“[This course reflects upon] the ability to look around, rather than ahead.” – Hannah Brasier

The development of this studio throughout the semester has been both skillful and creative. Through certain readings (particularly Mason, Gibson and Bogost) and in class discussions, I have gained a broader understanding on what it means to ‘notice’. To purposely notice is to be aware and to take in our surroundings.  By using various objects- for example a digital camera, we are able to potentially see aspects in an environment that one might not have been able to see otherwise. Using objects can bring a new perspective into the way we notice and view the world. This studio has brought to my attention the different ways we can perceive and notice our environment. I have also enjoyed the experimental approaches to learning that this studio has brought forward, it has been refreshing to focus more on conceptual skill building rather than the pure technical components of media making.

Throughout this studio I have developed my skills in conceptual thinking and critical analysis (especially on a personal level). Whilst developing our final projects we set goals in class of what we wanted to achieve, notice and learn. The ‘biggest thing’ I wanted to achieve was to understand individuals and their habits on an in-depth level- to notice their behaviors and be able to record this and display it in media format that challenged my creative skills.

My portfolio mostly centers around my conceptual thoughts, ideas on noticing and a few technical aspects. I did not want to be definitive in where this project would lead- the ending wasn’t the purpose the whole idea was to experience and record new concepts that arose from experimenting.  The concept behind the final project was that I took the notion of noticing and behavior and created something that presented habits (even ones that may seem dull or unnoticeable) to create a montage that reflects all these little aspects that makes an individual. The project also reflected on the relationship we have with media (especially cameras) and how we behave whilst being filmed.

One of the most challenging aspects during my project was finding a subject to film and observe. My first choice was my sister, as she is an individual I live with and understand. Because of this, I feel that I am able to notice habitual behaviors she does whilst working and find it interesting to wonder if she notices these habits herself. Unfortunately, due to her work schedule I was unable to have enough time with her and record her behaviors. Due to this It was hard finding the time to observe a second individual but I ended up choosing a close friend who I had good understanding of. This challenge didn’t end up necessarily changing the project in a specific way- (as the idea behind it was very translucent and would potentially work with various different subjects). For me it was all about spending time and making sure to record behaviors that I felt suited the montage and themes within the piece.

I did feel like the piece started to have more structure than being experimental (a narrative that focused on rituals from the start of the day till the end) but I ended up embracing these changes. Again, the ideas behind the final project were to experiment with concepts (habits), cameras (our relationship with the camera) and individuals (the way we document with media).

I discovered, my main subject (and those I used for practice shoots) found it hard to move past basic descriptive habits. Even spending more than a day with someone still didn’t necessarily give enough time to observe more deeper rituals, despite this I think the piece still presents a sense of observation, reflecting on day to day behaviors that the individual does.

Overall, I would say that I’ve learnt that the relationship of the camera can make it hard to capture candid behaviors, for this project. As even when I was subtle the subject was still conscious and aware that I was going to be filming. Although they weren’t sure of when I was going to press record the presence of the camera still changed the behavior from a truly candid piece. In saying this most filming incorporates this same issue and to overcome it one would have to record without letting the participant know and in terms of legality and the release of video content that would be an issue. I think in regards to candidness the final shots I choose to be included were ones were the individual was either aware and did not mind (continued on with their behavior) or forgot the camera was rolling (as I continued to film whilst spending time giving into angels that laid the camera still on the table or made it less noticeable)

My favourite aspect of the final project was the soundscape, throughout this studio sound has become one of my favourite topics. I feel I have a greater understanding on distinguishing sounds as well as blending them together. I like that sound is more interpretable than visuals, we can imagine an image when we hear a particular sound and I liked the concept that sound can be so varied and manipulated.
I decided to overlap my sounds for the purpose of immersion, I really wanted this piece to be an atmospheric example of what it’s like to film someone- including awkward or intimate moments like sneezing or spitting. The soundscape also creates a sensory overload that makes the piece have a certain habitual tone, it’s a reflection that throughout our day we do so many things that we ourselves may not observe.

Finally, I want to add that this project has made me really think more conceptually about sound and I hope with future endeavours I continue to experiment and find inspiration for way that sound can be changed, manipulated and incorporated into various media platforms.