{"id":6866,"date":"2015-03-10T11:14:19","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T15:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/?p=6866"},"modified":"2015-03-12T11:42:58","modified_gmt":"2015-03-12T15:42:58","slug":"moving-mosaic-cornered-by-prof-brian-emery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/2015\/03\/10\/moving-mosaic-cornered-by-prof-brian-emery\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving mosaic cornered by Prof. Brian Emery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professor\u00a0Brian Emery’s<\/a>\u00a0 “Williamsburg Grid Test,<\/a>”\u00a0currently in the faculty exhibit “New Views,<\/a>”\u00a0is as captivating and vibrant as a New York City street corner.\u00a0It is composed of 108, one-minute videos organized in a grid, each of a slightly different view taken at slightly different times. \u00a0The setting, movement and chatter, are from a busy street corner in Williamsburg.<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery discussed with us his fascination with urban space, explorations in creating \u201csimulations of reality,\u201d the stress of having his equipment kicked, and encouraging students to develop their curiosities.<\/p>\n

\"Williamsburg<\/a>
Brian Emery’s “Williamsburg Grid Test” (video still)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q:<\/strong> Can you explain the techniques you use in this work?<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery:<\/strong> The videos are arranged to create a panoramic mosaic of the area. \u00a0To achieve this I used a single camera that I moved slightly between each shot so that the frames line up and appear as a single photographic space. \u00a0In the video the static architectural space is rendered like a photograph while objects in motion appear as fractured moments flashing across the screen.<\/p>\n

Ultimately I am redistributing the \u201carrow of time\u201d across a traditional perspective rendering of space. The general photographic technique of image arrays is fairly common today, especially in scientific photography such as the panoramas from the Mars Rover (http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/p5b7j6d<\/a>) or the Hubble Telescope (http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/mul6zdo<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> What sparked your interest in this technique?<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery:\u00a0<\/b>My work has always centered around making pictures out of multiple images. \u00a0I have been working with various image array methods for over 10 years, but I began exploring the technique with moving images in the past 2 years. \u00a0My curiosity has always been in photography\u2019s reliance on time and its ability to describe it.<\/p>\n

Culture tends to think of photography as a frozen moment. It ignores the inevitability of time in our experience of life. I try to find ways to highlight the aspect of time in pictures by fracturing photographic space. Applying the image array concept to video was the natural next step in the exploration.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/a>
Brian Emery’s “Eyetour Downtown Loop” (digital)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q. \u00a0<\/strong>How does your work enhance your teaching?<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery<\/b>: I teach a unit on \u201cpanoramic storytelling,\u201d which aims to convey concepts of time and space. \u00a0I show many remarkable examples of how time and space is portrayed throughout the history of art, but I rarely ever show my work in class and don\u2019t demonstrate these specific techniques. \u00a0I prefer to teach more general methods and allow the students to develop their own curiosities and applications.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, however, I couldn\u2019t teach picture-making without making pictures myself, so my studio practice allows me to guide students through the creative process.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/a>
Brian Emery’s “Harold Square” (detail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q.<\/strong> You\u2019ve had some very striking, compelling images in other shows at FIT. They seem to show urban life with a tremendous flow of energy, emotion and continuity. Do you feel this \u201caliveness\u201d while involved in the work? Are you absorbed by that energy you\u2019re capturing?<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery<\/b>: I wouldn\u2019t be drawn to making this work if I wasn\u2019t fascinated by the urban street and the process of representing that experience in various ways. \u00a0But, it\u2019s an incredibly stressful experience making these images and video works. \u00a0It takes 2-3 hours to capture the imagery and it\u2019s a very precise process which requires a lot of focus. \u00a0If I make a mistake or have even a minimal equipment failure, the entire shoot can be wasted.<\/p>\n

The device I use to make these pictures is rather big and strange looking. \u00a0I often work in densely populated areas and I have to contend with people accidentally kicking my tripod, or questioning my presence as I work. \u00a0Last summer I was shooting in Bushwick and a tractor trailer truck couldn\u2019t make a tight turn so he drove up on the sidewalk where I was set up and I had to grab my gear and run out of the way after several hours of shooting. \u00a0So, I\u2019m really not absorbed by the energy as much as constantly fighting against it to make the picture.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/a>
Brian Emery’s “Harold Square” (digital picture)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q.<\/strong> Your photos involve the viewer in a unique way. We\u2019re brought into the action, of sometimes chaotic harmony, in a way that feels personal, as if invited. It\u2019s an immediate feeling. Are you aware that your work can be experiential in this way for the viewer?
\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prof. Emery<\/b>: Well, I\u2019m happy to hear you say that. \u00a0My goal is to create simulations of reality that allow a viewer to have some sort of experience of being in a place. \u00a0I\u2019m fascinated by a souvenir’s ability to transport someone to a memory of a place, whether real or fabricated. \u00a0I try to make work that creates a similar aesthetic effect.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Is it fair to say that post production is a forte of yours?<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery:\u00a0<\/b>Yes, I have a background in photographic retouching, compositing, visual effects and printing. \u00a0But my personal work uses computational methods, so the photography is one part of the process that allows me to record light and time to use as media to make pictures. \u00a0I then work with that media in many different software packages to craft the final piece. \u00a0For this work I see it all as part of the picture-making process, and not really separated into photography and post-production.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Is there anything that you hope viewers will experience, or better understand after viewing your work?<\/p>\n

Prof. Emery: \u00a0<\/b>I strive to create pieces that will reverberate for a viewer over time. \u00a0The work that inspires me has a haunting effect, resurfacing in my consciousness long after the experience between myself and the piece. \u00a0If a memory of my work flashes in a viewer\u2019s head and creates for them an augmented experience in reality, then that would be good. \u00a0If that hybrid moment causes the person to question their real-life experience in some way then the work is successful.<\/p>\n

“New Views: FIT Art and Design Faculty Exhibit<\/a>,” runs until March 22 and is open to the public. Hours are from 9 am\u20139 pm. \u00a0The exhibit is located in the\u00a0John E. Reeves Great Hall of the Fred Pomerantz Art & Design Center. The entrance is on the northwest corner of 28 Street and Seventh Avenue.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To see more of Brian Emery’s work go to: www.placescapetheatre.com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Images used with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Professor\u00a0Brian Emery’s\u00a0 “Williamsburg Grid Test,”\u00a0currently in the faculty exhibit “New Views,”\u00a0is as captivating and vibrant as a New York City street corner.\u00a0It is composed of 108, one-minute videos organized in a grid, each of a slightly different view taken at slightly different times. \u00a0The setting, movement and chatter, are from a busy street corner in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":285,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8986],"tags":[38170,38171,4069,51],"class_list":["post-6866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-work","tag-brian-emery","tag-new-views-faculty-exhibit","tag-photography","tag-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13xjz-1MK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/285"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6866\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fitnyc.edu\/artanddesign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}