Much of my artistic initiative is characterized by the influences I’ve came across over the years. I’m sure my creative style is not fully defined yet, but I’m taking all the right steps to get as close to its full development. I’m heavily influenced by Todd Hido, an American Photographer and Professor at the California of arts. I’m also a huge fan Jared pike, who is a 3D designer that creates creepy/eerie images of pools using Blender. I’m also a huge fan of the filmmaker Will Darbyshire, whos work hasn’t quite made it to the big screen yet, although his short films on youtube which are authentic and emotionally moving, have been a great influence on me. The eeriness of Hido and Pikes work combined with the emotional gravity of filmmakers like will Derbyshire or Stef Michalak (to name a few), have morphed to form the development of a unique style within me. One which attempts to explore the deeper emotional side of things. I believe my style is still trying to be good, like Ira Glass mentioned in his statement about the creative process.
This animated gif showcases the relationship between humans and digital technology through net art. It portrays glimpses of the technologies and people associated with some of the most profound attributions to digital culture. The gif is structured by a linear timeline, showing how some of these technological innovations have evolved over the last century. Featuring household brands like Apple, Nintendo, Samsung, Nokia etc.. The aim of the piece was to represent the evoloution of digital culture while simultaneously evoking a nostalgic response. The initial 8mm overlay covers those parts of the gif which are further back in time, this grainy/grungy overlay creates distance between the viewer and the medium. The piece is face paced and distorted/trippy. This is to showcase the complexity of digital systems and the lack of understanding many of us have for them. The fast pace illustrates the rapid development of technology. There is barely any time for the eye to catch and fully comprehend a particular moment in the gif, which is precisely the way our digital culture has evolved. Any new technology that comes along is instantly replaced by an up to date, faster or more efficient model. The sharp dip to white aims to depict the transition to modern technological forms. The 8mm film grain is no longer visible, reducing the distance between the viewer and the content portrayed. This part of the gif features imagery of large corporations like google and prominent figures in the technological realm like Elon Musk. Some of these shots of people are morphed with digital depictions, showcasing a blend between man and machine as technology progresses. In summary, this gif explores the fleeting evolution of digital culture over the last century. While simultaneously showcasing the complexity and merging together of mankind and Ai and technology.
The initial phase of my project Process involved gathering the material which I would then import into premiere for editing. My investigation took the form of the utilization of websites like Pinterest to get a better understanding of the message I wanted to convey in my Gif. After creating Mood Boards and Pins, I eventually came to an understanding of the form my project would take (The evolution of the digital age over the last century) After gathering the relevant media sources, I imported my images to a project bin in Premiere. I then organized all the images in my first video track. This process was the most important, as it formed the base of my project and created the context which I envisioned for the project. It was important that I made the imported content unique is some way, so I adjust the rgb split on some of the images I organized in the first later to create a distorted effect. I then separated the images close to the centre of the first track with a colour matte, this would separate the vintage/nostalgic technological elements of my gif from the modern ones. I then added old logos to the second track my project and adjusted the blend mode to make the bottom track visible along with the top layer logos, I experimented with the blend modes to achieve different colours and effects. Next, I created the animated raining green code in aftereffects, similar to the one seen in the matrix, and imported it into premiere on the third track. I then changed the blend mode of the matrix text so it overlayed the tracks beneath. Afterwards, I masked the eye in the glasses layer and positioned the robot toucing hand layer beneath, so it filled the masked part. I then created keyframes in the positional panel in the glasses layer so it zoomed into the eye and into the ai/human layer beneath. I also made a color change effect using keyframes and the rgb split on the bottom layer to create the rabid alteration of colour. This step was succeeded by an overlay of a wormhole effect over the final vintage clip of the project (XBOX menu). This was done to signify the passing of time. I then applied a dip to white effect over the last clip which blends into the white colour matte, this then transitions into the modern components of the gif. project process Finally, the fifth track contains the super 8 film effect which is overlayed above the past representations of technology. This layer contains a grainy/dirty texture, imitating the film appearance of film in the past. This overlay in combination with adjustments to colour, creates a nostalgic atmosphere.
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