One Second: Artist Statement

I truly struggle with this project. More than usual. I believe most of the reason for that was due to the broadness of the topic and free range we had for the idea; while limitless, it also proved limiting. That being said, I was able to finally pinpoint a topic/ idea with inspiration from the Fluxus attitude. Watching many of the videos authored by artist of said influence, I came to the conclusion that less is definitely more. Fluxus artist didn't create a narrative with their videos, but an idea; a theme. They commented on societal assumptions and topics, in innovative ways, leaving the interpretation up to the viewer. In "One Second...," I am commenting on the notion of time, and the space in which I personally fill it with. I chose to position my self in circular motions that mimic the turning of clock hands, in simple mundane places that I find my self in daily- my room, my closet, my kitchen, the bathroom, school, work, outside campus, etc. As I circle, I transition using a Cross Dissolve from scene to scene, zooming in ever so slightly to create yet another circle within the moving frames. I also transition from areas of openness outside, to those indoors, to add to this feel of my world closing in rounds. I start with a slow motion clip of my room spinning a a fast rate to show the progression of time, as well as its stillness. This clip evolves into a normal standard ace circular movement, and then further progresses to fast pace clips of video and stills of different origins. These represent my memories. They are fast fleeting, and not always present in my everyday life, so they appear to linger less so than my average routine, yet they are still present. As quickly as it started, these "memory" clips transition back tot the fast slow-motioned clip that I began with, creating a never ending cycle, and yet another circle motif.
I came up with this idea in correlation to the Fluxus's fascination with circles and spirals, and motion in their work, alongside my own awe at how many times I, and other around me insist or ask for “one second." I opted for a tripod, for I wanted to show the wavering and shakiness and unease we feel for time, while it is the most steady unit on earth. I played with the Ken Burn effects to add sharpness to the quality of my clips and images. My audio consists of the ticking of a clock, that stays consistent throughout, except when matching the speed of my "memory" clips- this correlates to the fleetingness of my memories, as well as to our feelings towards "time flying" when having fun.