Sounds and any form of communication (touch, smell etc) is physically just the processing of electrical signals in the brain. Is there a way I could express the idea of human connection through the video. The way that’s its reversed and reaching out… could this be a successful representation of communication. I think the complex individuality of each mind is what makes human connection so beautifully amazing. I could transform the connections from my own life into electrical impulses that are translated into sound waves as an expression of connection for the video aspect of the piece.

The dynamic movements and minimalistic design. The way each time it is used it creates a new piece of art in its own right. A new sound and the imperfection of each human voice. The way it grows and speeds up makes me think of warmth. Ironically because it has quiet a cold piercing feel to its echoes too. But I feel like a shift of energy is taking places, like particles having a knock on effect to one another. Exchanging information and allowing that energy to shift and mutate as is travels down the spiral. Twisting into echoes of beauty. The piece itself gives me butterflies every time I experience it. I love this effect is has on me and think the uplifting feeling is why I’m so drawn to this unique piece. I want to look into how I could create an echoing sound with my ‘exploring the self’ pieces, to help emphasis the idea of a physical echo self within the audio. But I want the piece to be more tangible, and tactile. Something interactive. 

I am happy with covering up arguably my favourite part of the canvas. Purely because I think that it reflects human nature quite successfully. For evolutionary purposes we have this ‘monkey see, monkey do’ nature. We have this nature built into us because if we saw someone else doing something before us (eating a certain food or following a certain path) we would know this was safe and follow along. But in this modern day and age we still have this nature. A bit like an appendix of the mind, for most of us it’s just useless now, and can even cause us harm. We have such constant exposure to every aspect of life due to modern technology, and still have this pull to copy. To be the same. But if we are all the same no one will ever be special. (Quote from The Incredibles: ‘If everyone’s special, no one is’). We often cut off the most unique and beautiful part of ourselves to make sure we fit into the standard sized box. This makes me think of something I read ages ago about how school produces the best employees. Our preparatory process for life does not create leaders, original thinkers. It moulds us all into the same subservient shape. This makes me sad, because if the beautiful unique parts of each individual were nurtured and helped grow then we would have better leaders, more inventions, more scientific discoveries. It just seems like such a waste to me. It makes me think of America’s school system. I think that their structure actually works a little like a cult. Repetitive sayings and words drilled into you (Donald Trump’s top 5 most said words: winning, stupid, weak, loser(s), Fake news)  his words are very strong, very emotive. They either big up himself (his most said word: winning) and his country or push down everyone else and make them seems below him in some sense. https://www.yourdictionary.com/slideshow/donald-trump-20-most-frequently-used-words.html. The reason I am anti the American education system is that I think it’s uneducational on purpose to make the adults and decision makers of the country more susceptible to persuasion. 19% of high school graduates are unable to read. A shocking statistic. This lack of education goes against this so called ‘free’ country. How can someone make a free and informed decision without being educated enough to understand consequences? This structure leads to individuals who can not ‘...read nor write, nor think of themselves in a critical manner.’. Due to federal funding American children are starting relatively high on international PISA testing, but as their age increases there is a directly negative correlation. The older they get, the more relatively stupid they become. I cant help but think there is a manipulation taking place to enhance subservience. https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-dumbing-down-of-america-by design/5395928?fbclid=IwAR3HfFxmEtCwBNEdxFLhxVUkRXdLdVZDD6ZXyUyGTX9xFlf1WQPap0-lOoY

I think I need to do some research at this point that relates to my process rather then concept as I often find myself needing a bit of grounding, and have been a little 'concept heavy' recently. I've been considering how to extend a three dimensional object's pattern across itself but also its background setting (extending the patterns between the two planes) so thought I'd look into Alexa Meade's process. I like her idea of using the 3D structure (the human) and incorporating the background texture and style onto something real and tangible that exists within this plane of reality that we as people live in, rather then cooperating with the plane of the canvas by painting live models into her pieces and transforming them into part of the artwork. I feel like she breaks rules of the canvas with her work, and I admire that about her. She breaks boundaries and confuses the viewer with contradictory imagery that makes you double take her work and really want to visually dig in deeper. 

Tie Noble and Sue Webster’s shadow work is a beautiful example of the combination of the intangible, physical principles of the scientific world with the world of space and structure (as found in sculpture). I love the way the artists use physical objects to sculpt something natural and intangible; light. Using their hands to manipulate an essence of nature. I love this idea of using scientific processes as a means to create work. When considering painting onto an object in the same manor as its background or submerging the foreground object with its background through process of shrink wrapping, it becomes clear to me after looking at their work that the process of compression by heat is the more interesting option that could open lots of doors for my work moving forward. What would this physical process look like? Would feelings would it provoke in the viewer? Does this bring relevance to my work into the modern world of isolation (fear of entrapment)? 

On another note, their work's emphasis on the importance of perspective makes me think about the relationship between the beholder and the work itself. I could look at a piece and have it trigger a deep emotional response whilst a seemingly similar person would juts witness the same piece of work for its raw materials.

I find myself so intrigued by this song because to me it really does encompass the original intent of rap music. ‘Rhythm And Poetry’. Even with its duration of 8minutes it doesn’t become boring or get old, I never find myself skipping it because it has a narrative. A story that runs through it and has shifts in tone and mood like you are brought into this abstract world of music and living in its melody. I find rap like this hugely inspiring because I myself like to put spoken word along side melodies to create the audio for the videos. This piece of writing relates to the words, but how could I create a process to make my own melodic undertones to the spoken word? look into this going forward with your work. 

'Sunshine can’t kissed closed eyelids':

This makes me think of how the closed minded can never see beauty. It is impossible to imagine colours we have never seen before. If we have never experienced something we cannot have an image of it in our minds. Abstract ideas and mental interpretations come from a combination of the known and the seen, reordered into a fictional story line within the mind. But the brain cannot simply make up information. It must be explored. All the faces you see within your dreams are faces you have seen in passing, in your main life or randomly on the street in passing. If you cannot see the beauty in the world or feel the sunshine kiss your eyes then you need to go out into the world and seek beauty, open your eyes to it.

I briefly touched upon the idea of mind over matter (the use of willpower to overcome physical problems) when considering the duality of the biological and psychological selves. is the mind truly the strongest muscle? This made me think of a video I had seen of a slinky on an angled treadmill. For overstep the slinky takes the treadmill returns it to its original position. This made me think, we keep pushing and pushing ourselves to try and reach our socially acceptable life goals (jobs, marriage, children, settling down). what if we find that if you live with an ‘always living for the weekend’ attitude, (living for the best days and wishing your life away  not just experiencing things as they come) one day you will find yourself wishing away your last week. The tread mill will stop and for one split second the slinky (if I had consciousness) is happy it reached its seemingly impossible goal, only to discovered it has now lost all purpose and has reached the end of it’s path. 

I’m not sure why but I have a personal connection with this video. It feels so raw and human. Stripping away the colours and just leaving light, dark and structure. I find it so emotive and intense. I filmed and edited my interview-stile video to display the person in the same style as the ‘more then words’ music video. I always find myself going back and watching this, not because I particularly like the song, but because it just feels so raw and vulnerable. Like an open book the viewer is being allowed to read. I wanted this sense of vulnerability in my interview style video piece. I also found when I was working on my extension project at the end of Part 1 that the black surrounding gives a very immersive effect. Also keeping in mind this video will be a projection of some kind, the black rather then white backdrop will give the projection less of a rectangular form, the less defined edges will help the viewer focus in on the imagery. But aesthetically I love the dark surroundings filling the space around their expressive shifting raw faces. I chose for my model to have no make up to keep her natural blushing and imperfections. Personally I think these parts of the footage are the most beautiful. I actually didn’t have much choice in the lighting as one of my two home studio lights broke (because they are cheap and not very good) but I liked how only half of the face was visible the majority of the time. It gave a sense of mystery, following forward with the idea we all have secrets, baggage, hidden past traumers that live in the shadows of our everyday lives. Our bodies can continue in perfect function while our minds could be adrift. It also directly visually related to my favourite shot from the ‘more than words’ video: the side shot of the singer. Moving his mouth, distorting his facial structure with passion and emotion. 

The aesthetic and emotional impact of my most recent video (the 'Ethereal' shoot video outcome) was inspired by the video that first inspired me to take up 4D. My initial reaction to this play was that the spoken words were a visualisation of the thought process (the fast pace ramblings almost seeming like the pace of dream or a drink/drugs enhanced rant). Then focussing in on the inflections of the words I found that the variation in pace and volume made myself the viewer feel very uneasy and almost anxious, further observing that this unsettled way of talking actually sounded to me like someone talking backwards. After looking into the context of the highly ambiguous piece I discovered that this woman never spoke until here epiphany in the field and then could not stop speaking. It made me think of the mind/ body relationship. Whilst her body was being blocked from self expression the mind went into turmoil, trapped in its own mental holding cell. I loved this immersive, emotionally triggering aesthetic and am going to bring the black surrounding with the single subject matter, paired along side the spoken word (in this case inspired by Allen Watts and Bruce Lee) into my own work. I think this process of working is becoming a kind of signature style in my work, completely unintentionally. Its exciting to see a personal pattern unfold. 

I think as an artist it’s important to think about the psychology of the situation. After all isn’t the point of art the emotional response you provoke in others? Bearing in mind my project’s intensions, I want to have a think about the physical side of things (the actual brain) and the emotional side of the situation (the psychology). The book says ‘the brain may “contain” the mind, there are many facets of human experience that cannot be observed using biological techniques’. I think this is where the physical and abstract selves have an interesting divide, a space free for exploration and discovery. An exciting unknown, this is the space I’m visually exploring. It was Wundt’s method that actually attempted to study the thought processes within the brain structure rather than the observable behavior happening in the external casing/ body of the human. I think in the space between the body and the mind is where the real ‘us’ falls. It’s funny to think that as you read these words, your brain is receiving information in the form of electrical signals from your eyes. Recognising the shapes and lines the light carves to create each letter, and processing them into something with meaning. I plan to . Use it to process the electrical signals produced from touch (an important factor in human emotion and connection) which cannot be expressed through video work. The device will transform/ process these signals into something with meaning, something audible. 

After reading 'The Little Book of Psychology' and exploring  the SPIRALALA staircase,I fund that I loved that the sound waves created were personalised and were created through science, but from a raw human experience. So I started googling devices that could transform human touch into sound, I figured as humans are natural conductors why wouldn't their be such a thing. I found a device which does exactly that and have ordered it, hopefully it won't take too long to arrive and I can start making my own unique sounds. I could record the sound waves create between two people kissing by their touch. Or by two people being compressed together using a shrink wrapping material following forward with this running idea of entrapment I've found myself using as an anchor point in the comparison between the physical and abstract selves. 

Not I showed me in an indirect way that emotion is expressed internally and externally. What was so hard hitting about the piece was that not only was I internally shaken to my core, and very lots for words juts full of this wave of unrecognisable emotion. A combination of so many emotional triggers forming a huge overwhelming mental mess. I always have to pause for a second after watching it and later myself. But not only did this work provoke such a strong internal feeling. It also gave me physical goosebumps. Where these formed from fear? Fear of being shown footage that triggers unknown/ previously unexplored feelings. The unknown is the most common human fear. I remember reading in ‘Bacon and the mind: Art, Neuroscience and Psychology’ that when Bacon was referring to emotional and physical pain he often referred to the ‘nervous system’ incorrectly. Muddling up the biological nervous system and a feeling trigger nervousness. I don’t blame him, the space between the two definitely closes in certain scenarios, such as during anxiety attacks, feeling of claustrophobia, intense pain or fear etc. 

I think the reason I’m drawn to Samuel beckett’s Not I, is because the reality of the piece is that it contains simple imagery of a moving mouth. A singular object. And yet the emotional impact of the piece is overwhelming. The spoken word digging into your skin and burrowing into your brain. Even describing how it make me feel I’ve just realised I’m using actions, physical feelings to describe emotional ones. It’s gets under the skin in such an emotive way, managing to capture the attention of audience using this immerse black void-like atmosphere surrounding the imagery. It feels boundless and undefined like the edges of the space our minds expect/ want to see. It feels like a personification of the little choice in ones head. Is it this sense of freedom that triggers us? There’s something about small spaces that make you gasp for air, they make you panic and physically push to escape. But what about complete and utter freedom. Space around you for miles. Would that feel just as trapping? Is freedom mentally restricting because we fear the unknown, and we have never truly been free. 

In my video I want to edit it so that the sort of ‘ground’ is undefined. So that there isn’t much sense of direction or of a physical space. I want the video to feel one step to the left of reality, like a person living within this dark void that expresses the part of you you can’t say out loud. Pushing and stretching the emotions around your head like putty. The abstract little person in your mind guiding your brain and core decision making. Just a tiny emotional you. I plan to display this emotional expression through dance and movement, demonstrating the dynamic nature of ones mind. Surrounded in darkness, in the void/ the abyss of the imaginary world they live in. The twisting turmoil of our inner conflicts displayed for what they are, raw and naked. Exposed and vulnerable. This is a good general concept. I need to come back to this and write some words to help me find my imagery and movements.