Overall I'm reasonably content with how midyear assessments went - I'm happy with the images I chose to put forward, and despite some technical hiccups when it came to sourcing the screens initially, it was a reasonably simple installation process.
In terms of feedback, several of the comments reflected things I had been a little worried about, specifically around hierarchies of importance. I'm kicking myself a little for not running with the large-scale photoprint or lightbox ideas given that (based on feedback received) this may have been a less repetitive way of presenting the work - the digital on digital effect may have been too "didactic", which in hindsight I think is probably true. Given the time crunch and some lack of time management on my part I likely wouldn't have been able to pull off the light box effectively, but perhaps could be an option in future. Hierarchies of importance is still something I need to think on and improve, specifically around content vs. presentation strategy in this work (i.e. if the glitchy nature of the works is important to the narrative, were the screens - being lower resolution - efficient, or would've a photograph worked better?).
I'm curious about whether the photos would've worked well and I've been meaning to try photoprints out with the past scans i have (particularly the bouquet one). I think I will have some printed at MakeShop this week to see.
Over the next couple of weeks I want to focus on the literature part of things and on rounding off projects in progress a little - this will involve writing on the Network Nature book I've been looking at, and on finishing the moving image works I've been playing with (I need to get them out of the way).
Summary of short term plans:
- get to work on the second Literature Review assignment
- print midyear images
- finish moving image works
- finish relevant tutorials on Blender, pointmapping and camera motion
- plan Rangitoto exploration for when weather improves
- think about future subjects and investigations (either done by myself or that others have already done/are doing)
Notes from midyear assessment meeting itself:
* Selection and editing
- re. installation, multiple screens multiplicity important; projection, moving image, printed photos all were a bit too repetitive and dull; wanted to have images in a space where they could work with one another, read individually and as collective; model, not flat image, wanted 3D quality while maintaining collective and individuality
- pros and cons to each medium, was tossing up the idea of presenting on a larger scale, idea of bodily encounter with the subject; in testing it didn't add anything more to the work, and felt projection washed the space out and lost detail, pay off wasn't great; conceptually the idea of the screen and the literal border/boundary between physical realm and speculative digital space was conceptually necessary at the time
- toyed with printed image idea; discouraged from this and from moving image by the prescriptive - presented the image as it was; the digitality added a 3D feeling that I couldn't accomplish with printing; printed photography also has documentary feeling to it, which felt a little heavy handed (more literal or fixed feeling to the images as a result).
* Statement and Title
- always struggle with titles; researching the kaikōmako's history and the moment of the naming of Martha an interesting turning point; a human name personifies it and implies personhood; in the context of clone trees, having a tree as its own origin point with its own human agency interesting to me; narrowing down focus of practice to one subject, so including Martha in the title helped give more of a sense of existence and grounding to the tree;
- what is gained? having Martha specifically helps for me distill that down into the specifics of its development, and helps point out an important turning point in when it gained agency in the process of regeneration, identifies it as important and distinct among the other trees
- the selves is the most important part of the title; repetition of a singular thing is the core; historically that has been isolated around Martha to a degree, but the priority is the multiples
* Lauren Moffatt reference - what is different? what is inspiring?
- drawn to technological aspect of her practice initially; creates digital spaces for discussion and speculation, which is something I resonated with, probably the main point of similarity; digitality offers a way to go beyond the reality of reality, into a speculative space for reimagination and encounter
* What next?
- want to keep playing with speculation and imaging, specifically the material of the digital programmes; now I've narrowed something down via this work, I think that's a direction I want to keep going in, either an installation around one singular thing or an installation with multiple works that address multiple different things; branching away from being so local and insular in my sources, broadening horizons a little (i.e. Rangitoto thoughts); still looking at nature, ecology and imagery, not going too far afield but branching out more beyond my backyard
* Feedback after conversation:
- specificity and investigation further afield is throwing up rich and meaningful connections to the world, good idea to follow; looking at artists with similar methodology an important step, perhaps within architecture especially; building models via LIDAR in relation to the idea of building the kaikōmako important connection
- don't have to be the author of these things, can work with other people, conservationists, external sources, etc. Think about ways that the methodology could be expanded without having to do everything yourself; build connections
- literalness around works (i.e. screens = digitality, multiples = multiplicity) not always helpful or adding anything new; trade offs between detail and presentation; as artists we make decisions around all this; keep trialing and trying things out and considering the hierarchies involved in the work
- how much information does a person need to encounter the work in the ways I want them to? what is the work setting up for us as an experience?
- Yolunda thought the title sounded very biblical or relating to The Handmaid's Tale; not a bad thing, just an observation
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