My classmates felt that there was a fluid sense of movement throughout the video. The differing opacities had the intended effect in that they were overwhelming and created a feeling that there was too much visual information. My classmates drew associations to jail cell bars during the clip inside of the cart. They also alluded to childhood memories of getting lost in the store while the mouse was in the maze. I’m glad that the disorienting feeling came across to the viewers.

What I learned from this project was that editing and audio are extremely important in video art. My fieldwork didn’t seem to create much of an emotional reaction at first as there was no sound. When I added in effects and different sound clips however, my classmates had visible reactions to the increase in intensity. I will continue to carefully consider audio and editing when trying to convey certain feelings in future 4D projects.

The three actions that I chose were walking through the store, examining products (or close-ups), and going through the checkout lane. The randomized storyboard works out well because the sequence of events in my first step was already randomized to make it disorienting. In order to get more footage I’ll be going to local grocery stores and taking more shots of products (as that seems to be what I’m lacking right now). I also would like to place the camera in the cart as its an interesting angle and will create a sense of movement.

My classmates felt that that by layer opaque clips over each other I was able to convey a sense of motion. They also thought the the imagery with the mice in the maze as well as the woman walking in circles made the video disorienting which was the intended effect. Everyone seemed to agree that the mouse in the maze was the most provocative scene and that watching the mouse retrace its steps and go in the wrong direction added to my concept. There was a general consensus that audio would add clarity and interest so I will definitely be including that in my final. One thing that did not work was the imagery of the people working in the fields. I was told it was unnecessary and I agree, especially with the title of the video already being “Harvest”.

• New media art describes artworks that are not traditional or conventional
• Mechanical/digital reproduction alters how we view originality
• Technology quickly evolves; what is new soon becomes old
• Reproducibility of photos can be utilized
• Film, photography, and audio can all be utilized, as well as open archives (further bending the way we judge a work to be original)
• Appropriation is when artist borrow and repurpose images from popular media
• Artists are now using other pieces of media for their artworks-but at what point is it unoriginal? If all of the work is media not created by the artist then is it truly theirs?
• New Media artists think about how to use space to engage viewers with their works
• New Media Art is often altered as time goes on to reflect the changing relationships between society, technology, and media

I was inspired by how overwhelming the videos we watched in class were. Ryan Trecartin’s videos in particular utilized editing and effects in a way that created so much visual information that it felt hallucinatory and uncomfortable. Editing will be important in creating specific feelings in my work. I have not edited videos before so I will probably look up tutorials to help fully utilize the program. The moment that I intend to portray is grocery shopping as I feel there is a lot of potential. Grocery stores are intentionally confusing and there is are a lot of associations that can be drawn to food production and waste. I intend to portray how maze-like grocery stores have become.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/efiah6q5v3q8gfc/Performance%20art%20final%202019.MOV?dl=0

My classmate who did the final critique felt that the limited view of the location and use of minimal props gave the work an isolated feeling. They thought that the shaky camera gave the impression that I was being forced to repeat the gesture. This added to the unsettling atmosphere which they appreciated, but other classmates thought that it was unnecessary. My critique partner didn’t say much else besides that it didn’t keep their interest and that more should have happened. I respect that criticism but I do not agree with it. I was inspired by the performances we watched in class that were more quiet and reflective. I wanted to create a work where viewers examine not just the gesture as a whole but how often its repeated, what noises it makes, how it can be slightly changed, and the little mannerisms that come with it. I did intend for the work to seem more intense as it went on- and in a way it did- but the camera did not pick up the spilling water or the sounds that it made. I also did not want to force it.

My classmate felt that the use of the spotlight, props, and the location together gave the fieldwork an eerie feeling. They pointed out that there is only one clear container so their attention was drawn to it. I think in my final performance I will include a few more clear vessels so that viewers can get a better sense of just how much water there is. If the only clear containers are full viewers will assume they all are, emphasizing the idea of endurance. There seems to be conflicting opinions about the shakiness of the camera, but I think it adds to the unsettling atmosphere of the work so I might include it in the final.

https://vimeo.com/330981890

By repeating the gesture of drinking I intended to create rhythm and a sense of stillness. The viewer is forced observe the little details behind the action and patterns that occur. I also wanted to draw upon themes of endurance by drinking an abnormal amount of water. Making my performance longer will help push that concept. My classmates thought that introducing the bowl was an interesting idea and I’ll be sure to keep it in further iterations. I am going to think more about how I can drink water in ways that are unexpected or unconventional because that’s what seemed to interest people most.

• “… Defined as constitutive of postmodernism because of their fundamental subversion of modernism’s assumption that fixed meanings are determinable through the formal structure of the work alone “
• Performance art takes influence from theater, dance, and visual arts (which will be useful to remember during my project)
• Emphasis on presence and/or absence of the body
• Body, site, audience, and time are the four pillars
  other performers and audience members may be included in the performance- I want to try and include other people in my final performance
• Why are performance artists so drawn to the idea of the endurance of the human body? There are so many performances involving the artist putting themselves in danger to explore this concept.
• The key difference between performing arts and performance art is “making not “faking”. Acting requires playing a character. Performance art is not acting, it is using the body as a medium. Every action and its result is a real occurrence and is not staged.
• “…History is not objective, it is a contextualized construction”
• Performance art took a lot of influence from the idea that the artist was a shaman and that art was the ritual
• Action-painting (think Jackson Pollock) is believed to also be a major cause for the rise of performance art
• Limited documentation of past performances (both intentional and due to technical limitations) has caused increased interest- raises them to an almost mythological level
• “Adrian Heathfield frames the current flux in performance practice as eventhood. ‘Eventhood allows spectators to live for a while in the paradox of two impossible desires: to be present in the moment, to savor it, and to save the moment, to still and preserve its power long after it has gone’ ”

I drew a lot of inspiration from the performance art we watched in class. All of the performance seemed to carefully consider sound or the lack thereof. I want to think about how sound can make a work more inviting or isolating. For my gesture I’m going to be drinking water. It’s something that I do multiple times a morning (with meds, with breakfast, and after bushing my teeth) but I don’t really think about doing. Because it is kind of a boring task, being thoughtful with location and props will be important in making my performance more engaging.