Before you judge a person, walk a kilometer in their shoes.
When I was thinking about how to recreate a kilometer, I kept thinking about the classic idiom. I decided it would be fun to explore a literal approach to the concept of; can I learn about someone and become more empathetic towards them by actually walking in their shoes? I decided to set up this piece as a report, which shows my observations of every step in the kilometer. It was a fun experiment, taking my time during the walk to pay more attention to how I felt, and how the subject must feel while walking in the same shoes. It inspires me to continue this project, and I want to walk in other people’s shoes and see where it leads me. I think it would be fun to have a collection of shared experiences with random people, and it might be a unique way to make more intentional connections.
For this sequence piece, Quinn and I brainstormed as many different ways that we could execute the action of drawing a circle. We chose the circle because it has the reputation of being a difficult shape to create. We wanted to see how the shape would differ when trying out different ways to perform this action. This video highlights the variety of ways in which someone could draw a circle, if they felt up to the challenge. We decided to have a slight narrative throughout the piece, checking in on the nested hierarchy circles as they continue to grow throughout the video, while the other techniques jump into view to try and keep the audience engaged. We decided not to have transitions because we wanted to contrast between the scenes to be sudden.
For this one-shot piece, we wanted to challenge ourselves by drawing out the circle as slowly as possible. Our aim was to create anticipation for the viewer, as they stand to watch Quinn draw this circle. Bit by bit, the shape comes into form… only for the video to end abruptly without the circle ever being fully completed. We made this choice because we wanted to create a sense of frustration in our audience. This replicates how I personally feel whenever I try to draw the perfect circle, that is, I can never quite get it ‘right’. But, who is to say that an uncompleted circle is not a circle?
For this loop piece, Quinn and I thought it would be a cool idea to play around with something that could go on forever. The nice thing about circles is that they are infinite. So we decided to create a shot where we drew and erased the circle at the same time, requiring a repeated action for infinity.
After the critique, we edited the video to be more smooth between the loops, slightly fading between the end to the start again.
I have always been told I am a loud chewer. For this piece, I was inspired by the artist Kelly Mark’s piece, HUM, who recorded an annoying tune to implant in people’s heads. I wanted to play with the idea of how a short audio clip can create emotions in people. I know that a lot of people in my life find the sound of someone chewing to be quite obnoxious, and I am very self-conscious whenever I eat crunchy items like a carrot. So this piece is a bit tongue-in-cheek with confronting the reality that I am a loud chewer, especially next to the microphone. May these sounds resonate loud for all to hear.
All of the windows I look through…
The house I live in has a lot of personality, I wanted to represent that for this contemporary portrait. The house and windows are very old, and I am sure they have witnessed a lot in their time. I like to look at the windows, and out through them. All of the fine cracks, designs and distortions make the view of the outside world much more interesting.
For my buttons, I had too many ideas, and I found it difficult to narrow them down to one for this project. For my first button collection attempt, I made a series of images depicting taxidermied gopher dioramas from the world Famous Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, Alberta. (https://worldfamousgopherholemuseum.ca/) I decided this might be a fun idea to play around with because buttons, just like taxidermy, it is a way of keeping something alive and having an image on display to the world. Also like buttons, one has to first gather a collection of the gophers to create a whole museum. It also might allude to a contemporary take on vanitas art. I also thought it would be fun to make a collection on this collection, and have it be a niche, ambiguous image and message that only people who have been to, or heard about the museum would really understand. I am curious to see how they will be interpreted in the real world. My favorite button from this collection was the two gophers sitting at the dinner table, saying “Oh boy am I ever stuffed”… because who doesn’t want a punny taxidermied gopher button right?!
For my second collection, I was wanting to play around with the materials that compose the buttons. I thought it would be an interesting idea to intentionally not use a plastic slip, and have the paper material eventually break down as it is worn in the world. I used phrases like “everything is temporary” and “nothing is forever” which too will disintegrate away, making the button self-aware of its own mortality. I also made a few “this is not original” buttons, which I thought might be thought-provoking to those who came across the message in the real world.