Image and Sound

This past week I produced a refined video utilizing old and new imagery and an updated version of the poem in the "Philosophy of Language" post. 

In this new video I attempted to employ the ideas that I have researched and worked with throughout the semester, especially those of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. In my video piece I reflect on Wittgenstein's idea of imagined autonomy and how speakers of a language must accept meaning in order for the language to be effective. I utilize words that do are not reflected literally through the piece but instead are meant to evoke a reflective view of language. Through the language utilized in the video, speaking not of windows and drapery but instead of a constant coming and going of day and night, I showcase how language can expand upon what it literally communicates. 

Philosophy of Voice

This week I researched the effect of sound in language. I came across the article "Voice in Philosophy," which talked about the influence of sound in human voices. Phenomenologically speaking, voices are simultaneously individual and communal. Although every voice is unique and cannot be replicated, each is also embedded with an uncanny trace of other voices that flow alongside it within a single current. It also pointed out that voice is distinct from language because it functions as an index that goes beyond what can be described by language. However, it is also "dependent on language, colored by language, and points to the taking place of language" (Waldenfels 1993, 65). This is important to my own practice because I am now working with my own voice as part of my piece. If I examine the different ways the voice itself is perceived based on whether or not a viewer can understand it, I think I can work with the audio in my video piece in a more effective manner.

In terms of my own practice I have mostly been trying to refine my video piece and am experimenting with ways of making a tactile piece. I am thinking of how different mediums can represent different representations brought about by language. I wonder whether a piece containing mediums like watercolor, acrylic, and charcoal would work cohesively.

Philosophy of Language

This week I conducted mostly general research on my topic. I ended up reading an article titled "The Philosophy of Language" which contained an overview of philosophical theories that have examined language and language use. One of the most intriguing portions of the article discussed speech act theory, in which philosophers viewed sentences as "tools for doing things, including a taxonomy of uses to which pieces of the language could be put" (The Philosophy of Language).

“Semantic information pertains to linguistic expressions (such as words and sentences), while pragmatic information pertains to utterances and the facts surrounding them.  The study of pragmatics thus includes no attention to features like truth or the reference of words and expressions, but it does include attention to information about the context in which a speaker made the utterance and how those conditions allow the speaker to express one proposition rather than another.”

The article used the phrase "it is sunny outside" to demonstrate the various meanings that can result from a single phrase. "It is sunny outside" not only acts as an observation of the weather, but it also lets the listener know that they won't need an umbrella, even though this is not what the phrase literally means.  Language is thus able to convey information beyond its literal meaning.

I think this article is useful to think about as I continue to work on my video pieces. I have thought about saying a phrase like "it is sunny outside" and then showing imagery like a basketball, an umbrella stowed away, or a summer outfit to show the plethora of meanings that a single phrase can conjure up. I think that through this, I would be able to explore one aspect of language that makes it so complex.

In terms of my own studio work, this week I have mostly focused on video projects/studies. I also decided to write a poem in order to link the meanings of the phrases I use in my video and to have better flow in the audio.  

English Translation: 

                                  The morning welcomes the tomorrow

                                  Within those instances arrives the desire to imitate

                                  The bodies that float in the sky

                                  Their lives, calm, that calm

                                  Soft in the sky

                                  In a dream that condemns them to disappear

                                  Like restless children that accompany the son

                                  And the moon

                                  That lulls them

                                  Guiding them through the celestial lights

                                  Their deaths and reincarnations

                                  Guide, in turn, the world

                                  From a past

                                  That they transform into future

                                  The unknown

                                  The morning welcomes the tomorrow

I did find one instance during this process to be of some interest. In one section of this poem, I described clouds as restless children. After I compared the clouds in the sky (feminine nouns) to children (masculine nouns), I realized that even though I was still referring to the clouds, I referred to them in masculine form, since I was using the metaphor of a child to describe them. I think this reveals an interesting way that language fluctuates and shifts.

In Pursuit of Digital Media

This week I researched the philosophy of digital media and I continued to experiment with different Spanish phrases. I also researched different foreign words that do not have an English or Spanish equivalent. Even though it is significant for me to focus on languages that I understand and have personal experience with, I think it is also important to display the importance of considering my framework through examining languages other than English or Spanish. I want my viewers to take time to consider the intricacies of every language.

Since I am planning to explore digital media and how I can use this medium to bring all my ideas together, I decided to research the philosophies that surround digital art. I wanted to explore the philosophies around it because I think it is extremely important to incorporate the medium's purpose alongside the work's framework. I found an article that discussed the philosophy of digital art and it mostly focused on interactivity and visual presentation. One of the most interesting points from the article mentioned that unlike traditional art making methods, digital art pieces are just one version of many that could have been produced, and as such, exemplify how that one version was carefully selected from a vast array of other options. In other words, a digital art piece forces the viewer to consider the choices and circumstances that brought the presented version into existence. I think this relates to language because a lot of what we know because of it is by chance. We could have been born into a society in which multilingualism is the norm, or a community that uses a different writing system that would cause us to see the written form of our language in a different way.

In terms of my own work, this week I made a video draft of what I would like to have playing beside a screen of fluctuating words and phrases. I tried to use imagery that encouraged a contemplative state of mind and I used audio that I thought would encourage my viewers to immerse themselves in the experience.