Kelly Richardson's work is aspiring to me in so many different ways. Her specialty is manufacturing hyper-realistic landscapes with subtle changes, adding new meaning to her work.

Although I couldn't find an actual clip of Ferman Drive, the perspective of a moving vehicle and the focus on the surrounding landscape is something I took note of. Richardson had merged several neighborhoods into one so that it appears the car is moving through a single neighbourhood.

Richardson, Kelly. "Ferman Drive." Kelly Richardson. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Spoiler alert for Black Mirror, Season 1 Episode 2:

I was absolutely overcome with emotion.

Bing's speech summarizes his frustrations at a world where we value digital possessions and televised entertainment over what is true and meaningful. Other topics mentioned are the augmented, packaged, filtered content that serves as entertainment, the uncertain destination of where the cyclists end up, and the screens that dominate their everyday lives. I find these correlate well with the ideas from Fahrenheit 451 and provide me ample inspiration.

The irony that I am binge-watching Black Mirror in order to analyze the impact of HD television and commercials is quite funny.

Black Mirror - Bing's Speech. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHjIXCCHh3s>.

I read a book by Ray Bradbury a long time ago, Fahrenheit 451, and the futuristic American Midwest imagery still resonates strongly in my mind's eye. In particular, the enormous billboards adorning the roads where cars drive at dangerous speeds are what I want to focus on for my final project. Due to the high speeds, the drivers cannot view regular billboards, so in order for their ads to be consumed the billboards are extended to 200 feet so that the image is viewed correctly as the vehicles are in motion. For Project 4, I want to extend this idea to using video as the medium and experiment using Adobe Premiere and After Effects.

Additionally, I want to incorporate the modern ideas of fun and entertainment in relation to the world in Fahrenheit 451. The protagonist's wife indulges in wearing Seashells to listen to music and relaxing inside their living room where TV characters are literally larger than life on the TV walls. This is almost no different than how we enjoy wearing our earbuds and Bluetooth headsets and binge-watching TV series on the highest resolution possible.

I found a video from James Patterson which is reminiscent of the book burning that is a main topic of the novel, and could be remixed into my project.

#SaveOurbooks. YouTube. N.p., 22 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkkVPJBkvqA>.

I chose Sharon's lightbox piece to critique.

The image shows the artist, face off-camera, with a black swirling mass in her chest. This is a result of using Photoshop to edit a photo taken of the artist.

The composition falls nicely in the rule of thirds as the subject is set to the right and her right arm is extended on the bottom horizontal line, with the hole close to the bottom right intersection. There is enough negative space on the left to give the piece room to breathe. The hole is framed by her hands, enforcing natural framing that helps guide the eye to it; it is also not a hard-edged hole, which suggests constant movement.

Painting the lightbox white and using a warm colour as a backdrop brings a comforting feeling, however this is offset by the obscured face, the rigid formation of the fingers, and the dark space where her heart is meant to be. The solemn facial expression suggests a sense of detachment, while the hands look posed and ready to take action to control the hole. I am reminded of the nihilistic themes of Nietzche's work, in which he describes humanity's struggle with meaning in life and existence.

Sharon's piece works as a constructive narrative and as an exploration of identity. The camera angle and composition is cinematic and can easily be inserted into a narrative film. The audience is left with questions as to why a hole exists in the character: is it figurative, or literal? What has caused this person to possess a hole, and what will happen next? As for identity, the emphasis on the internal struggle and the hidden face allows the viewer to see themselves as the subject.

What makes this work succeed is its minimalism, and the posture of the illuminated hands contrasts very well with the blurry but dark hole. The work could be improved by limiting the position of the hole to the heart, as the black covers almost the entire chest, but the idea is conveyed clearly regardless.

Lai, Sharon. "The Minimalist." The Minimalist. N.p., 7 Nov. 2016. Web. 27 Nov. 2016. <http://sharonlai22.tumblr.com/post/152877709351>.

Deep remixability

The process of inserting an old operation into a new digital environment.

Variable form

Form or shape of a subject that is not constant, always changing and/or does not have a static state.

Continuity turn

The point in culture when temporal visual forms converge with spatial architectural forms and begin the exploration of change and transformation.

Metamedium

Newly formed relationships between form and content in various technologies and mediums.

"Eye Catching" by Jennifer Steinkamp

Deep remixability is portrayed through the depiction of natural organic imagery projected inside man-made environments, that is, the image of trees inside the Yerebaten Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey. The trees are constantly swaying with a variable form. Steinkamp's video projections transform the architectural landscape within the cistern, resulting in a continuity turn. Using a combination of computer-generated imagery and video projection, the convergence of different technologies provides a distinct metamedium.

Steinkamp, Jennifer. "Steinkamp_Eye Catching." Steinkamp_Eye Catching. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2016. <http://jsteinkamp.com/html/body_turkey.htm>.