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The term Chimera within genetics refers to an organism containing at least two different sets of DNA, and originates from the idea of the Chimera found within Greek mythology, a hybrid creature composed of different animal parts, most often that of a lion, goat, and dragon. Well, in my fooling around with the English language I have hybridized the word itself to define just what my symbolic camera developed into. Not going to lie, I also just wanted to say the word camera in a silly way. 

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The practice of creating a symbolic camera is to get the creator thinking both critically and abstractly about the idea that they wish to produce into a film. Though the symbolic camera may not deal strictly with the idea of the film, it does draw inspiration from it and assists the filmmaker in understanding their present thoughts. When I first created my symbolic camera I was thinking in the way I often do when it comes to creative projects. How can I push the boundaries and bring in what I love most, experimentation. 

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The original idea was inspired by my interest in VR and virtual reality technology. Though a large majority of what is viewed in VR is coded and animated graphics, there is a smaller group within the community experimenting with 'live footage', similar to the trend of 360-degree photography. Within the film I wanted to experiment with this in some way, but what specific way I did not know. This topic also correlated with my original dissertation topic idea. However, I had nothing further than that. After the topic of my dissertation changed I was left with some choices to make, either stick with the original idea and see what would come of it, or go back to the drawing board and draft up something completely new. The second option won out and I was back to square one, questioning what kind of film I was going to make. After some contemplation, I found myself almost at the very beginning thinking a lot about the age-old question, 'Who am I?'.

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Long story short, the answer to that question is never a simple one. However, it did make me reflect again on my symbolic camera and why I made it the way that I did. Overall, the main body of it is fashioned to resemble that of a basic virtual reality headset. A way of attaching the camera to the body without the use of hands or excessive straps. The front of it is not just a simple flat surface like most headset though, as it has a 'camera lens' attached to it. Not just a lens but one that resembles a zoom lens as well. The majority of the camera was painted black with the word 'experimentation' across the front in white. In a way, this symbolic camera is a form of experimenting with what we view as a camera and how we can potentially push the technology itself further. It is also a way of questioning how we view photographic and film footage and how the environment can both emphasize and take away from the footage being shown. By allowing the camera to cover the eyes entirely it draws the viewer into an empty canvas. When the lens cap is removed it then allows the viewer to question their focus, emphasizing what is being viewed by the dark and exclusive environment.

 

This is why I termed it a C[HI]MERA, as it is a hybridization between what is viewed as traditional photography and filmography, incorporating external technologies and ideas to produce something that exemplifies both the practice of experimentation as well as the questioning of viewer environment and how visual media is shown.  

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