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