Video Installation Evaluation

Throughout the making of my video installation I have taken on board aspects from other video installation artists such as Sherin Neshat with her incredible use of split screen and Bill viola’s slow motion and pacing techniques. I also took great inspiration from my chosen artist JB, Ghuman. I was very inspired by his work, I was particularly intrigued with his effort to have people fixed to the point where as a viewer you are left questioning the meaning behind what you have just watched. I loved this concept and wanted to incorporate aspects from all areas as I was very inspired by my artist research and the idea behind a video art installation.

My idea was to create an intricate artistic piece that was visually pleasing to the eye, relaxing and satisfying to watch. My aim was to evoke emotion throughout my piece and portray a powerful contrast in a completely different way. I knew from the start I did not want to include people or speech as I wanted to experiment with something completely different and out of the box; out of my comfort zone. I have also always had a passion for art so my initial idea was to come up with something I hadn’t done ever before, incorporating it into a visual video piece was something I learnt along the way as I was not quite sure at the beginning how it would pan out in the end. After envisioning exactly what I planned it to look like in my head, I had to bring my idea to life, by this I mean i used trial and error methods to attempt to create my vision, at first this was a worry for me whether it would be a success or a fail due to deadlines and time limits, although after many tries I managed to get it right and eventually managed to successfully carry out my initial idea.

I filmed my piece using a cannon 1200D and a Sony A5100 along three filming days between early morning and mid-day. My installation was shot in my garage, in order for me to be able to partake my idea I felt this was the best and nearest location suitable and it abled me to use the space freely without having to worry about getting things messy or being in anyone’s way. I did come along some problems on the way which is all part of the process. A few problems I had to overcome were situations such as the consistency of paint and ratios used within my ingredients causing the wrong effect, the camera angles, the lack of light, wires and trip hazards, expenses etc. If I was to film my installation again I would definitely get an extra pair of hands to help me just because it was quite difficult to get the desired shots and angles whilst having to actually carry out the experiment all at the same time, this is definitely something I will take on board for next time as I didn’t quite anticipate how hard it actually would be. A lot of multi-tasking had to be done to say the least.

Despite these minor issues along the way I extremely enjoyed the filming process. Incorporating two of my great passions, art and film was something I would 100% want do again. I enjoyed the pressure of knowing I only had three main large canvases to play with and that I had to get the paint pour right on at least one of them in order for me to have strong content for my installation. I also loved the process of over coming problems along the way (in a short time scale) that I had not necessarily planned ahead for, this is something that happens a lot throughout any filming process, as I have found and experienced within a lot of my other projects as well. It makes the whole experience more exiting when the problem is overcome and turns out better than expected, which in this instance it did.

Editing a video installation as appose to a film is extremely different. Both of which I enjoy very much. With video installation there is a lot more artistic freedom in terms of the way it can be edited and produced, particularly in my case in which I incorporated a split screen. I think its safe to say a lot more can be adapted and changed a long the way for video installation because it is okay for it to not make sense to the viewer when first meets the eye, where as film is very different. The whole point when creating a film is to have a narrative or concept that the audience is hooked by normally following some sort of story line, most likely in a longer amount of time for example. Within video installation this is different, not only were we given a shorter time frame than say a film but particularly in the way the audience actually may be even more hooked by something that is harder to comprehend and get their head around, this allows way more creative freedom with the production of a video installation as it can be absolutely anything you want it to be. I also really enjoyed seeing everyone else’s take on a video installation and how everyone’s is completely different which makes it a more personal piece.

If I was to exhibit my installation, my place of choice would be inside an art gallery/contemporary environment, projected onto a wall, mesh or fabric material, exactly how we saw the installations on our trip to Nottingham contemporary during early research. I was intrigued by how effective this looked and payed off, how such a quiet dark gallery space can totally transform a piece by amplifying the sound allowing it to become even more captivating and prominent than before. I used quite intricate sound throughout my own piece much like the installations we saw at the contemporary that I felt were very successfully displayed allowing them to reach their full potential. I feel as though if I was to exhibit my piece anywhere, it would fit best in that sort of atmosphere.