Development : Recording human noises and tree noises

After getting the contact microphone I now could try and record sounds of the human body inside myself. I'm wanting to do this since my themes of the project have been the human body and trees. Experimenting with a contact microphone allows me to play around with the noises and sounds from what the initial project and subjects have been about.

To get the most clear sound without much static and unwanted noises picked up I tried taping the mic to parts of my body so it could be close and flat to the sources.

I tried drinking water, breathing and swallowing for the first few tests I then went on to try and do further recordings in the sound studio. I got some interesting sounds but sadly would pick up the drilling of the builders every now and again.

After getting a wide collection of different body functions and sounds I then tried recording the other theme of the project trees and the forest. It was at times really difficult and tricky since tree's on their own don't really make that much sound. But what did help where the elements of nature which created very surreal and atmospheric sounds.

Putting the microphone into a hollow tree let me hear the wind blowing through it as well as the amplified surroundings as it made a sort of giant speaker.

Recording against tree's surfaces sometimes didn't always give me much feedback but I would sometimes pick up insects. Being a nature sound recorder can take a lot of paitance. 

But natures elements helped a lot as well as the general sounds of forests and I got a lot of sound clips to work with. I edited the sound in audacity to create a mixed track of overlapping human and tree recordings. I had the idea to do the audio in this way since most of the project since the photography is nearly all mixed images of the contrasting themes.

Here is some samples of the sound clips unedited.

To just show some examples of the types of clips I had been recording and will be using for the final movie soundtrack. I will be adding this sound to the contrasting Photoshop images from the previous post. I will be setting up my assessment space very soon to show my work and sketchbooks. And getting all my files ready for submission just the final push now.

Here is the final audio track with progress photography.

Development : Another photo and film session in the woods

Sadly and somehow more  recently I have been finding my depression has came back for the past couple of days and it has made everyday activities and commitments more difficult. Sometimes facing people and going into busy environments is to stressful for my anxiety to cope. I was attending therapy at the start of the semester at university but I'm just starting to adjust not having sessions. 

One of the these days however had good weather and I decided to take my camera up to the local park again to take more photographs for my project. It also gave me some time to reflect and myself some space and do something constructive instead of letting the depression take over. I also wanted to capture some single trees in better weather since they seemed to be more successful for the projection shoots. Also I shot some footage and got some good movement of the trees and leaves blowing in the wind. It's made me be able to study the movement and choreography of trees as a whole and how I may transfer that to the human form.

I also found a trail in the forest that hadn't been used much at all and it led to a little exciting adventure for myself. Finding fauna and lots of conkers and parts of the wood that hadn't been disturbed by people for some time. A tree had fallen over the on to the path as well and I guess not many people would want to walk their dogs or risk the height of the path.

The path was also covered in branches and conkers so I collected a lot of them to possible use for more media tests in the studio.

I've already started to cover some of the branches in Modroc which I'm hoping to possibly use for display for assessment if it is successful. I may try to cast some in resin as well since the branches worked more successfully.

Taking that walk in the forest on my own made me feel a lot better even if it was for a short period of time which in a way shows how positive nature must be for me. It was also constructive since I was able to get more successful images for photo manipulation as well as for the next projection photo shoot.

Development : Sketchbook progress and Photo manipulations with limbs

It's been a while since I've posted much on this project blog but it's because I've been busy doing work for the project. Had a month long illness which didn't help much and slowed me down for a little while. But I have been documenting everything a long the way as well but not had much chance to do some blog posts.

The Critique we had on the 8/10/13 I felt went very well and that I seem to going in the right direction with my project. Theirs been so many ideas and media experiments I would like to try it's just been a case of trying them out and seeing which is more successful.

Went back and did some more flower and leave experiments for my development sketchbook. So far the petals have retained their colour so it seems using the microwave has been successful in preserving materials. 

 I have began a development sketchbook so that I can organise my thoughts and ideas a lot more constructively. I enjoy doing sketchbooks because their like self made reference for my project and to have at hand at any time and help my thought process.

I have printed out the most appealing tree photography that was done from previous blog posts and seeing the results printed on photo paper is very positive. It's helped be able to structure the sketchbook and show what I'm trying to portray visually with this project. I've also included planning and my storyboards about composition and how I'm combining the images of the branches and my limbs. As well as some more surreal illustrations of anthropomorphic trees and the human figure.

The reason's behind these sketches relates back to childhood imagery of trees and beings that may live in forests and could be in fairy tales and myths. I would like to explore these drawings further with different media and introduce colour.

Eventually I would like to create maybe one or a couple of simple picture books that have different body parts and tree parts on flaps that the viewer could mix and match together. Probably with the illustrations above or with the photography. But make them in a contemporary sense for this project but with the influence of childhood. Like the example below.

I've also been adding a lot more to my research sketchbook.

As a experiment I tried out some different manipulations using Photoshop to see how my arms and tree branches would look added together or brought in on their own to the environment. I cropped out some of the images of my arms and added them to tree's to create branches.

Texture and the light and contrasts have been tried out as well as the compositions of the arms on the branches to the desired effect. I feel it has worked quite successfully and would like to continue trying some more of these out. The arms ended up being quite subtle in the images them selves and some times not noticeable which was a interesting outcome and these images could be possible prints for display.

I've also been discussing the notion of recording footage and sound of trees and in forests and recording my arms and body. I have been recording some footage but will have to look at it more closely and see how successful they will be. Ideally would like to try contrasting or overlaying footage of branches and limbs but with opposing sounds of trees blowing in the wind or creaking but with footage of limbs and body and vice versa.

I'm also going to be doing a photo shoot shortly and projecting the tree images on to my body and seeing if this will be successful or not as well as recording some footage. Will continue with sketchbooks on the side as well and began to think about final pieces for assessment.