ART 211 - Final

Our final video piece was dedicated to the idea of "The Deconstruction of Video".

I took some time to really think about what this meant to me, and how I'd interpret it into a video. I'll admit it took quite a while to think of something, but once I did, it hit me and everything that came after that was precise and interesting.

I thought about how I would always livestream while I would work on my commissions, so that my commissioners could see how I was doing and correct me to ensure satisfaction. However, whenever I would go to chat with them while Livestreaming, I had to go onto my LS page to do so. Doing this created a virtual "Inception", with my Livestream projecting the Livestream projecting the Livestream, and so on.

It made me think.

I thought about how most art and videos and performances you find now-a-days are copies, parodies, or heavily-inspired by other pieces. And, sometimes, even those pieces aren't the true, original source of inspiration. I've realized that it's really become quite difficult to find a piece of video art that is truly one-of-a-kind, a unique fresh taste.

From there, I decided I would try and watch a few music videos, and use Livestream while doing so. This would create a never-ending stream of overlaying video footage, with the video repeating itself again and again with each dive further into the Livestream.
What I ended up also discovering while experimenting with this is that the music also overlaps, and while I originally thought it might create a "dub step-ish" type of sound, it instead produced a screeching and scratching that sounded more like a Banshee. I even had to soften and muffle parts of the video because it practically made my ears bleed. There were a few parts where I realized that the sounds my laptop made when I'd change the volume made an interesting beat, and I abused this, i.e. with the beginning.

I advise that you turn down the volume a bit before watching.

Enjoy~

Performance Art Piece

But my project in "Questioning the Role of Technology in Our Lives" was to push the question "What do we use it for?"

I took the most simplistic and general answer I could come up with for myself - I use it as an escape. But while I know I have my own motives and reasons to use it as an escape, I was wondering how others might use it in the same way.

I took an old pair of sunglasses, taped my iTouches onto them and played two different music videos - Poker Face and Bad Romance - to symbolize how I use technology to blind me from what I do not wish to see. I duct-taped my mouth with the most popular and brainwashing of the technology brands - Apple - to show how you cannot disturb the paradise I have escaped to with mere words. I then stood out in very publics spaces with my shirt saying, "Technology is my distraction from ?", and held a marker out for people to answer.

I filmed this in Chicago, first at Navy Pier and then again at Union Station. In Navy Pier, I got the most responses and the most feedback, mostly because the people there were there for leisure, aka their own escape, and understood the message and were more keen to engage themselves in it. It didn't take long for people to catch on and brainstorm their own interpretations of what my shirt's message meant. I was highly pleased with the amount of enthusiasm I received from my audience there. Because of my excitement, the time flew and I wanted to keep standing there for more feedback, but had to leave because we were running low on footage, and I had been wanting to test it at Union Station as well.

At Union Station, most people either ignored or disregarded me, as at a train station people have places to go and people to see - there's no time for any sort of distractions. I stood there for over twenty minutes with no participation from anyone, despite the large crowds of people filing past as trains arrived. After about fifteen minutes, one of my friends went to demonstrate and write on me, to let those watching know that this is what they're supposed to do. Even after that, I didn't receive anyone stepping up until the very end. In fact, those girls annoyed the hell out of me. They had been standing there for nearly five minutes, giggling and whispering to each other as if I couldn't hear. They kept asking each other "should we ask her?", "what's this?", "do you think she can hear us?" They were lucky I had my mouth duct-taped. However, there was one kid who really amused me at Union Station - the little boy in red. He came dancing up to me, wanting to hold my hand and join me, asking what I was doing and why. His father pulled him away, though.

The funny thing was that even though the iTouches were covering my eyes, the metallic backs on them acted as mirrors and allowed me to see behind me. So even as some people thought they could stop and stare and point fingers without me knowing, I could see them behind me.

This was an amazing experience, and I'm so bummed I couldn't have stayed longer.

Performance Art - Rough Draft

This is a rough draft of my performance art piece. It's still a little over the desired time length for the video, so I'll keep working on it to cut some feed out to bring it down closer to three minutes.

But my project in "Questioning the Role of Technology in Our Lives" was to push the question "What do we use it for?"

I took the most simplistic and general answer I could come up with for myself - I use it as an escape. But while I know I have my own motives and reasons to use it as an escape, I was wondering how others might use it in the same way.

I took an old pair of sunglasses, taped my iTouches onto them and played two different music videos - Poker Face and Bad Romance - to symbolize how I use technology to blind me from what I do not wish to see. I duct-taped my mouth with the most popular and brainwashing of the technology brands - Apple - to show how you cannot disturb the paradise I have escaped to with mere words. I then stood out in very publics spaces with my shirt saying, "Technology is my distraction from ?", and held a marker out for people to answer.

I filmed this in Chicago, first at Navy Pier and then again at Union Station. In Navy Pier, I got the most responses and the most feedback, mostly because the people there were there for leisure, aka their own escape, and understood the message and were more keen to engage themselves in it.

At Union Station, most people either ignored or disregarded me, as at a train station people have places to go and people to see - there's no time for any sort of distractions.

Propaganda vs Advertising

Propaganda and advertising have been closely related, though there are a few differences that set them apart. For one, propaganda is used for more assertive purposes, such as to publicize a popular or an aspiring religious faith, war cause, or politics. Propaganda tends to lean on the more serious tone in terms of the people and causes that use it, and have a more demanding "you must believe/agree" message. They do not simply want to catch the viewers' attention, they want to hold onto it and maintain control to make you follow the same path they're trying to establish.

Advertising, on the other hand, has a relatively more innocent motive. Ads are more or less used to simply promote products and the consumers' purchasing of said products. Their tones may be more amusing, comical, romantic, etc. While it must also be as aesthetically pleasing as propaganda, advertising is solely for the purpose of gaining money rather than followers and control.

Eva & Adele

Eva and Adele are a duet of artists who aim to create art through their own bodies. They claim that they are the canvases, and it is their goal to create art by displaying it with their own bodies. Both underwent plastic surgery to have their faces appear almost identical, and they adore others photographing themselves. Eva and Adele nearly always wear the same outfits, as a part of their art. 

The two refuse to release their real names and identities, as it is a part of their work of art to create a new self, and a new whole together. They have performed for video pieces, as well as taking self portraits and collaging them with various newspaper articles.

They claim to have started out in Berlin, though no one knows for sure.

Flashmob

This flashmob was performed at the Liverpool Street Station.

Xerox Collage

This is my Xerox Collage project. I xeroxed a copy of my feet, my hands, and my face multiple times and then made several copies of each. I used the stairwell in my dorm building as my canvas, and warped my collage around the wall, ceiling, lights, and window.