Video on Place- Prison

This video is 2 minutes 10 seconds the action performed is the apparent buring of money in a prison like facility. The figure is unidentifiable due to mask and panty hoe, also the head is covered to further make this person unidentifiable.The music is Portis Head from the cd of the same title from 1997. The video was edited in Pinnalce Studio Plus just to add the music and slightly alter the speed in ceratin sections.

Prison

ChaChing

These shots were done by my good friend Carl Miller from CarlMiller Photos.com

Project 3.... Location Location Location.....Project 3

This piece came togther very unrandomly. Had this random thought about what sort of places were loaded with symbology as far as site specifictity. kept thinking where can i do a project that if i do it anywhere else it wouldn't mean the same. A prison was one thought, then out a the blu a get a call askin me if i wanna go and shoot in this old prison for the afternoon one sat. Uh... Yea!Yes yes yes now.. what do i do inside this cell that will also be loaded with symbolism? MMM maybe burn some money ! this gets better and better. Had to it ittt disguised as destroying federal property is a crime even if it is money you made urself mm maybe that's not so up and up either. Good thing i'm in prison. This exercise explored strong symbols as prop and place. I can make up all sorts of b--sh--t about what i was trying to say" I think the prison system is a waste of money or lust and greed for money will consume and destroy you. " just a few, but really i think it looks kewl and it was kinda a buzz to be so criminal.

Sources Were:
Anna Mendietta Performance artist
Nam June Paik Performance artist
Scott Weaver Installation titled The New South 2002
Music was PortisHead From PortisHead (chosen for the sounds of clanging)

Explanation of Time Piece....

I asked myself what is time to me? How do I measure time? what are the physical characteristics of time? How do we actually experience time?
My answers were...
Time to me is a construct of man unless it manifests in natural forces.
Evidence of time is the accumulation and disappearing of materials.
Time is pregnancy and death simultaneously.
Time moves in more than one direction.
Time is composed of individual memories-this is how we may "travel" thru time and it experience more than one point in time.
This would lead me to think of time as reflections of reality or space instead of something concrete or material.
One of my sources was Andy Goldsworthy -he deals with the passage of time in his work alot. i remebered how he would accumulate materials in a certain place at a certain time and this leads to art and further exploration of our place in the world.
When i thought of others who use objects to mark time in some way I thought of cairns-which are stacks of stones in a conical shape to mark something monumental that occured. Some jewish tiribes also stack white stones at grave sites along roads.
Another source was a film about events occuring at seemingly different times but they all came together at a certain point. The theme of this Hungarian film (The Magic Hunter) was that time moves in more than one direction. Another film with a time theme was Momento -about a guy who had no memory and had to write on his body to remind him of events. This seemed like he had no concept of the passing of time which was directly affected by his memory. So back to time as memories.In the film Donnie Darko the hero learns about time travel and alters the world. A portal opens a a certain point and he uses it to manipulate events.
I chose to use stones because of the history of stacking.
I chose money because it is metal which factors in time travel and the saying cliche as it is" Time is money"
I chose mirrors because of theit obvious reflective quality and that they symbolize time as a reflection of reality.This came up with BBairn in his notion of objects viewing themselves.
The sound in the video is a Tibetan bell and dorje combined with water. The bell for me has alwayss had the ability to suspend a moment in the air. The sound of water reminds me of tihe river or flow of time continous and like a current.
The sequence of the moonflower and pregnant woman were meant to illustrate that time is death and birth and pregnancy and how these things always overlap in the world. someone is always dying as someone is being born. Time shows no favour.
i consulted the IChing and got the hexagram 39 for obstruction. time can often be an obstruction we must overcome in order to survive. Maybe we should liberate ourselves from the constraints of culturaly imposed time and truely experience for oursleves. "in our own time. Time heals all wounds. Good things come to those who wait." "Time is on my side, may you live in intersting times. time stops for no man-maybe it will for a woman."




Sources for this were many...
Donni Darko 2000 American Film directed by Richard Kelly
Andy Goldsworthy Scottish Earthworks artsit
Momento 2003 American film directed by Christopher Nolan
The Magic Hunter-hungarian Film directed by Ildiko Engedti
The I Ching-Richard Wilheim Translation 1950

Time Video

This video piece was 2 minutes and 29 seconds. The sound was a Tibetian bell and a recording of water. I was the person ringing the bell while I was video taping the images in slide show form on my laptap, the water was addded later in the video editing program Pinnacle Studio Plus. All the photographs were shot by me using a 35mm digital camera and a point and shoot. Sizes vary all except the one that was split and flipped and reattached to create the mirror effect are staright shots no manipulation.

The process...

These images were shot using a 35mm digital SLR camera , they were meant to be viewed on screen only.


I had to experiment a bit to decide on the final form. Spent time moving objects around until I settled on the format.