Media 4 (2017)

Noticing in an Introspective Manor
“What do I notice when I turn my attention to myself, what habits can I reflect upon, do I understand my own behavior?”

For my third portfolio post I want to examine myself, habits and routines in an introspective manor.

I want to question if I am able to notice habits good and bad about myself. I think a lot of the time we don’t view ourselves in an in-depth manner, we don’t question our actions enough and when life becomes busy and day to day becomes routine we forget to nourish our self and work on habits that bring mindfulness into our everyday lives. For the past few months I have been working on doing just that- noticing my habits through meditation and mindfulness, through this final portfolio task I want to include a visual montage of habits that I have become aware of when re-examining my routine, they aren’t necessarily bad or good but they will give insight into my behavior and why we do certain things, at the end of this post I will give an overview of my thoughts when reflecting on the actions that I have recorded. I want to see what habits I can observe within myself, how these habits affect me and If I am able to change them once I have understood them through noticing. My main question will be If I am able to change my behavior through noticing and working on the parts of myself that need work. I can already imagine attention when working on university projects as a main issue as generally sitting down for long periods of time can make me feel unsettled and uncomfortable but I haven’t truly viewed my habits and some related behavior in a way that really looks deep and introspective.

Recipe: The recipe for this task is simple, for a few hours or a day become very aware at noticing habits (good and bad). Record these habits with a camera, edit it into a single video and reflect upon the actions that have been recorded.

Method:

1. Carry a camera around during a day that isn’t too busy so that becoming aware and noticing can be the main focus
2. Record data and any habits that arise when you notice them
3. Upload the data into a montage and comment on the results.
   

Ingredients: A camera (Panasonic LUMIX GH4), myself, a single day with spare hours and awareness.

Results: Most of my shots were close ups, I realized it was more obvious to see habits I do with my own body  rather than those that I do with other objects. I believe this is because I can notice behaviors when they’re more in front of me rather than around or surrounding me. For example it was easier to notice and be in tune with the fact that I chew gum but it was harder to notice changes I do to my environment- like closing the curtains in the evening. I believe this is because it’s less of a direct habit.

I also want to state that the way I view myself has a bias, as the habits and behaviors I notice are from my own perspective and may not be the same as what other individuals may see. This is really important because the relationship between myself and the camera differs from other individuals, studying a media subject and using the camera regularly creates a dynamic between myself and the camera that is different to other individuals. This means that when the camera is present my behavior can shift into a more ‘presentable’ manner that differs from the raw forms that I’m trying to capture. It means that I think for my final project I will want to record others rather than myself to get rid of this bias and to use media to my advantage rather than disadvantage.

Intentional Noticing & The of Bias Recording with Technology

“What do I notice when I am intentionally recording and what do I notice when I am not, does technology make a difference in the way I record data?”

I also have questions if the way I record can create a bias, focusing in on one particular aspect and not recording others that other individuals might record. Do I notice differently to others?

Recipe: Record data with camera, write up the results of what you noticed in two separate environments, sit in the environments for a specific amount of time that allows you to capture the elements and aspects within it. Record the data then write up the results.
Method:

1. Enter a quite space and record the space using a camera whilst describing what you notice about the space whilst looking through the cameras lens. Record what you notice without recording and see how they differ.
2. Complete this experiment twice with a second location that differs to the first. Understand how media changes the way we notice and record data.

Ingredients: Myself, Panasonic LUMIX GH4 and a laptop

Noticing Through a Camera Lens Media1

Noticing Without A Camera – Taking Notes With Pen & Paper, Media1
I definitely feel like I have a ‘wider’ perspective without the lens in front of me, there is a certain feeling when you can sense your peripheral vision compared to when you can’t and that adds to how you describe a space.The space is quite dark due to the heavy concrete walls that seal in most natural light, The only natural light emits from the electric doors further up the buildings main foyer. The lights hanging in the new building are bright and direct. The light gives off a very ‘clinical’ feeling. I feel quite cold due to the heat being absorbed by the concrete bricks whilst there isn’t much furniture to bring a sense of homeliness. The walls have geometric patterns whilst the floor is plain and clean. The chairs down the foyer are multicolored, the space feels very empty. The space is calm and would be an area I can study in but after spending more time writing I realize how cold the area feels and notice the cold more when writing compared to filming.

Noticing Through a Camera Lens Media2

Noticing Without A Camera – Taking Notes With Pen & Paper, Media2
Droplets of rain from the tree above me keep falling onto my head and the piece of paper in front of me, I was lucky enough to not have to deal with this when recording but now that i’m trying to find a place to sit I’ve become aware to how wet it is. Again it’s cold but this time I don’t feel it as much, I definitely find it harder to write, I find when i’m noticing with pen and paper I don’t want to pick out aspects that are obvious. I still notice how dull the day is and how there is a massive lack of color in the environment i’m currently in but it’s not something that I feel the need to present like I did when filming.

Results: Without a camera I am able to describe more aspects related to how I feel. As I use film as a way to record and view a space ‘through the lens’ I start to focus more the visuals and audio elements within my environment-  leaving the other senses to become weaker. Despite this I think using media has a longer lasting effect because you can go back and revisit the location without physically being in the space, each time you go back you can set yourself to notice something different but in saying that again It has a very strong visual element. With media you can only go back and re-notice both audio and a visual image you can’t record and return to the way the space made you feel, it’s temperature, the atmosphere as well as other senses including touch.

It would be interesting to see if this differs when recording ourselves, showing senses like touch may become easier to record when we visually represent a description of a feeling most have felt before and can recall (like rubbing hands together with soap, a sense most of us have felt before so we are able to recall how it might feel). I think taking from this experiment I would like to focus the attention on myself and the way i’m able to record and notice aspects about myself. I would like to see how recording makes me feel and if I notice anything different and become more aware due to recording. I believe this experiment has opened up the way I think about media and it’s influence over our senses and how it’s a very visual dominant format in our current society. I also enjoyed with this experiment using first person perspective whilst filming as I think it adds an element of intimacy which could be interesting and a potentially concept for my final project piece.

I found that through this project, perspective will always be different when (and if) you have the intention of taking photographs (or collecting media). My way of collecting was also slightly different to artists such as Patrick Pound, because he didn’t create his media- rather purely collected it already in it’s format (photography and particular objects). When I was choosing to collect I really went with themes that connected to values that I held. As one of my series of photographs centers on rubbish I think internally it does reflect a little bit about my lifestyle and how I wish for a more sustainable world. I think in projects like this its hard to ‘not’ incorporate your views and values and I would encourage individuals to do so. What we notice and noticing itself says a lot about us as an individual.

When you walk in to a room do you react to what you hear first or what you see first or a compilation of both? What is the normal response for most people? How does it differ for someone impaired (deaf, vision impairment, ect).?
This task has shown me that there can be similarities between different individuals, In my case Sarah took photographs that were close ups- a similar perspective to how I took mine. I think what I’d like to explore further is noticing on a harder scale, for example rooms that are minimalist. I think challenging ourselves is a good way to improve out skills in noticing. It is also a good way to help us reflect on what we have noticed. 

In future projects I would like to do further reading and reference more artists, photographers and journalists who have written about noticing. Both their personal accounts and studies.

Another question I want to ask myself and ponder upon is whether noticing is always a good trait or if someone who notices their environment too much is suffering from anxiety or another issue. It would be fascinating to compare someone who overthinks or ‘notices too much’ to someone who uses noticing in a more skillful way like meditation.

Overall I’d like to grow my ability to take in my environment but also eliminate the elements that distract me.
This project has evoked an observation of self; through this observation it is has shown me that I can struggle from taking in too much of my environment which can overwhelm me. I’ve noticed traffic, air conditioners and other elements of repetition that I have intentionally zoned in for the project on are hard to dismiss even when i’m not focusing upon them. In future for me it would be very useful to practice noticing in a meditative way. Regardless this task has given me a lot of insight into what I need to practice upon before the next project.

PRINCESS PARK, CARLTON
‘Marco Garbage’
(Hundreds of shredded pieces of rubbish lying in the surrounding park areas)

‘Marco Flora’
(A collection of patterns and shapes from the trees and plants located in the park)

Sarah’s perspective of Princess Park was intriguing, she noted that when she visits she plays sports and sees the location as a whole rather than “honing in on things individually”. She notes she almost takes the park for granted never spending time to really ‘view’ it and rather just engulfs herself in the more open spaces and observes with a wide gaze. This contrasted the way I viewed the park with a ‘Marco lens’ rather than as a whole picture. I usually zone in on things often as I’m always interested in patterns, shapes and objects. My gaze through the camera captured a lot of attention to detail- there was always something to ‘collect’ when observing. I found that there were two contrasting elements when observing, again taking inspiration from Patrick Pound i decided to turn these two elements into categories.

Firstly was the amount of rubbish in the area. I knew there was going to be some rubbish but when I viewed the area carefully and slowly I noticed there were hundreds of small pieces of rubbish that an individual might not even notice if they didn’t have a gaze towards the ground. When talking to Sarah she confirmed that when she visited the place the rubbish wasn’t as easily noticed, again I would assume this could be due to keeping eyes leveled and viewing the park with a wider perspective.

My second main observation was the patterns of nature. I found it really interesting how much the images of rubbish contrasted the images of trees, leaves and sunlight. Both sets of images gave off different vibes yet in reality the images weren’t taken that far apart.

Finally I’d also like to note the sounds that were heard in and around the park. I definitely took note of how loud the surrounding traffic was and how hard it was to block it out- this happened in various areas of the park and was hard to escape. After talking to Sarah and letting her know of my experiences it was interesting to note that how when she visited the Park the traffic was ‘blocked out’ and not particularly noticed. She noted this is potentially due to living near a main road and having more of a selective hearing. She also noted that when she normally visits the park, most of the time shes wearing headphones- which of course blocks out the chugging sounds of city traffic.

AUDIO FROM INSIDE PARK

After getting Sarah’s opinions and experiences from my footage it was time to flip the switch and for me to examine her media. I chose Abbotsford Convent for a location that I have a connection to. I’m not a fan of the city but Abbotsford sets a completely different atmosphere, it’s much more lush and green than most areas and the convent itself is up kept to a pristine condition. I enjoyed seeing Sarah use a ‘macro’ perspective when collecting media, I feel that it’s similar to how I view the place. As a whole the convent is beautiful but it isn’t until you look up close do you see things of wonder and interest- I also find it interesting that with her extreme close-up photographs I can still place and note where they were taken (an ode to my love and frequent visits to the convent). I find it interesting that there’s a little contrast between the natural elements and man made structures (that is similar to my own media with rubbish and nature). Finally I also enjoyed Sarah’s take on the geometrical patterns and shapes that can be found around the convent, it reflects the artistic nature of the place and I think captures the essence well.

Above: Photographs of Sarahs Media including close ups of flora, geometrical patterns and structures.

My inspiration has been taken from Patrick Pounds collective showcase ‘The Great Exhibition‘ in which he “poetically explores the art of collecting”. As Pound states “to collect is to gather your thoughts through things”. When we start to observe we notice patterns, this can be unintentional or intentionally; I think in regards to Pound- when he started his collections he went with what was most prominent, the photographs that were reoccurring and then after noticing there were patterns the level of ‘intentional’ searching (for those that fitted the themes) became the dominant task. What captures our focus and drives us to collect, for Pound it isn’t about the quality of the photo itself but purely it’s theme.

Taking from the last quote I will be collecting various media in relation to my own thoughts. Whether it be specific flora and fauna, individuals or objects that grab my attention. My aim is to observe but in a relaxed state, I want to note everything as though I am a visitor enjoying rather than a student studying.

I think the above is important to note as this location was chosen by someone who visits to relax and would observe differently to someone intentionally observing with the idea to capture as much information and detail as possible.

My respective partner for this project was Sarah Reddick who chose Princes Park in Carlton for a location that makes her feel content and at ease. I don’t have much prior knowledge of the location except the fact that it is behind the Melbourne Cemetery.

My first thoughts are that it is a very central location, I wonder if there will be too much going on and I wont be able to reflect easily or if It will be calmer then expected. I also know that Princes Park is close to or the home for the Carlton Football Club, I expect that if there is a practice or game on when I visit that it will create a lot of noise and a busy atmosphere. In knowing this I expect to hear a lot of traffic due to the central area of the location, and potentially numerous individuals talking or interacting. I also expect to hear relaxing sounds whether it be from nature or man-made objects (such as running water from fountains) or birds, and the noise of leaves bustling if windy.

The way I’ll be collecting media is by observation (both visually and auditory).
Firstly I will observe visually. I’m interested in what will jump out at me, whether it will be similar things like the types of individuals in the park or more precise observations like insects trailing into their nests. I’ll aim to collect these observations through photographs and potentially video.
My second form of observation will be listening, closing my eyes and really taking in the sounds that engulf me- how they affect me and how I feel in general. I’ll be taking these notes for collection through a microphone– whether the microphone picks up on the same sounds (or the volume of the sounds) will be interesting as what we observe auditory can be dependent on selective hearing.