=Investigating and Questioning Birds as Symbols of Freedom and the Human Urge to Fly =

Birds have long been associated with the concepts of freedom and liberty. Looking at the lifestyle of most birds, this association makes complete sense. Gliding effortlessly through the air, flying in incredible altitudes, covering impressive distances in short periods of time, they really do seem to possess great freedom.

As I was thinking about birds as symbols of freedom, it occurred to me that there are also a lot flightless bird species. Are chickens also symbols of freedom? Or penguins? Ostriches? If birds are a symbol for liberty, isn't it ironic how some species are treated? This made me question if the true symbol of freedom is flying rather than birds. Is not being bound to earth is what makes us associate birds with freedom so much? Do humans also seek freedom by flying? What are the motivations of people who fly as a hobby e.g. skydivers, BASE jumpers, hobby pilots? Why do people buy private jets? Is freedom a privilege among humans but also among birds?

For this video edit, I compiled audio and video material from various YouTube videos. The audio is composed of speeches of political figures from the US, Germany and Turkey; interviews with people such as skydivers, pilots and BASE jumpers, street interviews etc. Using the 'find_word' python script, I searched for the words 'freedom', 'liberty', 'free' and the corresponding German and Turkish words in the .srt files of each video. I then compiled all of the videos in one file. To mix everything up a bit, I arranged them so that every subsequent clip is from a different video. Then I exported the resulting compilation as a .wav file.

The visual part of the video was created using a python object detection script. I downloaded videos of chicken farms, zoos, penguins, famous eagles, wingsuit flyers, military parades, urban birds and other various material and ran the script, detecting and printing scenes with birds or planes in the frame. Finally, I merged these scenes into one video and combined this with the .wav file I made before this.

The videos I used to make this edit are here:
[[Source Material]]

==Word Sorting:==
{{#ev:vimeo|643238843|700|left|}}

==Pitch Resorting:==

Giant Steps via Morning Mood
{{#ev:vimeo|661772558|700|left|}}

==Object Recognition:==

Motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam compared to motorbikes in Chicago, USA
{{#ev:vimeo|670883314|700|left|}}

GMU:Computer's Cut/Sinan Kılıç

2022-02-27T17:43:32Z

Sinan:

GMU:Computer's Cut/Sinan Kılıç

2022-02-27T16:46:59Z

Sinan:

2021-11-27T18:12:51Z

Sinan:

'''Visual solution:'''
The installation will take place in a relatively big room (~25-30 m²). At the center of the room will be a pedestal which will stand about 2 meters high. On top of the pedestal is a spherical "projector", on which the ''Physarum Polycephalum'' will grow. A shadow of the growing Physarum will be cast upon the walls of the room. The room will be otherwise empty. Access to the room will be achieved via a door which will blend seamlessly with the surrounding walls. Furthermore, visitors can only enter the room one by one, in order to intensify the intimacy and intimidation between the Slime Mold and the visitor.

'''Concept:'''
Even though the Slime Mold is able to survive in such an incredibly unique way, I feel like we, as humans, subconsciously (or consciously) perceive this organism as a being that is ultimately inferior to us. My goal is to break this hierarchy in some way. As I was trying to explore ways of reversing the interspecific hierarchical pyramid, I am coming to the realisation that one of the reasons why humans see unicellular organisms, which are beyond a doubt the most fundamental members of the earth, inferior to themselves, is because of their size. Thus I am looking for a way for equalising and maybe reversing our sizes.

'''Technical aspects:'''
To ensure that the shadow casted is sharp enough, a strong, linear light source will be placed inside a clear glass sphere. The sphere will be covered by a thin layer of agar medium and a couple of oat flakes stuck irregularly on the surface. A thin, tubular, golden substructure will give the projector its height and minimize potential shadows caused by visitors. The room will only be lit when a visitor enters room, in order to not disturb the Slime Mold with too much light and establish a healthy environment for its growth.

==='''Experimenting with the Slime Mold and Researching'''===
'''First Attempts'''

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=300px heights=200px>
File:Microscopy of Slime Mold.jpg|Microscopy of ''Physarum Polycephalum''
File:Camphoto 579758561.JPG|Most of the petri dishes I brought home became contaminated with some sort of silky mold.
</gallery>

{{#ev:vimeo|643949703|240|left|}}

My first timelapse turned out pretty bad with lots of flickering lights and moving shadows. Next time I will try a darker background and artificial lighting. I also realized trying to record multiple petri dishes at once is not such a good idea.
Something useful I learned with this timelapse is how difficult it can be to manipulate the slime mold. I tried using different arrangements and amounts of oat in each dish but at the end every dish turned out different than expected.

'''Concept research'''

I found the Physarum to be a very powerful being in its own way. It is very resilient, very easily adapting to changes in the environment, capable of resuscitation and of course possesses a complex navigational mechanism. Even though this organism is able to survive in such an incredibly unique way, I feel like we, as humans, subconsciously (or consciously) perceive the ''Physarum Polycephalum'' as a being that is ultimately inferior to us.

''''Anthropocentrism regards humans as separate from and superior to nature and holds that human life has intrinsic value while other entities (including animals, plants, mineral resources, and so on) are resources that may justifiably be exploited for the benefit of humankind."*'' [[File:Human-centred hierarchy of the natural world.png|200px|thumb|right|Pretty outdated human-centred hierarchy of the natural world]]

My goal is to break this hierarchy in some way and serve the Slime Mold. I want to allow the Slime Mold to exploit ''me''. Some might say that this pyramid is already losing its form and (some) humans are starting to see other creatures at an equal level to themselves, in terms of importance. My observation is that almost everyone, including me, who thinks this way, only direct their sympathy towards complex, multicellular organisms, which they can emotionally relate to in some way. This is a reason why I want to go further than this selective equality and see the ''Physarum Polycephalum'', a unicellular organism, as being not equal to me, but more important than me as an inhabitant of the earth.

'''Experimenting'''

To be the Physarum's "slave", I need to first be comfortable with letting it grow freely and to the max.

In order to achieve this I tried merging Physarum specimens from two different petri dishes. To my disappointment the Slime Mold hesitated to make its way out of the dishes. In order to make my table more appetising, I will be trying to cover it with a layer of agar.

<gallery mode="packed-hover">
File:PhysarumBridge1.jpg | My setup for building a bridge between dishes
File:PhysarumBridge2.jpg
File:PhysarumBridge3.jpg
File:PhysarumBridge5.jpg
File:PhysarumBridge4.jpg
</gallery>

I am going to try and grow the Slime Mold on my table, but I believe it can only grow to a certain size. Moreover, this won't effectively contribute to the message I am trying to convey.
<gallery mode="traditional" widths=100px heights=70px>
File:Tablewithagar.jpg|
File:Tablewithagar2.jpg|
</gallery>
Thus, I will be amplifying the Physarum's size artificially. My spherical Ikea table lamp will hopefully suffice to do this. The resulting projection will only be a shadow across the walls of my room, however I believe shadows can be more intimidating than the thing itself and intimidation is something that I believe contributes to hierarchical formations. Furthermore, with a colored LED, the result also has the potential to be aesthetically pleasing.
<gallery mode="traditional" widths=100px heights=70px>
File:IkeaLamp.jpg|
File:PlanetariumProjector.jpeg|
File:PlasmaGlobe.jpeg|
File:LaternaMagica.jpeg|
</gallery>

''*: https://www.britannica.com/topic/anthropocentrism''

File:PlasmaGlobe.jpeg

2021-11-27T18:12:44Z

Sinan: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload