Atmosphere project

Atmosphere concept:

A police investigation of a murder scene 

Method:

Space/ location: 

We wanted to use a secluded space on university campus that would not raise too much attention and would already have a "creepy" feel to it. We chose under a walkway next to one of the car parks. Because it was half shaded, it created an interesting light and dark contrast, allowing us to outline a body partly in the sun, which is then broken with the sharp darkness.  This could be interpreted as an emphasis of a gruesome 'dark' deed to have occurred. Located next to plants also allowed us to not only splatter fake blood on the concrete, but also on leaves, which had a very interesting effect. 

Props:

-The police officer costume was black and white clothing with a police hat. 

-Fake blood bought from a costume shop, which we splattered on the concrete, the plants and on the 'weapon.

-The weapon was a heavy block of wood

-Chalk was used to outline one of the members in the group to act as the victims body

Sound:

-You hear the sirens of a police car (which remains playing throughout the film's duration), which was playing in a distance. We used a track which we played through a phone

-In the opening of the film, you hear the footsteps of the police officer as they approach the scene. This grinch of gravel breaks the solitude of the atmosphere, which demonstrates the secluded location.  

Atmosphere:

The feel of the scene is meant to be stark, surreal to the observer by the grisly events that would have taken place, to create a sense of disconnection with the body found (which is one of the reasons we decided to just show a body outline rather than get an actor to play the victim) and also a sense of calculation- playing on humanity's sense of curiosity as to what had taken place.

creating the atmosphere

Film:

Our idea for others to experience this atmosphere was by creating a short film where the camera lens is representing the eyes of a police officer who arrives at the crime scene. We decided this particular method as it allowed people to witness events as if it was happening to them, as if they were a police officer, observing things through their eyes. 

To make this realistic, we created dialogue for the two characters, pointing out the significant props which also allowed us to explain why they were included in the atmosphere.

The film was only just over a minute long, but in this time, we were able to capture both image, sound, the space and a story:

Script: 

Police 1/ camera walks towards Police 2

Police 1: What happened?

Police 2: A body was found this morning at around 9am. The person who found the body is currently in shock, but has been escorted to the station for a routine questioning. 

They are walking to the crime scene together

Police 1: And the victim?

Police 2: Female. Around twenty years old. At the moment is unidentified, but we are going over any reports in the last 24 hours of anyone missing who fits her description. We’ve taken her body for the forensic pathologists to have a better look and in preparation for a postmortem. 

Reach crime scene and camera looks over it, so to experience the atmosphere

Police 2: We found this next to the body. We’re going to hand it in for fingerprint testing. 

Pick up a large brick covered in blood in plastic bag and hands it to Police 1, camera looks at it then back at body outline, kneeling down to focus on the blood

Police 1: The pattern of the blood suggests that she was facing away from her attacker. She must have been hit several times on her head to firstly knock her to the ground, and then we can see from the splatters that the motion was repetitive to give her a complete head trauma. The brutality of the murder suggests that there was strong emotions involved, but considering the weapon of choice, it was in the heat of the moment. 

Police 2: We need to find out who she is and what she would have been doing here.

Challenges:

We had planned to use red and blue flashing lights, to look like their were police cars in the background, however because it was a sunny day, the lights did not prove affective enough.

Another challenge we faced was locating a replica of police tape, which would have been useful to have to tape off the area, which would have added to the realism of it. 

Folio pieces

Folio pieces:

Ways of seeing:
http://themediaquest.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ways-of-seeing.html

Colour:
http://themediaquest.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/colour.html

Sound:
http://themediaquest.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/sound.html

Soundscape and sound art:
http://themediaquest.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/soundscape-and-sound-art.html

Introduction to space:
http://themediaquest.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/introduction-to-space.html

Making Maps

The concept of: "My World" Map

Formatted into a circle, this decision was purposefully layer out in such a way, as the world is round and because of this, maps of the world are often depicted in an oval/ circular shape. The circle in this particular map also represents my life which is is found on the inside of the circle: the perimeter of the circle/ the outer layer of the circle are black and white print outs of maps of the places that I have visited overseas, which have contributed to my knowledge of the world and more specifically, of 'my world.' The choice behind the maps being devoid of colour, is because I observed and experienced these countries in a tourist, which only allowed me to see these places as only a tourist, not knowing what it is like to live there, and hence, giving me a 'black and white' type of insight of these places. Outside of that ring of maps of various locations around the world, is the uncharted territory that I haven't been to or know of, and that is where the map ends.

"MY WOLRD" MAP- final piece 

Meanwhile, inside of the ring of maps, are the tracings of my shoes, placed in the centre of the map, showing where I stand in 'my world' and calling this middle point as "HOME." My house is the centre of 'my world' and my sense of direction is based from this totem point, which I demonstrate by creating my own personal compass. I used blue and green paper, as in a world map, these two colours are dominate in the interpretation of what the world looks like. In contrast, the use of red for the 'home' was chosen to stand out, so one's eyes are immediately drawn into the centre, so they too, can situate themselves amongst 'my world,' providing a sense of grounding and a sense of location.

By adopting the concept of 'north', 'south', 'east' and 'west', I replaced these navigational points with my own references. These references are landmarks that are significant to me in my current circumstances:

The points of my personal compass 

And that is "My World" map, of how and where I see myself in the larger world.    

  

Urban Derive

"The dérive, or drift, was defined by the situationists as the ‘technique of locomotion without a goal’, in which ‘one or more persons during a certain period drop their usual motives for movement and action, their relations, their work and leisure activities, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there’. The dérive acted as something of a model for the ‘playful creation’ of all human relationships. It is a tactic of psychogeography." 

(Latrobe University, 2013) 

I chose the colour purple and followed it around the CBD, which I did for approximately an hour. The idea behind this was to "capture the textual run-off of the streets: the graffiti, the branded litter, the snatches of conversation… Be alert to the happenstance of metaphors, watch for visual rhymes, coincidences, analogies, family resemblances, the changing moods of the street…” (MacFarlane, R). Before I began following purple, starting outside Parliament Station, I wandered aimlessly while thinking of which colour to follow. During this period, I paid close attention to the colours around me: the numerous greys that make up our roads, our pathways and our buildings. It would be considered stark, however the area where I was walking through (I wasn't paying attention to the street names), the buildings were older and filled with character. There was a church (St Patricks) which is a hidden treasure amongst the blocks of officers that make up a large proportion of the city.

St Patricks- grey

It would be all too easy to follow grey, so despite it following me wherever I went, I decided to choose a colour that wasn't so commonplace. Although grey is dominant, there are splashes of various colours amidst it all, green being one of them. Green is found as nature strips to rubbish bins, from traffic light to railings, and for a while I followed such a railing, looking at the people around me. The majority of people were walking by themselves, many of which were on phones or electronic device (i.e. iPod). This I found as quite ironic, as people in the 21st century are so connected through the virtual space, that they aren't engaged with the world around them. They are on a mission, walking in haste set out on reaching their destination, without stopping to look at the people they pass, or noticing that I was awkwardly trying to take a photo of my surroundings...

I didn't want people to see me taking photos of them, but then I realised that no one was paying any attention anyway (however, I still felt uncomfortable taking photos without their consent)

Having realised that I began to wander around and abandoning looking for a colour to follow, I stopped at the next crossing and made my decision... I saw a lady wearing a purple coat in the distance, across the street. Purple became my colour that I would follow for the next hour.

However, by the time of crossing the road, the lady in the purple coat had already crossed at another road. I had lost that purple object, however, I was committed to purple now, so I waited for approximately ten minutes at the crossroads for some more purple to come along. Meanwhile, I observed the tiniest of details: leaning against the brick building and being aware of the weight that I put on it, hearing the ticking of the traffic lights, listening to the engines of cars that drowned out the voices of the people passing me. I smelt the unpleasant fumes of petrol and was glad of the wind (although bitterly cold) that brought some fresh air into the busy street... until a purple scarf came past, taking me away from the intersection.

Despite feeling uncomfortable following these people, I payed attention to the things I was passing, trying to engage in all the senses, of sight, smell, hearing... I followed the trail of the purple scarf until a purple checkered shirt was coming my way, which involved changing direction back to the way I had come, as well as increasing my pace from a leisurely speed to a more urgent and determined tempo. The previous figure with the scarf was listening to music on their iPod, while this purple shirt was on the phone, possibly about work- which contrasts greatly, as music can be used as a way of escape and a distraction to nullify the time passing, whereas engaging in conversation causes one to be focussed on a specific task at hand; a form of keeping grounded in a particular context.

The streets in which we were walking seemed to be an 'in-between-like' area, with people passing and not stopping, all in motion to go somewhere else. And this shirt was going into a car, so I once more stopped in the street and just observed everything while my mind became the wandering entity, just daydreaming about nothing in particular. This was eventually broken by a bright purple coat, and repeating my previous motions, I trailed the colour until we reached a row of houses down a street, on of which, the coat entered.

I noticed that I had once again found myself by green railings

With the re-emergence of green railings, I abandoned purple and just walked independently, at my own pace and with nowhere in mind. I walked around the streets, weaving in and out, making my own pattern, as if I was a needle and thread through a cloth. I was aware of the cold, which made glad for my thick coat, which then prompted me further into realising that all the purple things that I had encountered within that time, were all items of clothing. I stopped my weaving motion when I saw a purple dress and once again adopted the task...

 
which I did until I came across a park and decided that my love for parks overpowered my need to follow a particular colour. But as chance would have it, when I entered the park, I was happy to find a path lined with deep purple, light purple and pink and white flowers, which I followed, welcoming in the freshness and the completely different atmosphere of the dominating grey streets that I had encountered previously.

 No one was around and it was peaceful, which allows one to forget that they are surrounded by the busy and constantly moving city. I decided to stay here for the remainder of the afternoon, without a goal, without intent... just drifting.


References:

Latrobe University, 2013, 'Derive', Exploring Media Arts, blog post, 21st July, http://exploringmediaarts.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/psychogeography/

MacFarlane, Robert, Psychogeography: A Beginner’s Guide retrieved from http://exploringmediaarts.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/psychogeography/ 

Exploring your home

"Space is like media: We can leave a trace in space – thereby recording on to it. We store things in space, thereby inscribing it, and rediscover places, thereby replaying space. Through our experience of space, we transform it in to place. Our experience of space has an immediacy. We observe not with one sensory organ – but with all of them. Our eyes, ears, our skin, our smell, our soul. It is a potent media." (La Trobe, 2013) 

The poetics of the home: 

Under the bed has always been something to be dreaded... It was a place that no one would want to venture and see what was under there, but the things that have been hiding in this unknown and dark space has changed throughout the years. When I was younger, I heard about the 'monster under the bed' and because of this tale, I was always too afraid to look, too afraid that the monster would grab me and pull me under and drag me to the shadows where I would be lost forever. I truly believed this when I was three, and for the following few years I made an effort to jump into bed and jump out of bed to avoid that gap between the floor and my mattress, until I one day had the genius idea. This idea consisted of putting all my extra stuffed toys underneath the bed in an effort to protect myself from the chance that the monster could come out (because there is nothing more fierce than an army of stuffed toys). But as years passed and I realised there was nothing evil lurking beneath the bed, and my toys vacated to new homes, the space remained forgotten and just became a convenient place to stuff unwanted clutter which would be discovered every once and a while and then thrown out. But now, I have conquered the expanse and now have accepted that under the bed is probably the most timeless part of the entire room. By this, I mean that, everyday things move around in my room, however, under the bed remains untouched, and what else remains untouched? The past. So that is what now hides under my bed and what I saw when taking this photo. Objects from my past, like old birthday cards, notes from friends, movie tickets, etc. are now stored away in shoeboxes neatly under the bed. I don't go through them, but one day when I'm old, I will have something to look back on, like a photo album.

Under the bed

Under the bed I see two shoeboxes filled with old documents of past events and two open top boxes that are filled with "treasure," or what I thought of as treasure when I was little, like a shell necklace, a scrunchy with sparkles, letter magnets, plastic beds, badges, etc. Worthless to anyone else, but things so precious to the three year old me that was scared of the monster that no longer lives under my bed.


References:

Latrobe university, 2013, 'The Poetics of Home,' Exploring Media Arts, blog post, 9th September, http://exploringmediaarts.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/the-poetics-of-home/

Introduction to space

"Space is media"

There is virtualisation of space (like a map) and there is actual space (in the real world)- there is a distinction between the two, and sometimes it is easy to merge the two together and get them confused, especially in the current world with advancing technologies and the internet. Virtual space plays a big part in the 21st century, with what seems like everything is displayed on online forums, for example, one could visit the Louvre Museum just by going to their website and looking at their achieves. It isn't the same as seeing the artworks live, but similar to what was discussed in 'Ways of Seeing' by John Berger and in my previous post of the same name, these images are taken out of its original context and brought to the comfort of your own home; there is no desperate need to go to the actual space itself. Another example is social media. It is a space that can hold endless conversations, a space that allows you to connect and reach out to numerous people and groups, sharing photos, experiences, music, videos, etc. These countless possibilities that are brought up are all found in this virtual space, and it can be said that space is most potent of the medias, as it plays such a major role in our lives. 

Virtual space

Space is a visceral understanding of what is real, which moves us on to discussing/ acknowledging actual space. In actual space, it tests all of our sensory organs, our primary medium is skin; we are able to physically feel space. We are also able to sense space with something that is inexplicable; we can sense spaces with a kind of 'sixth-sense,' for example, when entering a space and feeling uncomfortable. In Germany, one can visit the gas chambers that were used during the Second World War, at many have said that, even if they weren't aware of the horrific history about the rooms, they had an uneasy sensation go through them and got the impression that something terrible had happened there. There may be a skeptics about this, however it can undoubtably be correct in saying that space as a media is obsolete without a person experiencing it, which can be related to all other forms of media (including sound and visual media that we have previously covered). 

For the next few weeks we will be looking at the "poetics of space," at phenomenology in regards to this overlooked form of media. 

Sound project

As explored in the previous weeks, sounds has changed and adapted in many new and sometimes, radical way, due to the invention of microphones, radio and other technologies that impact on the recording of sound/ music/ noises.
We were asked to conceptualise and create a soundscape that would provoke a listener into feeling, as well as hearing. By creating a piece of music inspired by a colour, I decided to take the listener on a narrative journey,  with the intention to also allow them to think and reflect with their own experiences with this prompt.

Before beginning any recordings, I chose the colour blue (a light blue) in which my sound piece would be based on. With that, I came up with words that I associated with the colour:
-calm
-dreams
-creativity
-freedom
-memories
-sky
-melodic
-content
-hope
-peace

Choosing three words that stood out and which I could elaborate on (dreams, memories, melodic) I started linking them together:
memories: the memory of something that is in the back of the mind- the subconscious, which links to...
dreams: in a dreamlike state, a memory is being played, which then links to the tone of the piece...
melodic: sweet, intimate, to relict the state of dreaming, which is fundamentally underlined by the concept of hope. 

With this mind map of an idea, I went ahead with planning the narrative order:
the start of a memory- memory of a song/ tune (father humming a lullaby)- listener/ the protagonist hums (voice and memory is the primary stage of a melody, which can then evolve)- evolve into instrumental music on repeat (piano and guitar- acoustic, to retain the dreamlike state)- fade out, stripping away the piano to have solo guitar- daydream of a new possibility about the future/ change of outlook in life (previously living in the past but using the past experiences/ memories to grow and adapt to a new creation).

Now with the story and shape of the piece, I went to the piano and composed a basic short melody, nothing complex, so to keep the lullaby sense. Then recording via audacity, I recorded the piano part, then then the two voices humming the same melody, not adding any words, so the listener can formulate their own imaginings of what the memory actually is (I liked the idea for a listener interpreting the memory as their own). Then I recorded the piano again with the guitar improvising a background layer, which then became a solo in a separate recording.
With the recordings, through audacity I altered the sound volumes, cut the unnecessary recordings, editing the clicks or other unwanted sounds. I noticed that there was a certain degree of static throughout the recordings, which I decided to keep in, even though it was not what I initially wanted in the soundscape, because I thought that it provided a sense of what an old recording sounds like, which highlighted my idea of 'the memory.' Content with the recordings, I then arranged the pieces in a chronological order based on my narrative layout.

Adapting into a wav. file, then uploading onto Soundcloud, the piece was complete- yes, with imperfections, however, the outcome hopefully prompts the initial meaning and thoughts that I wanted to achieve at the beginning of the process.