The 'videofilm concert' that we watched for this week was very powerful for me. I'm going to try to dissect the reasons for this.
The surreal quality of the piece was definitely one of the main reasons. The low video and audio resolution contributed to this; since we're all so used to 1080p HD resolutions and excellent audio quality in the media we typically consume, this piece felt alien, from a different and far gone reality. This effect was enhanced by the disparate images and content that Paik presented. Each segment of the concert had a radically different aesthetic and sound to it, leading me to continuously wonder what was going to happen next.
Also significant with this fragmented construction was the mixing of cultures, as well as the combination of highbrow and more popular/commercial images. The segment beginning around twenty-three minutes in showed this with the most clarity. Paik juxtaposed a well-dressed man speaking in English about the philosophical ramifications of television with East Asian soft drink and fashion commercials. This is certainly in line with his cosmopolitan identity that we discussed in class, but it was still jarring/surreal to view. The sound does this just as much as the image; the pop songs playing for the various commercials is contrasted with Debussy's 'Clair de Lune', a very well known piece of the classical repertoire. Further, the 'Beatles Electroniques' takes the extreme popularity of the Beatles and subjects their music to modifications that Paik would have studied in the electronic music studios of the 50s.
Overall, it was really refreshing to see that media can still be shocking and surreal in a world that is so saturated with images.
Well, there's the last blog post. I hope that all of you stay well and stay safe.
Aaron
There were parts of Nam June Paik's media that i was used to seeing in some ways. His green screen work reminded me of some of the deep internet content based on so many different references and deep rabbit holes that it seems like it may only make sense to one person. It was definitely shocking to see this media being done before the internet drastically changed what can be seen as funny and relatable.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great last blog and I have to say that I have REALLY enjoyed having your perspective in the class. I think the observations about how Nam June Paik operates for you are things I have felt but couldn't have articulated so well. I wonder if this is because you study music and have developed a particularly sensory attention to detail. In any case, I really enjoyed your observations here!
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