This week I went on a boat safari at Arundel Wetlands hoping to film a scene to include in my second video for viewing inside the AI dome/tent structure. While I was there I found out that my camcorder could only film scenes while the boat was moving really slowly otherwise the video became slightly pixely in some areas. This was quite annoying but at least I did manage to capture some fantastic scenery while the boat was moving really slowly, so I was happy about this :-)
Below are some photos of Arundel. I will be editing the video footage that I took to include in my second video for the show.
I have emailed a selection of people some questions to gather more information for my qualitative and quantitative research.
I have only told them limited information which follows:
In my MA show you will be entering a hypothetical AI hybrid life-form, it is known as 'The Traveller'. 'The Traveller' wishes to explore and learn about the natural world and its inhabitants.
The photo above is a maquette of the AI life-form, you will have to imagine this to size. The actual size will be 200cm x 200cm height: 140 cm. The materials for the dome will be made using elasticated tent tubes, a tarpaulin floor base with added eyelets in to secure the poles. The white tarpaulin floor sheet will be covered by large bubbled bubble wrap which will be pre-popped. The top cover of the dome will be made using cling film and small amounts of thin blue wire to create a vein, web type effect. Along with 30 or so, 5 inch clear balloons interweaved into the mesh.
Upon entering you will see a sign on the floor saying 'Enter Alone'. Once inside, imagine sitting in this space. You will see a screen is in front of you where you can watch two short videos.This will be accompanied by hearing various individual breathing sounds of which some of the individual's air will be inside the balloons woven into the mesh.
The video below is just one of the videos. Please watch this and then answer the questionnaire. Remember your thoughts are important :-)
Below is a copy of the questionnaire, if you want to take part in my research (and I haven't emailed you), please click here for the interactive form. Please do not click the buttons below this is just to show the questions.
At the weekend I went to visit Kew Gardens where I combined my visit to view David Nash's exhibition along with filming trees/plants and the wildlife there too :-)
Scattered around Kew Gardens were many beautiful sculptures by David Nash, but my favourite part of this exhibition was in the Wood Quarry where you could see unfinished works in progress.
An evolving exhibition
David Nash is using trees from Kew that have come to the end of their life to make a series of new work in the Wood Quarry.
Nash uses chainsaws to work with the properties of wood and only works with trees that have fallen naturally or must be felled because of storm or disease damage.
This is the first time Nash has shown his process of making art as part of a major exhibition. It is also his first wood quarry with fully grown trees in ten years.Kew Gardens
Wood Quarry photos:
I found this trip to be quite successful, not only did I see David Nash's sculptures, I came away with lots of photos and video footage of tree/plants/wildlife to be included in my both my studio practise and visual research.
Below are some of photos that I took. I haven't edited the videos yet.
a. Please outline your plans for what you will be showing (please give lots of details even though I know most of your ideas, with 19 students it can be difficult to remember exact details!)
I will be making a dome shaped structure. The dimensions will be: height:140cm, base: 200cm x 200cm.
The materials for the dome/tent structure will be made using elasticated tent tubes, with a strong tarpaulin floor base with added eyelets in to secure the poles. The white tarpaulin floor sheet will be covered by large bubbled bubble wrap which will be pre-popped. The top cover of the dome will be made using cling film and small amounts of thin blue wire to create a vein, web type effect. Along with 30 or so, 5 inch clear balloons interweaved into the mesh. Ideally I would like this placed in the middle of a slightly darkened room.
I'm aiming at everything being contained within the structure, except for a sign saying 'Enter Alone' that will be placed on the floor just outside. Inside I will be showing a video approx 10 mins in length, I was planing on using my own laptop for this but I may have to borrow a LCD screen since I'm now worried that my laptop won't last much longer. If it does last I had planned on the laptop being opened flat out, vertically standing on a contraption that I'm in the process of making. The keyboard will be covered which can easily be removed to access the computer - all the vents on the laptop will be left clear. I will be using a Kensington lock to secure the laptop. The sound is quite quiet, I was planning on using speakers for this but I will bring headphones along to experiment and see which works best in a group setting.
b. What equipment will you need (please indicate if you will be using your own equipment or if you need to borrow or hire stuff from college)
If possible could I borrow the 32inch flat LCD screen, full HD (film work can be played from a USB stick attached direct to the screen) I'm worried that my laptop won't last much longer a it's been having some problems lately. I would also like to borrow an extension cable and some special rubber cover to avoid trip hazard.
c. If you cannot get the exact equipment you need please suggest a basic alternative option
I'm not sure at this point. I'm hoping that my own laptop will be OK once reformatted, so that I won't have to borrow anything.
d. Provide some rough sketches showing your ideas:
Jonathan suggested the area marked with a red square on the third floor for my installation. I really like this space, it's perfect. Below is a map of the the third floor space.
Below is a photo of a maquette to give a rough idea of what the tent/dome structure will look like, along with an idea for the laptop contraption. I may be borrowing a screen if it's available so this will look different if I do. I haven't seen the screen yet but if it's not white I would like to cover it to blend in with the tent/dome materials.
While this tutorial was mainly based around the Show, I also got some feedback on my video symposium too.
My main concern for the coming show was my laptop, I had intended to use this in the show but the switching-on button broke so I've had to remove this. It still works fine but needs either a pen or I use a chopstick to turn the power on. So I wanted to run this past Jonathan and make sure it would be ok to still use this.
Inside the structure I had planned to have the laptop open flat out, vertically standing on a contraption that I'm in the process of making. The keyboard will be covered which can easily be removed to access the computer - all the vents on the laptop will be left clear. I had a plan to secure the laptop using wire which I know wouldn't be that secure but hopefully would act as a deterrent.
I explained to Jonathan about the video inside, and how I'm hoping to make three, five minute videos that are slightly different which I want to play randomly. I am using KM player to do this which works really well. The text in each video will be the same but the video images will be slightly different, though having said this it may change slightly too by the time I've finished.
Jonathan's suggestions and comments:
First I want to say that your symposium video is very good, it is clear and thoughtful and really explains your project very well, well done! It really is a good example of how to do this and show the story of how work develops. There is one suggestion, I was thinking about videos when native English speakers like you or I speak and how difficult that can be for international students. I noticed you have a full transcript on your blog anyway but maybe have a look at this and consider adding captions to the videoI'm not sure it is possible to do the interactive captions of the TED videos yet but maybe there is a way.
I don't see a problem with the laptop switch, the power lead will need to be PAT tested, which is a basic electrical safety test, but if the plug is connected properly, ie. fitted in the factory like most are nowadays, then it will have no problem.
Just one thing to mention as an option instead of your laptop, it is possible to use media players to play video back to a screen, I think the latest Western Digital Media Player (check on Amazon) has a shuffle playback option for videos with the latest firmware, these simply connect to a monitor and the files are added to the media player hard drive or play from a USB stick. The only issue is a monitor, so if your plans are fine with a laptop then probably best stick with that, but thought I would mention it anyway, maybe something to consider in the future for other exhibitions.
Have you thought of using a Kensington lock to secure your laptop?
I had heard about these, but I didn't realise until after our chat that there was one on my laptop since I've never seen one before. I assumed it would look lock-like and didn't realise that I had to buy a cable, so this was really good to know.
Sound is the only other thing I wanted to mention in a group setting it might be very difficult to have a really quiet space with only your sound playing, how do you see the sound working? is it very quiet or quite loud? so if there is a lot of noise around, not necessarily from other work, just the environment, people chatting, outside noises etc -- do you see that as a major problem? how quiet do you want the environment around your piece? would you consider headphones for the user inside the dome? The opening night (private view) could be quite busy so the sound levels may need to be higher than for a normal day.
The sound is quite quiet, I was planning on having speakers but I will bring headphones along to experiment before and see which works best.
So basically you need a 200 x 200cm space, preferably in the middle of a darkened room? I think we will have at least one room that is darker (but not dark - that will not be possible to make it really dark. The only tricky issue is getting power to the middle of the space, a cable across the floor is fine and I have some of the special rubber cover that is needed to cover it to avoid trip hazard.
I think this sounds fine and you have planned well for it, I don't see anything too complicated, well done.
I found this tutorial really useful. Just as I'm writing this up now, I have been thinking that I must buy some white headphones. If I find that headphones work best when experimenting before the show, then they really need to be white to fit in with the colour scheme inside :-) I need to buy a Kensington lock too. Jonathan has kindly emailed me a link to some, so now I know what they look like :-) Next I will have to write a list of everything that I need to do before the show, this may take some time!
Existence: Individualism or Mechanism? Video Symposium
Text Symposium
The creative processes of my studio practise has been to conceptualize and explore the natural world, while questioning the existence of individuality within a system.
Although the concept of my project has stayed the same, there has also been major developments which have happened due to a combination of events.
While researching and writing my research paper I had begun thinking more about life, linking aspects of metaphysical/ontological inquiry, nature and chaotic systems together. I also researched a mathematician called Benoit Mandelbrot. I began looking at how natural fractals in the world form the shapes of mountains, coastlines and river basins, and began comparing the structures of plants to blood vessels, lungs and placenta's. This led me thinking more about our lungs and breathing, and the connection between our bodies and the natural world, which took me in the direction to experiment recording breathing sounds whilst simultaneously filming generative elements of nature. I also started experimenting with balloons with people's air inside. During this time I had an idea for projecting a video of generative elements of nature through the balloons but this didn't work out so I started thinking on different but similar lines.
At first I thought of making a 5ft geodesic dome, since geodesic domes have been used here in the UK at the Eden Project. The domes at the Eden Project are well known for their artificial environments containing biological organisms, which reminded me of balloons containing different people's air. I then started pondering on ideas of having actual plants growing in the dome along with balloons of people's air in the construction of the dome. Inside there would also be a video of the dome at different places such as the beach and in woodlands etc.
I then went from thinking how the geodesic domes of the Eden project have created unnatural environments for biological life-forms to exist to thinking about what if the domes were actually hybrid artificial life-forms. This then led me to thinking about other ways that dome tent structures are used for exploration and how this dome structure could become an imagined living entity.
The artificial dome environment would in essence be an artificial entity which would not be questioning itself, but would question you the visitor a biological life form, and so the person entering the dome would be the focus of the installation, well from the point of view taken from the artificial life form. The balloons would now be part of the imagined hybrid artificial entity and the only true organic form would be the visitor (viewer). Upon entering there will be a sign on the floor saying - 'Enter Alone'. When inside the entity will express in text format that you have entered a an hybrid artificial life-form, along with asking you a selection of questions which will be merged with a combination of random video clips of generative elements of nature accompanied by sounds of quiet breathing. My intention is for the dome entity is to be an explorer, since the tent structure has both a protective and exploratory nature. In the case of the entity a protective skin/structure which wishes to learn more about the natural world and its inhabitants. While the entity wishes to learn from your thoughts, you will also be questioning yourself.
For my BA dissertation, I researched aspects of Posthumanity which I previously found interesting to look back on, since the imagined hybrid AI entity which had developed within my studio practise has some similar attributes due to its interest in organic life forms. I started thinking on opposite lines where a Transhuman thinks about transcendence to Posthuman, but instead thinking about an AI Trans-Machine, a machine interested in organic life-forms and wanting to learn more about them by adding organic elements to itself, thus transcendence to becoming Post Machine.
The dimensions of the fictional artificial life form (dome/tent structure) will be 200cm x 200cm, height:140cm. I'm aiming at everything being contained within this space. I will be using a laptop and speakers inside, which will be slightly disguised. The materials for the dome will be made using elasticated tent tubes, with a strong tarpaulin floor base with added eyelets in to secure the poles. The white tarpaulin floor sheet will be covered by large bubbled bubble wrap which will be pre-popped. The top cover of the dome will be made using cling film and small amounts of thin blue wire to create a vein, web type effect. Along with 30 or so, 5 inch clear balloons interweaved into the mesh. This will be accompanied by various individual breathing sounds of which some of the individual's air will be inside these balloons. I am uncertain how long the video will be, but I'm aiming at somewhere between 10 to 15 minutes.
Photo of maquette (dome/tent AI life-form).
At this point I am now gathering video clips for the video inside the entity. I have also written a selection of questions that I want to ask the viewer. In my previous studio practise I have colourised and used effects in most of my videos, but I'm now uncertain if I will do this for the video to be played inside the dome/tent AI life-form. I feel in some cases the natural effects work best, but at this point I'm still undecided.
Next I will do lots of experiments with video and see which works best. The final video may end up with a mixture of both, which would be quite apt since this is from the view point of an AI which is trying to understand the world, so I quite like this idea that the visuals would go in and out of phase.
