They Might Be Giants: Periodic Table Infographic (Music) Video

As English majors, we often take the alphabet for granted, forgetting that it is the backbone for all our reading studies, literary critiques and linguistic arguments. This tendency to delude the importance of fundamentals, however, does not only apply English majors, but rather effects the general population. In their music video, "Meet The Elements," They Might Be Giants highlight how every single aspect of human life, general society and natural environment is created and composed of the periodic elements, yet most individual are ignorant of their existence and function. Through their playfully satiric music video, They Might Be Giants invite mass to society to “meet the elements”

A self-proclaimed infographic music video, "Meet The Elements" employs visual representation of the periodic elements in an effort to help its viewers draw a connection between an everyday object or event and the more abstract scientific notion. For example, to demonstrate the idea of “iron,” the film juxtaposes its chemical symbol, Fe, with an image of a ordinary pipe. The viewer, having probably come in contact with a vast range of iron pipes in his or her lifetime, is therefore able to associate this object with the chemical concept of Fe, iron.

One aspect of this music video that I particularly found fascinating was how rather than presenting 3-D images of the discussed concepts, "Meet The Elements" present only two-dimensional images in basic shapes and colors. For me, this further reinforced the main argument of the video, and object, person and event’s complexity derives from its small basics. By conveying this argument through the infographic media of music video, , They Might Be Giants successfully explain conceptual difficult science in user-friendly visual representation.

Approaching the question, "What are some different ways of seeing?" I was initially at a loss of how to construct a compelling and engaging argument that would not only prove a point, but also appeal to the visual senses. In an effort to conquer my issues, I meditated about what appeals to me visually, and I immediately thought of art.
Having studied abroad for the Fall 2009 semester, I toured Europe through the scope of its art museums and galleries. When visiting Spain, I encountered a plethora of Picasso original and inspired pieces. Both the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid showcased Picasso ingenious vision and interruption of the worldly objects and events.
Reflecting on the Picasso's art, I drew a connection between the innovative themes of Maya Deren's An Anagram of Ideas on Art, Form and Film and the visionary perspective of Picasso's pieces. Using Deren's themes as a lense of analysis, I contend that Picasso's art illustrates how everyone sees events, people and objects within the context of their own personal experience. In essence, we see with everything we have already seen.

Deren and Picasso- Ways of Seeing

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Deren and Picasso- Ways of Seeing

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Appreciating Maya Deren

As she proposes An Anagram of Ideas on Art, Form and Film, Maya Deren believes that “a work of art is an emotional and intellectual complex whose logic is its whole form” (25). Although many artists may share this belief, Deren presents an entirely unique and original execution of it. Having seen “Meshes in the Afternoon” and “At Land,” I was truly impressed, and admittedly perplexed, by her ability to transform simple, seemingly unrelated objects and activities, and readdress them through her own innovative visual language.

“Meshes in the Afternoon” chronicles the female protagonist as she wanders down an unknown path of self-definition. The narrative of the film is expressed through Deren’s ingenious language of visual images. As the viewer follows the protagonist into the apartment, he or she notices the only distinct objects are a knife and bed, while the only other human counterparts are the man and the women following the protagonist. These facets, coupled with Deren’s choppy camera motion, create an unsettling atmosphere of sexual-violent tension. When the narration ends with the women dead in the apartment, the viewer is left to wonder who committed and what motivated the crime. Through her visual language, Deren showcases such simple events, while simultaneously creating a whole wealth of emotional depth.

Like “Meshes in the Afternoon,” “At Land” lets the actions of the film be the visual language. In “At Land,” however, Deren creates a completely silent film, whose protagonist observes the film’s events with naïve amazement. Opening with the protagonist emerging from the backward-rolling waves of the ocean, the film documents her as she meanders aimlessly, almost unnoticed, through picturesque landscape, refined banquets and mundane chess matches. Observing the montage of events, I was left wondering if Deren used the visual images of the outdoors to question her role in the greater whole of the world. Were these seemingly unrelated encounters with various natural objects and societal interactions really intended to spark a self-reflective evaluation of one’s place in the world?

For me, Maya Deren remains utterly confusing and yet completely engaging. Although I may not understand, or even appreciate her ability to recreate art as “an emotional and intellectual complex whose logic is its whole form” (25), I think her films have an uncanny ability to evoke a reaction from their viewers by there choice and arrangement of visual images.