Reading Response 7: VJ Culture – Chenlan Yao (Ellen)

VJing is strongly connected with DJ and music, helping and cooperating with each other. VJing is a combination of all kinds of fine art. With the accompany of music, VJing can show a better composition of rhythm and visual effects, which is a more concrete and diversified art form. As VJing has a relationship with the influences of music, VJing is a performative thing. It needs liveness. VJ artists long for the interaction and reaction from the audience. According to Eva Fischer, VJing “stands for liveness, transience, and uniqueness … VJing is pure improvisation” (108). The vivid visualization of music and the randomness is the charm of VJing. As is shown in the document viewed in class, many VJ artists suggested that they prefer to use some real, non-digital instruments such as DVDs to perform. Computer is the worst for them. Also, knobs are necessary for them. Both DVDs and knobs can be a little old-fashion for other people in this digital age, as everything can be done simply with a laptop. But for these artists, because they are VJs; they are doing some realtime performance in most times, it is better for them to have something in real as a kind of pure experience and feeling, and thus provide a better atmosphere to their audience.

Visual art is strongly connected with the music. At the same time, music is strongly relying on visual art, as it can help to create a richer and thicker atmosphere and thus to get the audience involved in the scene better. The following are two video clips I took from live houses: one with some VJing, and the other does not have VJing.

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It is obvious that the one with VJing can create a better atmosphere for the whole live house, and also make the music more interesting. VJing is a performance, which needs great involvement and connection with the audience, thus the most important thing for a VJ artist is to attract his or her audience into the rhythm he or she provided. In the videos I linked, the artist on the stage is originally and actually a DJ. I do not know whether he is controlling the VJ things, but the visual art does show a great combination with the music he produced, which is enough for us. As an audience, I am under the atmosphere he provided, and that is the purpose of the VJing.

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