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The music and video was extremely similar to the musician Dan Deacon. The percussive, playful, and repetitive synth noises sound just like his new album (without vocals). The music was full of arpeggiators, bit crushers, and twinkling bell textures. I felt that it matched the character of the surrounding structure and aesthetics.
However, I was less impressed by the videos/projection. My favorite of them was the projection "Rest." It showed a collection of images, footage, and textures mixed into a symmetrical kaleidoscope shape. It was abstract and not too distracting. Alternatively, I felt that the other videos were distracting and didn't match the other aesthetics or character of the piece as a whole. The video showed footage of musicians dancing and playing instruments. They were often green-screened on existing video footage and geometric colorful shaped backgrounds. I have seen this before. I wasn't convinced by its authenticity or effectiveness. It also would have been nice to have the speakers and the laptop hidden in the piece.
In conclusion, this piece was fun and very transformative.
Nicholas Rogger, "Renewal Garden"
wood, soil, plants
2010
This piece is three wooden containers of soil and plants. On a table nearby are egg carton containers for audience members to take soil and seeds with them. It is a collaborative and engaging piece which encourages people to literally and symbolically spread life and environmental renewal.
The motivation for the artist came from a personal interaction of his. One of his friend was frustrated with environmental problems. To help comfort people, Nicholas decided to bring life and plants into an unusual environment.
As an audience member, I enjoyed the simplicity of playfulness of the work. It was very straightforward and effective.
Overall, I was most impressed by the captivating music and sound composition. There were engaging sonic textures which magically illustrated the visuals. As someone who traditionally dislikes puppetry, it was helpful to hear and see experimental expressions.
In addition, the camera angles were very cinematic. Although much of the film was stop-motion, or capturing puppets, the camera flow brought the inanimate object to life. Often times, the point of view and focusing was extremely effective. The photography of the film came across as very thought out. All in all, I was moved greatly by this piece.
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The film has three main sections. The first shows both sides of the battle. This does well to humanize the brutality of the RUC. The second communicates a conversation between protagonist Bobby Sands (IRA) and an officer. Lastly, the final section tells the story of Bobby's gradual descent into starvation. Bobby begins a hunger strike to lead his fellow comrades.
The first and last section have much visual and sound stimulation. In contrast, the middle section is extremely dialogue oriented. The beginning scene has many compelling angles and episodic shots. My favorite was the scene of the guard smoking a cigarette in the snow outside. The camera is zoomed in on his hand. Instead of focusing on the cigarette, it focuses on his bloody hand. It has been cut from punching cellmates all day. This middle scene is 17 minutes of the same camera angle. Here, Bobby and the guard are debating about philosophy, politics, and the morality of martyrdom. In the scene, the smoke from their cigarettes is very hypnotic.
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