Magnus

     I began this project by collecting items around the house I live in on campus.  I started to collect items that mimicked (or were) taxidermy animals, horns, hooves, furs, and antlers.  I collected items that reminded me of roughness, hunting or sex dungeons.  The items I used were generally shades of brown, orange, red, and gold.   For over three days, I added items to this scene and rearrange them in the corner of the basement.  On the third day I filmed. While in the basement I discovered a Magnum Organ which I used to create the audio of the video.

      While arranging the clips of the movie I was interested in the role as the viewer.  While watching I noticed I felt more intrusive or present as a viewer while watching myself perform on the organ and dance around the scene rather than when watching the video of my reflection in the mirror, or of the still life shots.  Although the mirror scenes seemed more intimate, I did not feel as present as a viewer. Whereas during the scenes of me playing the organ and dancing I noticed my gaze.  McLuhan talks about the effect of medium and that the medium is more important than the message itself.  In this video, the use of the camera only versus the use of the mirror as an additional medium the camera curates for different gazes.  Maybe because the images of myself that I typically consume are reflections--in mirrors, in puddles, on snapchat, so that is why I don't feel myself watching during the mirror clips.  The medium curates for the gaze.

      McLuhan also discusses that "our electrically-configured world has forced us to move from the habit of data classification to the mode of pattern recognition...instant communication insures that all factors of the environment and of experience coexist in a state of active interplay."  This is relevant to my video because all factors of the process are at constant interplay, especially in the process.  I built the scene by collecting items. The scene seems like the most precious part of the project for me. I think this is because of the medium and its physical presence.