[-empyre-] interpreting datasets from science and natureinanimation (Richard)

T Goodeve tgoodeve at gmail.com
Thu Feb 25 14:34:21 EST 2010 

Hello everyone:

Sorry I’ve been so lax as a discussant-generator but here I am with some
thoughts and reflections. If it’s okay just an aside first: off the top of
my fingertips—many of you make stuff you love and live for, also write about
with great passion, and the animated worldscape is still and ever will be
one of magic and wonder I hope (you have the romantic here), i.e., endless
visual and aural reimagings via its ability, or definition, whether anlogue
or digital, to do anything and everything within and beyond the spacetime
continuum. But sometimes I miss the basic humor, wonder, and sheer “wow” of
the simplicity of animation. I mentioned in a post. The blank page and the
dot. We lose track, myself included, analyzing the life out of things
sometimes and to do this with animation seems particularly perverse. I
realize I set myself up for a bit of ridicule here but alas, someone has to
speak up for the puppet doll in *Street of Crocodiles* who cradles the bare
light bulb baby in its arm and brings it back to life with light, or the
frayed and earnest bunny who does his best to keep up with the spinning
demented ping pong balls and a pair of disembodied knee socks and slippers
moving up and down on tip toes in the Quays “Are We Still Married” —up and
down, up and down. I think Christopher Sullivan was trying to get at this
but not everyone is out to do what he does nor interested in the way I am or
the Quays or for that matter, those who use it for visualization, but
depending on why you do what you do we are here to discuss the breakthrough
insights of theory and technology and animation, but it’s just sometimes
I’ve felt we’ve let the technology get away with doing too much of the
talking, not that it doesn’t have a lot to say.

But a more hardy, if overly general, topic is temporality and time, now-time
vs say the way cinema’s capturing, sculpting, control of time was such a
huge part of its magic. Siegfried Kracauer describe in an essay how powerful
just “having” the wind in the trees —a moment— captured on film is for him.
How different from one of my students when I showed some film, perhaps
Tarkovsky,” Why does he keep leaving the camera on the trees so long?”
Students of cinema are different. We know this: ADD and short digitized
attention spans. But how do you see this in your worlds of animation either
in terms of resistance or something emerging that is part of this. One thing
I thought was very relevant was the post of the shift tilt which is amazing
and disturbing in this respect. Lots to say about it: not only the time
lapse but the way the world is miniaturized. Here the real profilmic world
is literally made into an stop motion animated “cartoon”. One could talk
about the Quays work and time – both in terms of period and affect; rhythm
and texture of their worlds (*In Absentia*, the film they made with
Stockhausen, is in some ways about light/time, metaphorically written all at
once over and over (the character n the film) hence no time. Endless time.
Speed of light…  .) But I do not know what people have seen. I am more
interested in hearing you all discuss temporality and animation “today”—both
theoretically and examples. These discussions are so energetic. They amaze
me.

Thanks, Thyrza


On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 12:39 AM, christopher sullivan <csulli at saic.edu>wrote:

> Hi Richard, I am the guy that wants animations about love, hate, birth,
> sex, and
> death.(not necessarily in that order)
> your rules of engagement leave me a little cold. why would this be a goal?
>
> "greatest possible distance between
>  human senses and computer code that is achievable through the
>  simplest material means"
>
> what part of the human condition would make this a mandate?
> why would this be effective, or rather effective at doing what?
> I know I am being a little aggressive here, but this is coming from
> someone who does not think Data means anything, nor does emulsion.
>
> chris.
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Richard Wright <futurenatural at blueyonder.co.uk>:
>
> >
> > > Surely though most visualization is tweaked towards some form of
> > > aesthetic
> > > quality either for clarity of purpose/readability or 'wowing' an
> > > audience
> >
> >
> > I once wrote that an effective data visualization (in art and
> > science) was one that made the "greatest possible distance between
> > human senses and computer code that is achievable through the
> > simplest material means". By which I meant that it is most successful
> > when there is a creative tension between what the data "means" and
> > what the image "means". If we lose this link altogether then I don't
> > think it's really data visualisation anymore - it's just
> > visualisation. What makes data visualisation so interesting to me is
> > this link to other levels of meaning, knowledge and materiality. It's
> > like a photo but more so.
> >
> > To some extent this is like what film theorists mean by the
> > indexicality of photographic film making. Which I understand as the
> > degree to which the image's status as a record of something affects
> > its meaning for us. So it doesn't apply only to photographic film
> > making. It can also apply to animation in the way that a hand drawn
> > animation acts as an material record of the hand gestures of the
> > artist (didn't Kittler say something about this as regards the
> > history of handwriting?). So when an animator rotoscopes from a video
> > its is a little like they are "re-photographing" it, in the sense of
> > transposing it through another system of physical forces (and other
> > stuff, but I'm not going to be rigourous right now). And now that we
> > are used to the idea of computers extracting all sorts of things like
> > whole 3D scenes just from analysing video footgage, we shouldn't be
> > so surprised to hear that an animator might be extracting all sorts
> > of interesting stuff when they appear to some to be no more than
> > tracing over some video frames.
> >
> > But I digress. Data visualisation seems to me to operate differently
> > to traditional indexicality, partly because the relation between data
> > and image is so defined, systematic, like cause and effect, not just
> > at the level of meaning (it often "creates" the object as much as
> > "points" to it). And also partly because it can be so arbitrary,
> > without the usual physical limitations of emulsions. It is up to the
> > artist or scientist to write their visualisation algorithm and argue
> > for its appropriateness. There's still no accepted way for a
> > scientist to distinguish a "good" data visualisation from a "bad"
> > one. But I think we can start to talk about how to distinguish "good"
> > data visualisation art from "bad".
> >
> > Richard
> >
> > On 23 Feb 2010, at 08:27, Corrado Morgana wrote:
> >
> > > Hi Richard,
> > >
> > > I kinda agree about Ryoji Ikeda. I've seen performances of his
> > > music, which
> > > is usually generated via some synaesthetic process but rather than
> > > it being
> > > purely generative it is heavily edited, composed, constructed for it's
> > > aesthetic qualities. I love it!
> > > The accompanying visuals are also heavily composed but follow some
> > > form of
> > > mapped visualisation, again skewed towards visual effect/affect.
> > > There is
> > > definitely some relationship to the audio though.
> > >
> > > I wasn't sure what I was watching either but I grew up with Designers
> > > Republic and Wipeout so it worked for me. Seen any of Hexstatic's
> > > stereoscopic pop videos? -same aesthetic but not really data vis.
> > >
> > > Ikeda's work at the recent Decode exhibition..loved it (again),
> > > felt like I
> > > was a the starship captain I've wanted to be since boyhood ;-)
> > > I think the data was actually starcharts but visualised in 3
> > > separate forms.
> > > Not sure what the animation was actually for though (sequentially
> > > selecting
> > > star proximity from a fixed point?)
> > >
> > > Surely though most visualisation is tweaked towards some form of
> > > aesthetic
> > > quality either for clarity of purpose/readability or 'wowing' an
> > > audience
> > >
> > > Off I go...
> > >
> > > C
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > > [mailto:empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au] On Behalf Of Richard
> > > Wright
> > > Sent: 22 February 2010 9:50 PM
> > > To: soft_skinned_space
> > > Subject: Re: [-empyre-] interpreting datasets from science and
> > > natureinanimation (Richard)
> > >
> > > Ah yes Corrado, I saw his concert at Ars Electronica last year. But I
> > > couldn't figure out what the data was that he was visualising. Very
> > > attractive, but I was afraid it could fall into the "what am I
> > > looking at?" problem in digital media arts?
> > >
> > > Speaking of this kind of "stadium" media art, I remember seeing one
> > > of Semiconductors visualisations of solar activity (or something) a
> > > couple of years ago. Very attractive, but I remember waiting for
> > > "something to happen". I think this is another example of the time
> > > based media issue. Maybe the suns radiation was not generating the
> > > kind of "figures" that could develop over perceivable time, or at a
> > > scale of human perception. It was more like music than film...
> > >
> > > R
> > >
> > > On 21 Feb 2010, at 11:45, Corrado Morgana wrote:
> > >
> > >> Lovely stuff Richard... Ryoji Ikeda anyone?
> > >>
> > >> Corrado Morgana
> > >>
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >> [mailto:empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au] On Behalf Of Richard
> > >> Wright
> > >> Sent: 19 February 2010 10:38 PM
> > >> To: soft_skinned_space
> > >> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] interpreting datasets from science and nature
> > >> inanimation (Richard)
> > >>
> > >> Thanks Suzanne, I know and love Thorsten Fleisch's work. His fractal
> > >> animation (what's it called?) is possibly the only artistically
> > >> successful animated film of that particular mathematical object I've
> > >> seen. He seemed to keep cracking at it until he finally brought out
> > >> some of the magic of that little equation.
> > >>
> > >> The Spiral Galaxy reference actually sounds similar to a lot of the
> > >> commercial animation I've been doing recently, which are mainly
> > >> science docs. For the "origin of everything" kind of work we usually
> > >> resort to visual simulation techniques. But sometimes we're asked to
> > >> "reinterpret" a piece of scientific data visualisation, usually to
> > >> make it simpler, more graphic. And sometimes we do it in a "data
> > >> visualisation style". But I won't get too deeply into that right now.
> > >> After all, it's "my week" soon...
> > >>
> > >> Richard
> > >>
> > >> On 18 Feb 2010, at 09:16, Suzanne Buchan wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> Hello all, hi Richard
> > >>>
> > >>> Not having read your project draft, it might be a stab in the dark
> > >>> but the following works
> > >>> and projects might be what you are describing:
> > >>>
> > >>> An artist who uses distinctly analog 'stuff', including growing
> > >>> crystals(!) on film strips
> > >>> and using his own blood  is Thorsten Fleisch.
> > >>> His website has most of his films and conceptual ideas: http://
> > >>> fleischfilm.com/
> > >>> His poetic film ENERGIE! / Energy! is made by exposing photo paper
> > >>> to high voltage discharge
> > >>> Fleisch also published an essay describing his chemical and physics
> > >>> based process:
> > >>>  "Borderline Bilder." in animation: an interdisciplinary journal
> > >>> 2009, No 2.
> > >>>
> > >>> Also, FORMATION OF A SPIRAL GALAXY from The Four-Dimensional
> > >>> Digital Universe Project, Japan
> > >>> is a remarkable film that uses astronomy data sets to create what
> > >>> the film title describes:
> > >>> http://4d2u.nao.ac.jp/english/index.html
> > >>>
> > >>> a 1 1/2 minute excerpt used to be downloadable, and there is a new
> > >>> project up on the site as well.
> > >>> An essay on the process by Takaaki Takeda,  National Astronomical
> > >>> Observatory of Japan,
> > >>> for Siggraph:
> > >>> http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1281740.1281793
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> A special issue on animation in sci- and biotech is in planning for
> > >>> the ANM journal, and this is the
> > >>> kind of work we aim for our authors to address.
> > >>>
> > >>> Suzanne
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> -----Original Message-----
> > >>> From: empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au on behalf of Richard
> > >>> Wright
> > >>> Sent: Tue 2/16/2010 23:25
> > >>> To: soft_skinned_space
> > >>> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] CG and all things fuzzy, and some thoughts
> > >>> on ethics
> > >>>
> > >>> Hi there,
> > >>> I just wanted to respond to a couple of recent posts about animated
> > >>> documentary and those thorny indexicality questions.
> > >>>
> > >>> I once wrote a proposal called "Data Visualisation as the Successor
> > >>> to Documentary Film Making" (thinking actually of animated film
> > >>> making). I wonder if Paul or Erik or anyone else had any thoughts
> > >>> about this possibility of taking data records and animating them?
> > >>> Either directly and algorithmically or using more interpretative or
> > >>> even non-digital techniques? The source of the data and the
> > >>> circumstances in which it was obtained can also create difficult
> > >>> ethical questions, quite apart from questions of veracity (they
> > >>> might
> > >>> have been obtained under torture for example).
> > >>>
> > >>> There are very few film examples of this I can think of, not even my
> > >>> own. One of the few is Aaron Koblin's "Flight Patterns" (http://
> > >>> www.aaronkoblin.com/work/flightpatterns) and another is Jane
> > >>> Marsching's "Rising North" (http://www.flickr.com/photos/
> > >>> efimeravulgata/3496999939 for a view of the installation version of
> > >>> the video). Andrea Polli possibly. Much of it to do with climate
> > >>> change data. I'm not mentioning these specific ones because I
> > >>> particularly like them (the "Rising North" piece, for instance,
> > >>> looks
> > >>> a bit too much to me like deciphering a multimedia interface). But I
> > >>> was struggling to think of any others and I wondered if anyone else
> > >>> knew of any film makers that were moving in this direction...
> > >>>
> > >>> Richard
> > >>>
> > >>> On 15 Feb 2010, at 18:37, Paul Ward wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>> Hi, it's me again!
> > >>>>
> > >>>> A couple of my main research interests are Animation (quelle
> > >>>> surprise!) and Documentary, and I've been looking into how
> > >>>> animation and nonfiction work together (or not) for some time now.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> See Chapter 5 of my book "Documentary: The Margins of
> > >>>> Reality" (Wallflower, 2005); plus "Animated interactions: animation
> > >>>> aesthetics and the 'interactive' documentary" in S. Buchan (ed.)
> > >>>> with David Surman and Paul Ward (Associate Eds.) Animated
> > >>>> 'Worlds' (John Libbey, 2006). The latter discusses 'Going Equipped'
> > >>>> alongside Bob Sabiston's 1999 short 'Snack and Drink'
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I think the idea of animation as a 'filter' is apposite - it is the
> > >>>> filter through which re-presentations of real people and events are
> > >>>> 'creatively treated' (to echo John Grierson again). This also makes
> > >>>> some interesting possible connections to animation and memory, or
> > >>>> animation and states of mind, and how these areas overlap (or
> > >>>> contrast) with 'documentary'. Animations like 'Waltz with Bashir',
> > >>>> 'Persepolis' or Andy Glynne's short films 'Animated minds' (about
> > >>>> mental health) are all, arguably, sub-types of the animated
> > >>>> documentary category, but approach it in very different ways
> > >>>>
> > >>>> best wishes
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Paul
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> ________________________________
> > >>>>
> > >>>> From: empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au on behalf of
> > >>>> christopher sullivan
> > >>>> Sent: Sun 14/02/2010 18:22
> > >>>> To: soft_skinned_space; Suzanne Buchan
> > >>>> Cc: soft_skinned_space
> > >>>> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] CG and all things fuzzy, and some thoughts
> > >>>> on ethics
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Hi Suzanne, thanks for the generous discussion. As a "practitioner"
> > >>>> I will say
> > >>>> that I am really not too bothered by the issues of representation,
> > >>>> and truth, or
> > >>>> authenticity, I think those are interesting points of discussion,
> > >>>> but nothing
> > >>>> that will ever be cured. but are we really that confused in the
> > >>>> theater? I have
> > >>>> found that children for instance have very clear understandings of
> > >>>> what is real,
> > >>>> what is manipulated, what is fantasy. the idea that media is
> > >>>> continuously lying
> > >>>> to us, can also lead to a lot of political empathy,
> > >>>>       I teach an alternative animation history class, and one of
> > >>>> our weeks we
> > >>>> show all non fiction animation.
> > >>>> here is the week.
> > >>>> Reading: Understanding Animation, chapter 3 Narrative strategies.
> > >>>> 68-92
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Week 6 October 19th NON FICTION-
> > >>>> These films all use animations power to manifest images that have
> > >>>> no filmic
> > >>>> record. The result is a curious take on truth and representation..
> > >>>> Is there an
> > >>>> emotional safety in these cartoony depictions, of otherwise
> > >>>> unbearable images?
> > >>>>
> > >>>>  Roger Ebert , speaking about Grave of the Fire flies.
> > >>>>  John and Faith Hubley. Sample 1960-75 The Dara Dogs. Denise
> > >>>> Topicoff.
> > >>>>  -A is for Autism, Tim Web 1998. Champaine by Michael Sporn.
> > >>>>   Some Protection, Marjut  Rimmenen,1987 -Brother, Adam Benjamin
> > >>>> Elliot 2003-
> > >>>>   Going Equipped ,Peter Lords 1989 -Abductees , Paul Vesters 1998
> > >>>>  The Fetishist, Jim Trainer 1998- Ryan, Chris Landrithe 2003
> > >>>>  A Room Near By, still life with animated dogs, Paul Ferlinger
> > >>>> 2002- 2004
> > >>>>
> > >>>> these films all deal with the strange in between possibilities of
> > >>>> animation as a
> > >>>> filter for truth. I often show Ryan this week also, The students
> > >>>> are always
> > >>>> interested in discussing the inclusion of Chris Landreth in the
> > >>>> film. it is
> > >>>> both interesting and problematic, that his desire to implicate the
> > >>>> documenter,
> > >>>> is also very problematic. does he truly believe that his state of
> > >>>> crisis
> > >>>> parallels Ryan Larkin, in a SRO facility?
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I argue that the real issue of representation through animation is
> > >>>> not nearly so
> > >>>> complicated. and why do we have to create a theoretical censoring
> > >>>> bureau,
> > >>>> just make the work, and let it hit people, all sloppy and
> > >>>> imperfect.
> > >>>> do the questions below really need to be brought to some kind of
> > >>>> conclusion?
> > >>>> is it truly a crisis?
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> "The increasing convergence, barrage and resulting pervasiveness of
> > >>>>> manipulated imagery, including traditional and digital animation,
> > >>>>> has
> > >>>>> overwhelmed many of its viewers, and this has pressing
> > >>>>> philosophical
> > >>>>>  and ethical connotations. In terms of the status of indexicality
> > >>>>> and truth
> > >>>>>  claims of the visual, in 1998 Elsaesser suggested a crisis was
> > >>>>> evolving:
> > >>>>>  "Any technology that materially affects this status, and
> > >>>>> digitization
> > >>>>> would seem to be such a technology, thus puts in crisis deeply-
> > >>>>> held
> > >>>>>  beliefs about representation and visualization, and many of the
> > >>>>>  discourses - critical, scientific or aesthetic - based on, or
> > >>>>> formulated
> > >>>>>  in the name of the indexical in our culture, need to be re-
> > >>>>> examined."
> > >>>>
> > >>>> as media professors, I think we have to also challenge media
> > >>>> literacy Dogma
> > >>>> which implies that all viewers are completely at the mercy of the
> > >>>> moving image.
> > >>>> once something is digital, sorry Lev, but it means nothing, it is a
> > >>>> technical
> > >>>> expedient.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Animators have the opportunity to carve out new and wonderful ways
> > >>>> of creating
> > >>>> work and bringing subjects to the screen that were not possible
> > >>>> before.
> > >>>> A true act of political subversion is the recent screening of Don
> > >>>> Hertsfeilds
> > >>>> new films. the audience came to see funny. instead they saw an
> > >>>> amazing maturing
> > >>>> of his work into a dark and beautiful piece that made me weep
> > >>>> several times.
> > >>>> He really seized the moment to talk about something important.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I say let's focus on content, not media, and get to work making the
> > >>>> films that
> > >>>> we feel must be made. Chris
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Quoting Suzanne Buchan <sbuchan at ucreative.ac.uk>:
> > >>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Renate
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> (I can't turn off HTML on the email I'm suing, so I hope the
> > >>>>> inserted line
> > >>>>> breaks improve reading.)
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>  Many practice-based animation and film programmes - as well as
> > >>>>> photography
> > >>>>> and design -
> > >>>>>  are increasingly replacing analogue with digital, with all the
> > >>>>> implications.
> > >>>>>  While I'm not a hands-on 'practitioner' per se - I don't teach
> > >>>>> practice - I
> > >>>>> can say that
> > >>>>>  my university has two programmes, and both use digital tools but
> > >>>>> foreground
> > >>>>>  fine arts-based style, process and students attend life-drawing
> > >>>>> classes.
> > >>>>>  There are others who follow the same material-based philosophy,
> > >>>>> including
> > >>>>>  Simon's and the RCA' this is not, however, representative of the
> > >>>>> wider
> > >>>>> general
> > >>>>>  shift to digital.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> With the current disastrous funding cuts at HEIs in the UK, a
> > >>>>> room of
> > >>>>>  computers is more sustainable than puppet animation studios and
> > >>>>>  art rooms; hence it is becoming digital almost everywhere. This
> > >>>>> has
> > >>>>> implications on how students learn, speeds up production
> > >>>>> instead of
> > >>>>> slowing down, the process of drawing, painting and model building
> > >>>>> is very much part of developing narrative, and good analogue films
> > >>>>> need time. Others here in empyre who are practice-based can
> > >>>>> probably
> > >>>>>  answer your question better.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Your question about CGI brings me to another set of thoughts about
> > >>>>> the
> > >>>>>  digital and the artefact and some ethical implications that arise
> > >>>>> from the
> > >>>>>  use of CGI in animation and film. Since the digital shift, the
> > >>>>> manipulated
> > >>>>>  moving image has been the focus of heated debates around
> > >>>>> representation,
> > >>>>>  truth values and ethical responsibility of its commissioners,
> > >>>>> makers and
> > >>>>> distributors. The unreliablility of the photographic image as it
> > >>>>> became
> > >>>>>  enhanced or altered by digital technologies has had a profound
> > >>>>> effect
> > >>>>> on audiences, a topic thematised by Thomas Elsaesser, Lev Manovich
> > >>>>>  and Siegfried Zielinski, ethical philosopher Jane Bennett (The
> > >>>>> Enchantment
> > >>>>>  of Modern Life, 2001) and by others who may be on empyre.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> The increasing convergence, barrage and resulting pervasiveness of
> > >>>>> manipulated imagery, including traditional and digital animation,
> > >>>>> has
> > >>>>> overwhelmed many of its viewers, and this has pressing
> > >>>>> philosophical
> > >>>>>  and ethical connotations. In terms of the status of indexicality
> > >>>>> and truth
> > >>>>>  claims of the visual, in 1998 Elsaesser suggested a crisis was
> > >>>>> evolving:
> > >>>>>  "Any technology that materially affects this status, and
> > >>>>> digitisation
> > >>>>> would seem to be such a technology, thus puts in crisis deeply-
> > >>>>> held
> > >>>>>  beliefs about representation and visualization, and many of the
> > >>>>>  discourses - critical, scientific or aesthetic - based on, or
> > >>>>> formulated
> > >>>>>  in the name of the indexical in our culture, need to be re-
> > >>>>> examined."
> > >>>>> (Elsaesser, Thomas, "Digital Cinema: Delivery, Event, time", in:
> > >>>>> Cinema Futures: Cain, Abel or Cable?,1998. Pp. 201-222)
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> While following these debates, I became sensitised to one
> > >>>>> specific i
> > >>>>> mpact of manipulated images during a screening of Roland
> > >>>>> Emmerich's
> > >>>>> 1994 Independence Day. In the rather naive encounter between the
> > >>>>>  American missionaries and the alien Mother ship we witness a
> > >>>>> brief
> > >>>>>  moment, only a few frames, when a fireball engulfs the pilot on
> > >>>>> impact.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Now in itself, this is not an unfamiliar scene, and it has been
> > >>>>> repeated
> > >>>>>  in action and war films to excess. My point here is that the
> > >>>>> image
> > >>>>> manipulation was of the 'invisible' sort, i.e. not 'in-your-face'
> > >>>>> CGI that
> > >>>>>  creates spectacle that is highly aware of its difference to so-
> > >>>>> called
> > >>>>>  normal perception and representation.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> The fireball in the cockpit was created to look like live action.
> > >>>>> So -  what's the problem? Well, in that fraction of a second of
> > >>>>> ID4,
> > >>>>> an image flashed in my mind that, depending on your generation,
> > >>>>> may also be indelibly etched in your own.: this 1963 photo by
> > >>>>> Malcolm Brown
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu?ng_D?c
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> The mental image of this while watching ID4 was an emotional
> > >>>>> response
> > >>>>>  on my part, a response of what could be described as 'negative
> > >>>>> empathy'
> > >>>>>  that incited ethical awareness about the inherent 'wrongness' of
> > >>>>> this scene.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> This personal example might illustrate why we need articulated
> > >>>>> critical
> > >>>>> reactions to films like these, to  facilitate a sober
> > >>>>> understanding of the
> > >>>>>  impact such films are having on our collective sense of ethics.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>  In light of the inane acceptance of violent images
> > >>>>> just because we are 'used to them' and the role CGI and animation
> > >>>>> has to play in this, addressing the crisis rooted in the loss of
> > >>>>> indexical
> > >>>>> truth could effectively address a re-examination of the discourse
> > >>>>> around
> > >>>>>  ethical responsibility in image production. Discussions around
> > >>>>> animation -
> > >>>>>  especially the kind we are not supposed to see - have tended to
> > >>>>> focus
> > >>>>>  on technical wizardry and the properties of programmes to create
> > >>>>> the
> > >>>>>  impossible. It may be part of a new body of work for critical
> > >>>>> investigations
> > >>>>>  of spectatorial manipulation in a digital age, a territory that
> > >>>>> needs
> > >>>>>  ethical navigation to understand the philosophical
> > >>>>> consequences of
> > >>>>>  this kind of imagery.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> The next issue of the ANM journal (5.1) will have an essay by
> > >>>>> philosopher
> > >>>>> and cultural studies scholar Elizabeth Walden that explores just
> > >>>>> these
> > >>>>> issues
> > >>>>>  and discusses a puppet animation film; she discusses how
> > >>>>> "elements of
> > >>>>> the narrative structure and the camera work give the materials
> > >>>>> used in the
> > >>>>>  character's project a moral standing in the film, which draws
> > >>>>> audience and
> > >>>>>  filmmaker as well as the character into an ethical situation
> > >>>>> which is
> > >>>>> significant to our shared moment in the digital era."
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> So I'll leave this for now, and see if anyone has some thoughts on
> > >>>>> it.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> I'm also happy to engage with the Quays' works, if there is
> > >>>>> interest out
> > >>>>> there.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Suzanne
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> -----Original Message-----
> > >>>>> From: empyre-bounces at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au on behalf of Renate
> > >>>>> Ferro
> > >>>>> Sent: Sat 2/13/2010 04:37
> > >>>>> To: soft_skinned_space
> > >>>>> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] CG and all things fuzzy
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Dear Paul and Suzanne,
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Can you both talk about how CG fits into your animation
> > >>>>> programs?  At
> > >>>>> Cornell, Computer Graphics and 3D animation is taught by Computing
> > >>>>> faculty.  It is in the art department where students, particularly
> > >>>>> recently, have been creating stop action, frame by frame, roto-
> > >>>>> scoping,
> > >>>>> drawing based and a medley of other fuzzies. Whether working  from
> > >>>>> photography based or original drawing. their novel, quirky
> > >>>>> rendering
> > >>>>> styles, interdisciplinary interests and criticality make their
> > >>>>> work fresh
> > >>>>> and innovative.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> How does it work in the UK?
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Renate
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Renate Ferro
> > >>>>> Visiting Assistant Professor
> > >>>>> Department of Art
> > >>>>> Cornell University, Tjaden Hall
> > >>>>> Ithaca, NY  14853
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Email:   <rtf9 at cornell.edu>
> > >>>>> Website:  http://www.renateferro.net <http://www.renateferro.net/>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Co-moderator of _empyre soft skinned space
> > >>>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empyre
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Art Editor, diacritics
> > >>>>> http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/dia/
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> _______________________________________________
> > >>>>> empyre forum
> > >>>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >>>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Christopher Sullivan
> > >>>> Dept. of Film/Video/New Media
> > >>>> School of the Art Institute of Chicago
> > >>>> 112 so michigan
> > >>>> Chicago Ill 60603
> > >>>> csulli at saic.edu
> > >>>> 312-345-3802
> > >>>> _______________________________________________
> > >>>> empyre forum
> > >>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> *******************************************************************
> > >>>> *
> > >>>> *
> > >>>> *
> > >>>> ***********************************
> > >>>>
> > >>>> The contents of this communication are confidential and intended
> > >>>> solely for the use of the named recipient(s).  If you have received
> > >>>> this email in error please delete it and do not disseminate,
> > >>>> distribute, copy or alter it.
> > >>>> Any views or opinions expressed are those of the author and do not
> > >>>> necessarily represent those of The Arts University College at
> > >>>> Bournemouth.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Although The Arts University College at Bournemouth has taken
> > >>>> reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this
> > >>>> email, the University College cannot accept responsibility for any
> > >>>> loss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachments.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> *******************************************************************
> > >>>> *
> > >>>> *
> > >>>> *
> > >>>> ***********************************<winmail.dat>___________________
> > >>>> _
> > >>>> _
> > >>>> _
> > >>>> _________________________
> > >>>> empyre forum
> > >>>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >>>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> <winmail.dat>_______________________________________________
> > >>> empyre forum
> > >>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >> empyre forum
> > >> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >> empyre forum
> > >> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > >> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > empyre forum
> > > empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > empyre forum
> > > empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > empyre forum
> > empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >
>
>
> Christopher Sullivan
> Dept. of Film/Video/New Media
> School of the Art Institute of Chicago
> 112 so michigan
> Chicago Ill 60603
> csulli at saic.edu
> 312-345-3802
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://mail.cofa.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/attachments/20100224/584d0d26/attachment.html

More information about the empyre mailing list