To Approach a Sense of Video Poems. By Mohsaen Mousavi

To Approach a Sense of Video Poems Mohsen Mousavi

Module Board; Master’s Degree of Art and Design

ART M61 University of Sunderland June 2017

Poetry, Suspension bridge Between history and truth.

Octavio Paz, (1914-1998).

Artist Statement “My work as an artist strives for an innovative interpretation of thought.

I believe that making silent videos can create a more intense, visual experience, which could be described as “Video Poems”. The notion of silent video intrigues me. Silence is customary in painting and sculpture.

Hence, these static art forms are able to engage their viewers and capture their attention. One has to be in a certain mind state that could observe what marked moving image that we are viewing. An anti-narrative flow can be created by fragmenting the form and content of some footage, the viewers are presented with a series of images.

The act of looking is the issue of seeing something real; watch a landscape through a window for a while and using the whole frame discover its elegiac form, like a Haiku or a Ruba’i in poetry.

If you open a book of poems and read a few lines you might imagine something visual, a perception of the poem through your imagination, which becomes lodged in your mind as a picture. Therefore, looking at this idea conversely the picture could suggest words, a shift of focus that transmits words in our mind.

Introduction

Through the medium of video and looking at another artist’s work for instance, Peter Todd (b.1960s), there is an interesting aspect of his work, which it has no sound applied over each of his works. Another example is simplicity of the visual framed and presented. Figure 1.

Figure 1: Still image, no sound, “Peter Todd”2015.LUX.

Hence, my range of research on poetic experience describes the treatment of poems into Image/video, particularly demystifying the poem by in order to harmonize the visual within the framework. This project approach provides insights that I draws connections between the past and present. It is an installation of a video projection medium over a small screen fixed upon the surface of a jug. Furthermore, representing realistic scene on carved formed jug would create a relationship between the earliest shape of the art form of the past and the recent virtual form of video art, in particular, that is a juxtaposition of an interrelated medium. This project has two phases, which is divided into two chapters, in the first chapter the focus is on merely making a video regarding the time and space also framing landscape to give a sense of visual poetic experience. In Chapter is about the installation of the show. The small screens are interpretation of the miniature over the jug.

Chapter 1, Inside Frame In order to record memories and figuring out how to capture spontaneous scenes at location and control framing over a hand held the camera.

In terms of aesthetic values, most recent video pieces were undertaking on regards upon the aesthetic matters. The Video work project located within the area of pure image, silence, slowness, poetic realism.

Figure 2: Still image, no sound, “No Man’s Land”2017. Mohsen Mousavi.

Simplicity is one of the main objectives of making my work.

In Figure 2, you can trace the painting composition values in video work named “No Man’s Land”. Figure 3.

Figure 3: Still image, no sound, “No Man’s Land”2017. Mohsen Mousavi.

Both practice and theory are to identify and contextualize, develop and challenge the contemporary issues and possibilities within work to re-examine the use of less manipulation in terms of content and processed, which will be test out.

figure 4: still image, no sound “ Breathless Candle Light” 2016. Mohsen Mousavi

I am using an object such as a jug in a dialogue with the video, to explore society is important interest and identities from a subjective point of view.

The act of looking: the matter seeing something real, with a look which carries itself, projected on to the silver screens.

Hence, using materials such as footages, with montage is to make visual the embodiment of certain image-making techniques.

Working towards this concept, the idea is to transmit words in your mind.

In order to understand it literally, it has to bring the idea directly to the work, for instance, where one element enters at the certain point and comes to contact with one another, and exits at the same door in a circulate ways.

The personal context of the project has its roots in my previous experience At this stage gathering data and materials for the practical project required enhance footage then made into a timeline in order to create a meaning for the whole work, to assert reality. In order, to tell stories with time-based medium the initial elements were constructed through visual narratives by re-framing both different language of vocabulary and navigating their way throughout a journey of the video making.

There is not just one registered definition or dimension of it, but many to rouse our feelings.

Chapter 2 - Installation The project aim is to make an installation that video work would project upon a small screen of the surface of a jug, which refers to earliest form of illustrated art. This would be at a center of the gallery space though, video works will appear upon a jug as an equivalent to a screen. A

relationship to one another, a dialogue would be created between the video and the object. Creating a calm atmosphere with steady shots in silent mood, which allows you to invent interconnectivity with the past and present through a realm of shapes and forms. Is my aim, the video work would be presented in a loop. the audience would be at the center of the space.

The arrangement will emphasize a spiritual sense of the scenes being viewed.

Figure 5 - Still image, no sound. “Absence and Landscape” 2017

In terms of content, it is about looking at places and our environment around our everyday life to record and save a moment of reality, to demonstrate and synthesis the concept, in order to arrange them into a form and apply them into a work. Using silence in the videos to get more attention then the visual equivalent poems could be one side of it.

This wouldn’t be hard to achieve if we try harder to feel and grasp it. One just needs to shift the focus that could be one side of its definition. However, the video pieces, which, describe each as a journey through the unseen body of land along water upon the surfaces of the wildlife in the city of Anzali, “No man’s land” by the Caspian Sea, North of Iran. Figure, 1 and figure, 2. It is an attempt at working over an idea that could interpret a mood in the

sensations of images in such way that one could grasp the spiritual sense of which is quietly around us if we look at them in a certain moment.

Appears inside the frame. And we are close enough to it.

Throughout the development of the idea it is the motif of the video silent memories and geographies that is important. It is an eye on a lens-base artwork. It's a journey within the work that was drawn in by rough cut shots.

However, there was considering less manipulation over editing, to get the most direct attention to the whole images inside the frame, and to keep the pictures in a silent mood, also by, slowing down extremely the real speed of the video.

Experiencing and figuring out how to capture spontaneous live scenes at location and control framing over a hand held the camera was challenging.

Overall film was edited, from two hours of footage squeezed into no more than 5 minutes of the best fragments of the landscape images to give a fragment of the beauty of the nature. Inside the frame would be kept as a memory.

In order to be a series of equivalent frozen images, shown on screens. we can substitute a more meaningful brain wave for a video work. As if, the maker created from a different stop and motion process a silent rhythmic project I would think of it as if, we are to see our own inner vision in its diverse fabricating of meaning within its realm. These screenings stimulate the videos from an artist’s point of view using a lens-based framework.

Figure 6 - The Wall Still. “ Absence And Landscape” 2017. Mohsen Mousavi

The theme of the show was based on the notion of “Absence and Landscape ” The chosen videos contrast social and personal concerns. The project is mainly intended to deal with “boundaries”, “regionalism” and “territories” Figure 6, it all comes through rays of lights for a moment when the picture arose within the screens, and which has no end it will continue with magnetic effects. I worked on enhancing the colors and image composition of the moving pictures, in order to harmonize the weight of the entire piece. Figure7.

This was because I wanted to be linked to an attitude to inflame poems using video or representing poetry. In terms of content, this underlies the form of it. it is like digging deeper towards the spirit. Contemporary views are intermingled with ancient cultures, which however, remain a mystery and are contradictory to us. It seems as though, a mythical bird is to burn itself on a funeral and then be reborn as a great fable.

Figure 7 - Still image, no sound, Absence and Landscape 2017.

The project is located within the area of pure image silence, slowness, and realism, in the video format.

Figure 8 - Still Image, “The wishing love locks�- 2017. Mohsen Mousavi

The personal context of the project has roots to my previous experience.

Gathering data and materials for my practical project required footage and enhancement them into a timeline in order to create stories for the whole work, to assert reality, to show a series images with a montage.

This report has assessed some of the issues about ‘video art poetry’ concept by looking at sources as well as visiting the show and watching films to engage in their dialogue that convincingly shows the process by distinct theory that has become kind of genre to follow among other artists and filmmakers.

We should bear in mind, that developing the ideas and maintain the concept will be an endless path as we are evolving continuously through the course of time. The conclusion we can draw from research is that this medium has potential to convey a feeling or a thought that, when projected into a view can extend in many directions.

Figure 9: still image “An Eclipse” Installation MA show2017. Mohsen Mousavi

Finally, the project end up with an installation “An Eclipse” which it is like open cage outside, that shadow behind. Figure 9, create the eclipse which contrast cosmos formally, in terms of appearance of the whole.

Appendices A

summery of my video’s made during the MA programme.

Figure 10: Still, An Eclipse – Installation 2017, Mohsen Mousavi.

Figure 11: Still “Breathless Candle Light” 2016, interim Show. Mohsen Mousavi.

Figure 12: Still, “Old Esfahan” 2016-17. No sound - Mohsen Mousavi.

Background and relevant activity 1998

Member of Myths / Pantomime Centre, City Theatre of Tehran, (studied pre-historic myths and symbols, the birth of universal gesture and performance).

Film / Video Projects 2017

MA – Art and Design group exhibition 1• 1 = 1+1 “No Man’s Land” video silent. At Priestman Gallery.

2016

MA - Fine Art exhibition, an interim show of video poetry, Breathless candlelight. At Priestman Building, University of Sunderland.

2015

Projects Network 2015: selected and curated a short programme of artist films from Iran and UK, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland: http://circaprojects.org/projects/bookshop/symbolismand-poetry-in-artists-film-from-iranuk/

2015

2014

Film Poem screening, Northern Gallery Contemporary Arts Sunderland (NGCA).

-2nd Festival, Veramente Indipendente Del Cinema, Rome, Italy. https://cvifestival.com/2014-edition?lang=en

2014

Blackall Gallery. “ the Colour of a mind” twosome exhibition with artist Andrew Mitchell. London.

2014

Video PERSIArt II, [.Box] video art project space Iranian artists Festival group selection exhibition, Milan-Italy.

2014

Audio/Visuelle. twosome exhibition, with Davey Steadman Priestman Gallery, University of Sunderland.

2014

Solo-Video Exhibition - Video silent exhibition, City Center Art Gallery, Isfahan, Iran

2013

-2nd The Video Artists Festival, Gallery of Khane Naghsh, Isfahan, Iran. Â