Kara Van Malssen graduated from the University of Florida in 2001 with a B.A. in Film and Media Studies and a minor in Art History. After completing undergraduate studies, she goofed off for a couple of years, working in Japan and traveling through Asia. In the fall of 2004 she came to her senses and returned to the US to pursue a M.A. in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation at New York University. Kara is now a specialist in the preservation of digital moving image materials, and is currently employed by New York University Libraries, where she is involved in devising strategies for preserving born-digital public television content. She frequently speaks on these issues at conferences around the world, and also teaches audiovisual archiving internationally at professional training programs. Kara lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, David, and their fat cat, Mariah. She often thinks back fondly on the long hours spent editing in the Final Cut Pro studios at UF.
Public Space/Public Image (2001)
Short Film (3:38)
This video explores conceptions of public space in the late 20th Century. It proposes that the public sphere has gradually shifted from traditional (sub)urban settings — parks, train stations, and shopping malls — to the collective environment of television viewing, and finally to the Internet. This movement has created a new conception of public space and community, albeit one which is two-dimensional. Still and moving images are cropped and animated to playfully demonstrate the transition from public space to public image. It was created in Roger Beebe’s video production class (ENG 4136, Spring 2001), and was related to an honor’s thesis on changes in viewing and interacting with works of art in the 20th Century.