‘God eye view’ as opposed to ‘birds eye view’, what’s the difference between the two? This was a really interesting question raised in class when looking at surrealism and the uncanny sublime. I felt as though it related to my work, whose getting the perspective of our world from such a distance, and how does that relate to the the digital sphere we exist within. This idea also helped me come up with the title of my work being ‘Whose Sphere’
Birdle says ‘But this God’s eye view is illusory, as it also serves to block out and erase other private and state activities… For everything that is shown, something is hidden” (Bridle, New Dark Age, 36)
A friend shared photos from an instagram art page with images from multiple known/unknown sources. The two images show figures of statues in off the side of a highway, the lighting and nature of these figures are eery. The scale of them is obscured by the traffic signs in the background. They stand still, there is no movement yet something speaks loud in these still images. Theres something ominous and unsettling about their stature and placement in a space they wouldn’t usually be seen or placed.
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As I was making my sculpture ‘Whose Sphere’ I cut my finger trying to detach a component of the polly pocket shell, I took a photo and then looking back it was quite fitting with the newspaper weather report beneath and the minature trees sprawled across, it reminded me of the depth perception of the mans hand in ‘Powers Of Ten’. I wanted to include this in my reflection as the making of my work drew a lot of parallels between other work.
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The ideas surrounding the coastline paradox were suggested to me. It’s like how the further out we are the smoother it becomes and the closer you are the more granular things become. I want my work to be grainy and also quite saturated in colour.
In an informal sense the coastline paradox makes me think of the feeling you get when you’re on a coastline and can’t see beyond the point of the cliff, and the coastline stretches for miles, and then realise that on the map, this boundless space would be a tiny, tiny bump.
I want to incorporate the ocean into my video. It has always evoked a feeling in me where I really sense my place in the world, I also have always found it to be very peaceful and almost reassuring. Boundless seas are overwhelmingly big, looking out to the horizon is the furthest you can get a hold of the world, similar to the feeling you get with the internet and digital world- it’s scale is unfathomable at times.
Mcnamara, A., Gerard, V., Da Silva and Research Online, G. (n.d.). The Coastline Paradox: A New Perspective Journal Title Journal of Coastal Research Rights statement.