William Kentridge "The Refusal of Time"

I visited Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to observe William Kentridge's exhibition "The Refusal of Time." The exhibition was located in a darkroom,Gallery 919, on the second floor. The whole installation consisted of five screens: one on the front of the room, two screens on each side. In the center of the room was a moving wooden piece that reminded me of two oil extraction machines put together. 

The video clips projected on each screen were very similar yet different. Sometimes the five screens could be seen as one large screen as a whole, but other times, each screen showed different scenes and stories. Each screen was as big as the projection screen at Parsons. In the beginning, the screens show five clocks (one on each screen) that moves at different rhythm. As the time proceeds, all clocks move at exponentially faster rate along with the intense, loud sound of whispering. Then, there is an old man who is trapped in enormous book pages: on each screen, he is doing different actions such as moving chairs, walking on top of chairs, reading the page, or just standing. Then, the screens show a room with a black woman and a man with each screen showing different storyline: some with happy ending, others without. The installation proceeds and shows a black empty space which gets filled up with white spots and lines that reminds the audience of Stars and space. Then, Kentridge shows an animation-like scene filled with black silhouettes, which seems to show progression through industrialization. Certain factors seem to repeat throughout Kentridge's video installation: black actors, old man, clocks, huge machineries, and an enormous book.

When I first entered William Kentridge's "The Refusal of Time" exhibition space, the installation had just begun. I felt overwhelmed by the large room painted black and the wooden sculpture piece that was located in the center of the room. I watched the video installation twice, the first time behind the wooden sculpture, and the second time in front of the main screen (the center one among fives screens) sitting down on a chair. I thought not only the visuals, but sound effects were excellent. Kentridge played with extreme sound volumes and rhythms that made me feel anxious and disturbed at some times in an effective way. William Kentridge challenged the concept of sequential time by using repetition and branching out technique. Instead of going with one storyline, he created alternate future scenarios on each scene. He also used repetition such as having an old man repeating the same action in a never-ending manner, not only visually, but also through sounds, to create a sense of being trapped in certain period of time. 

Graphic Novel: Midnight Journey

My graphic novel "Midnight Journey" is based on an actual nightmare dream I had with some additive imagination of my own. The main character is first being chased by scary green monsters and enters the world of black and white. Then, she returns to the world of colors, eventually waking up and realizing all these were a dream. This was my first time creating a graphic novel and juxtaposing each scene in a cartoon-like manner. If I had more time, I would have experimented more with the size of each frames and juxtaposition in order to make the flow from each frame to the next smoother.

Time Final Project

My final project is a video that lasts about three and a half minutes. I was deeply in sorrow and shock when I came across the tragic sinking of South Korean Sewol Ferry, and knew I wanted to create an art piece about it. Instead of focusing solely on the event, I strayed apart from the sinking and focused on the sense of being trapped underwater, the same time being felt differently for those trapped and those who await, and heavy topic of death and the "time beyond living."

I wanted absolutely no texts, no speech, and I believe I succeeded in portraying the characters' emotions and symbolisms/metaphors without texts and speeches.I even simplified the title (I did not even want to put "Untitled" upon it) and wanted the audience to solely focus on the story and meanings.

I am personally very attached to this project because I personally relate to the actual event that I took inspiration from. Also, throughout my Foundation Year, I had been feeling like I was a factory expected to create art or design pieces I did not want to produce. This piece, I truly feel like it is "mine" and proudly say I produced it.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCc94Uy5w1k&feature=youtu.be

Lost in Chess

Fictional Documentary: Lost in Chess

The "Lost in Chess" is a documentary that follows upon a once world chess champion, Carol Chiu. She visits Union Square Park and Washington Square Park almost every day to watch the chess players. In the documentary, we followed upon her daily routine and her old glorious and painful days, including her severe mental breakdown and missing.

Carol Chiu is a fictional character played by my project partner Mia Rubin.
This fictional documentary takes place in three locations: Union Square Park, Mia's dorm room, and Washington Square Park. We paid special amount of attention to the character Carol Chiu and allowed improvisation for her speeches, so that when Mia acts, she is fully immersed to Carol's character.

We incorporated "proofs" such as newspaper articles and news broadcasting in order to make our fictional documentary more non-fictional, which is what documentaries usually take in form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LORc7Pm6mUs&feature=youtu.be

"Exit Through the Gift Shop" Response

Perhaps I was being too cynical about "Exit Through the Gift Shop" because I read the three questions (which elements are believable? not believable? What is the morale/purpose of this fictional documentary) before I watched the video, and I was bound to look out for any discrepancies. I believe the producer did an excellent job in the beginning by forming Thierry's character for the audience. Somewhat awkward, very passionate amateur artist who discovers his true passion following and recording street artists' world. However, as the documentary proceeded, I got more confused and disinterested because the portrayal of drastic changes in Thierry's life happened too suddenly. 

Which elements are believable?
"Proofs" provided by Thierry (his footages which really does look like he followed behind street artists despite the danger)
Portrayal of the street art underworld
Introduction (Thierry's life style before undergoing change)
Interviews with Thierry's wife in the beginning and the people visiting Thierry's exhibition

Which elements are not believable?
Banksky (he was in black hoodies, not allowing the audience to see his true identity)
Manipulated voices
Thierry's sudden disposal of the thrift shop
Location of the thrift shop

What is the morale / purpose of this fictional documentary?
I believe the moral of "Exit Through the Gift Shop" was artist professionalism. I was intrigued by Thierry's passion of leaving everything in footage in the beginning, but as the story proceeded, I found absurdity in Thierry's way of exhibiting too many art pieces and using art not as a means to go beyond his power as an individual, but just as a means to earn money.

Final Project Proposal

STARTING POING: Sinking of Se Wol Ferry in South Korea

Sinking of Se Wol Ferry in South Korea left almost all Korean in great shock and sorrow. Especially because majority of the passengers were 16-year-old high school students, and 100 dead, 200 still missing, the whole Korean peninsula sunk in depression.

INSPIRATION: 

Being trapped underwater, those who await, and fading away

LINEAR VS. NON-LINEAR TIME:

Scenes composed of the same time with different location
Time moving forward & backward
Time beyond the "living"

VISUALS:

Delicate, dance-like hand moves
Hudson River horizon
Sunset
Metaphoric Objects: Black Veil, lighter, chrysanthemum (mum flower), candles, etc.

SOUNDS:

Water gushing in
Underwater
Wind blowing
Phone ringing (?)
Music (calm with a climax for the ending)

STORYBOARD

"Memento" Response

Film Memento Response

Directed by Christopher Nolan

In the very beginning, the film starts with the present, which is in color. The Memento utilizes multiple dimensions and overlapping of flashbacks that create a temporal labyrinth. The film is regressive in its plot, and alternates between the present and the past, which can be differentiated through subtle change in color scheme: the past is shown in black and white. Because the past is shown progressive and the present is regressive, as the film reaches its conclusion, the past and the present meet, allowing the audience to finally complete the “factual” plot inside their heads.

Temporal labyrinth is also created by distortion and loss of the protagonist Leonard’s memory. His “facts” are created around his physical manipulation and destruction of memory, and its footages on Polaroid images, and play major role in creating alternate reality for Leonard and confusion for the audience. The facts including information tattooed on Leonard’s body, Polaroid pictures, and notes not only misguide Leonard, but also the audience.

Time is what allows us to look back, move forward, and identify ourselves and those who surround us. The loss of linear time sequence of the film coerces the audience to think and try to organize the non-linear plot into linear sequence. Just like how one can never escape the labyrinth without trial and error, the audience has to guess and constantly organize the new information given throughout the film in order to understand the storyline. The Memento goes beyond its storyline and allows the audience to make multiple assumptions and branch off of the original plot, creating a temporal labyrinth of alternate plots inside the head.

Labyrinth with No Walls Response

The Circular Ruins

In “The Circular Ruins,” the man experiences repetition and became “disturbed by a sense that all this had happened before.” In the end, it turns out that the protagonist himself is also a part of someone else’s dream, just like how he created his son in his dream. Complex multiple dimensions of dreams combined with repetition are labyrinth-like.

The Lottery in Babylon

In “The Lottery in Babylon,” the author allows its audience to see many similar factors between lottery and labyrinth. Lottery and labyrinth consist of series of choices, and they are followed by inconsistent lucky or punishing outcomes. Also, their forms are similar in regards to “No decision is final; all branch into others.” No one knows the “truth” about the Company because people are incapable of seeing the overall picture or the absolute “truth.” They can only make conjectures. Similarly, people trapped within the labyrinth are incapable of viewing the whole picture; they can only follow their guess. and hope that it would be the right one. It is mentioned in the text that, “Babylon is nothing but an infinite game of chance,” and so is labyrinth in a sense that every choice made within labyrinth is a lottery.

A Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain

“A Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain” explores the labyrinth-like form of Herbert Quain’s literature works. His plot confuses and surprises its audience by tricking people into believing that the solution mentioned in the end is the right one while allowing the audience to go back and discover another solution which turns out to be the correct one. Also, his most original work “April-March” is very complex in the way the story is told because it is ramifying and regressive, just like how someone who is trapped in a labyrinth always has to go back and correct one’s decision in the midst of confusion and infinity.

Story Board

The fictional documentary is set in New York City and follows a middle aged woman named Karyl. She is known as "creepy Karyl" in the lower east side of Manhattan. Karyl got her nickname by visiting Washington Square Park almost every day to watch the chess players. It has been recently discovered that Karyl is the same age as the ex-world Champion Chess player from 20 years ago. However, the ex chess champion had a severe mental breakdown and has been missing for almost 18 years. This fictional documentary investigates this theory.

Fictional Documentary

This documentary follows a middle age-man who is known as "Creepy Carl" to the Lower East Side locals in New York City. "Creepy Carl" was once the winner of the World Chess Championship and genius.  We follow his daily routine at Washington Square Park and discuss his journey from prodigy to a naive people watcher. 

Priority Elements:

1. Opening: Close up shot of a chess board

2. Context of theme: Zoom out and show first chess players playing and then Washington Square Park.

3. Environmental background shots: His apartment, Carl's watching spot in Washington Square Park, 

4. Transition Shots: Movement of hands on chess board, Newspaper clippings of Carl's World Chess Championship, Newspaper articles about his disappearance

5. Visual Texture: Close up shot of chess board

Project 5 Premiere: Bear SPLASH!

I chose an action of a bear splashing the surface of river in the effort of catching a fish. I was excited by the movement of water and the amount of tension a bear can hold by suspending its powerful arm in the air. I focused on the manipulation of speed especially when its arm was high up in the air and came rapidly down to splash the water in order to portray that sense of tension. I also loved seeing the charcoal lines building up upon each other and creating thicker line which provided additional support for the tension. If I had more time, I would have drawn more so that the movement flows more smoothly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEP2um-SLNc&feature=youtu.be

Project 4: Midnight Journey

Front Cover

Page 1

Being chased by creepy green monsters

Page 2:

Entering the world of Black & White!

Page 3:

Back into the world of Color

Page 4:

Waking up from the "journey"

Back Cover

Title: MidNight Journey

Medium: Color Pencil, Ink, Digital

"MidNight Journey" is based on one of the vividest and the most fantasy-like dream I had a year ago. Some scene's color schemes are based on my memory while the overall summary and other details are dependent on a dream journal which I keep track of. I believe the storyline can be understood without further explanation.

This was my first time using InDesign and thus, creating a graphic novel. If I had more time, I would have experimented more with juxtaposing and sizing frames, and even have some factors jumping out of the frames in order to impose more extreme emotions.

Besides having time in between frames as "Understanding Comics - The Invisible Art," I wanted to have time flowing within a frame. I also decided to simplify the main character's facial features: the original one looked realistic and more like "me" because I was focused on the fact that this graphic novel is based on "my" dream. Instead, I applied big, exaggeratedly colored eyes and made the scenes look more two-dimensional so that the audience can engage easily with the plot.

Project 2: Long Time vs. Short Time

Long Time vs. Short Time

Close-Up Images

A young child staring at the endless coils of string

An old figure focusing only on the short end of the string

My starting point was the Fates, who are three daughters of Greek Gods Zeus and Themis in charge of destinies of all beings. The Fates spins, measures, and cuts the string which represents the life of a living being. By having a young child looking at the endless coils and an old figure focusing solely on the short end of the same string, I sought to represent how different age groups view the same time length differently.

Project 1: Time Map

Creating Map of Time

I printed out pictures of hands and weaved them together. Then, I curled each weaved hand image by using curling iron.

The weather was awfully rainy and windy...on my way to class, one of the weaved hands got lost...(which made me very VERY upset!!)

I sought to present the passing and flow of time by holding black-colored ice on my hand and letting it drip on a paper wall. The idea of ice melting and leaving behind the "vestige of time" excited me. When I juxtaposed the drip marks in a circle, they automatically created a swirl allowed me to visually connect it to the sense of time. I sought to enhance the sense of time (how past, present, and future are "weaved" together and cannot happen without one another) by cutting the images of hands into stripes and weaving them together.