Experimental Analysis

1. Discuss both past and current artists and works
Discuss at least three of the artists you have looked at comparing general similarities and differences between them. Not your own opinions!

Despite all three being created in different eras, ranging from the 1970s right up until 2000, all three films share a common concept; the art of lying, yet each film uses it differently; accidentally or otherwise.
Whilst it isn’t clear from the beginning what the narrator in ‘the Girl Chewing Gum’ is really doing, he uses a psychological form of lying, relying on our own stereotypes and simply believing what we’re told as long as it seems logical. Although similar, Simon Ellis uses lying in 'Telling Lies' to prove how untruthful even your closest friends can be when communicating over the phone; a point that also applies to John Smith, as you never see the man talking.
In ‘1001 Nights’ it’s down to interpretation whether you believe they are lying. At first viewing you are lead to believe these are their own experiences, using a static camera not unlike John Smith to indicate the main focus of the film, yet, if you think about the type of people talking, they could be repeating others stories or even vivid dreams

2. The use of technology and techniques and styles
How does the use of technology differ think about when they where made was the technology new then.

Koyaanisquatsi pushed boundaries in the 80s, using large helicopter aided panning shots and risking everything with a repeated soundtrack to accompany repeated images. Through a low budget and a 70s release, ‘The Girl Chewing Gum’ is disadvantaged by not having access to modern techniques; using a static camera, occasionally panning across to a cinema queue or a clock tower. ‘1001 Nights’ is another static camera shot aimed at the women speaking. The latter two concentrate more on a concept than impressing audiences, whilst Koyaanisquatsi can tell a story through varying camera angles and styles thanks in part to a much larger budget. and advanced filming techniques of the 80s period.

3. Narrative and non-narrative structures
Discuss the story line is it simple structure Begin, middle, end or is there a more complex or different structuring happening?

Neither ‘The Girl Chewing Gum’ or ‘1001 Nights’ have a clear narrative structure. 'The Girl Chewing Gum' has a brief structure by switching from a long running joke into subtly introduce unexpected stereotypes suggesting a beginning and middle, with no real indication when the film may end. ‘1001 Nights’ follows the same basic pattern throughout of women opening their eyes and speaking; their words more important than the construction of a complicated narrative which would ultimately distract the audience from the message. Koyaanisquatsi and Gisele Kerozene form a narrative structure by ending a clearly laid out storyline, or effectively repeating the beginning at the end, reminding the audience of the continuous circles we go through to achieve.
Narritive structures tend to tie up all the lose ends left dangling throughout the movie, such as Gisele Kerozene, with the chase ending and the bad witch backing down, where as those that don't tend to leave an audience thinking about the content much longer after finishing the film.

4. The use of exhibition space to create meaning. How does the exhibition space change the meaning of the work. To be done later next week.

After visiting the Tate Modern I have come to realised that the location of a piece of video can dramatically change the meaning or context of the art. Be it placed in a dark room with 5 colour filtered projectors like 'Psi Girls' by Susan Hiller or a simple video projected onto a wall, the placing of the video easily changes the reactions and thoughts taken away by the audience.
If you watched a piece like 'TH.2058' by Dominique Gonzalez in a classroom instead of its intended environment, it takes away the true meaning and emotion behind the video itself. Without the large exhibition space given to the piece, the shocking connotations of the extent of the city wide problem, and of the lonliness experienced by the people both inside the shelter and out would no longer exist, as the never ending line of Bunk beds really highlight the exclusion from the rest of civilisation.
The various film clips representing the suffering of the outside world, and how the rain and large figures have dominated London, creates an ironic message as both the inanimate objects affected by the rain and people are sheltering in the same space, making escaping your problems an impossible task.
Both 'TH.2058' and 'Psi Girls' share a common denominator; the use of context to create meaning. Whilst TH.2058 uses physical objects to create an emotional attachment to the video, 'Psi Girls' uses the expression of colour on 5 large screens each showing different clips from films involving girls with telekinetic abilities. As the clips switched screens so did the colour the clip was shown in. A red filter would give the room a red tint being as the only source of light, creating a very menacing feel to the video, whilst a green filter would make the clip seem more relaxed and stress free; thanks to all the typical connotations we associate with certain colours, despite holding the exact same content. Completely changing the context.
If taken away from the dark room into a classroom environment, the art simply would not be affective, as the 5 large screens and dark room are a vital and crucial key to the overall feel of the movie clips as the colours change.
The voluntary nature of art and both the physical and visual elements to a piece can maintain an interest in individuals who initially wouldn't have taken the time to view it.

5. How these works might inspire your own work
Talk about your own ideas and how they may have been inspired by the work that you have seen.

The two in particular that are helping inspire my experimental piece are ‘Telling Lies’ and ‘The Girl Chewing Gum’. Both pieces concentrate on lying, which, in the right circumstances can prove an extremely dangerous tool. The black screen in ‘Telling Lies’ for me creates an illusion of the unprecedented fear one must got through when they can’t see, and the unreliable stories and lies in both films makes me think how could someone possibly trust a voice with no facial identity. the use of diagetic or non diagetic sound applying heavily, especially when noise could cloud your sense of judgement when it’s all you have.

6. Audience, and audience interpretation of the work
Was the reaction different within the group? does this matter? is it important that we all have one interpretation?

It is important that different audiences have different interpretations of the same film. A certain movie can mean many different things, depending on your point of view in consideration of the subject matter.
A man from the 70’s or 80s may view koyaanisquatsi in a different light from someone born and raised in the 90’s and present day. Having witnessed and lived through achievements and turmoil of the 80s, certain aspects provoke stronger or weaker emotional reaction based on their knowledge of events. This also applies to any other film, experimental or otherwise. An audience from the 70’s may never understand the story behind ‘Telling Lies’. Due to its rapid, quick fire editing and modern lexical use, but largely down to their possible inexperience with vocally communicating a lie to someone because technology may have prohibited such events for a certain person.
For ‘The Girl Chewing Gum’, the reactions were different throughout the class. Some saw it as an attempt to abuse the right we have to control what people think, and others expressed ideas of predictability and how everything we do is so routine that a random person on the street could interpret our next move.