Adbusters, disinformation, indy media center, interactivists info exchange, mediachannel, subvertise, surveillance camera players and iSee. Some of the sites deal with wider issues than looking at the “media”, but are all intent on questioning how information is collected, and “potentially” used. I was particularly interested in the “hate mail” that the surveillance camera players got. It is a very USA specific defence / attack I encounter, citing “freedom of speech” (on both sides)…quite tiresome arguments (especially if both sides are blind to the Irony of ignoring or attacking the others POV, but quoting the 1st in defence. The whole argument of “trust” within the context of the use of the collated evidence, some people state that they don’t mind (as it has no impact on their lives (currently)) What would happen, when so many civil liberties have been eroded that suddenly the “innocent” finds themselves under suspicion for voting a certain way, or wearing a specific colour? (sounds “stupid” now, but the POTENTIAL is there). Again, the whole question of the “function of the art” comes into play – the general public don’t see art as “useful”, as it does not have to answer the questions it raises – I can see how that would be infuriating to the masses of people who want answers, but for someone else to give it to them – and this ties in with my questioning of trust in the media, essentially that people don’t either have the time or the access to “absolute” information (that is, first hand or 100% credible sources).
Within this space, of confusion, need for trust and the power relationships between disseminating and assimilating information, there lies swathes of scope for artistic interpretation and questioning – something I shall deal with in my dissertation. One of the other factors of the dissertation will be that level of scope – the distance from one person’s intake of “information” and the relevance, or “closeness” to that persons life. I am interested in the levels of where “care” of a story is lost to “interest” (eventually, sickly, turning into “entertainment”)
I also plugged into “google images” the random names of the “winners”, and I (not surprisingly) get quite a few hits back. The likelihood of these people having the same age and residency is miniscule, put putting a “real” face to an “imaginary” (conjured) name, is quite interesting. I think it’ll strengthen my case for creating imaginary dialogues, mixed in with real communications, a web of depict and half truths, the project could be quite exciting, and never ending! (This is where the execution is crucial – a web based, daily document of the project would be essential, but questions of “ethical conduct” (using “real people’s” photographs – in conjunction with an “unreal” person (name, age and town)) would cause problems. Perhaps I could make up “crimewatch-esque” photo-fits of names that have more than 3 images returned? (again, more offshoots, and possibilities).
I head into Gray’s at night (buy a Scotsman, and stick ot to the Full Stop), but I also re-shoot some “playful” footage of me throwing paper into the cone, I play with the code too, using it as a scoop etc. I also try projecting it (“in place” – that is, back at the exact same point it was filmed from), to create a strange ghostlike replay of my actions on the wall, I join in, scooping up paper alongside my projected self, and the mix of reality and projection blurs, I am quite mesmerised being involved in the footage, when “I” pick up papers form the floor, I do to, it’s like some narcissistic game of Simon says. I’ll upload the footage when I capture it.
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