Film 202 - Journal Report 1 - article 2

The second article I read, titled "The viewers have...taken over the airwaves'? Participation, reality TV an approaching the audience-in-the-text" by Su Holmes, comments on how contemporary media evokes a new kind of relationship between the viewer's activeness in watching programs like reality TV and the characters on-screen. This form of media is said to bring about a degree of 'self-consciousness" in the viewer since reality TV shows depict actual people in real situations. Devices like mobile phones, the Internet, text messaging, and digital TV all contribute to the interactivity of media and its globalization. The article also explores the validity of one's image on a reality TV show and how rather than depicting an individual as they are the "television frame" acts as a "form of distorted mirror" that "assigns status" to a character. The viewer is also stressed as an active participant in reshaping the media by how it is perceived. It is not only television that is experiencing changes due its manner of being viewed but other forms of mass media as well. The "text" conveyed by the all powerful cathode ray is under constant scrutiny by its audience either consciously or subconsciously which has led to continual change.

Film 202 - Journal Report 1 - article 1

The first article I read, titled "Grizzly ghost: Herzog, Bazin and the cinematic animal" by Seung-Hoon Jeong and Dudley Andrew, primarily analyses Werner Herzog's 2005 documentary "Grizzly Man" and its meta-realistic perspective of death. "Grizzly Man" is a documentary of Timothy Treadwell, a loyal "protector" of an endangered species of bear in Alaska, and the 100 hours of footage he took of his life among the bears until his ironic death, as well as his girlfriend's, from being eaten by the animal he swore to protect. Unique philosophies are explored in the article regarding death - how we cannot actually depict death in cinema because no one alive has experienced it - and that Herzog, opposed to Treadwell, was the real "adventurer" of this film since it was he who returned to the site of danger. The article comments on how Treadwells presence (or "voice") in the film lends itself to what Andre Bazin calls the "Mummy Complex" - "Herzog's cinema of risk aims to embalm not life but death". Herzog, one of the most daring filmmakers of all time, was able to reincarnate Timothy Treadwell with "Grizzly Man" and bring the audience as close as possible to the most unknown stage of life - death. This article on contemporary cinema was quite an interesting read since it dealt not only with the technical aspects of Herzog's films but was also very analytical of his work from multiple perspectives.

Film 202 - Field Report 2

The two works I would like to discuss are the "Infinity Chamber" and the piece consisting of an interactive light boundaries projected onto the floor (I do not recall the name of this work). The "Infinity Chamber" is a work that, unlike most of the other interactive pieces that encourage social interaction, can be experienced independently or accompanied by two other people. I found the most effective approach to the chamber when I examined its inner walls very closely - almost touching the glass with my nose. As I stared into the infinite bits of light I felt completely immersed in cube’s vastness which may be considered illusion or enlightenment depending on the participant. As I scanned my eyes up and down the endless chasms of light the work seemed to attempt sparking my senses with disorientation between abstraction and material persuading critical thought as to how closely they may be related. For those willing to lend themselves to the piece it may test their imagination as it simultaneously isolates the participant while opening the eye to a perception, or misperception, of endless space. The "Infinity Chamber" really gives you the vision to gaze into the potential of your ordinary surroundings in three dimensions. It is like you are peering into a dream. Dreams give us the illusion we are going places while isolated within our minds. The "Infinity Chamber" strives for the same kind of vision encouraging thought outside the box.

The interactive piece involving the formation and deformation of beams of light between active subjects within a large square on the floor (I do not recall the name) may have been my favorite. To me its simplicity and consistency drew me to it and the definite socialization it provokes since its function is based on a given number of people within the space. Again, this piece encourages a new perspective not only of how we view the space surrounding us but also interact with it. I found myself doing things I wouldn't normally do like taking off my jacket and laying it down to create a non-living participant that became boxed in by the light beams. In this environment your creativity is provoked through interactive boundaries.

It seems these are the works of art for the new generation. Works on canvas may be just as interactive depending on how you perceive it visually as an art but these new electronic pieces try associating themselves with an era accustomed to innovatively creative mediums like the Internet and computer games. Though the "Infinity Chamber" is an older work than the other it still has an immersive quality that attracts generations young and old through its uniqueness apart from complex electronics. The other work possesses a similar quality but has been created by a later generation running on an interactive computer program.