Artist: Florence Parker-Phillips
Title: Food for thought
Medium: Mixed media
Length: 4 minutes and 4 seconds
The initial development of my major began through my interest in film, and multi-media videography. The idea for the major was an abstract representation and exploration of thought which I then developed to include themes of intimacy and personal reflection.
The subject in the film is my stepsister Marigold, who I feel a close connection with, allowing me to create a personal piece with her emotions and interpretation of my ideas also contributing. The comfort of filming with someone close to me allowed for exploration while filming and the reflection of both our personalities within the film.
The film is intended to be subjective, allow the viewer to take as much or little from each scene as desired, but there is some intended symbolism. The flickering lights are influenced by the common use of a lightbulb turning on to represent an idea. The sculptures that surround Marigold represent thought bubbles, which are viewed in a wide shot, then a close up to portray the idea that the rest of the film is within her head. The scenes following this intentionally get more intimate as the viewer watches deeper into the film and therefore, her thoughts. The shots get gradually closer to Marigold’s face as well as getter darker yet warmer until a close up of her face appears. During the second half, the film then follows the same scene structure in reverse, out of her head, a technique that was strongly influenced by the film ‘Dark Waters’.
The sculptures, as well as the mirror featured in the film were created with expandable foam, then painted with acrylic paint. The foam allowed the sculptures to take the form of organic shaped, abstract blobs, replicating thought bubbles. The use of foam and painting in the messy, abstract style was inspired by the artist Shayna Klee, who creates multimedia films using her sculptures. The sculptures featured in Klee’s films are created with various mediums including expandable foam, similarly to mine but are painted with more pastel colours. The sculptures inspired the medium for my sculptures and the style of painting although with a different colour palette.
The clips that feature Marigold in the bath were inspired by Australian artists Anna Nazari and Erin Coates and their short film ‘Dark Waters’, which uses cool coloured lighting and water as well as exploring personal themes of loss and grief. The film feels lost within the mind of the main character and her feelings, which mine also attempts to achieve. The themes ‘Dark Waters’ within are portrayed visually through the set and props which inspired the visual presentation of the themes my film portrays. These artists have helped me develop my own personal aesthetic.
Title: Food for thought
Medium: Mixed media
Length: 4 minutes and 4 seconds
The initial development of my major began through my interest in film, and multi-media videography. The idea for the major was an abstract representation and exploration of thought which I then developed to include themes of intimacy and personal reflection.
The subject in the film is my stepsister Marigold, who I feel a close connection with, allowing me to create a personal piece with her emotions and interpretation of my ideas also contributing. The comfort of filming with someone close to me allowed for exploration while filming and the reflection of both our personalities within the film.
The film is intended to be subjective, allow the viewer to take as much or little from each scene as desired, but there is some intended symbolism. The flickering lights are influenced by the common use of a lightbulb turning on to represent an idea. The sculptures that surround Marigold represent thought bubbles, which are viewed in a wide shot, then a close up to portray the idea that the rest of the film is within her head. The scenes following this intentionally get more intimate as the viewer watches deeper into the film and therefore, her thoughts. The shots get gradually closer to Marigold’s face as well as getter darker yet warmer until a close up of her face appears. During the second half, the film then follows the same scene structure in reverse, out of her head, a technique that was strongly influenced by the film ‘Dark Waters’.
The sculptures, as well as the mirror featured in the film were created with expandable foam, then painted with acrylic paint. The foam allowed the sculptures to take the form of organic shaped, abstract blobs, replicating thought bubbles. The use of foam and painting in the messy, abstract style was inspired by the artist Shayna Klee, who creates multimedia films using her sculptures. The sculptures featured in Klee’s films are created with various mediums including expandable foam, similarly to mine but are painted with more pastel colours. The sculptures inspired the medium for my sculptures and the style of painting although with a different colour palette.
The clips that feature Marigold in the bath were inspired by Australian artists Anna Nazari and Erin Coates and their short film ‘Dark Waters’, which uses cool coloured lighting and water as well as exploring personal themes of loss and grief. The film feels lost within the mind of the main character and her feelings, which mine also attempts to achieve. The themes ‘Dark Waters’ within are portrayed visually through the set and props which inspired the visual presentation of the themes my film portrays. These artists have helped me develop my own personal aesthetic.