WEEK 5

The Moving Image: Video as Digital Art

When I first found out that we had to film something I thought I knew exactly what I was going to use as my subject matter, but as I went on to do some research on Video Art my opinion and ideas started looking quite inadequate. The first artist we were introduced to in class was Nam June Paik. I loved the clip we were shown which I think is titled 'TV'. It was created in the 60's and yet it looks like something generated by the outrageous 80's. The first thing that I thought of when I watch the clip is the hit music clip television show 'RAGE'. The untamed and electrifying waves that shoot across the screen would play some role in influencing the credits, opening and traits of the show. I found it quite beautiful and mesmerizing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3cIW2fjX9I (viewed on the 29th March, 2011 from Youtube)

Another artist that we looked at was Vito Acconci who was a pioneer of the introduction to video in art. I was very put off by the film clips of his that we were shown. We were told from the start that Vito's aim was to get up close and personal with his audience and make them feel uncomfortable which is exactly what he achieved in his clips 'Open Book' and 'Theme Song'. Although I didn't like his films I did however get some ideas for my own. I liked how simple syllables and noises had such a dramatic effect on the film. I also found it interesting the use of isolating certain facial features, and using only them in the piece taking away any identification of the person.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYQAcHsgIwY (viewed on the 29th March, 2011 from Youtube)

My first idea was that I would work with my dogs. I looked for films that had sad elements and dark story lines that involved dogs. On Youtube there were many but the film that really caught me was called 'Detroit Dog Rescue'. The music, images and information that were chosen to be a part of the film appealed to the viewers' sense of empathy and compassion and didn't leave the audience when the document ended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-bxTO_Q-5k (viewed on the 29th March, 2011 from Youtube)


Since dogs were originally going to be a part of my video an artist I came across was William Wegman. William Wegman's 'Short Films' is humorous the way he creates a pretend conversation between himself and a dog, and uses the dogs reactions to help continue is dialogue. I found that William's work with the dogs was used on the well known children’s' television show 'Sesame Street'.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xaeyf4_william-wegman-short-films_creation (viewed on the 29th March, 2011 from Youtube)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xaeyav_william-wegman-sesame-street-dogs_creation (viewed on the 29th March, 2011 from Youtube)

Week 5- PROPOSAL

Assessment 1: Proposal

The topic that I have chosen to in relation to digital art is today’s use of anything utilized in artworks throughout history. It is the idea of using the past to make art from anything that is ‘old school’ or ‘ancient’ to being made fashionable again. Some areas of interest may include techniques, renowned artworks, historical events and landmarks, religions, leaders and legends, films and fairy tales and characters. It is something that is becoming more and more common over time and is seeing history being modernized through art work. The reason why I am addressing this topic is because I feel that it’s an issue that is growing in it’s use and that it is not necessarily a good thing. It stops artists from having to think of their own original ideas and take leaps of faith with them. It can block the exploration of the mind but can also take away from the original artwork itself. When ideas are reused repetitively and exploited they can tend to lose their aura and also take away from the presence of the initial artwork. Throughout the semester I think it will be interesting in whether or not I will want and continue to use aged techniques, theories, narratives etc... Or whether I will want to explore an innovative idea I construct. But one of the other reasons why I have selected this topic is because I am curious to find out if my artwork can create a similar sensation and quality as it’s predecessor. I think society should be encouraged to really start questioning what art is and what honest art is. I think appropriation of artwork is something that is occurring more often than we are and should be acknowledging.

Each piece of work that I will create I want it to have an element of history in it. My first assignment of a photo shoot was done in a way that was exploring and celebrating the human figure. It was taken in black and white which is the original way photos were taken. The photography does not present as being sexually provocative even though the individual is unclothed. I wanted to discover the body and the different shapes and contours it can form, in a way that was done when painters and sculptures first started to construct the human figure in their art work. Each week I intend to find something that is aged and entwine into my work. The second topic is collage so I will be looking for images and materials that are dated and hold history to them that I can incorporate into the collage to form a picture/narrative. I am going to try and use one of my images from my photo shoot of the body and try to engage it into the collage. With my moving images I will try to use techniques, storylines and image constructions of those first used when images were given motion. 

When I create my digital drawing and painting I am aiming to try and create a similar sensation and impression with my digitally established image as traditional oil paintings or a charcoal sketches etc would. Animation is something that has come so far since it beginning yet I believe some of the oldest animations hold some of the best and better characteristics and attributes. I want to use elements of the production that are household names and that give the feeling of old-school in the ‘Stop. Motion. Animation’.

I believe digital art is the best way of exploring my issue because technology is such a large part of society today. Technology is not something that will ever go backwards. It may draw on previous creations to inspire it, but it is always advancing. There for it is only natural that technology and all of it’s equipment progressions involve themselves in today’s art work. It is how much however that we allow the equipment to take part and what part the actual artist plays in the creation. This topic will allow me to investigate whether myself and professional artists who use a combination of advanced technology and old fashion techniques, can still produce art that is as extraordinary as something created hundreds of years ago.

I am hoping to use the projector for my presentation. In one of my particular piece I would like to make a comparison between two very dissimilar pieces. I would like to be able to question the audience and be able to have the pictures readily available to move on to and off the screen as quick as possible. I want them to tell me their initial reactions, feelings, and opinions of the pieces of work when I am showing them. I would love to have a really strong white screen to project the images on to instead of the whiteboard.

Before I took any photos of the body I wanted to look at how the figure was first drawn and painted, and at what the artist was trying to capture. I found that in Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of the body he focused on really breaking down the body parts to gain a better understanding of what he was drawing so that he could paint them correctly (Koestler-Grack, 2005). He may have been drawing part of a limb but the whole arm wasn’t necessary just the hand was required to be sketched. A photographer I used to help me understand using a light source was Mick Payton. Although I didn’t like most of his work and would not use it as inspiration it did give me a few ideas in how to position the body and light to gain the most revealing shots. When creating my digital drawing and/or paintings I am hoping to draw on a mixture of both past and present artist. I love Vincent van Gogh’s choice and application of colour. In Joel L. Swerdlow and Lynn Johnson article ‘Vincent van Gogh: Lullaby in color’, they note that at first it seems Vincent has exaggerated his painting of wheat by using over six different yellows to paint the plant. But then if the viewer actually closes their eyes, thinks and visualizes what they are looking at, the six colours of wheat appear naturally. I embrace and love intense use of colour, and I adore what I feel and imagine when I see his work. I am hoping to use his technique to help me create movement and stillness, day time and night time etc in my images. From my contemporary side of influence I would love to use my favourite television show ‘The Mighty Boosh’. It has some outrageous cartoon characters with wild use of colour and imagination. I would also love to use the movie series ‘Toy Story’ throughout my work as I think it is a story of growth and reality mix together with strong well known characters who we hold on to once introduced. 

The Mighty Boosh

Viewed on 19th March, 2010

http://www.thespecter.net/blog/?m=200701

The Mighty Boosh
Viewed on 20th March, 2011
http://themightyboosh.co.uk/?cat=5

 Toy Story
Viewed 2oth March, 2011


http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/ts/








References 

Koestler-Grack, R, 2005, Leonardo da Vinci : Artist, Inventor, and Renaissance Man, Chelsea House Publishers, Philadelphia USA, pp. 93, viewed 18^th March, 2011,  

http://reader.eblib.com.au.wallaby.vu.edu.au:2048/%28S%28owselr5xedi53ldrdgbjw3sk%29%29/Reader.aspx?p=366302&o=158&u=JOajTNhdAjeunpIKNwTg2g%3d%3d&t=1300411590&h=F75012C143FEFE2242C3EA2C4113D5D064F1908D&s=3945992&ut=507&pg=1&r=img&pat=n#

 Swerdlow, J L & Johnson, L, 1997, ‘Vincent van Gogh: Lullaby in color’, National Geographic, Vol. 192 Issue 4, p100, 32p, viewed 15^th March, 2011, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier.

http://library.vu.edu.au/webbridge~S0/showresource?returnurl=%2Fsearch~S0%3F%2FXvincent%2Bvan%2Bgogh%2Band%2Bcolour%26SORT%3DDZ%2FXvincent%2Bvan%2Bgogh%2Band%2Bcolour%26SORT%3DDZ%26extended%3D0%26SUBKEY%3Dvincent%2520van%2520gogh%2520and%2520colour%2F1%252C1%252C1%252CB%2Fframeset%26FF%3DXvincent%2Bvan%2Bgogh%2B&rec=b1248925&resurl=http%3A%2F%2F0-search.ebscohost.com.library.vu.edu.au%2Flogin.aspx%3Fdirect%3Dtrue%26db%3Daph%26db%3Dlmh%26db%3Dbth%26db%3Dc8h%26db%3Dcrs%26db%3Dufh%26db%3Dcph%26db%3Deric%26db%3Dhxh%26db%3Dhoh%26db%3Dulh%26db%3Dlxh%26db%3Df5h%26db%3Dmnh%26db%3Dnfh%26db%3Dpdh%26db%3Dpbh%26db%3Dpsyh%26db%3Dbwh%26db%3Drlh%26db%3Ds3h%26db%3Dser%26bquery%3D%28vincent%2520van%2520gogh%2520and%2520colour%29%26type%3D1%26site%3Dehost-live&resname=EBSCOhost+Databases&linkid=48247313&linkloc=panel

Week 3

This week's task was to find a photographer whose work had something that spoke to you and stood out that you really enjoyed. It could be anything from technique, aesthetic, subject matter, influence etc...

I was after an artist who specialized in black and white portraits that concentrated on exploring and exposing the human figure. However the thing that stood out most to me that I found very disappointing was that most of these professional photographers were not celebrating the human body through their photos, but rather just sexualizing it. I really struggled to find an artist that I thoroughly enjoy more than one of their artworks. I found most of them to be very distasteful and close to unprofessional if they weren't meant for the genre of soft pornography.

One artist that I found with a large body of work was Mick Payton. He had a mixture of commercial, artistic and sexually erotic work. Most of his work I found very unpleasant, however I did find a few pieces of his work that I really enjoyed. The way some of the bodies were photographed and positioned was very graceful, but also very captivating. I really liked the photos that did not show the model’s face and didn’t give them an identity. It remained than entirely about the subject matter which was the body and it’s structures. I also liked the way he has used lighting to show off certain facets of the body.

Mick Payton

Adorable

http://www.obsessionart.com/product.asp?currency=USD&cat_id=&pf_id=mp_MP087&jump=0

 

Mick Payton

Back of Jenna

http://www.obsessionart.com/product.asp?currency=USD&cat_id=&pf_id=mp_MP083&jump=0

Mick Payton

Defined Lines

http://www.obsessionart.com/product.asp?currency=USD&cat_id=&pf_id=mp_MP163&jump=0

Mick Payton

Obedience

http://www.obsessionart.com/product.asp?currency=USD&cat_id=&pf_id=mp_MP112&jump=0

Mick Payton

Poise

http://www.obsessionart.com/product.asp?currency=USD&cat_id=&pf_id=mp_MP175&jump=0

Mick Payton

Tense and Touch

http://www.obsessionart.com/product.asp?currency=USD&cat_id=&pf_id=mp_MP161&jump=0

This week's topic is digital photography and editing photos. Last week I chose to do a photo shoot of my younger sister Michaela with her body being the subject matter. I used an array of light sources, angled in different directions to explore what type of image, sensation and shape they could create. I will relate my issue/topic that I have selected to explore in digital art via black and white photos. 

 Initial the only appearance and form that photographs could be produced in was black and white. There are many very old and beautiful photos that have been captured in black and white and still possess an elegance and splendour that a photo from today cannot. 

Many photographers I think are continue using this old fashion method of photography to try and reproduce some of the similar traits and effects that these older photos bring upon their audience. One of the traits that I believe a black and white photo holds is that they are much kinder to the individual being photographed. In these photographs imperfections tend to blend in and away from the spot light and whatever figure a person has, it’s embraced.  I believe a photo caught or changed to black and white can completely alter the emotion and possibly the narrative of the photo.

Here is a artist that is using black and white photography and is deliberately trying to create photos that seem older than they are. The photos however are clean and sharply presented and don't quite give the effect the artist is going for.

Stan Douglas- Deputy
2006
Black and White Laserlight Jet Print
Framed: 34 x 28 x 1 1/4 in 86.4 x 71.1 x 3.2 cm Unframed: 33 x 27 inches 83.8 x 68.6 cm http://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/17/work_avail_2361.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stan Douglas- Thief
2006
Black and White Laserlight Jet Print
Framed: 34 x 28 x 1 1/4 in 86.4 x 71.1 x 3.2 cm 

Unframed: 33 x 27 inches 83.8 x 68.6 cm

http://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/17/work_avail_2362.htm