Idea 11/17 - Moment

mo-ment

definition - A brief, indefinite interval of time. A specific point in time, especially the present time. A particular period of importance, influence, or significance in a series of events or developments. Outstanding significance or value; importance. A brief period of time that is characterized by a quality, such as excellence, suitability, or distinction.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/moment

When it comes down to it, taking a picture is really taking a moment in time. Capturing an instance, so to speak. But within my series I am taking that one step further. I am trying to capture multiple moment and weave them into the same image. Since memories can span from one second to years at a time, I found it difficult to just pick one singular moment and recreate it. This is especially true with the memories I have that are distorted and unclear. I feel it helps to include the important elements into the image, not necessarily in sequential order, in order to create the mood and idea that I want.

"How does a brain integrate sensory information that is gathered over a time period on the scale of ∼0.5 s, transforming the constantly changing world of stimuli into percepts of a “moment” of time? This integration is a general problem essential to our representation of the world. In audition, the perception of phonemes, syllables, or species calls are examples of such integration; in the somatosensory system, the feeling of textures involves such integration; in the visual system, object segregation from motion and structure from motion require short-time integration; in the olfactory system, sensing odors during a sniff involves temporal integration. Linking together recently acquired information into an entity present “now” is a fundamental part of how the perception of a present moment is constructed; a key issue in this regard is how such integration over time can be carried out with neural hardware. "

Hopfield, J. J. Brody, Carlos D. What is a moment? “Cortical” sensory integration over a brief  

             interval. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

             2000. Web. http://www.pnas.org/content/97/25/13919.full

Visiting Artist 11/16 - Alexander Singh

I was really intrigued with the performance that Alexander Singh presented to us. It was really nice to see art outside the realm of photography. I did find his work a little bit confusing, maybe because I was unfamiliar with it. Singh has  a really interesting way of telling a story/narrative. I was really glad that he actually performed for us, rather than just showing us slides and dcecribing what his perfomances are like. I found him very captivating in that way, where as at times it is hard to follow other artists as they click through every slide. I really enjoyed the piece at the end, where he had a voice over for inanimate objects. By creating these simple sculptures and creating this "critique" by these other inanimate objects, there is a weird commentary on people and how we interact with things. I especially find this true for the comment they make about putting humans on pieces of wood and setting them up as sculptures.

Artist - Hannah Starkey

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/hannah_starkey.htm

Hannah Starkey is a British artist born in Belfast. She now works and lives in London, England. Starkey has been producing work since the 90's and has been in several group and solo exhibitions. Her work has been shown interanationally from Germany and Scotland to the Tel Aviv. Starkey uses actors and ordinary set ups to create her images. Her images read as a "moment in time" or a freeze frame of ordinary life.

Hannah Starkeys work is very inspirational to the series that I am working in at the moment. I love the way that she can create a narratives through her images. Her work is dynamic and evokes motion. I strive to create that kind of relationship between my characters in my images. I am also a fan of the lighting she uses. Her lighting is in a way cinematic and dramatic, but still simple. The lighting is realiastic to the setting but still evokes a mood, almost nostalgia.

"Using actors within carefully considered settings, Hannah Starkey’s photographs reconstruct scenes from everyday life with the concentrated stylisation of film."

Saatchi Gallery. Selected Works by Hannah Starky. 2010. Web. http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/hannah_starkey.htm.

"...she likes to explore "everyday experiences and observations of inner city life from a female perspective". She does so by using generally female actors to create large-scale tableaux, in which the protagonists act out carefully staged scenarios. Her images often portray moments of quiet drama, touching upon areas of experience which are familiar but which remain unspoken or below the surface. "

V&A. Exploring Photography:Photographers: Hannah Starkey. Web. http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph062

http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/artist.php?art_name=Hannah%20Starkey