Jules John

Our group decided to create an atmosphere with a film installation. We liked the idea of projecting images on the surface of a bridge on campus. We had imagined different surfaces evolving from the original through film editing. This particular concept, we felt, would work better at night. As we explored the idea further, it became clear that actualising it would present a few problems. The most difficult being the placement of the projector into order to achieve the desired look. After much debate it became clear that we had to slightly rethink our idea. Rather than projecting on the top of the bridge, we could project underneath it from below. This change of location brought on other ideas relating to the sky and what is above us. We visited the space and took photos. As we took photos we discussed what the space felt like. Our united response was that we felt blocked or restricted by the bridge. A bridge is functional from the top but purely structural from the bottom. The space underneath the bridge is dead. We thought we could open up the space by projecting the sky under the bridge. Other concepts were discussed in relation to this topic. For example: how the city lights hide the stars so projecting stars would produce an idealised version of what’s around us, how the space under the bridge is both exterior and interior, how it is intimate yet public and how bridges themselves are metaphors. After we produced some mock-up images and film it became apparent that we were attempting to open up or extend the space through fictitious extensions of reality. We all agreed this was an appropriate direction to go in. Group commitment allowed for easy discussion and exploration of location. Communication was extended through social media where we discussed our project regularly online. This was a great platform for sharing ideas, images and videos. For our final submission we will produce the footage that would be projected in the space rather than installing projectors and setting up the space as time and resources are scarce. Our mock-up will consist of footage of clouds during the day. If we were to go forward with this installation, projectors would be set up near the bridge column and be angled in such a way to achieve our atmosphere. Sound will be used to heighten the mood so speakers will be needed. They will be placed above the audience in a hidden location under the bridge. We have also prepared some melodic soundscapes as part of our mock-up. The intention behind this work is to encourage participants to notice spatial atmospheres that aren’t obvious to us. We close our minds to what is in front of us and forget that there is more beyond the wall, physically and emotionally. In demonstrating an example of this, we hope that others will follow suit in their own way.

Here are some mockup images of what the projection will look like:

You can see the final atmospheric video below: