Studio Brief 2- Research

Brief: This project asks you to begin with an object and to use Pestalozzi’s principles of observation, description, naming and classification to analyse your object, and in doing so, to develop your own personal project in response to this visual and conceptual research.

Object: Videotape

The project began with research into the history of the videotape. From this I discovered that first colour videotape was manufactured in 1958 and the last was in July 2016. This indicated the vast history of the tape which has obviously changed in quality over time. It was important to capture this original 'basic' quality as it is the foundation of the object's history. 

I also research the physical structure of the magnetic pattern on a tape. The majority of video signals are recorded on diagonal stripes in the middle of the tape, and each is one field of video. This means that if you run a thin magnet down the centre of the tape you can create noise in the centre of the image. Although I didn't replicate this myself, this image of the channels and video information had an interesting aesthetic which could be developed. I could look at constructing pictures with similar colours and lines.

Magnetic pattern on the tape

Another aspect of research was for this was of crime captured on tape. The Rodney King beating occurred in the early 90s and was only brought to light because a bystander happened to have his video camera ready and captured footage of the LAPD beating Rodney King. This videotape was a turning point for allegations targeted at the Los Angeles Police Department for brutality and racism. Had there not been a video, Rodney King would have been put in a patrol car and his injuries would have been justified by the LAPD.“Suspect resisted arrest. Reasonable force used to detain suspect.” In fact, even when this was sent to court the four officers were originally acquitted of all charges, which is said to have started the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in which 55 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured. This shows the importance of capturing moments like this on tape and the power it can have. I could develop this further and discuss the concealment and omissions that videos tapes have had in the past. 

The Rodney King beating

Reference: http://www.zerofiltered.com/the-rodney-king-moment/