21/03/22
Received feedback on the current project during tutorial; was a great response. A further digest of what area of topic the ending could potentially conclude with was also in conversation. Only critique is that the trees in the background are hovering over the green screen due to depth of field due to the auto focus I implemented, this could be rectified in post production.
My notes for the key concept I researched for tomorrows presentation, my concept is ‘Time’.:
Monista Bhatia, Victoria Canning
Stealing time
by Monish Bhatia and Victoria Canning
This book details the empirical contributions focusing on the lived realities of time and the temporality that lies within the lives and journeys of migrants. It also uncovers the ways in which human existence is often overshadowed by legislative interpretations of legal and illegalised. It also unearth the consequences the uncertainty and unknowing nature for those people has futures can often lay in the hands of states, smugglers, traffickers and employers that pay little attention to the importance significance of individuals time and thus, by default, their very human existence.
An immediate line that stood out to me in the book whilst reading is in the forward, section 7
…In uncovering the everyday impact of migration governance on migrants and the many ways in which human existence is shaped, defined and confined within the narrowing spaces of immigration laws and the violence of borders and immigration enforcement practise, the book invites the readers to see the stealing of time as not as a side effect but rather a structural component of migration governance. An active, deliberate and inherently harmful one. The stealing of time, in its many forms, contributes to the production of docile and exploitable subjects…
This stood out to me as a matter of importance that, in my naivety I had never thought about the subject of time when it comes to the immigration and displacement as a whole. The time that these peoples face in these dire situations are precious and can be in other words ‘stolen’ from them, whether it’s by war or other implications to their lives. The stealing of time as mentioned in the foreword of this book, shows to me that the time lost to these people is extremely important and thus the loss leads to the exploitation and unfortunate but eventual submissiveness of the said persons in the desperate circumstance.
Here is text seen In chapter 1, second 2 named ’The Left Behind’. In 2018 Shahram Khosravi describes the time stolen from migrants deported from Europe, from those held in detention and forced to wait in limbo. But time is also stolen from those ‘left behind’ as well. The lives of the left behind are marked by waiting, a waiting that is heavily gendered. Whilst boys and men also wait to be sent for by fathers, fiancé’s or wives, their situation is different to that of their mothers and sisters, as patriarchal norms send them into the streets to look for and take up employment, or to go to school or the bazaar in spite of the risks of becoming ‘collateral damage’ in the ongoing conflict.
Mountz in 2011 also stated that women and girls are much less likely to be able to move around. In particular, the risk to life and limb outside means that women are increasingly objected to ‘lose their time’ at home also waiting for a future that they have not much control over, trapped by the patriarchy of both sending and receiving states.
This section stood out to me also due to the fact that everyone from a family is effected by a loss of time, due to the conflict that the ones who leave fall into and the ones that have no control over their future due to not being able to move around themselves. The left behind expect or hope to leave or to welcome a loved one home one day, have no idea when waiting will end. An end to the future orientated present, in which time leaves away, frames by conflict and fear, this fear is for themselves and fair the the migrant undertaking the journey.
In relation to Paulina’s project, I find that the symbolism of the loss of time within this book can translate well to the loss of Time when faced with quick decisions involving the possessions we have to choose or leave behind within a set time limit.
The whole subject of displacement in the overarching key concept which is obviously very relevant today is also linked to the loss of time within the realm of migrants and war etc. These displaced people have lost a lot of time in the future and in their present need and rushed collapse of their lives that they had before the displacement occurred.
So that’s why when I found this book I thought it was very very similar to the essence of the key concept and Paulina’s project.
22/03/22
Today I presented the presentation mentioned in yesterdays post, I was happy with the result. We also saw other people’s presentations and provided feedback. These are the feedback notes taken at the time:
Presentation 1
Too much text on screen, deters from the speaking
Speaking quite fast at times, with the heavy reading it’s hard to maintain focus
Good handwork and speech
Don’t understand the link between the overarching context and paulinas project overall
Presentation 2
Great relation to the concept in question
Perhaps maybe testing audio before presentation to make sure video is good to go
Good explanation.
Presentation 3
Clear definition of the connection between attachment and the project
Friendly manner, good eye contact and projection and gesturing
Try to plan the presentation around time of film
Presentation 4
Great charismatic presenting skills alongside projection and eye contact
Great artist and research
Presentation 5
Too short
Interesting artists and projects
Recently I have been trying to improve my photography skills also. Below are the raw unedited stills taken from todays workshop with stills I photographed of Gracies project:
25/03/22
Tonight I helped Sofia with editing some of her project (film) which was a blast, earlier on in the week I took part in a short interview for the film also which was great, whilst Sofia filmed me playing guitar and answering relevant questions to her concept. Sofia has managed to capture some amazing documentary style shots and footage and I cannot wait to see the final project when its showcased. It was also great to meet in the library within a conference room and fully go over some footage and give my advise / techniques on how I would approach the edit of the film whilst making sure Sofia’s vision was still intact.
27/03/22
This week has been the busiest week at university so far, for instance this weekend I finished directing the short film for the MSF1 module which was extremely rewarding, making new friends and connections whilst maintaining a professional overview of a project within a vision I was maintaining. Saturday we filmed for around 4.2 hours and Sunday being 2 hours roughly.
