13.05.10 Tutorial Feedback

Here is the feedback of tutorial today. I think it’s positive.

Pathway: (MA) Digital Arts

 Name:   Hong Zhang                                          Date: 13.05.2010

Issues discussed/Subject:

•     I took several pictures of buildings and put them in processing to simplify them.  Andy said they were interesting. The complexity of buildings which were under construction is external, but the working space behind the glass of buildings has another meaning of complexity which is three dimensional. Andy suggested me to carry on and add deep thinking about it.
•    In Symposium 2, I was proposed to think about the dialogue between audience and my work.  In my understanding, I tried to make a connection, such as making a live project to transfer the images captured by a webcam to a simplified moving image, like the processing work I’ve done. I am still trying to figure it out through processing, hope it can work.

 

Comments/Notes

•  I need to walk away from my work, and try to understand how audience understand my project. Will they understand what I am trying to express through my show?
•   Add deep thinking about the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional complexity, contact Paul Coldwell, and ask him about the surface and behind surface.
•     Clarify my understanding of complexity.
•      Plan my time.

 Name of Tutor: Andy Stiff

my notes of Unit1 Assessment Feedback

It’s really late to make some notes of my Unit 1 Assessment Feedback, but still need to be recorded here.

1. I need to look at more border range of artists, to reveal my thinking and ask more questions about their works to myself.
2. About contributing actively to debate and discussion through the course, I really need to be more confident to  discuss and contribute. I will learn a lot more when I do that, tutors encouraged.
3. In my essay, the Harvard System is not correctly implemented technically, I shall be careful. And the conclusion could be argued and I can reflect without time pressure.
4. Time is limited, I have to hurry up and make more practical work.

Tutorial

I did a tutorial that I missed two weeks ago with Andy yesterday. It helps me to stop thinking without direction. About my project, I really need to throw all these messy ideas, and think about the beginning of my aim. Andy showed some artists’ work which are really useful.

Andreas Gursky : The photo has a simple shape, outline, but a very busy complicated modern life or grid visually. It’s an obvious contrast between simplicity and complexity.
Andy gave an example that how to shoot it as a film to express the relationship.

Gursky's May Day V (2006), at Matthew Marks.

Power of Ten

Power of Ten : the film is made by Charles and Ray Eames in 1977. The film is all about scale, moving 10 times further every 10 seconds.

The relationship should be the main point, like a journey from simplicity to complexity. The big problem is how or in what way, like Andy suggested time, shot.
I must start filming ASAP, do some experiments.  At the same time, I have to move house next week, will be really busy.

notes from MPR

It seems like the Mid-Point Review has finished.
My project still has the biggest problem, it’s too broad. I thought I’ve narrowed down my aim when I want to use blurred or these simple figures. Actually, I didn’t. It’s still a huge topic, and out of focus. The better thing is it’s not too late.

• The subject is too big, still needed a narrow one, and  “What is my choice?”
• My primary aim is about relationship of simplicity and complexity. Can I focus on the relationship and balance them?
• There is a discussion about how to present, like showing complex and simple video (same content) together, or removing more and more information from a complex scene… …
• Bill gave me an interesting point that sometimes complexity is just under simplicity.
• The video of out of focus could make viewers immersive. That’s a good news because it proves that the point I’m researching in my paper works in that video.

I must figure out these problems as much as I can and as soon as possible. Time is so tight, I have to finish my paper before middle of Feb as well.

Evalution

My primary aim is to explore relationship between simplicity and complexity and visually balance them. My initial idea is to create a work through two parts: nature and daily life. It’s too board and needed a definition. So Andy suggested me to go around and see what simplicity in my viewpoint is. I did it, and kept that in my mind, but I found I was so distracted outside, it is full of complexity. At the same time, simplicity and complexity are so hard to be clearly defined, the boundary is blurry. I can say this is simple but it’s complicated in another view. Because when we see something, we judge it through vision, background, sound and so on. There is so much information we received. It’s a variable answer and really depends on people’s personal understanding and experience. So I step back, think about an easier way to define my simplicity without confusion. Focusing on the visual simplicity may be more persuasive and easier to communicate with audience.

With the new idea I took some photos of the definition of simplicity as I think.

I pick one that I think is interesting. When I looked at the world, out of focus, it’s easy to turn to a quite simple world suddenly, especially lights which became many dots at night. These dots moved, mixed together and flashed, the picture looked like a film which was made of these dynamic dots. It’s interesting and made me immersed in the virtual abstract film.

So there is one direction I should try. Shooting complex scene (like nightlife) and then change it into a moving image which contains these simplest figures with real sound. Viewers will be able to imagine what happened through the abstract moving image and real sound. Because when we saw figural image, the visual information we received is too large, sometimes we can try to have an imagination through abstract (simple) image.

I need to observe and find some interesting and complicated scenes happened around, and make brainstorms to figure out how to connect with the shapes well in moving image. And sound or noise in real life can be used as a connection for my visual outcomes and complexity as well. I need more research on it.

I am learning processing, whatever I will use it in my project or not. I still not clearly know can it do an effect I need.

narrow my research question

simplicity：

•  The quality or condition of being easy to understand or do. 
• The quality or condition of being plain or natural. 
• A thing that is plain, natural, or easy to understand.

(“simplicity.” The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Oct. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>)

 I emailed my project research question to Andy for some advices. Andy’s suggestion is that I need to narrow my question, clarify and focus on field I want to explore.

Simplicity and complexity cover a wide field. What I would like to explore will be focused on two parts.

One is about people’s daily life especially when someone is going to keep his mind on something, like reading a book. When a man is reading a book, he really immerses himself in reading it because of only the book in his mind. We can call the condition simplicity. What if there is a cup of tea beside him, beautiful music, or a blast of wind, situation becomes more complicated but still mild and balance. What if music is noisy, wind blows off paper on desk, and then it loses balance.

Another part I would like to focus on is how to visually represent the relationship between simplicity and complexity.