I went to MoMA this past weekend for the Shigeko Kubota Liquid Reality exhibit. I enjoyed many of the pieces, but especially liked Video Haiku–Hanging Piece.
- Why did you choose the installation?
I liked this hanging piece the most because it felt like the most clear execution of her theme of how video and memory could be distorted. As the video on the pendulum swings back and forth, I see myself in the video, sometimes exactly as I am, other times stretched according to the form of the mirror. I also liked that this piece incorporated a live video feed of ourselves, it made me very contemplative. - What and how it has been made and how to incorporate it into your work.
It had one TV hanging from a long pole that was being pushed back and forth by another arm attached to a motor. The TV was placed over a irregularly shaped mirror that seemed to coccoon the TV and distorted its image. The live feed was coming from a camera on the wall directly across the work. What I liked the most was the distorted mirror, that feels like a very interesting theme to play with. - How are visitors flow? How is it installed?
There were two other pieces installed in the room and people tended to go to the one that was in the center (this was off to the side), unless the other two were too busy. I found it interesting that to see the piece from the "proper" angle (be able to see yourself in the TV reflected in the mirror), we had to walk around the piece. Most people went to the side closer to the door first, which meant that they would be seeing someone else reflected in the TV first, or no one. Perhaps this invites exploration to try and find where to stand to be captured by the camera? - Where is equipment visible or hidden?
All the parts of this installation were visible: a round TV (I wonder if that was custom made for the piece?), metal poles, a motor, a camera, and a mirror. - What is the material?
Either plastic or metal. - What is the purpose of the installation?
My interpretation is that it is having us question and reinterpret our own reality. - What kind of technology is used? And in the end, Is it working?
Live camera feed, an old school TV, a motor. It is working.
I also enjoyed her other pieces, some that left an impression: a piece where we had to lean over to see inside it, and two where the light was reflected onto the water or onto the walls which made for a beautiful effect.
Initial project ideas
I have a dataset of Chinese actresses that have starred in Wuxia (Chinese historical/fantastical martial arts) films, and I love the dataset for the stories it tells. There are three actresses in particular that have really defined the Wuxia category for their respective generations, and then went on to become supporting (often mentoring) characters to the younger actresses. The earlier two actresses also retired at their initial peak when they got married, then came back to act in those supporting roles later upon their divorce. The third actress continued to act even after marriage.
I worked with this dataset in my digital fabrication class last year, and I want to continue iterating on it for this class.
In particular I'm imagining an interaction where the fabric are much larger in scale, aesthetically reminiscent of clothes hanging on drying lines. As a person walks alongside it, the projection fills in just the little part in front of them with color and annotations about the actress and the movies they were in. Perhaps highlights from movies of that time are projected on the wall across from the person.
After the person finishes walking alongside the fabric, they turn back and see all of the actresses and how they were interconnected (not quite sure how to execute on this yet).
The metaphor being that an individual actress might not be able to see all the impact she has as she goes from one movie to the next. So we walk along with her to see her perspective. But when we've finished, we have the benefit of hindsight—and we can see all that they've accomplished in a bird's eye view.
I was inspired by these two images from Pinterest:
Mood and aesthetic
These are photos I've taken in the past when I found something particularly beautiful:
I'm not 100% on this idea though, as I want to try something with a bit more interaction.
Feedback
I got some great feedback from Chika:
- Projection onto fabric might bleed onto the next piece of fabric, experiment with the fabric
- If there are too many people in front of the fabric/screen they'll cast shadows.