Research and Evalution

As my research and practice has evolved this year, the areas that I’ve been exploring have increasingly revolved around the concepts of digitality and wilderness. Initially I researched topics relating to Extinction Rebellion and rewilding, which placed my research and practice in a wider social and environmental context. I explored and evaluated the works of Land Artists, for example Richard Long and the Land Art reactionist Hamish Fulton. Their interventionist, performance-esque art in wild areas influenced my practice by inspiring me to delve deeper into nature. Alec Finlay’s book Wild City was also a major influence in the early stages. Recently, my research and in turn my practice, has narrowed. As I began to experiment with digital media more, identifying references such as the films of Nabil Elderkin and the digital simulations of Jakob Kudsk Steensen became paramount to the finalisation of my major project.

(Top: Nabil Elderkin, Bottom: Jakob Kudsk Steensen)

The primary question which drove the majority of my practice this year was: what is at the intersection of digitality and wilderness? I found subjects that fell into that intersection, and this research aided my practice because I included many of these subjects in final major project resolutions. Other questions included: how is the media I use relevant to my subject matter? And: how can I use this media to produce work relevant to the subject and the audience? By answering these questions, I managed to develop my practice away from analogue photography to produce short, digital films which discussed my primary question in a notional manner. 

I enjoyed documenting my practice as it has progressed this year. It has helped to inform my decision making and keep all of my ideas and changes in one place: the blog. I found it difficult at points to document certain parts of the editing process while making my films because once I was in a flow state and creating work, I often forgot to take screen recordings of the process. To solve this issue, I would go back through the day’s work and take screen recordings of different developmental phases. As well as screen recordings, I also used notes that I’d written on my laptop and on my phone and uploaded them directly to the blog. I also made a few mind maps, firstly using white board markers and eventually using Collaborate. 

At the beginning of the year I made a planner which outlined the different modules and what needed completing in which weeks to stay on schedule. I found that I mostly stayed on schedule up to the point of a deadline, where modules which had a deadline would take priority and other modules fell behind. I also had an ongoing to-do list and a deadline planner where I could check what was most urgent and what I needed to do to get it across the line.

From the process of maintaining a blog I have learnt that having a close record of works created, artists researched and experiments undertaken, helps me to make informed decisions about the next steps I need to take in my practice. In future I will be able to apply what I’ve learned more quickly, meaning work will be produced in a more productive fashion, leaving more room for testing, experimentation and reflection.

Above is the most up to date iteration of the film that I have created. I am happy with it as it stands and I’m also developing two other films using the same approach and techniques. The three films will be around 2 minutes long each, and probably play chronologically on a digital screen on the Kunstmatrix platform.

I feel like this video came out of quite an extensive body of research which helped me to move through different processes and decisions relatively quickly. From going on a walk in the South Downs to creating the film I’ve mainly followed my intuition during the making process. I’ve tried to think about the context of the work, both in terms of the exhibition that it will be featured in, as well as the content that is discussed in it. The topics discussed are seen as important and relevant in contemporary culture.

I faced quite a few technical challenges along the way but managed to overcome them by assessing the problem and finding solutions online, through tutorials and advice. I have tried to push some boundaries and create something that is both visually and intellectually stimulating and interesting. I’ve taken risks in terms of experimentation and while some have not worked out particularly well, the overall texture and aesthetic of the project is how I envisioned it would be.

Datamosh Testing

As you can see in the above screenshot, the frames from the previous video and successive video are merged together, creating a really unique and interesting image on the butterfly wings.

(See pictures below for original video stills before datamoshing was implemented.)

After watching the tutorial video below I realised that I would have to buy the software necessary to create datamoshing effects in the film. It was fairly expensive at $39.99 but I won’t be spending money on installation or any final production, so spending money on the process seemed worth it.

I decided that my film still needed more texture because there was a disconnected feel to the sequences between films. I thought for a while about different techniques I could use to transition between sequences but couldn’t find the right one. I experimented with some of the built-in ones on after effects but they weren’t sophisticated enough.

I then remembered a music video (above), that I’d seen years ago that used a technique called “datamoshing”, where pixels from certain frames are blended into the next frame, creating an abstracted effect to the video. 

At one point, I decided I wanted to add my own images and videos into the film. I felt like that by including my own work, the viewer would have a greater connection to the piece, instead of just seeing lots of found videos that had been collated. Adding my own work makes it more personal and I also liked the fact that the work then has a different texture to it. Rather than being polished videos found on the internet, there is a richness to the videos I shot on my phone, or photos I took on my camera.

I originally just placed my photographs and videos in the background and overlaid other videos on top (see photo above), but this felt too random and abstract. I then took the idea of recording my own screen - like I did with my screencast - and implemented it into the video. The film then has a greater narrative than it did before, because it now has an introduction and conclusion, based around my use of the computer. (See the main video above for example.)

Initial Experiment

This is one of the early tests of the first film I’m planning to make. You can see how the original audio that I selected – Wild Heart by Stevie Nicks – serves as a guide for when different clips appear. All of the content then, relates to my topic of digitality and wilderness. 

A mind map I created with Karen in one of our tutorials. This helped to further define my self-written brief and springboard other ideas off.

As the project became more challenging and I wanted to add elements in that I was unsure of, I began researching techniques and solutions to problems on the internet. There are thousands of “tutorial” videos online which show you how to apply a technique or solve a problem you face with After Effects. Once I had learned a certain technique or solution, I could then use it again and again on different videos, or even go back and edit previous videos using the same technique.

Experimentation and Development

The image above shows how I initially used an audio recording of Stevie Nicks singing a song called “Wild Heart” as a “base” for the entire film. Using Adobe After Effects, I then added layers—videos—as the research and project progressed. (See videos below.)

My process for finding the videos I used in my film was really enjoyable. Initially I had found a song or recording that I used for the base of the video. As I began to find videos and include them in the film I was making, the next part of the song or recording would inspire me to find other videos that would suit the next scene.

For example, at one point I used a clip from a Taylor Swift music video in which she is playing piano in a waterfall, something I felt was an interesting, symbolic representation of digitality and wilderness. This then inspired me to research more into this genre of music and I discovered an online genre called “cottagecore” - in which people, mainly young women, upload videos of themselves doing things related to a “cottage” lifestyle. This included making dresses or baking, or exploring the wild. All perfect material for my project.

I was advertised this game on the Apple App Store. It allows the user to venture into a digital wilderness. I intend to use some of the gameplay footage in one of the final videos I produce.

This interview featuring Ben Fogle delves into mental health and wilderness.

I came across this video on YouTube featuring a couple of creators who are known for controversial views. There was one interesting part where they discuss the effect that digitality was having on the identity of children. I will use the audio recording in one of video experiments because it is particularly relevant.

This document contains some of my research questions for the project Digitality Contra Wilderness.

The best clip I found for my initial test was this one from YouTube. It shows the lady whose voice is used on TFL services, recording a sound bite for a specific bus. What I liked most about it was the uncanny feeling I got while watching it. I have heard her voice thousands of times before, but it has always felt abstracted from reality. I have often assumed it was an AI voice, manipulated on a computer to say any combinations of stops and phrases.

There is also something about the texture and quality of the video that is quite appealing, the aesthetic quality harks to a time when the internet was in its early phases of development. This video has inspired me to find more archival-type footage on the internet and introduce it into my work as well.

When I returned from my walking experience I had the desire to experiment more with video, as I had taken several videos on my walk. I also noted a while back that analogue doesn’t necessarily relate to the project that well and perhaps changes its context slightly – using a digital media to make work about digitality felt more relevant and would help contextualise the concept and message to the viewer in a more succinct way.

This video was a test and experimentation - I tried to show, using videos I found on YouTube, how I initiated my walk in the South Downs. I used my laptop to buy my train ticket and used Apple Pay on my phone to pay for the bus ride to the train station. I really liked this approach to making work as it seemed again, to link back to the overall concept of digitality. Taking videos from the internet and sharing them in a different context is actually a common phenomenon on the internet, the average user will see “reposted” content on social media such as Instagram and YouTube.