This reading touched on an idea discussed in my Korsakow meeting today, that linkages can be made between seemingly unrelated subjects to create relationships between them that can be poetic and felt. Linkages can be made by anything, from things being the same colour as each other, to having a similar emotional memory or connection to the viewer.

This made me think about how we have been collecting our clips thus far, by just filming various subjects that fit the criteria of ’round’ or ‘shadow,’ and how it would’ve been easy for me to make linkages between my clips in this way in my Korsakow film. But in the 2 hours that i was rushing to create it, artistic Jackie came out and i related them based off connections to do with place, family and movement (and i also added a pretentious sounding subtext under each one to make me sound deep and reflective.) Of course there are many was in which my film could’ve done this better, it is certainly flawed and not as poetic as described in this reading. But because of that, it created a more interesting poetic connection between clips than there was when i recorded them. 

http://www.themediastudents.net/im1/2014/jackie.matthews

In the lecture it was discussed that art forms have value, even when they don’t appeal to anybody. But, i wanted clear, defined boundaries of this value and where it comes from. What about if nobody views it altogether, does it still have value? Why? Does art have inherent value because it is art? I asked in class if it still has value if nobody sees it, and Adrian said his opinion was that that would make it not art anymore. It would be the product of a hobby.

In the least conceited way; I consider myself an artist, (not necessarily a good one) but i enjoy art and work hard on what i create, and i generally want it to be seen by a lot of people. However, i am conflicted at the moment, not really because of what Adrian said, but i don’t even know what i am doing with my art anymore, and whether it currently has value. Over the summer, i did a fair amount of painting, i didn’t get everything i wanted done, but i did complete one of the 3 paintings I’ve been wanting to do. I spent so long on it, and its probably the best painting I’ve ever done, at least, in my eyes. But here’s the thing, its been sitting in my room for 2 months now, not because i have nowhere to put it, but i actually haven’t shown it to anyone yet. Its been finished that whole time, there’s nothing i want to add to it, some people know it exists, but nobody even knows what the subject matter of it is. I don’t know when I’m going to reveal it, it could be months from now, it just doesn’t seem right to do it now, there are still other paintings i want to complete first so i can reveal them together. Even so, it is still the best work i have done to date, but what value is there in it as art? It has value to me, but nobody else has seen it or knows anything about what it could be, so is it art? i guess not. Not yet anyway. So i wonder, no matter how good my Korsakow film will be, why am i doing this? How many people will see it, ill never know. Will that effect the amount of time i put into it, or how much i treasure it? Will it be art, or just another assignment?

By the way, Korsakow is stressing me out to an insane degree. Its not working on my computer and i cant figure out why and it’s due next week and I’m dying of stress here, okay bye.

http://vogmae.net.au/classworks/2012/DearDiary.html 2012 Makers: Kai Ebato, Sherilyn Wong and Kyesha Keleher.

“Dear Diary” (2012) by Kai Ebato, Sherilyn Wong and Kyesha Keleher is an interesting work with cohesive interacting forms of media. It relies on various patterns, using keywords and relations between videos. It also has a thoughtfully constructed interface, which assists in creating meaning in the work.

The work itself, has monologues playing one after another over the piece. The monologues are diary entries that are being read out by the same girl, describing various things that she observes; things that people generally wouldn’t take notice of noticing. Such as the shapes of handles in tram and train carriages. These topics can be followed in the clips chosen, as the mouse over preview can reveal the visual representation of what she describes. Then when she goes on to say she is alone at the tram stop, there is a clip showing that available up next, which you may choose or may not. Once going into one of these umbrella topics, all of the related videos are relevant. On a train video, the related clips are all about public transport. Then, one may choose to click on a picture of graffiti, and then all other related clips are related to that.; which is all related to the point in her monologues when she talks about painting on the walls. We get an insight into her thoughts through text captions next to the featured video, outlining her observations and reactions to what is shown.

The interface has been constructed so that the video previews appear like four balloons, holding up an old teddy bear. This is very childish imagery, which relates to the pattern of her observing different things and drifting in her thoughts. The child like aesthetic makes it seem as though the speaker is somewhat immature, which is reinforced in her monologue. For example while she is sitting in church, mouthing what people are saying until her mother tells her off; something you would picture a small child doing.

Because of this, i can conclude that this is a character piece, an insight into the mind of this girl who is childish, bubbly and observant. The piece allows us to view the world through the eyes of someone with childlike innocence, noticing things such as train handles and what other people are doing on the train; wondering why they all “seem so occupied.” She says her attention tends to wander in a text caption while the video plays a clip of dead leaves on the ground. Although she is very childlike, she there are hints to her being a teenager as well. She has dark humor, such as when she said “if i was in Nazi Germany, i’d be executed for being so normal,” in relation to her brown hair. This shows that it is not a child, it is from the view of someone who is a teenager, with a childs view of the world.

The monologues finally end with her talking about her brother leaving and her finishing high school, a time when she needs to grow up and be more mature. During the work, you can find a clip of her writing her diary entry on some paper. The final clip that can be played is a shot of burning paper, symbolising her diary that she has been writing in, accompanied by some text about burning bridges and old ties in order to move forward. Both of these endings show her transition from a wandering mind with a childlike view of the world, into viewing the world as an adult.

The piece works as an interactive documentary, as “the viewer is positioned within the artefact itself” (Aston, Gaudenzi, pg. 126). It gives us insight into this character’s mind and allows us to wander through it as if it were our own; wandering through thoughts the way she carelessly wanders through hers.

References:

Aston, J Gaudenzi, S. 2012, Interactive Documentary: Setting the Field, Studies in Documentary Film 6.2

In the lecture today, an interesting point came up about, are our lives stories/ narratives. The symposiums contention was no, some people hesitated before agreeing. I can see why. Sometimes you feel like its all been one big story. It’s disillusioning to be walking down the street with your iPod playing, then realising that nobody else can hear your music but you; its not like in the movies (Unless you are one of those obnoxious people who have their music on full blast…. i feel sorry for your eardrums.) I guess you realise that life isn’t as planned and magical as a story, some people believe everything happens for a reason, like in a story, but i don’t think that’s true. If you or a loved one went thorough hardships, those hardships weren’t necessarily there for a particular reason, but you may possibly become a stronger person out of it. That just depends on how you deal with life. There is also a huge possibility that it could emotionally cripple you, but you don’t say it happened for a reason then, right? “It happened so they can be in emotional pain forever,” yeah, nah. I guess a lot of these beliefs come down to religion, but the main point is that in a constructed story/ narrative, everything happens for a reason, it has to. In life it doesn’t, you can make a story out of events from your past, but you never know what may determine the future, and sometimes the future isn’t determined by anything in your story.

It was also discussed, how does reality TV fit into this. It’s life, but could it be documentary? narrative?  Arguably its not even real life, it is constructed. I remember on America’s Next Top Model (a show i used to watch religiously), a girl saying that while the cameras weren’t rolling, they were not aloud to speak or interact with each other whatsoever. Every interaction they had had to be on film. It may protect against important interactions being unrecorded, but it probably made the girls uncomfortable and meant they couldn’t develop friendships naturally. I imagine in shows such as Big Brother, its is very much the same, yes there are camera rolling 24/7, but there are so many constructed elements that we don’t see. Last night i was in the control room for a live TV show, only observing, but i was amazed at how many things are going on. Productions like this are far less intimate than they appear on screen, its easy to forget that.

I think what i understand from this reading by Marie-Laure Ryan, is that narrative is something that people can all recognise and follow, and people are able to identify a narrative when they see it. However, people are less likely to have the same view of what a story is. Therefore, the writer of the story can never know how their reader will think of it. Also, there are particular conditions in order for there to be a narrative. Spatial, Temporal, Mental and Formal and Pragmatic dimensions. So narrative is the physical constructon of the story, and the story is the mental representation of the narrative that the reader finds.

In Ian Bogost’s writing, he explains how lists are used in narrative. They can create structure where there was none before, but they also disrupt the fluidity of the piece, as lists generally are to be heard and not felt. Even when lists are used in poetry, that can take away from the lyrical, fluid ability of the piece.