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We had to take photos and videos by experimenting with different lenses found in our house and these were my final 4. It was rather difficult but fun to experiment and take photos by looking at them in a different perspective, using common objects such as water-bottles and plastic table cloths to create a range of textures, colours and dynamics.

The ones seen in the bottom are other test photos I tried using this holed cup and polaroid viewfinder I owned. Also, I played with the shadows coming from my bedroom window. This quick activity gave me the opportunity to be creative and use what I have at home to create these experimental-type photographs.

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MORE BRAINSTORM ON POSES FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHS

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MORE BRAINSTORM ON POSES FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHS

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extending my arm (could photoshop another arm - maybe appropriate the creation of adam or ET, where so CLOSE but so far in reach)

me looking into the mirror, re-examing myself & reflecting

pondering

bored

restless

Aerial shot of me lying down in bed with my pillow (accurate representation of me in quarantine)

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I decided on having a black background to have the focus solely on my face, and visually I think it was more effective than having a white background. It conveyed a more eerie and melancholic look to it.

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series of photobooth photos in my camera roll ....

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series of photobooth photos in my camera roll ....

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I took a couple of photobooth photos displaying different reactions (neutral, screaming, yawning, etc).

I had to adjust the light as it was during golden hour when I shot this so I lowered the blinds in my window, so I could have a little bit of sunlight in my room as I didn't want HD photos but more grainy and low resolution.

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After finding out I could digitally manipulate and distort images myself through photoshop which simulates using silver mylar, I searched up a tutorial on youtube.

The tutorial was helpful as it was easy to follow which enabled me to experiment using the liquify tool to change and manipulate my self portraits.

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As seen, I experimented with the liquify tool in photoshop. It was fun to distort my own face, trialling different brushes to see what effects I could get. However,  it wasn't exactly the distortion effect that I was going for.... so I tried searching up more face distortion tutorials on youtube.

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I came across this tutorial on how to face stretch on photoshop which was what I intended on doing. It was an easy to follow tutorial, where they used the "smudge" tool instead. However, I couldn't locate it at first so I searched it up on the 'Help' bar and found it. I had to download the 20 brush pack that was included in the link of the videos in order to achieve the face stretch effect and downloaded it into my photoshop to use.

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Easy Way to Achieve Face Stretch Effect in Photoshop!

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these were the 2 photos I decided to experiment doing a double exposure of on photoshop, and then try using the 'smudge' tool to distort and manipulate the images.

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I masked the photo of me looking to the side and placed it on the left, intending to expose the multiple emotions of both  lost, confusion and insanity with the multiple faces and the disorientation of it through manipulating the images.

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I used the app VSCO on my phone to edit the photo into black & white as I felt it was visually and conceptually stronger for the idea I intend to convey. By doing so, it made my face more prominent and the photo more eye-catching making it more effective.

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This was the end result of face stretch experiment for this photo. Personally, I loved the way it turned out and it was thanks to the brush pack I downloaded that enabled me to distort my face. I also used the 'liquify' tool to simulate more waves within the face stretch and also in the borders of the photo. I intentionally did this to render a more natural-ish (despite nothing natural happening in this photo) flow to the images.

Also, I adjusted the capacity of the mask I did of me looking to the side lower, to make it more ghostly looking which further emphasises my idea of the both sanity and insanity, a vicious cycle that we as individuals in self isolation are experiencing - to keep sane within the constraints of the walls of our homes however can't help but expressing signs of 'insanity' or instability and chaos within ourselves on a psychological level.

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I used another app on my phone called Bazaart where I attempted to overlay the image with a film grain overlay as visually I intended to have a more nostalgic, VHS look. I experimented with the blending tools and made it so only the face which was pulled apart was seen on the right, which I thought brought visual interest and negative space.

However, I didn't end up picking this because I believed the previous photograph was more visually interesting and effective in conveying my idea.

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As I have to use a series of found and new images in this assessment, I went on flickr and searched up photos of rain cloud and came across this one.

I used a raincloud as symbolically it conveys doom, destruction and gloom which parallels to our current climate. However, there's a silver lining in rain cloud as it isn't entirely covered in rainclouds, with the small opening of a blue sky. This also reminds us that there is still hope and light in this troubling time.

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I chose the photo of me closing my eyes making myself appear as if I'm in a dream state. This sense of manifestation and growth is also conveyed through the triad of me. Symbolically the number 3 is connected with the energies of optimism and principles of growth. Thus, I wanted to do three heads to underline again that there is still hope for normality and sanity as well as light at the end of this social distancing period.

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I went to flickr and searched up 'virus' which came up with the image on the bottom left (which actually is a lamp) and I decided to experiment and try to mask the image and put it onto my eye.

I wanted to convey how much covid19 has infiltrated our world that it's practically the only thing we see and hear.

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I used the liquify tool to create this blurred effect around the eye to create the eye as the main focal point.

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After presenting my progress and my idea to my teacher, she suggested to try to do the images analogue and continue experimenting with the self portraits as she believed that it was stronger than the eye pic (photo #3). She also suggested that I could try doing a video or a panoramic image for the self-portraits, and provided me an artist to look into named Daniel Crooks.

Daniel Crooks is an artist who manipulates digital imagery and footage as though it were a physical material. I will plan on further looking into his artistic practice to gain more information on how he manipulates the images so it can inspire mine.

Overall, she said that I was on the right track and to keep going. I cleared up on my question also the digital journal as I was using Pages beforehand, but she said I must use the options in the assessment such as Tumblr, IG or padlet, etc. Hence, why I converted all of my images onto padlet.

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notes from wednesday class

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I took 6 recordings all from different areas of my house that would record different sounds.

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I experimented with 2 audios that I liked was me cooking and the bathroom fan noise. I played around with multiple effects such as delay, reverse and did a mix-track to where I layered the audio for one of them.

The experience was fun and intriguing as the Adobe Audition is a very high tech software that has multiple features to manipulate sound which I could possibly use for future art projects.

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editing for the second audio

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me preparing to cook pancakes.

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bathroom fan audio mixdown: I layered the audios together.

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This is the video I decided to use for the challenge as the I chose to overlay it with the 'cook' audio as once I manipulated the sound, it reminded me of a working construction site.

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Building The Boulevard Haussmann - Paris 1926 (1926)

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I had to shorten the video and sound to 30 seconds. Also, I cut up the audio to the parts where there was sound as half of the time it was silent. I also increased the volume a bit because some parts of the sound was soft.

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I decided to use a clip from this video, a scene from twin peaks inside the black lodge to create ambiguity and suspense.

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Journey Through Twin Peaks - Chapter 19 (Black Lodge): The Lost Detective

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I edited the clip to a specific scene and slowed it down by 60% to prolong it as the other clips seemed to visually distracting that the audio didn't exactly shine through. I liked this edit than my first one as it's more suspenseful and ambiguous. It seemed fitting for a David Lynch show.

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This is one of the artists that inspired my practice, and this is an article which I read and annotated.

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Static No.12 (seek stillness in movement)

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Rosa Menkman, A vernacular of File Formats. 2010 

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Rosa Menkman, A vernacular of File Formats. 2010 

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This video was an interesting watch as she explained the positive consequences of 'glitches' as they are often viewed as negative experiences and technological errors.

When she mentioned how Facebook has it's own formats, algorithm and language, and those who differ from their standard formats are deleted. It brings up this idea of standardisation and also enforcement of conformity in a sense where Facebook expects it's users to follow a certain algorithm and language that is suitable and appropriate for them.

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Glitch - Benchmarking the deranged: Rosa Menkman at TEDxUtrecht

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these are for round 2 edits! :-)

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Similar to the other photos, I masked the photos and used the smudge + liquify tool to create distortions

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After editing, I realised I didn't like the way the faces blended together, as I felt the 'liquifying' aspect in between was much more clearer in clarity than the opposing faces. It was visually distracting and so I edited it again.

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second attempt

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This edit is better than the other one as I blended the distortions of the faces better and it wasn't as harsh.

The exaggerated scream represents the internal scream and built up frustration from being pent up in isolation within the confinements of my house. There is an overwhelming sense of distress and disorder that is captured in the edit which is an obvious response to the covid situation + my idea.

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I chose this found image of 2 old grandfather clocks and decided to overlay my face onto it. I was inspired by Salvador Dali's, Persistence of Memory  and how the symbol of the clock i represents the motif of time that escapes us while we are asleep.

In our current climate, time feels warped and stands still - we're suspended in time. Essentially all we have is time and days feel slower and longer but even sometimes it feels faster, it all depends. Regardless, my point is we're practically swimming in time and with our current situation everything feels as if we're in a surreal dream state - can't fathom what is actually going on in our world currently.

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Being inspired by Andre Kertesz and his idea of distorting natural features, I manipulated parts of my face leaving it in this fragmented state. It brings disjunction and disorder which is exactly what the covid19 situation has brought upon us.

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In this I am upside down where I am inside the clock with my eyes closed - referencing the surrealist period and the dream state like in the Persistence of Memory. Both clocks are liquified and stretched using the 'liquify' tool to give the illusion of them melting to further signify the suspension of time.

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Personally, this is one of my favourite photos in the self portrait series. I believe it reflects my idea of chaos/insanity as well as distortion and time all in one.

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I wanted to do a panoramic style photo me looking left to right, showing the movement as a symbol of the fast-paced feeling and chaos the covid situation has brought.

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In order to further emphasise this sense of motion and fast dynamic that the social distancing has brought upon, I searched up pictures of people walking and chose this one. It represents both the strenous physical and psychological journey that we are all experiencing in isolation. It's a psychologically challenging time for us, especially those who are accustomed to routine. It's a constant struggle and as cliche as it might sound, our current climate could be the only thing that's running in our mind. It's stressful!

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I like the subtlety of the overlay of people walking, I feel it strengthens the work visually and conceptually. The fast paced movement is showcased within the picture with the long exposure effect created in photoshop.

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HYPOTHETICALLY, to present this I would want to put a border on all the 5 images (white or black??????), making the scale of the actual images approximately A5 but have the borders in either A3 or A4?

- want to have this negative space in the photo that give the audience ability to peer into the photograph, looking into it

(also considering hypothetically when this photo would be printed the images wouldn't be in the highest resolution considering they were taken through photobooth)

- would want to do a standard C-type print on these photos

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Hypothetically, if this were to be presented in a gallery space, I want the images to be C-type prints on A3 scale BUT the self portrait images themselves are in A5 scale and the remaining space would be black negative space/border.

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I was debating whether on doing a black or white border for the photos  to see which was more visually appealing. I asked a friend and she said that she liked the black border but hypothetically could see the white borders if printed out in a gallery setting. I had the same opinion where I feel as if digitally the black borders are more visually appealing and blended more. However, the white borders are classic and this traditional layout as seen in  galleries.

However, I'm deciding on keeping the black borders as it visually looks better and I feel the faces are emphasised more, as you're eyes are drawn to the images in the middle.

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GIF browser supported stop motion

- we had to collate 20 images w/ the same iterations to create a gif

The process was sort of easy-going but at first there was times where the picture actually glitched which I thought looked cool.

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I chose to move my vase of flowers (that are dead) lol in a clockwise direction.

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I had trouble doing the gif as my storage was starting to get full, and so the gif isn't polished. However, the new knowledge and skill that I have in creating a gif will be valuable if I choose to utilise this medium in my future art projects.

Also, I had to compress the file 3 times because it was originally 40MB which was WAY too large to upload on padlet hence, it's on google drive.

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HYPOTHETICAL LAYOUT IF IT WAS IN A GALLERY SETTING

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HYPOTHETICAL LAYOUT IF IT WAS IN A GALLERY SETTING

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My teacher had suggested to not be afraid to experiment with scale, making the series of self portraits I made perhaps as big as a window or a door. I intend in my future practice to push myself in making larger scale works. My peers were pleased with my work, however my teacher also commented that black and white suggests nostalgia. This wasn't exactly my intention as I wanted to convey a heightened sense of disruption and isolation, devoid of colour. Overall, I enjoyed creating this minor project, and look forward to improving my media arts skills especially on more larger scale works, being open to do something as large as a door maybe or a building?