VIDEO INSTALLATION ASSIGNMENT 2

Video Installation

For my video installation, I wanted to create something cool to look at and enjoy, with an interesting concept for viewers to experience and talk about. In the past, I've always loved the concept of abstract art, within any form of the word 'art', such as video, paintings, sketches, music etc. Since this video installation was going to be mine to exhibit, I wanted to create something which was unique to me and something that incorporated my passion.

I've always loved watching experimental films and I've recently started creating my own as I think it's a great way to express myself and my views through video, my favourite medium. I also really love the use of black and white, as I think it allows the viewers to focus their attention more on the content within the frame and not get distracted by all the surrounding colour. However, I do think colour can work well when the clips are more simplistic, where there's less to focus on.

For this video installation, I've decided to project four of my experimental films next to each other on foam blocks, with a black background to make the projections stand out and this will be done in our college Television Studio as there is a large black curtain which I could use and black out blinds to stop any excess light interfering with my installation. All of the clips were shot on film and the idea of the piece is to give a feeling of memories and nostalgia.

I also brainstormed ideas when I was given this task, as to what I could do for my video installation. I thought an aquatic theme would be interesting to do, which would involve projecting imagery of different, unusual sea creatures onto all four walls of a room to give the audience a very immersive feeling when around the piece. The audio for the installation was going to be the sound of busy city streets, with lots of cars beeping and sirens. The idea behind this was to give an interesting juxtapose theme, between the life that we, as humans live and how manic our lives can be, while these sea creatures life in this very calming, almost surreal atmosphere that a lot of us tend to forget about as we go about our busy days. I thought that the installation would be a nice reminder to those of us in our stressed jobs, that this type of atmosphere and place actually exists within our world and everything isn't just about crunching numbers and answering phone calls all day long.

I completed a risk assessment for this task, even though there may not be many major risks involved in a task like this, it's still import to complete a risk assessment which makes sure everyone on set is aware of the dangers and knows how to prevent them from occurring.

The theme for this piece is memories and my main idea behind this video installation was to create a piece of art in the form of video, which evokes a nostalgic feeling of their childhood or past experiences as the clips I have chosen are all film, it gives a sense of history and memories. I have decided to have four clips playing in total. One of the projections will be a clip showing an astronaut on the moon, which is there to evoke memories of the moon landings in the 60's, another will show a child playing happily, which evokes memories of childhood and nostalgia. I have found a great short film online that was shot in film and shows a small boy on his bike racing away from his mother and I will use this video. I will also use two clips which are more abstract and are purely there to enhance the feeling of memories and nostalgia. The clips are actually taken from old film reels, where the film has been scratched and burnt, but it gives a great effect and will fit in the installation nicely.

My target audience for this installation is ideally men, aged 50+. This is because all of the items/ projections within the piece are targeted towards them and they may feel the impact the greatest, as they personally saw the first man on the moon and will probably have memories of shooting on film and watching their childhood films back on a projector with the same sound that I have chosen. However, I still think that the majority of people over the age of 20 will be interested by my installation as to just how abstract it is, yet how everything still corresponds together.

The audio for the installation will be the sound of a film reel throughout the piece. I've chosen this as I think it represents film as a medium and the two unique clips I've chosen to project represent the different types of films there can be, yet both are abstract. I think it is an interesting concept and people will be interested to see it, especially if it was in a gallery of modern or abstract art.

Production and setting up the equipment:

For the audio, I wanted to get the real sound effect, not something which was digitally made to sound like the real thing, so I found an old family film from someone's holiday, which was probably shot on something like a Super-8. The film had a really nice sound of the film reel over the top of it, so I took out the audio and placed it over the video I shot of my video installation.

Here's my final piece, which I have hosted on YouTube. I decided to host the video on YouTube as it's a free hosting site, which is easily accessible to any and has millions of users daily from all over the world. The video is evidence to my installation as purpose for this assignment.

On evaluation of the final piece, I think my idea was produced well to a near-professional standard with interesting themes and ideas portrayed throughout the installation. However, in reflection, I think I could have improved on a few things that I did, such as the camera I used to record the video installation. I should have used the C100, which would have given a much clearer image and less blur of the imagery. I think I could have also used some more creativity in the way that I projected my clips, which could have involved projecting them onto an object more interesting than the foam blocks. Overall though, I believe that I have done quite a nice job of creating a small video installation, which fits the brief and demonstrates my skills.

If I was to use this piece for an exhibit, I think MIMA art gallery or House Of Blah Blah would be great places to host. The locations are in Middlesbrough and very local to where I live, which is convenient in the sense that it's easy to access, but I'd also like to show off my video installation to the people of Middlesbrough and also friends and family. The video installation I have created is quite unique and abstract, which I feel would be perfect for the audiences that these two art galleries have, as people may enjoy watching the piece and being intrigued as to what it means or why I've chosen to do it as I have. The installation is on a loop and can run continuously forever if I wanted it to, so this would make a great weekend exhibition, where the installation just plays on loop as people come in and out of the galleries.

VIDEO INSTALLATION ASSIGNMENT 1

Video Installation Theory

As an art form, Video Installation is a really interesting one, that not many people have fully experienced yet. I believe it has great potential if the right artists get involved with it. With that said, there are already some amazing artists using this medium and have a lot to show. Here's an example of some great use of video installation, from Sonia Falcone and displayed in Biennale, Santa Cruz Bolivia.

Here's another brilliant example of video mapping, another form of video installation, which was done in London at a concert for the Queen. The installation features a projection mapping onto Buckingham Palace as Madness, the band plays from on top of the roof. It was a fantastic addition to the concert and something which hadn't been seen before by many of the people in the crowd.

This installation is put in place with good intentions, to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It is projected over the full palace, which also acts as a brilliant backdrop to the concert stage which is going on just in front of the gates at the end of the Mall. 

There is great technique being used with this installation, as it is a very large scale production. I assume there are various projectors being used on this, all calibrated together to play in sync with the music. The artistic design of the piece has been designed brilliantly to give it a comedic, fun touch which the public viewers can all enjoy.

I really love this piece, as I remember watching it live on TV I was amazed by the design and scale of the installation and I think it came as a big surprise for a lot of the viewers because it's something that hasn't been used too much in the past. I think the style the artist chose to use for this piece was perfect for the situation and it paid off as many people were talking about this for weeks after it had happened as it was such a spectacle. 

Above is another great example of the many ways video installation can be used. Ralph Lauren projected a catwalk and many other products on the front of their building in Bond Street, London as people outside watched the spectacle in awe. The display is a really interesting way advertise their products and brand as they were also using it as a celebration of 10 years of digital innovation. The video has gained over a million views all over the internet as people were interesting to watch their unique display.

This video compared to the first video I linked with the artist's work are very different in many ways. The first video showed how an artist wanted to be represented and it was a medium for him as an artist to express himself through projected video, which he did in very interesting and imaginative ways. Not to say that this last video wasn't imaginative or interesting, because it really was, it's just that they were both done for different reasons and contained different content, too. Ralph Lauren were using this as an advertising tool, which I think has worked really well for them and I actually think this type of advertising should be done a lot more as it could be great to see on different walls and buildings in cities or towns. However, I love the first video and how he's expressing his art by using a unique medium, as we are living in a world of growing technology, I think it's interesting and cool to see artists picking up these pieces of everyday equipment that we use and giving them a whole new meaning, all in the name of art.