One True Law

I encountered many troubles through the course of this project, most obviously what to actually make it about. I wanted to create a video that spoke to me on a personal level, which in my opinion will often speak to many others more truthfully than any amount of guesswork I can muster up.

In our current cultural climate, feelings seem to reign supreme, over even basic components of modern society such as truth and freedom of speech. I feel frustrated, stifled in the most extreme of circumstances, with what I view to be a coddling of our youth against the harshness of reality.

So, my frustrations were poured into this video, as a small slice of what I feel. Twenty thousand years ago, humanity struggled just as these animals struggle: against predators, the harshness of the elements, and the suddenness of death from all sides. I feel the significance of our place in the world has been lost in the sea of political rhetoric and absolute comfort. People view minor inconveniences as major transgressions, and see the modern West as an unforgiving hellscape, despite never having to forage for their own food or fight off predators.

Even our most basic biological functions are seen as transgressions. Eating meat in any context is evil, and most especially hunting for one's meat, as if such animals as boars and deer would live perfectly comfortable, full lives were they freed from the quick shot of a hunter's rifle.

I wanted to juxtapose the hypocrisy of anti-hunting advocates with the reality of life in the wild. I wanted to prove to these people the One True Law of nature: death. This isn't some cynical worldview by any stretch. I love nature for its ferocity and its beauty, not just the nature which is cultivated as purely welcoming, free of suffering, neutered and humanized in ways which only disrespect it.

Humans are certainly the kindest of all predators the Earth has ever seen. Other apex predators care none for the fear, suffering, or dignity of their prey. As seen in the clip of the gentleman hunting a boar, the animal is shot in the head and killed instantly, as opposed to the many instances of predators chucking their prey from heights, bleeding them out after a vicious mauling, and even chasing them just as they'd given birth, to soon devour the newborn. This is the nature I know: vicious, beautiful, and ours to experience as the apex predators we are lucky enough to be.

Music: Five Artists

Virtual: Studio Killers, Jenny    

 The band Studio Killers is a virtual band, led by the character Cherry, who is in fact voiced by a man with his voice pitched up. Her bandmates include an anthropomorphic ferret DJ and fox keyboardist, and their videos focus on Cherry's fictional life as a partygoer. Their music is a mix of energetic club music and alternative pop, as evidenced in the above video.

Electronic: Jase from Outta Space, Do What You Want (Infusion Remix)

This song is near and dear to my heart, and fits the category of Electronic perfectly. It focuses on a heavy backbeat and repetitious lyrics, with elements of the song coming and going in surging pulses depending upon the phase of the song. Interestingly, as with most electronic music, this is a remix of an already-existing song. I see this as a natural evolution of techno music, as sampling and re-sampling lyrics and rhythms from a song can produce any number of new effects, as can also be seen in pop, hip-hop, and house music.

Punk: The Bravery, Hatefuck

One of the deepest values of punk can be summed up in a fairly short sentence: "Give no fucks, party hard." This philosophy extends to a disdain for authority, social norms, and the expectations of decency in typical civilized society. This song, in its aggressiveness, exemplifies this culture as it describes perhaps a brutal, mutually sadomasochistic relationship between the singer and his partner.

Dubstep: Lady Gaga, Government Hooker (Roman Stone Remix)

I wanted to make a fairly deep cut into dubstep, and just as with Techno, it favors remixes and sound sampling, aided by their many soundboards. In fact, it could be said that dubstep was founded on the idea of sound sampling being used as a form of music in itself, most notably in some of Skrillex's work. Dubstep remains one of the most well-known alternative electronic genres, and is almost expected in most clubs.

New Wave: The Smiths, I Know It's Over

A more somber song than the others, it reflects the rise of New Wave and its less frenzied need for harsh electronic beats and synthesizers. As the song continues, it swells into a roaring chorus, elements overlapping each other as if the singer just cannot express the depth of his feelings through the music itself, which strains against the weight of it. The more mellow backbeat complements the other New Wave picks.

Performance Art Video

Performance Art: Gun Control

I agonized for a long time over this project. I hate making myself known in any public space, and so the idea of having to put myself out there and talk to strangers terrified me. However, I found that I'm much more comfortable when judged objectively, and so I decided to base my performance art around our political climate today--more specifically, gun control.

It's been hotly debated on all sides, and so I threw my hat--and the sign on my hat--into the ring to fuel the flames. Due to my personal beliefs, and knowing they may be unpopular to the rest of the campus, I hoped to attract some interesting, perhaps explosive responses--yet all I'd attracted was genuine discussion, friendliness, and even a thumbs-up from a Campus Safety officer!

I quickly learned that no one would approach my table unprompted. So, to the horror of most passers-by, I began calling to them, asking them if they'd like to help me with a school project. About half refused, though the other half spoke. Most notably, the people who scowled at me from across the hallway, clearly agitated by my message, refused to defend their stance by speaking with me. 

I was very careful to frame my intentions as simply conducting a school project, to help relax people and coax them into seeing me as a neutral party. I believe I could get their opinions more naturally that way, and challenge those opinions without making them feel like they'd just stepped into a high-stakes political debate.

I spent about an hour and a half at my table, and overall I believe it was a rousing success! While at first I hated the idea of this project, I think it's awakened a little bit of a showman in me. Perhaps I could continue to make videos similar to this, if only to talk with people about topics I'm interested in, and engage them on a level beyond just typical two-party animosity.