Elements of 4D_Oat Bowman

 First element: Time

    The first thing we have to do in order to talk about time-based media is define time. Put in a scientific way, time is the fourth dimension. It augments the other three dimensions of width, length, and height. In normal people terms, time is the changing of things as we move into the future. More simply, it's change. 

    There are, of course, different types of time. Ones that I like to refer to as "microwave minutes" and "my minutes." A microwave minute is measured time. When you're standing there waiting on the countdown for your pizza rolls to be done, the seconds are evenly and mathematically spaced out. On the other hand, one of my minutes is a minute as my brain estimates it to be. It's what makes looking at the microwave timer so agonizing, because we experience a minute as a lot faster than what it actually is. 

    Running time is the full length of a piece. For example, Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love is 46 minutes and 33 seconds. Biological time is time related to bodily functions, like your natural sleep and wake cycle. Digital time is pretty new, measured in nanoseconds, but it's our own intense awareness of time as it relates to technology. Like watching your phone's battery die or when a webpage takes too long to load. 

An example of a time based piece of art:

    The Van Gogh art exhibit which showcases the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh as you've never seen it before. The artwork has been newly animated and filmed to show change, growth, and a beautiful narrative. 

    I actually had the pleasure of seeing this live at the Newfields art museum, and it was an absolutely delightful show. The experience of the larger than life presentation and the beautiful animations really made this a memorable exhibit. I chose this artwork because I have actually seen it in person, and I know that the passage of time and change are integral to the storytelling of this exhibit. It's a lovely example of time based art, in my opinion. 

Second Element: Sound

    Sounds are vibrations that your ears pick up on. It has something to do with weird cochlear hairs. Doesn't matter how we hear, in the scenario, just that we do. There's also the absence of sound, or silence, which is just as important. It's an illusion, of course, because you still have the sounds of your heartbeat and your breathing and all that jazz. It's still important for sound emphasis and it's useful on its own in a lot of contexts. 

    There are three basic parts to a sound: attack, sustain, and decay. Well, there's actually more, but we don't need those. The attack is the start of a sound, when it pounces like a lion (or something). The sustain is the. . . the sound sustains itself. It just goes on until it starts decaying. When a sound decays, it falls off until it goes silent. So a sound attacks, sustains, and decays. They all matter, and communicate important information to the listener. 

    Just like time, there are different kinds of sound. Synchronous sound is when a sound gets synced to a visual on screen. Asynchronous sounds happen when what we hear doesn't match what we see. Diegetic sounds are actual or "literal" sounds (like footsteps or dialogue), and nondiegetic sounds are "non-literal" or commentary sounds (like narration). The last two terms, however, are mostly used by people who study film and thus it makes assumptions about the relationship between the viewer and the viewed. 

    Sound Art Example: 

Video Game: Crypt of the NecroDancer

    On its own, this game has a banger soundtrack. You play as an adventurer going through a crypt overtaken by a necromancer obsessed with music, and you have to move to the beat of the music or you die and the necromancer takes over your body. It's use of sound is something unique that is typical for rhythm games but atypical for rpgs. 

Third Element: Movement

    Movement is the shift of an object or body part in relation to its surroundings (it's always important to remember that movement is relative). Successful movement leads the eye in one direction. Oppositional movement utilizes this to force the eye to move in the opposite direction, creating some cool effects. Stillness, or lack of movement, is important to show contrast in a work about movement. 

    You can see the movement in a piece, or you can participate in it. Think a video game versus a ballet recital. In one you're simulating movement, the other you're just watching it. Once again, movement is relative, so people are going to view your movement within their comprehensible space. Like, people can only see the movement that's shown on the stage of a theater performance. 

    Movement, like sound, also has attack, sustain and decay. They're really mostly the same, in both name and in concept. During the attack of a movement, we can also see that the objects base of support recoils. Think about how your legs tense up when you're about the jump. Squashing objects as they move makes their movement look more realistic. Also think about center of gravity when working out movement, that will affect the weight of the movement overall. 

    Gestures are movements of part of a whole. If your arm moves but the rest of your body stays still, that's a gesture. Your eyes will be attracted to that movement. GIFs are mini animations where a simple movement is repeated over and over. These often utilize gesture movements. 

    Think about the movement of the camera as well, this is extremely important in cinematography. 

    

    Movement Art Example:

    Competitive Figure Skating

    https://youtu.be/TYLWRn_ApGU

    Figure skating is my favorite example of movement art, with wild poses and extreme balance required. It's a marvel to look at and holds the eye with stunning visual movement. c