Set dressing

Once everything was done we dressed the installation and decided where the various media was going to go. We then moved the lights around until we were happy, adjusted the code accordingly, set up the LDRs....and were ready to go.

Pasting the research

I started to sort through all the research that we had ripped out and strategically pasted it around the room.

On the side of the boot machine, themes of magic, voodoo and identity.

On the side of the transmission machine, themes of space exploration, transmission and UFO

On the side of the praxinoscope themes of sea exploration and eccentricity.

Whilst I was doing this James took care of the wiring and tweaking the original code to fit our needs and Faysal dressed the dark room

Table mission

We found an old printers which was full of tables and other interesting odds and sods. The guy in there was clearing the place out and said we can have whatever we wanted. We were pretty worried we were going to be without tables but now we have more than enough.

Valiantly we guided this noble steed through the streets of Hackney.

Painting the Animation

I painted the animation, using vibrant colours which will hopefully cause a pleasant juxtaposition with the dark space. It will be unexpected and jump out at you, showing the characters charming hope of escape within this abysmal space in which he confines himself.

Dark Room

With the machines completed, we decided to build the dark room.

This involved creating a frame around the sink area which already exists in our studio. We then boarded it up in order to make it a separate room from the rest of the space. it will later be filled with various photographic equipment and the 35mm photographs of the cult dead will be hung from rope. It will also have a red light in it which will hopefully look fairly sinister, complementing the dark overtones of the photographs and, of course, follows dark room conventions.

Periscope works

The periscope idea works and has been mounted, it looks great, like you are staring down a deep tunnel with a boat at the end of it.

Back door board up

Me and Faysal boarded up the back door, it gives the space a sense of dereliction, character and looks fairly sinister. It also conveys the sense of reclusion that our character felt.

Boot Machine Mount

For the boot machine we decided to use rotary cams to lift and drop the beaters similar in the way that Michael Kontopolous has done so in the video below


Machines that Almost Fall Over from Michael Kontopoulos on Vimeo.


We have built the rotary cams at uni using the fine art departments facilities, we then used dave to weld a mount onto the motor in which a rod can be screwed. We took this to hackney and attached it all to a larger mount we previously built, and to our amazement....it works! Another success, a little too successful if you ask me....watch this space.

Binoculars x Persicope

Our initial intention to just use a set of binoculars is not going to work if we want to viewer to see the animation through the praxinoscope machine. The praxinoscope is too low, so we have decided to combine it with a periscope turned upside down.

This works in theory, but we have not actually mounted anything yet.

Animation

I took it upon myself to use the animation departments facilities that I had access to last year for the animation module. After trying to decide whether we would go for a model animation or a drawn animation we went for drawn. This was because we were unsure as to how the model animation would work when viewed through binoculars from a distance, a flat image would be easier to make out.

Me and Faysal designed a few different boats in our sketchbooks and decided on the final boat. I then took it to the animation department and drew 12 frames in the correct size for the praxinoscope. These were tested out when we got back to Hackney and worked well, they will later be mounted on stronger card and painted.

Praxinoscope Build

Ok, so turns out a praxinoscope is no easy task! We underestimated how fiddly it would be to cut mirror, get all the measurements right and glue the whole thing together along with the bike wheel!

First of all, we found the circumference of the circle, which Faysal's maths qualification came in very useful for. Then we divided this by 12 (the praxinoscope's we saw in the childhood museum had 12 mirrors so we thought we would do the same) after doing this we attempted to find the middle of the circle, however this proved fairly inaccurate because the garden sieve we used to attach to the wheel was not perfectly circle. After this, we constructed a dodecahedron (12 sided shape) to glue the mirror panels to in the centre of the praxinoscope. So far, so good...now the hard part: cutting the mirror.

We found the mirror outside James and Faysals flat, it was very thin so we thought this would make it easier to cut. Turns out it was pretty old and therefore brittle, so it was a real challenge getting 12 panels out of it with a glass cutter. With mirror shattered all over the place we eventually managed to get a set of 12 mirrors and 2 spare ones. They have a few cracks in them but we feel this will add to the DIY aesthetic.

So once it was all superglued and screwed together we attached the motor and powered it up...it works! Now all we need to do is put the animation inside it, mount it and it is sorted.

Blueprint printing

Whilst I was at work, James and Faysal printed the blueprints onto acetate and prepared the paper we had chosen from Atlantis for printing on. Leaving them to dry ready for us all to print the blueprints.

I was really excited about this process and I feel it has worked very well.

First of all we took all of our designs and paper over to textiles where they have a UV press, which means that the process was a lot quicker than using sunlight. We printed them individually, exposing the paper through the acetate for 3 minutes and 10 seconds per print. Then putting them in a light safe box and taking them over to the specialist darkroom for washing. After an initial test, we went ahead with printing all three in this way and they looked great.

We were always nervous that this process may not work how we intended it too, that the text might be blurry or any other problems may occur. But it looks spot on, genuine blueprints have been created from my crude drawings, which to me is brilliant and a new technique learnt for the future.

the initial test

UV press

washing the prints....almost there!

finished!

Blueprint designs

I have been working on these for quite some time. My concentration has been mainly on Fig 1. (boot machine) and Fig 2. (praxinoscope) while Faysal has been working on the transmission machine. The idea is to print the final designs on acetate and use cyanotype printing techniques to finalise them.

The designs have gone through many changes, which are documented in mine and Faysal's sketchbooks, and the finished designs can be seen below:

It was my concern to hand draw the blueprints on A3 paper, whilst Faysal scanned them in and worked on them using photoshop. I joined him after finishing all the drawing and James stepped in at the end adding a few final touches.

I am happy with how they have worked out and feel they meet our expectations and intended aesthetic of a cross between amateur and official.

Ripping Research

We always knew this would be a big task and I feel it will be ongoing over the next few weeks. Over the duration of the project we have been buying relevant books for the research which will be plastered onto the walls. Me and Faysal have been looking through all the books finding relevant information which we can rip out to later do this with.

Super 8 shoot 2

Me and Faysal set out on a days shooting people in groups of three. We had the idea to just pick people we see in groups of three whilst we wander around the local area. It was supposed to feel slightly awkward, with the subjects looking directly in the camera, like in a still photograph, but moving. This was to allow the method of scratching out the middle person to become simpler and also was for subtlety, to avoid overwhelming the spectator in our installation with loads of moving imagery.

To our suprise, not many groups of three were to be found! We got a few people, some kids, professional types on lunch break, that sort of thing. But the most successful was probably of three butchers. We may chop these up or leave just one of them as the loop. We decided however, that we should postpone handing in the footage for a week as it gives us time to gather more shots in this way.

I later discovered an old english folk story about three butchers  who decide to fight of some rapists in order to rescue a woman. It involves the two butchers wanting to run away, whilst the third insists on fighting but is rewarded by the woman stabbing him to death. Perhaps this is the ill fated one? However, a nice reference to the kind of 'old wives tales' and superstitious beliefs that this shoot is dealing with.

Black and White 35mm

We set out to develop the Black and White 35mm immediately, however...when we got into the dark rooms we felt a bit out of our depths having not used the equipment for quite some time.

It was decided that we wouldn't do it until later, when we could read up on it a bit or receive help from friends more acquainted with the dark rooms.

While I was at work, the day after the shoot, we thought that we should just go for it. James and Faysal went into uni and did a great job in the dark room and printing. After I finished work they showed me the prints and I am very happy with the way that they have turned out. I am kind of dissapointed that I didn't get to do it with them as I would have liked to have got involved in the dark rooms. It is, however, important we get this stuff done so it is out of the way in time for building and because I work two days a week it is unavoidable that I will miss out on some things.

The Shoot

The shoot went really well and we shot 4 rolls of 110, just under a minutes worth of super 8 and a few rolls of slide/black and white 35mm stills.

In the morning we got to Uni about an hour before all the actors were due to arrive. A room was booked so we used it to lay out costumes and had a small selection of sandwiches for the actors. We had to start early as Dave Turner needed to be away by 12. When he turned up we were ready to go, which meant he wasn't waiting around and we got straight to it.

In costume everyone looked great, Faysal took control of Tin Foil hatting people whilst I discussed with Dave and the actors the shot we needed and James set up the camera positions. The super-8 shoot was a collaborative process between us all with James and Faysal manning the camera whilst I directed the actors. Whoever wasn't on camera, got in shot, face down as background filler. After the initial super 8 shot, Faysal and James shot some black and white 35mm of the same scene.

Once this was done, me and James took control of the 110 cameras, setting up scenarios with the actors and taking snapshot style pictures of them, choosing our camera positions in an intentionally amatuer style. During this time, Faysal was taking slide photographs also. We tried to make this an improvised situation so it could seem natural and authentic.

I am eagerly anticipating seeing the film developed!

                                      

Running up to the Shoot

So we have the main actor now, which is great, however we are finding it difficult to get many of our friends to stay on board during this critical time in their degree's. We have cemented about 8 people however and feel this will work, the cult was always in our minds as fairly small and close-knit anyway.

Dave Turner is confirmed and we have a suit and glasses for him to wear which came from the boot fair.

Props have been assembled into suitably weird contraptions.

A location has been chosen; the woods next to Northwick Park hospital.

image

We have shot here before and achieved great results, the particular area we have in mind is a clearing just in front of a concrete wall, suggestive of a compound, which could be the cult's settlement. This particular spot has recently been visited by the council, who have left a bunch of chopped down tree segments which form a nice semi-circle around the clearing. It reminds me of a camp, circled around a fire, sat on logs...perfect for our shoot.

We decided that we would improvise the majority of shots in an attempt to create a snapshot aesthetic that feels authentic and not staged. We have bought all the film we need, including the super 8mm cartridge from the Widescreen Centre in Baker St.

wimbledon Car Boot 5

Quite a promising boot fair this time, we also had access to James' parents car as they were in London for the weekend, so filled it to the brim.

Our main finds included:

A kids bike, which we will take apart and use the wheel-and-chain mechanism for the base of the praxinoscope.

A box of clothes. This was free and will be used for costumes on next weeks shoot.

Various electronic parts/tubing and other such oddities which will be utilised as the paranormal activity research cult's crude detectors/transmitters.

Search for Actors

For the shoot involving the paranormal research group narrative we decided it would look interesting if it was a collective of young people led by a much older man. We wanted to create the idea of the father figure which many cult leaders assume the role of. An example of this is Jim Jones, famous for being the leader of The Peoples Temple and instigating one of the biggest recorded mass suicides to date; the Jonestown massacre.

It will be easy for us to obtain a reasonable amount of actors to play the roles of the cult, apart from the leader, through using friends. For the role of the leader we searched online databases and have identified a few potential actors who are the right age and appearance.

After sending out various messages we received a few promising replies and have decided to work with an actor named Dave Turner. He seems very interested in our idea and looks great for the part.

Shoot ideas

We have been thinking about the shoots and batting around ideas on what exactly we could film and have come up with two ideas for two separate super 8mm loops.

The first stems from our earlier research into the idea of three people in a photograph meaning the inevitable early death of the middle person. It will involve a shot of three people, and we will scratch out on each individual frame the face of the middle person. If we can, this could be presented in the shape of a triangle to match the theme of three.

The second is a sort-of side narrative. It involves a cult-like 'paranormal activity research group' who have sensed activity in the area of the room which we are creating. They approach our character one day and notice the blueprints over his shoulder as he answers the door to them. Overexcited they try to enter the house but our character refuses and shuts them out. After obsessing over whether they hold the answer to the blueprints meaning he eventually decides to head out to their camp, which he had earlier noticed. On arrival he finds them all dead from an organised mass suicide in the style of the 1978 Jonestown massacre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown). Why? Our character does not know, however here he finds their bizarre equipment and research, which he steals and tries to decipher their relevance to his machines.

The footage itself will be of the aftermath that our character discovers, it will involve a quick pan of the group lying face down and clearly dead. It should look as if it is the point of view of our character, either footage he shot himself or a memory that is repeated again and again in his mind (as it will be presented as a loop)

Boiler Strip

Today we stripped the foam off of the boiler and underneath the copper looks great.

IMAGE

After this we sawed off the bottom so that the praxinoscope will be able to fit inside. When doing this we were encountered by a wave of turquoise sludge and crystals, which we assumed to be a serious case of limescale! We intend to get a mop and clean it up so that it is fully hygienic and also does not flake during the installation. Inside the copper has turned a nice green colour and hopefully this will colour the light inside the machine.

The Space

We have moved into an artists studio in Hackney. It is part of the 'Old Peanut Factory' complex, which James and Faysal are already familiar with as they have a friend who lives there.

It is obviously a step back from the original intention of building the installation in a derelict and empty space, however it was necessary at this late stage. We will continue to pursue the goal of moving into such a space, but for the sake of this project and the deadline we decided it would be better to cement a definite location and concentrate on the project itself.

We had a choice between two studios, one which was 230 sq ft but in an inconvenient location, below a bedroom and surrounded only by thin plasterboard walls and a 190 sq ft room which is obviously smaller but has a second room next door which is 90 sq ft for our use and has solid concrete walls and ceiling meaning us making noise will not be a problem. For this reason, we decided to go for the 190 sq ft room and we are confident it will house the installation well.

Here is a link to see this space http://www.amazing-space.org.uk/e3oldford-280.htm the pictures currently show it with screen printing equipment but this will be moved out very soon.

Wimbledon Car Boot 4

Great again as per usual! We mostly tried to collect research this time as this is the main thing we are lacking, so books, illustrations etc were at the top of our priority. We left with a fair few interesting books that can be put into the installation either as ripped-out pages or in their entirety.

Other things we got include:

Super 8 Camera


A eumig which looked in good working order but we have later realised it has a cracked and loose filter inside. We may try and use it anyway.

Speakers

A pair of 1970's sanyo speakers in great condition for only £1, not necessary but couldn't resist! Im sure we will use them in some way or another.

Trunk

Lamp

Materials

We have now collected a few key bits of scrap metal to build the machines out of.

Square Tank

James got this square metal tank from near his home in Somerset, it will be great for the boot machine due to its size and aged aesthetic. The fact that it is metal will ensure we attain the sound we are looking to achieve through this machine.

Boiler

I got hold of a boiler from a family friend back in Southampton. It could be used as the body of the Praxinoscope machine. It is copper and it would be interesting to investigate ways of ageing it prematurely so that it will tarnish and become greener in colour.

Detailed Sketch: Praxinoscope Machine

IMAGE

Detailed Sketch: Boot Machine

IMAGE

VHS Loop Testing

We spent today testing various ways to loop VHS tape and it turns out it is a lot harder than we anticipated.

Following our schematics laid out in our research and pre production folders we took apart a VCR and tried to create a loop in the same way that a film or reel-to-reel audio loop works. Our tests were unsuccessful as VCR's are cleverer than we thought! They really do not like being manipulated and are not as simple as older projectors and reel-to-reel players.

For this reason we have decided to instead use vhs tapes and record the footage over an over again in extended play, on a 4 hour tape we will be able to squeeze 8 hours into it doing this. The work will not be exhibited any longer than 8 hours a day so this works out fine, we will just rewind the tapes over night. Another advantage to this is that it takes up less room than a loop so we will not be prohibited by any possible issues with space.

All in all I am a disappointed we will not be having the visual aesthetic of a loop but I am happy that we have a solid back up, guaranteed to work.

Wimbledon Car Boot 3

This time round Wimbledon was the best yet! We got hold of an incredible amount of stuff and for unbelievably cheap.

8mm Viewer


This viewer is interesting because it has a large screen like a television monitor, could be a great bridge between the various technologies within the installation.


Box of vinyl records


Not sure if this will be relevant with this project but a proposed project we have been working on outside of this one involves the gramophone we used in 'Waiting Room'.


Various Books


Journals on Supernatural Topics


Mannequin Arms


Again, we are not sure whether these can be used in this project but they look fantastic.


Binoculars


These will be built into the praxinoscope machine.


Weighing Scales


These could work well with the DIY tools on display.

Magnifying Lamp

We had an idea where we could play a VHS through the viewfinder of the camera and magnify it using this lamp. It would have a Brazil-esque look to it which would work nicely with the bizarre and unnerving environment we will create.

schedule

Schedule: 13 – 19 of March 2010

Sat 13.03

Wimbledon 09:00

Sun 14.03

Woolwich 11:00 + Compile PDF + Brick Lane

Mon 15.03

UNI 10:00 – 18:00 VHS loops  (Email Woolwich)

Tues 16.03

UNI 11:00 – 19:00 Exact machine designs + blueprints (Email Rich Simkins)

Wed 17.03

Wellcome Collection Library 12:00 – 20:00 Shoot plan / Narrative / Research *BRING APPLICATION FORM*

Thu 18.03

Andy at work, Day off

Fri 19.03

UNI 12:00 – 18:00   Praxinoscope prototype / Tutorial 3:00 / Plan next week

Chapel Visit postponed

The chapel visit with Justine from Wandsworth was unfortunately cancelled yesterday.

It will be postponed until the week beginning 22nd March. Disappointing, but at least we will still view it and potentially gain access to the space.

VHS Footage

James and Faysal sent me a link to some tests they did with the Panasonic VHS camera. I wasn't at theirs at the time, which is where the camera is currently being kept but their friend came over with some blank VHS tapes and they couldn't resist!


Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

The footage is everything I had hoped for. I have been wanting to achieve a degraded VHS aesthetic for a long time with my work and this is absolutely perfect, it has the potential to be used in this and further projects. With the abundance of VHS tapes available as most people get rid of all their old equipment their opens up a world of possibilities and experimentation. To me, this is the most exciting development in the project so far. I was pretty gutted I couldn't be their for the initial testing of the camera but am glad it has been done successfully.

VHS Test

After the boot sale we tried to get the VHS cameras up and running, the Sony which was in the best condition immediately turned out to be betamax (even though I asked the seller and he insisted it wasn't...the thing is called a betamovie, should have seen that one coming!) The two Fergusons do not have batteries and did not respond to being plugged into the mains via a DC adaptor. The one that prevailed and proved its worth however was the most beaten up of them all, a Panasonic.

***IMAGE***

As you can see from the photo, the camera is covered in muck which looks like mould. It smells slightly of Urine but we have convinced ourselves it is just damp. It works with a deck which is powered by the mains, the battery is dead so shoots will have to be indoors. We did not have any blank VHS tapes at the time so couldn't test it any further than turning it on and watching James' Space Jam video through the viewfinder of the camera. This worked so recording should also...we hope!

Wimbledon Car Boot 2

Our second trip to Wimbledon was incredible. The sun was out, it was the first of the month and it was PACKED! We were a bit overwhelmed at first but then got stuck in and bought some really great stuff.

Pulleys

***IMAGE***

These can be used for lifting mechanisms.

Pressure Gauge

***IMAGE***

Could look great as part of one of the machines perhaps

Grinder

***IMAGE***

This has a fantastic aesthetic and creaky sound when you turn the lever

Foot Pedal

***IMAGE***

Could be used as some sort of activating switch

Twin Cassette Deck

***IMAGE***

This will be a good way of re-recording audio to degrade the quality of it

VHS Cameras

***IMAGE***

These are in a debatable state of working order but were a great find and perfect as they are full sized rather than VHS-C.

Battery Rust Liquid

I came across this video today and thought it would be a good way of making horrible, old looking rusty liquid that could be put in jars etc to dress the installation. I suggest listening to it with the volume down, for some reason the music in the background is Riverdance!?!

Wimbledon Car Boot

Went to Wimbledon Car Boot in search for materials. We found quite a lot of great stuff!

Fishing Reels

These could be used as pulley systems in the machines, with motors attached to them to enable movement. This would fit with the intended DIY aesthetic.

Books


Bag of Tools


These are going to be useful in both the building of the piece and in the appearance of a workshop in the finalised installation.


Valve Radio/Amplifier

Perhaps the most interesting find was this radio/amp. We got it on the cheap and thought it would be worth a shot, half way round the boot fair we were approached by an eccentric old chap who really seemed to know his stuff. He said it looked in great condition, despite the battered exterior and it should work well...in his words 'attach a pair of big cabinet speakers and you'l hear it in your bollocks rather than your teeth!'. Sounds great!

Microphones and Condoms

Our experiment consisted of a metal bin filled with water, a 50p HMV microphone bought at a car boot sale, a Fostex tape recorder and a condom. Messy work as you can imagine,

We started by washing out the condom, drying it and putting the microphone inside it. We then tied it at the top so that it was water-tight and dunked it in the bin of water. Banging on the side of the bin, we compared the sound it produced with the microphone both in and out of the water. When it was out it sounded weak and tinny, but once submerged in the water it had a deep, powerful sound with a strong emphasis on bass. A sound clip of this can be heard below:

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

The three of us are extremely happy with the results and we intend to further investigate how we can manipulate the sound with effects pedals etc.

Thames wander

After looking at some great pictures of the grimmer end of the river on the Derelict London website we decided to go out to the area and look for old rusted metal and other potential materials.

Although we didn't find much, it was still interesting to go to this area that I would have otherwise never have visited. We were a little underprepared however, with no gloves and little to carry back materials in than Faysal's suitcase. A lot of time was also spent walking through housing estates as the river bank was not as large as we had hoped and the tide was in. Near the dome (or as it is now known, the 02) however, we encountered two small workshops. One of them had two old guys working on some metal, they offered us whatever we wanted out of a pile of metal piping/scaffolding which will be useful, but we could not carry much back. They had some great looking rusty barrels but there was no chance we would have been able to transport them.

Next door to the workshop was 'Dad The Mirror Man' an old eccentric south londoner who made mirrors with his daughter. He showed us his welding skills and really tried to help us out with collecting materials but didn't really had much to offer. The project seems to be drawing us towards these eccentric old guys which is helpful and potentially gives us ideas for character development.

Another really interesting find was a sculpture which was seemingly built spontaneously with no obvious artist name or commissioning company in sight. It was made up of rubbish that probably had been found swept up by the river. It was unusual and had that 'stumble upon' quality that our installation will hopefully achieve.

***IMAGE***

It was mostly a pretty horrible affair, with the cold weather, general uncleanliness of the river and heavy lifting. Next time I'm wearing a jump suit, wellies and taking big strong bags.

Lewisham

Spoke to Elizabeth Mitchell from Lewisham council, she informed me that inviting artists to make use of spaces in the borough is something they are currently looking into however it is a long process. She said that the best thing would be to do some legwork and check out the area, if anything comes up of interest she can locate the landlord or determine whether it is owned by the council itself.

We intend to go on a walk in the area soon to see if there is any potential spaces.

Wandsworth Chapels

Spoke to Justine Kenyon from Wandsworth council about 3 disused chapels she felt could be of use to us. At this stage she explained that it is still a very new concept to the council and will be the first time they have done anything of this nature and in coordination with the landlords of the chapels.

It sounds very promising and we have one chapel in mind which is based in Putney Vale, it has no electricity but is apparently very derelict, run down and has a lot of character. We could easily use a generator for electricity, but this may be expensive. Depending on whether the council will be covering rent, it may work out ok though.

We have a viewing on 9th march of the chapels and will be preparing for this over the coming weeks.

Further Emails: Tower Hamlets

Hi Andy,

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. It's tricky to guarantee use of any empty spaces in the borough as the management of such spaces isn't really within our remit.Additionally, Tower Hamlets was not one of the boroughs that received funding from central government to support empty shops schemes which makes moving forward with the whole 'empty spaces' agenda a little more difficult. However, you could try contacting Toks Osibogun, the head of Corporate Property Services. If you identify an empty building that you are interested in, Corporate Property Services may be able to help order to ascertain whether it is owned by the council with a view to obtaining permission either from the private owner, or from the facilities management team (possibly). There may however, be health and safety implications which make this impossible without taking up a proper lease (should this be a viable option).



There is one potential space, the old Peugot showroom on Mile End Road, which may be available, depending on when you wanted it, for how long, and what your budget is. Other suggestions include contacting the Live Art Development Agency for their advice, contacting Toynbee Hall, contacting the Head of Performing Arts at Queen Mary University (via the switchboard), and looking at the venues section on our own website (see below).



We are logging details of all proposals/empty space enquiries as this is an agenda we are interesting in pursuing and supporting. If you do manage to secure a venue, please keep us informed as we would be delighted to help profile any arts-based activities and exhibitions in the listing pages of our website, www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk.



Regards




***Note***

The Peugot showroom will probably be a little too modern but we intend to check it out

WON!

Won this interesting viewer/tele-cine screen.

The way it works is you project into the side of it and it displays the image on screen, a wonderful bridge between the VHS and super8mm we are using. Depending on the quality it could also double as a crude way to create homemade optical prints, meaning we can edit footage and loop an optical print of the results rather than looping a multi-spliced length of film. Chances are though, it will probably not be good enough.

I have found instructions to build an optical printer if it becomes apparent that we will need to do this however, http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/s8mm/optprint.html

This screen will feature in the installation itself as a way of containing super8mm by avoiding large projections and the need for screens to project onto. We realise the space will probably be limited so it is important to keep the piece concise and contained in this way.

Another item won is a super 8mm editor, a Prinz Oxford 800. This could be easily motorised to either rotate a loop, or as we are planning, move a reel of film forwards and backwards in a loop. Again, the screen will work to our advantage within the installation space.

Riflemaker

Riflemaker are currently in the process of installing an exhibition and had a few pieces by their artists in residence on display on the ground floor.

Of particular interest was the motorised flip book by Juan Fontanive. The piece displayed a bird in flight over a series of individually hand painted small-scale images. These were attached to a rotating motor that worked as a flick book, creating the illusion of movement.

The piece felt charming and magical, with a DIY aesthetic that invited the viewer to become aware of the simplistic working method. A small pin was used to keep the papers in place and the motor was left exposed allowing the inner workings and construction of the piece to become just as integral as the image it produced. In our installation this will be a key reference point in the build and design of a suitable praxinoscope.

Wellcome Collection

Visiting the Wellcome collection was a great insight into the collections of a great eccentric, Henry Wellcome.

The exhibition we mainly had in mind to view was 'Identity' which is an exploration of 9 unrelated individuals (two of which are twins) throughout 8 separate rooms. We thought that exploring unusual lives would help us in our character development. The exhibition was interesting and I felt that I learnt a lot from it, including the notion that 1 in 8 people start as twins in the womb and this explains the sense of loss that many feel in life. It is small factoids such as this which can be potentially developed into interesting aspects of the project.

The exhibition as a whole, however, did not prove to be as useful as we had hoped. However interesting, it focused less on personalities and other character defining features and was more interesting in the historical and the factual. Fair enough for a museum I suppose, but not exactly what we were after!

The permanent collection, 'Medicine Man' was extremely interesting. It was a complete jumble of curiosities, you could really feel the erratic nature of an eccentric collector through the exhibit. We all thoroughly enjoyed the weird objects on display that varied from a fully preserved mummified body to a box of glass eyes, from a Hieronymus Bosch painting to a lock of King George III's hair!

The expanse of unusual and obscure relics, beliefs and other strange objects displayed had a distinctive aesthetic, they fitted together in the exhibition in a similar way we intend to implement in our installation. The research carried out by our character will be from a variety of unusual and curious sources, enhancing his eccentricity and adding to the fantastical nature of the machines and blueprints.

To do: Testing

We got together and wrote a to-do list of experiments and testing we need to do in order to fully secure the feasibility of what we are trying to achieve.

1. VHS Loops - How are we going to do these? Will it work? How to make the loop sculpturally interesting yet functional
2. Microphone Waterproofing - What microphone to use, How to ensure it is completely water-tight. Try sending the sound through an effects pedal.
3. CCTV Camera - We obtained an old cctv camera at Wimbledon car boot sale and have not yet tested it with a monitor to see if it works
4. Monitors - How to attach the monitors that were given to us by Dennis to VCR's as they do not have scart sockets
5. Ageing tests - attempt different methods of ageing materials e.g rusting metal and yellowing glass
6. Test sensors in low-light conditions
7. Praxinoscope - Design and prototype
8. Experiment with sound recording - re-recording cassette tapes, recording through other materials/in different environments

Praxinoscope

An idea for one of the machines is based around an old animation device called a praxinoscope. It involves a series of pictures on the inner side of a spinning cylinder, with a mirror in the centre which simulates the movement of the image.

http://www.dlt.ncssm.edu/collections/toys/html/exhibit11.htm

We feel that it would be great to try and install one inside a machine and encourage the viewer to peer inside and view the animation. At the moment, we have the image of a boat in mind. We will place a small amount of water in the cylinder also to accentuate the imagery. The idea is that it is a representation of escape, the transcendence that our character seeks through his quest for the meaning of these machines. This will be backed up and referenced to in the research visible in the installation room.

Eccentric Lives/Peculiar Notions

Got my hands on this book recently, it's full of really interesting case studies of eccentric people. Hopefully it will guide us in the development of our character.

Jeremy Daly

Came across this useful video on Vimeo by user Jeremy Daly. Here he has constructed a looping machine out of a VHS camera, VCR and a digital projector. I love how he has utilised the time delay on the recording from the camera to the tape head in the VCR. It creates a sense of echo and brings the participation of the audience into the work but in a subtle way, all they need to do is walk past and they probably remain unaware of their influence on the piece as the image is projected after they have left.

We are hoping to construct similar looping mechanisms in our piece, perhaps not using a camera as such, but taking advantage of the sculptural aesthetics of tape loops. One thing that Daly neglected however is health and safety, if we are to create a similar looping device we will have to ensure that the VCR is not left without a shell or protective casing as it is vulnerable to people touching it and receiving a nasty electric shock!


More experiments with Vhs Tape looping from Jeremy Daly on Vimeo.

WON!

Won a few cameras on Ebay. They take 110 and 126 film, 110 is still fairly available at a decent price although we may have to fork out a bit more for the 126, would be worth the experiment though.

Instamatic 50

Instamatic 155X

Halina STB Flashmatic

Kodak Ektralite 400

Vivitar Point 'N Shoot

All of these cameras are amateur and were used for snapshots in their day, each with their own aesthetics which we intend to experiment with. 

VHS Generation Loss

This video shows the gradual degradation of VHS tape as it is re-recorded over and over again. This will be a great method to manipulate footage and make it seem beaten up, old and even detached from reality (which will be a great way of exploring our characters inner thought processes).

Interesting Toy

Stumbled across these instructions on how to convert an old fisher price movie viewer into a super8mm viewer!

http://home.pacbell.net/mnyberg/super8mm/super8_41.html

Could be fun and relevant to the project as a way of displaying the super8mm footage. I will be keeping an eye out for one of these toy viewers, although I have a feeling they were mostly available in the US.

110 film development

I found this resource for 110 film development which could be useful, they develop and print 24 for £4.99, so not too bad.

http://www.110processing.co.uk/index.htm

Superstition

I have found a useful resource for various superstitious beliefs. They are presented on the website in alphabetical order so we can reference these in relation to various parts of the research, blueprints, machines etc.

http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html

Ice House Detroit

Flavorpill sent me a link to Ice House Detroit by Gregory Holm and Matthew Radune. It involves using disused property to create an intriguing ice sculpture. The manipulation of the space and the juxtaposition with the urban landscape and non-snowy weather adds to the curiosity of the piece.

Hopefully the reaction to our piece will be similar to this, as if stumbling unexpectedly from one world to another.

Currently Reading:

'The Cabinet of Curiosities or Wonders of the World Displayed; forming a repository of whatever is remarkable in the regions of nature and art' (Limbirds London)

http://books.google.com/books?id=2Y4AAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&client=safari&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

An extremely unusual book I stumbled upon during my dissertation research. It was published in 1824 and is an insight into early research into the obscure. The handwritten notes on the particular copy published on google also add further insight with notes including such observations as 'parallel world' and various underlining, highlighting and scrawling suggesting a previous reader applying these unusual studies to their own research.

These sorts of areas of unusual inquiry and the notion of a Cabinet of Curiosities is key to our installation. We will be including a similar variety of obscure sources in our characters research, displayed within the installation. In the same way that this example is crudely marked by a reader, we will mark books and other sources as a way of relating them to the three machines and blueprints.

Reply: Pretty Vacant

Hello,

Firstly, I just want to say that I love that sample of work - brilliant!

Secondly, I can think of the perfect place - Volte Galleries in Wolverhampton. The Gallery is actually the old railway station, and its a beautiful blue brick period building. It is essentially a shell which is how its been kept as a gallery (complete with crumbling plaster, bare-brick walls and abandonned fixtures and fittings). You can see a few pictures here http://www.prettyvacant.org/previous-exhibitions/ , and theres also a few on google if you're interested (try searching "wolverhampton low level station"). We are hopefully going to be working there sometime in spring/summer to develop a mini arts festival (though this is still at talks stage). Though i suspect that's a little too late for what you want it for anyhow, so I can suggest that you contact Antoinette Alleyne (removed) who is currently the manager of the gallery to see if she may be able to help you out.

Hope that helps, Gemma (& Charlotte) at Pretty Vacant

***NOTE***

Although this email is very positive and could be a possible contact for the future, Wolverhampton is obviously too far for the purpose of the major project.

Reply: Wandsworth

Hi Andy

Thanks for getting in touch. Before we can effectively respond to your request we need a little more information such as –

Where are you studying and what kind of work – themes, media etc. do you want to make?

What sort of space - large, small, covered, not covered?

What sort of 'infrastructure' - electricity, water, parking?

Will you have insurance in place?

What funds do you have to cover costs?
Thank you

Justine Kenyon

Arts Development Officer

***NOTE***

We need to research insurance, my dad works in an insurance company so hopefully he will be able to assist us with this

Reply: Lewisham

Dear Andy, James and Faysal, Thanks for your enquiry. Lewisham Arts Service is working in partnership with the Economic Regeneration and Town Centre Management teams to coordinate an integrated strategy for artists seeking to use empty properties within the borough. The guide will be available online soon. My colleague Elizabeth Mitchell, Arts Special Projects Officer, will be able to help you further. She can be contacted at (taken out for privacy). Do let us know how you get on. Best wishes,
Cimeon Ellerton
Arts Assistant
Lewisham Arts Service

Emails

We have sent a few emails enquiring about possible space to the following councils:

Tower Hamlets

Brent

Hackney

Wandsworth

Lambeth

Lewisham

Southwark

and the following organisations:

Pretty Vacant

Measure

We have also been in contact with landlords advertising on Gumtree, however, none of these could offer us a space until nearer the time.