Queensgate Market - Suffocating software

Nearing the end of the project now and looking back I haven't been able to do anything outside of learning to use and creating the market within C4D. Although it has been fun learning to use the software and looking at the market in a different way to what I normally would, I would have also liked to have gone off on a bit of a tangent and explored different ideas around the market. However, I think the work has paid off and I will have a finished piece that I can be really proud of. 

Also I have found that because my work has had to be quite basic so that I could get to grips with C4D, it's lacking my normal weird and bizarre style. Ideally, I would have liked to have created an animation that would have warped the Market from what we know it today to transport it into a truly different virtual dimension. However, I simply haven't got the knowledge of the software to be able to do that yet. 

Queensgate Market - Gathering images

To efficiently build the market I want to recreate the shop fronts. To do this I need to gather enough images so tat I can recreate the shop fronts in my own time. This involves taking photographs of the shop fronts and arranging them in an organised way so I know which one comes where - I think a sketchbook is in order!
I really feel like I'm approaching this project almost as an architect, this is interesting for me as I would have thought before that creating blocks in a realistic way was dull before.

Queensgate Market - Cinema 4D

I decided to get started immediately on learning how to use C4D. I downloaded the software and opened it up and surprise surprise, it's like a different language. The most logical thing for me to do is to build Queensgate virtually, but I think I would like to focus on the movement through the market like I have already been doing using film.
I have been working on Lynda and making notes as I go along but I can tell this is going to take a very long time - it's very complicated! But I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.
By creating Queensgate virtually it is almost like creating a whole new market - just like Queensgate was created as a whole new market to the Gothic market. Whilst in the 70's, "new" was all about garish structures and experimentation, modern day is all about the virtual and software, so it's like creating a modern day new market. I therefore do want the virtual market to look distinctly virtual - much like Crevier's work.
With this I want to comment on how "new" isn't always better!

Queensgate Market - Artist research

LOUIS CREVIER

This artist is amazing! I've been getting more and more into video art but only really ever considered using film and editing that to create scenes; Crevier creates whole virtual worlds within a software called Cinema 4D. His film subjects are exactly what I like, making a weird, bizarre and obviously virtual worlds. I really want to have a go at using this software as I've never heard of it before and after researching it, it sounds like the possibilities are endless. 

Louis Crevier on Vimeo

Louis Crevier on Tumblr

After finding Louis Crevier's work I wanted to look for other artists that use C4D to see what its capabilities are within the art world. It didn't take long to find Zolloc's project called Oswra.

OSWRA on Tumblr

Zolloc works using GIF's, something I have been previously interested in. The repetitive nature of the animations adds to the creepiness and it shows that C4D can be used to create some very realistic human graphics. The movement is also really very smooth. I am definitely looking forward to using this. 

Queensgate Market - Research

I've found out that I've been looking at the wrong market all along. I just assumed that Queensgate would be the open market as it is more interesting looking! At first I was very disappointed to find out that not only had all my work so far been on the Open Market but also that the project is actually based around what I find the highly uninspiring Queensgate Market.
However, as all my work so far was just trying to capture the movement and sounds in a market I'm sure I can still use it.
I went to the town library and did some research on Queensgate and found out a few interesting facts that made me change my mind about being disappointed.
I had no idea that there was originally another Market in Huddersfield, an old gothic building with a four faced clock tower. After looking up images and articles about the old market, I was amazed that they had torn down such a beautiful building to build this one. The old market had been constantly buzzing and a central place in town - students barely even know Queensgate exists. On top of that, Queensgate is listed due to the architectural ceiling using 21 concrete hyperbolic paraboloid shell structures - unlike any other building in the world. This is a posh name for the square mushroom like structures that make the ceiling all different heights.
Everything about the new structure pushed architectural boundaries in the 1970's and it was described in a listing review as "daring, passionate, reflecting self assurance and spirit of its age". Despite all this it is still an ugly building that is dingy and dark inside.
My opinion was also backed up by a local historian, Leslie Kipling "dark and dingy cavern" and "In summer it is unbearably hot and airless, in winter it is cold and cheerless. Low ceilings combine with a lack of natural light make it the kind of place you don't want to linger".
This information is the first inspiration I've had yet, I would like to use the notion of destroying the old and beautiful just in the name of making something new within my project.

Year 2 - Market - Week 1 - Gathering images/sounds

At first I felt that this project brief was very vague - usually I get a lot of ideas just from the brief but this time nothing really hit me straight away. I decided to just begin gathering images in the style that I have done all summer: with video and photography.
I visited the market a few times in the week with my camera, just filming people walking through it and then putting the camera around my neck and filming myself walking around the market. With these actions I realised I was interested in the movement and interaction through the market and began to edit the videos in my style.
I also started the gather the noises of the market, trying to pick up individual conversations as I wandered around seeing if anything stood out.
At that time I thought of seeing whether I could recreate the atmosphere of the market through video and sound. However I still felt that my actions were shallow and just scraping the surface of a project - I didn't really feel that involved in it yet. My videos felt stale as they were just in the same style and software that I'd been doing all summer.
I think some research into the market and artists is in order.

Summer - Starting Point

I began this project with the idea that I wanted to film things that people find disgusting or prefer to over look and forget about. I would then juxtapose this with a kitsch pop theme, editing it so that people don't realise what they're looking at until it hits them in the face.
I started by looking around my farm for inspiration for my first film and almost stepped on a dead rotting mouse hidden round a secluded corner. I got really excited as I think the placing of the mouse was perfect - creating a double layer that nature is also hiding these unsightly things.
Nature: HUMAN
Wanting to lure the watcher into a false sense of security, I started the film with me just walking into this odd space and then the camera switching to look down the alley. I then begin to zoom in on the mouse. Whilst editing the film I realised that I was creating a bizarre atmosphere almost accidentally; by making a show of walking in and out of the alley like nothing was amiss and then showing this horrific death scene it created different layers to a space. Whilst it is just a passing point to humans, this space was where a mouse died - a huge thing to a small creature.
I am extremely happy with this video and can't wait to continue trying to create lots of different layers to my films which make people ask lots of questions.

Text - What's popular?

For my final piece I want to make it as kitsch as possible; I want it to be on a popular subject but taken to the next level so that it isn't pleasant to watch. I did a bit of research into popular youtube videos and amongst the most popular ones were loads of makeup tutorial videos. I took inspiration from one girl in particular that creates such kitsch makeup tutorials you have to adapt to them:

For my final piece I have decided to create a makeup tutorial but using all the styles I have picked up over the project. I am also going to use my recorded conversations in my final piece to create a bit of juxtaposition and people are aware that my art isn't just reproducing kitsch. 

Drawing Observations & Text - Bad Taste

As all of my work has been focusing on bad taste, I have been collecting images and recordings that reflect bad taste in every day life. These consist of photos of people in the street and recordings of conversations that are particularly distasteful.
I want to use these recordings in particular in my work as I think they clash nicely with the kitsch theme. As I have yet put noise to any of my recordings I think this will be the next step.

text - using green screen

Now I've got to grips with how to edit videos, I wanted to have a go at creating my own music videos similar to the 80's ones I posted before. As I've never used a green screen before, the blending is a little blotchy but in the end I quite like the effect as it makes it look more like poor image which is eventually what I am aiming for.
In the definition of "kitsch" it states that "Kitsch generally includes unsubstantial or gaudy works or decoration, or works that are calculated to have popular appeal."
To create videos that are unsubstantial, gaudy pieces of decoration means that they have to be pretty meaningless but fun to watch. After thinking about this I decided to simply film someone dancing around, but not particularly good or wild dancing. I over dressed Jess in bright gaudy clothes, as if she herself were a mantlepiece for as much makeup and jewellery as possible. 

https://vimeo.com/93849941

Using the green screen in after effects was surprisingly easy, and I edited the finished film so that there was so much going on it was difficult to look at, every part of it was unbearably kitsch.

text - kitsch style photography

Continuing from my previous preference to capturing images of derelict buildings, I decided to do the shooting of my videos and photographs around abandoned houses. I think this contrasts well with the bright, overly colourful editing of the images. 

I really like the style of these images, they remind me of characters within video games. This was easier to achieve with photographs but is also what I would like my videos to look like. As I am trying to illustrate the definition of kitsch, these images are relevant as they look ultimately computer edited - computers being the most popular thing in modern culture.
I would like to create more images like this but to convert them into GIF's so that they move - much like GIFriends work. 

Text - Video editing experimentation

JUMP 2

JUMP 3

These videos were collected in order for me to experiment with premier pro and after effects software using video instead of pictures. I learnt how to edit the colours, add the mirrors to where I want them within the frame and also clipping/repeating/editing the speed of sections of the film. 

I wanted to put all of these clips together in a film but felt I was spending too long on experimentation rather than illustrating the definition of kitsch. Whilst these work in the style of kitsch (although they are not as gaudy as I would like), they do not express how kitsch is simply there for decoration and people's enjoyment. 

I liked JUMP Episode 3 the most, I could see it being part of a music video which I would like to create in the future. 

Summer Project Proposal

For my summer project I wish to continue to experiment using photoshop, after effects and premier pro to produce kitsch/abstract films. Also I have applied to work with Age UK to create films using a green screen of their choice that they can then send to family and friends.
I would like to take quite serious human life events and portray them in this style. This idea is taken from how kitsch is subtly used by politicians to make light of situations, however by going overboard with the gaudiness of my videos I will be highlighting how this is a tactic used against the public.

Text - Inspirational videos

Cuckle vision remake - the cheap editing of the original episode is pretty tacky and this is funny. For me to apply this kind of editing to something more popular and "beautiful" I think this would be very kitsch. 

 

Deee-lite - Groove is in the Heart

This is the perfect example of a kitsch video, all the bright clashing colours and people looking like they are pretending to have the upmost fun. I want to achieve something like this. 

 To achieve the kind of effects in the Deee-lite video I will need to do a lot of green screening, something I have never attempted before but look forward to trying. I have learnt how to edit the green screen in premiere pro and have an idea of what I want to shoot.

Text - Yoshi Sodeoka

Whilst looking for more inspiration I also came across the artist Yoshi Sodeoka who works in a very similiar way to how my work was originally going and how I like to work. The bright colours and abstract images in his videos are what I want to get back to producing. He also creates his work on music which is something I need to start thinking about with my videos. I need to get more creative with my videos and less clear cut.
vimeo site

Text - GIFRIENDS

I have been making videos and editing them to create layers of images but I feel like I am becoming a little bit lost as to where my work is heading. I realised that I hadn't done any artist research recently and this may be why I'm losing inspiration.
As always I began on tumblr scrolling through the artist pages that I follow which eventually brought me round to discover GIFRIENDS.
It was bizarre as they seemed to be looking at the same thing as me in my previous project - images of people partying or just doing their own thing, and made these into tacky kitsch GIF's.

By looking at these I realise that I have lost excitement for my work and this is showing. My images are becoming dull and bland and I need to start working on putting brighter colours and patterns into the images, I also need to capture more moments.

Text - Kitsch and How I Work

We were given this brief to work from text a week ago - normally I am immediately inspired by briefs and have lots of ideas to choose from, but for this project I've been completely stuck. Going round and round in circles thinking about which books, which song lyrics, which poems would I like to illustrate? I reverted back to looking for inspiration in the style of an artist instead of striving to create my own work.
However, after a tutorial I was told that instead of trying to start a whole new project from scratch to look back at my previous project which I felt very comfortable with and try and pin down the main points from it. From doing this we came up with the term "kitsch".
Just googling the word and seeing quotes I was immediately inspired, particularly by the quotes:

• In short, camp mocks bad taste; kitsch exploits it.
• When applied to politics and taken to its extreme, kitsch is the mask of death. Fascism was all aesthetics. There was no core principle to it. There was no truth to it.
• No matter how much we scorn it, kitsch is an integral part of the human condition.

I can now begin my project with these quotes and then work freely from them, letting my work spiral off wherever it wants to which is how I work best.
Whilst being frustrating I feel I have learnt a lot from this experience - I have realised once and for all that illustration is not for me; the idea of having to produce an obvious piece of work that clearly shows its meaning is not what I like to do - I like to explore and experiment with my ideas. Also I now know how I work best and this is by using briefs as a springboard rather than a prison for my ideas.

Grand Masters - Ryan Trecartin and Poor Image

An artist I have had in mind right from deciding I wanted to focus on Poor Image is Ryan Trecartin. 

https://vimeo.com/trecartin

Trecartin also uses video to depict modern day scenes and poor image. Filmed on mobile phones, shaky images and rubbish computer editing - his videos are bizarre and fascinating. Although the characters in the films are exaggerated, they are remarkably relatable therefore making the films funny. 

As I wanted to recreate The King Drinks through video and photography - I kept Trecartin's work in mind. I want the recreation to be hazy and confusing, told from each of the character in the painting's perspective - almost through "selfies". 

I have began to gather footage of drunken nights out, poor camera quality and people at their worst. I have also edited these to almost recreate the feeling of being drunk. I really like the finished videos but I want to put noise to them again and then I need to edit them all together in order to recreate the whole scene. 

Drunken Hue

Tea Party

Grand Masters - The King Drinks

Jacob Jordaens - The King Drinks

I have related back to this image a lot in my collages and videos, I think mainly because it show similar characters that I see on a daily basis. I have been interested with showing the similarities between the past and the present (particularly the boisterous, beastial side) and this image reflects how out of hand drunken gatherings could get in the past as well. 

With my work I want to recreate this scene in modern day terms - using poor image, computer editing and recreating the characters also. 

Grand Masters - After Effects

After looking at Bennett and Richardson's work, I wanted to have a go at creating my own animation. This was my first attempt at using After Effects and it took a lot of figuring out. Now I have managed to do this I feel like I could possibly produce something of a much higher quality. The movement of the characters in the film is very choppy as I found it difficult to move all the limbs at the same time, but I think I have got to grips with the technique now. 

Club Scene

I wanted to combine characters from a modern day version of the feasts that are depicted in the The King Drinks - these images were taken in clubs. By doing this I wanted to show how, despite the change in quality of the images, nothing has really changed. This relates back to my use of The Company of Wolves - we were always as beastly.

Grand Masters - Matthew Richardson

Website

Matthew Richardson caught my eye because he combines old black and white images with the modern style bright collaging. In particular this video interested me because it is like what I want to achieve with my animations, simple yet humorous. Also it takes the photograph out of context and puts it into modern technology, in this case, an aeroplane. 

His work is quite similar to Vicki Bennett's yet it has a more homemade feel rather than computer edited. I would like to try out both of these styles, creating some physical collages like Richardson's. 

Grand Masters - Clubbing Wolf

After visiting the Tate 1840's GIF party, I found out how to make a GIF on photoshop. It was much simpler than I imagined, it simply used layers. This is my first attempt at creating a GIF.

Clubbing Wolf

As it was my first attempt I didn't attempt any movement, just changing the opacity of the wolf in each layer. I wanted again to address the ideas in The Company of Wolves, showing that humans are like beasts too - particularly when we go out and binge drink.

I now want to attempt making a moving animation with multiple characters that interact in some way.

Grand Masters - The Tate 1840's GIF Party

 By chance I stumbled upon this GIF on tumblr which I thought was hilarious and also linked to the kind of thing I wanted to achieve. They have transformed an old piece of art by using modern day technology. Whilst this doesn't use poor image, it does express the obsession with images off the internet as GIFs are moving images that circulate the internet.

Beneath the image it said that there was going to be an exhibition at Tate Britain called 1840's GIF party, that showed how modern technology is used in art today. I decided to go along and it was brilliant. There were some hilarious twists on old work that were really clever - I knew I needed to find out how to make GIFs and to use them in my work.

GIF examples

Grand Masters - Selfie Wolf

 As I had done some collaging up to this point but the artists that were inspiring me mainly used video - I wanted to have a go at creating a video for myself. As I have never used any form of video maker before other than Windows Movie Maker, it took me a long time to find my way around Premiere Pro software.

I wanted to make a glitchy image that highlighted the use of poor image so I used effects in photoshop first to achieve the pixelated look. I then used effects in Premiere Pro that made the image "break" during the video. 

I liked the combination of the pixelated gaudy image infront of high quality, dreamlike "The Company of Wolves" scenes in my collages, so I decided to use this in the video too. I also wanted to focus on the meaning of the people turning into wolves in The Company Wolves so I created my own choppy transformation.

Selfie Wolf

I would like to make the image interact more with the background and go on to make animations like Vicki Bennett. Also I need to think about sound a lot more in my films to create more of a computer effect to back up the poor image.

Grand Masters - Vicki Bennett

After creating collages physically, I would like to move onto creating them on the computer with moving image. Vicki was suggested to me by my tutor and after watching her stuff, it seemed just like the kind of thing I want to achieve.
By taking old images and animating them with modern technology, she is combining the two main elements I am looking at in my project. I also want to create humorous animations or GIFs.
We Are Not Amused.

Grand Masters - Rachel Reupke

Rachel Reupke focuses on the stock image - her films mocking the constant use of these commercial images that in no way represent reality. Her videos are ultimately staged and leave the viewer feeling empty and completely unconnected to the film. However, the images are so familiar that you find yourself realising that you are exposed to these empty meaningless images everyday whithout questioning them.

Containing Matters of no very peaceable colour

10 Seconds or Greater

These films have made me interested in using the media of film to reconstruct grand masters - and also made me think about encorporating stock image as well as poor image. I want to express the original artworks in a way that is as true to modern day society as possible. By combining these over used images and ways of recording I think this would create a bizarre effect combined with a unique, meaningful  original piece of art.

Grand Masters - Brass Art: The Imagining of Things

After a visit to Huddersfield Art Gallery, I found the Brass Art exhibition particularly fascinating. The exhibition consisted of a combination of victorian scenes and images converted into modern 3D kinetic technology. The juxtaposition of the old images with the technology was bizarre and slightly sinister; this was increased by the mysterious soundtrack put together by Alistair Macdonald, confused whispered narration and nostalgic noises.
This use of modern technology seemed to fit with my idea of using the poor image to illustrate historical images - the difference being Brass Art used the best technology whilst I am interested in using the worst.
However - I like the idea of exploring historical images through modern day technology, this is the kind of thing I am interested in doing for this project.

Grand Masters - Poor Image

After the visit to Huddersfield Art Gallery, I found that my main focus if I was to recreate the images was to change the quality of the images themselves or the media. 

Jack Butler Yeats - The Explorer Rebuffed. 1953

For example, with this painting I was particularly interested in his use of colour and the broad brushstrokes. The majority of modern day art uses digital processes and there is an obsession with making things looks as realistic as possible. To deconstruct this image I would like to convert it into a low res JPEG, pixelating the colours and flattening the image. 

This made me think about a previous lecture on "poor image", how society is brought up on compressed images that circulate the internet, videos recorded on mobile phones; simply low quality images.

In Defence of the Poor Image - Hito Steyerl

The Poor Image VS. The Stock Image 

After reading through these articles, I think I'm interested in this idea of a flat image that doesn't have any emotional meaning or relevance. I would like to convert these old pieces of work that express historical reality in the best way the artist could manage, into the careless style of the current poor image society.