Elements of 4D Art_Lizzie

    Time is one of the many units used in 4D art. Time can be seen in a variety of ways depending on the person using it and the background knowledge behind it. Time is mostly used in 4D to describe progression that can be seen in the past, present, and future. Time used in the 4D medium comes in at least three different categories measured, experienced, running, and biological.  

Measured time is time that can be measurable by any person. Some examples include clocks, shadow length, and meal session lengths. An artwork that displays the use of measured time is a 24-hour-long video called The Clock made by Christian Marclay. The video displays a clock running time for a full 24 hours. The unique feature of this video is that the clock will always sync up to the correct time zone and what actual clocks are currently displaying. 

    I like how this artwork used a variety of colors used that unify the piece. I believe this artwork is a good example of measured art because of the different art styles and objects that can be found within the piece. I personally really like the concept of the artwork because I relate to adding too of my ideas into one piece. This artwork has taught me that you can grow as an artist while also developing new skills.

Experienced time is time that can be perceived as passing. Most examples shown go into methods of using emotions and expressions to manipulate a person’s awareness of time. An artwork that uses experienced time is Tim Hawkinson’s Uberogran. The creation is all made from inflatable instruments. When people spend time with the artwork for an hour, the people themselves will only feel like 10 minutes have gone by.  

One thing I love about this artwork is being able to see the same object having a variety of different appearances. This artwork is a good example of experienced time because it shows the history and development behind the bottles shown. I love the filters and colors used to make the artwork pop and stand out. This artwork has taught me in the future to have fun messing around with filters to create something new.

Running time refers to the total length of a live performance or media film. Some examples of running time include movie lengths, live play lengths, and video game lengths. In movies, plot devices are used to convey the story in a certain time frame the film was given (most of the time is 90 minutes to 2 hours). An example of media that use running time is the TV series called 24 which had a total of 24 episodes that were each an hour long. Also, when talking about video game lengths, that is usually referred to as the number of hours a person has on the play time status.  

One thing I love about this artwork is how the artwork can show two different things. This artwork is an example of running time because the artwork can be shown to have an illusion of a moving face. When looking at the artwork makes me wonder about the purpose of the face, the expression of the face and why was the face plastered on the lockers. This artwork has taught me to learn more and mess around more with film media.

Finally, biological time refers to the time intervals human body functions. These include sleeping, eating, and exercising. Biological time is an important factor when working with long-term projects. If a person works on something for too long, they can get tired, hungry, or distracted. A piece of media that has used biological time was Melissa Haviland’s White Gold study. The purpose was to determine if a person’s biological time would align with their work time by having them walk past freshly baked cookies. The participants that weren’t hungry when approaching work were less likely to take a cookie.  

One thing I love about this artwork is the bright colors that make the center figure stand out from the dark background. This artwork is an example of biological time because the hourglass and clock can be used to describe how human functions at certain intervals. This artwork makes me wonder who the person is supposed to be in the artwork and the purpose of giving the facial features to appear as a clock. This artwork has taught me to look deeper into artwork to find greater meaning and understand art as a medium.

Updated on October 12th, 2022

Number 2: Sound

Summary:

    Another key element used in the filming and creation of videos is movement. Movement can be used by the person moving/positioning the camera or the object being filmed can create movement. Common movements done with a camera are panning, tilting, and zooming. 

    Sound is the vibration that can be processed via the ear. Sound is used in everyday features like communication, speaking, singing, or musical preference. Sounds can be used to identify things like celebrations and threats. The opposite of sound is called silence. Silence is the small/quiet sounds that can be barely picked up by the human ear. 

    There are a total of 3 key parts that make up a sound which is attack, sustain, and decay. The attack part of the sound is the beginning of the sound all the way to its peak. The sustaining part of the sound is the length of the sound before reaching the decay stage. The decay part of the sound is the amount of time it takes for the sound to reach its silence. Distance and speed of the sound can drastically change the length of the attack, sustain, and decay of a sound. 

    Sounds can also be arranged in a variety of groups. The first group is called synchronous sounds which are linked to their on-screen source or linked within a designated performance space. The second group is called asynchronous sounds which are sounds that aren't linked to what a person sees. The third group of sounds is called diegetic sounds. Diegetic sounds are actual sounds created by the voices of characters/performers, objects that make sound within a medium, and sound created by the environment being used in a piece. The fourth sound group is called Non-Diegetic sounds. Non-Diegetic sounds are known as commentary sounds found in commentaries, narration, and sound effects found within cartoons. 

Image:

I like how the image can show the power of sound. Speakers are a great tool for increasing the volume and strength of a sound. This room is very important in making a sound because the speakers will allow people to make the correct sound heard while also sounding clear. I think it's interesting that the room is mostly filled with speakers. This room makes me believe it's a sound testing room to get the correct pitch of a sound. This image has taught me that to have great sound, sound rooms and speakers can help bring a more stable sound. 

Image Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/arts/design/museums-embrace-works-made-of-sound.html

Updated: October 30th, 2022

Number 3: Movement

Summary:

Movement is a shift in the location of a sound, light, or object. Things that can affect movement are space, gestures, weight, dynamics, and balance. Movements that lead a person’s eye in one complete direction are successful. While movements that cause a person’s eyes to clash in different directions are oppositional. Also, if an object, sound, or light has no movement, it is known as stillness. 

Gestures are movements that are performed by a single body part, a whole body, or a simple machine. Examples of gestures are flexing, rotating, and stretching. Gestures are used in various dance sequences. Gestures are used in everyday behaviors like grabbing a cup or drawing with a pencil. Gestures that are expressive can range from organic and angular. Sounds can also be used to express movement by traversing across large rooms through speakers. 

Movement is very important in films and videos because of the camera shots. Simple camera shots include tilt, pan, tracking, and zoom. Using a variety of camera shots allows the audience to see certain objects that appear high, lower, closer, or further away from the main subject.  

Image source: https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/movement-a-principle-of-art