Footage Tryouts

For our installation, we created a short montage of the videos to be played before rotating between the different videos played on the canvas screens.
It features excerpts from each video, as well as voice overs of the interviews and audio recordings Iv recorded, as well as stereotypical old fashioned 'white noise' type static between each cut to make it more visually interesting as well as linking up with the physical TV canvas installation.
The audio levels may need to be raised a bit to make it more audible, and on the actual exhibition day on the Friday, we were planning to have headphones attached to the projector to enable a good quality audio experience for the viewer where they can be fully immersed in the piece as it plays on a loop.
We included the title of 'Welcome to Hip Hop' as a rough point to focus our piece around, as well a constant repeated phrase throughout the piece.

            

Set-Up: Footage in action

Oh the joys of software! Due to our high resolution video, and our 5 minutes totalled content, when recording the projection from the screen of the laptop to enable us to save it to a USB and then play it from the Raspberry Pi, 30 seconds took 35 minutes to record. Having 5 minutes of footage, we were there for over 5 hours waiting for it to be finalised, watching it record frame by frame of our piece.
We hoped also this would improve our frame rate, going from a literal one frame per second to a higher rate. This took away from the effort and creativity we had put into the piece as it was not able to be viewed in its entirety which I felt was unfortunate.
Below is a short video showing what the piece looked like as we were mapping out the spray can canvas, and deciding on the colours for the TV set.

Here is an image of the majority of our group, including our almost finalised installation. Go Team!

Set-Up: Content included

After mapping out each individual canvas, we were able to upload the content.
We then started to discuss ideas about colours, seeing as although we hadn't originally planned to have a colour TV, and there was split choice between the group, we finally decided on a black TV set, with a white control panel, and grey tuning knobs. This gave some distinction from the brick background that we started off with here:




We also looked at rectifying finer details such as the top and bottom of the spray paint can which were difficult to map as they were smaller shapes on the screen, however we finally managed to, and coloured them grey to fit in with the colour scheme of the TV set.
This image shows Joe and Lauren mapping out the more specific details using the software, and relating it to the projection on the canvas'.






These pictures show the final stages of colour correction on our piece.

Leaflet

As part of our installation, we were to create a short piece of writing which discussed our project, what we are trying to accomplish and showcase, as well as the story/meaning behind it. This would act as an informative description of the piece, as well as to enable passers by/visitors to see what the installation is about and why it's there. 

We decided as a group to create a colourful leaflet type piece which we could either stick to the plinth as other groups had, or to leave on the projector for people to skim read before moving on. We thought this would create a more interactive and physical aspect to our piece, rather than a block of black and white text, which is uncreative. 

We included our contributors in the leaflet to inform viewers of who was involved in the project, as well as for the contributors benefit to get their name and work on display. We also wanted to make sure we had emailed the dancer/graffiti artists/MC/DJ duo, as well as the companies we had been involved with such as BEAT dance company.

Set-Up: First Layer Projection

The system kept crashing of which we were using to project our piece with, and therefore it took twice as long to set-up our actual physical installation onto the canvas screens. If we were to do this project again, we could look further into other software available that is more reliable when working with a larger media piece. Due to the fact we had 3 videos playing at once, the system struggled to cope with the media we were using, not only due to the quick frame rate, but also the high quality of image. Therefore to improve our piece in future, I feel it would be wise to research into the software and possibly find another way around it.

This is the installation at a shorter height from the ceiling. As you can see from the previous post, the projection now is displayed across every screen, and can be easily mapped via our software.
We chose to have a brick background as our first layer, this was specifically important as it reflects the urban perception around Hip Hop, as well as being a relaxed and expressive style of dance, not needing a professional or clear background stylised to the style of dance, such as in Sia's Elastic Heart music video. We also felt this was a good basis as it reflects some of the locations we shot in, as well as being a strong foundation both physically and metaphorically.
The next layer of the set up is to create the shapes, and map it to the canvas' before uploading the content to play on a loop. So far I am extremely impressed with the creativity of our group, from location choice, to final set up and physical installation.


The second step was to draw shapes upon the hanging canvas' in order to transfer our videos onto so that they can be exhibited. We started with the Vinyl record, seeing as it was straight on i.e. not at a slant, making it trickier to map.
A problem we did face, was when we were setting up, due to other groups also finalising their projects in a close location, when a couple of people ran past the installation it fluttered and shifted its position. This was extremely frustrating at the time of mapping which is crucial for the videos to be lined up with the shapes as perfect as possible. We managed to work around this by holding the installation to stabilise it, and therefore making the mapping easier to finalise.
The vinyl record was simpler to map in terms of colour, as the shadows are black from the projection on the installation, therefore there is room for a little error. This aspect of our piece resembled the audio content for our piece. 

Set-Up

On Tuesday 24th March, we set up our plinth, projector and physical installation in our allotted area just inside the left corridor of Pavilion Dance.
We cut out 4 screens from a rigid plastic material using a knife that resembles canvas. The main screen was set up to look like an old fashioned TV set, linking back to the years when Hip Hop was first introduced. The screen to the left was to resemble a CD case to reflect music popular amongst the Hip Hop movement. The middle hanging screen resembles a Vinyl record which again links to the era of Hip Hop discovery, and furthermore to create a vintage, retro feel. The final canvas installation resembles that of a spray can to depict the graffiti pillar of Hip Hop.

Our ideas developed from simple square screen canvas', to varying shapes such as circles and rhombus', before it developed into Hip Hop related objects which fit the theme and the brief specifications.

After much deliberation over our project, we decided not to include the timeline, due to the fact it would feel cluttered when we assembled the piece. Another downside was that our Graffiti artist Tom Whitton was in Swanage visiting friends and family, and therefore wouldn't be able to create our timeline as we had initially planned. This was a shame, but I feel on reflection it helped our piece to breathe, and gave a sense of stronger creativity with our final project.

As you can see, we suspended the canvas cut out screens on Nylon wire from the grooves in the metal inserts in the ceiling. At first, the spacing of the project was good, however it hung too low for the height of the plinth with the projector mounted atop. We adjusted the length of the Nylon wire so and increased the size of the projection as much as we could to enable all our screens were covered, and could be successfully projected on to.

Initial Set Up

Tuesday 24th March 

On the 24th of March, we arrived at Pavilion Dance early to start our project. The tasks we had to complete in our allotted time slot are as follows:

• Assemble the canvas cut out shapes into their arrangement. 
• Hang the shapes from Nylon wire and hooks from the ceiling.
• Secure a plinth and projector as well as HDMI cables and jacks.
• Mark out where the Plinth has to be on the day of the Exhibition.
• Map out the Projection shapes to fit the assembled installation.
• SAVE IT.
• Upload the videos to the software - Painting With Light.
• Move and adjust all audio files to a USB.
• Change the design/Colours of our canvas shapes.
• Once finalised, record the piece on a loop to show on Friday.
• Upload and sync the audio to the projection.

Rush

Test footage

After consideration for our final display among our group, we decided to have our main canvas focus in the shape of an old fashioned TV monitor. We also decided on making the other canvases into shapes which represented the parts of our project we had included i.e. record (MC/Rap), spray can (graffiti), TV (knowledge, when Hip Hop became noticed). 

Here is some test footage for the intro to our piece, which features some close ups of our MC/Rap footage, alongside our dancer footage in both the underpass and the rooftop, and furthermore our graffiti artist. 

The idea is that the canvases will rotate, but will play simultaneously (only one audio piece at a time). We will accomplish this by having the one on the main screen or old fashioned TV monitor playing the audio when featured, and then as it passes to the next, the audio changes for the piece being displayed. 

           

Group Meeting

Next week on the 24th and 27th of March is the installation and launch, with a technical day on the Tuesday.
We decided to have a group meeting to make sure everyone was ready for next week and to make sure we were collaborating effectively.

In the meeting we discussed the various elements of our project which were in the process of being finalised.
- Motion Graphics - in progress - to be completed this weekend.
- Film of the BBoy - edit in progress - completed this week.
- DJ Film edit is complete, however the choice of song has clashed with our artistic filming stylem and therefore has delayed completion.

- The physical installation is ready to be made.
We have sourced the materials and are currently planning on the creation of the shapes for the pillars. However, in keeping with Lizzie's advice of keeping ideas open and not limiting our options, we have discussed making our installation more aesthetically pleasing. We though of the possibility of having different shaped canvas sections. It was suggested a spray can shape, or shapes relating to Hip Hop culture, which can be projected onto without distorting the projection image.
During the discussion, we came across the idea of the main section being a vintage TV with the "screen" being projected onto. These are all ideas we have accumulated at such a late time, and in hindsight should not narrow our choices too quickly from the outset. If we decide to use these ideas, we will test them.

- I was assigned the collaborative task of more research for the 'Knowledge' pillar (timeline), of which I will collate with my other group member working on it with me, and send to the graffiti artist to be produced before next week. 

Pitch Presentations

                            

Pillars of-hip-hop from Catherine Porter

Link: http://www.slideshare.net/CatherinePorter1/pillars-ofhiphop

The chart on the right is how we have represented our pillars through the media pieces we have created for our installation. Although on reflection, we have decided to not include touch, because you can't physically touch any of our pieces apart from the actual installation itself which we won't want. Also taste was confusing as metaphorically we can give the viewer a 'taste' of Hip Hop through our media pieces, both visually and audibly. Hearing and sight are our main focus points in term of installation pieces as our piece is extremely visual, focussing on first impressions, however not taking away from the skill of projection mapping which we are also using.

Reflective Notes:

-         There was a lack of or too much enthusiasm shown in presentations, some groups not seeming interested by their idea. This is integral to the "presentation" aspect, as you are presenting yourselves, and not making your audience stare at a screen. Notes to improve on, should be more reflective of your findings, and visual in terms of ideas, as well as briefly summing up where you'd like to go to show ambition. 

-          Style of presentation - all about presenting ideas not reading text off a screen. As relevant to my previous point, some presentations, the presenters were fixed to their 'notes' and not on the information they were actually giving. 

-          Bottle projection idea – size of the mapping as a bottle is limited to the height – I have worries for the group who wanted to project onto a bottle, and then have the bottle smashed and have a break dancer 'break out', as the projection is then limited to the size of the bottle chosen, unless perhaps they used a cut out shape of a bottle as a physical installation, 

-          Links embedded in website for efficiency - In a few cases, there were troubles with links in presentations. This can be easily rectified by simply getting the 'Embed Code' from the video or audio, and placing within the powerpoint, so that when presented, the link is ready to go without switching to a (slow) web browser!

-          Don’t look at notes all the time – about confidence and the ideas – use prompts to help if you have confidence or shyness issues, or simply just to develop the points you're making and remind yourself to not go on a tangent. 

Shoot/Recording Days

Dancer

We managed to get a 26 year old male dance who specialises in both Lockin and break dancing. Featured here is a video of him showcasing his talent i.e. a demo video so that we could see his capabilities and decide whether we wanted to incorporate him or not. 

He seemed really keen to be involved in our project and helped when filming in the underpass (urban hip hop location), and created some really effective footage for our pieces. Seeing as a large amount of this project is based upon the form of Dance, being a major part of the Hip Hop style and movement, getting a skilled and visually exciting dancer was very important. We originally had a young dancer from Shake dance, however without being able to get copyright free music of which he was serious and determined to dance to, we were unable to compromise and so ended up not using him, and cancelling our first filming day. This was a setback, but on reflection, enabled us to be more picky and precise as to what we wanted in a dancer and to be included in our piece.

Graffiti

These pictures are from our shoot on the graffiti rooftop which featured Tom our Graffiti contact who created graffiti art pieces which we created into a montage. We got the idea from a previous unassessed piece of which the audio was ruined due to windy weather conditions and couldn't be rectified in the slightest unfortunately. The weather conditions added to the shoot, creating clear crisp images, and a textured background, if this could be done differently, we could possibly have returned on another day to get more footage, but with darker/different lighting to create an artistic montage effect. The rooftop was surrounded by railings, making the location safe for us to manoeuvre about upon.

The image on the right was a key frame taken from some of the montage piece for the graffiti section we created. Editing is underway currently, and the high contrast effect this image has been given reinforces the modern colourful  nature of Hip Hop culture in the 21st Century. In terms of location, this not only represented more than one of the Pillars we were aiming to include, but also a colourful and interesting place to get creative artful graphics On reflection, this was one of my favourite locations, with a large amount of adaptable space, as well as lots of opportunity for establishing shot and artistic license for both us as media practitioners, but Tom the graffiti artist also. There's also a contrast of 80s graffiti on the smaller wall on the left of the image, compared to more modern art related pieces on the other walls showing the development of graffiti over the ages, as well as how it has been modified to adapt to the 21st Century. 

Problems

One of the main problems we faced prior to our shoot day, although we kept in good communication with our dancer Elliot, he then decided that his song choice was specific to a song by band The XX. Due to having to use copyright free music, I emailed The XX press team to see if we could (with a bit of luck), get permission to use the song for our project. However, we suggested other songs which were copyright free, but unfortunately he couldn't adapt his style to our suggestions, and therefore had to delay our first dance shoot to a later date. 

To rectify the situation, we immediately started emailing other dance companies and dancers who might be interested in getting involved with our project. We got in contact with another dance company called 'Beat'. They put us in contact with another dancer who was extremely interested in our project and being involved. We rescheduled the shoot to a few days later, and managed to get some really effective footage using two cameras. 

On reflection, and in future, we should have kept in better communication to finalise details formally to make sure everything runs smoothly, as well as clarify everything earlier in our scheduled shoot weeks. Ideally we should have shot most of our footage before our reading week to allow ample time to edit, however we weren't as organised as we should have been. 

Dancer

This is a still I took from our Intro test footage rush, and features our dancer on the legal graffiti rooftop, one of my favourite locations we shot on. The piece of graffiti he is standing in front of (purple and blue), is the piece that our graffiti artist previously created for aesthetic purposes and to post his art on another wall in Bournemouth area.
For our two dance shoots, we did one on the graffiti rooftop, and the other in an underpass. They both created a strong Hip Hop emphasis, as well as urban style that's often associated with the Hip Hop culture and practices. We used two cameras as the spontaneity of our dancer's moves was very difficult to call and pinpoint with one and would require a lot of fast movement on our part, making the stability poor. Therefore we decided to split the recording between two cameras, one which focused on main movements of the torso and legs, and the other which created a more specialised view using close ups, and tracking shots of the hands and feet. This gave us an ample amount of footage to play with and practice different styles with to create our montage effect. We felt this was really creative and a very effective way of expressing our dancers moves.

Reflecting on this shoot, the locations were extremely important and really contrasted two sides of perceived Hip Hop in the modern world, as a form practised in run-down urban areas, associated with gun crime and negative connotations, and furthermore, a colourful practice and way of life which allows expression, emotive displays, as well as spontaneous and ambiguity around the practice, as every dance could be different. I feel the dancing could have been shot in a more stylised way, with the use of slow-mo to create a definitive and pronounced movement of the dancer. I feel the use of shots could have been broader to enable a full depiction of the dancer, and not limit it to specific movements. I think also, we could have shot in a strongly contrasting location to play on the humour of negative connotations surrounding Hip-Hop, and to lighten the piece by opening the piece to breathe, as I learnt in my research of Sia's Elastic Heart, that the location is key in how the audience interpret the dance, and the expressionism on display there.

Audio

In terms of Audio, Iv took out a TASCAM recorder and interviewed various people on their views on Hip Hop, as well as what it means to them/ if it enables people to express themselves. 

This piece was integral to how we wanted to push the boundaries of the views people have when Hip Hop is mentioned, both negative and positive, and hopefully to give a new impression to those at the display who are recently exposed to the style. 

What we wanted to create was a strong montage of Vox Pop type pieces to keep the relaxed style of the genre, as well as avoid the uptight and scheduled sense that interviews seem to hold. This not only fits in with the brief, but also with the style we wanted to express as a group, with all the pieces coming together to compliment each other and not to try overtake and compete. This was a very important key quality that our piece had to express. 

Experimentation

Graffiti Pillar

In terms of our 'Graffiti' pillar of Hip Hop, we luckily gained a contributor know as Tom, who is a Graffiti artist, has been caught and convicted of illegal vandalism before, but also does his artwork on 'legal' walls for public interest.

We spoke to Tom about filming, and managed to find an interesting location on a rooftop, of which at 5am with the golden silhouetted shapes of our Graffiti artist doing his work would look outstanding. Furthermore, we had previously recorded some footage near to where he lives in Poole, and were querying whether to return there and improve/refilm in the same area as it fits with the Hip Hop theme. We decided against this after our rooftop idea came into effect.

On the left is some concept art from our Graffiti Artist, showing the sort of image he plans to create for us on a legal wall on the rooftop, and furthermore to be the focal point of our Graffiti pillar. This has taken a lot of experimentation and concept work in order to decide exactly what we want visually.

Canvas Experimentation

This image I took from Google is of an old fashioned TV, of which we wanted to base our main canvas from - the shape and style. The tuning knobs on the right are a key feature as we want the audience to 'tune in' to our work. This also links back to the roots of Hip Hop and the decade of which it came known and into fashion. 

Prominently, we tried to change our piece right near the installation day, which in hindsight wasn't a great idea, as we were limited by time. In reflection, we should definitely consider all options before committing to a final piece so early on. 

This image on the right is a picture I made showing the rough latest outline of our installation. We have changed the shape of the canvases which are all white, and have arranged them in a slightly different order. This is our final layout before installation day, and I feel is a good representing point of our project. The square is for the motion graphics, of which will play on a loop, and the purple line underneath the project resembles the timeline of which I researched key points in history with another member in my group. Our plans are to send this off to Tom our graffiti artist, to create a graffiti piece of which we can physically install on the wall.

 Above are the final 'canvas' shapes ready for our projection and installation on Tuesday. This is a step up from our square canvases and I feel it could be more aesthetically interesting to look at. However simplicity is key and we may have over thought our project too much by trying to represent too many sides of Hip Hop in such a short amount of time. We could have focussed on one or two, but 5 seems to be stretching our limits. It may have been interesting to do 2 longer pieces on more specific areas of Hip Hop, and really get a strong insight into the topic, rather than 5 1 minute pieces of which don't quite explain enough about the style and genre.

Projection Mapping

Pavillion Dance Recce

Before we can actually project anything, we had to test run the various locations in the Pavillion Dance centre of which we could put our project on. With the basis of having 3 canvas' and a timeline to project onto, we needed a space with not too much space so that it was lost, but also so that the light didn't interfere, we wouldn't cause a blockage of viewers or a cause of concern in front of the fire exits/fire escape routes.
From this we had two main choices, the glass box with a pillar by the fire exit on the left of the pavillion as you enter, and the corridor on the left through the light box.

With the knowledge that the artwork is going to be removed and so will give us a blank page to project onto. Although we had a creative idea to make a physical timeline and to have it wrapped round the pillar in one location, we think it would be less of a hazard and more pleasing on the eye to have it in the corridor as a whole piece rather than slightly disjointed.

Practice

Our chosen projection mappers have been experimenting with the specifics and fine details of how aligned you can have the installation. In their last work shop, they have been projecting onto solid objects, as well as learning to change the focus depending on the perspective of the footage/image you are trying to project.
This gives a wild array of ideas, such as create a moving image piece revolving around a dancer, who then jumps from different areas to objects, to create an extremely visual piece.
Similarly in a reflective view, the amount you can do with a projection is incredible - See the research section for videos/clips I've found of other artists and practitioners' installations.

Research

Although in my group I am not one of the elected Projection Mappers, I found it very interesting to look into some research surrounding the sorts of projects and installations which are doable and in our reach as media students. Although on reflection, we should caution ourselves to not be too ambitious within the time frame we have been given, at the same time, we want our piece to be selected for the 6 week exhibition, and furthermore to be showcased to a wide audience, therefore it has to be slimline (not bulky and an obstacle), visually and audibly appealing, as well as appealing to a wide range of audiences, not just those who have a knowledge of Hip Hop, but perhaps those who are visiting, new to the area, or young children who want to be revealed to the world of Hip Hop. 

          


This video above somewhat reminds me of a scanner on a printer. The white beam of light is present in most sci-fi movies as part of a sensor scan, so this is what I associate with it. Noting that this installation is a 3D one, and so the images are able to wrap around the boxes after being mapped, where the colours can then be changed and altered easily - corresponding to the beat audio. Being a visual piece, the colours attract attention, and therefore the emotions that are associated with the colours are felt within the audience. Not only has the artists used the boxes to project onto, but he hwas used the all behind to draw the eye of the viewer and create an incredibly interesting and innovative piece.

Solid Object Mapping

          

Skip to 24 Seconds for Installation.

With a rap/techno over audio piece, this would be a great advert for trainers from a very simple and static content. I specifically like the glitter and fairy light aspects which really intrigued me that perhaps we had thought too much into our piece. The simple and specific projection being laid onto the trainer shows the wide opportunities with projection mapping as well as how simplistic and effective an idea can be.
Reflecting on our piece, I feel perhaps by focussing on such a flat surface like a canvas, was a bad move, due to the fact that there's nothing much interesting about it, except it looks more 3D and stands out from the wall. I feel as if projecting onto a more intricate display would have been far more effective, and encompassing all the 5 Pillars into one installation instead of split screens would have been far more effective.

Projection Mapping Dancers 

Skip to 1.50 for installation

                            

I found this footage simply for the installation being used live on Dancers. Although this is different to the pieces we are creating where we are pre-recording our footage and then producing it into the mapping sequence, I found this an insightful piece as to how the dancers can interact with the installation, rather than just have it as a 'bit of light' floating around, or simply projected onto a wall. This created a  physical 3D installation but on the actual dancers as opposed to a static object, such as a box or trainer in my previous examples. I am very interested by the colour and creativity which can be produced into such an art form for audience enjoyment. 

Concept Art

This concept art was drawn up to show how our installation will look and also the colour interpretation we want to incorporate in order to represent how Hip Hop has developed and changed over the years.
Featuring the different pillars on canvases which we want to stand in the Pavillion Dance corridor and create an artistic physical piece rather than just relying on the projection mapping and being a 2D piece. We want to create a stronger dimension for people to be interested in and to significantly develop our idea. 

On reflection, I feel that having a singular creative piece focussing on the dancer, doing various styles, getting different shots and a variety of creative influences in a bright interpretive background such as the graffiti rooftop would be an incredibly effective piece. The complexity of our idea sometimes makes me wonder whether it is worth some of the components actually being included and what they will add to it. 

Research - Dance on Film

Sia - Elastic Heart


        


In this music video by Sia, for the song Elastic heart, the space she uses is incredible in terms of dance ability and adaptability. I am incredibly interested in how the tone and muted style of the piece flow into the expressive dance form, and strongly feel we could have collated something similar for our piece, or part of our project.
I particularly admire the use of close ups as well as medium shots, which give an open and unintrusive depiction to the story the dancer is trying to tell. While it's nice to have artistic shots and stylised views, it's also extremely important, especially when filming dance, to let the piece breathe, and furthermore to allow the viewer to see it in it's entirety.
Although the style of dance isn't relative to the theme of Hip Hop our brief entails, the expressive form is identical to the emotive and interpretive piece we wanted to create. By letting the dancer breathe in their space, and use the area to their ability, it gives a very expressive feel to the piece, and I believe is a true quality in dance that is present in every piece, especially when being exhibited or in a performance circumstance.
The song flows beautifully, and helps to attain a perfect expression by the dancer, with little effort. The way the dancer interacts with the song is very inspiring as a media practitioner, and emotes strong feelings of unity, belief, and strength.




Step-Up 2 - Break Dance



         


This video features some professional dancers, and some actors who have the ability to street dance, n their final performance of Step-Up 2, the film. In this sequence, the lighting is incredibly important to the cinematography of the piece. The floodlights could be interpreted to highlight their talent and skill, alongside creating a silhouetted effect, and playing on the urban stereotype that Hip Hop dance holds. The rain is incorporated to create a stylistic and dramatic effect as well as to make their dance movements more pronounced.
In terms of camera work, the camera swings in and out to a majority of views of this piece, from close ups of hand movements, similar that to the style of tutting, but also focussing on the dancers as a whole and looking specifically at their body movements and how they work with the song remix playing.
The amount of breaks, and beat drops in the song enable the dancers to keep time. In terms of choreographed pieces and how they're filmed, as this is a group piece, the focus in on the group as whole, before focussing on the sub groups they split in to. This creates a joined, collective piece by representing each dancer as an individual in their own way. This piece seems tighter in execution due to the repetitive practices required for the final production, compared to the piece within the music video to the song 'Elastic Heart' previously mentioned, which seems more expressive and 'freestyle', and therefore, although more room for error, creates a more sensual piece. 

Research - Public Exhibitions

Tate Modern

The piece we are creating for the exhibition, although based around a culture young with modern youths, is effectively a piece of artwork.
I have looked into the curation of similar exhibitions in some of the biggest galleries of the world including The National Gallery.
Public exhibitions started in Art galleries such as the Tate Modern, of which houses some of the most innovative an interactive art in the world. Public displays have been used since the dawn of time to showcase talent, emit emotion and to get an individual response.

Public Exhibitions first became pronounced when private owners began opening their art collections for public display. A long history of royalty has had open exhibitions to show off their wealth and well being and maintain their hierarchy amongst the public folk. This led to a 'pioneering new development worldwide of loan exhibitions, where artwork was loaned for a certain amount of time to be displayed before being transported back to the owner. Furthermore, this helped to establish modern Art galleries, and started the trend of more formal exhibitions.

The first ever loan exhibitions collected paintings from various collections, and were curated and established by the 'British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts'.

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/history/collectors-and-benefactors/bridgewater-syndicate/*/viewPage/5

http://www.lux.org.uk/

Research - Hip Hop

Evolution of Hip Hop Dancing (Humour)

          


In a humorous aspect, The Jimmy Fallon show in America had a comedy sketch with Will Smith of which they showed their take on the evolution of Hip Hop. Not only has it come so far from when it was first invented by The Electric Boogaloos, how it is globally associated today as a dance form and art, as well as stems of jokes and humour, and educational purposes. This video is a mere insight to how celebrities have undertaken the word Hip Hop in terms of dance, and applied to to this sketch.

Dance Styles 

Poppin'

           

In terms of specifying Hip Hop dance styles, there are a few main styles which are globally recognised, Poppin' being one of them. This dance style consists of muscular control and tension throughout the body in order to create clear shapes and order when performing. This attracts a lot of attention as the skill must be honed in order to look well enough practiced. This is a popular style with young Hip Hop dancers, as they can learn this from a young age, making them more likely to be stronger at it as they grow. Talking with Rachel from Shake Dance, there are a few dancers she has often come into contact with who tend to interlace different styles, however they have one main style which they started out in.

Lockin'

        

In terms of Hip Hop dance styles, Lockin' is one of my favourite. Fast paced and bouncy to a variety of music can definitely create an aesthetically and power focused piece. This video is originally broadcast on Korea's Got Talent (a derivative of Britains), and features two young Hip Hop dancers known as Khan and Moon showcasing their talent. This  is an extremely good representation of how the dance has developed from the 80s urban classification, and has been accepted across cultures and countries throughout the world. Beginning in strictly Western civilisations, to be practiced and showcased across the world in Korea is a huge accomplishment for Hip Hop as a dance form.
Lockin is a lot more bouncy and free compared to Poppin' of which the style is more focussed on controlling the muscle groups to get a clean and finished product. Their music choice is also based upon more 80s stylised Hip Hop music as seen in the Rap/MC section of this research piece. Furthermore as probably already noticed, the duo have used projection mapping encompassed within their dancing to create a highly visual, interactive and responsive piece of which the audience in Korea obviously enjoy. The projection mapping features creative pieces responding to the duos movements, as well as a circle flying above their heads which they look at and interact with. Because this style of Hip Hop dance is more expressive in terms of available movement around the stage than Poppin, the piece becomes more exciting and energetic.

Tutting

          

Tutting is a form of Hip Hop dance that is strictly featuring the hands and arms and following their movements. Tutting dancers focus on telling a story through their movements, as well as trying to show their audience something they haven't seen before. This is a lesser known style of Hip Hop dancing, but technically is very difficult and precise to perfect. In this video, two young boys showcase their talent to Tutting, and explain that the perceptions around Tutting and Hip Hop dancing are often based around supposed gang signs and aggressive meaning/motivation, however they promise the reasoning is otherwise. They strongly believe that their whole 'body is an instrument' which is a clever and artistic view on Hip Hop dancing in general, non specific to style.

Break Dancing

          


Break Dancing is in my opinion, one of the styles of Hip Hop dance which is most often recognised and accepted today as a style form. The moves and shapes which are held by the dancers are commonly practiced by many, and are a much more energetic style form of Hip Hop dancing. In this video, the expression between dancers is incredible, with some falling on the floor, spinning round and balancing in particular ways in order to express not only their dance forms, but also themselves as a dance practitioner and artist. The baggy clothing is worn for ease of dancing, and is possibly where the Hip Hop aggressive side has been depicted through the years as a negative thing. The music used is based on 80s Hip Hop as a joke and tribute to how Hip Hop music as well as dance has changed. A large amount of the spinning moves look incredibly effective when the dancers perform them, and not at all aggressive. Break dancing is a very expressive and technically difficult form of dance, with a higher level of physical ability and fitness required.

Rap/MC 

       

WARNING - this clip contains references to drug taking.

I used this clip from Cardinal Burns the TV show as they represent their take on how rapping has changed from the 80s to now, from the likes of Kriss Kross to the likes of Jay-Z today, and how rap has shifted from being about lines and words that rhyme in a lighthearted manner, to a series of drug/gang violence and gun related topics among the many. For example The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight in 1979 shows a clear depiction of just making up random limericks to the beat and filling in any words that rhyme.
On reflection, lyrics have become more important in terms of delivering a message in 21st century Rap, compared to 80's stylistic beats of which were purely for a lighter entertainment purpose. Commonly, rap ballads are created to make the harrowing subjects featured in todays rap more digestable, for example Elton John and 2Pac in Ghetto Gospel. Within the video, the first image is of a black man who is laying in the street, crowded round by innocent bystanders and an approaching ambulance. It resolves that he has been shot as part of a turf/gang violence dispute. We then follow his day, which is focused around an urban, run down area that is nowadays stereotypical as to where gun violence occurs. Furthermore in an iconographic way, the men featured in the video are all wearing baggy hoodies, tracksuits and brandishing alcohol, as well as presenting themselves in a shifty way. This is now a perceived stereotype of gangs and isn't always necessarily a true depiction of who the people are.

The Sugarhill Gang - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUqvPJ3cbUQ
Ghetto Gospel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsTgxAGNyHs


        

DJ 

         


The Pillar of DJing in terms of Hip Hop practises is once which is difficult to pinpoint. It has developed significantly last year, so much so that it has spanned across other music genres such as Drum and Bass as well as House music, with artists such as Calvin Harris and David Guetta being large fans and practitioners of the movement. I found a video which is accordingly a Hip Hop beat audio piece, with a stereotypical bass tone which makes the obvious Hip Hop genre apparent. The stylistic mixing of scratching the vinyls, and overlaying music is incredibly important in the DJing world as this create a unique piece of music and performance everytime it's played. This is also popular in typical 80s Hip Hop dances where the music has been mixed specifically to the style of the dancer. In modern Hip Hop music such as Rap, Dj influences aren't as prominent, and in a personal sense, have significantly developed through other genres, moving away from Hip Hop. Although related to the style, DJ practices can be related to a variety of music, and so have developed through the years to accomodate a growing music industry as well as growing pool of experimental artists.

Graffiti

 In terms of Graffiti, we had a connection with a Graffiti artist named Tom who had been convicted of illegal graffiti practices, as well as painting on legal walls. This rooftop is a legal graffiti rooftop of which graffiti artists can access and paint their tags/artwork to their hearts content.  Graffiti has changed significantly since the beginning of Hip Hop, and especially as it has become more pronounced and accepted in the art world. Spanning from New York in the 70s and 80s, Graffiti was more simplistic, where artists or 'vandals' would use black markers or spray cans to scribble quick words and motifs on the wall without much else about. Nowadays as you can see from the image on the  right, colour is a big part of graffiti, as well as the precision of the artworks, and furthermore the message conveyed from one person to everyone who views the piece. 

This image (left) was taken by Christopher  Morris in 1981, and features a woman walking through a heavily graffitied subway car toward the photographer. This is the impression that a lot of common people perceived, that graffiti was a form of vandalism as it ruined the aesthetics of public places and features owned by the government. Therefore it was also seen as a sign of rebellion, and classed as a negative expression of emotions toward the state (especially in America in the 70s/80s). Furthermore as Hip Hop was being established, it was seen as a niche group of followers that believed in the practices of Hip Hop, and took a further 20 years to develop into the more socially accepted style it is today.

Link: http://time.com/3386935/grit-grime-and-graffiti-christopher-morris-on-the-new-york-subway-1981/

Knowledge

http://rap.about.com/od/rootsofraphiphop/p/RootsOfRap.htm



create timeline of hip hop events in history using office timeline


https://www.google.co.uk/search?espv=2&biw=1366&bih=585&q=the+freshest+kids&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAGOovnz8BQMDgwkHnxCXfq6-gXGaWbmhpRKYbVqQnFOerCWRnWylX5CaX5CTCqSKivPzrHLzyzJTi9_OsklxL7RlEhG52qY5OTzwz-uTXwHN-vGmUQAAAA&sa=X&ei=GUXRVKT8LJDnaODHgcgL&ved=0CJsBEJsTKAEwGQ

the freshest kids: history of the bboy

http://djkoolherc.com/

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/birthplace-of-hip-hop/

Creative Concepts

Location Idea


When looking around and finding different locations, I decided to do some independent study on the locations which were available in my local area to have a more in depth choice to give to the group. On reflection of my work I found a few locations which were suited to the brief of Hip-Hop, however weren't in the end as popular as our final choices.
I found and chose to include these in my reflection as they include a lot of 80s style simplistic graffiti which is inkeeping with out theme, as well as contrasting and juxtaposing the modern style of our piece. Although we wanted to develop a more colourful and vibrant location, I feel that this urban area with ample space would have been interesting to shoot the dancer in, with the freedom of being outside in an open location, as well as having a more realistic feel, as a majority of Hip Hop dancers start from their houses, and eventually work their way up to the academy. I feel this could have been a good concept to follow the journey of a young dancer from how they started out to where they are now. Seeing as the dancer we used is 26 years old, this means he will have had years of experience dancing as well as with the Hip Hop genre. An interesting documentary filmed style would have been insightful to use.

Examples of Creative Ideas

Film own interpretational ideas on phone
And audio content outlining ideas and interview tactics etc



Ideas for Production pieces:


5 Pillars of Hip Hop
- Graffiti
Contact known as Tom, has been convicted of various illegal Graffiti artworks as well as painting on legal walls and well known areas of the Bournemouth and Poole area in Dorset.
This contributor gives an edge to our work as there's a sense of unknowing danger into our project, as well as an interesting twist on the graffiti edge, as it's not all negative as most people portray it to be.
An idea could be to film it in a documentary style, a one minute short with a montage of graffiti work interwoven with a short interview on 'what graffiti is', 'what graffiti means to him', 'and a short bakground/how he got into graffiti' to shed a small snippet of insight into this topic.


- Knowledge
For this pillar, we chose to have a timeline, with graffiti influences showing the time span and origins of hip hop, from dance, music and art, and how it influenced people. This will be an informative piece for the audience which I feel will be received well due to the knowledgable aspect of this piece.

- Rap/MC
In terms of MC or Rap in association with Hip Hop, I felt this had the strongest negative connotations in terms of representation in the media today. The negative rumours started from the content of rap songs produced by unidealistic role models. I felt it could be both informative and a good accompaniment to the piece to have something other than just reliant visuals. It would add an extra dimension to our piece as well as making it more immersive for the viewer.

- DJ
Similar to the Rap/MC pillar, a montage of footage, as well as audio could be a simple yet collaborative idea. Another angle could be to put the DJ and MC pieces together as they are closes interrelated anyway, and so would give us more space in a physical sense for the installation.

- Dance
One of the main modern Hip Hop associates of which I am personally looking forward to filming. Again only 1/2 minutes in length, but a more simplistic and effective view of letting the dance breath within the short audio piece, and playing around with inventive editing ie the use of slow motion to give a HD and close up/personal view of the dance. Reflecting on this piece, the camera work will be very explanatory to how we represent the dancer themselves. Where most dancers see themselves face on, I feel it will benefit both the viewer, as well as the dancer, to see themselves from varying perspectives.


Set Up

In terms of Set up, we are planning to have 3 canvases representing the points of the triangle, with the timeline in a horizontal manner underneath. This creates a whole included piece, meaning the viewer doesn't have to stray far to see more of the installation. Furthermore, we will have at least one audio piece of which we plan to have playing over the top of the visual footage as an accompaniment.

Location Recce - Pavilion

We had a Location Recce on 3rd February 2015 to see the spaces which were available to us, and also to bounce around ideas and to look into the practicality of them. We spoke to Danielle, one of the lead co-ordinators at the centre. 

Below are a few snapshots of where the various annual 'Hip Hop' events will take place outside the Pavilion centre in order to grasp the realistic size of the event we are creating work for. At first I had a few ideas relating to the front of the centre, although regards to lighting and window use was concerning as it would ruin the quality of our projection. 

    

Inside the Pavilion, the first thing we saw was the front desk,  of which is the focal point of the whole project. This is because many of the public, as well as competitors and curators/choreographers and dancers will be feeding through this location minute after minute during the event. I looked at practicality in terms of flow of audience members and took into account the safety of the public and visitors in terms of blockage of fire exits and obstructions to fire escapes. To note this is a good starting point helped to decide how big a scale our project was to be consumed.

Upon finding this element of the foyer, I had an idea which related to have 5 individual sections of 1 minute duration, varying in factual and creative content to cover a broad range of interests. These would then be projected onto the three segments seen, the panel on the left, the protruding panel and the panel on the right. These would then loop for their one minute durations, and then be moved up by one to show the next moving image piece. I wasn't initially keen on the use of audio, but more in a sense that the visuals are the story without having to tell. Practicality was good as there aren't any fire exits which would be in danger of being obstructed, as well as being able to cover the window with translucent material possibly, or simply dimming the lights. These corners were darker lit than the rest of the room and therefore would have been really interesting to project a moving and shifting image onto. 

 Looking into some of the more simplistic ideas of which would be extremely doable, would be to project something onto this slanted wall which lays underneath the staircase to the upper floors. This would be a massive eye opener for audiences, and audio would be extremely well put to use in terms of no headphone restrictions in this area of the centre. Also with the benefit and taking into account of the beam from the projector being broken by passing individuals ruining or marring the experience for viewers. 

An idea I had was to have a looped reel of our footage and content, but for it to pan up and flow round rather than just have it statically projected onto the wall. This could flow as a creative aspect to show the historical journey from the origins of Hip Hop to where it has been developed to now. 

Only downside and worry of the group was that it was in too secluded an area and wouldn't get much interest, although this isn't necessarily the case. It's about the content and not all about the location. 

The corridors were a more difficult location to decide upon due to the fact that the stream of our work would be constantly interrupted, as well as the practicality of having groups of people stop to watch our project for a few minutes creating congestion within the exhibition. Taking health and safety into account, an idea was created of which we could have a physical instalment as opposed to just projecting on a wall. This instalment was in the form of 5 boxes, each showing a different side to Hip Hop, and having the audio available on varying channels which the listener/viewer can change/choose themselves.