We were ambitious at first – there were ideas of installation spaces, many video channels, mirrors, crystal balls, ipads and desktop computers. We tried things that worked and others that didn’t. We developed various aesthetics informed by the world wide web and pushed ourselves creatively, much further than we expected. And today our work was delivered in front of an audience of one, DB.
Project e-Volution has had a hell of an evolution, it grew from the simple suggestion that maybe we three had a teeny tiny idea that could blossom into a fleshed out exciting project. As Alex put it today in our post-presentation discussion with DB ‘this project started out as a mutual interest in certain platforms and abstract concepts,’ we wanted to experiment with so many different elements. I have learned so much from this project. We had big ideas, big convictions and not everything worked out because not everything ever does. I am really happy with the work we have made – it pays homage to a certain online style and yet it is reflective of each of us as creatives.
From my point of view as a creative, I learnt about what kind of work I want to make and developed myself as a video artist. I enjoyed working with two very different aesthetes and developing a group look that I hope we all enjoyed doing. Earlier this semester I had framed myself as a video artist, often void of linear narrative, which proved to be a struggle throughout this semester. Trying to utilise all the exciting platforms and abstract concepts and integrate them into a narrative that was digestible was challenging. This led to us having to streamline and make a lot of executive choices throughout the project which wasn’t always easy. Just before the presentation we were all joking about transmedia in general – ‘just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.’ And that might be one of the more important lessons for me – get excited but know when you to kill your darlings. Sometimes a piece of video content you’ve been dreaming of doesn’t turn out well or a real world element is slightly superfluous. Hone your craft, find what works for you personally and continue to make it better.
Minor constructive criticism for the studio in general is that I am disappointed that there was no audience for our story, typically doing a class like this suggests that there is an inbuilt audience. I also think it’s a disappointment that theory dropped completely from the class half way through. I think one of the two weekly sessions should be used for class discussion for watching or reading or sharing to move our projects forward. It feels like I’ve been in a class with two other people for the past five weeks and I am curious about the work that others are doing, no matter how divergent it is from what I am doing! To me, it’s very important to share the work and see where everyone else took it.
That said, I am very appreciative for this studio because it has given me the room and space to develop creatively and I’ve really enjoyed working with Alex and Sandy. This semester, I’ve had the opportunity to make a number of things that I have been proud of and that is a rare and fabulous occurrence. Thanks for a very fun and enjoyable semester!!