I am a total novice when it comes to video and audio work but I want to experiment with this media to see if a still video might complement my still imagery, particularly in the context of exhibition work.  I have a number of questions:

1. Does this media have the potential to complement my still images especially in the exhibition environment?
2. Can I add my own words or those of others to these video stills?
3. Would the use of this medium contribute to a more immersive experience for those attending my exhibitions?
4. Would the use of video stills add an element of essence that I cannot capture through my still images?
5. Would an additional audio track of my words or another artists’ words also provide an interesting combination?

I decide to begin my experiment with my iPhone as a portable and relatively easy camera to master.  I also experiment with very short 30s pieces.  The subject of my work is The Shape of Water.

 

 

 

 

These short videos seek to provide a visual moving representation of The Shape of Water and a sense of the ever-changing shapes, patterns and movement in lochs, small burns and coastal waters, how the surface of the water can change from being pounded by hail (in The Shape of Water 4) to still reflections on a calm day (in The Shape of Water 1 and 3) and also to give the viewer a sense of the sounds that accompany these scenes.

I have enjoyed working with video albeit in a very basic way.  I intend to improve my technique and produce more as I work on my practice in the next couple of weeks.  At this stage, I remain open-minded and do feel positive about the potential these pieces might have in an exhibition space, where I might produce very large images accompanied by some moving and particularly audio pieces to provide an immersive experience and a real sense of the essence.  I am also keen to experiment with two videos side by side inspired by John Woodman’s Time Flow (1977) where he presents two adjacent views of a river in Suffolk, with the second video produced using varying speeds from real time to a time lapse sequence.  I also want to experiment with producing my own words, or using other artists’ words to overlay on the video and audio channels.

Reference

Woodman, J.  (1977).  Time Flow.  http://www.johnwoodman.net/html/Time%20Flow.htm

(Accessed 31 March 2021).