Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi is an experimental video directed by Godfrey Reggio, it took 6 years to collect and film all the footage used in the film. It was released in 1983 and is composed of numerous clips of cityscapes, cave paintings, destruction of buildings and slo-mo and fast forward clips of all kinds of examples of everyday life. Alot of this film is contradictory; at the end of the film a rocket is shown taking off in slow motion, eventually it explodes, leaving the burning debris to fall through the sky. While this violent image is on the screen, a calming chant is played over it and even though you would be watching something quite aggresive, the music has a calming influence. This clash of feelings can leave the viewer feeling uneasy.

This film starts with cave paintings and ends the same, in between however, images of modern life and the natural world are shown. The way Koyaanisqatsi is put together makes me think about the contrast of old and new in the world. It also gives me the impression that the director is trying to send a message about the way we are treating the planet. The message I got is that if we want to keep building, we have to destroy nature and we have to make changes to the way we live if we want to save our planet.

Chapter 4: The Use of Exhibition Space to Create Meaning

The context in which you view the work is often as important as the work itself. The atmosphere can often change your opinion on the works importance as, depending on where it is, there can be numerous distractions, like if music is playing or if lots of people are there. Also the surrounding work can affect the meaning of the work; if one picture is a bright, colourful painting, it may draw attention away from a darker image you may otherwise prefer.

UPDATE, 28/9/09 :: When we went to the Tate, I looked at a lot of installation art but the one piece that stood out was 'The Pack' by Joseph Beuys. It was an old, rusting VW Bus tied to 24 sleds hanging out the back doors; each one was fully equipped with a Survival Kit. To me, this seemed like quite an important piece of work because in the large room, there was only 2 pieces there and it was in the opposite corner to 'The Pack'. This piece is mainly a concept driven one, it is quite a surreal piece and the area it is in heavily impacts it because if it weren’t in a gallery, I wouldn't consider it to be art.

Girl Chewing Gum - John Smith (1976)

'Girl Chewing Gum' by John Smith is a crafted short film depicting everyday life on one street with a voice over desribing what happens.

Craft
As the film goes on it appears the narrator, who initially acts like the director, may not actually be at the scene and is now predicting what will happen and gives most characters a story about where they are going and what they are doing. It is eventually revealed that the narrator isn't there and is apparently in a field miles away.
When the film finishes, it is clear that the footage was most likely pre-recorded and the voice over was added later.

Concept
When the narrator gives the characters stories he adds another dimension to the film so it goes from random people on the street to real people with real stories.