The work I contributed for the previous assignment focused on the shopping center space, and as it’s a space that’s created in service of people and defined by the people within it, Thomas and I chose to explore the space with an absence of people in it. This perspective carried over into this next assignment, except this time I was very interested in documenting the experiences I had had with movement in this space during my documentation process for the previous assignment.
I chose to explore the aspects of the space that influenced movement and that were not defined by people. For me, this was best represented by the escalator, which itself moved and thereby moved people around the space. Research stated that shopping centers are purposefully designed to be disorientating for people moving through the space, as it has been proven that the more time people spend moving about the shopping center, the more likely they are to purchase something from a store. Therefore, the shopping center is designed to make people move in all sorts of confusing directions and keep them in the stores for longer. The escalator serves to be a connection between the multiple vertical levels of a shopping center and are situated in areas where exiting at either end of the escalator positions people directly in front of new storefronts that they will hopefully explore. It was my intention to convey these two elements of structure and disorientation that defined the escalators purpose. To this end, I presented the visuals of my assignment in a split-screen format: the split-screen representing a repeated structure that was contrasted by the disorientating imagery of escalators it was displaying. Similarly, the soundscape I created to accompany the video followed these same principles. The soundscape consisted of two properties: a repeating beat, and a frenzied drone on top of it. Each metaphorically representing the same two qualities of the escalator that the visuals did.
For this assignment, Thomas and I each explored a different perspective of the topic of movement in the shopping center space. I think this turned out to be a great decision on our part. We each presented a piece that was very distinct and unique to us which both worked independently. However, presenting the two videos one after the other allowed for comparison of our methods of expressing our perceptions and served to strengthen the qualities of each video all the more (i.e. Thomas’ video’s black and white color scheme exaggerated the nauseous colors presented in my video, and the subject-oriented visuals of my video contrasted well with the formless apparitions of Thomas’ video).
Unfortunately, having to reduce the video from the original’s one and half minute run time down to forty seconds detracted from some of the qualities that I most liked about my original final product. Namely, the length of shots had to be greatly reduced in the edit, which I felt couldn’t hope to have the same impact of repetition and tension that the original did.
Today Thomas and I presented our two videos to the class and I believe they were very well received. We received a lot of really wonderful feedback about our stylistic choices and gave us a lot of food for thought regarding our upcoming exhibition. I now face the challenge of working out how I will turn my video into a 40 second version, effectively halving its runtime. The length of the shots in my video are poignant to representing the repetition of the escalator and with the aide of the soundscape create a real sense of tension. I could choose to either: a) reduce the length of the shots so that it will be 40 seconds or under; b) choose to focus on one specific imagery i.e. on the looping escalators or the broken down escalator; or c) create a version that reduces the length of shots and cuts out some shots. Furthermore, the soundscape will have to be re-edited so that it will synchronise with the editing of the new video regardless of what option I go with.
Attached is the version I presented in class today.
Thomas and I had divided the assignment into two distinct perspectives: the active and the passive movement occurring in the shopping centre space. We’ve each been busy working on our individual video documenting our experience of that subject but we’re still unsure how we’re going to present the videos. Will they work better corroborated as one lengthy video, or does presenting each individually, connected symbolically better represent the strengths on each video? I’m inclined to present our videos separately because each of our videos has such a strong identity and an internal rhythm that is established by our emphasis on sounds. Thomas has been a great partner and I believe we are going to have produced two really great final products for this assignment.
I have been making many mock-ups of what I intend the final video product will look like for this assignment. I really want to explore a split-screen style, with each side demonstrating a different perspective: i.e. one half shows a general shot of the escalator emphasising movement while the other half shows an extreme close up of one part of the escalator (a different movement that is occurring). The sound that will be accompanying the video has been a lot of fun to experiment with but I have created a rough edit of what I think will be used for the final product. It consists of two distinct parts: a heavy looping beat and a harsh-noise inspired drone. Metaphorically, the sound serves to represent the two conflicting states of the escalator: the structured of the escalator and it’s meticulous design in the shopping centre (as defined by the looping beat), and the chaos that ensues when you are bombarded by new storefronts after travelling on an escalator (as defined by the chaotic drone). Furthermore, the uncomfortable sounds of the drone really compliment the uncomfortable visuals of the looping escalators. It’s like something out of a horror film.
In today’s class we took the time to discuss our plans for our upcoming assignments with another group and exchange our perspectives on the other’s insights into their space. Our group was paired with Belinda and Dalena, who were planning on continuing to explore the Birrarung Marr space in their upcoming project. This time, however, they intended to examine the space in relation to the bell-structure at the site, and to focus on the soundscape that the bells create when they play at different intervals throughout the day. How was it they would visually capture the essence of a place that they defined by sound, and how did that sound effect the mood of the environment I wondered. They were most interested in documenting one specific melody that they had heard when last documenting the space. For them, they felt, that these sounds best described their experience with the space. How I would interpret the space if I went there, and how I will respond to their portrayal of their own experience were greatly interesting thoughts.
We also discussed my intentions to focus on movement in the shopping centre space, and the distinction between active and passive movement that Thomas and I had made.
These were some of the notes I jotted down from our discussion:
Humanising escalators, or deconstructing escalators, contrasted with partner’s opposite vision: i.e. humanise the mechanics of the escalator vs. the artificiality of a static plant.
Consider the material, texture, and creation of the escalator.
Convenience, and the scale of the escalator.
Fear factor.
What is the purpose of it?
Limitations in technology and the static advancements of escalator technology.
How does the construction of the escalator mirror its environment? Why is it designed the way it is in this space?
I’ve been looking into the function of the escalator in shopping centres and how they’re designed. There’s a myriad of information available online regarding this, and I will attach some examples I have been dissecting. I think it’s most notable for this assignment that there is tested research examining exactly how escalators influence the movement patterns of people in shopping centres. Furthermore, it’s poignant to note the research states that shopping centres are purposefully designed to be labyrinthian so that the shopper is disorientated and will therefore spend more time in the store and be more likely to purchase something. The escalator has a big role in this because they are purposefully situated to move people in areas between levels where they will be presented with new storefronts upon coming off the escalator.
Continuing from the previous assignment, the criterion of selecting four key prompts was expanded to include more specified phrases that were to narrow the context that the prompts were to be explored. Working collaboratively with my partner, the phrases we chose to explore were determined by each selecting two of the concepts that we had individually explored in the previous assignment. The concepts that we decided upon lead us to consider a shopping centre as a relevant site to explore them. Each concept was deconstructed and reexamined in the context of the shopping centre in order to specify what we hoped to document in the site. Further discussion about our thoughts to use a shopping centre as a site provided us with the idea of incorporating photos and videos recorded across a variety of different shopping centres in different locations. By collating photos and videos taken from different shopping centres, it was theorised that there would be a greater emphasis on the artificiality of the shopping centre: a concept of a space that has been so meticulously planned and crafted to influence occupants that it is replicated in all shopping centres.
The mode of presentation that was to be used for this assignment detracted from the experience of proper engagement that the previous assignment’s exhibition format allowed. The presentation format made it necessary to showcase each photo one-at-a-time so that they were afforded the screen-size necessary for the audience to observe and explore the elements of the photo, and with the constrained time limit of the presentation format each shot could only appear for spectating for a limited amount of time. This meant that each photo was viewed independently of the other photos, and that the special in-between relationship and meaning that the exhibition format provided was lost. In order to replicate the exhibition format that had been used in the prior assignment, our presentation was curated so that before the pictures were shown in full-scale, there was a ‘slide’ that showcased all of the images together in a 3×4 grid. The pictures were arranged into groups of three based on the primary colours that the pictures shared and were then arranged in vertical columns. This was the most visually pleasing way to present the pictures and also provided ambiguous relationships between the photos and the concepts, which forced the audience to engage that extra bit more with the photos so that they could draw their own conclusions of the meaning and significance of each.
Future exploration of this site would benefit from focusing on one specific object or part of a shopping centre that can be seen replicated in all instances of these spaces, or as was suggested, documenting objects or spaces that are indicative of a shopping centre and create a false impression of the real thing.
