LIVING ROOM

ELECTIVE MODULE
Zoe Brown Video Project – ‘Living Room’

"We are powerfully connected to the spaces we occupy. They reflect not only who we have been, but where we are headed in life. Consciously or unconsciously, we set intentions that are followed through in body, mind, and spirit. Through awareness of the "stage" we are setting for ourselves, we can choose empowerment by setting good intentions in all areas of our lives."

- Kate Van Slyke

From the first swift overview living room is very ordinary place which is present in every single flat and in every single house. It is a place of relaxation, where your mind is free of borders. Gaston Bachelard in his “Poetics of Space” approved that house is very influential place for every person and it is like a theatre. To understand the importance of being inside from time to time comes when it’s far away. Artist of all the times since Renaissance think of the significance of spaces and their impacts. Boris Pasternak Russian poet has written a whole collection of poems inspired by detailed overview of surrounding. In my video project I wanted to show living room from the new angle, and with a fresh breath, try to settle in it and to pay attention on the details. I didn’t want to use professional video camera, wanted to get the grid on the image so that the viewer would look with more patience and attentiveness. I have placed a small digital video camera on a tripod approximately at six in the morning filming every half an hour for couple of minutes, this video shoot continued till late night. I wanted to create a new much faster than I was usually used to see this space. It came out very intensive, but not calm and relaxing as I was used to see it. A close friend of mine Sibla added creative live music and it came out as a new round living room.

Drowned in the cell

02/09 SELF INITIATED PROJECT

While developing my project on creating ideas for my online portfolio, I started to play with my table scanner quire constantly. I was scanning my foot firstly and I was so much into the process that got some ideas for the new project. I thought of scanning portraits so that they would represent “Drowned in the Cell”. We are all hostages of the progress and what’s coming with it. Essential to us things are often connected to the socket this is when we start to be a part of the cell. These photographs are not totally representative images of the outside world, they reveal something deeply hidden.

My scans are like photogram they had a straight away contact of a laser with face like objects on photo paper. Isn't it magic?

I’m going to present this project on an exhibition so it’s still ongoing...

Experiental learning

26/01/08 DIGITAL

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
(Lao Tzu)

The main idea of this project was to create an online portfolio for own work preferably with an introductive animation. As every passionate person I wanted it to be something that would show my best qualities and feelings. I wanted my website to represent me from my best side. While brainstorming and research process I’ve found an image from the web and got an inspiration and idea for my website. It was a scan of a dirty foot so I thought that our feet are a very strong symbol and could represent what I want to message to the viewer. I recollect a story of a little Mermaid by Danish poet Hans Christian Anderson in which feet were a strong symbol and the most desired dream for the protagonist of this sad novel. In my case feet change from dirty to clean, which is a game of symbolism. Dirty foot is a talent and courage to go forward and it is not important that it hurts and is not so soft and it’s true that ₁ really like dancing those who dance with bare foot on a prickly grass.
Mud and Bare Feet

by Marc C Caroll

In the month of June

Nothing better can be

Than a field full of mud

Full of history

Why Abe Lincoln might have stepped

In the mud beneath

And let it squishy squashy between his feet

Though probably not

One thing is true

Nothing is better than

Mud without shoes

Clean foot is a kind of award or the result of hard working and obviously thinking. Bare feet there are so much beauty and reality in them. Treasure H Keith in a book “Rock climbing with my bare feet” said: “I have conquered to become complete; all my life has been a rock climb, travelled in bareness of my feet.” The link between this two concepts dirty and clean, conscientiousness and outcome is the IDEA. Ides they are like tiny little bugs in out head so light and uncatchable.

The photographer who influenced me much in this project is Jaques –Andre Boiffard who was a surrealist in 1930’s.

This project developed in me strong technical knowing in a new software and not only that. It helped me to understand what I want to show my viewer and how I want him to see me.

₁ Old Russian saying

08/01/09 THE DOCUMENTARY

The Abandoned

As many other students I was at home on Christmas holydays this is why my documentary project is inspired by some scenes from Estonia. I am from a small town on the North-East of country, which is one of many similar around. While massive buildings in 1900s some of the buildings were undeveloped and left standing as they are neighbouring with finished and occupied. Basically they are landscapes people saw many years out of their windows. Also my eye was attracted to the abandoned buildings left on the edges of towns. They make an impression even stronger when you understand that people lived many years in them block houses and now they just keep the forgotten memories. The theme of space interests me from the very beginning of this year and this is one more project proving that spaces are very interesting and important. Space exerts its influence on people just as people exert their influence on space. I was looking at two German photographers Johannes Bruns and Michael Shmidt who were taking pictures of abandoned airports, Berlin unfinished buildings and undeveloped sites after 2nd World War. In my series of pictures there are 3 different buildings. There is so much strange and creepy in them. Once they were someone’s hope and now they are just dead sarcophagus standing among living ones. Today many of them were demolished but some are standing for more than 15 years. I’m probably documenting the last ones of many others instead of which you can see just even plains.

14/10/08 Prison picture

Picture to take to prison...

If just to imagine that I would have been sent to prison for the rest of my days, it would mean that I’ve done something really unacceptable and probably even more... Knowing myself I know that I would blame myself until the last day spent on this earth. I know that it would mean that I wound the hearts of my family, loved man and friends. Anyway I’m sure that they would visit me as much as it’s possible in that place. I think that in situation like that I would have taken a picture done by me in my native land, that’s the picture of sunset. Why sunset? For me it’s a very symbolic time of the day, when the day becomes night and the sun leaves. Being sent to prison for the rest of the days, is a kind of sunset in the life of anyone. There are plenty of reasons to take this picture, it would remind about my home, it would help from claustrophobia in the moist prisoner camera and who knows may be would give hope for another chance as after any sunset there comes sunrise...

13/11/2008 NARRATIVE

NOT MY
In this project I was trying to find the roots of the narrative, telling the story. Probably narrative must take place in every meaningful photo or painting. Every picture has a story, thousand words which only the viewer can see. There are many different types of telling the story each is right. It can be photo series or photo sequences. It is very important in everyday life as we see it everywhere: in magazines, on TV, in news papers, in slideshows etc. In my research I have looked through the work of Thomas Ripsher (http://www.pbase.com/scared_of_the_dark/the_cell). In “The cell” he invents the space in which he moves different people with different characters, although the look similar each of them is unique. In his works he plays with spaces and heroes in them. My story is a series of pictures which tell a story about the feeling which are coming sometimes and are leaving once. This is a story about people who live in a place which does not belong to them. They feel like this is temporary and this will grow into something better. This is a hidden emotion, closing eyes on some disgusting things is desperate. I tried to explore the unseen thing in the house like that. I’ve done pictures in the creepy corners. It is like you have to different types of understanding things. Probably the best way get rid of fears; paranoia that you’re not at home is to notice more pleasant things. Further you can see my story. I will try to improve it in future to look like a bigger collection. It is an ongoing project.

22/10/08 THE VERNACULAR

FISHING OBSESSION

Once photography was a very rare thing and people could only collect pictures of celebrities. Now are living in the times when photography is a mass phenomenon but not a luxury. Kodak changed our world with just one phrase: “You push the button, we do the rest.” And here is the result everyone owns now at least some kind of camera and it does not matter if it’s a film camera or a digital one and they are used all the time; anywhere you go there are people taking pictures. This imperfect imaginary – snapshot is integral part of each and everyone’s life. Looking through the different internet sites I was searching for anything linked with vernacular photography I found out that fishing photography is something really interesting and even has its long history. Type fishing in Google and you will be surprised how it’s popular. So I had a look at loads of fishermen picture, I couldn’t stop smiling. Each of the fishermen is happier than another satisfied by his fish harvest. An idea was born in my head inspired by them. I decided to make a Photoshop manipulated image in a style of collage or more a caricature. I made my own fishing trophy pictures with my friends on it. It can be fake but who said that all the others are real?

15/11/08 Studio Photography with Ben Roberts

HOMEWORK


Series of 5 images that use imaginative lighting.


The project is mostly about the light and the way you can manipulate it. The first thing that I did before preparing to this homework was that I booked the "paglight kit" in the media stores. I was already playing with this tool before but previous experience was quite unsuccessful. I've chosen theme "The one I love". Just because I think there are plenty of feelings I can express about that. There is not enough words to write a love poem for the one you love, there is no unsuccessful pictures with him painted on. I was concentrated on his style of living, on the things he daily does. It's just an ordinary evening and he's plunged in his ocean of sounds. Trying to be unseen I'm recording this moment which is priceless like many others spent looking at the perfect. The room is fool of sounds and an artificial light. I would like the viewer could catch this moment.

Amplifier

Puff

Midi Controller

Body

A