I don't really know much about film history or theory and I've forgotten most of my art theory, though I keep across net art and new media, I guess I haven't sorted out formerly in my own head what it is that I do when I try to make 'art'-like videos. I'm not sure I need a manifesto, but perhaps it would be a good exercise to think about it. I've looked back at videos that I've made over past years and they do seem to be similar so perhaps there is an unconscious 'manifesto' in play already.
so, last night & today I've been finding some from artists I either admire or have recently been finding out about. and of course, in using the internet, this has led me on some tangents so I've discovered some new artists too. collating snippets here for further thought.
podcasts that are available for download - start with the lectures titled "Light of the New Millenium - Chicago/Austin"...both are quite different and cover a good spectrum of his "take" on things.
news slices in the snow (85sec version) : I made this last feb, 06/02/2008 after I'd heard about the terrorist attack in Israel. I'd read many of the online stories about it, so in this video some screenshots of the news stories / websites are cut-up and sliced and rotated in 3D (to represent the multiple levels and perspectives wrt the region & it's problems) on the screen whilst in the background, snow is falling to cool things down whilst steam is rising. the soundtrack has the sample 'over & over' as I was wondering when it (conflict in this region) would ever end. part way through the news slices started looking like a folded paper bird - let's hope it's a bird that brings peace to da middle east!! (as my friend Angus used to say)
it seems it might be apt for this year too. I've been following the recent stories regarding Israel & Gaza listed @ www.aliak.com/content/summer-holidays
this isn't the original version - it's a new version of the first 1min 25sec so it'll play here on flickr (since they have a 90sec video limit)
on the drive home from brisbane to sydney during my summer holidays I was playing with the delay settings on my camera. the lights from the cars looked like letters - maybe hebrew or aramaic - as they danced on the highway at dusk as we drove home
Gnosticism is one of the most potent, complex, and misunderstood elements of western esoteric spirituality. Rooted in the apocalyptic era of early Christianity, gnostic mysticism animates hermeticism, alchemy, and magick, and has profoundly influenced modern pop culture as well (Philip K. Dick, The Matrix, even Scientology). Because gnosticism is rooted in direct experience of the divine, it remains open to many different interpretations; scholars bicker about it constantly.
This class proposes to study a few of the most accessible and transformative gnostic texts, both ancient and modern, and to bring their tricky wisdom to bear on the state of consciousness today. In addition to online discussion threads, the course will feature weekly podcasts from Erik Davis, a celebrated speaker, as well as a few group voice-over-IP chats. Modestly-sized texts will include ancient gnostic gospels as well as accessible scholarly interpretations and modern short stories.
had a very relaxing Christmas / summer holiday in Brisbane - mostly spent sleeping, catching up with friends, eating and visiting the amazing north coast beaches at Caloundra & Noosa, driving along the coast between them. we drove up, cat on lap at times - the rain this year has done wonders for the land as everything was a lush, vibrant green colour and the sky was so clear & blue - the light this year was incredible - things seemed to sparkle.
I haven't been paying much attention to the news though whilst away, and arriving home last night I caught the late news which was talking about the problems in Israel and Palestine / Gaza strip. I'm a little worried about my friends there - some who've spent time in their bomb shelters (which are in all buildings) as the rockets from Gaza have reached further than before. I wonder if these new range rockets came in when the wall came down earlier this year and people came across from Egypt. I hope everyone is safe.
these have the effect for a short time - though I think I'd need a tripod to capture it properly. I had this visual effect yesterday when the clouds were moving faster than today (but I didn't have my camera - it was a very windy day yesterday). the clouds stopped moving & the buildings started to move. it was sort of like looking at a stereogram picture and seeing the hidden image within the noise come into focus. once you see it you can't not see it any more
Harris Park - these are some of the sights I see when I walk from home - shops & back. there's a lot of cute heritage worker's cottages / houses in HP - some have been renovated & others are run-down, about to be pulled down and probably turned into blocks of flats. unfortunately I can't afford to buy one of these. many are now business offices or restaurants - lots of Indian and Lebanese restaurants here. we also have the international conservatorium of music. Parramatta is a short walk - there's more and more highrises going up there. I like the reflections of the sky & clouds in the buildings though.
in the USA, graduates from the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (FES) at Yale University have been entering the Carbon Credits Trading industry - actually helping to build this industry.
I found some old 3gp videos on my work phone - a nokia 6230. the recording quality is very low - best viewed at original size or the compression makes them even more unviewable. these were taken between 2004 - 2008 and have clips from delhi, india + caesarea, tel aviv, israel + geelong, melbourne + parramatta, sydney + rotorua & auckland, new zealand + devon, england
a mini video wall of 15 second samples from the past few years - play a few at once - if you press (more) once the first play has finished then it displays other videos I've uploaded to blip, not just the 3gp ones, though they'll be using the 3gp video dimensions)
perhaps this is a very generalised, naive interpretation of one of the mumbai terrorist's confessions, but after reading the article, these are my initial impressions (stream of consciousness - spelling / grammar mistakes & all). I replied to the mail list with most of below (but have added extra thoughts since). it made me sad to read this article as I cannot understand how this person could be thinking.
last post for VoMo08 is some of Gandhi's words from my visit to his Bombay residence on 15/11. music is "Claire's Theme" by Graeme Revell from the soundtrack to one of my favourite films "Until the End of the World"
it's been quite a month - sometimes hard to work out what to post each day, some posts were posted late. but all are little memories of this month so I can remember them later
