more than/less than one: embodying savagery from Cynthia Ling Lee on Vimeo.
password "moten"
(1) What specific connections do you see between this video study and the ideas in Fred Moten's talk?
(2) What moments draw you in? What might you like to see more of? Less of? What do you make of the overall trajectory, cuts, and transitions?
(3) How might you imagine this video in dialogue with the other material of "blood run"? Do you imagine it as part of the live performance? A stand-alone video? Part of an installation? Etc.
(4) What kind of relationship do you see between the moving body and the ethnographic images?
(5) How do you understand the connections between indigeneity and blackness? Is it fruitful to make connections or simply problematic or destructive?
(6) Other thoughts or suggestions?
Context: My friend Caitlin helped me film the existing movement phrase from blood-run that is based on colonial ethnographic drawings of Taiwanese indigenous peoples. She is also interested in doing her own cut of the footage. There are some video file format issues and some of the footage seems to be a different aspect ratio than other parts -- something I'll try to address if you think the study is worth pursuing further.
Videography: Caitlin Spencer
Performance and Editing: Cynthia Ling Lee
ShydanceNovember 16, 2015 at 9:31 PM
ReplyDelete1) What specific connections do you see between this video study and the ideas in Fred Moten's talk?
I'm sorry I haven't listened to the talk yet, but I plan to and may have thoughts when I do!
(2) What moments draw you in? What might you like to see more of? Less of? What do you make of the overall trajectory, cuts, and transitions?
I am drawn in by the shadows/ fuzzy images of your movement, your sounds that go with it, and the way it escalates makes my heart beat faster and gives a little bit of a sensation as if I was watching an action/horror movie!
(3) How might you imagine this video in dialogue with the other material of "blood run"? Do you imagine it as part of the live performance? A stand-alone video? Part of an installation? Etc.
I would love to see it as a part of the live performance. I could imagine the live body doing something totally different to contrast, or maybe doing the same movements live earlier so that the video serves as an echo or distortion of memory/imagination.
(4) What kind of relationship do you see between the moving body and the ethnographic images?
Contrast: The ethnographic images are so still and actually the first few look quite noble/civilized to me (if I didn't already know what they were and if I didn't catch the heading that said savage on it).
(5) How do you understand the connections between indigeneity and blackness? Is it fruitful to make connections or simply problematic or destructive?
stereotype of the savage seems like a connection. I feel creating coalitions through connections can be useful.
(6) Other thoughts or suggestions?
I'm wondering if the ethnographic images are important to include? If they are, would you be interested in playing with the way the camera views them more? The way the camera views you is so engaging...would something related in terms of camera work be useful to what you are trying to accomplish (maybe focus in on a part of the image, and use movement of the camera)? The images go so quick as they are, sort of like skimming a book, which can support the idea of stereotypes, but as a viewer I felt the least drawn into that footage in comparison to the liveliness of your body.
I just rewatched it and noticed the relationship between the angle of the shadow and the angle of the book so my mind made more of a correlation between the two this time. The close up images of you disrupt this correlation, like you're a different entity (chinese? as you ask in the beginning) then the savage that is portrayed.
(1) What specific connections do you see between this video study and the ideas in Fred Moten's talk?
ReplyDeleteThe main connection I see is fragmented parts of the body which references "less than one". The question that I am left with as a viewer considering the talk is the ways in which these fragments make up "more than one" as well. Not sure if I see that yet.
(2) What moments draw you in? What might you like to see more of? Less of? What do you make of the overall trajectory, cuts, and transitions?
I love the play with light and shadow (obviously!). Your live body shadow work with the additionally textured/shadowed wall is beautiful and engaging for me. Plus the superimpositions of shadows is great too. The actual gestures that you are doing are also intriguing and intense when combined with the sounds . The intercutting of book adds another dimension, but aesthetically I have questions. I have a desire to see the ethnographic images in the book, but not the whole book. So like close-ups on the images, and selected words you might want to highlight from the book in relationship to you. And then superimposing them. I'm interested in the multiplicity of dimensions translated - literally 2d book becomes 2d video, your live body in 2d shadow, your live body in 2d video, your live body in 2d shadow into 2d video. Curious about the sound to first shot - does it say "should I move"? Not sure if this is the way you want to start the audio? I love the lighting play in this first shot so visually its spot on for me.
ReplyDelete(3) How might you imagine this video in dialogue with the other material of "blood run"? Do you imagine it as part of the live performance? A stand-alone video? Part of an installation? Etc.
I can imagine this as part of a live installation work. So many layers to play with. You can be live creating shadow dances. Perhaps we don't see your physical body at first. We just see your shadows on fabric. Then we see live camera projection of you creating shadows. Then superimposed close-ups images and words from book. Then we see your live body. I don't see this as a stand alone video as it is somehow.
(4) What kind of relationship do you see between the moving body and the ethnographic images?
I would like to be able to make more of a connection by seeing clearer closer ups of the ethnographic images, superimposed with your shadows and body. RIght now I know that I am supposed to feel a connection because of its presence but its hard to make out anything more specific.
(5) How do you understand the connections between indigeneity and blackness? Is it fruitful to make connections or simply problematic or destructive?
This is a tough but good question. I am reminded of writing that I've read of Frank Wilderson around Afro-pessism, and the importance of making the distinction between Black and non-Black. Like there is a big difference - also because we are talking about citizenship - between how "Oriental" bodies were/are viewed, philosophically explained, and treated , how indigenous bodies were/are viewed, philosophically explained, and treated, and how Black bodies in the US were/are viewed, philosophically explained, and treated. I think there is a real danger in conflating these as similar under generalizations of "stereotyped." From Angela Davis's graduate seminar, we were constantly making connections between indigeneity, Blackness, and immigration within the context of white settler colonialism. This felt the most useful to me. In your context its even more complicated because you are not talking about indigeneity in the US, but in Taiwan. How does settler colonialism in the Taiwanese context fit in Blackness and indigeneity. Complicated. I don't see a connection to Blackness in this study. But I think that's fine. We're exploring. And maybe your piece is not about Blackness.
(6) Other thoughts or suggestions?
Yay for Cynthia! I have now seen your video 4 times in 2 different moments and the video formats REALLY didn't bother me. There is so much else going on. And it makes it feel like a video COLLAGE :-) I love video collages. It feels like a stylistic choice. I guess next step for me as a viewer would be to see what content is in what format.