Katrine Emme Thielkes – Sweet Christmas #19 (2008, 1.8MB, 0:31)
The nineteenth in the Sweet Christmas series by Katrine Emme Thielkes.
Audio by Mikkel Westerkam.
Category Archives: ephemera
Stephen Slappe – 3 out of 4
Stephen Slappe – 3 out of 4 (2005, 1.6MB, 0:45)
Short, rather humorous piece from Stephen Slappe,
which simultaneously celebrates large, antiquated rotating
advertisements and laments the disappearance of the four
basic food groups.
Disappointment – Carl Burgess
Carl Burgess – Disappointment (2008, 9.6MB, 0:58)
Amusing short remix from artist Carl Burgess.
Kelly Mark – A Man & A Woman
Kelly Mark – A Man & A Woman (2007, 4.5MB, 8:10)
Hilarious piece from the very funny, very talented
Kelly Mark.
Mark says: While working on my 2 hour mash-up
movie REM I kept a log book of every movie I watched
during this time. The text for “A Man & A Woman” comes
from the movie synopsis listed on the cable tv menu.
The piece starts off with one word descriptions and
then more and more adjectives are added.
Kinetocast in autumn
Kinetocast – To Watch In Preparation For The Deep Fall (2006, 8.5MB, 1:25)
Kinetocast – To Watch For Help Getting Through (2007, 16.9MB, 2:55)
Two more from the endlessly delightful kinetocast,
conceptual pieces about existential moments.
2 from Bernard Gigounon
Zach Kmiec – mmmff
Mmmff Activities Workshop 2006: Call for entries (2006, 10.1MB, 1:58)
Mmmff Activities Workshop 2006 (2006, 13.8MB, 3:44)
Here’s the setup:
Jennifer Proctor taught a videoblogging class at the
University of Iowa in 2006. Every student set up
his/her own videoblog and made vloggy goodness.
Then, many abandoned their work, though I’d
personally expect nothing less.
While I knew one of the students in the class
(UI is one of my alma maters), a guy I didn’t
know – mmmff – caught my attention more.
Using a cell phone I’m pretty sure he just found
somewhere, Zach then made collage videos of the
five seconds or less the phone would capture in every go.
In the first video, the premise of the phone and
its limitations are introduced, and in the second
follow-up piece, the plan – to make a compilation
of activities you can do in 5 seconds or less – is executed.
It’s pretty much the opposite of boring, predictable,
talk-to-your-camera vids that litter so many hosting
services these days.
This is video functioning within constraints.
It’s also wildly hilarious.
Some of the very best random and weird videoblog
work I’ve ever seen.
Ari Marcopoulos – Claremont
Ari Macopoulos – Claremont (2008, 50.5MB, 10:44)
Okay, this requires some breakdown and explanation.
So Adam Kimmel is an NYC men’s wear designer. This
video is a promo for his Spring 2009 line. And you’re
thinking, what does this have to do with video art or
conceptual cinema or animation? Right. Well, not much.
But what it does have to do with is the Internet. The way
that now, we get to see things we didn’t five years ago.
Five years ago, this video would have been shown at some
runway event that few to none of us would ever fathom
attending – not that they’d let us in the door. And I’m not
worried about that. But I am worried about not seeing great
video. And that changed.
So now, you can watch this insane video of two skater guys –
yes, in Adam Kimmel suits, that’s the point – ride down wild
hills, dodging cars, in southern California. It isn’t that this
has superior quality – the first two minutes are a little dry –
and it doesn’t say anything meaningful about the evolution
of digital video, though they did make an HD version, if that
sort of thing interests you. But you get to see it, and you
probably wouldn’t get this point of view unless you’re a
gifted skater in our midst and we had no idea. It would also
be tacky to hate on this kind of video because the skill of
skating, filming, and not wiping out is something laudable
on its own. This kind of extreme boarding? Well, it clearly
struck a chord with me. No one makes this video for a film
festival, and if they did, it wouldn’t be like this. The Internet
is the natural home for this sort of piece. I’m just saying that
I’m glad the house was built.
Video by Ari Macopoulos.
Laric – 50 50, 50 50 2008
Oliver Laric – 50 50 (2007, 12.1MB, 2:06)
Oliver Laric has really grown on us over time.
In 2007, he mashed up fifty YouTube videos of
random kids lip-syncing (or really singing, sort of)
to “In Da Club,” “Candy Shop,” and “How We Do”
by the American rap artist (artist?) 50 Cent,
leaving them in their original YouTube format.
Also keep in mind that “In Da Club” is around five
years old by now. I guess the youth know what they
like, though it’s worth noting these songs are generally
foul and offensive at best. Nevertheless, due to what I’m
calling the constant influx of amateur 50 Cent covers onto
YouTube, Laric decided that he had to make a follow-up
video, 50 50 2008, seen below.
Always on Time
Random Show – Always on Time (2005, 4.4MB, 2:22)
Oh, how I loved this video. And how I still do.
If you don’t get it, look up the Ja Rule/Ashanti version.
From the now defunct Random Show.