Degraded Media, a small library
Introduction
On the 24th of October, 2019, my favorite essay was published. Coming at 14 minutes and 36 seconds, the Canadian YouTuber Polyphonic discusses the beauty of degraded media, noting the “immaculate beauty” of ancient Greek statues; having lost their garish colours, fading to a rough marble white. From the static crackle of old vinyl, to the aesthetic of VHS and film errors in other videos, there is a beauty to be found on a deteriorating canvas. I cannot say anything better than they did, so I will simply link the video here. They note, because of the dominance of digital recording, we long for a nostalgia within artificial or added flaws.
I have not been the same since I watched this video. I have been drawn to the aesthetic of film, particularly the imagery created by super 16mm and super 8mm cameras. I love the scratches, the lines, the burns, the light leak. There is something special about the changes in film media as it decays. Despite this being a digital medium, and despite the fact that I’ve taken and edited these photos digitally, I’ve decided to create a small library of these artificially degraded media. I’ve also decided that, when I create essays in a video format, I will pursue this artificially degraded aesthetic.
