ONES – week 6

From the start of this project Miku and I have said that it would be an experiment, where we would discover what happens if you give two collaborators from two different disciplines the same material, which has been created together, to edit an individual film of the exact same length, using the exact same soundtrack.

Since we are each editing at the moment from individual perspectives without communicating about the process, we are bound to have two very different films that will come together through its location, sound, style and performance.

Miku is a choreographer who explores the space with her whole body, merging it in to the environment. As a visual artist, I explore the space through a camera lens and frame, putting my body outside of the environment to let my eyes make a composition of the different elements within it. Therefore, our methods of exploring the various locations will have been different and thus it will affect our editing processes.

This by far is the most fascinating and thrilling part of the project so far, because we can’t predict the exact outcome. I’m very excited to see the differences and similarities between how Miku and I see, think, and explore when we are not creating together in person.

ONES
2 women
2 countries
2 disciplines
————–
1 installation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by © ANNE• 2015

ONES – week 5 – Editing

Over the last weeks Miku and I have been in conversation with our composers Cassie Kinoshi and Jack Goodwin to come to three separate soundtracks. Both composers have very different styles and backgrounds, which makes for an intriguing input for our editing process. At the beginning of April they received our selected sounds, film stills and impressions. From there they each took the sounds to a new level where the sounds were stretched, distorted and shaped into a rhythmic soundtrack.
Since their soundscapes are simultaneously our timelines in order for Miku and I to edit our films to independently, it will be a real experiment to see how their work influences our editing process.

Miku and I are now in the process of choosing specific footage from each location to start this editing process. The aim for us is to both have the same footage to edit with, but not to communicate on how we are going to edit it before or while we are editing.

The planning was to start this process back in April, but due to serious computer malfunction we had to postpone this process to June.
We will keep you posted on this exciting project of which we are planning a showing of work in progress in the beginning of July!

ONES
2 women
2 voices
2 countries
2 disciplines
2 intuitions
2 rhythms
————
1 installation

Photo by © ANNE• 2015

OF(f) COURSE – ANNE• & Kathrin Gramelsberger

OF(f) COURSE is a new research project in collaboration with Kathrin Gramelsberger. It stems from my graduation piece ‘On An Empty Stomach’, for which I received distinction at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London.

Spread through multiple locations in London Kathrin and I went looking for movement and rhythm. I examined various ways in which I can compose my digital canvas to achieve a digital collage painting. My central focus point is rhythm, which I research through elements of light, lines, textures, repetition and movement. Kathrin has gone in search of the movement and rhythm in the location and how they affect her own movements.

Follow the research that extends between London and Amsterdam right here.

Photo by © ANNE• 2015

ONES – week 4 – FINAL sounds

2 women
2 voices
2 countries
2 disciplines
2 intuitions
2 rhythms
————–
1 installation

 

 

 

[09-03-2015 UK] Anne Point:
During our final sound choosing session Miku and I began to venture out into the thought of combining the different locations through sound. Individually we choose very different sounds for location 1 and 2, where location 3 gave us a moment to come together. It was very useful and inspiring to hear where our decisions came from, leading us further and more focussed into building strong pillars for our film process.

Location 1 seems to deal with an invisible force, being in or under something and having a fractured frame where one can wonder what is up or down, left or right and wonder about what the bigger picture might look like. Also the momentum of movement and stillness within one take reminded me of a sea cycle, hence I choose quite the few water sounds.

Location 2 for me personally has to break with the actual elements in the frame in order to become interesting; taking it beyond the point of first recognition. For Miku the movement has a lot to do with a constant motion; like a heart monitor showing a constant beep. That led me to the thought of a motion monitor in which the constant swelling and going of the movement is confronted with brutal opposite sounds such as the noise on a construction site. Stretching the pressure on this visual heartstring. Making it into an abstract rather then a story of coming and going.

Location 3 led us to discuss a certain vacuum created by the visual: a momentum between two situations where time as we know it seems to come to a standstill creating its own reality and momentum. Most of the collected sounds emphasise the vertical or horizontal, the height or distance, the line or plane, the hard or soft surface and the duration of our footage, amplifying a sense of being in-between two happenings.

Design
Here my interest for creating a triptych in the design stage of the installation gets its first ground structures. Playing with the sensations of the spectator rather then with a logic or storyline is key. As my former tutor Tom Paine used to say, “What something does, rather than what something means.” Thoughts on how to bring these multiple locations together in one installation, also led us to think of how we could choose one sound to connect all locations while they each still hold their own frame.

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[09-03-2015 Japan] Miku:
This week, we tried to finalize our selection of sounds for each location.
Going back to all the sounds we collected over the last 3 weeks was very fascinating. More thoughts, more ideas, more excitement!
However, at the same time, it was a very challenging process. Because we have so much to choose from, (we love almost all of them!!) it was hard for us to choose just a few sounds for each location.

We made our own lists of sound for each location first and compared them later. Interesting to see was that our lists of sounds were almost completely different for the first two locations, which made our process even harder!
We realized that our individual life experiences are acting very differently when it comes to perception. Some of the sound to me for example, felt very spacious, where Anne found the pressured. Very interesting!

The great part was that we had a chance to really talk about WHY we chose that specific sound for each location, and HOW it could fit.
From the hours of discussion, we had more new discoveries and thoughts, which made our selection narrower, deeper, denser and meaningful.

Again, we realized how powerful the sound is when it comes to putting it together with the visual and of how it could manipulate an audience to see and perceive in different ways.

Thoughts

Two voices bring hundreds and thousands of possibilities. Which could be overwhelming sometimes, BUT exciting at the same time. Like a chemical reaction, two artistic voices can create a new thing, a new world, a new vision, a new reality.

ONES – week 3 – sounds

2 women
2 voices
2 countries
2 disciplines
2 intuitions
2 rhythms
————–
1 installation

 

 

 

[02-03-2015 UK] Anne Point:

Thoughts on location 3:
Japan sounds – defined place or material sounds
UK sounds – material vs. material and their momentum

This week Miku and I seem to have almost an overload of sounds. To me my sounds almost feel too much and too little at the same time. I wonder if this has to do with the awareness we have created over the last three week on how we each interpret sounds and their possibilities in usage.

For me the excitement this week lay in the recording, but I got impatient when listening back to it. A feeling of ‘everything could work, hence nothing works or is good enough’ crossed my thoughts. Agitation over too much choice took my main focus in the conversation, leaving me with a doubtful state of mind.

The fact that we are coming to our 3d location and with that our most important location, because we went back there a second time, has gotten the overhand on the ideas and flow of it. The sounds are still really particular and unique, but because this location became such a big deal to me by filming it for a second time, there seemed to be little space left in my mind to transform it into something else.

Hence my thoughts for editing have shifted into starting with this 3d location first, rather then keeping it for last, because else the pressure to make it into something ‘good’ becomes leading instead of ‘exploring’ its possibilities and boundaries.

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[02-03-2015 Japan] Miku:

Miku’s Sound – natural recordings / created sounds / softer / malleable
Anne’s Sound – created abstract sounds / metallic / hard / dense / sharp / edgy

– Both Anne and I had very different sounds this time.
My sounds were more literal / easy to guess and more ambient than Anne’s abstract sounds. Anne’s sound were very interesting and fascinating that I couldn’t guess what it was, and it attracted my attention more. Anne’s sounds weren’t an ambient sound to me. It had characters and its own voice / statement, which I though would be an interesting layer to add on to the visual.

– When I was searching for sounds to record, I reviewed the perceptions I had that time during the filming at the location 3. The feeling of a long continuous pathway, and the feeling of looking down the hole, reminds me of a manhole on the street, where I decided to record the sound of the water, for example. The object’s presence is visually absent in the frame, however, it was present in my body. I think this searching for a sound that was present in my body (but not visually), and combining it with the visual, could expand the kinaesthetic experience for the audience.

– PRESENSE of ABSENSE / playing with visually non-related elements in sound (earth elements) could be interesting. Water vs. concrete site sounds. This can create a new effect / new imagination?

– Listening to both of our sounds, like specific site’s and its elements, affected our choice of the sounds.

I am thinking of how I could put these sounds with the film…
For instance it would be interesting to play with busy on-going sounds while the movement is slow – this could create a friction between visual and audible which could be challenging and interesting. It could expand audience’s experience.

After collecting loads of sounds together for three locations, we now need to re-select and re-consider in finalizing which sounds we’ll pic. It is very tricky I found that some of the sounds could fit more than one location.
SO, in that case, what more can I consider making my decision? Maybe I could rethink my kinaesthetic experiences (5 senses experience) at each location and see if that helps. Especially, focusing on my BODY experience / memory, could be helpful.

QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF:
How does my body feel when I listen to the sounds?
Does the sound fit my kinaesthetic experience / memory or does it conflicts?

ONES – week 2 – sound

‘ONES’

2 women
2 voices
2 countries
2 disciplines
2 intuitions
2 rhythms
————–
1 installation

 

 

[16-02-15 UK] Anne Point:

Thoughts on location 2:
Japan sounds – precise and rhythmic ‘submerging with the body of dancers into the world created on the digital canvas.’
UK sounds – echoing rhythms ‘following the lines in a hard vs soft distance’

This week Miku and I both had a longer list of sounds. It almost seemed that location 2, being at the sea sight, directed us automatically towards water sounds. It is funny however, that the both of us collected mechanic water sounds or water that seems to have been contained rather than natural water sounds.

The question if we want to emphasize either the body or the space with the sounds, led our conversation onto interesting paths of how we watch and remember our footage. Example: ‘If we have a hard surface within the location on the canvas, would we rather use echoing sharp sounds to emphasize this or would we want to use muffled sounds as to give a juxtaposition to the expectation of sound to what you hear?’

A lot of the sounds were open to interpretation, thus helicopters and frying pans made their appearance in our minds eye were there were non. This made me very aware of the potential to manipulate the expectations and the perception of our footage for future spectators. Here my fascination for playing with what we know and what we think we know in order to come to a new experience is getting another major impulse.

——

[16-02-15 Japan] Miku:

Anne’s sounds = many of them have material / object / man made kind of edgy, sharp and hard sounds. Nature vs man made objects. Characteristics of the city. However, some of the sounds have both qualities of hard and soft, which reminds me of my body (soft) vs buildings / objects (hard) during the shooting.
Miku’s sound = softer, blur, abstract, round sounds. Many of them are water related sounds. Although, the second location was by the seaside, I was interested in using the sound of different forms of water to create a friction between visual and audible.

Questions
– Using the sound that is related to the object in the frame… Is this too literal? Does it pull away the audience, or does it emphasize the idea / theme?
– Do we always need to use the sound that is not literal? How much friction do we need between visual and audible?
– Am I choosing sounds according to my visual memories or kinaesthetic memories of the location?  What would be the difference if I chose visually or kinaesthetically?

More Thoughts
– Mix of natural sounds and man made sounds can be an interesting mix of quality. It causes friction. It creates the elastic world (non-fixed, ever-changing imaginational world)
– Choosing sounds according to the location’s quality, such as the quality of the objects/materials, spaces, lightings, density, colours, and more…
– Unexpected non-related sound has a possibility to re-shape the location differently. Visual effect could emphasize OR it could ruin the whole picture.

ONES – week 1 – sound

‘ONES’

2 women
2 countries
2 voices
2 disciplines
2 intuitions
2 rhythms
————–
1 installation

 

 

[09-02-15 UK] Anne Point:
Thoughts on Location 1
UK – 3 sounds recorded: ‘Echoing city’
Japan – 4 sounds recorded: ‘Clear rhythms’

We both think that the sounds of the other person are clearer. This ‘clearness’ may stem from the fact that we were not there in person recording it, so we don’t have the other inputs from the space like colour, size or usage (original/traditional use of public space).
Human voices have a tendency to create stereotypical ‘drama’, where machines produce more of a rhythm. In my opinion it would be interesting to separate the body on film from too recognizable sounds, so it gets the possibility to create its own sound and rhythm.
Distortion of sounds by isolating parts of it and slowing these parts down, speeding them up, muffle them or increase their higher or lower tones.

[09-02-15 Japan] Miku:
– Sound creates different environments, feelings, emotions and imagination for each individual person. Depending on your background, one simple sound can transform into a million things.
– The human voice has such a strong presence. It connects with us right away. As soon as we recognize it, it’s challenging for us to imagine more than just a voice.
– When the pitch of the sound is really high, to me it becomes un-grounded, this way my body on the film can’t really connect to the sound itself. It doesn’t evoke my imagination much. This feels out of the body.
– Two intuitions create such an interesting mix of two different worlds.

ANNE• crosses new borders in 2015!

By the end of October 2014 I started a research project with choreographer Miku Tsuchiya. The process consisted out of four makers intensives on four different locations throughout the UK in which spatial composition, dance, painting, movement and film were explored. The flow was enticing and the footage was rich. Consistency and style began to form out of two different disciplines, dance and visual art, bringing it to a new level in which exploration and intuition became the leading roles of this collaboration. Central to this research is the use of the digital canvas as our main tool.

When in December 2014 Miku moved back to Japan, we became well aware that in this digital age boundaries are relative when it comes to distance. Since we have landed in the next step of our work process, the digital step, we have decided to collaborate from opposite ends of the world.

From this day we will log the process of our collaboration onto this blog as a support for the work being created through theory and practice.

Concept

Working title: ‘ONES’

2 women
2 countries
2 voices
2 disciplines
2 intuitions
2 rhythms
————–
1 installation

Photo by ©ANNE• 2014

Winter portraits

Winter along the Thames makes for intriguing portraits.

All photo’s by ©ANNE • 2014

All at sea

Last Monday I had another interesting conversation with artist Billy Cowie at his Brighton studio in which we discussed dance, film and sound while watching our work on the big screen.

Another challenging film session took place with Miku Tsuchiya at Brighton’s sea side where we braved the elements till our joints were locked together by wind, water, stone, iron and sound.

All photo’s © ANNE• 2014