ART TO VIDEO | Heal Through Time Journal

Imagery is a way which most creatives use as inspiration for their project; however,

branching away and into the side of video, not only are image inspirations important, movement is also very relevant to the way a video is portrayed and the stylistic needs to carry out a story. 

It was through much deliberation about how to go about this project that my professors challenged me to dive deeper into this field of video. To create video on my own. I couldn’t do the things I already imagined—a wide screen film projected along the side of a building—but I could do my small short snippets throughout my daily life. I started taking iPhone videos of things that could potentially inspire me. As I started with just filling my everyday life, like leaves on a tree swaying, flowers on the side of the road swaying, water in a park, walking with my friend; In a sense, this was also a way I could relive my memories as I took my short clips here and there, whatever I thought was pleasing to me but also had meaning. This became my video library, and under my professor’s comments they suggested I name and title each one.

Heal Through Time project - inspirational video library (Fall 2022-Spring 2023), shot on iPhone.

These videos are mainly 10 seconds to 1 minute clips.

Then, when I went back home over the winter break and also took multiple shots there, it became a sense of rhythm and movement, capturing the essence in the moment. Later I found that while these videos could be extremely short, the different elements within video, even a still video, still finds it way to have correlation with human life. The stillness of life, I like to call it. I found myself liking the imagery of stillness, while also contrasting with quick paces and immediacy. It was through these extreme contrasts that I found what I was looking for, what I wanted to portray. 

This project is about the process of grief, and with that process, it’s all interconnected at different moments. Within each moment, there is a sense of pacing. 

Fast slow slow fast slow fast fast slow…etc. 

Beat by beat, it’s all different but also in tandem. The expression of contrasting tones, yet some can be more subtle, are quite distinct. Contrast became a very important word for me throughout this project because of the way things can be paradoxical and opposites, dividing attention yet also grabbing the right attention for the right moments. It pushes and pulls, much like how the process of grief feels. 

Another things is through rhythm, there has to be a sense of movement. This is when dance became very important as well. It is through the movement of arms or limbs walking, running, jumping, contemporary movements through dance, a portrayal of emotion and expression. Dance is the best thing that could do the portrayal of such process. In the past, I have worked with dance. Although most people who think of dance think of the beautiful, graceful movements, my ideal type of dance is fast pace, vivid, contemporary movements, full of anguish and despair, but also carrying a bit of hope. It’s about being livid. 

And finally, with all that being pieced together, especially as a fashion design major, clothing was equally important. 

NEXT UP: SILHOUETTE AND FASHION FORM