Final Presentation

Pedestrian by Paul Kaiser & Shelley Eshkar(2002)




Description of the work:

• Public artwork
• Using a projector to project an animation of moving tiny human
  onto sidewalks or concrete floor
• It shows the movements of 3D tiny human  moving in busy streets,
  plazas, opening umbrellas, etc. 
• The 3D models are from kids to adults. Their outlooks include school
  kids up to businessmen. 
• These models are derived from database of motion. They capture and
  re-edit the sequence for each model in different scenes
• The animation is in a 13 minutes loop
• Audience have to hover above to see the 3D models moving
• There are no narratives, but music to let the audience think and talk about
  the work freely
• 

Thought provoking parts of the work:

• This work let us, the audience act as omniscient observers.
• Audience can only look at the models moving but no interactions between,
  this let us really think about how we are in reality.
• There is no narratives, but a soundtrack. This allows the audience to think about
  the work with the others freely.

Quotes:

1.All of this looks strikingly real at first. The movements of the people are at once weirdly robotic and life-        like. But then you realize that it is all animated. The combination of trompe l'oeil illusion and artificiality            gives the effect of a hyper-real dream.

Ken Johnson, ART IN REVIEW: Shelley Eshkar, Paul Kaiser -- 'Pedestrian', March 01, 2002.

-->Ken is trying to point out that we are like falling into a dream world when looking at the animation. It              allows us to think about our lives through this dream.

2.Pedestrian positions us as omniscient observers, panning over the city as if from a police helicopter.              Removed from the figures below, we witness the movements of the city's inhabitants without the ability to      interact with them. At the same time, because these figures occupy the actual physical space in which we        stand, we are somehow implicated in their lives.

Kelly Salmon, Pedestrian By: Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar , SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/Paul+Kaiser+and+Shelley+Eshkar

-->Kelly is trying to point out that audiences act like omniscient  observers here. And we will be like                  involving in the city as we are stepping on it.

My Opinion:

• Allow us to stop and think about how our lives are like
  Apart from being that rush, we should actually stop and take a little rest.
• Get a chance for us to discuss with people looking at the work what is going on
  as there is no narrative to square our mind
• Let one know that we should care more the world instead of just rushing in streets

Related websites:

http://openendedgroup.com/artworks/ped.html
https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/Paul+Kaiser+and+Shelley+Eshkar
http://www.gmu.edu/depts/gallery/2003/kaiser.html

Video about Inter-discommunication Machine

Bus Uncle

1. Do you see videos such as “Bus uncle” and its copies  as a good addition to creative culture?

I see the copies of ''Bus uncle'' as creative culture. Take for example, the original video of "Bus uncle" is a real incident captured by the passengers, while its copies are being put with other ideas or ironic features. These newly put ideas make the copies having new meanings which are different from that of the original one. The copies may become ironic or even a joke, but since people put in creation and transfer the incident into a totally new idea, I think this is what by mean as creative culture.

2. Is the wide availability of such videos a good thing for society or not?

I think the wide availability is good for the society in some ways. This let people do their creations freely.  Wide spread of such videos also encourage people to create and get involve in the society since one make creations on really hot topics. Also, others may see these creations as a way of relaxation. However, if the videos were made with negative ideas like bullying, discrimination or bad messages, they would create negative effects on the society. Since the online platform is so popular, negative ideas may then be promoted and affect the thinking of the people especially the youngsters. 

3. How many viewers are estimated to have watched the Youtube video?

Over a million people watched the Youtube video. They have a really big influence not only in the city but globally. 

4. How would you rate the video?Is it of high quality in technical terms? Is it interesting aesthetically eg camera angles, use of light, the narrative and so on?

The video is not of high quality in technical terms and not aesthetic I would say. This video was just one taped to capture an incident on the bus but not made as a film.  The one who captured the video was just a normal passenger, so it is not of high quality nor aesthetic. He/she was not able to made it great either since there isn't any equipment.  However, the video contain others' voices or conversations, these funny 'narratives' made the video even more interesting!

5.      Do you think it deserved the attention that it received from the internet community?

 I think it deserved the attention it received from the internet community in some ways. Firstly, it points out some problem that we may have come accrossed . Secondly, it shows how stressful it is of the Hong Kong people, this may provoke emotions of many people. And can bring out social issues for us to focus on. Thirdly, this incident somehow become a way of relaxation for the viewers. However, it is so popular that may be easily seen by kids, which may affect them as it includes foul language.