Sweet Potato Mash part 5

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This Place Sucks, Shawn Nee, USA, 2005
4 min

This Place Sucks uses the typical A versus B mashup format to create a slick final product. Inserting the Superfriends into Office Space acts as a reminder of the wild possibilities of youth and the sad realities of many jobs. Is it too jaded? Maybe.

Strangely, the resulting work highlights the problematic representation of race in the original source materials. It was this aspect that I focused more on after viewing it than what I perceived as the intended focus of the work.

Sweet Potato Mash part 4

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TV Chopping, VJ Black Pearl (BPTV), Japan, 2006
2 min

This mashup is a music video composed of mostly 80s TV ephemera. BPTV mixes, cuts and repeats a steady stream of dark images into a short program. A perfect tribute to or critique of the idiot box, check out their other programs at www.bptv.net.

Sweet Potato Mash part 3

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Chaos, Anarchy, Mayhem! It’s Hippies! Jeremiah Jones, USA, 2006
1 min

For this video Jones combines thrift store footage and home movies into a jumbled report on cultural revolt. The clever animation overlay and children’s programming flicker against darker media images until the image is lost leaving behind scattered audio. While this is a good start, Jones’ newer work explores more politicized territory.

Sweet Potato Mash part 2

Hey Ya, Charlie Brown! Ryan King and Dan Hess, USA, 2006
1.5 min

This simple mashup takes a worn-out song and combines it with a classic. I absolutely love the dance scene. The piece is a perfect example of how just the right meshing of material can result in a truly original creation. This shortened version also includes references to the work’s making and the subsequent consequences and fallout. The original can be seen here.

Sweet Potato Mash part 1

Three Piece Band, Kel McKeown, UK, 2001

6 min

This brilliant mashup combines together three different music tutorial videos into one coherent piece. The music coaches’ tips to “play together, improvise and create” cleverly echo into the current mashup debate. Sounds and images play back and forth as the artists attain their sampled groove. The “now you try it” feel of the original videos melds perfectly into this self-reflexive creation.