User:Muxingye Chen/thesis/written thesis

Thesis Outline

The thesis [Unframed] will focus on theoretical part of my graduation project [title of project], based on deeper research into the visual language that represents my perspective on certain topics. The format that I choose for graduation will be a short experimental film, composed solely of computer-generated moving images. Those moving images become visual experiments, reflecting on my perception of specific theme, which are：  

• 1) “How to deal with the paradox that when identity is constructed by physical reality, it is at the time

deconstructed by virtual reality”  

• 2) “The play of Media manipulations”

 

• 3) “My life is nothing without digitalisation” (we are defined by numbers and data).

    This thesis will present a different perspective, clarifying the progress of those topics of research, by finding out the relation between emotion and the thinking process and rational visual analysis. It also gives the overview of my different reference, such as archive, film, philosophy, and so on)   Chapter outline:  

1. Introduction Brief description of the text   Overview - context: A reading of what I have been working on, and what is my artistic practice throughout the master study has been. This will contain the introduction of how I come up with the graduation project [Unframed].

 

2. Theme Analysis In “theme analysis”, I will start with the presentation on my position within specific time, space, situation, throughout the further discovery of three themes that I analyse ( for instance: there will be an in-depth research of the mainstream discourse that impose a crucial impact on my virtual reality, at the same time my physical reality only exists within eight-square room. The alienation of inner time while the physical time is occupied fully by massive information. The misbehave in digital media during the pandemic period) After the process of digging and building, it will be reconstructed as personal feedback, illustrating the core value of what I would like to communicate with the audience. Later on, it will articulate a new format of text description: such as film script, poem, dialogue… which is more representational and more insightful.

3. Visual Normalisation

This section will concentrate on how to translate the format of description illustrated in Theme Analysis into visual narratives. This process will be divided into several steps. This will be a deeper research into how to visualise abstractions from the text to the metaphorical object, characters, circumstances and so on (see project proposal). More specifically, I will emphasise the context of abstraction that present the expression of absurdity, loss of sense of existing, alienation and confusion. The text description will end up as a film script, which describes the element in space, the interaction building up among characters, different identities addressed by character… By connecting the personal perspective with in-depth artistic research, all the relevant resource, such as archives, film, music, philosophy and so on, will brings into the consideration of how to make synopsis visually more understandable. Eventually, it will become a strongly theory support that represents the origins of visual concept.  

4. “In dimensions” (Conclusion)

 This section will explain my relation with the reference that I choose, and how it influences my visual decisions (for example: I got inspired by the film called “the sound from the second floor” from Roy Andersson. What elements, concepts or dialogues that I feel interesting, and deeply connected with me.   Asethhecally, how I discuss the  influences involved with my project. From an artistic perspective, how I consider the transformation from abstractions to metaphorical objects, will be another main theme. More  consideration and further research remains to be done on how I re-use sound in different circumstances, how I rethink of characters and the situations that affect them. What representation of reality I am dealing with? (Like the sound of water dripping, why I use it to create the interior of a scene when a character is locked by narrow space)    I see the “conclusion” of this category as an artistic statement of how I think of the graduation project. For example: If it only represents the specific time in the past, how could I extend to the current time? How could I transform this film from cinema screen to theatre space? Is it possible to make it interact with different situations (like sound, installation, performance and etc)? How do I consider my artistic position through this project, and what is the relation between the reference that I mentioned and my personal context.   This procedure will help me to understand my way of storytelling in a logical way. Before I started to consider writing an outline formally, most of time I was addicted to the direct visualisation from my emotional self-expression. As soon as I finished one piece with this method, I noticed that it brings more confusion on what am I really telling for myself in the end. By writing down my insights, articulating them and sharing them with my fellows, I have a better understanding of what am I saying, for whom am I communicate with… on the other hand, it could make myself more clear on what is my artistic position, and discover more diverse of visual languages that I will be interested in.

 

Bibliography

 

• Films:

Roy Andersson : The Living Trilogy. (Songs from the Second Floor, 2000)（You, The Living, 2000)(A. Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence） (Blade Runner 1982) (Blade runner 2049) The Fifth Element (1997)  

• Theatre:

Samuel Beckett (The play 2004) Philippine "Pina" Bausch: (Frühlingsopfer (1975)) (Café Müller (1978)) (Nefés (2003))  

• Music:

Joy Division: (Unknown Pleasures 1979) Sainkho Namtchylak ( Ritual Virtuality 2000)

• Book:

Jussi Parikka: “What is Media Archaeology?”   Stephen king: “On Writing” Jean-Paul Sartre.“Being and Nothingness”