In week 13 the Media cohort of RMIT presented there exhibition’s for the semester. Our class Phantom Cinema had the privilege of displaying our work inside the Capitol theatre. This experience alone was an amazing chance to be able to share our own works in a professional setting. Nicholas Obrien’s ‘Cut into the Capital’ took a unique approach to the studio prompt by addressing the phantom aspect of cinema history past by inserting past films into the Capitol theatre through post production effects. Aside from the thematic and conceptual aspects of his work, Nicholas’ production timeline and description of how he created his work was mind blowing to me. Working myself mostly with live action works and never dabbling into animation I was blown away by the amount of work and research Nicholas put into his project given the small amount of return for such large amounts of work. Regardless of Nicholas’ struggles with the technical aspects of his work he was still able to engage with the studio prompt by embodying the phantom like aspect of a period cinema gone by and bring them to life by reanimating them in a new world. His work adressed the notion that even though these times of cinema by be long past the still live on as memories or ‘phantoms’ and influence and effect the way cinema is experienced today.
The second work I would like to reflect on is From Silent to Digital Exploring the Fate of the Capital. This documentary work was created to tell the story of the history of the capital from its heyday as a showcase theatre to where it lies now in history as well as it’s troubled past and almost closure. The groups work provided thoughtful discussion about not only the history of the Capitol but also explored the studio concepts by employing industry professional interviews to discuss how the shift in the way society views movies has made an impact. Their interviews shared how cinemas like the Capitol and others were once showcase theatres displaying feature films, filled with a rich culture and cohort of attendees. However, as streaming services and the internet took over in the turn of the century these theatres fell the wayside with alternative viewing practices being favoured over the traditional viewing experience. The groups work showcased how important it is for the preservation of these theatres to exist so that their history, stories and cultural significance is not lost to time and can remain a point of discussion for both education and enjoyment as the world moves forward.
The other studio I looked at that interested me during the exhibitions was “Uses of Photography”. The studio aims to explore what a photograph means today and how they are used in the both the professional and amateur/casual world. The first work I looked at was Tse Wai Violet Gim’s ‘City Walk’. Tse’s work aimed to explore the experience of finding joy and imagination in the mundane. Her collection of photographs were taken along Smith Street Collingwood and displayed that even though to many this street may be one of many thousands of streets they traverse throughout their life by stepping back and looking within these places we are able to find small pockets of beauty. She delivered this message through her carefully curated and wonderfully shot photographs which were developed on a film camera. These showcased photography’s ability to tell a story and paint an image of a street of wonder, quaint architecture and imaginative art.
The second work I looked at was Saskia Christensen’s ‘What’s in her bag?’. Saskia’s work again used the medium of photography to explore the individuality of the content of person’s handbag and the stories that these everyday items may tell. Saskia’s aesthetically created portfolio showcased six handbags and their contents. Each handbag displayed with it’s content inside alongside labels describing the possible used for each item. The handbags were also named appropriately based on the contents inside of the handbag. The Artsy girl for the girl with the camera and a novel or the underprepared for the bag with a random mishmash of items. Saskia’s work thought provokingly explored how photos can be a window into another’s life and personality. Both Saskia’s and Tse’s work in my eyes successfully explored how photography in today’s world can tell a story or share a message like no other. The still nature of these images and the carefully curated nature of a selection of single frames from a moment in time displays how photography provides a medium for us to explore intimate human experiences.