Compositing Video

The Drive from Morgan Hayward on Vimeo.

Public Art (Billboards)

I believe public art is a great thing, and it is really important to have art displayed so others can enjoy it. Although, there are many other factors to consider when creating something for so many others to see. Every person brings their own life experiences into what they are looking at, and I found my billboard project specifically difficult to create something that everyone can understand and also think about for more than the two seconds that they are seeing it on the side of the road. I also loved having the discussion in class about the woman who didn't understand April's piece. I thought she had brought up some good questions about why a monkey, which I don't think was really considered when doing the project, and how was the environment played into the gestures of the monkey. I also was very intrigued that she was so concerned that it was on UT property and how the association with UT is so evident, which goes back to our discussion about putting UT's logo on the images. Honestly, this is what I thought would happen when we branded our work with UT's image. Although I am glad to have my name also displayed, I figured that is all people would be able to see was an image in relation to UT. I also, in a way, feel like putting the UT logo on my image is in some ways discrediting the work because people can just dismiss it as some assignment that a bunch of kids had to do. Unlike the Art's Commission where people take it seriously as a piece of art that a professional artist worked hard on, whether they like the work or not. Just my opinion.
Aside from that discussion, some other billboard projects and opinions about public art I came across really took into consideration who would be viewing the images. This specific artist knew what information he wanted to share and the people he wanted to share it with. Here. From what I have read and how I view the image, he is trying to reach the latino population living in Pittsburgh. I see this work as a really good balance between content and image. He uses the life lines of the palm to suggest a journey and then by writting in Spanish he is addressing that group of people along with the "no translation available" line that furthers that intention of relating to certain people in that community. I also read this article that explains the importance and impact of billboards. Here. I think the best quote from this article discussing billboard (as art and advertising) is "It’s a massive example of humanity’s need for attention and to be heard. We all want to be noticed, and regarded, as individuals and for what we do." I thought this was really interesting because it is becoming more common for artists to use advertising spaces to display their artwork and to relay a message, and also how it is a chance to be recognized and have the large general public interpret what you have to say.

Response to Stop Motion Critique

I like my project but there are a couple of things that I would probably change after hearing the critique. It was brought up in class that focusing more on the repetition of the foot steps could have made it even more interesting. I hadn't considered this, but I think it really could have made it better. It was also discussed that the video made some people dizzy, and I really didn't think of it that way. But in some ways it is a really interesting response because it IS a response to the piece. I really liked this comment especially because everyone's reaction to it seemed to be different, and it is exciting to see how something I created is viewed.

Stop Motion Video

Response to Agnes Varda and Chris Marke

I was confused on whether Varda believes that cinema and photography do work off of each other and work together in a way. I believe that they do. In history it is obvious that cinema came to be after photography, but aside from that I feel that early films had influence from photography. The first works that come to my mind are Warhol's screen tests. In a way kind of like a camera obscura he used moving film to capture a live still portrait of a person. There is also the use of films made solely from photographic images using visual effects (dissolves and zooms) along with a narration. This is something Marke discusses in his first experimentation with moving images. I think it is interesting how he explains his pure excitement with what he had created and how he "couldn't even imagine having anything in common with the process of filmmaking." This is an interesting thought and I really like the idea of just jumping into it and trying something new.

Test of Stop Motion

pins from Morgan Hayward on Vimeo.

Hopefully my project goes better than this

Sound Installation

            The mixture of sound and imagery will welcome you into the space. This is meant to be a close and intimate experience. The sound will provide somewhat of my story that, in this same space, is intended to mix with the experiences of the participant. The imagery is meant to add to this same story. A story of a connection to a place you belong and the community that is shaped around it. I want to bring you into my world but at the same time allow for your stories to simultaneously shape the atmosphere around you.

Response to "The Future of Music: Credo"

"We are shielded from new sound experiences." This is the statement that I found most interesting in this text. The idea that there is a certain sounds that people want to hear is questioned by Cage, and it really got me to think about this concept. It is true that people who create music are in fact censoring the listener from the actual sounds that exist by producing sounds that are considered "enjoyable" by the public. But to think about this idea and question it, is what I believe Cage is trying to address. This is something that has been brought up before in class and I think could be an interesting direction to take with my sound project. Some ideas I have considered are recording the sound of the same place on different days and replaying them together in that place to in effect explore other times and atmospheres of that location, or even reveling the sound of different locations to experience other places while experiencing the place you are in at that same time.

Response to critique of assignment 1

I thought everyone had interesting comments about my loop video. Marco brought up some Interesting points about how the actual transfer of money isn't really shown and also the interest of the viewer to see what people are buying. These are some really interesting points that are something to think about for further projects. Another comment was that the sound was weird because it dropped off after the sound of the cash register and the door bell, this is something I struggled with too but I am still unsure how to resolve this problem.

Loop Final

Loop from Morgan Hayward on Vimeo.

Response to Billboard Critique

I thought everyone had come up with a creative idea that matched their style of working, and I thought the class was really active in responding to the images and brought up some really good editing ideas. For me, I think my color images are more successful. I thought the class brought up some good points about centering the baseball image. I have more angles and poses to choose from so maybe I just need to pick a different shot. In the end, I'm really proud of all the work I put into this assignment and I am very pumped to have my work on billboards throughout the city!

Billboard Final

Reaction to Wim Wenders "Time Sequences..."

The text suggests that films should have a sense of mystery along with an accurate timeline. Wenders explains how filming something that isn't so straightforward, but leaves the possibility for interpretation, makes the film much more successful. He explains how one part in "Summer in the City" he chose to leave the camera running while he they drove through a tunnel, and how he had been questioned about this choice. I thought this was an interesting point because most films I've seen do cut out what seems to be the pointless parts of the film or the elapse of time, but what is exciting is the fact that the man questioned Wenders' editing at all. He had such a reaction to this very specific part of the film that he felt strongly enough to discuss it, and aren't those the kind of feelings that completely involve the viewer in the piece? Wenders then goes on to discuss how the placement of film cuts between one scene to the next should be taken more into consideration (similarly to what we have been told to look at with our loop projects). That the "unimportant" scene when a man is out and then appears back home or is asleep and then awake can also be interesting when played in real time.

Radiolab Response

I found this podcast to be especially interesting with the variety of stories that they shared about loops, and how loops can exist everywhere. The first story about the comedians is the way of looking at a loop that we have discussed in class. The loop has the ability to change the viewers reaction throughout the piece while the actually information that is being given to them is exactly the same. I also thought the woman with transient global amnesia was really interesting. It is quite strange that the body can react in almost the exact same way over and over, with the same tone in their voice and even facial expressions. My favorite comment was when the doctor said that it is almost as though the brain is like a machine, and does free will really exist? The small section about the zero was also of interest to me. The zero is an actual representation of nothing, and how can it still represent nothing if it has become something? The comments about the tape falling apart brought up some good ideas that could possibly help me with my video projects. He says that if you can find a way to repeat without becoming redundant, then you are able to fall into a different time and space. This is really interesting when thinking about that relationship between the viewer and the piece and is that the true meaning of the work? To allow someone to stop and become a part of the repeating pattern?



 

First Draft - Video Loop Project

First Draft Loop from Morgan Hayward on Vimeo.

Billboard Ideas

First Outline for "Loop" Video

For this first assignment that is focusing on interactions between people, I have a couple of ideas. First, I was thinking I would like to have the imagery of various people that I speak to throughout the day, but only show our hands and the environment that surrounds them. I think this idea could be very powerful, but I am still unsure on how I would use sound. I was thinking of maybe merging all of the conversations that I had and it would become a quiet sound in the background as the hands did the talking. My other idea is to possibly remove the sound altogether and have a muted video when it is obvious that there should be sound. My other, more abstract, video idea would be to show the motion of a tire (speeding up and slowing down) throughout the whole video and then to add the sound of general movement. For example, feet walking, starting the car, bicycle or other motion creating objects. The idea behind this type of video is to bring my experiences of movement that creates the interactions I have with the objects and people I experience. I am still unsure which path I want to take with this project, but sketch videos are the next step.

Response to Acconci's "10-Point Plan for Video"

I thought Acconci brought up some very interesting points about creating and viewing video. The text is hard to read at first but after going over it a couple times you can really start to understand what he is talking about. The part that struck me the most is when he is describing how the person in the video is like a fish in a fish bowl and the viewers are just watching separately outside. He states how the viewer isn't "with" him, but he doesn't explain if that is a good thing or not. In my opinion, I think the real challenge with video is trying to get the viewer to understand or be "with" you, instead of viewing the video as they would with TV where it is something that is happening far away from you and you don't have to bring your own experiences into the imagery. I think breaking that "glass" as he calls it is important and can leave the viewer with something to think about and experience as the artist does. Another interesting point, that I would like to really experiment within my own work, is the idea that when the viewer is unable to see anything on a monitor, where images are expected to appear, the viewer must rely much more on the sound. If the imagery is very vague or dark the sound is what tells the story, which I believe is almost more imaginative and does break that barrier between the artist, the glass, and the viewer. 

Interesting Video Artist

Mark O'Connell

I chose this artist because I really enjoyed the simplicity and the ability that he gives the viewer to bring their own experience into the imagery. He almost creates a sense of meditation that he feels and wants to share with others through his videos. The compositions and use of color is really interesting to me. I mostly enjoy his still camera position while all of the action and long slices of time are taking place away from the camera. I believe that this passage of time is important to the work to further the concept of slowing down and stepping back from all of the action around you and really looking at what is happening. I also believe that the music contributes a great deal to the mood that O'Connell wants to share, and I think it is important to realize that he creates his own music for his videos.

Video From the IPad

IPad Video from Morgan Hayward on Vimeo.

Welcome!

Class blog exploring time, motion, and space using digital video and audio formats.