this weeks class:
for the beginning of the class we were asked where we would like to be if we could travel anywhere in time. i took this as me being in the body of myself in that specific time, so i decided i would have liked to go back to my childhood. maybe at the age of 3 or 4 where i was oblivious to the realities of the world, not knowing how my upbringing was different to everyone around me. i think its a privilege i would like to experience again.
after this we looked at a load of different artworks relating to the theme of time. some were especially interesting as they were so silent. orchestras without anyone playing anything, video of a woman getting attacked by the film tape and a lady in a horror movie.
we got 3×5 minute breaks to draw our response to the artworks, but sadly i havnt gotten any images of the drawings i made (i will post them in my next notebook post)
we then had to do research on two artworks:
Progression (Walking) 2018: Anna MacDonald
Anna MacDonald had invited an entire primary school (Pikemere Primary school) to walk through a free-standing doorway in their own time organised from youngest to oldest. the performance was filmed using a single static shoot, something that shows the artists fascination between movement, time and progression.
she is a moving image artist and scholar from the UK who specialises in working directly with the public.
influenced by Mark Johnsons 2008 notions of bodily schema, she got interested in using film to expose emotional and conceptual resonance of simple actions such as moving from here to there, unfolding or getting slower.
for me this piece seem to depict how we grow up at different speeds at different times. some children are more eager to pass through the door quicker whilst other stop and think before they pass through. almost reminds me of being a child, coming home from school.
Future Library, 2014: Katie Paterson:
this is a strange one for me. a project i probably will never see to completion, yet is located in the city im from, Oslo. having seen the making of it in person as the area around the Munch Museum (my work place) being dug up to to make space for this library. this is a library consisting entirely of books that is only available to read after 100 years have past. the books are also entirely made of Norwegian trees that they have planted. something i really enjoyed about this though is thinking of the experience of the families involved, the authors and their children or children’s children getting a letter saying that their ancestors have written a book thats located in the new library in 2114. just strange feeling left out as i will never have the chance of seeing the building completed.
this project almost seems like a massive time capsule as the writers now might have completely different ideas to what writers in the future are writing about. will the authors write letter, notes, autobiographies? who knows, but its interesting to think of how the people in the future see the works written in the past compared to how we would react to them if we were to read the works in current times.
personal project:
for my independent work this week i have booked the project room to try and plan different ideas as i still felt stuck. sadly when i arrived the project room still had the work from the previous person up, making it harder for me to start as i didnt know what to do with the clock that was on the floor and the tripod standing. it did eventually get placed to the side by the person, but it took away some of my time. especially when i wake up early to get to the project room as soon as possible.
whilst waiting i decided to go out and play aroud with video to capture the sounds and look at shadows. i thought the bird sounds may be an option as the seasonal changes bring out the birds. would be interesting to see seasons changing in video or through audio alone.
after this i decided to meditate and eventually started making a mind-map on the floor. this gave me loads of possibilities to play with, but i saw how many worries i have around the theme of work and mental health, so i decided on making two different drafts of ideas to show Miranda during the tutorial.
the first idea being audio recordings of my voice around how work life can take over ones daily life:
heads up. this is still being made so the last minute or so is not developed.
the second one being an artist book showing the progression of my mental health throughout my life and how its changed over the years.
tutorail:
during the tutorial Miranda told me to keep going with both projects as both seemed to have some potential. maybe try and find a way for them to work together. make the book about work stress as-well? this seemed like a big task but i am willing to give it a shot and see where the proses takes me. Miranda also let me borrow a cd with British bird sound that can help me with my recordings as i am including outdoor sounds for the audio.
future thoughts on project developement:
i will continue to experiment with these works and see how i can make them fit together and also how they can be adapted to the setting of the Art Centre. i have gotten some large rolls of paper to create larger versions of the book and will continue to develop the audio, hopefully managing to make the audio in to a type of clock, looping every hour.