I have created a new short video loop of my images... they are moving much slower which I think could work well in a gallery space...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
2.26
Did: Cutting plastic (4)
Creating new video (1.5)
Prep work & packing for Florida photo shoots (1)
More research & article reading (1)
Discovered:
Sorry this post is late! I forgot to post it before I left for Florida on Friday...
A new BBC article just came out about plastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean. It seems that more research is being done in oceans other than the Pacific, and its not a shock to me that they are finding similar "patches" elsewhere. Check out the article, "Plastic rubbish blights Atlantic Ocean". I also came across the website, greenfudge.org, which has a ton of links to articles about marine plastic pollution. I love the title that states, "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: The Parabolic Toilet of the Environment". How eloquent.
I was really happy with the feedback I got from showing my projection at the critique. I posted the new projection in my last blog post. I am going to push forward with making new images this week in Florida... assuming the weather cooperates with me... it has been freakishly cold :(
Do: Make more images and continue cutting & making plastic forms.
Creating new video (1.5)
Prep work & packing for Florida photo shoots (1)
More research & article reading (1)
Discovered:
Sorry this post is late! I forgot to post it before I left for Florida on Friday...
A new BBC article just came out about plastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean. It seems that more research is being done in oceans other than the Pacific, and its not a shock to me that they are finding similar "patches" elsewhere. Check out the article, "Plastic rubbish blights Atlantic Ocean". I also came across the website, greenfudge.org, which has a ton of links to articles about marine plastic pollution. I love the title that states, "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: The Parabolic Toilet of the Environment". How eloquent.
I was really happy with the feedback I got from showing my projection at the critique. I posted the new projection in my last blog post. I am going to push forward with making new images this week in Florida... assuming the weather cooperates with me... it has been freakishly cold :(
Do: Make more images and continue cutting & making plastic forms.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
2.19
Did: Thesis 2nd draft (4+ hrs)
Met with Patrick to discuss printing options (1 hr)
Small group crit (1 hr)
Recovering data from hard drive (2+ hrs)
Discovered: To be honest, this week has not been extremely productive for me. I became really overwhelmed by a technological problem with my hard drive. It totally freaked me out and I need to do a better job of backing up my work asap. My hard drive malfunction, in combination with the need to finish the 2nd draft of my thesis and prepare for my cousin's wedding which I am photographing today has prevented me from being really productive with my IP work. I am hoping to get back on track before the upcoming break because I am planning on photographing in my grandma's pool in Largo, Florida. I'm really excited to enjoy some warmer weather, but I would also like to produce a lot of new images... I need to get back into a productive mode.
I do think that the small group critique this week was really helpful for me. It became apparent again that viewers do not necessarily see a connection between my images and marine pollution. Instead they see pretty images that look like weird organisms. My group suggested that I try taking some images where the milk jugs might be slightly transformed but more identifiable as milk jugs. If I combine images that look more like milk jugs and the images that I have been making in a projected loop, I may be able to make it appear as if the milk jugs are being deconstructed. I like the idea of trying to visually show the process of plastic breaking down. I think I avoided photographing the milk jugs as milk jugs in the past because I was worried that I would make work that would be too literal. I didn't just want to throw trash in the pool and photograph it. But I am excited about the idea of slightly manipulating the milk jugs and photographing them as if they are going through the process of breaking down and becoming the abstract-organic-looking sculptures that I have been making. We shall see... I think it is worth a try...
Amanda also suggested that I look at Cornelia Parker's work. I recognized her piece "Hanging Fire Suspected Arson" (1999) but I really liked this image of her piece "Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View" (1991):
I think this piece could provide some great inspiration for the installation of my work...
Met with Patrick to discuss printing options (1 hr)
Small group crit (1 hr)
Recovering data from hard drive (2+ hrs)
Discovered: To be honest, this week has not been extremely productive for me. I became really overwhelmed by a technological problem with my hard drive. It totally freaked me out and I need to do a better job of backing up my work asap. My hard drive malfunction, in combination with the need to finish the 2nd draft of my thesis and prepare for my cousin's wedding which I am photographing today has prevented me from being really productive with my IP work. I am hoping to get back on track before the upcoming break because I am planning on photographing in my grandma's pool in Largo, Florida. I'm really excited to enjoy some warmer weather, but I would also like to produce a lot of new images... I need to get back into a productive mode.
I do think that the small group critique this week was really helpful for me. It became apparent again that viewers do not necessarily see a connection between my images and marine pollution. Instead they see pretty images that look like weird organisms. My group suggested that I try taking some images where the milk jugs might be slightly transformed but more identifiable as milk jugs. If I combine images that look more like milk jugs and the images that I have been making in a projected loop, I may be able to make it appear as if the milk jugs are being deconstructed. I like the idea of trying to visually show the process of plastic breaking down. I think I avoided photographing the milk jugs as milk jugs in the past because I was worried that I would make work that would be too literal. I didn't just want to throw trash in the pool and photograph it. But I am excited about the idea of slightly manipulating the milk jugs and photographing them as if they are going through the process of breaking down and becoming the abstract-organic-looking sculptures that I have been making. We shall see... I think it is worth a try...
Amanda also suggested that I look at Cornelia Parker's work. I recognized her piece "Hanging Fire Suspected Arson" (1999) but I really liked this image of her piece "Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View" (1991):
I think this piece could provide some great inspiration for the installation of my work...
Friday, February 12, 2010
2.12
Did: Pool photo shoot & prep (4 hrs)
Transfer readable files to my computer (1.5 hrs)
Review of thesis 1st draft (45 min...)
Conversations with Erica & Amanda (1 hr)
Edit photos (4 hrs)
Discovered: One of the biggest things that I discovered recently was the fact that my camera has a very weird image quality setting, which I had to figure out how to deal with... I wrote about this in more detail in my last post, so I'm not going to go into that too much again... I have begun to actually access and edit the images and I am really happy with a few of them.
I am really happy with the way I was able to play around with reflection in this shoot. In a couple images the reflection essentially doubled the subject matter that I could deal with.
In the editing process I have also been playing around with different color balances for some of the images. I think that if I am going to project a reel of images I am going to need to pay a lot of attention to the color of the images and their relationships as a set. I also need to figure out what the dimensions of the projection will be so that I make sure I am editing the photos to the right size.
Do: I need to rework my thesis, sooner rather than later so I don't put it off. I also need to start working on a new loop of images for a projection and test that out. I am really excited to meet with Mark or Stephen about gallery space, because I think the site is going to be very important. I want to know where I will be showing sooner rather than later so I can get an idea about the amount of material I am going to need to make and/or reconfigure for the space. LOTS to do!
Transfer readable files to my computer (1.5 hrs)
Review of thesis 1st draft (45 min...)
Conversations with Erica & Amanda (1 hr)
Edit photos (4 hrs)
Discovered: One of the biggest things that I discovered recently was the fact that my camera has a very weird image quality setting, which I had to figure out how to deal with... I wrote about this in more detail in my last post, so I'm not going to go into that too much again... I have begun to actually access and edit the images and I am really happy with a few of them.
I am really happy with the way I was able to play around with reflection in this shoot. In a couple images the reflection essentially doubled the subject matter that I could deal with.In the editing process I have also been playing around with different color balances for some of the images. I think that if I am going to project a reel of images I am going to need to pay a lot of attention to the color of the images and their relationships as a set. I also need to figure out what the dimensions of the projection will be so that I make sure I am editing the photos to the right size.
Do: I need to rework my thesis, sooner rather than later so I don't put it off. I also need to start working on a new loop of images for a projection and test that out. I am really excited to meet with Mark or Stephen about gallery space, because I think the site is going to be very important. I want to know where I will be showing sooner rather than later so I can get an idea about the amount of material I am going to need to make and/or reconfigure for the space. LOTS to do!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
an almost meltdown turns into something beautiful
Everything went well during the pool photo shoot on Friday and I actually think it was the most successful shoot that I have done. I've learned a little more each time... but then I realized that my camera had been set to shoot in an image size/quality that is virtually unreadable. I almost had a complete meltdown moment, until I searched online to see if anyone else had dealt with the same problem. It seems that the highest, non-compressed, image setting that my camera has is recording information in a "Tiff YUV" color space. This is the color space that tv's use, but it makes no sense for a camera. So I learned that I needed to download a "universal file reading software" called Irfanview. Then I found out that Irfanview is only supported by pc's. So I had to spend a good amount of time in the IT office today, using their pc's to convert my images into a photoshop-readable file. whew. pain. in. the. ass.
Bottom line: I can't wait to get new equipment :)
Despite the technical chaos, I am pretty happy with the results from the photo shoot. Here is the first photo that I have spent time editing:
Bottom line: I can't wait to get new equipment :)
Despite the technical chaos, I am pretty happy with the results from the photo shoot. Here is the first photo that I have spent time editing:
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
2.5
Did: cutting, gluing, sewing, assembling, installing plastic (9+ hrs)
critique & thinking about future install possibilites (1/2 hr)
emailing contacts about printing images and sound (1/2 hr)
working with Katherine Weider to create a short video piece about my project (1.5 hrs)
running around organizing for my pool photo shoot tonight (3+ hrs)
dreaming & researching about south pacific islands (2+ hrs)
Discovered: My apologies for not posting this by noon today, but I have been running around like crazy getting everything in order for my photo shoot tonight. I am pretty excited that Katherine Weider will be coming to film the process for a short video piece that she is making. I will have new underwater photos to post soon :D
I have also been thinking a lot about the possibilities for installing the work in a gallery setting. I want to make sure I avoid making the piece look like a fancy lighting display at Ikea. Don't get me wrong, Ikea has a special place in my heart, but that is not exactly what I'm going for. I am thinking about pieces that might be installed on the floor and I am also thinking about the shape of the projection. In critique Liz brought up that it might be interesting to think about projecting the images in a circular shape on the wall. I don't know what that will do to the images themselves, but it might be an interesting way to make the audience forget that the piece is just a projection on the wall. If I project the images on the wall as a rectangle, I think I want to take up the entire wall... this makes me realize that the location for my final installation will be really important so I am excited to talk to Mark or Stephen about my gallery space.
I also really like how interesting the responses have been to the mini-installation I put up in the IP studios. Everyone has responded to the pieces by saying that they look like some kind of organic form:
kelp,
cells,
spores,
fruit,
jellyfish...
etc.
Do: I'm excited about my photo shoot tonight! After the shoot I will need to process and edit the images, and get back to thinking about what I will be projecting. I am going to attempt to create another loop of images which cross dissolve into each other over much longer periods of time.
critique & thinking about future install possibilites (1/2 hr)
emailing contacts about printing images and sound (1/2 hr)
working with Katherine Weider to create a short video piece about my project (1.5 hrs)
running around organizing for my pool photo shoot tonight (3+ hrs)
dreaming & researching about south pacific islands (2+ hrs)
Discovered: My apologies for not posting this by noon today, but I have been running around like crazy getting everything in order for my photo shoot tonight. I am pretty excited that Katherine Weider will be coming to film the process for a short video piece that she is making. I will have new underwater photos to post soon :D
I have also been thinking a lot about the possibilities for installing the work in a gallery setting. I want to make sure I avoid making the piece look like a fancy lighting display at Ikea. Don't get me wrong, Ikea has a special place in my heart, but that is not exactly what I'm going for. I am thinking about pieces that might be installed on the floor and I am also thinking about the shape of the projection. In critique Liz brought up that it might be interesting to think about projecting the images in a circular shape on the wall. I don't know what that will do to the images themselves, but it might be an interesting way to make the audience forget that the piece is just a projection on the wall. If I project the images on the wall as a rectangle, I think I want to take up the entire wall... this makes me realize that the location for my final installation will be really important so I am excited to talk to Mark or Stephen about my gallery space.
I also really like how interesting the responses have been to the mini-installation I put up in the IP studios. Everyone has responded to the pieces by saying that they look like some kind of organic form:
kelp,
cells,
spores,
fruit,
jellyfish...
etc.
Do: I'm excited about my photo shoot tonight! After the shoot I will need to process and edit the images, and get back to thinking about what I will be projecting. I am going to attempt to create another loop of images which cross dissolve into each other over much longer periods of time.
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