Manovich’s understanding of the internet and all it’s infinite (pun intended) possibilities really excited me going into this week’s artefact experiment. The idea of infinity comes back to anything on the web never truly having a finished state, as websites and content can always be uploaded and updated, resulting in ‘a collection, not a story’ (Manovich 2001, pg 221). I also really appreciated thinking about infinite list content as something that can be isolated and still have meaning. Granted, it would be different to that of the work in its collective state, but this idea of each fragment standing tall on its own, with viewers constructing their own narrative based on the works they find in the database (Manovich 2001, pg 237) a super fascinating prospect.

Thinking – an Infinite List by Meg Dolphin and James Heywood

Meg and I decided to use Tumblr as the format for our infinite list experiment because we both appreciate the variety and freedom the platform allowed for in the form of mediums. This meant we could use sound, gif, text, image and video to create our work, which allowed for a varied piece.  We experimented with this idea of daydreaming, which was helpfully suggested by Hannah, allowing us to explore the ideas of place and the theme of blue that we originally thought out to explore. I also took on Chelsea’s advice from my explosive list experiment, and whipped out the tripod, as all my filming was done at home, which allowed me to greater explore stillness and subtle movements within my frames.

I think we did a good job at creating an artefact that when compiled together, serve a greater purpose, whilst still presenting an idea when isolated, like what Manovich speaks about. We then added tags to each post to further the expansiveness, allowing you to delve into all the other posts that are tagged the same way, creating this sense of infinity that bolstered my original idea and understanding of web-based content and storytelling having no pre-determined end. A truly infinite list of things.

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Reflection References

Manovich, L., 2001. ‘The Database’ in The Language of New Media. The MIT Press, Cambridge. pp. 218-243.

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about what Bogost said about meanwhile being an extremely powerful tool in the world of ontography (2012, pg. 50). It reminded me of the “yes, and” concept when I studied drama in high school, always prompting something further. It has also been my preferred way of exploring the possibilities of an explosive list, relating back to this practice of noticing,  and being able to ‘draw attention to the countless things that litter our world unseen’ (Bogost 2012, pg. 51).

My rough mindset going into making my explosive experiment was to present the meanwhile, in my neighbourhood right now, and contrast its quietness and stillness with a constructed soundscape similar to that of when we are not in a pandemic, eg: bustling.  This juxtaposition would challenge you to think about what aspect felt more peaceful and calm.

But I feel like that mindset shifted slightly, as I began to notice aspects in my footage I did not necessarily intend, and pieced together a further explosion, meanwhile, within my frame.  While I am not too terribly happy with the quality of the footage gathered overall (it felt selfish to go out with a tripod and camera during quarantine, so I just used my phone and a water bottle to prop it up whilst on an isolated walk, so it’s kinda grainy and pretty bland pre colour correction), I did find I noticed a lot more exploded elements within the shots. I noticed that nature and animals were really dominant within the focus. They aren’t directly affected by the pandemic, as they get to go around their routines of blowing in the wind or grooming, and that felt kind of beautiful.

I took Conor’s feedback and played around with consistency, and chose to make all the shots 10 seconds each to give the piece a more structured flow. I also wanted to incorporate music, but couldn’t find anything under creative commons that fit, but did find something that wasn’t that I can’t use for my official submission, which is a bummer but understandable. If you want to check it out, it’s embedded below as a lil extra! If you do watch it, let me know which version you like more and why 🙂

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Reflection References

Bogost, I., 2012. ‘Ontography’ in Alien Phenomenology. Or What It’s Like to be a Thing. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. pp. 50-59.

Video References

Sound Effects from BBC Sound Library

• Cars passing on open road – tranquil cicadas and distant birds — – disturbed by occasional cars passing at speed.
• Group of young people walking in park, with some voices.

Lady Fingers – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

 

Putting it generally, ontography is the collection, correlation and recording of beings and things, as well as their nature and essence. When we apply this idea to list, we can see it as “a group of items loosely joined by not by logic or power or use”, but on the basis of purely existing (Bogost 2012, pg. 38). Almost like a gathering of sorts, collecting and connecting things based on them just, being, not requiring any sort of description or clarification (Bogost 2012, pg 38). So I won’t!

Okay, so maybe I will clarify and describe my work!

The prompt for this piece was “things that I find/found myself thinking about when I space out trying to concentrate”.  Ironically, I found it difficult to think of the things I thought about when spacing out, without spacing out into something that wasn’t applicable, so I decided to just jot down any memorable images, things, moods or places that came to mind when I was concentrating on other things, which led to the ideas in this video.

When it came to constructing the flow and order of these scenes, I was inspired by Hannah Brasier’s ‘Sometimes I See Palm Trees‘. All the images and videos in that piece are linked through commonalities, such as colour or prompts. I decided to have my scenes flow in a similar way, but without the branching choice aspect, they are just loosely connected, without any real clarification or description. I would love to know how you think the scene flow,s and know if you feel like there’s any rhyme or reason to it.,

Both Jack and Joeseph’s feedback from last week helped in the creation of this experiment, as they suggested using cutting to black alongside purposeful audio, as well as shot length experimentation and build-up, both of which I feel more comfortable playing around with thanks to their suggestions.

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Reflection References

Bogost, I., 2012. ‘Ontography’ in Alien Phenomenology. Or What It’s Like to be a Thing. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. pp. 35-50.

Brasier, H., 2018, Sometimes I See Palm Trees,

 

Video References

Banana Ripening Time Lapse (Free to Use HD Stock Video Footage), Untitled Artist, Attribution 3.0 CC, https://archive.org/details/BananaRipening/Banana+Master+H264.mp4

BBC Sound Effect Library – Autumn, Atmosphere: Quiet birds, insects, light breeze, V2 Rocket launching – 1975 (500B)

Beachfront B-roll: Fall Leaves (Free to Use HD Stock Video Footage), Beachfront B-Roll: Free Stock Footage, YouTube CC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCuBFNMgjfc&ab_channel=BeachfrontB-Roll%3AFreeStockFootage

Bright Sky and Clouds, Jeffery Beach (Beachouse Productions), Attribution 3.0 CC, https://archive.org/details/BrightSkyAndClouds

Cat On His Way To The Morning Hunt (Wide Screen 16:9), Untitled Artist, Attribution 3.0 CC, https://archive.org/details/CEP441

Kalidescope Clouds, Ivan Bridgewater, Attribution 3.0 CC, https://archive.org/details/IMB_SF_R42_C2

Scuba diving Strytan in Iceland, Marc Herbrechter, YouTube CC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az_6Ua0ioK8&ab_channel=MarcHerbrechter

Seagull Flying Wide Shot, Jeffery Beach (Beachouse Productions), Attribution 3.0 CC, https://archive.org/details/SeagullFlyingWideShot/SeagullsWideMaster_h264.mp4

Space – Free HD Stock Footage (No Copyright), Free HD Stock Footage, YouTube CC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_stpyQo3H2A

The Spiral Lamp, Marcio T, Youtube CC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK_ANFy0Ls4&ab_channel=MarcioT