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Film as Multimedia and Suna No Onna (Woman in the Dunes)

Hovagimyan discuss film as a combination of other media, writing: "Film in particular has an axis that incorporates many media, sound, theatre, painting, photography, etc. in a multimedia presentation." (On ***** Media, 118).  Thinking about film as a union of various media, in combination with the idea of intermedia, reminds me of one of my favorite films: Suna No Onna [Woman in the Dunes] (Teshigahara, 1964).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdTEs5MHqoU
(The beginning can illustrate the degree to which sand is involved in the film).

I bring up Suna No Onna because it seems to me to incorporate not just photography, sound, theatre, painting, and the other media integral to most films.  This film incorporates the medium of sand.  I don't believe that any film set in a desert qualifies as having sand as a medium.  However, sand is so much a part of Suna No Onna, and is captured with such emphasis, that I believe it can be looked at as a medium incorporated into the film's core.  I am not necessarily saying that the element of sand makes Suna No Onna a work of intermedia (in fact, I doubt it does), but I believe that it makes an interesting example of the flexibility of the multimedia composition of film.

Response to Foster

Foster’s essay helped me to better understand the distinction between intermedia and multimedia. He explains intermedia as having an intention; generally a political and compelling one, while multimedia refers more to the medium specifically. Given this explanation, I assume that all intermedia pieces are also multimedia, however the opposite is not always true.  For example, a collage made out of paint and newspaper clippings is multimedia, but the intention and message behind the piece determines whether or not it is intermedia.  These statements are all just guesses because while I’ve heard the term multimedia, intermedia is a new word for me.

One example of intermedia that I found is Yoko Ono’s piece, Cut.  This is a live performance piece captured through video and sound with a strong social, political intention. Cut is meant to be a comment on gender. Yoko Ono has no control as people approach her and cut her clothed off her body. She becomes an object for the audience to play with and a sexual one as more and more of her body is revealed. Watching the progression of the audience involvement and noise level also comments on people’s objectification of Ono’s body. Using the definition that I took from Foster’s essay, this piece would be classified as both multimedia (performance, sound, video, textiles etc.) as well as intermedia given its intentional political message.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sc47KfJjcI

Bed Peace: John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Bed Peace

ABOUT BED PEACE

1969 was the year that John & Yoko intensified their long running campaign for World Peace. They approached the task with the same entrepreneurial expertise as an advertising agency selling a brand of soap powder to the masses. John & Yoko's product however was PEACE, not soft soap, and they were determined to use any slogan, event and gimmick in order to persuade the World to buy it.

BED PEACE (directed by Yoko & John and filmed by Nic Knowland) is a document of the Montreal events from 26-31 March 2013, and features John & Yoko in conversation with, amongst others, The World Press, satirist Al Capp, activist Dick Gregory, comedian Tommy Smothers, protesters at Berkeley's People's Park, Rabbi Abraham L. Feinberg, quiltmaker Christine Kemp, psychologists Timothy Leary & Rosemary Leary, CFOX DJs Charles P. Rodney Chandler & Roger Scott, producer André Perry, journalist Ritchie York, DJ & Promoter Murray The K, filmmaker Jonas Mekas, publicist Derek Taylor & personal assistant Anthony Fawcett.

Featured songs are Plastic Ono Band's GIVE PEACE A CHANCE & INSTANT KARMA, Yoko's REMEMBER LOVE & WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND & John's acoustic version of BECAUSE.

"As we said before: WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It)" - yoko

Hayden's Response to Video and Intermedia Article

I found one of the more intriguing parts of Stephen C. Foster's Video and Intermedia to be his discussion of how intermedia differs from multimedia.  He defines the difference as intermedia's ability to serve "as a vehicle through which a variety of 'generic intentions' can be processed," where multimedia does or cannot.  The idea of intermedia in this case means that video has the ability to move between art platforms, defining itself by defying its own form.  This discussion reminded me of the music video to Franz Ferdinand's song Right Action, which heavily involves intermedia to discuss its aesthetic on a variety of art platforms.  The video's involvement of multiple mutually understandable forms of communication allows it to be comprehensible and aesthetically pleasing to the viewer.

The "Right Action" video combines photographed, indexical footage with animation and drawings, as well as text-based information.  In this case, the screen itself is often divided, with one half showing one of the band members performing and the other half displaying some sort of lyric-based diagram or complex visual.  The text itself in many cases contains video-like qualities, as it moves, duplicates, grows and shrinks like many of the other visuals.  Sometimes the text is too small to read, a situation when it serves a purely retinal function, whereas in other situations it can be read and serves the purpose of communication as well.  I believe the use of text for multiple functions is an example of intermedia which in the context of this video, creates the variety of intentions which Foster speaks of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqTsUtQLRFk

Richard Serra and Nancy Holt's Boomerang 1974

Boomerang

"Draws attention to how media supersedes our present moment, making a past moment our present moment.  Also draws attention to the mediation of media.  Technical difficulties are purposely left in and emphasized, bringing the mediation of technology to the foreground.  Holt even talks about the lights beaming down on her, emphasizing her sense of unreality and alienation.  This effect is eerie and disconcerting.  It even disturbs Holt’s capacity to function as she feels that she cannot coincide with her own voice."

Quoted from What and Art History Major Learns

Camera Shot Styles

A great resource for exploring different kinds of film shots. 

Video and Intermedia - Response

As I understood, Foster defined intermedia as an object or piece that not only spans multiple types of media, but multiple interpretations and “activations.” One of the first examples that came to mind was fan-made music videos. Some are simply performances or parodies of the original music video, while others set video clips to the music to construct a message or highlight a theme. The latter is exemplified in the video “Happy Kyiv” (link below), where clips of protestors and revolutionaries in Ukraine are set to Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy”.  The original song was made for a movie and the original music video is a pretty literal interpretation of the song, with some elements of commercialism. However, in the Kyiv video, parts mimic the original music video – clips of people dancing in the streets – but it is interspersed with shots of tents and homemade barricades, of police and soldiers in riot gear. Towards the end of the video, a number of people explain their take on the song – what happiness means in such an environment.

This to me is an example of video as intermedia - they use the camera as a device to broadcast their message. It is not impartial; they are only showing their side of the story and using footage that will incite the viewer. However, it does have the desired effect: it activates the viewer by triggering awareness and discussion of what was happening in Ukraine. The reinterpretation of the original intent of the song and music video to have this effect makes this video an example of intermedia.

"Happy Kyiv" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B5AXBFeRLM

Thoughts on Intermedia

Actually Stephen Foster’s article confuses me a lot, I guess it partially because the concept of intermedia itself is a complicated term to define and explain. Foster first points out that one way to identify intermedia with multimedia is that he finds “intermedia most ‘inter’ when the medium, whatever that happens to be, serves as a vehicle through which a variety of ‘generic intentions ’can be processed…”. However, I don’t agree to him somehow. I don’t think that is the best way to identify the two. In my point of view, intermedia is when a variety of intentions and demands can be processed through different platforms while multimedia is when those happening only on the same platform. The different format of media not only lead to the different resource cost, integrated cost, but also causes diverse level of acceptance of target audiences and usage cost.

In Foster’s argument, he considers video as a strong candidate for intermedia because “it, as an media, compels”. And video is alive, spontaneous and fluctuating, combining all to Foster’s conclusion that Video is an extension of ourselves. He also claims that video is an extension of our nervous system. It seems like Foster prefers to humanize video as a medium. His argument reminds me of one of McLuhan’s argument regarding understanding media that I read before. He illustrates that medium is all instruments, skills and activities that extends human body. I think he tries to explore the meaning of media in the perspective of art instead of illustrating it in logic sense. His work of argument helps me understands Foster’s reasoning.

The video that I found is a open lecture on Sandbox Summit held by MIT University. This lecture is about the true meaning of transmedia and the relationship of the medium of play relating to it. I think the content resembles Foster’s argument on the relationship of video and intermedia. 

http://v.163.com/movie/2009/8/4/U/M7AQR35GT_M7B7NUL4U.html

Intermedia Art and How I Understood It

What I took from Stephen Foster's explanation of intermedia is that something is intermedia if it makes a political statement and generates thought while combining many different art forms.  I'm still not convinced this is exactly what he meant in this article, but it's what I used as my definition of intermedia when looking for an example to add to my post.  

In my search for intermedia artwork, I came across an article about a college senior, Emma Sulkowicz, who is currently doing a performance art piece, combined with some studio work for her senior thesis.  The piece is called Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight.  Its focus is on the struggle that she has felt since being raped during her sophomore year of college and her alleged rapist remaining at school with her.  She has talked about this publicly and has joined others in taking action against the mishandling of rape allegations at her college.  As Sulkowicz explains in the video at the top of the article, mattresses are usually found in someone's bedroom, part of their private area where they can escape the world.  However, by talking about her rape and taking action against rapists, she brought her private life (the mattress) into the public.  Sulkowicz is also doing a studio installment that will complement the performance art aspect of her senior thesis.  

Sulkowicz is combining wall drawings/writing with a performance piece, both working together to make a strong political statement on the need to more successfully and consistently try and punish rapists.  I think Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight is a perfect example of what I understood to be intermedia from Foster's article.  

Here is the link to the article and video about Sulkowicz's artwork: http://news.artnet.com/art-world/columbia-students-striking-mattress-performance-92346

Duchamp and Méliès as Artists of Intermedia

           Although Stephen Foster might not agree, It seems apparent that Duchamp's 'Fountain' is an example of intermedia. Sure it may exist between, "plumbing and art," but it does serve one function, and that is to stump the viewer. Perhaps, Duchamp didn't make the Fountain to be the next David statue, or Last Supper, but he made it to force a reaction from the viewer. Or perhaps, that is exactly what he is trying to do, Duchamp's Fountain aims to create a lasting impression on it's viewer, by taking an everyday item, no less a urinal, and flipping it upside-down and calling it art.

           Today, the idea of not using an item for it's intended purpose is not uncommon, in fact it's quite ordinary. But at the time, Duchamp's fountain was groundbreaking, it was no less, but absurd. For this reason, the intention of using an item for another goal, is why Duchamp's fountain is an example of intermedia.

           Another example of intermedia, through using an item for it's unintended purpose, would lie in French director and magician Georges Méliès. While one of the pioneer directors of cinema, Méliès made an interesting discover through cinema, and that is that he could use film a trompe l'œil. The trompe l'œil translates deceives the eye, or more blatantly trickery of the eye. While film was and still is a creative medium, only Méliès at the time used cinema and his ability of magic hand in hand. Today, thanks to Méliès' intention of incorporating magic into cinema, actually ended advancing cinematography in a way that would not have been possible without the Méliès. For example, in the following video, Méliès understood that if he inserted cuts in particular places, he could deceive the audience into believing something or lack there of has happened. 

           Modern cinematography incorporates the same idea to a different extent. For example, if a man get's out of bed but a filmmaker feels that his getting dressed, eating breakfast, and brushing his teeth takes up too much time, he may insert a cut from getting out of bed to walking out the door. While not explicitly said, it is observed that some time has passed. This idea in some form or way can be traced back to Méliès. So in a way, popular modern cinema may also be a form of intermedia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_9J_MqOr7o

"Video & Intermedia"; Week 1

I was a bit confused while reading this article. After reading it a few times I decided that the author’s intention was to explain how video is, or can be, intermedia. Video is a medium, or “vehicle”, where basic intentions are processed and it can be used politically. Does this mean that radios are also intermedia mediums? Mr. Foster states many great attributes to the art of videos, but is he implying that these attributes are what makes video a form of intermedia or is he implying that it is simply the best form?

Stephen also mentions three qualities of videos: 1) it compels as a medium, 2) it is an extension of ourselves, and 3) it transforms. Yes, video compels as a medium because it grabs a viewer’s attention, which, I suppose, could mean that video is also an extension of us. Once we like what we see we could be glued to a video until it is done. However, other forms of art such as literature could have the same effect on a person. The part I do not entirely agree with is when he states that video transforms because it can avoid “prefabricated ‘artistic’ attitudes”. I understand he might believe this to be true because whenever some one records an event, he or she is recording whatever is going on and cannot manipulate the art. In other words, regardless if the person holding the camera has a vision for the video, videos in other articles that photography has this same effect, which I believe is not true. If someone takes a video but manipulates the lighting, sounds, or uses face shots versus long shots, the person is manipulating the video in order to evoke a specific mood or an emotion.

In conclusion, I believe that video enables intermedia but I do not agree with all that he said about videos and their effect/qualities.