'Full Metal Jacket Elves by KoogerNewgin1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydF9rHC02Hg

The Full Metal Jacket Elves (FMJE) video is an 'inappropriate soundtrack' video art clip that dubs the original intact audio of Sgt. Hartman's boot camp motivational speech over an edited visual Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer elf workshop scene. Credited to KoogerNewgin1, it was initially posted in February 2007 but no other information for 'him' seems to be available. Now available on 352 websites, the well-done video circulates in e-mail attachments and Facebook uploads every Christmas season (YouTube.com).

I selected the FMJE clip after viewing the disappointing clips of some similar artwork from the Inappropriate Soundtracks show by John Michael Boling and Ceci Moss newly opened on Rhizome.com. These clips reminded me immediately of the FMJE clip which by comparison is a superior product. The anonymous video editor of FMJE did a truly excellent job of matching audio with video. His creation is a delightfully wicked, tongue-in-cheek version of what a sweat shop Santa's toy shop would at Christmas. It is hysterically fun and shockingly funny to watch although it not formally acknowledged as art.

Anonymous posting seems to belong to much of video art. The only reason I can think of for not taking credit for a marvelously entertaining piece like FMJE would be that some may find the product controversial or offensive. The materials are appropriated from copyrighted materials and law suits could ensue. Perhaps there is too much controversy surrounding combination of childhood movies with adult content. Perhaps the fun of making the clip has to be satisfaction enough for these artists. Perhaps the trouble and unlikelihood of getting permission for such questionable combinations makes anonymous posting an unfortunate requisite of new media art appropriation.

References:

Boling, John Michael and Cecil Moss. [Internet]Inappropriate Soundtracks. Available at

http://www.rhizome.org/

KoogerNewgin1. [Internet] Full Metal Jacket Elves. Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydF9rHC02Hg

'Hypochondria'

Hypochondria 2006

http://monicaong.com/art/hypo.shtml

Malaysian New Media artist Monica Ong’s intention with her art is to “investigate social hierarchies and cultural silences in the context of public health” (Ong). Hypochondria 2006 is one of her investigations into the mental health of her uncle and the story of how it affects the care-giving close knit family.

Ong grabs the viewers attention with the ghostly photograph of her uncle mounted on a simple wooden box and hung quietly on a wall. The image is unworldly and engenders an uncomfortable curiosity. Without written instructions, Ong draws the viewer into voluntary interaction with the stethoscope hanging next to the photo. To hear the story the viewer must place the stethoscope into their ears and listen to the audio box as if they are the doctor experiencing the helplessness of the afflicted man and his family and the sadness of the healer’s inability to cure.

The chilling recording of her uncle’s hushed and frightened conversation with Ong’s father and her quiet voice with her overview of his story creates a grievous painful account of the drama within the family. Although initially I felt the recording was far too long and monotonous I think she uses the lengthy piece to illustrate the ongoing, never-ending anguish of mental illness.

Hypochondria is gallery-hung at Rhizome but is available online at her own website as well as Twitter and Facebook. She uses the social networks to present her social commentary, which I thought was interesting although you must friend Ong to view her works on Facebook.


Facebook.com http://www.facebook.com/monicaong

Ong, Monica. [Internet] About me. Available at
http://monicaong.com/about/index.shtml

Rhizome.com [Internet] Monica Ong Available at http://www.rhizome.org/profile.php?1025211

Twitter.com, [Internet] Monica Ong. Available at
http://twitter.com/mongmedia

'Five Elements' by Rashaad Newsome

http://www.rashaadnewsome.com/content.php

http://eyebeam.org/projects/five

Eyebeam resident Rashaad Newsome combines modern dance performances with computer technology that interpretes the performers’ maneuvers into line drawings. Newsome choreographed standard movements from different styles of vogue dancing to produce the ongoing collection named Five Elements. Each addition to the collection includes live dance performances, original music, video recording of each dance, video recorded computer drawing and the final “translated” hard-copy line drawings.

All three basic styles of vogue dancing lend themselves to capture by line drawing. Once you see Newsome’s work, dance-to-drawing seems the natural, obvious next step. Old Way Voguing from 1930-1980 “is characterized by formation of lines, symmetry, and precision in the execution of such formations and graceful, fluid-like action” . In 1990 the New Way Vogue dance style became popular. New Way is more geometric and mime-like, with rigid movement patterns used to demonstrate the the dancer’s entertainment skills and coordination. Finally, Vogue Fem is “the most extreme” version. It includes exaggerated feminine movements with ballet jumps, acrobatics and flips.(Wikipedia).

According to Eyebeam.org, Newsome is interested in “vogueing and its use of body language and gestures as a means of communication” (Eyebeam.org). Five Elements is based on the five elements of competitive vogue dancing; hands, spins, catwalk, duckwalk, and dips.

Newsome’s original choreography is based on studying two dancers he hired to perform the different styles of vogue. He created dances from this research and choreographed them to his original music which is loosely based on chamber music and possibly his weakest talent. Dancers practiced his routines before performing for a live audience. These performances were video recorded. At the same time the computer-generated drawing was produced onscreen by the computer interpreter .

'Five Elements' chronicles the evolution of this urban dance style. More than that, it may be chronicling the subtle changes in urban societies. I think his video recording could be of historical interest to urban anthropologists. The basic elements of vogueing have been evolving since the 1930’s and are considered the origin of several dance forms, including break dancing. Vogue routines have made it into the mainstream via dancers like Britney Spears and Janet Jackson. Vogue movements reflect changes in urban values, morays and disciplines. The line drawings could become a record of emotional currents that change with the each generation. Right now, Newsome’s productions are pleasing to the senses and interesting to both urban and rural people as a new take on performance art. His line drawings may be the next evolution in abstracts.

References:

Eyebeam.org. [Internet] Five. Available at

http://eyebeam.org/projects/five

Newsome, Rashaad, http://www.rashaadnewsome.com/

Wikipedia [Internet] Vogue dance. Available at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(dance)

BUST DOWN THE DOOR AGAIN! WITH DRUMS AND STRINGS GATES OF HELL-VICTORIA VERSION Y0UNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES

Professor Young Hae Chang, Korean artist, and Marc Voge, American poet, joined their artistic skills together to produce powerful graphic animations. They employed the Flash animation tool to combine color, text and music videos under the name Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries. They produced BUSTED DOWN THE DOORS! in 2000. In 2004 they revised the original text color from red to black, added the Korean translation of the existing English text and changed the soundtrack (Tribe and Jana). The re-release of the video as BUST DOWN THE DOOR AGAIN! GATES OF HELL WITH DRUMS AND STRINGS-VICTORIA VERSION was a smart move by the artist. With the possible effect stimulating interest by allowing comparison of the two versions, they may have intentionally or unintentionally increased interest in the rest of the company productions. It did for me. Unfortunately, the complete original video of BUSTED DOWN THE DOORS! does not seem to be available and I found only a few frames of the original version to compare the two.










2000 version











2004 version
Forced by the rhythm of the music and the synchronized, rapid pace of the changing screens of black and white text, the VICTORIA VERSION is so powerful it raised my heartbeat and my blood pressure with the effort to keep up with the intense story of a midnight invasion by unknown armed assailants. Beginning with a dramatic numeric countdown I already felt some sort of increased tension. The dramatic story line is presented in capital letter of cold, harsh font. It elicits the fear-sensation that should accompany this terrifying tale. Without the drumming rhythm reinforcing the threat, some of the intensity may not have been captured. The unknown-ness of who the attackers were in BUSTED DOWN THE DOOR! made me question how safe I feel in my country, triggering an uncomfortable insecurity that I may not know all of the possibilities . The addition of the Korean translation suggested that perhaps raiders do bust doors down at midnight in countries like Korea which added to the nightmare-feeling.

The Brown University review of BUST DOWN THE DOORS! (2000) added an insight into one of the reasons for the videos’ effectiveness, pointing out Young-Hae Heavy Industries used the first, second and third person pronouns to afford more than one narrative perspective (Brown University).

The VICTORIA VERSION maintained the same text as the original but added a THE GATES OF HELL photo from Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries work installed in the Rodin Gallery, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea. The installation GATES OF HELL display consisted of red text of nine Internet refrigerators depicting the artists’ “unusual way of presenting Net Art. Advertisers would have us believe that the Internet refrigerator puts the housewife at the cutting-edge of modern, hi-tech life. We titled our piece THE GATES OF HELL because, on the contrary, we feel that their refrigerator helps keep women in the kitchen.”. While their opinion is appreciated on its own merit, the addition of the GATES OF HELL photograph as intro to BUSTED DOWN THE DOOR!, it
creates more questions than answers. They may have GATES OF HELL photograph
intended to use one piece of art to promote another piece
of their work but unintentional created confusion that detracts from the BUSTED DOWN THE DOOR! story.


The online version of BUSTED DOWN THE DOORS AGAIN! WITH DRUMS AND STRINGS THE GATES OF HELL-VICTORIA VERSION I viewed online at Young-Hae Heavy Industries website does not include the GATES OF HELL photo. They may have decided to reduce any confusion or distraction this color image created. Envisioning the color intro page as opposed to the monochromatic “YOUNG-HAE HEAVY INDUSTRIES PRESENTS” on the current intro page, I think it’s more powerful the way is currently presented.


Tribe, Mark, Reena Jana, New Media Art – Introduction. Available at https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/New+Media+Art+-+Introduction

Brown University (Anon). [Internet] Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, Available at
https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/Young-Hae+Chang+Heavy+Industries

Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries. BUSTED DOWN THE DOOR! WITH DRUMS AND STRINGS GATES OF HELL-VICTORIA VERSION. Available at http://www.yhchang.com/BUST_DOWN_THE_DOOR!_Rodin.html

The Twentyfivefold Manifestation by Brody Condon

SonsbeekLive: the TwentyfiveFold Manifestation was an outdoor performance art live game/exhibit. The event took place in historic Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem, The Netherlands during the 10th Sonsbeek International Sculpture Exhibition. The annual show is well-known for its efforts to involve society in art. Works were installed in the natural forest setting where organizer Brody Condon incorporated his game TwentyfiveFold Manifestation “as a work of live public art” viewed by the thousands of exhibition attendees. Condon intended to enhance Anna Tilroe’s art show ‘Granduer on a human scale’ about “the urge, the dream, the conflict and the struggle that linked to this aspiration” (http://www.sonsbeek2008.nl/read/en/home). Concurrently, the game offered individuals complete immersion in a ‘futuristic’ world. A total of eighty players/performers participated in intervals of three days at a time over summer of 2008.

Although each character had an improvisational role, the game had a highly-organized structure. It was designed as an exercise of physical, psychological and emotional experience of a fantasy, futuristic, ritualized society. Each three day ‘episode’ was composed of 30 players in basic ‘bands’ of five character types each. Bands of players converged with other groups of players in the future holy forest’s tower where the all resided together to vie for favors from the 'Immortals'. They immersed themselves into an unfamiliar world of deity worship manifest in the objects of art borrowed from sculpture exhibition. Each participant could play as many times as desired and paid the Euro40 for each ‘session’.

The “Forest Guardians of the Immortals” (Condon and his assistants) worked pre-game directly with the participants through the Internet. Bands and groups were constructed, roles were arranged online prior to arrival at the park. An interesting variety of roles were combined for each episode, including the Archivist, the Scholar and the Navigator. Roles were not assigned but discussed and adapted.


The goal of enhancing the exhibit was considerably thought out for both the show attendees and the game participants. The opening exhibit event was a procession that took the art ‘to the streets’. Local Arnhem residents carried some of the portable art show objects. Volunteer game players carried one of their players in costume as their contribution to the parade of art. The procession had a multi-faceted affect: casting art in a celebratory light, introducing the ‘game’ as an art exhibit and introducing the players to the various objects representing their embodied deities, a huge part of the game play.

To justify TwentyfiveFold Manifestation as a New Media art piece is a little bit of a stretch. It’s classification as such is probably based, at least in part, on Condon’s reputation for modified computer games like Adam Killer. Condon has a reputation for a long-term “interest in blurring games and life” (Rhizome). Without Internet communication, however, this performance art may not have been attempted. Promotion was on line. Participant selection and entry was online. Band selection and modification was online, etc. etc. The smooth, rapid flow of information was essential for this complicated game play/art exhibit to be successful. The possibility of this human experiment was potentially disastrous without the intense, daily communications between the organizers (the Forest Guardians of the Immortals) and the participants. Its failure could have dramatically marred the “Granduer” exhibit if this addition failed. Success was ‘virtually’ guaranteed by the Internet.

The game does rub elbow with the ‘sci-fi’ themes of ‘retro-futuristic’ societies recovering from near destruction. Technology was also available during play, given to players by “the Immortals”. Specifics were not supplied in the Player’s Guide.

Classification as New Media Art may be justified in yet another way. Although not an entirely original game (i.e. Survivor), it was an entirely unique approach to promoting an outdoor sculpture exhibition. This performance art certainly added a human dimension. The reverent use of art objects as icons or images, acted out by the performance artists may have stimulated a reminder that art should be treated with reverence. Players who worshipped the art and viewers who watched their rituals may have been reminded of the indefinable nature of art, the ‘Granduer’.

Although, I found no reviews of either the success of Condon’s experiment or the Sculpture Exhibit, there were plenty of listings available on Google.com that encouraged interest and attendance. Based on my experiences with live performances I would guess SonsbeekLive: the TwentyfiveFold Manifestation generated greater interest and depth for the exhibit contributing to the annual show and Brody Condon’s reputation in the New Media Art world.

I do think it would have had a very different feeling than the interactive reenacted roles I have experienced, like the role of Godiah Spray at Historic St. Mary’s City or Civil War reenactments. In Condon’s game, players treat park visitors as “wandering spirits that are simultaneously feared and respected, as well as impossible to communicate with” (Sonsbeek Players Guide). Players were informed they were allowed to create their own way of coping with the ghost but it is unclear whether visitors were informed unless they read the Players Guide before arriving at the exhibit.

The only reference to visitor behavior in the Guide was “the artviewer will experience the game like birdwatching”. For me, this one ‘rule’ was the only not well-thought detail of the game. Human curiosity could make the desire to question or communicate with players a point of contention since they did not get a choice in the matter. This, to me would, most likely, create dissatisfaction for the at least some of the viewers, that they were not allowed to interact with the characters they were presented.

I hope it was a successful experiment. The Player's Guide seemed constructed to make the participatory experience valuable and designed to attract attention to the Granduer Show. Brody Condon continues his efforts to blur the lines between life and games.

References

Rhizome.org. Previous Posts, Enchanted Forest [Internet]. Available at
http://www.rhizome.org/editorial/fp/month.php?month=200807

Sonsbeek 2008. Unique tradition. Legendary reputation [Internet]. Available at http://www.sonsbeek2008.nl/read/en/home

Sonsbeeklive.org. The Players Guide [Internet]. Available at
http://www.sonsbeeklive.org/playersguide.html