Demanding time: artists' still motion films exploring locations and environments

The intention of this research has been to discover the historical basis of Still Motion film. Within the context of examples of film and artwork that were not necessarily identified as Still Motion at the time, but which established a precedent for a way of making and looking at film, I have attempted to position more contemporary work, including my own, in order to explore the idea that although Still Motion is not a clearly defined genre, it is an established stylistic approach that I felt was worth exploring. The main focus of this study has been how contemporary artist filmmakers have used and continue to use this style of filmmaking specifically to study locations and environments. I have also illustrated how the passage of time has been approached and the impact this has had on the experience of the films as well as how on-screen and off-screen spaces inform each other and the viewer. This area of art practice has been identified by other writers but as far as my supervisors and I are aware, has not been researched or published as a project in its own right. The artworks I have made are original outcomes and examples of the area of my interest in drawing the viewer's attention to small, sometimes subtle things that might otherwise go unnoticed. The key methodological issues were to establish the area without over defining it so that different approaches remain identifiable as Still Motion within the broad range of the research focus. This study has revealed to me that there is much more to this area than I first envisaged. I could have explored other aspects of Still Motion such as the appropriation of this film style in mainstream cinema, television programmes and advertising, as well as other aspects such as its presence on Instagram, and influence on slow TV and music. However, I kept to working within my original intentions and key methodological issues to keep focused and directed, although as the project developed I have realised that there are still possibilities to continue and develop my work further