We decided to spend the first couple days of the brief exploring our own ideas and the to come back together to decide on our next step.
I connected a lot to the quote in the art machines brief; “We are, no mistake, machines. ‘Everything is a machine’ (Deleuze). Our task-to be done with technoparanoia-is to turn these machines creative, to liberate their parts in an explosion that remakes the world.”
To start with, I decided to explore these ideas.
My first idea was how the body almost becomes a machine when carrying out a practiced task. For example, when a musician plays their instrument, they let their routines and muscle memory take over their actions. If they are only following a pre written song, they become a vesicle for the task to be carried out (the song to be played).
To think about these ideas further, I filmed a drummer playing a practice exercise. I also placed paper and graphite paper on the drums to leave marks as he played. The graphite would ‘record’ his practice.
The picture above is the first minute of practice. The drummer thought he needed to spread the marks out as much as possible, so he made quite deliberate marks.
For the next minute of practice, the drummer went did a more usual practice routine. The markings are a more accurate recording on his usual practice.
The third set of practice, the drummer used different drumsticks to create different marks.
For the fourth practice set, the drummer used markers as drum sticks. The marks came out quite unnatural because the markers were difficult to hold and weren’t a similar size and weight as drumsticks.
Some of the results came out quite beautiful and really make you turn your head and study the marks. This technique would be very interesting to look at further
Here are some artists who have explored the idea of the body and its movements acting as a machine to create art.
In a project by Taiwan- based firm JL Design, Artists tracked the movement of performers to create visual images. “The human movements were captured using six motion-sensing cameras, with the data then being translated into animated scenes and the material colours of steel, coloured wire, wood and glass were added to create these visually expressive and arresting short commercials.”
Source: https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/human-motion-sculpture/
While looking at the body as a machine is an interesting exercise of thought, it also has the potential to have a negative impact. Frank Bures, in his article “On The Body As machine”, He argues how looking at the human body as a machine can put barriers around our way of thinking of the body, and in particular has contributed to a harmful approach to the medical field in America.
It is interesting how thinking of the body as a machine can expand our way of thinking but also limit us.