for example, consist of supposedly extinct animals such as dinosaurs that can be found “in a journey to the center of the earth”. As Sina interviews Rosalind on her perspective, thoughts, and ideas on this idea of an ‘underworld, Rosalind gives many speculating views from different authors and the intriguing possibilities of how this underworld that is created affects one’s thought of what really lies beneath. As I read the article, I see the idea of an underworld categorized in science, religion, and fantasy. In reality, what is beneath the surface are old age rocks that contain fossils of once used to be. In religion, it may be a waiting place for the dead souls known as Hades or Hell with Lucifer’s ruling. Then created by imagination, the fantasy aspect comes by with the endless possibilities of what could be down there – it is open for many to imagine the underworld and create a new idea that may never be proved to exist. Therefore, how we think and what we believe affect our way of living. By believing that if there is a heaven, there has to be a hell; so for the sins that we have committed, we are condemned unless confessed or forgiven. If we were to all live by that idea, wouldn’t you think that many would be more willing to do good things or repent? Now if we were only to believe that only subways and other such stuff are the only things that occupy the earth’s depths, what would it matter how we lived?

Field Report #2: Act/React

One of the Act/React exhibits that I found most interesting and eerie at the same time was Janet Cardiif and George Bures Miller’s To Touch; where a table is set in the center of a dark room with the light centered on the table aloneFulfilling Duchamp’s creative act, the viewer is needed to complete the artwork by touching the table in order for the artwork to be completely understood of its unique creation. In my comparison to To Touch is Sissel Tolaas’s work with the sense of smell. Both works are, to me, considered to be interactive in that they are able to invite viewers to respond to the works and in return, how the works are able respond to their actions.
My experience with To Touch was with much anticipation of what is waiting for me to discover in the room from my knowledge of the previews of the Act/React exhibition shown in class as well as a feeling of curiosity and uneasiness when entering the display room. The entrance to the room is lengthy hall that ultimately leads to a darkened room with the only light shining on an old wooden table that has seen many days with paint and usage. It was the darkness and lengthy hall that built my curiosity of the art exhibition with every step that I took, making me question what I will see and how I will see it. Once I entered the room and saw only the table while everything else that was hiding in darkness, it held a kind of eeriness because of how it is set up in the room, it forced me to focus only on the table and what the table would provide to ease my curiosity’s hunger of what I’ve seen in class and what I want to discover. The table is only a table if one only looked, but it is not a table anymore once touched. I changed the table by touching the surface and moving my hand slowly only the ridged surface, and as I did, a voice spoke to me quietly and softly. As I prolonged the action of my hand across the surface of the table, more sounds would add to the voice; recognizable sounds from classic movies, dialogue from a man, etc. Once I remove my hand from the table, the sounds slowly diminish into silence and the table is once again, only a table in spotlight. Thus, the artwork gives me the power to control the sound that the table activates by my touch with my decision of how and where I want to touch or if I want to touch it at all. To Touch can be considered a work of art in that it is created in the artists’ mind with a sole purpose to be viewed by the willing audience, but art’s definition is so broad that it can be arguable that it is not. My viewpoint on the matter, however, is that art is in the eye of the beholder. What one thing that a person may view as art, another may disregard it as not art. So who really has the right of what to define art as?
Another piece of ‘artwork’ I’ve seen that invites the audience to interact is one that involves the sense of smell. Sissel Tolaas, a conceptual artist whose work explores the sense of smell traveled to different countries taking walks from small villages to big cities, collecting the different types of smell and then capturing them in bottles of perfume. Her list of smell ran from dog feces to people’s distinct smell of their natural body odor. She explored the different places in order to strengthen the knowledge of the importance of smell and how that sense affects us. By capturing these different smells, she was able to exhibit it in the most unexpected way; it was contained on white walls labeled as Wall 1 and so forth of different smells ingrained in different white walls. In order to smell the wall, one had to rub it and the odor would come off (so yeah, like a scratch and sniff sticker). I remember going to one of the walls that fused such a strong smell of human body odor that I had to cover my nose after a few seconds from entering the room. This very specific wall came along with a story that she told to audience. It was with this wall that that an old man was crying and his son asked him what was wrong, and when he was able to, he said it was the smell of the human body odor that reminded him of his time in the Vietnam War of the men he fought alongside with and the men that died. This very situation shows a great significance of the interactivity that was involved with the man and Tolaas’s wall in that the man was willing to discover the scent on the wall by rubbing the wall, and in return the scent on the wall transpired, igniting an old memory with the man. The walls with this example, is able to bring different reactions to each viewer with each person with a different experience or memory with a certain smell. This particular wall reminded me of smelly boys in grouped together in a confined space.
Both works involve one of the five human senses in each exhibition – the sense of touch and smell. They are both similar in that in order for the artwork to be complete, there has to be a willing audience to touch or smell the artwork to understand the artists’ works. If no one touched the table, who would ever know that there was sound activation on the surface? And if no one rubbed Tolaas’ walls that contained different odors, who would ever know that the plain white walls actually contained a scent? Thus, in order for their artworks to be complete, it calls for an audience to interact with the artwork in order for the work to be fully recognized as how it was created for.

Field Report #1: Self-Determination by Iverson White

In summary, Self-Determination by Iverson White was about a woman contemplating the decision to keep drinking in her misery about her broken marriage or take a step to do something about it for the better. White’s use of editing and story-telling is one that I find quite similar to Charles Brunett’s Killer of Sheep. Both films resemble each other in editing but, I have to admit, their storytelling is a bit different. Self-Determination included a beginning and an ending that had the audience guessing, following a narrative form of storytelling whereas Killer of Sheep had no narrative, just a film following the lives of the working class in their daily activities with no big significance of the film as a whole like a narrative film would imply. They were the same as that both represented the film in sequence where it got the audience guessing the meaning with not much obvious indication of what the events were really all about. The editing was no different, jumping from scene to scene, keeping the audience either in awe or confusion in what was really going on.

Self-Determination started out with a woman crying in bed at night as her husband undressed, got in bed, and shifted on his side so that his back would be facing her back. This body language would signify that this couple is not getting along. It is confirmed when she turns around and touches his shoulder only to get rejected at that intimate touch by him pulling the blanket up to cover his upper body. As this scene cuts to her picking up her orange juice, it goes to a flash back of her memory at a bar, drinking away her lost hope on her marriage. This altogether makes a strong statement that the woman and her husband are at ends with each other with the coldness and distance. As with Killer of Sheep, where the husband and wife dance together to music in the room, and as the wife tries to get intimate, she is rejected with him lightly shoving her away and walking out of the room. The simple act of rejection makes a big statement in the movie. A simple body gesture helps move the film along of what is happening, the meaning of a scene, and an implication of an event or situation.

Both films succeed in saying little to direct the audience’s knowledge of what the film is supposed to mean but help indicate indirectly of what the film as a whole, is representing through editing, events that had occurred, and/or body language.
Self-Determination had little dialogue whereas Killer of Sheep had it in most every scene, but both were edited in a way that gave the audience the opportunity to discover for themselves what the film was trying to convey to viewers of what the film was really about.

Killer of Sheep was obviously about the black working class but there was no obvious indication to the audience that it was about that that Brunett was trying to represent. As well as Self-Determination sent no obvious indication that it was a woman struggling within herself about taking a step toward change or drinking in her despair. Both films helped represent their meaning or plot of the story through events that were edited not only to catch one important aspect that event would show within that time frame, but also to help carry on the life and actions of the character. In that respect, giving the audience to make their meaning out of the scenes.

Art Journal

The art journal I chose is Cabinet Magazine.

http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/

The reason why I chose Cabinet Magazine is because after visiting its website, I found many interesting gallery pieces and works that caught my attention right away. I found myself viewing and reading further on the articles and decided that I would like to follow through with this art journal for the rest of Film 202's fall course.