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.