Digital Final Illustrations

Thursday Night #12 Prompt Response

The workshop with Joan Laage proved to be informational. The exercises were unique but left some to be desired. In relation to this project, I think they did help relieve some self-consciousness. However, the area that we could have used the most help in is understanding how others perceive our movements and actions. By the last half hour of class, the red faced laughter and creative participation seemed to fade as we kept going through the exercises. As instructional as they may have been, it would have been more helpful if we could have spent more time in discussion on how the audience perceived the performances, especially since the theme was unknown to them. I think it would have given us a more holistic understanding and awareness of how others see us.

Thursday Night #11 Response

I found the zodiac suit by Elisa Schiaparelli extraordinarily inspiring. It reflected a change in women’s fashion at the time as well as an artistic movement. Beyond just the amazing details such as the individual buttons and design of the garment, it represented the modern woman of its original era. The shape and style of menswear began to appear in women’s wear. Skirts got shorter and outfits overall became less feminine. However, they still reflected an elegance distinct to the time and retained a certain feminine beauty and allure. Elisa Schiaparelli was associated with and got a lot of her ideas from Surrealist artists of the time. Her influence and position as an artists and fashion designer has left its mark. Although her garments could be very unique and obviously have surreal qualities, they still maintain a timeless quality that makes her the icon she is today.

Thursday Night # 9 Prompt Response

The feedback I got from my peers was definitely encouraging. We had time to share work from other classes as well. Members of my group said my work had a distinctly “Americana” feel to it, which is also where I draw a lot of my inspiration. Although we had distinctly different concentrations and tastes, we all found facets of each other’s work that was inspiring or we liked. I was fortunate to be in a group that had painting students, making it easy to connect over that medium. Overall my group provided positive feedback, especially on projects that were larger format.

Thursday Night Response

Prompt: What are the values and concerns that Sanroman brings to her work as an independent curator? In what ways can curation alter the work of an artist?

Response:

“Curators are not ‘taste makers’, but creators of discourse” was a quote utilized in Lucia Sanroman’s lecture Thursday night. I feel it accurately sums her approach to working as a curator and the works she chooses to focus on. The works reflect several issues that are present in her personal life, such as the effects of drugs and violence in the Tijuana area where she lived and worked for some time, immigration issues, and other realities widely affecting Mexican American people. She cites Antanas Mockus, a political figure of Bogota known for innovative policies and approach, as being a personal influence in her life which is evident in the work she curates. Many of the works reflect unique personal responses to problems facing the artists. For instance, one work was a silk banner made by a woman inspired by a banner in a church she sought sanctuary in when facing deportation. As far as influencing an artist, curation, if seen as a means of creating discourse, could cause an individual to strongly evaluate and reevaluate their work, particularly on a conceptual level.

Proposal

When presented with the problem of discouraging future societies from opening a storage of nuclear waste in the desert of New Mexico, needless to say, several ideas were exchanged. The idea is meant to be sustainable for ten thousand years and must account for several factors. We began with narrowing down the factors we could absolutely account for in the present, for example, the more reproachable qualities of humans like greed. After discarding ideas involving spikes and even labyrinths, we decided to take a different approach. Our concept for the infant sculpture is based on the idea of creating something aesthetically pleasing, blends with the organic qualities of the landscape, and does little to incite curiosity or controversy. We mainly utilized the principles of scale, dominance or emphasis, and in construction, texture as well. The sculpture is intended to be made of a strong metal such as steel and covered with a mix of materials that resemble the landscape and actual material from the area, such as local minerals and rocks. The sculpture will be large enough to cover the entire area of the waste location with the idea that it will be difficult to move or destroy with easily accessible tools. We also propose use of local native species of plants including several varieties of succulents and cactus. We also would like to draw inspiration from a similar solution oriented project by Mel Chin. In his work, he utilizes plants called “hyper accumulators” that draw heavy metals from the soil. Given that these were able to survive the environment, these plants would be included with the native species in a natural, but aesthetically pleasing surrounding “garden”. We also propose that the land be treated as a state park, to discourage development of the land for residential or commercial purposes. With this in mind, we did however revisit earlier ideas of more detrimental qualities. We decided ultimately to incorporate into this sculpture some devices such as a motion sensitive high frequency sound. When a viewer gets with so many feet, a high frequency noise will be released intending to cause pain, but no severe harm. We also propose that the sculpture include either tear gas or a motion sensitive release of a drug that will render a person incapacitated but not severely injured. We based these concepts around crowd control tactics used by police forces. What is most effective about this solution is that while the sculpture emulates the qualities of the landscape and is unassuming; it also is large enough to protect the waste from future use and does include security measures as well. We began to structure this idea around a parenting method of “removing the forbidden”. Our argument is that a large, obviously protected structure invites curiosity and rebellious entry. If the object is somewhat approachable and incites no conflict or curiosity, people are less likely to attempt entry. The fall back measures of the gas, foliage, and sound are meant to discourage those that would make such attempts regardless.

Thursday Lecture Dawn Cerny

Prompt:
What role does research play in these two artists' works?

Response:Initially, this prompt was meant to be applied to both artists, however, Dawn Cerny was the only artist able to present. I found Dawn's work and lecture style very compelling. Her work, as described by her background experience, is quite varied. I am fortunate enough to have her as a Print teacher, but had no idea she did so many sculptural and installation works. Her work seems based on research she has done consciously or unconsciously her entire life. It seems to be a sum of her unique life experiences. It was most interesting to note the influence of her childhood activities, such as puzzles and listening to audio recordings of the Bible, on her conceptual development. It's as if she approaches her questions of life like puzzles that her art rectifies. Her strongest ability I felt was how she utilizes humor in her work. The titles of works reflect her unique sense of humor. Several works and exhibitions take on a "tongue in cheek" approach in a subtle, subversive manor, versus a direct commentary such as a mustache on a Mona Lisa. My favorite works were her flags she made for the "100 years; for better or worse" show with Patrick Holderfield for 4Culture in 2009. Textiles can be a somewhat lost approach to art outside of the fashion industry in my opinion. I am interested in incorporating textiles into my own work in the future. Overall, this lecture was inspiring and I look forward to working with Dawn more in the future.

Digital Projects

Thursday

 I must first say, this was by far the most inspiring, most enjoyable Thursday event planned for this class. I found it difficult to even write this piece about two artists. I was very impressed with the first artist, Robin Crookall at the 4 Culture gallery. At first glance, I thought the photos were merely of tiny models or even taken with tilt shift type photography and edited in Photoshop. After looking closer, I realized many models were made of cardboard. After researching Crookall’s background and further discussion with other students, I realized more than likely she made the scenes herself. To reference, my favorite piece entitled Wear the Fox Hat, features a fox in a deserted house growling at a trap in the center of the room. The fox’s fur stands on his back. The blinds in the window are blowing in the wind. It amazed me to think that these scenes were very small handmade replicas with such attention to detail. Each of Crookall’s works seem to demonstrate a somewhat surreal mood. In this particular show, there also seemed to be not only a continuous color scheme but a repeated theme of contrasting nature with suburban homes. After leaving this gallery and making a few rounds of the triangle of galleries, I walked into Soil gallery and spent time contemplating the works of Elizabeth Kleene. Her work proved to be much more surreal and conceptual. She demonstrates strong use of color and rhythm in her work. I was stopped for some time by her piece Heavenly Bodies. While some distinguishable objective figures are present in this piece, such as a badminton birdie tethered to a rope, it seems the focus is mostly the exotic palette of colors such as coral, neon pink, turquoise, and various dull pastels. The recognizable objects are just present in these melting cosmic landscapes created of shape, color, and crystalline figures. Her work was part of a larger exhibition of artists whose work I found equally stimulating.

Thursday Lecture Prompt

Describe the practice of each artist. Where do their concerns as artist have similarities and differences?

I would say the strongest difference between Kelly Sheridan and Ruth Tomlinson's work is conceptual development. Tomlinson's work appears to be much more conceptual ad based around the materials, rather than a strongly defined image. Tomlinson also seems to be highly influenced by her location, as made evident by her work Lost Long: a landscape, or her work with the weather symbols. Each reflect her relationship to her environment in Montana. Also, she chose to lecture solely on the work created there, demonstrating her engrained inspiration and affinity for that place. Her work environment seemed very minimalist and centered around inviting the outside environment. On the other hand, Sheridan's work seemed mainly influenced by her experiences and her plunge into a new world of technology. It is clear that although her focus was initially a more fine arts approach, it evolved as she honed skills using the computer. Although she spoke of limiting herself to one hundred items, her current work space has the several books color coded. By nature she seemed to be a collector but challenges that nature. Her background in paint has left room for strong color palettes in her current work. Both artists demonstrated capability in large formats or works that encompassed entire rooms. Both Tomlinson's and Sheridan's work speak for the artists in quality and process.

Describe this work and write an analysis of it. How does this work make you consider issues of privacy?

As you approach the Henry art gallery, you notice what looks like a window at first, but actually appears to be large video feed. Given that this is a creative (and college) environment, you tend not to question too heavily the presence of odd things. However, after further explanation from our guide, the what is called Sanctum exhibit gathers information about you, so to speak, if you stand in front long enough. The whole group now eagerly and some anxiously wait to try it.  The "window" records absolutely all the time. It records at night and on holidays and when no one is walking by to test it's omniscience. It apparently determines certain context clues from the individual or group standing in front of it and then queues some actual Facebook feed that would be theoretically relevant to the viewer. For instance, in my group, we were all in the 18-25 age bracket with backpacks. Some of us dress or modify our bodies more adventurously. Band t shirts and body piercings were prevalent. The Facebook feed revealed to us dealt with school matters, losing necessary items, and hanging out with friends. Although not too insightful, it was still a little unnerving that this even exists at all. However, on that same note, Facebook does the exact same thing. On the side panel after a few uses, advertisements already become custom tailored to your interests based on small factors such as gender, relationship status, and age. It is scary to consider this reality, not at the terror of being sold another disposable, useless product, but at the thought that other entities could be using similar technology. If we allow ourselves to accept or apathetically watch while these practices run rampant, I have no doubt we will find ourselves in a society utterly deprived of privacy, an intrinsic right.

RE Final Presentation

RE Final Presentation

Thursday Lecture Response

Describe the work of one of these artists and how you see their influences affecting their work.


From a conceptual standpoint, I found Robert Rhee's work to be very intriguing.Also, I found him to be a compelling speaker and was very interested in his process. However, Robert Campbell's work I found to be much more visually stimulating. I have little understanding of video production so I was interested to hear about the unique ways he manipulated video and incorporated it into works of art. For instance, the work Interval Two, was less like viewing a painting and more like an "experience". It was reminiscent of the sensation of sitting down and listening to an entire album like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The triptych style also seemed like reading a story or viewing three narratives in one setting. I was also very interested, and wish he could have further elaborated upon his Polaroid transfer methods. This is a process I have seen before and have attempted to replicate but with little success. I think his work would inspire me to branch out and try different methods I haven't before and keep pursuing ones I have been unsuccessful with in the past. It is important to note that Rob's work has definitely impacted me in terms of considering my materials in their original raw form conceptually when producing something. These vastly different artists provided an excellent lecture with differing approaches to art that created a very wholistic view of the age old question of what makes a good artist.

Recontextualized Object

A Response to Getting Lost

After embarking on the “RE Project”, I read Rebecca Solnit’s Field Guide to Getting Lost excerpt. Although I found Wim Wender’s reading intriguing, Solnit’s writing had an interesting almost retrospective effect on the work. I left for Capitol Hill armed with what I thought would be groundbreaking ideas and excited for a show I had tickets for. I had everything mapped out on my phone and in my head. After about an hour of photographing various areas of East Pike, dodging panhandlers and tourists, my boyfriend trailing behind, I grew discouraged. Nothing was turning out how I hoped. I put my phone away in temporary defeat and wandered into a local bar for cheaper drinks than the ones offered at the venue. I walked in and was welcomed with a poorly stocked bar, a cash only sign, an odd smell, and dollar bills peeling off the decrepid ceiling, reminiscent of many dives back home. The bartender proved to be an interesting character, rings on every finger, tattooed, and obviously disenchanted with the whole place, and most likely the city. I wanted to just capture at least one glimpse of the impression the area had left me with. I didn’t want to capture store fronts or neons or gutterpunks languidly lying on sidewalks. After expressing my plight to “Ryan in case we needed anything”, we decided a photo of his hands on the aging bar would be ideal. Before I knew it, he pulled out a knife from his pack pocket and stabbed into the bar, folding his hands. “That’s the shot.” He told me, instructing on an appropriate angle. As the evening wore on, I didn’t have a chance to glance at the photo I had taken. When I got home, I finally made it to the camera on my phone. It perfectly captured everything I took away from the area. It demonstrated the dirty, sometimes menacing, but intriguing value of the east side. After reading the Solnit reading, it all collided into sense. She states, “The art is not one of forgetting but of letting go.” I let go of all my plans and produced something way different and unexpected but valuable.

RE object photo

 

Kleiner Wunderkammer

Sam Prompt Response

Art and fashion equally attempt to effectively push boundaries. They both challenge societal "norms" and create ever evolving public opinion. In this particular show, Japanese fashion seemed to be more centrally focused around form and concept over function. Even collections that are now twenty years old, still seem extraordinarily futuristic and exemplify forward thinking. For instance, Issey Miyake's collection demonstrated a streamlined design for a very modern woman. He also created garments that were reminiscent of origami in that they folded down into one collapsible design. Also, the materials used, which were widely repeated in several designers' collections, such as polyester or rayon, are synthetic. However, they still maintained these amazing shapes in the garments displayed. The most notable of these designs can be seen in Hiroaki Ohya's creation of a red honeycomb dress constructed entirely of polyester film. this piece fascinated me most in the exhibition. Though these streamlined, futuristic narratives seemed to dominate the show, there were other designers that went a different route. There is a deep sense of nostalgia and costume in Rei Kawakubo's collection. Gingham patterns and large lumps around the neck and torso of colorful gowns greatly contrasted the aforementioned designers. The dresses reminded me of the Victorian era, but still seemed very futuristic. It called to mind films such as "The Fifth Element" or "Bladerunner". Since fashion is much more prevalent and obvious in our daily lives than other forms of art, it can facilitate a change or shift in social opinion much faster. The emphasis and exaggeration of non traditional areas such as the hips on the clothing in Kawakubo's collection seemed to almost challenge gender roles in society. The focus in Western fashion seems to be either masculine or feminine and reinforce gender roles. These alien shapes created by the illusion of the design questions the way we as people perceive as being attractive or beautiful. The focus is totally shifted away from the proverbial miniature waistline. it has also effectively asked the viewer to contemplate the difference between art and fashion.

First Post

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