As well as the unit aims, the class was given the scenario. The full title is “Invisible Cities (A Sense of Place)”. It was inspired by the book called Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.
Invisible Cities features Marco Polo recounting the cities visited on his travels to Kubla Khan. Through Polo’s narration, he presents his native Venice as fragments of other places.
The piece of time-based artwork should be based around that title & can be a film, animation or any piece of work incorporating a ‘duration’ (time) dimension.
This scenario is highlighting how people perceive the same places, cities & neighbourhoods in different ways. For example:
- What does it mean to live where I live?
- What aspects of my home, town or city resonate with me & conjure up a ‘sense of place’?
There is also room to explore how, sometimes, personal experiences & social interactions can alter a place. What are the characteristics that give a place a particular feel from my point of view?
Sense of place refers to the emotive bonds & attachments people develop or experience in particular locations & environments, at scales ranging from the home to the nation.
Sense of place is also used to describe the distinctiveness or unique character of particular localities & regions.
People develop a “sense of place” through experience & knowledge of a particular area. A sense of place emerges through:
- knowledge of the history, geography & geology of an area
- an area’s flora & fauna
- legends of a place
- a growing sense of the land & its history after living there for a time
In order to produce the work according to the learning outcomes & the above scenario, I need to complete the following tasks:
Task 1:
- On my blog research three artists/filmmakers/ photographers who work with time-based media
- Discuss their concepts, practice & unique approach to working with moving images
- Present my research about one of these artists to the rest of the group
Suggested names:
- Christian Marclay
- Jeremy Deller
- John Smith (filmmaker)
- Jane & Louse Wilson
- Douglas Gordon
- Bill Viola
- Tacita Dean
- Sam Taylor Wood
- Elizabeth Price
- Mark Leckey
- Steven Sutcliffe
- Nina Danino
- Gillian Wearing
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2 & 3
Evidence: Blog
Task 2:
- Explore a location that resonates with me:
- Find out everything I can about this location
- Document every aspect of it with a set of still photographs (up, down, all around)
- Think about Point of View & how I position myself in relation to my subject/space/place
- Create a conceptual framework (e.g. mind map, storyboard, etc.) for the photographs – how could I interpret my place/space (or just one aspect of it) using time?
Learning Outcomes: 2 & 4
Evidence: Blog & Photographs
Task 3:
- Research & include Health & Safety issues relevant to working with moving image both within an editing environment & on location at a shoot.
Learning Outcome: 1
Evidence: Blog
Task 4:
- Produce a time-based artwork/s for exhibition from one or more of my concepts
- Present a piece of finished work that has been exported & ready to show as an mp4/m4v
- Include a short title sequence with my name & date
Learning Outcomes: 2, 3 & 4
Evidence: Blog, preparatory work & finished artwork
Task 5:
- Write an overall evaluation
- I will be assessed on the evidence I have produced. This is clearly outlined at the bottom of each task
Learning Outcome: 2
Evidence: Blog
Photo Arcturus 