Monday, November 2, 2015

Project Process Documentation 3 and Reflection

Further discussion continued and my growing interest in film was brought up as a possible influence for this and future work. Using professional / Amateur film as the subject for a work became a more interesting possibility.

Erin also introduced me to youhole. A website that uses an algorithm to find and play low view count videos from websites like youtube. After seeing this website I thought it would be a perfect device to let me see randomized amateur videos, this way I would have no idea what I would be working with.

Website link:  http://youhole.tv/

The project developed into me creating a painting where I drew from the subject matter of passing videos. Using this method I had no idea what the finished piece would look like.

To add another constraint I decided that I would work and watch the passing videos for 5hours strait, painting the elements that left an influence on me for each video.

For presentation I decided the canvas must match a 16:9 aspect ratio to reflect the film influences that made up the image. This would be presented next to a matching projection of the videos so the viewer could have context for the piece.

The progress of the painting was also filmed as a way to document the experience.

Below are photos of the station I setup, video samples and the final presentation.








Reflection:

When reflecting on this project I am glad that the work progressed in the way that it did. By using film and painting in such a randomized way, I was able to work in a completely new way that was outside myself. This image being the first where I had no preplanning or sketches was a great change of practice. Allowing me to work more gestural and spontaneously than before. Elements from this project have already worked their way into my current work. 

The five hours of painting were exhausting when I think about it. Mixing and applying colors with brushes, pallet knives and tubes as fast as I could made me rely on instinctual decisions rather than planned ones. Although I intentionally shaped the composition of the piece towards the end the spirit of the work was consistent throughout. 

Looking back conceptually, the piece says interesting things about information retention and attention spans when viewing online videos. The continuously playing videos remind me of the time that can be spent on the almost endless recordings and videos now archived online. Videos of Minecraft alongside the reveal of a national monument, leveling the importance of information or elevating the more mundane. Almost creating a sea of information where anything can rise to the top regardless of the content. 


When painting scenes from the videos I chose visual elements and colors almost instinctively. Even I do not know why I was drawn to or retained specific elements found in each video. Even now I can barley remember most of the videos I watched. I can only remember by looking into the layers of the painting and finding the visual cues that can anchor me back to the video. 

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