Unit 3
About the work: reflections on the staging and install on Camberwell Campus:
In the first full year introduction to Unit 3, it was recommended that we take risks for the MA Summer Exhibition. I felt I had taken a big risk in performing live, alongside a video, which is something I had never done before. Every timing had to be perfect and well-rehearsed in order for the performance to flow. Because the video had captions, I had to get as many of the lines correct word for word as was possible in my live delivery. By the end of the exhibition, however, I had become used to the rhythms of the work and my place in the performance, and was saddened to leave it behind, even if I will display the work again at a later date.
My Ariel costume was created in Unit 2 and can be seen on page 6 of this section of my website. The Prospero costume was made using a red cloak I already owned with a stick to act as a staff. The use of a long stick instead of a staff depicts Prospero as less intimidating, when placed alongside the display of AI generated technology, especially, highlighting a lack of human control, which contradicts Prospero’s role and dialogue as a master and sorcerer. The DIY costume and props also emphasises a disconnect between the amazement surrounding AI generation when coupled with a satirical display of human power. The Brechtian stylisation of the performance, with the paper props also allows for a way of addressing complex technologies with a very human, digestible, theatrical approach.
I knew I wanted my own stage space on which to perform for the exhibition and was pleased with the large space I had received in which to present my work. With many of the computational arts students intending to use throw-projections in the space, arranging the position of my projector was a challenge. It was made more challenging by my using MadMapping techniques, as I needed the projected sphere in which Ariel resided to land perfectly in the spherical hoop hanging I had made. My possession of a projection stand helped with the installation, as this allowed me to experiment with the placement of my work and the placement of the projector until I was confident about the display of my work. I placed a sign on the door on the day of the exhibition to warn visitors about the flashing lights and images in the room, as I wasn’t the only one with works that included these aspects.
The image of Ariel trapped within the confines of a circle was a motif which had emerged from my Unit 2 work, which used a water-like ripple animation as an indicator of Ariel being awakened. It was also reminiscent of occult symbolism; such as a salt or chalk circle which traditionally marks magical protection against malevolent spirits, or, in this case, the entrapment of them. I was also inspired to create an object for Ariel’s image to be suspended in after my Unit 2 work had Ariel’s image suspended in the darkness. I believe the use of the same ethereal, translucent material allowed for a continuation of the luminous, holographic, ghostly quality of Ariel that I enjoyed presenting in Unit 2. The image of Ariel was also cast over the wall behind the hoop, as a kind of shadow. I felt this worked in conjunction with the cast of my own shadow on the wall, whilst performing in the space. The layout allowed for a sense of mirroring between the physical objects in the foreground and the flat backdrop- contributing to the conception of a stage set, or a contrast between physical activity and the confines of a rectangular, screen-like image. Ariel’s positioning inside the hoop also appeared to be a sun or moon in the landscape-like set that had emerged. The pointed and curved rhythms of the fabric drapes on the wall symbolised ghostly forms, while the white of the fabric left on the floor appeared to me like a ring of sea foam. I had hooks on the side wall of my exhibition space on which to hang my costumes and name placards. The exposed staging contributed to the theatrical technique of verfremdungseffekt : the encouragement of emotional distancing for viewers in order to inspire an intellectual, rather than wholly emotional, understanding of the moral dilemmas and themes presented in performances.
In considering ways I could have improved the presentation of this work, I might have done more to transform the stage space I was using so it could resemble a set even more distinctly, or a whole new virtual environment where the Ariel AI might live: through a transformation of the side wall or floor space. On the other hand, the simplified staging allowed for a balance between the magical display of the edited video and the exposed Brechtian display of the staging and the performance itself; establishing an effective theatrical distancing effect, whilst still incorporating the potent imagery of Ariel’s suspended, holographic inhabitance of the space.
I like the way that the image above captures how the video projection would catch on my white, skin-tight clothes and make my body a part of the projected image for viewers. This is something I tried to replicate specifically within my performance of the Sea Nymph scene. By the end of the scene, I had moved to the back wall and lay flat against it; symbolically embodying a merging of the performer with the AI generation and video work, in the context of the Ariel AI model seeking to fully embody a sea nymph and join with a fictional sea nymph community.
Finalised Artwork Drapery Layout:
Original Drapery Layout:
The photograph above is just one of many tests I explored within the exhibition space when considering how to present my work. I liked the way the drape seemed to connect with the suspended hoop in the composition of the piece, but ultimately rejected this layout of the work, since the captions needed more space within the piece to be seen and the text in this work remains an important element: visually demonstrating the transcript I have taken from different sources.
MA Unit 3 Summer Exhibition Proposal
My original proposal for the exhibition, as presented above, had an extra sheet of fabric draped over the space in which I imagined the sea nymph community would be projected. In the final exhibition, the sea nymph community filled up the entire projection of the space, which I thought was ultimately more magical and visually mesmerising, as well as helping to establish a clearer change of setting. I additionally envisioned clearer separations between the captions of the text, the background, and the mythical figures of Ariel and the Sea Nymphs in my original proposal.
The finished artwork merged the background with the captions, simultaneously allowing Ariel to occupy the space of the suspended fabric circle. I found this format allowed for better clarity between the backdrop image and the characters within the narrative. I also enjoyed physically interacting with the image of Ariel and the Sea Nymphs inside the circle when performing, as this allowed for an otherworldly mix of the spiritual, the virtual and the physical;
My Thoughts: A connection between the material and the immaterial.
Video Screenshots
Trailer for ‘1nt0_Th1n_AIr‘
I created this trailer as part of my Instagram marketing for the MA Summer Show Exhibition at Camberwell College. Though I knew I soon would, I had not yet performed alongside the work in the exhibition space. If I have the chance to remake this trailer, I will add clips of myself performing, as this became integral to the final work, and felt more engaging: both for myself as an artist and performer and for my viewers, according to positive audience feedback.
Studio Tests:
These tests allowed me to see that the projection would bleed through the voile fabric in the hoop structure and onto the wall. The studio tests also allowed me to estimate the distance my projector would have to be away from the wall, in order to have a large enough projector-throw image. My final estimation was that the projector would need to be at least 4.5 metres away from the wall.
Madmapper Workshop:
On 1st June 2023, we had a MadMapper workshop session with visiting artist Hazel Brill. Hazel showed us how to use MadMapper software to projection map our videos: positioning different videos in different physical spaces. We downloaded the free MadMapper demo version of the software to experiment with in the session. The image and video above demonstrates how each video clip could be moved into place and were layered, like photoshop layers, to produce projections of multiple films across multiple spacial areas. Having never done projection-mapping before, I felt proud of myself for how quickly I learned to use the software and became comfortable with it. The free demo version of MadMapper tended to glitch, however, and the software also included its logo in the projection. Hazel showed us a way around this problem through using Premiere Pro. With Hazel’s help, I found a way to resize moving images and use MadMapper demo screenshots to reproduce the projection mapping layout on Premier Pro software for free. This process allowed me to use projection-mapping in the Summer Show without any glitches or the logo of the MadMapper demo.