12/02/22
Today has been relatively stressful, I am in a sort of financial circumstance that is unavoidable. Due to this I am having to cancel my trip to Sheffield which would have been a research trip about the memoirs from my great grandfather then eventually leading to a documentary film. So instead I shall be doing a lot of experimentation/music in the shed. The shed is a studio I spent time developing from a gardening potting shed into a little den for projects including a small music studio and a photography lighting studio.
13/02/22
(A reflection and possible project)
The past few years has been a serious time of reflection, the man I am today is strikingly different to who I was 5 years ago. An obvious way in life is that we change with each passing moment but for me this is a serious upheaval of the soul. Changes in life can come from moments in our past, certain memories may trigger this. I want to chancel those memories and turn it into a wake. A wake of musical tracks written by me in the studio, these will start on the piano then transform into other pieces entirely.
To approach this I will study works from my favourite artists both classical and new. From Chopin to George Michael to Erik Satie and more. Theory based learning will also have to come around. This was originally a project from my first semester in year 1 but I approached it in the wrong way of mind, this time it will be different. By week 10 I wish to have completed some major compositions, experimentations and reflections followed by potential videos I have recorded that make me feel something, could be nature, could be my own personal surroundings. This will then turn into a film to be exhibited at the takeover in spring.
Today we took part in a valuable lecture involving watching some content and do some drawings with intertwining breaks. I loved the content shown, some brought out some really interesting ideas, a standout piece was Bed Piece and the door with the primary school children walking through. Great stuff!
Artist Research
(from workshop session):
Chris Burden – Bed Piece
Chris Burden and his bed piece work really encapsulates the dream state state a person may have. His work really came to being during the 1970’s and his bed piece came to being where he would sleep in a gallery for 22 days , visitors were the encouraged to visit as he slept or merely hung around. His large scale art installations including bed piece were an intelligent expansion of modern Auteurism especially within the exhibition space. During his sleeps in the bed, his fingers would begin to twitch and toes would soften usually followed by warm pulsations. His friends were worried as the exhibition went on but Chris by the end felt a huge wave of nostalgia wash over him from the experience with a deep regret for having to return to normal.
This really shows that slumber brings piece to the mind and soul in some way or form.
Bed Piece
Chris Burden
1972
Douglas Gordon, 24 hour Psycho
Douglas Gordon creates work based on the idea of repetition and memory in sequences, to achieve this he uses public material and then translates into his own medium. For instance his work ’24 hour Psycho’ uses images from the film in sequenced manner lasting 24 hours, the film is then slowed down to 2fps (2 frames per second). I found that this version of the film actually gave a lot more contrast and focus on the reactions from the acting and became in itself an expressive form of media which really gives a sense of forbidding doom.
This work became an important footnote in Douglas’s career and was the biggest introduction to his work involving repetition and memory within his sequences.
24 hour Psycho
Douglas Gordon
1993
Other Research
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Time – Sam Baron
Sam is a senior lecturer at the university of Western Australia, teaching in Philosophy. His work on the book of Philosophy of Time appeals to students who study philosophy and physics, covering and exploring a range of views about the nature of time whilst also showing the differences there are between the way we typically think about time and shedding light on the other. The book covers the questions we may want the answers too; such as whether time travel is possible and the assumption that if it is: can we change the past?
This book spoke to me a lot through the sections that I read through, it’s an interesting look into how If it were possible, would we want to change it or should we leave it be? It reminds me a lot of the film Donnie Darko and the self contained book within that film and the philosophical side of the past and future.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Time
Sam Baron
2018
I also have been wanting to do more collaborations this semester again as it was successful last time with Sarah’s film. I offered to do some photography pieces for Janos to be a potential work towards his project. I suggested we do some slow shutter photos based on his running. We took some but realised it was too sunny/bright and we would need to do these at night for a more suitable effect. But when I got home these photos weren’t too bad. Below are the results:
I then put the photos together to make two gifs/short videos:
Janos preparing
Janos running
14/02/23
Tonight I tried documenting more exhibitions, I went to the bank vault again and took some documentation. I haven’t gone through these yet as they need editing and finalising. But below is a video I received that someone took whilst I offered to fill an empty time slot with a poem I wrote for my girlfriend last year. It’s called Foxglove, which is what Fion means in welsh, Fion being my other half. I have always been very fond of this poem and takes me back to a special time.
I give no quarter,
for none give way to me
Your brilliance and shine,
pave way for greater things
For now I see the sun,
to have the past undone.
A future perhaps indeed,
but will we have the need?
I see a flower in my garden,
this one is unique and spare.
A foxglove etched with leaf,
leaves that fall with grace.
Oh foxglove, this will not be.
The way you see yourself,
is silly to me you, see?
For your beauty shines through me,
amongst the weeds, foliage and bees.
16/02/23
Upon reflection this week hasn’t been too productive when it comes to my project. Later on today I will try and start making some music whilst reflecting on the past, this will mean going to the shed. I am away this weekend and wont be back until late Sunday night, week 3 will probably be the week where things really start to take form.
Some ideas emerging – focussed on music, and thinking your medium might be video. Really interesting photos of Janos, great you can work together. Don;t forget to research a second artist from the lecture, perhaps one you didn’t respond so well or understand as fully.