Synopsis
The struggle to advance our human social, cultural, and technological interests is often pitted against the purity and protection of nature. Yet nature itself contains many processes that set one element against another within the larger eco-system. How will we define healthful living on this planet?
Mediascape considers this theme through a video poem that takes images from the natural environment, manipulates them digitally, and creates a new world for the audience. The shots flow seamlessly in a constant evolution, traversing time and space. Slow pacing creates a sense of the surreal simultaneously hiding and revealing elements for consideration. The audio track, combining music and soundscape elements, both reflects and refracts the mood developed by the images.Mediascape (video, 1080p, 9:21, 2014)
Artist Statement
I seek to create art that invokes both inspiration and contemplation, and reflects the complex relationship between people and nature. I have used two significant digital enhancements in this work to provoke a deeper engagement with the work.
Time manipulation of the images (Adobe After Effects and Premiere):
The use of this effect forces the viewer to take a closer look at natural events that might otherwise be missed – a drop of water or crash of a wave, a bird in flight.
Sequencing decisions and transitions (Max patch developed by artistic team):
In this video, there is no human ‘editor’. Rather, the sequencing decisions and transitions are software generated. Using this method is one way to reveal the dialectic in the relationship of human effort and natural forces that create our environment. The method may be invisible to the audience, because we are accustomed to the ‘normal’ editorial process in video. However, the way this work is created is essential to the overall theme of the work. My hope is that viewers will be engaged by the work without necessarily being aware of this process, but at the same time develop a further appreciation of the theme when they do become aware. As an artist I seek a balance of control (intention) and variability (surprise) through the software that allows un-imagined results in the work, while still incorporating my own aesthetic and social values. Similarly, we must balance the need to achieve societal goals through the use of natural resources with the acceptance that nature will respond in ways we hadn’t expected.
Credits:
Director: Jim Bizzocchi
Cinematography: Glen Crawford, Jim Bizzocchi, Samantha Derochie
Music: Arne Eigenfeldt
Soundscape: Miles Thorogood, Philippe Pasquier
Max programming: Le Fang, Saeedeh Bayatpour
Post-production: Justine Bizzocchi
Technical advisor: Tom Calvert
Thanks to:
Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada
School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University
GRAND NCE