Blog post 2--ideas for remix project

I've got to say that this remix project has me a little intimidated--I often balk at being graded on producing something creative. One of the reasons I quit art within educational environments was that I never felt like I was really creating something from within myself--a part of myself. My art was always dictated by the necessity of a class project and a grade. And when I had the time to paint at home? I felt empty and false.

At the same time, I feel energized by the opportunity to create within new mediums, to explore the digital world and find material that on its own may look one way, but which, once I've juxtaposed and combined and cross-sectioned it with multiple other materials--takes on a new life.

I can see myself using a combination of my own poetry, possibly some sound bites of either my father telling a story or a joke or my husband singing or playing guitar, or my mother yodeling and playing accordion--maybe all of it. I definitely want sound. Lots of sound.

I am also fascinated by old photographs--black and white stills, portraits, old photos of peoples' relatives, snapshots. It's pretty obvious I like black and white photos if you look at my class site. But I'm bot a photographer. (Is that sad? I'm not a musician, but I love music. I'm not a photographer, but I love old photos. I've found that being an English major sucks all the time for learning to do those other things.)

I work for a news company called UPI (big in the 40s, 50s, and 60s). We've got a really incredible photo archive and I know that a lot of the older photos are public domain now. We just have copies. I'd like to explore these public domain photos as another media option.

I am also really interested in puppetry--I wrote a 78 page ethnography on the culture of puppetry for a class last semester and am now trying to re-envision and re-write it for publication. During my research I came across a website full of old Kukla, Fran, and Ollie videos, which I believe are all public domain now (i'd have to go back and check). If they are, I'd like to somehow implement those into my project.

How will this all come together? I honestly have no idea right now. A social commentary? A representation of human diversity?

I might try to tell a story--like a fictional creative writing story, using all these different mediums. Maybe I'll develop the story based on the material I collect--let the story form around them. Why? Does there really have to be a reason for creativity? That seems reminiscent of my high school IB art class in which we always had to have a rationale behind what we produced, a research journal and a thesis. Useful but also confining. What were the reasons and rationales behind the works displayed on the electronic literature collection?

In terms of tools, I am not well-versed in flash, php, etc., but I am willing to learn or seek out help. I'd love to implement flash into my piece--to make it dynamic. I see it being a web-based work--what else would it be? (I am unclear as to the parameters of this project) Could it be on paper?? I didn't think that was an option. No, I see this being either a video (short film) or a n interactive web-program. The latter will really depend on the implementation requirements. If it is not feasible, I may opt for either a non-interactive web film/flash presentation or a video.

I will update as soon as I figure out more of the specifics.