Final Project medp160

Final Project

Unfinished Conversations - MOMA exhibition

Watching the three-screen installation, I did have a feeling of being overwhelmed with the visuals and overlapping audio that were being shown throughout the seating. Scenes of Stuart Hall’s interviews and discussions, followed by photos of his earlier years and of his family, along with images of war, all being played while Stuart himself talks about the different experiences of his life.Seemingly incoherent, the images show help portray the erratic behavior of Stuart’s own mind. How when he is discussing certain topics, certain images will play out in his minds and thus, will be shown on one of the three screens. It is important to note that using 3 screens for this piece helps visualize the way Stuart’s psyche works, as an active brain will have many images flowing through at the same time and most of the time these images aren’t relate able when put together. Even though it is hard to show a person’s stream of consciousness without losing the audience, John Akomfrah did a great job capturing a good bit of it, just enough so I was able to follow along and understand the depth of the topics discussed. As for the topics that Stuart Hall was elaborating on throughout the course of the piece, I was interested in his thoughts on identity and society and how the tone of one’s skin color can greatly affect your relationships between friends and family. Being born and raised in Jamaica, to then move to the United Kingdom to further his studies, Stuart felt the affects of his color from two different fronts. His take on the matter offered me a unique first-hand experience of how an individual comes to terms with their identity or, more accurately, how one learns who they really are through their experiences and self-thought.

Poject 2

interview - jackie

Extra Credit - Codes and Modes Conference

I went to the Codes and Modes conference right after my class on Thursday. I was treated to a welcoming story by Andrew Lund, who helped bring the Codes and Modes conference to the level of importance that it is today. Throughout the entire session, there was a t.v. prompt that asked us a series of questions and we were able to answer it through the use of text messaging, our messages would appear on screen along with the first image related to what we put. At first, it was entertaining, people played around with their answers just to see their what picture would show. As time went on though, the jokes were put aside and people started answering the prompt more seriously and were discussing other’s previous responses. I also started to think about the question more in-depth and ended up looking through the internet on some of the topics that the prompt presented. This really did put to perspective what the conference was about, different ways to use technology so people can communicate with each other and how technology provides a base in which we can share our thoughts. Aside from that, the bulk of my time spent at the conference were mainly listening to Dan Archer, the founder of Empathetic Media, talking about how his company uses VR to tell stories through an interactive environment. His company’s goal is to start the new generation of storytelling, by using the latest technology to give storytellers a new method in which they can produce their tales and tell their stories. He talked about the ways the VR immerses the viewers by putting them in the life of the story, and the ability the VR has in tapping into a deeper level of empathy that viewers will exhibit because of said immersion.

SoundWalk - Manhattan Subway Surfer

After coming out work last Saturday, I had plans to meet with a couple of friends of mine. One of my friends is not familiar with New York, so I had to meet up with her at the PATH Station. Considering that the trains were delayed and I couldn’t hear any music since I was underground, I thought it was the perfect time to go on a “SoundWalk”.

The train rumbled louder and louder as it approached, while the sound of synchronized footsteps grew in anticipation. When the train opens, you can hear agitated grunts of those who are finally free of the packed can of sardines, together with the sounds of relief from those who are still inside and have a bit more wiggle room. Once inside, there are a number of disjointed noises that collided with one another, mellowed out only by the constant humming of the train itself. Woman chatting amongst themselves as they’re getting ready for the night out. Co-Workers are talking in short burst, as a way to keep a conversation alive and also to keep themselves from sleeping. While the general public are keeping amongst themselves by either playing faint music or snoring in their sleep. The train stopped mid-passing, due to delays, and the train’s noise faded for a bit. Since most New Yorkers unconsciously tune out the constant humming and rumbling, once it was gone, a sense of silence and emptiness was apparent. It felt unnatural, to be missing some of the usual background music that I’ve grown accustomed too, and you can tell how people noticed to. As some woke up and others lowered the volume of their music to see what was going on. Most people sighed in agitation as this silence was a sign of non-movement and went against the constant buzzing of the New York sound. After a bit, the train hummed once again and everything started up once more. As I exited my stop, I was welcomed by a chorus of footsteps and dispersed noises that make up the NY beat. You can tell that I was in a tourist spot by how many times you would hear a camera clicking.

Project #1

Project #1 Creepy vibes

Scavenger hunt test

test