15 MARCH - 10 APRIL 2010 CUMBRIA, LANCASHIRE & ONLINE'

NTT Data ( Auto Terminal ) from More Soon on Vimeo.

Just found this exhibition on Stash media and thought it might interest you. An artist has photographed women in war then posted them on walls in various locations.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcd25a_jr-exposition-paris-2009-ile-saint_creation

Emma Macklin also sent over some more information for me:

Emma Macklin suggested that I watch some titles that she said reminded her of them when viewing my own work. This is what she said:

I have been in contact with both Ian and Emma Macklin since meeting them for the first time on my London portfolio trip in March. They have both been extremely helpful with advice on how to approach the industry I am interested in working in. I asked them if they would be willing to look at my work digitally. This is the email i sent them:

I had previously published a post about Tenderpixel Gallery, they were showing an exhibition by Tal Rosner called 'Family Tree' and the day I went down, Tal was actually there with Rick and Christinia talking about the work we were watching. It was the first time I have ever done that and it was really interesting - The fact that I was in London, in a tiny tiny gallery space with the artist talking about his work to a group of 5 of us! I found it really surreal. And it was a fantastic opportunity for networking! (Although I have emailed Tal and it's been a very long while, and he still hasn't replied...oh well! - I'll try again sometime soon!).

hi Jenny

All the information about this exhibition is on this website:
http://www.thelowry.com/events/everyday-people/the-exhibition/
'Over one remarkable weekend in May, Tunick will make a series of photographs and a new film of his multiple-site installation in Salford and Manchester. Volunteers will be taken, via a caravan of heated buses, to eight locations over the weekend of 1 - 2 May and asked to pose naked while Tunick creates the installation. The resulting photographic and film work will the be shown at The Lowry from 12 June - 26 September as part of the exhibition, Everyday People.'
I have signed up to be a volunteer for this installation on the 2nd May. The reason why I have done this is because I feel as though it would boost my self-confidence, and to say that I have been a part of a massive art installation like this one, I know i would look back and think of how brave I must have been, but also, that I would be part of a piece of art work. The idea of that really appeals to me!
I received an email off The Lowry yesterday asking if I would like to participate in giving interviews to newspapers, magazines, radio and TV press, and to give them my story of why I joined in with this installation and tell them my experience of taking part over the summer.
This is the email I sent back to them:
'Hello!
My name is Jenny Huddart, and I am just about to graduate from a 'Moving Image' Degree which I do at Stockport College.
The reason why I would like to take part in this installation, is because it would definitely boost my self-confidence and to say that I have been a part of this big art installation is just amazing to think of!

I work with experimental/abstract short films, I would like to show my work in Galleries, or at film festivals depending on which piece is suited for which area. For one of my pieces of work I looked at the motion of the natural body, and filmed a Nude volunteer. It was one of the best experiences throughout my degree work as I felt so comfortable getting the angles of the body that I needed. When I filmed my model, I was always thinking, she is so brave, I could never do this! I feel as though Spencer Tunick has given me (and everyone else involved) the opportunity to be part of something dramatic.

I have had diabetes for nearly 21 years now, I am 22 years old. I haven't let it stop me from doing what I want to do. There have been obstacles and setbacks, but I have always managed to get past them and follow through with the things I want to do. Every college trip I have been on, Berlin and New York I had hypo's, but the most recent trip to London we had I didn't have one, even though I was expecting it! It made me realise I can overcome my condition if I control it and put my mind to it. London was a very important trip for me, networking and meeting up with design agencies and other artists to show them my work.

I would also like to do interviews for the press (Newspapers and magazines), and maybe mention that my end of year degree show is open in June at Stockport College. The preview night is Friday 4th June, and is open for the following week 7th-11th June.

Thank you for reading!

Jenny

Jenny Huddart. BA (HONS) Moving Image. 3rd Year. Stockport College. Manchester.'
I basically thought that by being part of this installation it would give me the perfect chance to get my name known out there, and to promote Stockport College's end of year degree show!
They still need to email back, and give out information on where to meet and times etc, but i do think if they allow me to do interviews it will give me the perfect chance to help promote my end of year degree show and encourage artists and designers etc to come and see the work we have produced. At this moment in time, I' feel alright about it, but I know that as the time draws closer I will become more and more nervous and scared! I just hope i get over that fear.....

Earlier on this year, I came across a filmmaker called Damien Serban and emailed him with questions about his work. I was especially drawn to his Experimental pieces:
http://www.damienserban.com/filmo/xp.php
He kindly emailed back with answers to my questions and told me to keep in touch.
I needed 1 more portfolio viewing, done digitally, through email, I admire Damiens work and I thought it would be a good idea to ask him to have a look at my own work and see what he his opinions are of it, and any advice he may have.
He has very kindly looked at my work and given me a response to it:

Hello Jenny,

I have watched your work online.

I like a lot of what I see... I feel a bit out of place to tell you what I think because I don't consider myself to be any kind of authority in experimental films or art in general... but you asked for it !

The body, as you point out has some successful parts and some less successful, what I like personnaly is when you don't understand what's going on on the screen, when you recognize just enough to think you know what you're seeing just to be proven wrong by a movement, a color, a change in shape. I think the parts where you fully understand where is the body and where is the video projection are less interesting.

The Rhythm of the Body seemed to me a little more "classic". The editing works well with the music/rhythm, but the overall film with flashes of eyes and dirty video noise looks a bit too "déjà vu" for me.

Rhythm of People is really nicely done, I like the feeling it creates. Maybe what this piece lacks is a clearer "evolution"... I don't know if you prefer your films to be shown in art galleries or in cinemas... I know I personally prefer the cinema, I consider my films to be... well... "films", and I consider myself a "filmmaker". So when you do a film, whether it is totally abstract, experimental, love story, comedy, documentary, whatever... you need to create something that will take the audience by the hand and bring it with you in your universe. This is only my opinion, but I feel a lot of experimental films in general, lack a sense of dynamics, a sense of evolution... basically a sense of storyline (even without a story).

I like your music quotes, and I like the fact that you didn't just satisfy yourself with one try, but experimented to find what you were looking for... And I think you've managed that in the 3rd quote and particularly in the 4th.
The 4th quote has everything it needs in my opinion, a sense of mystery/abstraction, you think you know what you're looking at but you don't really, a real evolution, you really get drawn in the film and want to see more, to discover what will happen, and of course the images are quite beautiful and go well with the choice of music. It's my favorite of your films.

I hope I'm making sense, and I don't seem to "know-it-all"... because clearly I'm not. But if any of my blabber is useful to you, I'd be glad.

Take care.
Cheers
Damien

My rhythm pieces were done in the 2nd year of my course, they were the very 1st pieces of film I had created, and I enjoyed it so much I realised that working with abstract film is what I would really like to continue with!
'The Body' and 'Music Quote' pieces are my most recent, I actually agree with Damien about the body comments. And once i've graduated I aim to re-edit the piece to let it flow more smoothly and contain more mystery! My favourite piece is also the 4th music quote, this is the most recent i've done, and i feel like i've learnt a lot from that particular brief and it's helped me to understand my own style etc.
I feel that Damien's comments were very honest, and there wasn't anything he had really mentioned that I didn't know already. I am definitely going to take on board his comments about 'Evolution' and having a kind of narrative/storyline to my pieces, I do feel as though I have learnt this already as I am including this within my Final Major Project. It has all been a big learning curve for me!

Lauren Moriarty works with Textiles, she is a 3D designer. She mainly works with product production, designing objects such as cushions and lampshades. These objects though are not the normal products you see in department stores or 'home' shops. They have a certain twist to them.
Different people give Lauren a different label for her type of work, these include:
Textile Designer
Industrial Designer
Product Designer
3D Designer
However, when Lauren was first graduating, she had no idea what direction she wanted to take her work in. I think she knew that we are all about to graduate and wanted to reassure the majority of us who don't really know what direction we would like to go in either!
Her passion was focused on experimenting with material in 3D, and also lace structures, she was drawn to the idea of illusion. She put these practices in her product designs which make them stand out from the rest, they have that edginess about them because of the material used, or the use of interaction between the material and heat or example.

These are the laser cut hand - finished rubber lace panels. I think they look beautiful and very creative!

The 3D cushions she produces are more for the design factor, the look of them, they are on show, pleasing to the eye rather than to use the actual product for comfort. I think it is different and yet very interesting. She had mentioned to us that to create 10 cushions, it would take 10 days to complete! She had said that was the only down side to it, that when she's producing these cushions for a batch order, everyday feels the same, just like groundhog day!

I think the build up of the laser cut neoprene material gives the cushion a geometric feel to the design, I do think that it is really interesting the type of materials that she experiments with, and to then create everyday objects using her ideas, i am very impressed with her use of imagination and creativity.
But what really impressed me about her designs, is one product that she created within a collaboration with a design student. The piece is called 'Solarise' which is a lampshade product. It shows the London skyline which becomes heat reactive. So its starts off black, then within a time span of 5 minutes you get the sunrise effect, which then ends up showing the light risen in London.

It's a simple yet very effective idea, I haven't seen it in motion as of yet, but i really would like to! I can imagine the effect that it has and the type of atmosphere it would create in the home. I was very impressed with this piece.
One more design that I am going to mention is her use of pattern, and the different outcomes she produces with the same pattern.
Her Butterfly pattern has been used to create lampshades and also net curtains. There is a twist to this pattern design also which put Lauren on the contemporary and edginess scale for her design work! This is a motion pattern, the illusion is created by just layering the patterns on top of each other to make the butterfly's look as if they are fluttering. I like the idea of these products, as they are different and i am very impressed that she has put her design ideas into practice and actually has produced everyday products that reflect her imaginative ideas. She had also mentioned that it is good to change your original design ideas to go along with customer feedback. She had shown her butterfly lampshade at 'Pulse' in London, her original design was in black to represent the shadow play, but once people had seen it, she had loads of requests off people for it in pink!


One thing that Lauren Moriarty did mention which i felt struck a chord in me was her advice about doing an MA course. At the time of her presentation I was battling in my head about whether to go on straight to do an MA course which I would feel was more to do with my direction i'd like my work to go in. Her advice was to wait. Not to rush into anything. She had even said that she felt that her own work had developed further in the 2 years she took out to just concentrate on her own style and get her head around what she really wanted to do. Reflecting on her own life in a way. By her saying this, it made sense to me and made me look at my own work in a clearer sense and to realise that i needed a clear head about this type of stuff, it's best to do an MA once my own work has developed a bit more and i know for sure what area i would like to explore.
She has also done some commission work such as the winter lighting project which was help by the council for Camden street lights, Renault car designs, Southbank Windows and design work for the london eye! Her experience with this area was that she had to compromise a lot with the company, simplify her ideas, but when there are quiet periods in your life, then work on commission and with other companies, not just for the money, but to get your name known in the industry aswell.
This visiting practitioner was one of my favourites, she gave out a lot of advice and was very clear on her process and development of her work that she went through to get where she is today.

Hi Jen take a look at this guy, I think you'll like him. He seems to do quite a lot of stuff, but if you look under his video section there's some pretty cool stuff.

Ben Wilkinson is currently studying a Graphic Design/Animation degree in Australia. He has created a short film called 'House Of Cards' which looks at the subject of Depression/Loneliness in a different way.

House of Cards from Ben Wilkinson on Vimeo.

I like the idea of representing a subject using things you wouldn't normally associate with the subject. I think it reflects a good sense of creativity. In his description he mentions 'Each card that is focussed upon is symbolic of an emotion that the character cannot escape' He has successfully represented the atmosphere of feeling trapped i think, especially with the use of close-ups on the structure of the house of cards.
Another part of his description I was drawn to was 'Contrasting the different way each card scene was framed was symbolic of isolation versus overcrowding. This was specifically evident when the colour was adjusted to the existing lighting so that each scene was ‘cut off to the world’ as they were surrounded by darkness. A lonesome card surrounded by an abyss of blackness is bound to produce isolation.' I quite like his way of looking at Isolation, and the different techniques he has explored when trying to create this atmosphere. This has given me the inspiration to consider exploring the idea of using different objects to give them characterisation to represent the subject of isolation.

Another film that I have been looking at is by a film maker named 'Soulman' His real name is Devin Butterfield, amateur video creator who has a heart for lost people. He has his own website www.betyoursoul.com The website looks as though he uses extracts from the Bible which refer to certain emotions E.g. 'Wish you were never born?' etc.
The film I have looked at is called 'Alone In The Dark' which focuses on suicide and is putting across the message of what that person is feeling and going through and that it affects everyone not just the victim.

Alone In The Dark from soulman on Vimeo.

This video appeals to me because they have shot it from the viewpoint of someone who is feeling these emotions - We are seeing the world through their eyes which is what I would like to represent in my own abstract film. I'm not too keen on the music they have used in the film, but I do think that the visuals and techniques they have used are a good representation of someone feeling disorientated and lost.

For my Final Major Project, I am exploring the subject of depression and looking into representing the isolation felt by people who suffer from depression.
I came across this video on Vimeo by a film maker named 'Krazy/Skull Films' called 'Sell Up'.

Sell Up from Krazy/Skull films on Vimeo.

I'm not really looking at the style the film was made in, they are focusing on one person going through his own personal journey - I'm not looking at that style, but what I did notice within this film, are certain techniques the film maker has used to represent the emotions - such as blurriness and a it was filmed hand held which gives it a more rough and uncertain feel to the film. I like the use of extreme close ups used to emphasise that the most simple activities such as eating are a difficult process to go through when feeling these emotions.

I have been in contact with this film maker and media artist Max Hattler. I first contacted him while I was doing my 'Self-directed project' as I had seen a short experimental film that he had created called 'Drift' - When I was looking into who I could contact to visit in London it had suddenly occurred to me that I had read that Max was based in Germany and in London also, so I contacted him just to ask if he would be in London on the dates that I went down to London, and whether he would be interested in meeting up with me to view my own work and give me some advice. Here is the email:

Hello Max!
I got in touch with you last year about your film 'Drift', I don't know if you remember me?!
As part of my degree course in moving image, we need to show our portfolio's to people who are in the industry that we want to go into. Throughout my degree course I have realised that experimental film, showing them in galleries and at festivals etc would be my dream area to go into!
I am visiting London between the 28th February - 3rd March this year, to familiarise myself with galleries down there, and show my work to get as much advice as I can. I thought I would ask if it would be ok if I met up with you to show you some of my work, and receive advice and information about how you got your foot in the door and the processes you went through to get your name out there?
I realise you are a very busy guy, but if you are in London between those dates, and you have a bit of free time you could spare me, I would be SO grateful! :o)
Please let me know if you would be willing to view my work.
Thank you for your time Max!

Jenny

Jenny Huddart Stockport college BA HONS Moving Image. 3rd Year. Manchester.
Reply:
hi jenny,

I might be able to meet on 28feb, 1 or 2 march. can you email me nearer the time? then I can tell you for sure.

cheers,
max
At this point the meeting wasn't set in stone, and I was a little bit worried that it would fall through at the very last minute because he is such a busy man!
So I did what he asked and emailed closer to the time:
Hello Max,
I was just wondering if it would still be ok with you to meet up at the beginning of March? I have realised now that the best day for me would be the 2nd on Tuesday.

Also, my classmate Mike Williams has asked me to see whether he could come with me if we met up? He is interested in VJing and Concert Visuals, he has looked at your webpage and thinks it would be a good opportunity for him to get advise on his own visuals from someone who is already in the industry.

Would this be okay, For both me and Mike to meet up with you on the 2nd March?

Thank you again for this opportunity Max,

Jenny

Jenny Huddart Stockport College BA HONS Moving Image. 3rd Year. Manchester.
My classmate Mike is interested in concert visuals and looked at Max's work and asked me if it would be okay with him to join me in this portfolio viewing if it went ahead.This was the reply he sent me:
hi jenny,

yes 2 march should be fine to meet you and mike. I don’t have a studio at the moment so I’m trying to think where would be best. I live near old street tube so somewhere in that area is probably good, maybe 1pm?

cheers,
max
At this point it was set in stone and I was really pleased he decided to meet up with us! A couple of days before we were due to visit London, I emailed him asking where to meet, but didn't here anything, so I sent another email giving him my mobile number for him to contact me while I was down there. It was on the Monday when I received a text message off him telling me to meet him at a coffee shop near Old Street tube station at 1pm on the Tuesday. It was all last minute and I had been worrying so much that I wouldn't hear from him!

So when Mike and I met up with him, I was nervous at first, but gradually relaxed talking to him about living in London and how his work is coming along. We sat in a coffee shop, which was quite noisy and the sun was shining so brightly it was difficult to both see and hear my films, but we managed it somehow.
To begin with I showed him my show reel:

Showreel 2010 from Jenny Huddart on Vimeo.

His advice was that it is a bit too long, and that maybe I should include snappier visuals, he pointed out my fire piece where I included the little glows of light, and told me to rather than include the glows, include the actual 'BAM!' of my piece, where the flame ignites the material instead, just to help catch peoples attention.
I then showed him 'The Body' piece:

The Body from Jenny Huddart on Vimeo.

He really liked certain aspects of it, such as the abstract visuals I used where you cant really tell what you are looking at - He didn't really like it when you got the full view of my models body, it had ruined the illusion for him. He especially liked the ending where the face is distorted on the models body and it twists and turns in different directions. He also like the contrast between the slow ambient music and the fast jittery visuals of the veins on the feet and hands - He said he wasn't expecting it, and it had kept him engaged in the piece! Another criticism he mentioned though was that he preferred the footage where I had projected the visuals onto the body and liked the originality of it, whereas he didn't think too much of the parts that I had layered on top of each other - He could tell that they weren't original.
The last film that I just had time to show him was my 'Fire + Embroidery' piece:

Music Quote 04 from Jenny Huddart on Vimeo.

He told me that he really liked the idea behind it, and was impressed with the experiments I had done and liked the overall look of the piece, the only negative he had mentioned about it was that he didn't like the fact that you could see the white fabric when the flame ignites at the end - the glow of the fire lights up the fabric around it, Max had said maybe it would have been better to use black embroidery fabric to help conceal it more, it would have been better to have the audience still guessing at the end.
Overall he did say that it does need a bit more work, make it more abstract and don't give away so easily what the audience are looking at, keep them guessing for a much longer time to keep them more engaged within the piece. I am extremely grateful for this advice that he has given me - The positive points have given me that extra boost of confidence whereas the negative points have given me the inspiration to look at these pieces from a different angle and improve the quality of them!
I sent him an email when I got back from London:

Hi Max,
I just wanted to thank you again for meeting up with me!

It was a fantastic experience, and you made us both feel very comfortable and welcome, and you gave us the opportunity to look at our own work from a different viewpoint. Thank you for giving us your honest opinions, you have given me the inspiration to re-edit my body film and add more abstract visuals.

I hope we can still keep in touch

Take care,

Jenny

Jenny Huddart. BA (HONS) Moving Image. 3rd Year. Stockport College. Manchester. UK.
This is what he replied with:
hey jenny,

thanks for your email. and glad you got something out of it!
do keep in touch and show me the finished films in the summer.
good luck with it all!

max
I think that's brilliant that he's still willing to keep in contact with me! He had also told me that he doesn't really meet up with students to see their work ... I had asked him why he decided to meet up with me?...'You were very persistant!' What a fantastic experience.

I first found out about The Mill in my 2nd year of my degree course. I had created a 3D Jellyfish piece and found that The Mill's 3D design department had also created a 3D Jellyfish, and so I had emailed them to ask questions about how they had done it etc etc.
To music videos, one of the most recent being one of my favourites! They created the music video for OkGo who are famously known for their choreographed videos especially on the treadmills! The video below is 'This too shall pass'

Heres what they say on their website:
Created by OK Go, and directors James Frost and Syn Labs, with our online touches helping synergize the fun, the promo stars material possessions of yesteryear as cogs in a warehouse-sized machine, with the band’s members acting as foremen along the way. And OK Go’s Damian Kulash and his band mates aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty moving things along. But we wouldn’t expect anything less from the acrobatic treadmillers who got us up off the couch with their last hit video, “Here It Goes Again.”
Their visual effects have won awards for many of their Visual Effects works, they received a VFX Oscar for Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott! This was a well worthy award, as the effects in this film were outstanding and extremely memorable!
Anyway, the London team were extremely friendly and all looked extremely busy with their heads down and getting on with their work ... the atmosphere was very laid back and it looked like a very cool place to work in!
To begin with, we sat in what seemed to be a small conference/viewing/presentation room where they showed us their most recent showreel of their most recent work. Everything looked extremely professional and it shocked me a little bit when they told us that they had done the 'Go Compare' adverts! I despise them with a passion! But the fact that they had told us that they work with any type of client, in other words it doesn't matter how much money they have for the Ad, The Mill always tries to work to their best standards with what money they have available - They never dismiss a potential client if they don't have a lot of money for the Ad. They told us that by doing this, it helps enhance their reputation, they're open to everyone. I really admire that about them.
Our group was split into 2, and me, Tahere and Christinia went with one of the girls who was showing us around, we went to one of the 'Flame' suites where we spent I think more than half an hour stood chatting to one of the designers called Richard! There were 3 of them in a suit, all working on one piece of design work which was given to them. They were working on an advert for oil that is used in a car, they were working on showing the fluid traveling through see through pipes within a car. They told us that you have to work to your clients needs and basically do whatever the client wants. They sent the client previews of the work they had done, including research into how the certain parts of the car move when the oil passes through it, but the client didn't like it and told them how they wanted the oil to look as it passed through the parts. The Mill workers are in no position to argue that the current previews are exactly how its supposed to look, they had to scrap those designs and were currently working on the new ones, the ones they showed us when we were there.
The 3 designers told us of their experience working at The Mill, and the journey they went through to get there. I felt really interested in what the main guy we spoke to, Richard, was saying. Telling us their story, I felt involved somehow and afterwards I felt a sense of satisfaction that someone, well a designer had told me 1st hand of their own personal journey, It was nice of him to share it with us.
Overall the experience I had there was fantastic! Since I leant about The Mill in 2nd year I have always wanted to visit at least one of their studios! This was an optional visit for our moving image group, but I jumped at the chance of seeing them, and listening to what they had to say about their work, and any advice they wanted to offer. It was a very enjoyable experience.

When we went to visit Double Negative when visiting London at the beginning of March, at first I found it very nerve-racking meeting Vic, the head of human resources. She seemed extremely professional and serious about the work that they carry out at Double Negative. Our small group even had to sign a confidentiality form agreeing not to give any information about the current projects that they are working on at the moment out. This is very understandable, but at the same time the whole place had a very business like feel to it.
Despite the feel of the building, the people we passed in the corridors and saw glimpses of others working on particular projects seemed really down to earth and obviously knew what they were doing!
In the past, Double Negative have worked on some of the visual effects for some major films, such as:The above image is taken off their website: www.dneg.com This is the type of thing that we were shown, the different layers added on top, all the people we once thought were played by extras, are in fact clones of a small crowd reciprocated. I found it really fascinating looking at the build up of layers and how they all stitched everything together.