May 17th 2011:
Thinking, after the quick discussion about the upcoming deadline in last weeks thinking session I feel more confident about getting the piece done and the content. However I am a bit nervous about the deadline, it feels a quite close to me so I will work on it as much as possible now.
Doing – I originally had quite a few ideas for my arduino project (the one most did before christmas but Im still catching up) I set up some parts to just have a look at the basic method as its been a long time since I’v used arduino, I have not decided what my project should quite be yet, but Im doing a lot of research and drawings that I think will lead me to a good plan. I did have an idea for an automatic drawing sensor you could have on during the day and be able to go to your computer at the end and see what your day of e.g, arm movements has been in lines and/or ink style. However Im not sure if thats the right thing to do at the moment.
Thinking – I have been mainly reading through the book I was recommended by Oliver at the future textiles talks in Northumbria, Textile Futures by Bradley Quinn. As since attending these I feel I have finally found the area of research I have always wanted to be in but not quite found a way. I have been going through this quite slowly taking notes so its going to take me a while to be able to finish the book but I will have the extra research Im doing in connection with every chemical process mentioned, designer and fibre. Eager as I am to start the next essay as I know how long it takes me I yet to get feedback, so I have emailed out for extra people to give feedback and looks like I should have some soon
Creative web and interactive narrative – This is the first time I have done a collaborative piece since college and I am starting to learn new lessons from this, I keep becoming concerned about what the piece will end up actually looking like as I am yet to see the dance thats the main part, yet to hear more from the costumes or have any idea of what the music will be like. I may well just be worrying too much and it will just be a piece that will have to come together on the day. Though I also feel like I have been falling behind as I was originally waiting to see the dance so I could create a animation/video piece accordingly however after 2 weeks I realised I should make something appropriate and go with what I imagine the dance to be like, so far I have designed the piece and will be making the test shoot this evening so the area is set up. I decided after the theme seemed to change a few times that the best thing to do would be to try and back up the dance’s particular message as that is to be the main focus so I will shoot 2 sets of film/animate (depending on which looks most aesthetic) one will be crowds of people walking up and down high streets and main shopping areas to show the carrying and gathering of new clothes and over layed on this will be footage of garments being thrown in a container, one transparent side so as the numbers pick up a archaeological stratification effect begins as you see the layers of different colours and shades piling up, the wasted side, so together there will almost be a ghostly feel about the clothes purchase and discarding of. Although I originally pushed for the theme of the water waste being the worst part of the fashion industry which is famous for its polluting, un ethical, wasteful and ill health inducing imagery. The group has taken it to the traditional look of wasteful, throw away clothes. I am still imagining how the dance will be like but I see it as a struggle with throwing away clothes yet being left with nothing at the end.
I hope to have a test version ready over the next few days but may need to re edit once Im back in Newcastle next week for use of the editing rooms.
Just to catch up a bit as I am just about getting the hang of blogging as I tend to just writing thoughts down to refer to. I have been reading theory for a few years now, though much out of picking pieces to read my self and getting the odd recommendation. A lot of what I found I found through articles I deemed interesting whilst going through the Leonardo press archive in whilst in Plymouth. As I came onto the course I was told Hiedegger was a big part of the last terms theory so I read most of “Heidegger, A Beginner’s Guide” by Michael Watts (publishers Hodder&Stoughton, 2001). From what I read I see why he was slow to become a established philosopher due to World War II and his position at the time. His concepts on Being are interesting as are the writings on concious, though I feel I need to reread some and read more to gain a better understanding.
Jean Baudrillard, I have read his works before, The perfect crime, some bits of Fragments, Conspiracy of art and a few others. Theory session 7/3/11, simulacra and simulation, I skyped in as the session was on a Monday rather than Weds. This I now realise is not a good method for joining a theory discussion, as I couldnt hear most of what was said and there was extra reading given out (to my great regret I also realised I have the book the reading was set on, in my locker in Uni…)
So an example of simulacra and simulation, I have been thinking about the examples I could make, I had written out music-ipod-inpod-eyepod(futurama-hyperreal) during the session. However looking at simulacra and simulation from reading the chapters send in has confused me, I read part of the book entitled simulacra and simulation a year or so ago and I have since read his later works, where he develops the ideas of simulacra and simulation and they do not really take course in 4 stages or in fact any kind of numbered stages. It is only his early work where he is just beginning to write, simulacra simulation written in 1985 apposed to his work post 2000.
So an example is an event happens, such as the minors getting stuck, this event is a simulacra, as the people are simulacra, the mine is a simulacra of a mine, the reporters are simulacra’s. This is then mediated and shown to the masses over news, TV, the image could be seen as a simulation but the story being told is a simulacra of a story this is then made into a book, a film each another state of simulacra and then a video game of a simulacra of a narrative and this continues.
Im still a bit unsure and struggling with memory as i left my Baudrillard books in Newcastle, so as soon as I get a chance I will read further and check that this is all about right.