Week 7

Workshop pitch

This week, we pitched our workshop for week 9. To recap last week: my workshop explored identity through sound, during which participants would only be allowed to create sound using objects already available in the creative arts studio where the workshop would be taking place, reflecting my frustration regarding my project through the acknowledgement of the restrictions faced in expressing my identity fully and challenging the participants to abandon their natural creative methods and therefore comfort to allow them to expand and hopefully obtain a deeper insight into themselves.

I honed in on the simplicity and easy production of the workshop by listing only a means to record sound as equipment required (which for many would be their phone). I provided a by-hour timetable of stages during the workshop to prevent possible stress towards the organisation of the workshop.

Furthermore, I provided context towards the concept of the workshop to help strengthen the basic idea.

Finally, before presenting, I sought my flatmate’s opinion on the concept and presentation to make any necessary improvements, although they had no notes.

In terms of a class response, everyone appeared to like the concept and were satisfied with the presentation; the main note received regarding guidance during the workshop was due to the broadness of the definition of “identity” and how that may hinder some participants if not provided with an example of what identity means (e.g., sexuality or appearance) to provide a general direction to pursue.

In the end, Dylan’s workshop was voted for by the class titled “Character creation.”

I admired how the group orientated their pitch towards the direct activity and the planning stage, fully open to evolving their idea. Furthermore, their desire to prevent further stress with added work on top of our project and instead welcome the idea of simply having fun instead of being academically challenged was a relief paired with the creative freedom amongst the three groups (head, torso and legs) regarding using whatever materials we pleased when creating the character. Finally, I appreciated their investigation before the pitch, conducting a trial run before the workshop with their flatmates and noting any criticisms to ensure the class presented the best product.

In short, the workshop will involve answering prompts to establish the character before separating into three groups to each create a section of the body (head, torso and legs), during which there will be no communication between the groups to avoid a sharing of ideas and therefore similar sections, with the idea being three wholly unique and contrasting parts forming the final character.

The collages

This week, I completed the bedroom segment of my project, inspired by last week’s results of the living room setting.

I followed a layout similar to that of the living room, allowing me to get some of the main elements of the collage that contributed to the room in the frame for the video.

There are two videos shown here: one with the original audio and the other with audio recorded beforehand and added on as I did with the living room setting. This is due to a lack of certainty about the preferred one while making them.

The first video (containing the actual audio of the video) sound wise I prefer more to the second video captured a moment of silence in my room in which the main audio picked up was my breathing, creating a sense of discomfort that pairs well with the sense of invasion the audience may feel towards being shown such a personal space, a mindset originating after I sought Caitlin’s opinion on the living room audio to which she described it almost feeling as if she was intruding on a private moment, which I felt worked well with replicating the unsettled feeling that caused this route for the project.

However, I prefer the original audio because the ranging sounds, despite being slight, make it preferable to listen to for an outsider audience who may not be aware of the planning and process and, therefore, the reasoning of the piece. Also, knowing all these elements, I prefer the first video, causing a battle between aesthetics and method. Do I choose what sounds better or follows the initial method designated meaning?

Unfortunately, I could not make it to the pier at night this week to retrieve a video for the pier collage. However, I plan to go straight into week eight and, for now, have provided the layout of the videos on a still image minus the audio to understand better what may be seen in the final piece.

In regards to the display of this project, I’m currently toying with the idea of either merging the videos together to cut amongst each other, which I would display long a simple TV screen or obtaining three projectors which I can borrow from the creative arts studio and have the videos projecting individually, on a wall each in the same room, with individual speakers allocated to each projection, meaning that whichever one you stand closest to will be the most prominent audio and when standing at the centre of the room all the audio will blend together.

The projector option is plan A, providing the most satisfying and effective presentation. However, if practicality fails, the tv option is a safe backup.

As for the actual room where this will take place, I’m still considering my options, with the top 3 being the project room, a room next to one of the galleries or the creative arts studio. However, this requires further planning in week 8 to discover the availability and practicality of the spaces, where I will then sketch out a desired layout of the space.