Elements I want to capture in my work – Urban environments, patterns, repetition, leading lines, geometric shapes, cold, in between, travel, journey, movement/stillness, isolation/noise, places of waiting, transition, evolution, limbo, recreation, clinical, mundane, resting, out of use, in valid, unoccupied, separation/meeting/gathering

I would like to experiment with light and dark. Maybe shooting at night to capture the contrast of the dark night and bright lights of trains, lit up windows in buildings, street lights, at head lights. I would also like to experiment with a fish eye lens. This would capture the distortion and uneasy feel you can often experience when you spend an extended period of time in a ‘non place’. When you situate yourself in a place that is designed to be passed through and used as a temporary means of filling in the blanks between one place and another.

Inspiration for non place – Train tracks, green hills next to trains, construction sites, corridors, parking lots, park bench (south yarra hill), abandoned house, freeway overpass, train tunnel, scaffolding, church, caravan, trailer, garbage tip, airport, train station, tram stop, doctors office, train wheels (filmed from under the platform), stairwell, fire escape, elevator, NIKA, round about, footy oval (lit up at night), reservoir, wasteland, shipping containers, telephone tower, waiting in cues, the sky, prison, community garden, warehouse, hole in the wall coffee shops, match box houses, wooden building block houses, artist run initiatives.

Sou Fujimoto describes the contrast between what he calls the “nest” and “cave” type architectures. The nest is a type of structure created specifically with the people in mind. It is customised in order to achieve comfort and a sense of homeliness and practicality. The cave is often more of a landscape type product.This is an artistic and creative pursuit that allows people to unleash their curiosity and enginuity to adapt and transform the space into something that can be utilised or inhabited.

Todays lesson we went to Testing Grounds, an alternative run art space that allows creatives to exhibit their work in an artistic environment located between prestigious creative institutes including The NGV, The Art Centre, ACCA, The Malthouse and Hamer Hall. The site consisted of various crates stacked on top of one another, with gardens and plants dispersed around them. There was also a stage with a piano created out of a shipping container as well as a building with a bar and bathrooms. I found it really interesting to hear about the transformative effects of the weather. We spoke about an art exhibition at ACCA where a black bag floated up and down and became suspended in the air when it was heated by beams of sunlight. I like how the artist has let the elements of nature control the movement in the piece. When looking at Testing Grounds we also spoke about how the way a space is inhabited effects its feel. If a site is occupied with crowds it has a different essence to a sight that is deserted and empty. The last thing that caught my attention about Testing Grounds was the the different levels of the site and how that created different lines at varying heights.This was done to mimic the skyline and the city buildings. Also to facilitate discussion and gatherings in various clusters across the site.

Some of the works we have looked at in class have given me ideas for my own creations relating to project brief 2 “From here to there”. Stainless 42 Street by Adam Magyar was shot at high speed from inside a train then slowed down. Tokyo in Reverse by Simon Bouisson depicts a man walking towards a camera while the camera tracks backwards and the rest of the world appears to be running in slow motion and in reverse. These works got me thinking about how isolation and experimentation with movement can highlight specific elements in a vast and busy world. The GIFs by Erdal Inci got me thinking that I could create a piece that combines still photography and video footage and is played on a lop to create a continuous piece. It could be a collection of images of clouds and the sky and its various different shapes, forms, colours and motions. The sky is a place of “inbetween” when something is suspended without a specific location or place of being. Looking at everyones works within the home I noticed that majority of the pieces had something in common and that was their small scale. They captures minute and minuscule objects within the home and zoomed in on different angles, shapes and patterns to create abstract art forms. I would like to experiment with a larger scale as the project expands from the comforts and boundaries of the home to the wider world. I like the idea of capturing images from a hight and displaying a large scope of the surroundings.

In todays class we presented our work on my home in a slide show presentation. The pieces that stood out to me were the ones that had a consistent aesthetic. In particular I liked the works that consisted of pale, washed out and over exposed images or dark, contrasty and underexposed images. I really liked the works that experimented with light in different forms including shadows and reflections.Other interesting works were ones that captures the frustrations in every day life in a humorous and relatable way. E.g a door that doesn’t close, a suitcase that doesn’t unlock, jars on the top shelf in the cupboard that are hard to reach. I also sound it really interesting hearing about the architectural concept by On Sou Fujimoto that looks at the relationship between the human body and the structure of cities.It highlights the relationship between the 2 seemingly unrelated things such as the way that traffic flow is similar to the circulation of blood in our body or the way that buildings are composed to create space and energy and allot the city to breathe much like the functions of human lungs. In a way everything that has structure, flow and motion will have some sort of a circular system to it. E.g cogs in a clock, chains on a bike, the motor in a computer or engine in a car. “We raise blinds and lower shutters as we do eyelids, animating the house like a secondary body, ensconcing or rejecting light into our spaces.”Man made creations often subconsciously stem from our understanding of our own body. When juxtaposing sound with the images I want to be more experimental in the use of sound. In the future I would like to use editing programs to see the different effects ad moods I can create to accompany and compliment or juxtapose and contrast my images.

Today we went on an excursion to the Grainger Museum. It was a collection of bits and pieces that depicted the life of composer Jeremy Grainger. It was much like an extended version of a memory box or time capsule. There were small trinkets that belonged to Grainger, the contents of his mothers handbag when she committed suicide and hand crafted instruments made by Grainger. I found the museum quite narcissistic, it was crossing the line between wanting to preserve your life and all things personal to you in order to leave a lasting legacy and wanting to immortalise yourself publicly to achieve fame and recognition. Some of the objects in the exhibition reflected ideas I have been contemplating for my piece about ‘non site’. The creator of the gallery explained that Grainger has an obsession with composing musical pieces that consisted of solid, fluid notes with no beat to them. We also saw his collection of musical glasses which is a sound that I would consider including in my final piece. I think having that constant, echoed sound creates a clear space for audiences to contemplate the visuals they are viewing. It is also appropriate when looking at ‘non site’ and places of ‘in between’ because they are places of stillness and isolation and having a solid stream of sound would help communicate this emptiness.

Todays class we developed the idea of home. As an introduction we looked at what is familiar to us and how our memories and history can put marks on these places that make them unique and personal to us. From there we will develop the idea of external location before exploring the concept of ‘non site’. Everyone spoke about their living conditions and it was really interesting to hear about how the flaws in their home including, marks, smashes, cracks and dints all tell stories and create meaning behind the initial appearance. Robbie spoke about a house where an elderly person lived and made a mark on the floor where the shuffled along the same path each day. It made me think about how our use of things can create marks on objects. Imprints in a mattress where we lie in the same position each night, stains in my favourite coffee cup, dints in plastic cooking utensils from where you leave them resting on a hot pan, fade marks on the carpet where a table has stood for years, dust behind the bookshelf, faded wood from where the sun beams in through the windows from the same angle each day. Family is an important element to home, the people around you transform a space into a home. When you strip back these familiarities thats when a place becomes isolated and vacant, it is an uninhabited void with no meaning to you.I spoke about my exchange experience in the UK and how even though technically I had a house, a place to stay and return to each day after school but I didn’t have a home. I didn’t get along with my host family and was living in the house as more of a boarder rather then a family member. I was living in a constant state of numbness, just existing from day to day without having a place of comfort or relaxation where I could release. All this tension was accumulating because I was constantly alert of the people around me and trying to be considerate, washing dishes, asking to leave the table, getting permission to eat food, all things which removed my freedoms and individuality. I also spoke about the scene in Fight Club that talks about peoples patterns in accumulating stuff. People often have an idea of the perfect arrangements of items that define them. If we buy this one more lamp or fruit bowl our collection will be complete. Our house will be a gallery of items that represents us. Robbie spoke about peoples hoarding habits and how mess can be organised and create comfort for the owner. Objects have memories that people can be reluctant to let go of. Others are minimalists who prefer a clean, plain pallet. Robbie questioned the difference between a house and a home. Can you be houseless but feel a sense of belonging within a community. Can you be homeless even though you have a roof over your head. House = structure, home = substance. We are constantly looking to repeat our past and return to our childhood. Our sense of nostalgia is strong and we look to emulate this feeling of familiarity. This can create intergenerational traditions, family or cultural rituals which are passed down from generation to generation. I found the idea of spacial relations an interesting concept. If a physical building is demolished do the memories and existences remain. If someone lived in an apartment that was demolished is their existence in the air? Floating in the sky in a sense of limbo?

This semester has been an introduction to media and the broad spectrum of elements it covers. We started by looking at identity and producing a creative piece that that represented ourselves. This required us to reflect and find ways to communicate and depict different elements of our personality. We had to use editing programs. I had to focus on how to edit and cut the visual clips to suit the sound and how to incorporate all the different elements together to make one cohesive piece. In one of the first lectorials we looked at the differences in the way that we learn. I fit into the hyper active thinking group which means that I have a short attention span and focus intensely on the material in front of me for short periods of time. I find it much easier to learn using a hands on approach. I like to have things explained to me initially but then I must solidify this knowledge by repeating the tasks myself. I also learned about scholarly sources and how to locate reliable and accountable information. You can then use and reference these in your own work. This course required me to make connections between media and the outside world. I had to think proactively about the alternate ways in which media has become embedded in our lives. It has meant that I cant be passive when consuming media and that I have to pause and determine the reason why a media outlet has produced this media, the reason why I am consuming it and the message that is being conveyed. In this semester I learned how to use a hand held recorder to capture audio recordings. This is important in order to accompany clear and crisp footage with appropriate audio to create a 3 dimensional world that audiences can immerse themselves in. I have learned about the importance of getting the right balance in the levels of audio in a piece. Bold use of sound can highlight moments of tension and heightened emotions but use of minimal the sound can be just as effective and impactful and can enhance the importance of sound when used sparingly and appropriately. This semester I have really struggled with the technology involved in producing media. I find it challenging to self teach myself things involving technology and I find it very intimidating and bewildering. I am less experienced in the sound aspect of media productions, I need to learn more about how to record clear crisp sound to create professional looking work. I learned about, but still need to improve on sourcing stock footage and material that doesn’t infringe on copyright laws. I have also struggled to grasp some of the content on the theoretical side of the course. The broad and boundless interpretation of the different aspects of media was challenging for me to comprehend and wrap my mind around. In the film making process I realized that I work from a visual point of view and create quite interpretative and artistic pieces that focus on aesthetics. In the editing process I have learned that I begin with the music and edit to the beat. I generally produce material where the visuals match up with the audio in a sort of choreographed composition.

The blog posts that I feel resonated most with me and contained the strongest links to the content covered in the course are:

– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/05/26/technology-developments-desensitizing-us/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/05/19/18515/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/04/22/sound/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/03/23/life-without-media-exposure/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/03/26/blood-in-the-gutter/

With more and more technology developments it can be argued that we are being desensitized and loosing an element of our natural human responses. The military has developed new systems to allow them to detonate bombs electronically from entirely different countries. Its dirty fighting that can be done from the comfort of your own couch. It removes the consequences, they don’t have to face the visual result of their actions. All they have to do is press a button as simply as they may change the channel with the TV remote. These life-altering actions are being made as carelessly as video game warfare. Dubai has recently announced plans to introduce Robocop’s to their streets. The police force will take the form of these androids but can we really trust these machines? How can they possibly possess human instincts? They cant show the, discretion, empathy, intuition and simple human instincts that are essential for people in these positions. As these technologies progress are we removing all human elements and aspects of communication from our lives? I don’t know about you but I like being able to go into a shop and try on clothes rather then purchasing them online. I like having a brief conversation with cashier about my day. I like being able to physically talk to my bank teller rather then messing up my accounts electronically. And I am not yet willing to sacrifice my ability to hand pick my DVDs from the shelf rather then waiting for them to load online. They may be more inconvenient but my face to face human contact and would choose it any day over a computer screen.

There are many social experiments circulating the internet at the moment that highlight peoples need to feel as though they fit in and are up to date with all the latest trends. Jimmy Kimmel did a segment on his show entitled ‘Live Witness News’. The segment consisted of street interviews where they asked people about their opinions on made up bands. The names of the bands included things such as ‘Contact Dermatitis’, ‘I’m Not Done With The Salad’, ‘Vegan Bikini’, ‘DJ Metamucil’ and ‘The Obesity Epidemic’. When asked about these bands people would ramble on about how unique and revolutionary they are. People were able to bullshit even when placed on the spot in an attempt for it to seem like they are up to date with popular culture. Although these are often used as comedic relief they pose questions about our underlying concerns about our image and appearance, especially when what we are saying will be shown publicly via media outlets such as TV, magazines or online. People take pride in having extensive knowledge on contemporary issues. One group in my media class have created a fake reality TV show contestant. They plan to conduct vox pops on the street and ask people to follow this characters Instagram and Facebook and support her fictional business endeavors. It will be interesting to see how the public react to this and if they reply to the fact that this character is a supposed celebrity.