When choosing my studio for semester 2, I was confronted with a great range of opportunities. After reading through the descriptions of each I saw that I had two options available. I could continue to work in videography and develop skills within an area I am already experienced or I could step out of my comfort zone. I chose Lights, Camera, Interaction with the understanding that I was providing myself with a challenge. I believe it is important to push yourself into things that you may not be as comfortable with. How else are you to discover new passions?

Throughout the development of studies 1-3, I have learnt a great deal about the creative process. Often when thinking creatively I can envisage an end product before having completed any research or strategic thinking. This can be beneficial and detrimental to the entire exercise. Setting a goal can allow you to have a clear vision and create motivation to work towards it. However, it can also cause limitations along the way. If I come up with other ideas during the process, often I find myself blind sighted by my original idea. Therefore overlooking concepts which could be better. It is important to be open to altering your plans as you hit bumps in the road and develop new concepts.

After downloading Max, I have struggled to wrap my mind around the technical procedures within. I believe that it is the type of program that is difficult to learn, however once you understand the terminology and systems, fantastic to use. I am not currently at that stage. Whilst I am beginning to see the links between different commands, it is not a skill that comes naturally to me in the classroom. This classifies as both an ongoing challenge as well as the opportunity to continually broaden my horizons.

In terms of the techniques I have learnt surrounding interactive art making, I place a great importance of understanding human response when creating a piece. Throughout the presentations in assessment 1, the majority of artists used human instinct in their work. Relying on the viewer to move in a certain way to then manipulate the art. Throughout studies 1-3 we have done the same thing. For example in my piece for study 2, we created a screen effect in which you could see yourself in real time as well as an overlay of the same video delayed by 3 seconds. This product played under the assumption that once the viewer realised what was happening, they would move in front of the camera in order to see the effect. When showing this to classmates, each student moved as predicted. It is key to base work of your own natural instinct and to further check if others have the same tendency.

My success thus far can be seen through the submission of my work on time. I have learnt that in a subject like this, it is important to remain up to date on projects. When completing tasks, it can take a long time to receive help from a busy tutor. It is therefore important to keep your creative juices flowing and always have something ready to get feedback on. Considering I have a timetable clash this semester, I have managed my time very efficiently.

I have also been successful in drawing inspiration from my artist investigation in assessment 1. After studying the work of Camille Utterback, I began to understand the manipulation of art available, when interacting with the human body. In study 1 I created an overlay of 3 videos, allowing the viewer to control what was being played through the use of a keyboard. This piece was inspired by Utterback’s “Shifting Time”. Her artwork allowed people to walk past a large screen and control the change of content. Whilst my technical abilities are currently limited, I drew inspiration from this when creating my study. Giving power to the audience as Utterback often focuses on.

My work so far follows simplistic formats. Whilst this has allowed me to further understand the basics of Max, it has produced very straightforward outcomes. As discussed in tutorials, later assessments allow the opportunities to revisit our earlier work and develop them further. I believe I could build upon this, attempting to combine study 1 and 3. Using the camera to view human movement and change the video on screen. This is much more technically advanced than my current projects, however a component I may be capable of progressing later in the semester.

I have learnt a great deal from my peers throughout these studies. Each student has created a range of outcomes which appear to reflect individual inspirations and creativity. Some have found the use of Max to be extremely straightforward however others struggle like me. It is important to remember that I chose this studio in order to push my media abilities. As my skills develop, I look forward to being able to represent the ideas in my head.