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Blog Exercise 10

👆 "Dots", Norman McLaren (1940) 👆

👆 “Ever is over all” - Pipilotti Rist (1997) 👆

The “Dots” by Norman McLaren and the “Ever is over all” by Pipilotti Rist have some differences in contrast.

Though they both played with motions and used saturated colors, the “Dots” has a much faster and more lively pace than the “Ever is over all”, which was purposely slowed down and has a dreamlike quality.

Technically, McLaren painted directly onto clear frames of film and used no camera whereas the counterpart is a film shot by a camera. 

The human was made the object in the “Ever is over all” whereas there is no object in the “Dots”. “Ever is over all” conveys a rebellious feminist message against cultural normalities. Rist used a lot of symbolism and set an arranged scene. Although Rist’s work has a painterly approach, the “Dots” is more graphic and abstract. 

Both of them have soundtracks, but the “Dots” are made by painting directly into the area on the film strip usually reserved for the soundtrack, which is very different from ordinary methods of creating music. The pace of music suits the pace of animation for both works, yet one is fast and the other is slow, just as the speed of the dots’ movement and the woman’s action.

Lastly, “Ever is over all” is an installation with two players and is designed to be looped, whereas “Dots” is simply an animation.

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more about slit-scan effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhRo2WbWnKU&feature=share

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proj4 Artist Statement

Project 4: hybrid experimental media

For this project, I intend to explore the visualization of literature and displaying it in an interactive way. To be more specific, I want to present the imagery of poetry by slit-scan videos.

I chose 3 verses from the poet Rabindranath Tagore’s “Stray Birds”, and some videos that correspond with the context of the verses. The way I implemented this idea is by using the programming language “Processing”.

Inspiration

I started with the idea of making a video that is showing a poem getting typed out by moving images instead of text. This idea came from the first video I did for project 3. It was about constructing a time-based narrative scene by montage, like David Hockney’s work the “joiners”. I was thinking what if the blocks of montage came out in a sequence, which is very similar to the processing of typing. That is how the idea of typing images started.

Then I was trying to do it by Premiere, but the process was very tedious and frustrating. So I started to research how to use Processing to present my idea, so that I am able to remix the work with user interactions, and turning everything into algorithms, as Lev Manovich writes in his article: “This means that, in most cases, we will no longer find any of these techniques in their pure original state. The media techniques became “supercharged” and amplified; their range and application were extended; and their controls were made explicit, formalized, quantifiable, and programmable.”(Manovich)

During my research, I found a tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCJM9WIoudI&t=498s) and a research article (http://www.flong.com/texts/lists/slit_scan/) about slit-scan video artworks, and was fascinated by the concept. Slit-scan imaging shows the dynamic and flow of moving images, and I think it effectively expresses the abstract and atmospheric perspective of poetry.

Idea

Manovich defines “deep remixability” as “What gets remixed today is not only content from different media but also their fundamental techniques, working methods, and ways of representation and expression.”(Manovich) In my work, I am trying to create a metamedium by remixing the techniques of still moving images with user interactions to depict poetic imagery. Since the video is processed in real time behind the scene, the moment when the user hits the key decides which part of the video is slit-scanned and processed onto the screen. Therefore, every user does not produce the same imagery. It is time-based.

The first piece “birds” is the first verse from “Stray Birds” by Tagore. I chose a video of flying birds to echo with the poem. The same idea was applied to the second piece “water”. For the third piece “shadow”, more user interaction is introduced by retrieving the live video from the webcam of the computer.

Methodology

I started by writing code for small and simple functions in Processing and combined them together at the end. For example, I very first function is to type out a stripe of an image by hitting any key on the keyboard, and later I developed it with videos and certain strings(texts). Googling “xxx processing”, video tutorials and also the libraries on the official website were very helpful.

Regrets and Development

1. I wish I could search for more videos for better effect of slit-scan imaging. 2. I wish I could include more reactions on the imaging corresponds to the user input. For example, punctuations and new lines and reflect on the image with space breaks and….new lines (maybe glitch effect or warning message can be generated by wrong text input). 3. Text input can be substituted by voice input. Instead of typing the poem, the user can generate the image by reading the poem. 4. Besides the gallery scenario for displaying the work, the environment can also be on a personal computer. ___________________________ Works Cited Manovich, Lev. “Understanding Hybrid Media.” University of Waterloo – Central Authentication Service. Betti-Sue Hertz, 2007. Web. 20 Jul 2017. <http://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/le/content/320863/viewContent/1815276/View?ou=320863>.

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proj4_bird

proj4_birds var resizeCanvas = function() { var canv = Processing.getInstanceById('bird'); canv.size(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight); } import processing.video.*; Movie m; String keyword = "Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away.\n" + "And yellow leaves of autumn,\n" +"which have no songs,\n" + "flutter and fall there with a sign."; int x = 0, y = 20; int t = 1; boolean correct; boolean finished = false; int j = 0; void setup(){ size (1400,800); background(0); fill(20); rect(950,0,450,800); m = new Movie (this, "https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2gHCbq4DB4TNjdqY0cyc1NWeWs/view?usp=sharing"); m.play(); m.jump(18); m.loop(); //textFont(createFont("SourceCodePro-Regular.ttf",36)); textSize(20); fill(120); text(keyword,1000,350,350,700); } void movieEvent (Movie m){ m.read();} void draw(){ int w = m.width; int h = m.height; if (correct && (x<= 120*t)){ copy(m, w/2,0,1,h,x+40,y+50,1,h/5); x+=1; textSize(20);fill(255); text(keyword.substring(0,j),1000,350,350,700); fill(255); } if (x>120*t) {correct = false; t+=1;} if (x>900){ x=0;t=1; y+=h/5+20;} } int len = keyword.length(); void keyPressed(){ if (j< len && (key == keyword.charAt(j))) { correct = true; j+=1; } //if ((key == ',')||(key == '.')){ //x += 60; //correct = true;} else {correct = false; } }

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Project 4 inspiration - slit-scan

An Informal Catalogue of Slit-Scan Video Artworks and Research: http://www.flong.com/texts/lists/slit_scan/

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slit-scan var resizeCanvas = function() { var canv = Processing.getInstanceById('slit'); canv.size(window.innerWidth, window.innerHeight); } import processing.video.*; Capture video; int x = 0; void setup(){ size(1280,480); video = new Capture (this, 640,480); video.start();} void captureEvent (Capture video){ video.read();} void draw(){ int w = video.width; int h = video.height; copy(video, w/2,0,1,h, x,0,1,h); x = x + 1; if (x > width) {x = 0;} }

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endless rain

endless rain var resizeCanvas = function() { var canv = Processing.getInstanceById('pjs'); canv.size(600, 600); } class Timer { int savedTime; // When Timer started int totalTime; // How long Timer should last Timer(int tempTotalTime) { totalTime = tempTotalTime; } // Starting the timer void start() { // When the timer starts it stores the current time in milliseconds. savedTime = millis(); } // The function isFinished() returns true if 5,000 ms have passed. // The work of the timer is farmed out to this method. boolean isFinished() { // Check how much time has passed int passedTime = millis()- savedTime; if (passedTime > totalTime) { return true; } else { return false; } } } class Drop { float x, y; // Variables for location of raindrop float speed; // Speed of raindrop color c; float r; // Radius of raindrop float xoff; float sizex,sizey; Drop() { float z = random (0,20); r = map(z,0,20,9,11); // All raindrops are not the same size float x1,x2,xx; x1 =random(466,557); x2 =random(606,680); // Start with a random x location xx = random(1,3); if (xx<2) {x=x1;} else {x=x2;} if ((x>465)&&(x<472)) {y = 1.2*x-300;} else {y = 0.56*x+10;} speed = map(z,0,20,0.5, 2.5); // Pick a random speed c = color(65, 90, 165); // Color xoff = noise(0.35)*2; //random angle sizex = map(z,0,20,0.4,0.8); //random size sizey = map(z,0,20,2.5,3.6); } // Move the raindrop down void move() { // Increment by speed y += speed; x -= xoff; speed += 0.1; } // Check if it hits the bottom boolean reachedBottom() { // If we go a little beyond the bottom if (y > height + r*4) { float z = random (0,20); speed = map(z,0,20,0,5,2.5); return true; } else { return false; } } // Display the raindrop void display() { //float z = random (0,20); // Display the drop fill(52,72,140,134); noStroke(); for (int i = 2; i < r; i++ ) { ellipse(x-i*sizex, y + i*sizey, i*2, i*2); } } // If the drop is caught void caught() { // Stop it from moving by setting speed equal to zero speed = 0; // Set the location to somewhere way off-screen float maybe = random(0,2); if (maybe!=0){ float x1,x2,xx; x1 =random(466,557); x2 =random(606,680); // Start with a random x location xx = random(1,3); if (xx<2) {x=x1;} else {x=x2;} if ((x>465)&&(x<472)) {y = 1.2*x-300;} else {y = 0.56*x+10;} } } } class Catcher { float r; // radius color col; // color float x, y; // location Catcher(float tempR) { r = tempR; col = color(50, 10, 10, 150); x = 0; y = 0; } void setLocation(float tempX, float tempY) { x = tempX; y = tempY; } void display() { stroke(0); fill(col); ellipse(x, y, r*2, r*2); } // A function that returns true or false based on // if the catcher intersects a raindrop boolean intersect(Drop d) { // Calculate distance float distance = dist(x, y, d.x, d.y); // Compare distance to sum of radii if (distance < r + d.r) { return true; } else { return false; } } } Catcher catcher; // One catcher object Timer timer; // One timer object Drop[] drops; // An array of drop objects int totalDrops = 0; // totalDrops PImage bkg; void setup() { size(864,876); catcher = new Catcher(32); // Create the catcher with a radius of 32 drops = new Drop[700]; // Create 1000 spots in the array timer = new Timer(300); // Create a timer that goes off every 300 milliseconds timer.start(); // Starting the timer bkg = loadImage("https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Roy_Lichtenstein_Drowning_Girl.jpg"); } void draw() { image(bkg,0,0,width,height); // Set catcher location catcher.setLocation(mouseX, mouseY); // Display the catcher catcher.display(); // Check the timer if (timer.isFinished()) { // Deal with raindrops // Initialize one drop drops[totalDrops] = new Drop(); // Increment totalDrops totalDrops ++ ; // If we hit the end of the array if (totalDrops >= drops.length) { totalDrops = 0; // Start over } timer.start(); } // Move and display all drops for (int i = 0; i < totalDrops; i++ ) { drops[i].move(); drops[i].display(); if (catcher.intersect(drops[i])) { drops[i].caught(); } } }

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Proj 3 - still moving moving still

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Artist Statement:

The two videos I created for project 3 are inspired by the photo collage series, the "joiners", by David Hockney. 

I aspire to capture a photographic staged scene which presents a simple and short movement of my friend walking along an architecture. 

Unlike Hockney’s works which involve the element of movement as it exists within a traditionally still medium, I am trying to explore stillness in a moving medium.

The videos are intended to be played in loops. I was imagining a scenario in my mind that whenever people see my work, it is constantly moving, yet the scene is always the same: a girl walking. It works the same as the moving images in the newspapers from Harry Potter. 

Film as a moving image comes into existence only during the duration of our viewing since we perceive its movement, static or dynamic, through an intermittent succession of still images, The moving image’s virtuality, or lack of physicality, uncovers the immanence of such movement within itself. (Kondo)

I think David Hockney’s works are very interesting. His collages not only represent movement, but also time moving through space.

For the first video, I imitated Hockney’s composition and introduced the blocks line by line in a time sequence. Each block is 0.01 second later than its previous clip. I want to present the time moving through space just as the way Hockney did. In this case, each frame is a still moving picture which consists of a moment of 0.01 x 45 seconds (since there are 45 blocks each frame). It is slightly more complicated than what Kondo talks about a moving image:

In contrast to the still image’s intensity, the moving image derives its aesthetic momentum through its extensivity: it constantly evolves through image sequences over a fixed duration of its appearance and disappearance. If we pause the moving image at any given moment, we recognize the aspect of the moving image at that moment when such an image becomes a still image. (Kondo)

The second video is a clearer example of a moving still work. Everything is flowing, not only the person, but also the architecture. Because the composition of the first video is in a logical order, I wanted to explore the opposite style of composition and make everything flow in an irrational way, just like how irrational the human vision could be. 

Because the photographs are taken from different perspectives and at slightly different times, the result is work that has an affinity with Cubism, one of Hockney's major aims—discussing the way human vision works. (Wikipedia)

Not all works in the “joiners” series are composed with regular order, but they are all made with rectangular Polaroids. I thought about the dynamic of the trace of human vision and came up with idea that our vision is always in a flowing momentum. Our attention is very limited and our perception is often out of shape from reality. I would not have synchronized the time of the layers since I think we do not see everything at once or in a linear way. 

Technique-wise, I used After Effect to crop out blocks of the video and imported them to Premiere to arrange them. The distortion in the 2nd video is made by an effect called ‘Twirl in’ / ‘Twirl out’ in Premiere. I also twirled and stacked several layers with different sizes and rotation angles.

Works Cited

Kondo, Masaki. Unfolding the In-Between Image. 1. 3. Contemporaneity, 2014. Web. from https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/le/content/320863/viewContent/1848196/View?ou=320863>.

Wikipedia contributors. "David Hockney." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Jun. 2017. Web. from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Hockney&oldid=787809649

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memphis

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aftereffects-inclass-practice

vacuuming

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Blog Exercise 8

Deep remixability 

- not only content from different media is remixed, but also the fundamental techniques, working methods, and ways of representation and expression are remixed.

Variable form - In the case of design and animation software, all possible forms: visual, temporal, spatial, interactive, are similarly represented as sets of variables that can change continuously.

Continuity turn

- Continuous change or transformation. “All constants were substituted by variables whose values can change continuously.”

Metamedium 

- United within the common software environment, cinematography, animation, computer animation, special effects, graphic design, and typography have come to form a new metamedium. A work produced in this new metamedium can use all the techniques, or any subset of these techniques, that were previously unique to these different media.

Takeshi Murata Melter 3-D, 2014 Three-dimensional animation 64 x 22 x 22 inches

This installation is a sculptural animation, which looks very natural and organic.

deep remixability: it remixes the language of sculpture and Computer-generated imagery.

Variable form: both visual and spatial.

Continuity turn: continuously self-melting.

Metamedium: computer animation, special effects. 

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Moving still experiment

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moving still - inspirations

TRUTH OR DARE – 21 performances, a 15 minute film installation by Jonas Lindstroem, first screened February 2017 at Johann König Galerie, Berlin. The film functions as a subjective commentary on the now – 21 moments sourced from the imaginary minds of a global generation.

That sharp pain you wonder about sometimes is felt by us all.

(This is a special condensed 8-min explicit online version.)

WARNING: This film contains a brief scene of graphic sexual activity and a scene of staged violence.

Director: Jonas Lindstroem

Director: Jonas Lindstroem & the little homies

“ELEMENT is highly reminiscent of Lindstroem’s previous work, namely his short film "Truth or Dare" which features 21 performances or vignettes, an elevated version of the content found on mobile phones. 

Interested in boundary between photography and film, Lindstroem is great at creating these slow moving tableaus that serve as a reference point for a larger environment.

In ELEMENT, Kendrick has applied to his own, namely to the violence. Thats been an inescapable fact in the enviornment for his whole life.

…

The violence he’s caused, the violence used to oppress his race, and the violence his friends and family visit on themselves.

Each of these facets of violence is distilled into a photographic moment. Some of them connect, but they are scrambled, joining you into this churning cycle of violence, that is the resolve of all these distinctive images.”

another random one:

80KIDZ「Reversed Note」

Louise Lawler. Pollyanna (adjusted to fit), distorted for the times. 2007/2008/2012. As adjusted for the MoMA exhibition WHY PICTURES NOW, 2017. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and Metro Pictures. © 2017 Louise Lawler

🔗link: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1646

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University of Waterloo, Ontario by SwellMap

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Blog exercise 7

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Blog exercise 6

Diary of a Victorian Dandy

https://africa.si.edu/exhibits/shonibare/dandy.html Shonibare's ambitious photographic suite Diary of a Victorian Dandy has frequently been considered in relation to the satirical art of the 18th-century painter and caricaturist William Hogarth. Shonibare's photographs resonate with Hogarth's A Rake's Progress (1735), which chronicled the dissipation and ruin of its protagonist, but they avoid its moralizing tenor. Instead, Shonibare's work celebrates excess and decadence, while inverting the stereotype of otherness through the figure of the black dandy (played by Shonibare himself) with his fawning white servants and acolytes. Themes of leisure, frivolity, self-invention and social mobility are played out through the figure of the dandy, whose circulation in upper-class English social circles was often linked to his style and wit. Shonibare has described his attraction to the dandy as an "outsider [who] upsets the social order of things." As their titles indicate, Shonibare's photographs depict a day in the life of his fictional dandy--from his late morning rise, to his afternoon business and social activities, to a decadent sexual adventure at 3 a.m.

Philip-Lorca diCorciaW,

November 2007, #6, 2007

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/philip-lorca-dicorcia-w-november-2007-number-6

http://www.franceskearney.com/her-fathers-daughter/

 Her Father's Daughter I. 2001

Self Portrait in a Single Breasted Suit with Hare 2001

http://whitecube.com/artists/sam_taylor-johnson/

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screenshots

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