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Video Self

Time Studio • Video • Fall Semester • Duration: 2:58

Students were tasked with creating a 2-3 minute video “self-portraits” in which they are not allowed to physically appear. I decided to represent my identity through the influence my lineage (my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather) has on me, for better or for worse. The video starts with a simple line of text reading “MY NAME IS” and the nametags of work shirts my dad and I have collected. The names represent William I, II, and III, some of whom were referred to as Bill, or Billy throughout their lives. Following the names, the repeated “I AM” motif begins. The first third of the video is meant to express the pressure I feel to act similarly to my namesake and live up to the identities of the previous Williams. The second third of the video is a slight interlude, this segment is an uncut piece of audio from a video my father recorded of us playing in the snow when I was around two or three years old. I found this clip to be particularly fascinating because in the video I start to mimic my dad saying, “Heavens to Betsy!” over and over again, literally imitating him. I chose to use expressive subtitles for this segment so the viewer can focus on the verbal interaction and imagine the scene in their head as they listen. The last third of the video demonstrates how even though my lineage has had a great influence on me, I am “MORE THAN MY LINEAGE” and how I ultimately accept that my identity may not align with my expectations of what a “William Love” should be. In this portion of the video, mosaic tiles slowly reveal a representation of my physical self constructed entirely out of my dad’s photographs. This is symbolic of how my father will always influence who I am, it is an aspect of my identity that I value, but I will continue to grow and define myself on my own terms.

COMMUSICATION

Time Studio • Video • Fall Semester • Duration: 2:08

Freed from the constraint of the previous project, I decided to create a performance in which I represent the phenomenon of what I call “Commusication” (communication through music). I discovered this phenomenon while playing jazz music with my friends, and it is something I have come to learn over several years of experience. Jazz music emphasizes opportunities for improvisation, and thus, self-expression. Because of this, jazz can be considered a musical language of its own. Beyond self-expression, I find the act of making music to be a unique outlet for experimentation and collaboration. I leaned into this aspect in my performance–performing with my younger brother both as musicians and puppeteers. The performance was entirely improvised, communicating through our instruments with call and response, repeating ideas, or starting new ones. After the mixed-media transformation, we become sock puppet representations of ourselves. In this state, we begin to communicate through our music, and eventually, figure out how to play in tandem with one another. The subtitles disappear once we finally begin to play harmoniously. This puppet state is an explicit representation of “Commusication” where we (or our puppet-selves) are literally speaking in music. I decided to include the sock puppet representations of my brother and me because I feel they represent this almost altered state of consciousness when I am “Commusicating” and the openness required to collaborate with another person.

Jets vs 49ers 9/9/2024

Time Studio • Video and Soundscape • Fall Semester • Duration: 0:59

This video and soundscape were inspired by my experience of watching the Jets play the 49ers with my roommate. I am not well-versed in football, I barely understand the rules and I do not follow what is going on with any of the teams or players, but my roommate is an avid fan of the New York Jets.

Within the soundscape, I aimed to depicted an unfamiliar experience within a familiar place (my room), so I wanted to evoke confusion by reversing the commentator’s analysis of the game to the point where the speech is recognizably human, but the exact words are unrecognizable. The static captured through a radio represents both the connection from the distant television broadcast and the fuzziness/confusion I felt trying to grasp everything happening during the game. The sound of the referee’s whistle is rapidly repeated to create an up-tempo high-pitched sound to emphasize the feeling of being overwhelmed and confused. I performed unenthused cheers through a voice changer and into the audio recorder to represent my lack of interest in the teams playing but still wanting to connect with my roommate and choosing to root with him regardless of my affiliation or investment in the game.

In the video component, I wanted to capture the fuzziness from the static present in the soundscape, so I decided to use a CRT monitor to achieve the flickering scan lines and noise effects captured by filming a CRT monitor with a camera. I created my own pseudo-broadcast/highlight reel with a custom game clock and scoreboard to display on the CRT monitor. The scoreboard element is intentionally confusing, with a constantly running clock and indistinguishable score information. The clips I used to represent the game taking place are pulled from the live broadcast on ESPN, but manipulated to suggest confusion surrounding the game of football by speeding up, slowing down, or reversing many of them. The clips in this sequence are layered, and many focus on specific details of the broadcast. I chose to include these sporadic extreme close-ups to convey where my attention was while trying to watch the game: players moving in an organized fashion, the captivating slow-motion replays, and constantly glancing at the clock to see how much time is left. The video ends with a zoom-out on the CRT screen as the audio elements begin to fade and the flickering effect mirrors the visuals at the beginning eventually ending on black, allowing the video to be looped indefinitely.

Cloaking

Time Studio • Video • Fall Semester • Duration: 1:00

This piece was inspired by an old Jeff Gordon NASCAR phone (pictured above). The phone was designed to look like his car, with a keypad on the bottom. This car inspired me to research the idea of tools disguised as objects, or concealment items. Fortunately, The International Spy Museum has an online collection of concealment devices in its archive. While browsing the archive, I stumbled upon a piece of artwork created by Leo Selvaggio called the “URME Anti-Facial Recognition Mask”. After reading about this piece and some of Selvaggio’s other work, I began to think about the idea of concealment in the world of public surveillance. Because we were challenged to incorporate the Premiere Pro Ultra Key effect (green screen) for this project, I wanted to play with the idea of concealing oneself from surveillance through an “invisible cloak” which would appear as a giant green sheet to passersby, but would eventually be keyed out in the editing process to match the scenery. To emphasize the disappearance, I made this security camera detect humans that walked by, making the spy who conceals himself hidden from identification. I achieved this tracking effect by placing keyframes following the subjects’ movements. Through this video and performance piece, I sought to observe the public's reactions to this “cloaking device” and make the viewer question: in a digital world, what sacrifices must we make in our daily lives to become truly anonymous?

Present Memory

Time Studio • Cyanotype • 5.5” x 8.5” • Fall Semester

The first cyanotype depicts a memory of exploring the outdoors with reliable gear. The objects represented are a compass, three matches, a Leatherman, a carabiner, and the end of a water filter. For me, backpacking has become a summer tradition– I have gone backpacking every summer since seventh grade. After my first backpacking trip, my dad surprised me with a Leatherman as a gift. Over the years, I have accumulated my own collection of backpacking equipment. Gear is one aspect of backpacking that has always brought me comfort, but through my adventures, I have learned that preparedness is the best way to manage unexpected challenges while on the trail. Compasses are always a necessary navigational tool, and carabiners make it easy to attach gear to the outside of a pack. To be prepared, one must be organized, and the composition of the items is intentionally orderly to reflect that.

The second cyanotype depicts the current experience of exploring Richmond’s diverse live music scene. The items displayed include a wristband from a local indie/folk/country show, a pair of drumsticks, bundle sticks, and two guitar picks. Since arriving in Richmond, I have begun exploring the local music scene. As a percussionist, drummer, and music listener, music plays an important role in my life. All of the elements are arranged diagonally to suggest a shift in perspective. The drumsticks, a pair of Keith Carlock signature sticks I used in my high school jazz band, emerge from the top left and are pointed toward the bottom right corner of the page, while the bundle sticks, commonly used in country music and acoustic sets, emerge from the bottom right. The placement is representative of the experience of traveling from the Midwest to the Southeast United States and the shift in musical perspective I experienced in Richmond.

William Love IV Time SurfaceDrawing Space

William Love IV

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