My experimentation with Experimental Media

As a conclusion to my blog for this semester I wanted to share a small segment from my own work that I was inspired to do after experiencing some of the work in this class. I draw my inspiration from the Islamic kaleidoscope-like animation work in black and white from the beginning of the semester and the artists from this half who worked with film in non-traditional ways such as Ethan Jackson and Vladimir.

Kaleidoscope

Thanks for participating with me in this fun adventure this semester. I hope that you have enjoyed the photos and other bits of my own work.

Trisha

Sharon Lockhart: Pine Flat

Hmmm...I posted on this and it seems to have disappeared. Oh well.

I truly enjoyed the experience of Pine Flat. It started out slow and I wondered if I would be able to stay for the whole 2 hours, contemplating if I should leave at the intermission. Having just viewed Goshogaoka in class I knew that the film would be a duration piece and that each segment would bring something new.

I settled in for the long haul, determined to enjoy it. Well, my determination paid off as I found my excitement growing with each new section. I watched it and felt the experience of real time. Watching a girl read allowed me the space to explore the frame, watch the grass blow in the wind, listen to the birds singing. I felt relaxed and peaceful in that space. I was happy though that that segment was the only one with such little interaction. It seems that the boys in subsequent shots didn't have the singular attention span that she did and thereby provided interesting antics to watch. Even the little sleeping boy fidgeted constantly in his sleep. It provided lots of interesting items to gaze at during the 10 minute section.

The second half of the film included groups of kids doing activities, and though it wasn't a narrative film it felt much more so simply because of the activities and interactions that Lockhart planned into each segment. Lockhart knew that the 2 sisters on the swing would behave a certain way (from months of observing them) and so she purposefully set up a situation that would create conflict for the camera. This was very entertaining to watch!

My favorite aspect of the film was the cinematography. The framing, use of color, etc. were very aesthetically beautiful and it was apparent that Lockhart was a photographer first before becoming a filmmaker. Each shot looked like a living photograph with lush ambient sounds.

I am very glad that I went to Pine Flat and found the experience very rewarding and rich, especially the question and answer period afterwards where I got to know Lockhart better and see where she was coming from as an artist.

A+ experience.