Response to A Taxonomy of Digital Video Remixing: Contemporary Found Footage Practice on the Internet

This reading applies to our third assignment. The concept of taking footage/video and remixes it to create a whole new video. We have all become familiar with the ever changing internet. The medium in which people are able to display and share their creations, through videos, images, memes and more. This articles focuses on the ability media has, it’s influence of politics and society. He states “At the heart of political remixing lies an impulse to rebut mainstream media and promote contemporaneous critiques of culture through alternative channels free from endemic corporate censorship in journalism”. Who would have ever thought that a remixed video would be so powerful. But according to this article, remixing is nothing new. It has just develop and changed because of the new technologies. Digital remixers has the ability to draw attention to mainstream media to demonstrate it’s redundancy and  simplicity. This can lead to hegemonic visual discourse says Horwatt. Moreover trailer remixes are becoming more and more popular. They can be humorous or serious. In fact, “The Shining” is one of the remixes we viewed in lecture. I found it particular interesting. It tends to follow some cliches. However there are two forms of trailer remixing; mashup and re-cuts. Mashup are the new best things, commonly used in music. It has the ability to bring things together, break down barriers, and disregards the typical forms, and pays no attention to copyright laws.

Roman Mars’ radio interview with Max Neuhaus on “Radio Net,” produced for Re:sound, WBEZ Chicago, 2005 

 I never put any thought into sound and radio before. It was just something that existed to me but didn’t require any sort of analysis. Sure, we have all listened to radio shows and heard people call in to voice their opinions but I haven’t considered it important. There are various elements to radio. This radio interview was very informative, and now I have a new perspective about how things work and why.  Radio is thought to be a one-way medium because the speaker voices their opinions and there is little to no feedback. It is highly edited and planned. However there is a new form of radio produced by Max Neuhaus. He doesn’t rely on music nor events. Sound installation, it is a whole new way of experiencing sound. He is innovative with his work, incomparable to anyone. He has really made a name for himself in this industry.  He creates sound collages. He mixes different sounds together, it is truly fascinating. He describes it has “wild live sound collage”. It’s interesting to hear people’s reaction to this new form. In fact some people were able to participate in the production. They were all engaged in the context and enjoyed the sound making process. It is extremely different from the usual radio net.  He even connected various radio stations together. Initially people were shocked and so what disturbed. Max Neuhaus’ idea was that sound existed as entities and listeners should be able to contribute to composition but this wouldn’t be possible if it was prerecorded. I have a lot of respect for Max Neuhaus he is very advanced in his thinkings. I like that he wants to get the audience involved in the context. To me it seems as though he like the freedom and randomness. He was very strict about prerecording, he was against it. He changed the way radio and sound is produced.

Read Anne Ellegood, “The Exquisite Corpse Is Alive and Well,” 2010

Initially when I open the link to the reading I was intrigued by the pictures they caught my attention immediately. I was compelled to read more. Without analyzing the text, the photographs made no sense to me. The pictures were all so different from each other. I wonder if there was any cohesiveness or relevance to each other. As I read on I acquired more knowledge. The focus of the reading is collaboration. To my extent the term collaboration means working together. Moreover combining two or more things together. But apparently collaborations can stir up from controversy. Collaborations have the ability to produce various forms of art for instance; sculpture, photography, performance, film, poetry and collage. At times artist break the rules, and “threaten the status quo” in order to create a wonderful piece of art. Occasionally it is considered to be avant-garde. Artists have different intentions and views on things. The beauty of it is the unknown possibilities. Artists can learn from each other, and imply that to their work.

This reading was a excellent taste and look on how  the assignment 3 will be. Many individuals work in conjunction with each other. The sharing of ideas and artistic visions can create a sophisticated piece. After reading this, I started to become more and more anxious and excited for this project. I must admit the thought of someone changing my work makes me nervous. However, it will be interesting to observe how people can interpret and manipulate/ modify the same piece of work. Will the creativity of the artist still be intact after its through a series of change from diverse artist? But I am looking forward to seeing the end result.

Deep Storage: Collecting, Storing, and Archiving in Art” (1998)

After reading the excerpt from Ingrid Schaffner and Matthias Winzen, eds., “Deep Storage: Collecting, Storing, and Archiving in Art” (1998) the idea of a museum changed for me. I failed to realize that a museum served many purposes, not only to display beautiful art but to also store and preserve history. As an audience we are sometimes unaware of the hidden art pieces that are buried away as storage. Just because it is unseen does not mean it is lost. There is always a sense of mystery, and curiosity when entering a museum/gallery. The goal of storing art is to evaluate and restore later. I myself am not the most fond of museum or exhibit. I find them rather boring. But after reading this excerpt I have become increasingly aware of the importance of a museum. Artifacts, paintings, sculptures etc are presented in museum for all to see, sometimes for generations. For some people a museum is a pleasant experience, because it is a place where talent, knowledge,  and culture are combined. Stories and life experiences can be narrated through art. Moreover art displayed in a museum is not always this elaborate, out of this world form of art. It has the ability to be real, and subtle while still conveying a message. For instance Christian Boltanski and Annette Messager both examined the idea of lost tradition and questioning authority. They seemed to be inspired by everyday life and used it to create meaningful art work. Another I found particularly interesting Rauschenberg combines the hoarding of two artist together (Andy Warhol and Rhoades) while reintroducing the issue of sublimity and anticipatory time into art of time. 

I enjoyed reading this excerpt although I found it somewhat challenging I must admit I acquired tons of information regarding museum. I was intrigued by the various artist and their contributions to the art world. There are so many different types of artists and forms of art. I am definitely more interested in explore museums and galleries. 

Good Copy Bad Copy

The video: A day in the life of a unknown music producer. Documentary style film. Interviews with specific people that work within the industry.

This video was not only entertaining but it was extremely informative. Of course, I was familiar with sampling and copy right laws but this video took it to a whole new level. Sampling is one of the most common form of music, nowadays. I must say that I enjoy the combination of various genres. The different layers of music create a new rendition of the song. 

Some may argue that integrity of the artist is lost. But I would like to say that is bull shit. Sampling can be extremely beneficial for the artist because their fan base can be expanded. Fans of the Beatles are interested and familiar with Jay Z, because of the infamous producer Danger Mouse. Another claim that has been made, sampling lacks creativeness. Again I say bull shit. Being able to collaborate two contrasting artist together to make a whole new sound is a talent. It changes your perspective on music or that particular artist. Moreover sampling music has the ability to bring cultures together for instance the Dominican and American culture. 

Copying is the most sincere form of flattery. Taking someone’s else work, and reinventing the music, is a creative process. It can be considered a new art form.

An example of sampling that I loved was Chiddy Bang sampled MGNT song title “Kids”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McRgkE_vgjU&feature=related 

Let me just say that Max Dean is one of the best performance artist out there. With my limited knowledge on the subject, it seems silly to make such a claim. But it is true Max Dean is some kind of genius. He is a house hold name when it comes to performance art. He is a Toronto based artist. His performances typically explore the relationship between the artist, the audience and the work. He examines the nature of trust and control in his work. He has been known for his diversity in the field, this includes; art, video, and installation art. Not only does he perform but he also teaches. He taught at the University of Ottawa and York University.  He was an artist in residence at the national museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. He has been awarded for his work. He received the Jean Chalmers National Visual Arts Award. And he was awarded the Gershon Iskowitz Prize. Most famous for his “Robotic Chair” piece

This ordinary wooden chair is a symbol of hope. Believe it or not. The chair encounters a situation, as we all do in life. And it simply falls apart because the problem is too large to tackle. Eventually the chain beings to put itself back together. Similarly to people who experience a road block in their lives and they overcome the problem. They become stronger individuals. The chair slowly reassembles itself, by putting together the pieces. Watching this performance, I could feel a connection to the piece. I was able to relate an object. Strange, eh? I felt as though the chair was telling a story, more specifically my story. You may feel weak and helpless but through strength and determination you can pull through anything. This was truly fascinating and impressive. Initially it was slightly frightened by the spontaneous movement. The words “it’s alive” came to mind. When I closely examined it, I was able to see the mechanics and technology that was used in order to produce this. “The chair acts autonomously guided by an overhead vision system and is not dependent on viewer presence or interaction to perform. The Robotic Chair is a collaborative project by artist Max Dean, professor/entrepreneur Raffaello D’Andrea and artist/industrial designer Matt Donovan.”

Source : http://www.roboticchair.com/description.php

Borges: Funes, His Memory

Memory is a very powerful and useful tool. Often times, we forget how important memory is. Short term, and long-term. It can be as simple as remembering where you put your keys. Or as complex as remembering your very first steps.  Memory is essential to our lives, it is impossible to live without. Reading this, I kept thinking of my own recollections. The story is about a man taking a trip down memory lane, so it seems. In the story the main character narrates his specific experiences.  A recollection he refers to is the time he spend with his dear cousin.  Many things trigger unambiguous memories. He is honest and holds nothing back when telling his anecdotes. These recollections are extremely detailed, he was able to remember scents, and how things looked.  There is a sense of realism, he is reliving the moment. As the reader I felt a connection to the text. I could see the meaning of the story.  The idea of becoming of age was demonstrate throughout the story. For instance when his father was sick, he had no other choice but to become a man. All these memories are significant because they have a profound impact on the person’s life. Moreover Funes is a man of few words, as life progresses he has major difficulties understanding certain concepts. But somehow miraculously he can recall irrelevant details. Perhaps he is focusing on small details instead of the big picture, because he is unable to face it.

I found this reading particular interesting because I was able to relate to it. The plot was clear and it actually made sense to me.  This was one of my favourite readings by far.