Monday 28 September 2009

Chapter 4 - The use of exhibition space to create a meaning

The Tate modern had alot of different pieces of art displayed in a different way. There was one piece which was a film displayed over 3 rooms. The peice was a cartoon called Annlee you proposes by Liam Gillick which was made in 2001. The rooms they were displayed over influences the way you see it and feel about it. The first room was a white room with a futuristic feel about it. There was a small sized projection screen in the middle with multicoloured cubes to sit on. The room was quite cold and air conditioned. Because the room was set out in this way it made me feel quite eery and strange. The film being projected was quite scary because the images were mainly in the dark, however because the room was bright and airy it didnt feel scary it just felt very odd.

The second room had the same cartoon being projected, but the room was pitch black and alot smaller with no where to sit. Because it was dark and in a small room I felt claustrophobic and quite scared! It shows how the space in which something is shown, can really change how you feel and interperet it.

The third room didnt have any projection but you could hear the noise of the film in the dark room. The room was white and had pictures on the walls of the girl from the cartoon. It said things like " Not a ghost but an empty shell" so it was kind of explaining what you had already seen. And changing your perception of what you understood. The girl came across quite scary but after that you feel differently.

Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisquatsi is an experimental video by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is different from others I have seen because it doesnt have a clear storyline, specific charecters or any speech. The film is made up of imagery and music. The imagery is of different places and time periods in the world. There are images of nature, old buidlings being destroyed, new buildings and hectic scenes of every day life

The meaning of the word Koyannisquatsi is Life without balance. I think the concept of this film is too show the cycle of life and death. I think this because there are alot of scenes of nature which to me represents life and there are scenes towards the end of explosions and destruction which can represent death.

I think the context of this film is influenced by the time period, as it was made in the 1980's when New York was modernising. There was alot of thought behind making this film and it took 6 years too make.


Tuesday 22 September 2009

Doll Face - By Andy Huang


I have recently viewed an experimental film "Doll Face" by Andy Huang. The craft used in this film is of a very high standard as a lot of thought has gone into the production of this film. To me the context behind the film was of how people strive for perfection. The film starts with the doll emerging from a metal box and the doll is attached to a machine.

The doll's face is very plain and dull but after being bombarded by images from a television, she copies what she is shown. She applies makeup to herself to achieve the barbie like image , but when the television moves away she tries to catch up and self destructs.

I think that Andy Huang is trying to show us how the media influences us in many ways and mainly in the way of image, and how being shown these perfect people on TV we then strive for the perfection ourselves, which usually ends in destruction. For example when someone is striving to be thinner they can take it too far and end up with an eating disorder, some people become addicted to having plastic surgery as a way to reach there goal of being perfect. But sometimes they end up looking fake and having complications making them worse off than when they started.

I think the way the television moves away at the end and she self destructs is very symbolic. I think it shows how we all rely on TV to show us how to dress, what makeup to wear, how thin we should be and how to act. And when what we aspire to be is taken away from us we are just people. And some people find it hard to accept that they will never be perfect, so they strive for perfection to the point where perfection turns into self destruction.

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Girl Chewing Gum By John Smith

Girl Chewing Gum was made by John Smith in (1976). The film doesnt have a storyline it is simply a video of people going about their everyday life. You are watching as people cross the road and kids make there way to school, whilst you hear a voice over of what you think is a director. The voice over will say things like man enters from right walks across road and looks to the left, making you believe that he is the one directing the actors. However at the end you discover that the man doing the voice over is not the director, the film was pre recorded and he is actually miles away in a field.


The film is made in black and white and doesnt use alot of craft at all. It is a very simple video, but the concept has taken alot of thought. I think that the concept behind this film is that most people believe what they are told whether its from hearsay, television, newspapers,magazines or radio. And we will take up a certain opinion and perspective on something from what we are being told in life in general. And that maybe we shouldnt all be narrow minded about things becuase like in the film when the truth was revealled it completley changes the perspective. And it can be the same in life, when the tabloids put a certain spin on a story we believe what we have been told, but what we have been told may not be the truth.

Helloooo

Hello everyone ! x x