Technical experimentation

Green screen footage captured at the studios in Queens Building.  Varying shots recorded of me including close up, mid-shot, and long shot of walking.  Some experimentation made using Adobe After Effects.  Images also taken of stairwells and various other images during this process.

 

Audio recordings

Following the formation of a set of questions, audio recordings were taken from the projects participants using a Zoom HN5 recorder and a reporter mic.  Recordings were saved as WAV files imported into Adobe Audition and a rough edit was created.  Along with the set questions, participants were also free to express their other thoughts and feelings.

Artist research

Influential digital artists researched include Tony Oursler, Antonia Attwood, Cardiff and Miller.

Artists who have produced mental health related art, both digital and traditional include Kirsty Latoya, Franciso Goya, Vanessa Bartlett, Missy Douglas.

Theoretical texts by Delueze and Freud.

 

 

 

Draft report outline

Title page

Abstract

Contents

List of figures/illustrations

1. Introduction

1.1 Aims of practice and research

• An autobiographical audio and visual creative piece based upon my experience of bipolar disorder and of those close to me, enabling audiences to engage and hopefully empathise with the experience mental health illness first hand.
• Hopefully reducing stigma and discrimination through promoting awareness via creativity.
• Discovery that video and audio can be used to convey a concept in an inclusive manner.
• Consolidation of past and present work, including how practice has developed over the entire course.

2. Main

2.1 Key concepts

• Encouraging empathy from the artwork created in relation to bipolar disorder and mental health, with the possible inclusion of perception of dementia.
• The power of the human voice in relation to emotion.
• Conceptual art within digital art field.
• Reference to philosophy including Delueze and Freud.
• Reference to key artists including Tony Oursler, Antonia Attwood and Missy Douglas.

2.2 Methods

• Research using journals, books and other information from focusing on the areas of empathy, mental health, bipolar disorder, and arts both digital and traditional.
• Technical processes to be used are audio and visual, using recording and editing equipment and software.
• Intellectual methods include my own thought processes, understanding my own feelings to communicate through my practice.   Developing initial ideas via visualisation, experimentation, taking an iterative approach. Self-reflection and using digital art as an emotional outlet, trying to make sense of something ineffable.
• Recruitment of participants for audio recording and the associated ethical issues, involvement, withdrawal and conflict of interest. Creation of a release form and advising participants of their right to withdraw from the project at any time. Developing questions for the audio element of the piece.
• Noting key shifts in own practice from work created as an undergraduate to a postgraduate, literal to more abstract and lateral, then a hybrid of the two.
• Using academic and philosophical texts and theories to evaluate my own practice in relation to mental health and other artists both digital and those that use other medium to create.
• Documenting the process.
• Comparing the initial idea to the end product, including past work, in order to identify any gaps or areas for future improvement.

2.3 Context

• Digital art that depicts perspectives of mental health issues that is a hybrid of both linear and lateral elements, the audio and video respectively.
• How my practice has changed over time from a documentary and direct narrative to an abstract concept, to finally a mixture between the two.

2.4 Outcome

• Evaluation of the work itself using my past work as examples to compare against.
• Using Gibbs reflective cycle for self reflection within my practice both for the main project and the whole course.
• Identifying any weaknesses in the proposed piece for example avoiding being so abstract that the intended feeling is not conveyed as desired.
• Recognising strengths of past practice, hopefully use this knowledge to develop ideas to achieve the desired outcome of making

3. Conclusion

• Have my methods been successful during this process?
• How different is the final piece in relation to the original idea?
• What were the strengths and weakness of this work?
• How does this compare to my previous pieces?
• Where does my practice sit in relation to mental health and digital art after considering all the information?
• Has my research argument, analysis and comparison of contextual references has met the original statement or not?

4. References

5. Bibliography

 

 

Research

The following publications were found using DMU library search:

Using artwork to understand the experience of mental illness: Mainstream artists and Outsider artists  by Rustin, Terry A
Psycho-social medicine, 2008, Volume 5

The impact of a national mental health arts and film festival on stigma and recovery 
by Quinn, N Shulman, A
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 01/2011, Volume 123, Issue 1

Mental Illness in Popular Media: Essays on the Representation of Disorders 
by Rubin, Lawrence C
2012

Disease and representation: images of illness from madness to AIDS 
by Gilman, Sander L
1988

 

Initial ideas

For this project, in line with my previous research and development, I decided to explore how mental health, specifically Bipolar Disorder is reflected through digital and traditional art.  I have begun to do this via researching artists through history that have done this.  My specific interest lies in how or if the viewer can feel empathy in what they see and hear.