Jamie Ashforth and Bronwen Moen

So, sometimes two is better than one…especially when attempting to tackle a program like Final Cut Pro (a video and audio editing program). After spending days collecting and absorbing via conversations, round table discussions, audio workshops, tobogganing adventures, delicious dinners, and, chocolate, Bronwen and I decided that we would give ourselves the goal of making a piece of art together. Because all art usually comes out having some sort of deadline, we decided to give ourselves two days to shoot and edit video footage. The goal: to become at least a little bit comfortable with Final Cut Pro. Well….six days later, we will be putting the finishing touches on the video this afternoon. In an attempt to create and maintain momentum, we decided not to plan the piece, or the footage. Instead, we spent a morning playing with the video camera, an afternoon and evening logging and capturing the footage (transferring info from the video camera to the computer) and splicing things together, and many evenings editing. We were delighted to find sweet nuggets of audio we never expected…the slap of Bronwen’s hands as she does a handstand, the beginning of an exhale…we cut and repeated these tiny audio segments throughout the video. For me, the repeated sounds give the video a heartbeat.  The visuals are an arbitrary collection of our moving bodies from various vantage points (extreme close ups, shots from a distance, scenes flipped up side down). We found interesting intersections between the body and our environment, marveling at how similar our flesh looks compared to a hardwood floor, for example. I have never worked with video before and have to admit that it’s still difficult to connect with. There is something about not being able to touch or taste or smell the medium that keeps me from entering it. With practice, with practice, I’m sure this will change. Like learning a new language, right? For me, this collaborative video we called “sync” embodies all the goals I had for this residency. I am no longer terrified by the idea of integrating new technology into my practice. I more clearly understand the process of recording sounds and images. I have been privy to a network of artists who understand mediums I’m an just starting to explore (and who I’m sure I’ll be calling in the future with questions). I completed a work of video art. I experienced collaborative art making. And though I have very little tangible evidence of the work I have made (since almost every part is digital) I have learned new artistic vocabulary. Thank you dear Struts Gallery and Faucet Medis Arts Centre. You too, Bronwen. ~ Jamie

We made our very own contact mics this past week… I forgot to mention that. A while back we attended Amanda’s audio workshop. We learned all about different kinds of microphones, including how they work (it really all comes down to a little magnet and electrons).   There are different kinds of microphones. Here we have a dynamic mic, a shotgun mic and a cardioid mic. This workshop was also Bronwen’s introduction to the contact microphone…a mic that picks up sounds through vibrations…the sound of the microphone coming in direct contact with a surface…like Bronwen’s sweater, for example. Here she, playing her sweater. Both Bronwen an I enjoyed  this particular mic enough that we each decided to make one. See, soldering is involved.   Ta da! Thanks Amanda! ~Jamie

Bronwen is here! Bronwen is here! Hooray. Yesterday I was introduced to Final Cut Pro.  Must admit it’s a bit intimidating, or maybe it’s just too much fun. Either way, this new and confusing experimentation is exciting.  I have often thought about animating photographs, and now I will be able to ‘play’ a sequence of them in a way that will (hopefully) bring them to life. In other words, this is stop-motion animation, I believe. Abracadabra, little moose heads, come alive! ~ Jamie 

I have finally arrived! After a train ride of pure delight (and only minor neck ache) I am here. The observation car was amazing! My first official train ride. So far I’ve done laundry and made a pair of wings…Amanda has given me a tour of the faucet media resources and I’ve swept the floor. I’m excited to start work and as its sunny today so I’ll move production outside for the afternoon. Been thinking about birds upside down and found this kid’s song:

Wally have some pride - you’re the King of the Birds!
Don’t just lie there with your talons in the air…
waiting to be tickled with your little eyes glowing…
Are you sure you’re not a budgie that just kept on growing?
You won’t fly in the rain ‘cos it gets you all harrassed
and you fall off your perch when you get embarrassed!
I know that kind of action’s not illegal
but it’s hardly the behaviour of a regal eagle…

hahaha! Wally the upside-down eagle is a good image for today. not sure why but it seems approporiate.

And oh yeah, I have an entirely new appreciation for Macs….particularly apple “c”, “v” and “x”. Thank you John. ~ Jamie

Ever wondered what you sound like when you’re unconscious? Well, I do.  I’m interested in what my breathing sounds like when I’m asleep.  (Even more specifically, I’m interested in sounds that I can’t actually hear). So, with the help of Amanda, I rigged up a little set up in my bedroom in attempts to record my sleeping breaths. Here is the condenser mic which was positioned above my head all night. It is a very very sensitive mic. Here are the headphones too…they come in handy when ‘reading’ the microphone pick up. This is the digital recorder. The headphones were plugged into this, as well as the adapter. The adapter is plugged into the mixing board.  Behold the beauty of the mixing board. Those blue knobs adjust microphone intake. The other ‘channels’ are muted. Oh, so much to learn, so so much.Unfortunately it took me too long to fall asleep and no sleeping was recorded. A successful experiment all-in-all though. ~Jamie

 Across the highway there is a beautiful farm which borders a river. This is a wide river. And it’s frozen. Well, the top is frozen. The water running under the ice makes the most incredible sounds… like the muffled sounds of gunfire… chubby popping sounds. There’s the occasional crrrrracKK too. Take an Electret microphone (thank you Fred), cover it with an empty ice cream container, cover the container with a blanket to minimize wind interference, plug it all in….and record. The result is an eerie sound that resembles the clanking of metal. A huge thanks to Paul for his help with this experiment. Hooray for snow pants. ~ Jamie  

Did you know that you can rename 36 documents all at once using the “Bridge Home” application? Or that a still for a video needs to be saved  at 720 by 480 pixels with a resolution of 72? Photoshop is great when you actually know how to use it. Thanks to Amanda for showing me the ropes! Apparently sometime soon I’ll be making a recording device out of a rubber boot. Who knew! ~Jamie

So, here are a few images of the gallery/ studio  space at Struts. Of course, the space will evolve over time as work is created (and destroyed). I tend to think of the space itself as a sort of living work. The braid, the little green and red embrace, the note about how wonderful we are…are all little bits of inspiration I’ve brought with me, or found here, which might lead to a finished piece, or might always remain as incentive to keep pushing. The absurd moose head is a still from a soon-to-be video (well, maybe) which is all about motherly love. I’ll have to keep you posted about that one. I narrowed down my search for sounds and have three very specific sources in mind. Don’t want to give it all away just yet, but all three are subtle enough that recording them is a technical challenge. Condenser mics, shot gun mics, contact mics…this is a new language which still doesn’t make tangible sense. Soon, soon, I am sure. I continue to be inspired by the thought of adding sound to those oily body-based monoprints of my past (pictures can be found at the profile page).  We shall wait and see. More to come, as always… ~ Jamie