Specials Lab ( a pharmaceutical company) have commissioned me to make two video pieces that will be permanently installed at their head office. The pieces comprise a four monitor and playback arrangement which will be built into a tower, playing out into a 360 degree space. This effectively means I am working on 2 videos, each with four separate sequences or 'movements'. I am currently visiting, on average, once a week to progress the work.
Never let it be said I don’t eventually get round to the practicals of life…
It may have taken a while but I have now put a video composite of this project on YouTube so have linked it in here. It’s in two parts for no other reason than there is a time limit for clips on YouTube.
Peanut Butter Crunchy Meridian (part 2)
(follows on from previous posting) I know visitors will get to see the piece but it has made me think I really should make a gallery specific installation if I want a wider public to be involved. I have so much more material than was ever used, and other thoughts as to how I might work with that material. So…although I am on to other projects now, I am of a mind that there is still more to explore in the Specials Project…
It’s easy to move on and forget to tie up the loose ends. I moan about this whenever I have someone to come do work on the house. The guys always seem to get to the very last hurdle and then somehow not address that last little niggle – the door knob that’s loose, the light switch that’s not straight. I know why it is – they’re off making sure the next punter is happy. But there is a definite problem with this style of chaos management.. it pisses people off and means that a good job is never a great job.. . Looking at my blog I realised I was nearly guilty of the same. ..
So here is the round up. The project is as finished as a project ever is – and I am well pleased with the result. The tower looks great and the videos do too. I was understandably nervous to see what initial reaction to the piece would be – after all it isn’t located in an anonymous gallery space – but right in the heart of the clients head office, and up to that point, I hadn’t given anyone any sneak previews.
It wasn’t what you’d call a grand launch – just me and the guys who helped erect the video tower, plus a few people who happened to be around in the office at the time. I was duly heartened by the first comment from the MD’s p.a. who after watching intently for 15mins said something along the lines of ‘ wow – that just sums up the nature of Specials perfectly’. Of course I was happy with that one. I never try to please, there would be no integrity in that approach, no honesty of purpose… but like most people I do like to think that there might be something of merit in what I have put my mind to…
.. and that was that .. the earth didn’t move.. I asked about publicity – a launch perhaps… some Press n PR. ‘Oh yes that will be in hand’ I was told… noises were made…but nothing to date has happened. I would promote the piece myself, but with a company such as Specials, they like to control the media themselves, and as it is effectively their piece now, installed in their location, I feel I have little leverage. I don’t get the impression it’s anything to do with them being negative – I just think that our two agendas are different – and that they probably are happy with the piece having a predominantly in-house viewing public.. (continues)
… they were shooting a scene for a TV series in the building where I have my office/ studio the other evening – rain machines and full on lighting all over the place. As I left the building and passed though this combination of high activity on some folks parts, and complete passivity on others, I was reminded how many people it takes to make just a few minutes of regular, run of the mill (often tedious) tele…
… I had an ironic inner giggle to myself as I thought of my little project. I have been a one man fly on the wall for months now – doing camera, sound, editing and anything else that's required, all on my own. It makes for a different kind of product of course, but actually I'd rather view mine any day!
Have to admit though that it has been great to have other people work on constructing the video tower for me – one skill that I really didn't want to have to aquire – and it has been done impressively well . We still have a tiny tweak to do to it, but all is poised to be finished this week.
I have just one of my 5min video 'movements' to finish over the weekend and then the whole piece should be complete. Can't work out whether the great god of technology has either been cruel or kind to me however. I had just finished editing last night when the programme decided to crash. Subsequently my master edit won't load back in – and the backup is the same. Luckily I had completed and rendered out the sequences so all is not lost – but i can't now go back and edit some of them if i ever wanted to. Now if only i had an IT dept. … i could shout at them!
Just a quickie to say my latest piece lives and breathes! Installation of the tower has taken place and the monitors are in there and working. Slight snag with one side – which means it's not gonna be fully completed until next week – but it's great to see it become an actuality.
I have been working like a man possessed to get the video sorted, and now have four movements to put on there. Why did i say i'd do eight?? mmm an error of some magnitude as i still have loads more work to do.. still i'm on a roll now….
