Evolution of artistic media

        I feel like this reading was essentially saying that media changes and evolves alongside human society and technology. I think it’s interesting that the author disagrees with Walter Benjamin on the topic of art losing its “aura” when reproduced; I interpreted this as the author suggesting that the development of reproducible art (including photography and film) is simply a step in the evolution of artistic “language.” The reproducibility of art certainly makes it more easily accessible to regular people who can’t necessarily view the photographed subject or original artwork in person. I do think that art can lose some aspect of its unique presence when it is reproduced (as Benjamin would say) but I don’t believe that destroys any effect the piece has; the poster of “Starry Night” in my dorm room can make me feel the same emotions as the real painting. The difference is just that the original piece would also carry with it the authority of a Van Gogh original and the awe that comes with beholding the piece in person.

        I think the changes in media and media technology are directly related to the speeding-up of everyday life in human society. Things moved slower in the days of daguerreotypes, without cars in common use and certainly no email or telephone. As technology advanced and ways of communicating became more and more instantaneous, so too did the types of art and media that arose become more and more about immediacy and keeping attention. Film, of course, is the current endpoint of that development, directly communicating what we should look at and how we should feel at every moment in a piece.

        The author says, “With the TV commercial we have an interesting occurrence. The creation of a consumer culture presented in a medium that is some sense also defining the global media mythos.” In 2012, Coca-Cola released an advertisement called “Security Cameras”, in which we see different scenes captured by security cameras around the world. The premise is that security cameras often capture terrible things but sometimes they capture sweet moments as well. As a piece of multimedia art, this video is commentary on the good things about humanity, and about love and friendship. At the same time, we must remember that it’s a Coca-Cola advertisement, marketing the “happiness” found by drinking the soda. “Security Cameras” is an advertisement promoting consumerism packaged in a multimedia art form that is specific to the most recent developments in human society and technology.

"Video and Intermedia" Reading Response

What is "intermedia"? As stated in Wikipedia, intermedia was a concept to describe the often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting and theatre could be described as intermedia. As for Stephen C. Foster, the author of "Video and Intermedia: Remarks on Their Relationships", intermedia is most inter when the medium serves "as a vehicle through which a variety of generic intentions can be processed". That is, the thing that passes ideas through its content.

The author focuses on whether certain genre of art should be defined as intermedia. Although theoretically all media that are being working on can be qualified as intermedia, Foster doubts it. However, he believes that video is highly qualified as intermedia because it compels. I absolutely agree on this point because video is the electronic media for recording and broadcasting moving visual content with audio. As discussed in today's class, painting is "dead" in comparison with video. Audience percept the meaning of video through expression of author but they sort of "guess" the meaning of a painting because it's still. The reason why videos are more broadcasted and watched is because of its easiness of being understand and its straightness of being expressed. It's much faster to watch a video than to read a book with same content. It's also simpler for audience to catch the pace. Thus, in this course, during the production of videos, we shall care more about the feeling of audience.

Moreover, I love the concept of video that its the extension of ourselves. Videos generate empathy that make people have the same emotions. They would applaud if news repots the growth of economy. Likewise, they would pray for the victims after knowing that fire burns out peoples home. That is the magic of video, as intermedia. It shuttles back and forth in people's heart. Consequently, it all depends on how producers are going to utilize the magic of video.

Firewire cable and adaptor

Firewire Cable Adaptor

Video & Intermedia: Lather Rinse Repeat

My first thoughts while reading Foster's Video and Intermedia were, "I am confused.", "What does that even mean?!", and "I should probably read this sentence over." My second and third thoughts weren't too different. I did find; however, toward the end of the writing, I was understanding what the overall message was. I felt if I could just visualize it, I'd be home free. And so different snapshots of past works I had seen popped into my head: stories that arose from motley mixtures of the arts that stood out to me. But I was still slightly confused by a) what Foster even considered intermedia and b) how the subject matter, elusive and almost inconceivable to me in the first place, behaved.
And then, with the mention of how video lends itself to intermedia, I started to get it. And the example that stuck in my head was Sigur Rós' Fjögur píanó. Partially because this video, quite similarly to a certain paper, confused me until the last few minutes; but more so because of how I struggled to see what Fjögur píanó was about.
What caught my attention most in Stephen Foster's Video and Intermedia was his assertion that video's spontaneity exists only because of viewer's expectations. I actively fought to predict what was going on, struggling against the natural current of where the piece was taking me. And I noticed I do this frequently, out of habit. And I did the exact same when reading about intermedia. I wasn't being receptive to what was being provided to me. The very nature of video is one that is organic, it can include so much or be very basic. It has endless possibilities and isn't as formulaic as I sometimes want to force it to be. Which is why it works so well when utilized for intermedia. Eureka! At this point my inner hippie chimed in and about the fluidity of our perceptions and the connection between all aspects of culture and I am fairly certain I got a tad of track again. But there was Foster, who in his last paragraph, held out a hand and in so many words explained how much freedom was allotted when using video. And, sighing heavily, and decided I should shut up and let the performances do with me what they wanted. My body, and mind, were ready.

Fjögur píanó

The Nervous System and by Extension Intermedia

One thing I found interesting in this article was that it compared the medium of video to the nervous system in humans, and how the structure and effectiveness of the nervous system is what it is revered for, not necessarily the physiological aspect of it. What I took from this comparison is that video should be studied with respect to how it works, how it can improve different areas of life, and its effectiveness. However, the nitty gritty parts, like the construction of a video camera for example are less important for the overall understanding and use of the medium. Now, as far as the nervous system goes, biologists, doctors, and others that study it, still must know the physiology of the system in order to be able to do research on it or treat diseases within it. Although the general public might know that the nervous system is a body system that connects the brain and spinal cord and allows us to do pretty much everything that we are able to do and think, true experts will know all about the details of the neurons and the chemicals that pass through them and the physiological processes that allow the system to work. Therefore, I think it is important that the experts of video creation and production do know and understand the “physiology” of video. The article also says that video is an extension of the nervous system, which ties in to this notion. If one knows the very basics about the nervous system and also only knows the very basics about video creation, in essence the structure and effectiveness, they might be able to make a decent looking creation. On the other hand, one that knows the details of what goes on in their nervous system and in video creation at a deeper level, they can use these aspects together to create something absolutely amazing, truly a creation of intermedia. This is not to say that it is necessary to know the details of both or either to make something great, but it certainly would not hurt.

This video does not deal with biology, but it combines an in depth knowledge of math, art, and a likely strong understanding of video making, which is an approach that brings an extension of this woman’s self to her intermedia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK5Z709J2eo.

Intermedia and French New Wave Cinema

As I was reading Stephen Foster’s article, I did have trouble accurately identifying Foster’s suggested denotation of “intermedia.” Even so, the first full paragraph on page 64 piqued my interest. In this paragraph, Foster explains the way in which video functions and why it is such a powerful medium in relation to “intermedia.” As Foster continues to explain his idea of video, I could not help but recall the films I watched for my French New Wave Cinema course. French New Wave Cinema is a school of film that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s, known for its unique treatment of the camera [1]. The camerawork in the various New Wave films places the viewer in uncomfortable or confusing situations by employing long takes, discontinuous shot reversals, etc.. With this in mind, Foster’s discussion of spontaneity strongly relates to this type of film: “Video is spontaneous because spontaneousness only makes sense with reference to fixed expectations” (64). French New Wave cinema employs spontaneity to a large degree by constantly defying what the viewer expects to see on the screen. In the Claude Chabrol’s film Le Beau Serge, the viewer’s assumption as to where the camera will travel is completely shattered. In this film, the camera is constantly shifting its placement so the audience cannot identify the POV through which the film’s story is told. In addition, the camera crosses the 180-degree line numerous times, which completely disorients the viewer in relation to the set; as a result, the viewer must constantly question the location, the camera’s motivation, and the director’s intentions. The following clip exemplifies the disorienting nature, or spontaneous nature, of the camera through its unexplainable shifting POV shots (when the camera moves to the girl’s foot causing the two characters to converse out of frame) and its crossing of the 180-degree line (which character is the viewer meant to identify with?). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMPpmz16Sc4

Although I do not entirely grasp Foster’s concept of “intermedia,” I do believe the New Wave genre relates to what Foster is stating. After all, New Wave is not simply a school that means to test the boundaries of film as a form of art. Instead, the directors in the school wanted to play with viewers’ perception of film and how this perception can be guided by various cinematic qualities. In this sense, I do believe the New Wave directors found “a place, which ‘facilitates’ or ‘enables’ intellectual, critical and aesthetic activities” (63). If anything, the directors wanted to assume the role of the nervous system (64).

Video and Intermedia: Its Up To You- Fernando Parnes

Is it art? Truly a question with endless possibilities: A criticism, a honest question, a quiz... indeed there are those and many more. No wonder it is related to intermedia by Foster; since (according to Foster himself) intermedia art is political, it too could be seen in many ways, and by its own definition, is affected by the different ways it is seen. A perfect example of this is Captain Murphy's 30 minute video/ mixtape Duality:
(BE WARNED, THIS VIDEO IS INTENDED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldRhniqAI6s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldRhniqAI6sThe video fits Foster's description of Intermedia (following the example of Duchamp's 'Fountain'): it is a balance and mixture of emotion, artistic sensibility and art itself. It is at its core a emotional and sensory experience, designed to take the viewer off their regular axis to be uncomfortable and amazed at the same time. A balance of sound and video is achieved designed to take the viewer inside the mind of the artist, but more importantly, designed to change in lieu of the way it affects the mind of the viewer.
 Which brings us back tot he question: is it art? Some will invariably say no; they might consider rap as not being music, the video as being nonsensical and irrelevant. Some will follow the artists dream, in this particular case a guide to being a cult leader, with underlying messages about the dangers of being brainwashed, a corrupt society and the mold-ability of the human mind which Captain Murphy does through his art, and cult leaders through their manipulation. Some will see it purely as a sensory experience. An amalgamation of video and sound designed to take you on a mental journey through your own psyche. Our own messages and desires are inevitably added to the project, and because of this the project is different. Thus lies the essence of Intermedia. It is expected to change and to mold. It is not stationary nor can it be; by its very nature, intermedia is controversy. It is not comfortable or stable,and at any point one might find a reason to discard it. But one also has the potential to bring it back to life in a way it never was before.
Is it art? It can always be.