Post #3 Abstract Formal & Associational Relationships: Rosenquist vs. Hoch

James Rosenquist  Coup d'oeil-Speed of Light, 2001

In Rosenquist's Speed of Light, his painting is composed of dynamic bright lines that upon closer inspection, create subtle shapes that reference the title. For instance, the lines create these tubular shapes that remind me of car exhaust pipes. The ferocity of the strokes are so exuberant, its associational title makes the viewer feel as though the he is experiencing the speed of light even though the entire painting is comprised of abstract shapes. Because Rosenquist was known for his pop art references of the events in the 1960s, his more contemporary paintings seem to still seem to carry on his past references but in simpler shapes as shown in his most famous work, F-111. 

[James Rosenquist  F-111]

Hannah Hoch Grotesque 

Hannah Hoch's Grotesque collage is comprised of distorted cutouts of human faces glued onto legs of young, Caucasian women. Since Hoch was a Dadaist, her art was meant to be a chaotic art for non-art's sake. Yet, even though the essence of Dada art was meant to be nothing, there seems to be a great deal of symbolism if not only strictly due to its associative meanings. Her associative photos are at first distorted into abstract shapes but then she composes her abstract pieces back into a composition. Hoch's photomontage is a relevant example of abstracting associative images into an art piece with symbolic meanings, particularly the old man with spectacles who seem to look like an angry man of power during the 1920s.

Man with a Movie Camera.1929

by Dziga Vertov. "This film is famous for the range of cinematic techniques Vertov invents, deploys or develops, such as double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, Dutch angles, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, footage played backwards, animations, and a self-reflexive style(at one point it features a split screen tracking shot; the sides have opposite Dutch angles). "  B&W film, silent movie with early 1900s music reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin- not quite as jerky. Shows city life.  Huge camera overlooking the city. Wedding: now transitions to dainty wedding bells. Divorce registration: now the music is kind of creepy and somber rendition of wedding bells. It must be real- a lady won't show her face. Death scenes. While a younger woman is getting her hair and makeup done at a beauty salon, a cloaked old woman stands outside a door, slinging rocks at the building. Prostitute: stoning reference? Factory boxing- extremely rapid against the beat of the drums.
Beach. Parallel between showing a box cartoon of cigarettes from said factory to a hot air balloon of some sort. Reference to Ballet Mechanique in my opinion. Used a motion shaping method- that showed some cylinders stacking on top of each other. Cool! Now onto sports- jolly girl swinging a disc and jumping hurdles. Koyaanaatski - more ref. like this movie. People around are part of the machine. MACHINE.

Fantastic use of cinematography- Tons of different styles. Trying to define what the new society is about. Propaganda. Post-revolution.

Post #2 Abstract VS Associational formal systems

According to the reading we did, the principles of Abstraction uses pictorial aspects of the images as the means to inform or persuade. The abstract qualities of the objects are the connection and the abstract pattern becomes a means to an end. Often organized as” theme and variation,” an underlying principle runs throughout the film. Take the example of an abstract formation by J.J. Murphy’s Print Generation. In this photograph, Murphy takes the same photograph and photographs the same picture over and over until the real becomes the abstract. He reproduces it 25 times. Another example is Richard Serra’s Railroad Turn Bridge where the photograph is taken inside a turn bridge. While the turn bridge is not abstract itself, the composition of the photograph shows strictly lines, thus taking the representational into the abstract. A great film example would be Fernard Leger’s Ballet Mechanique – even though conventional objects were used, the end result of the film made the audience view the representational objects and people as abstract movements.

Associational form is quite the opposite of Abstract form- imagery used in associational form may range from the conventional to the original. The conceptual connections can be readily apparent or downright mystifying. This form can also create large scale patterns which can organize an entire film and still build them own particular pattern with less attention to convention. The two main principles of associational form are as follows: first, the group images are in larger sets which create a distinct unified part of the film. Second, there are repeated motifs used to reinforce associative connections. A prime example of this form is Koyaanisqatsi which is divided up among 7 parts. This film uses known scenery to convey the natural majesty to the destruction and plundering of our planet Earth. Like abstract form, associational form relies on the audience’s remembrance and notice of motifs to unify the film around it. The purpose of Associational form is to convey obvious story and emotion though new imagery and juxtapositions.

Post #1 Ballet Mechanique Review

Ballet Mecanique was one of the first abstract films to have existed during the 1920s. In this influential short film by Fernard, Leger and Dudley Murphy,  recognizable objects and people are used through the film in a mostly abstract fashion. So much so that by the end of the film, the audience’s perception is skewed and what was once recognizable is now broken up and seen a part of machinery. In terms of cinematography, the film was shot in black and white since color was not available until later years.

The editing strategy used was consistent throughout the film. The director chops up certain scenes and shows certain objects as rapid, moving parts so that the audience is focused on the simple shapes and movement of the object as opposed to the object itself. This is primarily what the filmmaker is trying to achieve- turning associational objects into abstract shapes and movements. The film ends by emphasizing how much the audience's perception of ordinary objects and people has been altered. The beginning and end has similar elements.

Post #1 Reading: Garden of Forking Paths

In the Garden of Forking Paths, Jorge Luis Borges starts off his short story with Yu Tsun as a fighter with the German Reich during World War II. In this first person narrative, the audience is able to feel the fear and hesitation of Tsun’s mentality as he is trying to escape Captain Richard Madden. Tsun is desperately trying to think of a way to communicate the secret city that was about to be attacked and to prove that “a yellow man could save his armies.” In his escape from Captain Madden, he stumbles into Sinologist Dr. Stephen Albert’s house. In this environment, the two discuss labyrinths and Tsui Pen, the ancient governor who gave up material goods, locked himself away in solitude to compose a book and a maze. He constructed an invisible labyrinth of time and that the garden of forking paths had the idea of assessing all of the alternatives as opposed to choosing just one. With that being said, Tsun is able to lead his men to attack the city of Albert after Tsun murders Dr. Albert and gets caught by Captain Madden.


What I believe Borges is trying to communicate with this piece is to show that there is not only one alternative but several and to embrace them all, at least in the case of Tsun. While there may be one alternative, another “forking path” will arise and other solutions will arise. The story was especially interesting to me because it started out with a frenzied and war-worn soldier who felt helpless and running away from a captain. On the brink of hopelessness, Tsun figures out his solution and aids the Germans to a win because of his operation.

Reading: Marc Canter's The New Workstation: CD Rom Authoring Stations

Marc Canter's The New Workstation: CD Rom Authoring Stations

video clip: 40 minutes long

Flash Rabbit- differences among Symbols

http://www.archive.org/details/stock_footage

Oh shitake mushrooms, the idea of using Flash CS4 is making my heart aflutter. Kinda sick.

Size: pixels 1068- most common 1000 x 700

key frames have holes in them:
in b/t key frames, insert blank keyframe
shape tween- where you can take any pixels that you put on stage and hav them transformed- only works on things you draw and create, NOT symbols. Once into symbols, you use motion tweens.

SYMBOLS
graphic, movie clip, button
camelbacking- (naming things w/out characters or spaces and using capital letters: blueBtn2) impt b/c it's a standard syntax

CMD+Return = preview of .swf file

Movie Clip timelines = more powerful- has more sense of time
Graphic Symbol timelines-