Work in progress

Schubert/Twombly/physics project

New work in progress

Letraset in transition

I love letraset!

Photobooths never get old

Memories & Projections Suggesting the Present

7’10”, Color Digital Video
October 2010 
Artist’s Statement
By Emma Johnson

Memories & Projections Suggesting the Present shows a still image of shoes lying on a rug just inside the entryway of a house. If you enter apartments or houses, usually shoes upon shoes for all occasions are piled up by each resident. Using eleven layers of video, one layer pictures shoes as a snapshot of a moment in time. That is, one image stays constant for the whole film.

"Memories & Projections Suggesting the Present" will air on MCTV!

MCTV Channel 99

(10/11/10) Monday, 3pm

(10/13/10) Wednesday, 10:30am

(10/15/10) Friday, 11am

(10/16/10) Saturday, 8am, 8pm

Memories & Projections Suggesting the Present  is 7min. 10 sec. long.
MCTV = Midland Community Television

MTV/Buddy Lee

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In late 2004, I starred as Kid #3 in the third and final episode of "Buddy Lee Guidance Counselor" on MTV2's show "Control Freak." I played a band geek seeking career advice from a plastic Buddy Lee doll. It aired every weekday for two weeks during prime time. There are four videos that I'm in total—the episode plus three taped endings. Normally "Control Freak" viewers were given the choice of three music videos throughout the hour and would vote online—the video that received the most votes was played. When they aired the three episodes of "Buddy Lee" viewers of the show voted online for the ending they wanted to see. For the record, on the first night they played a music video by Jimmy Eat World to give viewers a chance to vote and "Stunt Doll" was the ending that was played. The whole third episode and alternate endings runs about six minutes. (Note: unfortunately the media player only works on a PC.)

If you have a Mac, you can visit http://www.jonathannowak.tv/Home/Television_BuddyLee_Episodes_files/BuddyLee_GuidanceCounselor_E3.mov.

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Also check out an article in the New York Times written about the commercials: "MTV2 Episodes Don't Have Commercials but Do Pitch Lee Jeans" By Stuart Elliott in the Business section. Published: October 29, 2004.

Eiffel Tower e-news

Creative 360 e-blast, 2009

Eiffel Tower Project Drawings (151-191/200)

2 x 2 in. drawings by people in response to the question, "What's your favorite place you've ever been?"

Eiffel Tower Project

I am doing a project for art center and gallery Creative 360, building the Eiffel Tower out of straws and pins as a performance at the local Artist's Market. Two weeks ago, three kids asked me if they could make their names out of straws and pins. This is something I didn't expect to happen, but I said, "Sure!" (www.becreative360.org)

NJ/NYC Train

John Cage 33 1/3 at the White Box gallery

MaryBeth Edelson's performance of John Cage 33 1/3 at the White Box gallery in Chelsea (nyc). I am in the fourth picture participating:
http://www.whiteboxny.org/program/newcomposers/marybeth/marybeth.html

The Snickers Bar Absurdist

Written, directed and acted by Emma Johnson
Hi-8
Part 1 of 2
©2003

"Shaving" (30'0", Video, 2001)

"Shaving" film still, video, 2001    

Artist’s Statement

“Shaving”

30'0", Video, 2001.

            In “Shaving” a woman shaves her legs and underarms. The framing is clinical and matter-of-fact and the camera is stationary. A high-angle shot shows only her legs and feet and then a straight-on long-take shot shows only her arms, breasts and stomach. Finally, she gets out of the bathtub and the water with shaving cream remains.

            In “Shaving” I show the viewer something that, at first, seems innocuous and routine but, at closer look, has serious cultural implications. Like a performance being videotaped, she shaves but the video is played twice. In the first sequence she shaves and the viewer hears the sound of shaving, the water and The Bangles’ 80s pop song “Manic Monday.” The song sets the tone of something mundane, a perfunctory task that women must do as part of their routine. Taking an inordinate amount of time to shave invites the viewer to focus on something normally not given much thought to, and think more about what shaving is and why people shave. It’s kind-of a bizarre thing to do. By taking so long to shave the intent still shots transform the action into a woman “performing” her gender.

            While it’s a choice to shave, there is a lot of pressure from society for women to perfect their bodies and put them on display. Sexism isn’t as overt as it used to be and attitudes towards women and their roles in society are changing. However, when things are subtle, sometimes they become ignored because it’s not in your face or even noticeable.

            In the second half of the video, the sequence is played again but with riot-grrrl band Heavens to Betsey’s song “Axeman.” With the reference to feminism cued by the music, I invite the viewer to now think about the act of shaving in a different way. Instead of thinking about it as a short, annoying task, I invite viewers to question and challenge why women shave and the significance behind that cultural norm.

            The video becomes boring after a while as it progresses slowly and nothing seems to happen. The camera doesn’t move so all attention is spent on the repetitive action. The head is left out of the frame to highlight the action of shaving and avoid facial expressions that can distract. It’s not so much about this individual shaving, but about the act of shaving as a collective action.

            Also in the second half of the video, text is interjected into the long shot. Some of the text reads: “What scares me the most is how normal it all is.” “How can there be change if no one thinks there’s a problem?” “It’s hard to fight against subtleties.” “And everything’s in favor of staying the same.” “Have womyn been conditioned to want to be submissive?” “The sad thing is that intellectually I know how I think I should think and feel … but my thoughts and feeling deviate from that.”

            Ultimately, I invite the viewer to question cultural norms and how they serve as a framework in modern society.