I've been looking at archive material for my project that relates to Industrial Schools ran by the Catholic Church. I came across a documentary made by Louis Lentin, which consists of interviews of women who spent time in industrial schools as children. I've been harvesting material from this and editing it in Premiere Pro, with the intention of inserting archive sequences among my filmed pieces.I'm not sure how I stand ethically with doing this. Also some of the material is quite emotional and hard hitting and I don't want to be exploitative with this.I justify it to myself with the fact that Lentin's documentary originally worked as a critique, as does mine -  my re -working of the material is a further re-enactment and engagement with the critiques of the abuses perpetuated. Perhaps it is better that the archive material is being  re-presented in another form, gaining an audience again in another manner, rather than gathering dust somewhere, fading into oblivion? This is how I'm justifying to myself at the moment.

I'm putting up a couple of rough sequences from my the video that I've been working on. The first sequence is the introduction and sets the scene. The second sequence is one of seven that form an irreverent reconstruction of the creation narrative in Genesis.The concept behind the work is that the reconstruction of Genesis represents the institution of the church and its belief system, within which are hidden events that the church have covered up or had an effect on eg. child abuse, pregnancy. The reconstruction can be seen as a critique of the Catholic Church , the irreverancy of the constructions work as a parody. The flashes of archive imagery rupture the representation of the church and are then removed – signifying  the church’s attempts to subdue them. 

EDIT: Could only put up one sequence due to uploading issues with blogger and my internet speed. I'll try the other one later.

I've been looking for video/film online that relates to religion, or social politics, and critiques of that - it's hard to find film pieces that I can actually view, most sites just give textual detail and an image. 

'Belief' (2012) by Jon Thompson and Alison Craighead

Belief is made from information found entirely on the worldwide web. In fifteen minutes, the-screen installation presents a series of fragmented broadcasts about belief, all sourced from YouTube.
https://vimeo.com/109853984

Belief, Installation View

Three short pieces are collected as Tory Stories by Peter Savage: The Revival, Back After the Break and An Ugly Streak of Violence. (1984)

"Something from my overtly political phase. These pieces are of their time.The Revival uses material from an interview with Margaret Thatcher. It is a simple critique—using humour to make the point—on the way politicians and the media shape what we understand, to reinforce particular viewpoints. 

Back After the Break uses material mainly from television advertisments in which women are pre- sentedas stereotypes. Again the way in which television images are used to promote a particular view of ‘acceptable roles’ is demonstrated, countered by the ‘Iron Lady’ who steadfastly refuses to listen....'

http://www.lux.org.uk/collection/works/tory-stories-parts-1-3

'A Mass for the Dakota Sioux' by Bruce Baillie (1963- 64)  https://vimeo.com/48298412

'A film mass, dedicated to nobility and excellence.
No chance for me to live, Mother, you might as well mourn.' -Sitting Bull, Hukpapa Sioux Chief.
Applause for a lone figure dying on the street. INTROIT. A long lightly exposed section composed in the camera. KYRIE. A motorcyclist crossing the San Francisco bridge accompanied by the sound of a Gregorian chant, recorded at the Trappist monastery in Vina, California.The EPISTLE is in several sections. In this central part the film becomes gradually more outrageous, the material being either from television or the movies, photographed directly from the screen. The sounds of the 'mass' rise and fall throughout. GLORIA. The sound of a siren and a short sequence of a '33 Cadillac proceeding over the Bay Bridge and disappearing into a tunnel. The final section of the Communion begins with the OFFERTORY in a procession of lights and figures to the second chant. The anonymous figure from the introduction is discovered again, dead on the pavement. The body is consecrated and taken away past an indifferent, isolated people, accompanied by the final chant. The Mass is traditionally a celebration of Life, thus the contradiction between the form of the Mass and the theme of death. The dedication is to the religious people (Dakota Sioux) who were destroyed by the civilisation that evolved the Mass. - B.B.'

Also some areas of contention that relate to my topic - looking at the moment for more archive material related to this: abortion, birth control, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, pregnancy, conflict in Northern Ireland, women's rights.

Artists and photographers using themes of religion. Not much video, I need to do more research here.

Damien Hirst (the great pretender?) 'to leave the flock is to leave behind the protection of the church. In Christian belief, the Lamb of God was sacrificed to redeem humanity from the original sin of Adam and Eve. The work’s religious connotations are fused with scientific advancement through the use of the formaldehyde gas which fixes and preserves the sheep carcass. This synergy between religion and science is a reoccurring theme in Hirst’s work' http://www.tate.org.uk/artist-rooms/collection/themes/artist-rooms-theme-belief

                                                                                                 Away from the Flock 1994

Bill Viola 'Martyrs' ' the theatricality of his works has led to comparisons with the Baroque, a movement much associated with the Catholic Church. However, Viola’s influences extend beyond this, incorporating Eastern art history and spiritual practices' http://www.tate.org.uk/artist-rooms/collection/themes/artist-rooms-theme-belief http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/may/21/bill-viola-matryr-video-installation-st-pauls

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s satirical sculpture La Nona Ora (1999) - Pope John Paul II lies on a red carpet, crushed by a meteorite that has just plummeted from the heavens

Tutorial 3/3/15

During the tutorial I was asked what my project was about and I found I struggled to communicate this. I think this is because as I've been working on the project and testing different strategies and approaches, it has actually developed into something other than what I had suggested in the proposal. So from starting out with an idea of being objective it has actually become something that is subjective. AC advised me that I needed to really pin down what the project is actually about, so when I got home I wrote about it and I believe I have a more coherent idea of what it is and where it's going - which is actually helpful as I feel that now I know where I stand with it, it's easier for me to think ahead and plan what I'm going to film. So, at the moment,  a short video of different items, interspersed with archive video and a narrative text. Lets see where I can go with this - fun times.

A test video I've been working on, taking inspiration from other artists strategy of narration. The quality is low due to internet uploading issues.