Process and Product

Process and product are discussed in Launching the Imagination. The book discusses how friction is used by some artists in three-dimensional pieces. One example is Todd Slaughter’s piece called Grinding Knuckles. The two graphite knuckles grind against each other, taking away from the sculpture and creating a pile of graphite (pg. 274). I find it interesting how the artist is willing to have his piece slowly destroyed, because of the beauty of the piece that he created. But then again that is part of the piece and the piece wouldn't be the same thing without that friction. The piece would have a totally different meaning without the grinding.

Time and Sculpture

Mary Stewart discusses sculpture as time. I like sculptures that change over time. I like to see the change, and it keeps me interested in the piece. While some sculptures change quickly, like Fumaki Nakamura’s Light Communication, other pieces change slowly, like Shelagh Wakely’s curcuma sul travertion (pg. 284). I like curcuma sul travertion because one can see how many people have walked, or not walked through the area. I would like to see it at different times during the day and at different time intervals. This piece of art could be used as a research piece as well because it can tell when more people walk through the area during certain times of the day, and where they walked to. 

Sound

Sound is very important in films. When I was reading the section of Time Design in Mary Stewart’ Launching the Imagination I never thought I would be reading about sound design. The book is very visually centered, but I am happy to see some stuff about sound. I never really thought about all of the qualities that sound has until I read that sound has seven of them (pg. 309). Sound sets the mood in a film and helps signal to the audience what the mood is or what it is going to be. Sound can tell when something is about to pop out of nowhere and scare the audience. Sound can also have an impact on the audience’s emotions. A more quiet sound can set the tone for a more somber moment or scene. Sound is all around us, so it is natural for sound to play an important role in film. 

Film Transitions

Mary Stewart talks about transitions in Launching the Imagination. Transitions in film transition from one scene to another (pg. 296). I think transitions are important and can defiantly change the look of a film. I don’t like when a lot of fancy transitions are used in a short amount of time because it breaks up the film too much and makes it seem choppy. I think it is important to use like a fade or a dissolve every now and then, but a cut seems to work well in a lot of cases, and keeps the pace of the film going.

Visual Books

Mary Stewart discusses visual books in her book Launching the Imagination. Visual books, like pop-up books, combine two-dimensional composition with three-dimensional structure (pg. 349). I really like pop-up books. I don’t really like books, unless it is a cool pop-up book or if the nook has something to do with Cirque du Soleil. I haven’t seen a pop-up book in a long time. Most people might think that they are for kids, but I think that they present a book in a different way that everyone can enjoy. It creates a space that one can explore visually in a new, unusual way within a book. I found a video of a pop-up book that I liked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnZr0wiG1Hg.

Non-narrative

In Launching the Imagination, Mary Stewart discusses non-narrative storylines. She discusses the three most common approaches in non-narrative, which are categorical, rhetorical and abstract. In the book she talks about how audience participation is needed more in non-narrative, compared to narrative due to the lack of a concrete plot (pg.340). I like non-narrative pieces because I can take what the artist made and interrupt it in my own way, I can make it what I want. However, I don’t like it when I have to think a lot about it, or stop what I am watching to think about it. I don’t like that because I feel that when I have to really think hard about it, it takes away from the actual piece. So, instead of concentrating on the piece, I am concentrating on what I am thinking about. I think it is important in this case, of non-narrative, to give the audience just enough to think about, but not too much. 

"Europe. It's Just Next Door"

In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGW6Rm437tE, there is a door in the middle of the walking area in a city in Europe. When a participant opens the door another city in Europe is shown on a screen within the door. There is a camera set up in both cities, so participants can see what is on the other side. On one side there is a performer who is ready to perform, and on the other side there is a participant who decided to open the door. While web cams are not new technology, this video shows how this older technology can be used in a new way, in a public, group way, with strangers on a side walk. It creates a type of interactive art piece that connects the large public world together and makes it smaller.