Video Emotional Feedback Reflections

Miro Board:

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVL-rvWQE=/

Affirmative feedback “what worked for me was…”:

Richard opened the dances: The cinematic, almost “Interstellar” level of the video. “Just give us the video”. George: appetite for experimentation

Terrye: I think she didn’t understand. She thought the incense was a candle and that the darkroom inspired the red light. It was actual incense in an actual darkroom. Evokes a  meditative, old state.

Daniel: the gentle action of blowing onto the burning stick. Adding this performative element brings another level to the printed work.

Bethany: parallel between the ritual of incense/ritual of photography. Each one has a process of careful stages.

Oi Fa: The sound. The rhytm drawns you waiting for the next episode coming up.

Ben:  I didn’t understand

Roz: I was slowing down. Absolutely immersed in someone else’s experience of meditation. Amplified. Calm. (Sound was bad)

Karen: the process works on its own but knowing the process was quite magical.

Marina: the zoom in into the traces. Give the audience time to reflect and space for our own association. I felt connection with the trace rather than Martina. I forgot it was a film, I was somewhere int here, into some preheistoric landscape. My mind went somewhere else.

Tom, the incorporation of spiritual elements in a non-religious context. It is dangerous and tricky, but you pulled it off beautifully.

Eliza: Been taken on multiple different journeys together with Martina in just a matter of a few minutes.

VICTORIA: Editing. It gave me David Lynch vibes (WOW!!)

Jonathan: The sound gave me Philip Glass Koyaanisqatsi vibes (WOWWOW)

Madeleina: The pace. Going from quick transition to slower exploration of the elements.

My reflections on the Video Presentation

I enjoyed making the video. It pushed me to reflect on my practice and to communicate it in a condensed and clear form.

I see myself very much in the middle of a process: discovering things, understanding things, but also aware that there’s still so much to explore and learn.

The themes of transformation, ritual, and the interplay between spirituality and science are emerging as powerful drives in my work. The release of control I experience in the darkroom feels essential, not only for my art-making but also for my personal wellbeing.

The cosmic images that emerge are traces of an ephemeral dialogue. I think I’m still grappling with meaning, but I’m not worried about it. Not fully knowing what they mean is somehow comforting. I see it as a sign that they’re tapping into something bigger than myself.

There are multiple paths I can take from here, and I don’t know yet where they will lead. And strangely, that feels freeing. The suspended ending of my video captures exactly this feeling of potential and unknown.

It was interesting to hear the feedback from the class. For some of my peers, it was the first time seeing this new direction in my work. It was valuable to witness their first impressions.

Recurring keywords on the Miro board:

– Wonder

– Mesmerising

– Different interpretations of the same image

– Journey

– Cinematic

– Sensory (some said they could smell the incense)

I think this feedback will prove very useful as I move forward. It will be interesting to revisit it a few months from now.

Many people complimented my filmmaking/editing skills, mentioning references like Interstellar (was it a Nolan reference?), David Lynch (less than 24 hours before his death...coincidence?), and Philip Glass!

This is very flattering…considering these figures have always been among my main influences in filmmaking.

Still, I can’t help wondering if the video quality/storytelling might have overshadowed the artwork itself.

People seemed more focused on the video than on the physical work behind it. I’m not even sure that’s a bad thing. It makes me wonder whether I should reconsider the use of video as part of my practice moving forward. I’ve been so absorbed in the new, exciting territory of darkroom processes that I’ve almost completely abandoned my most familiar medium, film.

At the same time, I know that I’m not drawn to "video art" as a form. I often struggle to connect with video works in exhibitions (with a few exceptions). So I think it’s not about shifting into video art, it’s about finding how moving image could be integrated into the language I’m developing.

Here is my Emotional Feedback from this Experience:

I feel… flattered by the compliments, and excited that most of the themes that came up in the feedback were the ones I intended. It reassures me that the work is moving in the right direction.

I think… the cinematography of the video may have partially overshadowed the physical artwork. But also that video could potentially become a meaningful extension of my practice.

I wonder… what the feedback would be like if people saw the work physically in an exhibition space.