For the record, I am adding here the notes I gave the assessors (Cliona, Claire and Anthony)on March 11.
I am cutting and pasting in the original word document which included pictures. Let's see what happens and how much of it gets posted.
Well, that's interesting. Blogger has no problem in taking the large chunk of text, but it just ignores the pics, so I will have to insert them separately.
Here goes. Wonder can I get Blogger to accept the images into the place in the text where I want them to be, or will have have to move each one to the required place after first importing it? Either ways, Blogger is very easy to use.
ASSESSMENT Statement
Term January - March 2008
STUDENT DILEMMAIDEA: This piece is designed to illustrate the internal conflict and struggle experienced by students who have to do essays and studio-work at the same time.
CONTENT
There are five components:
The BLACK MASK indicating that a lot is going on under the surface that most people don't know about.
The TWO HEADS indicating me talking to myself, that is internal conflict.
The RIGHT HEAD shows me drawing with both hands, indicating trying to do two things at the same time.
The LEFT HEAD shows intensely coloured slides of the college, behind a semitransparent photo of the statue of the Laocoon. This statue makes me think of the larger figure as my STUDIO WORK, and the smaller figures as my two ESSAYS, all struggling with the serpents of the triple bureaucracy Europe, Dept of Education, and NCAD (apologies to anyone who feels offended - this is probably just my individual perception)
The TWO STRIPS, travelling in opposite directions, show the outer environment. The CARS are the world outside the college, getting on with its own business, the SLIDE-SHOW of various tranquil places I have passed through during the course of this project indicate that the discomfort I am experiencing is more from the inside than from the outside.
COMMENTS
I learned a lot doing this project, and particularly enjoyed working with ISADORA, and also with AFTER-EFFECTS. I am excited about the potential of these two programs, particularly the potential for audience interaction.
I accept that the screen is somewhat 'busy', but this is deliberate as I feel it portrays the busy-ness inside my head.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• I would add the sound of the 2 hands piece to the whole work.
• I would like to link the final piece to the keyboard so that the viewer could click on each element and view the underlying material separately, and in larger format.
• Another possibility might be that the viewer could speed up or slow down the speed of each element.
2-HAND DRAWIDEA: The Laocoon statue has broken hands. Hand-writing with both hands is an exercise in doing two tasks at the same time.
CONTENT:
The video shows me writing on paper that is blank to begin with, and ends up in total confusion. The speed of the video is 400% of normal. The sound is the accelerated background noise in the studio. Both visually and aurally, this indicates the feeling of time-pressure and working to deadlines.
COMMENTS
I made the video before making the mask. If I had realized that the way it would look, I might have worked on a smaller piece of paper.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• I have made images with the final word PANIC in darker marker.
• I don't think this idea is worth spending more time on.
NCAD STILLS SHOWIDEA:
That the college environment, and other places I pass daily, are peaceful, and tranquil, regardless of how much inner turmoil I may be experiencing.
CONTENT:
Views of various parts of the college, details of objects I hadn't particularly noticed before. Also includes objects from my study life, (books, equipment etc.) and also photos I took on my way home from college.
COMMENTS
This part of the project was helpful by initiating the idea that any stress I was experiencing was more from inside than from outside myself.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• In a sense, this series of pictures is part of an ongoing collection of random pictures taken on odd occasions.
• The main development I would like to aim at is to improve my skill at composition, and also to continue to develop facility with my camera.
CARSIDEA: Hundreds of cars pass me by each day, each driver minding their own business, oblivious of me sitting in the bus (passing them by). Including them in my project somehow seems to make a tiny bridge between us, even if they have no awareness of it.
CONTENT:
The video of the cars passing NCAD is shown in three narrow screens indicating that much of the time I do not see the full picture.
COMMENTS
I like this idea, but I am not fully satisfied with how it turned out.
I took two lots of footage, one from the bus window, and one standing in one place outside the college.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• I think one improvement might be to film at a busier time when there wasn't so much of a break between the cars.
• I also think I might find a more interesting point of view. I did make a try to shoot from one of the windows of the studio, but I couldn't find a safe way to support both myself and the tripod.
LAOCOON AND NCAD PICSIDEA:
That the tranquility of my environment belies the internal conflict I am experiencing.
CONTENT:
A Semi-transparent slide of Laocoon in black and white, is superimposed on a slide show of colour-enhanced NCAD views
COMMENTS
The Laocoon statue makes me think of the large figure as my STUDIO WORK, and the smaller figures as my two ESSAYS, all struggling with the serpents of the triple BUREAUCRACY Europe, Dept of Education, and NCAD (apologies to anyone who feels offended - this is probably just my individual perception)
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• Perhaps a slower version would give the opportunity for appreciating the effect of the overlay.
• Perhaps the Laocoon could be a little darker.
ALCO FLICK BOOKIDEA:
To a person with an attraction to alcohol, the bottle overshadows them all the time.
CONTENT:
Still images taken in studio from behind a screen on which shadows were cast by a theatrical light behind a manikin and a green glass bottle.
COMMENTS
43 images created for a Flick-book. As a Flick-book, it would have been improved by having about six pages of credits at the beginning and end. This would have improved the operation as the first images were somewhat 'lost'.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• Creating an animation has been a small development.
PICK-A-PIC (Sculpture Elective)
IDEA:
Every place we visit leaves a mark on us - and we leave a mark on every place.
CONTENT:
1. I walked five walks within five minutes of the college and took photographs.
2. I took the printed images out to the street and asked passers by to 'Pick a pic and pin it to my coat.'
3. Wearing the coat with the pictures pinned on it, I re-walked some of the walks, entered some of the buildings and asked people 'How long have you lived/worked in this area, and what mark has it put on you'.
4. At evening-time, I went walking in the coat, and one of my fellow-students used my video camera under my 'direction'.
COMMENTS
I really enjoyed doing this. I loved the contact with people, and I enjoyed processing my ideas.
And my point was proved in that I am now indelibly marked by the NCAD area.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• One idea I had was to do a video tour of Thomas Street, using the book, The Heart of Dublin by Peter Pearson, which I discovered in the course of my research.
NECKLACE (Artist as Performer Elective)
IDEA:
A necklace is passed from generation to generation, in sad and happy circumstances.
CONTENT:
Performance including ‘dancing’ with the actual necklace, photos of necklace hung on a bush nearby, Background sound of high winds and human voice.
COMMENTS
Thought it wasn't very successful - more of a mime/theatre than true art performance.
Some of the images were nice. I thought the pictures hung on the bush were effective as indicating the way memories decay over time.
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS
• I don't think I would be interested in developing this. It no longer has any 'magic' for me.
