There is a word “self-identical”(Stewart, 2012) in the reading, I think it means the precariousness of objects has disconnection with other things. After the group discussion, I have a deeper understanding of precarious. Combined with my media artefact to analyze, I found the different environment of precarious can cause the precariousness of objects. I recorded the different weather conditions which are sunny day and cloudy day that the grass has a very different movement and state, so the precarious of objects and the surrounding environment is closely related. Precariousness is also kind of interactive. Different levels of interaction can have different effects on the object. For example, in this media artefact, I took shots of the interaction of people walking dogs and birds walking on the grass. At the end of the video, I use the sound that record by people walking on the grass to show its precariousness. According to the feedback from group members, I should start the video with the close-up shot that tell the new viewers I chose the grass as the plant, but not trees or others. Also, the shooting angle of the lens can be appropriately converted. For example, shooting from top to bottom which makes the shooting angle more diverse and also increases the fun.

Stewart, K. (2012) ‘Precarity’s Forms’, Cultural Anthropology, 27(3), pp. 518–525.

There are too many things and objects in the world that are forcibly given meaning and role, and people even never know, understand and think about their source, production or existence. The real trajectories, propensities, or tendencies of their own are also worth exploring. In this media artefact I choose grass to show its vibrancy. I think grass is the most common plant, and probably because of this, people will ignore the true meaning of its existence, like a sentence in the reading: “a vital materiality can never really be thrown ‘away'” (Bennett, 2010). We always have a rest, walk the dog on the lawn, and even use grass to decorate other plants. In addition to these imposed uses, it has its own vibrancy. I tried to express these in the media artefact to show the vibrancy of the grass. In the first half of the video, I used a lot of wide-shot to shoot. So from the second half, the audience can make sure that the plant I chose is grass. This is the first place I need to improve, which may cause confusion for the audience. The second point is that I should add some interaction with the grass, and can show the different states of the grass in different weather conditions and different time periods. For sound effect that removes the background music and uses the sound of the video itself to better show the vibrant of the grass.

Bennett, J. (2010) ‘Thing-Power I: Debris, The Force of Things’, in Vibrant matter: A political ecology of things. Durham: Duke University Press, pp. 4–6. 

After the in-class discussion, I have some understanding of rhythm. Many things have rhythm, like heartbeat, music, poem, and even rain. They all have a regular, repetitive, or a unique pattern. For this week, the key rhythm is environment. Different environments contain different elements and functions, and can also bring different feelings to people. The first environment I chose is NGV, which is the landmark of Melbourne. At there, people can enjoy the charm of art. Green gives people a feeling of pleasure and relaxation. When I was shooting the second environment, which is flagstaff park, I can feel the vitality of the plants through the lens. The last environment I chose is Yarra River, which is a place where artificial landscapes and natural landscapes are gathered. At that place, people can experience the bustling city, the night view and the beautiful riverside scenery. In the choice of close up shot, I still need to improve and strengthen. For example, in the third episode, I should choose a famous building like eureka tower. And also in the second snippet, maybe i can find something only exist in flagstaff park. If i can focus on some specific and other things, the place can be easier to reveal.