DEVELOPMENT POST 2 (PB4)

We have continued to further refine our conceptual thinking with regards to our ideas for this final project. We have been researching relevant academic articles that explore interactive documentary and relevant art movements such as Fluxus to inform our work. One article I found particularly interesting was written by Adrian Miles titled Materialism and interactive documentary: sketch notes (2014). The interesting thing about this article is that it explores the agency of Korsakow and the impact utilising this specific software has on informing the outcome of an interactive documentary.

Miles argues that the software of Korsakow has agency, and its affordances and constraints invite an iterative form of construction and consumption that it a result of its ‘computional architecture’ (Miles 2014). Miles engages with the impact of such materiality on understanding of interactive documentary and specifically on the comprehension of both creation and reception of k-films. He contents that the result is that K-films are ‘complex, possibly autopoetic systems that rely on patterns of relation to emerge for author and users’ (Miles 2014). As we haven chosen to utilise Korsakow again to produce our film, the software’s agency is relevant to the outcome of our final film. The idea of creating a personal experience wherein the audience can see ‘patterns of relation’ between hand movements and the physical world (Miles 2014).

Additionally, we have also been looking into other online works that we can derive inspiration from. I managed to find a short video published on Vimeo titled Hands (2012). I will utilise this video largely as a visual reference to provide aesthetic inspiration for our project. Hands has numerous characteristics that indicate it was produced for the internet including content, temporal duration and aesthetics. Hands contains no narrative, rather it is very experimental and focuses on generating an audio-visual experience for the audience. The video portrays hands and forearms moving and creating patterns in a manner that appears to be replicating the physical world. It causes the audience to consider what the hands could be replicating, initiating audience interaction in that way.

Miles, A 2014, ‘Materialism and interactive documentary: sketch notes’, Studies in Documentary Film, pp. 205-220

Cooper, D & Arkelian, L 2o12, Hands, Vimeo, viewed 7 May 2018, <https://vimeo.com/37639703>