It's
been a slow week, and with no real space to work in I’ve been getting
incredibly tired of my room, wasting away the time until I return to Suffolk, slowly
realising that everything is over and its basically time to leave London. Of
course I have exactly two weeks left here, and plan to use my time wisely,
going to a range of exhibitions that I’m yet to go to alongside the prep for
the show, it’s just that it’s very draining having nowhere to go to, even
though sitting around is the opposite of that…
In terms of work, I’ve been
continuing on with the various projects. The caps that I ordered arrived and
turned out really well and will make up one of the pieces that I’m going to
show at the exhibition in a week and a bit’s time. I’m planning to display them
hanging from the wall in two rows of six, simulating the layout of a jury in a
court room, coming back to the idea of the 12 caps simulating the 12 jurors;
with the internet and twitter in particular being a place of judgement. These
are now a finished piece, ready to be displayed. I need to think of a name for
this work, something that incorporates the idea of judgement and being judged
alongside acknowledging that the internet is becoming monitored and policed,
not unlike a prison, where every word is being scrutinised and broken down.
Another
work that was ‘completed’ this week was All
My Messages. A work that manifests itself as a website containing all of my
Facebook messages ever, available to be read and downloaded by anyone and
everyone. Although I intend to create a physical manifestation of this, be it
the grave creation idea of last week, or a new idea that I had this week to
laser cut the various messages onto metal, and then layer them until the text
is no longer legible, I think that putting them all online is kind of mandatory
for the work and for the issues that I’m attempting to discuss; surveillance on
the internet alongside the question of who actually owns our data, where it’s
kept and who is allowed to look at it. The book that I was reading last week, Delete, talked about this a lot,
mentioning that our data is effectively scrubbed clean after a 9-month period,
where companies are allowed to access said anonymised data through a paywall. I
think I need to continue to work with this over the summer so that I can do the
mass of data justice, rather than simply taking the first step in an Evan Roth esque
way of dumping all of my data somewhere. You can see the finished work on my
website here: http://www.bobbicknell-knight.com/#/all-my-messages/
or go directly to the website in question here: www.all-my-messages.com
It
would also be interesting to consider selling my data, and that becoming a
thing, but that may be too similar to a work by Owen Mundy titled Commodify.us, a web application that
allows Facebook users to sell their data.
I’ve
also been slowly working on a new video piece that looks at how video games are
a source of escapism for many in this world. It’s gone through various
iterations in the past week, and is slowly becoming a thing. As of now I’ve
been using water as a motif within the work, using various clips from video
games where the player character is swimming under the water, fully submersed
in the digital environment. This part of the video charts the evolution of
water in 3D video games, from Super Mario
64 to Uncharted 4. These videos
are layered up, taking into account that each new game will have learnt from
the previous games water creation method.
The
double backdrop to the video is a series of pirate ships, slowly being engulfed
by virtual water as the video continues on. The is in a simulation like space,
with clean walls and basic visuals, making the viewer aware that it’s all a
simulation, with subtle hints of truth, the pirate ships being one of these
truths, or lies. The pirate ships are there to discuss the misinterpretations
that people have about pirates in popular culture; that it was an exciting
career where you could escape to the open sea. Of course this isn’t true, so
over the course of the video the ships are pushed around by large amounts of
water in the ‘white cube’ space. So this part of the video is questioning whether
or not seeing video games as escapism is a good or a bad thing, and whether or
not they’re actually good for you, as well as the preconceptions that people
have about video games people inherently false and simulated.
This
is brought up in the third part of the video, which is a series of images which
flash up on the screen of people slumped over their desks or computer screens,
close up images of their faces and hands. Most of the images are stock
photographs of people, but mixed within the false images are two very real
pictures of dead people who have died from playing various video games upwards
of 50 hours. This comes back to the idea of the public’s perception of video games
in general, as well as whether or not video games as escapism is a good thing
or not. So within the piece there’s a lot of conflated ideas alongside subtle
lies, mixing a slowed down soundscape of waves crashing subtly against a beach
with a lot of false imagery which seems to have an agenda but may in fact not.
I
also thought about including text within the work, to either tell a fictitious
story created from internet chatrooms about someone who got completely immersed
in a particular video game or the song lyrics from Buckner & Garcia’s Goin' Berzerk, a song inspired by the
first video game to have apparently ‘killed’ someone in 1981. I’m currently
deciding whether or not to include the text or not, alongside a few other
things.
These
are two test pieces, one with text and one without:
With Text
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zwtZDe8k3Y
Without Text
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekNrDbxCTU
I
think that the eventual name for the piece will be Everything Bad is Good for You, the title of Steven Johnson’s book
which looks at how video games and television are making society as a whole,
smarter. I’ll wait and see what progression I make with it during the week
ahead during the lead up to the exhibition next Wednesday. I’ve also been
thinking about how to display the work within the space and have slowly drifted
towards the idea of displaying it in the toilet; a space of contemplation and
somewhere to escape to. It would also be a lot more interesting to display the
piece within the toilet, rather than simply on a wall. I think I need to think
about it a little more, but for now that’s one of my ideas. I could also put
the tv in the window, or near the window of the space, considering the obvious
ideas of day dreaming mixed with escapism. Either way, both ideas are using the
space rather than simply leaning my tv against a wall.
Oh
and this is the event page for the exhibition if anyone reading this is
interested in coming: https://www.facebook.com/events/254933741536869/
During this week’s meeting we talked more about space, as well as the name. Cxx was decided upon, with xxx
corresponding to 30 in roman numerals alongside having the c at the beginning
to reference when you’re writing a text to someone and you accidentally type ‘c’
instead of ‘x’. I think it’s actually a really good name; saying farewell to
first year as well as containing the main ‘theme’ for the show; that all the
works been made in the past 30 days. I’m quite excited for the show, how it
will all look as well as what the other people have been making. It’ll also
mark the end of my first year, which is both depressing and exciting.
Work
with John has slowed down a fair amount now, with the video game basically
completed my work is kind of done by this point. It’s both distressing and
slightly like a great weight has been shifted from my shoulders; it’s been
really interesting to take a peek into how it will be for me in two years or
so, but in reality is this something that I want to have seen at the end of my
first year? Who knows, although it’s definitely made this last term a lot
busier and a lot more interesting than it would have been. The painting of John’s
space occurred this week too, which went fairly well; it’s a really good space
with lots of room to appreciate the work.
I’m
unsure if any other new work was created this week as I’ve mostly been using my
time to see friends that won’t be seen when I return to Suffolk alongside
catching up on a fair amount of films that I’ve been missing. I’ve also wanted
to go to more exhibitions, but weirdly haven’t. I have a list that continues to
grow which is saved as ‘Exhibitions to see before I leave’ which will be looked
into in the coming days.
We
did have a lecture about what second year would be like, with the first term
being given over to experimentation within our various practices. I’m sure this
will be a fun term, reinitiating myself back into living in London as well as
just the general feeling of being in second year, nearly half way through my
degree. That is only slightly worrying…
I
did get to see Eva and Franco Mattes giving a talk at the Photographers Gallery
which was very exciting, as part of the lead up to their show at Carroll
Fletcher next week. It was a very interesting talk, but instead of learning new
information it was like regurgitating all of the information that I was already
aware of and had been researching for however many months. So although it was
interesting to listen and consider what they were saying in relation to their work,
I didn’t really learn anything new. Zach Blas was also there, recycling a
previous talk that I’d already watched online, yet again slightly
disappointing.
I’m
actually starting to realise that I didn’t go to any exhibitions this week,
which is very weird. I’ve definitely slowly stopped going to them this term,
whether it’s because of the amount of work that I’ve had to undergo or because
of general laziness, I’m unsure. This will have to be rectified in the next
week, as the week after that is filled with essay crits and the various
exhibition private views.
Oh
actually I did go to the exhibition that I was in titled PHOTOPLAY #2, it was fun to see my work on display and took a few
pictures of the event; very expensive beer though.
I’ve
watched a few films this week, attempting to get back into the film watching of
previous terms. The first film being Paper
Towns, basically a ‘a poor man’s’ version of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I liked it, the acting was good and
the meaning that was being shoved down my throat was heartfelt, but it wasn’t
as good as it could have been, resulting in turning into just another movie
about growing up.
I
decided to catch up with a few of the Marvel films, a behemoth of a franchise
that is pretty much inescapable at the moment. I watched Captain America: The Winter Solider and Captain America: Civil War. Both solid films, fun for all the
family, but still solid films that are enjoyable within their own right.
I
then proceeded to watch Ant Man,
which was also fairly okay. It’s one of those things that you can just go to if
you’re looking to be mildly satisfied. That makes me up to speed with the
current ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’ film list on Wikipedia. It’s guaranteed fun
at this point, which is arguably not that bad of a thing; they’re giving the
masses what they want, rarely putting a foot wrong.
Another
film that I watched was called Coherence,
another ‘not science-fiction, science-fiction film’. The majority of the film
takes place over the course of an evening at a dinner party, where space and
time slowly break down, opening up multiple different realities for the various
guests to indulge in. It has a sort of Shane Carruth mixed with Mike Cahill and
Richard Schenkman vibe, but a slightly diluted version, not as great but still
good. I’d definitely recommend it if you have seen the films created by the aforementioned
directors. If not, then look into the three directors’ portfolios and enjoy.
Perfect Sense
was another such film, set in a universe where an epidemic is breaking out,
causing peoples’ senses to slowly break down and cease to function. It was
actually a fairly good romantic sci-fi, up there with the likes of Mr. Nobody and Safety Not Guaranteed. Yet again, a good film, but not that great
compared to the films that probably inspired said film. The final shot is
slightly heart-wrenching though, so it may be worth your time.
It
was a shame to then watch Predestination,
a very dull film, with the only exciting moment being the ending which had a
twist that could be seen from a mile away. About half of the film is taken up
with a story, a painfully dull story that is not very interesting at all. I
expected more from Ethan Hawke.
Gamer,
even though I knew it was going to be bad, was still disappointingly bad. The
set design was ‘imagine a world 30 years from now cranked up to 11’, an
aesthetic that everyone is tired of at this point. Although it was made in
2009, it’s still unfortunate how boring the whole thing is. I just felt that I
had to watch it for its content, immediately regretting the decision as the credits
rolled down the screen.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman was just plain fun, including an interesting power
dynamic between the dog and his son, ultimately I simply enjoyed the experience
for what it was. Although the world building wasn’t as good as Zootopia, the
jokes were funny and the story continued onwards at a fine pace.
Pleasantville
was very weird, but maybe in a good way; a brother and sister being transported
into a 1950s sitcom. Slowly as the film continues the siblings begin to colour
the show by telling the inhabitants of Pleasantville about various things that
are available in the real world, but not in the television programme, from
books to sexual intercourse. It was actually kind of interesting in an obvious
way.
The
final film was Big Fish, a Tim Burton
affair featuring fantastical characters and Ewan McGregor once again. I kind of
liked it, but ultimately there wasn’t enough of something, something malleable,
something real. It all felt like a fantasy, rather than a reality within the
world that was being created in front of me.
I
continue to gorge myself on That ‘70s
Show, as the show goes on I find myself assimilating with the characters,
even though the show is inherently sexist; due in part to the time period that
it’s set in. It’s an interesting way to ‘get away with’ being sexist in tv or
cinema, simply having your creation set in the 70s or any earlier time period;
a distressing thought.
Oh
and week 6 is live on isthisit? with work from Rosie Abbey and Emily Webb. I’m
quite proud of this week’s selection, being the first week that the work
actually fits well together. Within the two works there are incredible subtleties
occurring on screen, with the music from one operating for the other too. I
want more weeks to be like this, a flow between the work. Unfortunately, this probably
won’t happen until I start receiving mass submissions, which I doubt will
happen for a while.
I
only have a few things to do this week, a feedback tutorial on Thursday with
Andrew that I’m looking forward to and a site visit to Safehouse 1 to finalise people’s
spaces on Wednesday. It’s all coming together whilst coming apart at the same
time… I also need to finish my water video, finalising on certain things
alongside reading essays from my essay feedback group so I can hopefully give
some decent feedback during the crit next Monday. I think this week will
hopefully be branded as exhibition week which I thoroughly look forward to, an
ending similar to the beginning of the year, going to many exhibitions alone
coming back to a solitary room; depressing but interesting to think about…
Enjoi.
Instagram:
bob.bk1
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