Bridgman|Packer Workshop and Performance

     Monday night’s class at the Bridgman|Packer workshop was definitely a new experience. In my theatre based classes, I am often required to do movement based explorations, so that part of the class was a little familiar to me. However, I am not used to being projected onto different walls and interacting with other projections. Watching a projection of myself on a screen made me somewhat self-conscious of my movements. Despite this, I do think the ideas behind Bridgman and Packer performances are fascinating and I enjoyed learning about what went into their performances. For instance, the two performance artists spoke of the ways in which they attempt to convey meanings and create art by combining live performance with previously recorded footage. Their performances involve both projections of themselves dancing live as well as prerecorded dances and videos. As a double major in both Theatre and Film Studies, I thought the ideas behind their work seemed like a new and interesting way of combining different aspects of each of my majors.

      The Bridgman|Packer performance this past Friday was wonderful. I think that having participated in the workshop before their performance really enhanced the experience for me. Because of the workshop I was able to better understand what the performers were doing and how much work they must have put into it. Ultimately, I think the workshop made their final performance seem all the more impressive. The first half of Monday’s performance was definitely my favorite part. I particularly enjoyed the part where they moved in and out of the screen and projection to create more dynamics and interactions. Also, by watching Bridgman and Packer interact with their own images I was able to better understand some of the ideas they discussed in the workshop. I also really enjoyed the portion of the performance where their images were projected onto each other. We were only able to work with this a little bit during the workshop. I think the images the two created when they projected onto each other were very impactful and interesting. All in all I am very glad I was able to participate in the workshop and attend one of their performances.

Crowdsourcing

   Before this class I had never really heard the term crowdsourcing. However, after learning a little about it, I think it is a very intriguing idea. In the article "What Is Crowdsourcing", it is described as getting work done or creating something using a crowd of people. So, rather than using only the ideas or interpretations of one person to complete a project, crowdsourcing allows for many different ideas and concepts from multiple people. Thus, allowing a more insightful and better quality final product.
 

   In "The Cloudfilmmaking Manifesto", Tiffany Shlain talks about how this concept of crowdsourcing was used to get large numbers of people involved in the making of a single film. Through this, it is possible to see how crowdsourcing can be used for many different tasks, including the creation of art and the development of an interdependent global society. I think the ideas presented in Shlain's manifesto are very interesting and innovative. I like the concept of having people from all over the world offer their opinion and creative interpretation on different ideas and issues in order to create a single art piece. It seems very progressive in that it could potentially help individuals overcome their differences and learn to embrace other cultures and societies through art projects.

Synesthesia and Cymatics

   The designs created through cymatics are very unique and interesting. I especially liked the designs created when vibrating sand on a sheet of metal and how they continue to change with each note. Seeing the pattern created by different notes and pitches makes music appear more complicated than it did before. Visualizing sounds through the patterns they create seems to draw me into the music even more.

   I found synesthesia to be even more interesting than cymatics. It find it very interesting that some individuals see certain letters and numbers as being associated with a certain color. I really like the idea of chromesthesia, or sounds triggering colors. The article described the sensation as colored fireworks that appear at certain sounds. The idea that an individual would see such images while listening to a symphony is fascinating. I can see why artists would be interested in capturing such a sensation. I would love to explore the creation of images and colors through sounds on film.

72 Hour Media Fast!

I completed the 72 hour media from 12pm Thursday afternoon to 12pm on Sunday. Participating in this fast was definitely a challenge. I certainly knew that technology and social media were ingrained into my life, but I never paid attention to how much I require it to stay occupied at all times. I managed to go without media for all (most) of the 72 hours. Some of the more difficult moments were those in which I would normally play a game on my phone while waiting for someone or check Facebook before a class started. However, the most difficult part was the silence while driving in the car. It has become instinct for me to plug in my phone as soon as I get in the car that I had to stop myself half way through the process. And, because of the absence of music, I spent most of the car ride singing to myself to fill the silence. In this way, I realized how much I rely on media to keep me constantly occupied. So, due to the fast, I had to find other ways to occupy myself during these three days. During a time when I would normally watch Netflix, I took apart my roommates alarm clock (to her dismay) to see how it worked. I also took apart her camera in order to fix a part of it that I broke last year. At other moments of boredom I spent my time reading or trying to go places around Wilmington. After having completed this fast, I am not sure if I should be glad media is always there to distract me or worried about how much of a necessity it has become.

The flashing colors that moved in time with the beat really enhanced my perception of the jazz music. As the colors changed with each not of the song, I found myself looking for patterns that linked the two. For instance, at one point in the film small yellow dots seemed to appear when singular piano notes were played and solid bars appeared when chords were played. This visual representation helped me become more invested in the music. Not only was I hearing the jazz song, but it also felt as if I could see what the notes looked like.