Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I can’t go on. I’ll go on.

I can’t go on. I’ll go on is on online exhibit from Samuel Beckett’s novel Molloy. It is an interactive piece that consists of two parts. The first is a blog portion where viewers are encouraged to leave their thoughts and comments. The second portion is a multimedia presentation that is triggered by comments left on the blog. Each comment changes the multimedia display based on the keyword entered. Appropriate excerpts accompany the deconstructed keyword that goes under the video.

Most of the videos are also deconstructed. The entire picture is not shown, but rather only certain portions. Beckett’s writing accompanies the videos as well. The text is dark and foreboding. I attempted to add a trigger word in the blog portion, but could not get the software to add my words. I do not know if there is a glitch in the system or if I was not doing it properly. Despite this, I was able to watch the streaming video with the comments of those that had visited the site prior to me.

One video seemed to be about death and accepting one’s destiny. The sound effects that go with the videos and text are on a continuous loop and do not change depending on content. The exhibit is cool and I enjoyed the interactive portions the best. I would probably have enjoyed it more if I could have left comments, but never the less it was still interesting. I really enjoyed how the deconstructed words scrolled on to the page slowly. The entire mood of the piece was vey mysterious and I think this definitely enhanced that feeling.

 

 

Why Some Dolls are Bad



I found this exhibit on Furtherfield.org. Why Some Dolls are Bad is a graphic novel that has been generated on a Facebook platform. Internet artist, Kate Armstrong, arranges a stream of images off of Flickr. Armstrong then attaches each with a certain tag as well as her own original text. This produces an ever-changing dialogue. Users who subscribe to Facebook can order the pictures. It is then up to each individual whether they want to reorder the sequence, delete certain pictures, save them or send them to a friend. As a result, every story is going to differ from the next. Dolls explores themes of fashion, ethics, “artifice and the self”. The novel also reexamines government systems as well as materials like mohair and household plants.

Originally, I do not find the individual images to be interesting. They seem like thoughtless snapshots that did not even make the cut to be in the family album. I suppose with the text, the pictures become a bit more inviting, but for me the whole project falls a little short. Despite this, I do think the concept is an interesting one. I think the execution left a bit to be desired. I would of liked to see more interesting photos with a much more provocative dialogue. I think this could really stir up some interesting conversations between the members of Facebook. I do enjoy the comic book look of the inserted text boxes. Unfortunately, the actual text just seems like an afterthought. All this being said, I think Armstrong was trying to keep the exhibit light and fun. The images paired with the text are meant to amuse the viewer. 

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Transformer Gallery

I just went to the Transformer Gallery on P Street in Washington DC. It is a small gallery with only one floor for the art to hang on. The exhibit that on display now is Hatnim Lee’s Photographs. The exhibit runs until April 26th. The content is everyday life. The pictures do not seem staged although I am sure some of them required a bit of direction. They are all portraits. When I say portraits, I do not mean the normal straight forward shot. Lee definetly seems to capture the essence of each subject through different ways. The background gives a depth to the characters in each photograph. The images are large-scale prints. The content ranges from intimate portraits to fashion shoots. The images have an innocence that connects with the viewer. Lee utilizes short depth of field balanced with a good use of negative space. She definitely breaks the picture plane into thirds, which in turn draws the viewer’s eye around the entire image. The images are C-prints, which really make the saturated, bold colors within each scene pop.

This exhibit is a diary of Lee's life over the past year. She has photographed her every day activities. These include subjects from her freelance jobs at National Geographic to employees working in her parents store. One of my favorite pictures the one of an androgynous model. The mood in the photograph is dark and intimate. Lee seems to have a talent for capturing these real-life moments and showing them in an appealing way. One really feels that you have some knowledge of each subject, simply because of the way they are posed and the background information.

Lee has been writing a blog over the past year that includes these photographs and many more. A book is being compiled of all of these pictures in order to document their stories.

Here is a link to her blog