This reminds me of parts in a film where someone kills someone else and now they are trying to hide the evidence. Because of this the film felt kind of frantic or anxious and because of the connotations the film itself felt kind of sinister or dirty. The frantic nature was heightened by the editing where it jumps forward and back and uses reversed footage (which i didn’t notice at first) which made it feel like no matter how much cleaning was done it stayed dirty. That also played a big part in my reception of the film where the milk (which was a great choice helped contrast with the red) just stayed tainted a certain colour and made it feel really dirty.
It was almost vulgar, but in a good way, really raw and almost made me feel like i had done something wrong as i was watching it.
I was really attracted by the colour of the video, it is surprised for me to see the white water become red, and the contract of this two colour gives me a deep impression. What’s more, the step of colour changing is also interesting, to see the colour from clean to dirty and see the hands from clean to dirty gives me a fresh feeling. Otherwise, I also find the order of video is changing, the whole video is not edit by the current order, it cut and edit by the editor many times. The movement of the hands is soft and clearly. I think this video is really good especially the colour comparison.
The first thing I noticed was the milk and how it created a white, clean background and the contrast between that and the dirty, soiled potatoes. The second connotation I made was about how in ancient Rome and Greece, a milk bath was seen as something elitist, being a sign of high status and thought of as beneficial for the skin and a beauty treatment. With that in mind it seems as though at first the attempt was made to convey that even something as dirty as a potato, recently dug up, deserves to be treated similarly with such high regard and be washed in milk. These were my thoughts at the first few seconds of watching the video, until I noticed the blood that was being washed off and mixed with the milk.
I thought it was a rather interesting and creative choice to wash potatoes with blood stained hands. I will admit that I cannot think of what the intended meaning of it might be, apart from being a rather striking, unique image. The mixing of the blood with the milk, the initial contrast of red & white and its subsequent turn into pink create a visually beautiful scene. The editing was well done and I rather liked how some scenes were reversed and the un-mixing of the blood and milk showed a return to the initial condition.
I agree with the choice to not include a soundtrack, the background noises creating a peaceful feeling of being outdoors, with the sound of birds being audible at the second half of the video. I also think its interesting that the overall feeling by the end for me was a rather relaxed and calm one, which upon thought should not be entirely given what I have seen, which is blood being washed off hands, meaning that someone must be injured, or worse.
I like the idea behind the video, it was well executed, visually striking and unique. If I may ask one question it would be: ‘Why potatoes?’
Blood that pulses,
from a beating heart.
The first eager sip,
of mother’s milk.
The fertilised dirt,
for the growing of seeds.
The gentle touch,
of hands that love.
The scrubbing away,
of mess unmade.
The way you bleed,
into the care you give.
The way you stained,
my skin with your breath.
It’s a great honor for me to took part in your group’s shooting. So I have some understanding of this video. First of all, from the color analysis, the beginning of the milk is white, because the hands of the pigment is very similar to the color of blood, and then the color of milk become pink. I think this process is also a kind of ‘movement’. Secondly, in the process of editing, I can see that some scenes are jumps. This is a technique of editing. In the process of washing potatoes, I think Allegra regards potatoes as a newborn baby. Her movements are like touching and gentle. These are just my personal understanding of this video. Of course I like this video, too.
This piece is inspired by the compulsive need and irritation to clean these potatoes.
The harder you wash the dirtier it gets. I wash. I bath. The water is milk. Why is the water milk? I want it clean. I want it washed. The potato is rough, its hurting my hands. My skin–now wrinkled and worn–feels tired. It feels sore. Harder. I need to scrub harder, but the harder I wash the dirtier it gets. My skin is blistering. It’s being butchered. Harder. Rougher. Torn skin. Ripped skin. More blood–my blood. Thinner skin. Tender skin. Blood is everywhere. Blood is all I see. All I smell. Consuming every rational thought. The foreboding drum like a heartbeat, grounding me or turning me insane? I need to wash the blood. Clean my hands. Wash the dirt. Wash the blood. I need to cleanse these potatoes. I need to clean them. Scrub, scrape, scratch. The blood now leaks into its cavities–its veins. Veins that pulse with life once more.
Such an interesting collection of responses! it’s great to see the various approaches a writer can take in their ‘response’ to another artwork. The writing in various ways can open up access into the work that we may previously not have had as an audience. It would be interesting to re-watch the film with the piece of writing in mind. Smiljana
This reminds me of parts in a film where someone kills someone else and now they are trying to hide the evidence. Because of this the film felt kind of frantic or anxious and because of the connotations the film itself felt kind of sinister or dirty. The frantic nature was heightened by the editing where it jumps forward and back and uses reversed footage (which i didn’t notice at first) which made it feel like no matter how much cleaning was done it stayed dirty. That also played a big part in my reception of the film where the milk (which was a great choice helped contrast with the red) just stayed tainted a certain colour and made it feel really dirty.
It was almost vulgar, but in a good way, really raw and almost made me feel like i had done something wrong as i was watching it.
I was really attracted by the colour of the video, it is surprised for me to see the white water become red, and the contract of this two colour gives me a deep impression. What’s more, the step of colour changing is also interesting, to see the colour from clean to dirty and see the hands from clean to dirty gives me a fresh feeling. Otherwise, I also find the order of video is changing, the whole video is not edit by the current order, it cut and edit by the editor many times. The movement of the hands is soft and clearly. I think this video is really good especially the colour comparison.
Potato
The first thing I noticed was the milk and how it created a white, clean background and the contrast between that and the dirty, soiled potatoes. The second connotation I made was about how in ancient Rome and Greece, a milk bath was seen as something elitist, being a sign of high status and thought of as beneficial for the skin and a beauty treatment. With that in mind it seems as though at first the attempt was made to convey that even something as dirty as a potato, recently dug up, deserves to be treated similarly with such high regard and be washed in milk. These were my thoughts at the first few seconds of watching the video, until I noticed the blood that was being washed off and mixed with the milk.
I thought it was a rather interesting and creative choice to wash potatoes with blood stained hands. I will admit that I cannot think of what the intended meaning of it might be, apart from being a rather striking, unique image. The mixing of the blood with the milk, the initial contrast of red & white and its subsequent turn into pink create a visually beautiful scene. The editing was well done and I rather liked how some scenes were reversed and the un-mixing of the blood and milk showed a return to the initial condition.
I agree with the choice to not include a soundtrack, the background noises creating a peaceful feeling of being outdoors, with the sound of birds being audible at the second half of the video. I also think its interesting that the overall feeling by the end for me was a rather relaxed and calm one, which upon thought should not be entirely given what I have seen, which is blood being washed off hands, meaning that someone must be injured, or worse.
I like the idea behind the video, it was well executed, visually striking and unique. If I may ask one question it would be: ‘Why potatoes?’
Blood that pulses,
from a beating heart.
The first eager sip,
of mother’s milk.
The fertilised dirt,
for the growing of seeds.
The gentle touch,
of hands that love.
The scrubbing away,
of mess unmade.
The way you bleed,
into the care you give.
The way you stained,
my skin with your breath.
– Things that feel // CLEO DOCKER
It’s a great honor for me to took part in your group’s shooting. So I have some understanding of this video. First of all, from the color analysis, the beginning of the milk is white, because the hands of the pigment is very similar to the color of blood, and then the color of milk become pink. I think this process is also a kind of ‘movement’. Secondly, in the process of editing, I can see that some scenes are jumps. This is a technique of editing. In the process of washing potatoes, I think Allegra regards potatoes as a newborn baby. Her movements are like touching and gentle. These are just my personal understanding of this video. Of course I like this video, too.
This piece is inspired by the compulsive need and irritation to clean these potatoes.
The harder you wash the dirtier it gets. I wash. I bath. The water is milk. Why is the water milk? I want it clean. I want it washed. The potato is rough, its hurting my hands. My skin–now wrinkled and worn–feels tired. It feels sore. Harder. I need to scrub harder, but the harder I wash the dirtier it gets. My skin is blistering. It’s being butchered. Harder. Rougher. Torn skin. Ripped skin. More blood–my blood. Thinner skin. Tender skin. Blood is everywhere. Blood is all I see. All I smell. Consuming every rational thought. The foreboding drum like a heartbeat, grounding me or turning me insane? I need to wash the blood. Clean my hands. Wash the dirt. Wash the blood. I need to cleanse these potatoes. I need to clean them. Scrub, scrape, scratch. The blood now leaks into its cavities–its veins. Veins that pulse with life once more.
Such an interesting collection of responses! it’s great to see the various approaches a writer can take in their ‘response’ to another artwork. The writing in various ways can open up access into the work that we may previously not have had as an audience. It would be interesting to re-watch the film with the piece of writing in mind. Smiljana