Play with art

Week 10 Day 1: Play with art

Can working with art at some point be considered as "playing" with art? Is art fun? Is art an experience? Is art an experiment?

I must admit when I hear the word "play" by itself, I immediate visualise a stage, with actors in costumes, reciting lines in something like a school play. Things are organized and practiced, rehearsals happen and new things are tried. Preparing for the ultimate performance soon to happen in the future. The show is perfected up to the performance. However there is another word "play" and that is when I think of children in a park, girls with dolls, boys with trucks using their imagination creating situations even calamities to overcome and eventually figure things out. It is a learning process, taking things they have observed and putting it into application. Practicing for the future. Can "play" be applied to art?

While I work on my art, often times I make mistakes, or something happens I wasn't prepared for (good or bad) and I have to make alterations and adapt in order to continue with my creation. I half the time experiment. Vincent Van Gogh said " I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it." In that sense I end up creating a situation that I need to overcome. If I look at it through the theatrical word, I am rehearsing, perfecting, trying new things in my studio, preparing for my final piece that will later be shown. While the art is being viewed or in an exhibit, shouldn't it be experienced? Just as a child experiences the rush of a slide in a playground could there be an experience in art? Isn't a school play an experience for the audience?

Even though most of what I have written down are questions, I have an answer for myself. That art can be play, art can be playful, art is experimental, art is practiced, art is an experience, yes art can be play. However, that is the answer for me...not necessarily the answer for you and thus art is subjective.

Time Lapse

Week 9 day 3: Time lapse

In my sculpture class our first project was to create a self portrait in clay. Sculpting my very first head, face, neck, hair, and shoulders wasn't easy. For the fun of it (and if my instructor is nice maybe extra credit) I documented my progress. In 4-D class we discussed stop motion animation and time lapse. Since I had pictures taken every 5 minuets while I worked with the clay, i figured i could create a time lapse with my photographs. I started taking photos the second day of work out of seven.

And here is the YouTube link just in case it doesn't work here on the blog. (YouTube Link)

Site Specific Art

Week 9 Day 1: Response to "One Place After Another: Site Specific Art and Locational Identity" by Miwon Kwon


Here in school whenever I have created a drawing, sculpture or painting I always imagine it being placed in the classic gallery or museum. White walls, no windows, controlled lights, hard floors a place that is quiet so that viewers will carefully observe the art, contemplate it and not be distracted by anything outside the room. After reading the section my 4-D studio teacher instructed us to read, I read that the room I just described is considered a "blank slate" a room that

"actively disassociate the space of art from the outer world, furthering the institution's idealist imperative of rendering itself and it's values "objective," "disinterested," and "true." (page 13)

Although under the surface planned my art for the context of the blank slate, I never actually thought about it. Not until this class started teaching about installation art, site specific art. Where one goes to a location, indoors, or outdoors and creates art in or around it. When creating site specific art, often times the artist immerses the viewer into the art, for instance the reading gave the example of Mierle Laderman Ukeles's 1973 "maintenance art" performance where she was on her hands and knees and washed the entry plaza and steps, and then the exhibition galleries for a total of eight hours held at the Wadsworth Atheneum. She displayed the cliche domestic act of "woman's work" and made people notice the museum's perfect neutral, immaculate and pristine white spaces. Drawing attention towards the hidden daily maintenance in keeping the desired context. One could go on about the representation and meaning behind this performance, but I wanted to make the point that she choose that location and context and needed it to aid in her message. While others would have just used the exhibition galleries like myself to hand or set up works of art. She created art around and in the location, and it could never be recreated exactly the same way.

Another form of site specific art location is not the physical location, but an issue location. While art has often time reflected on the cultural and social and political issues, artist have now taken that issue to be a form of a location and created art based on that"site". The reading discusses how site specific art is becoming more and more popular and taking context to a whole new level.

"Nonetheless, this move away from a literal interpretation of the site, and the multiple expansions of the site in locational and conceptual terms, seem more accelerated today than in the past. The phenomenon is embraced by many artists, curators, and critics as offering more effective avenues to resist revised institutional and market forces that now commodify "critical" art practices." (page 30)

Instead of painting a painting and hanging it anywhere or creating a sculpture and placing it in the middle of a room, artist now are thinking of location, meaning, context, and "site" now more then ever. Be it a physical indoor outdoor blank slate or busy section, be it relational or topic issue and so many possibilities therein -site specific art could be said that an artist takes "The Space of Art" and converts it into "The Art of Space"

Judy Pfaff, Pierre Huyghe

Week 8 Day 1: Judy Pfaff and Pierre Huyghe

Again this morning in class we got to see more documentaries for "art 21" on artist. We enjoyed 4 artists, Judy Pfaff, Pierre Huyghe, Nancy Spero, and Jenny Holzer. Although I was inspired by all of them in different ways, the two who stuck out the most to me were Judy Pfaff and Pierre Huyghe.It stunned me to see the magnitude Judy Pfaff works in. She talked about how she originally thought she was going to be a painter and not be a sculptor. That was until she found that sculpting works better with they way she thinks and the way she is. She discussed how she let her life influence her art, and this particular exhibit was dealing with the death of her mother and friends in the past year. So her primary goal for the exhibit was emotion. She created great contrast using blacks and whites ( not bottom right picture, that is a different exhibit) in a balance like life and the loss. Pfaff said "I am kind of very romantic" and that she works towards other aspects in her art. She also mentioned how she will beguin with one idea and admits that she will always change her mind. I found these things further encouragement in my own endeavors because I feel very similarly towards art.









Although I wasn't moved one way or another by Pierre Huyghe. I didn't like his work and I didn't dislike his work I found what he did was inspirational."I need to create a world" Huyghe said. To create his worlds Huyghe did many different things, from working in video, in installation, performance that was opera like, to puppetry. His work was wrapped around time and setting, and he used many different medias to tell his message within time and setting. Some of his work was explained to the viewer as they watched or looked at his work, others allowed the viewer to bring their own thoughts into the artwork, asking themselves questions and interpreting to their desires. He created his world and documented his creation, the perfect example of time based art. Even though I am not swayed either way by his art, I did find this wisdom profound and meaningful. In discussing time, Pierre talked how with more artist, the exhibition was the end. To work for a period of time, and the exhibit shows their work at the end. He views an Exhibition as a start, a starting point for somthing new. It's appealing to see an artist dipping his fingers into many different medias instead of setteling on one thing. He is not a video artist, sculpture, or storyteller...he is all and more. It is appealing to a student like myself to see I do not have to choose one thing...I can explore and try something new.

Andy Goldsworthy

Week 6 Day 1: Andy Goldsworthy response paper



Today in class we watched a documentary about Andy Goldsworthy Rivers and Tides, Working with Time. I at times found him to be so focused and involved with his art, that it seemed like his mind had little space for anything else. He creates pieces within nature, with nature, using tools he finds in the environment. It's clear he loves being outdoors, though difficult and rough on him, it seems he tries to be one with the realm he is in. Allowing his surroundings to depict what the art will be. Most of his works are temporary lasting anywhere from minuets, hours, to perhaps a few years. He views the destruction of his art not as destruction (unless it falls apart before he is finished) but as a gift to nature. His method is old fashioned, however revolutionary if looking at it in a "green" perspective. Never introducing something man made into his art, simply natural elements and media.




Goldsworthy main inspiration would be water and how it flows from the river to the sea, parts are rough and strong while other parts are still and quite and smooth. He allows the river to inspire his line work. He often creates a line fluid and moving back and forth like a river bends. One of my favorite scenes would be when he linked at least 200 hundred green leaves together creating a long line and places them in a still section of a river, and the current slowly drifted the long strand down the flow of water creating this almost dance. I became nearly hypnotised with the fluidity and femininity and grace of the leaves in the water(Link). Water to me is the most beautiful thing in our world. The way it is harmful and harmless. It's slow, and fast, gentle and hard. Life giving and life taking. There is a tragic beauty in water and the way Andy Goldsworthy uses it in his art is unique in today's art scene.

Push

My very first animation was when I was 15 and it was about a bald bunny. However, 7 years later I worked some long hours for my 4-D assignment. Here is my second animation "Push"

Tara Donovan : Mundane Beauty

Week 5 day 1: Tara Donovan : Mundane Beauty



Things we see every day and possibly taken for granted are put together by Tara Donovan creating masterpieces. Donovan was born in New York City, New York in 1969, and attended School of Visual Arts New York, NY. Then after attending BFA, Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington DC, her artistic career was launched when Donovan had an exhibit in 1997 and 1999 and her medium has stayed consistent through out the years . Taking everyday things from paper plates, to buttons and creating stunning visual shapes and sculptures.







Tara Donovan will use one common daily item over and over again. Most would consider this mundane, however once the piece is complete its is a work of art (not meant as a pun). Donovan takes inspiration from the objects she uses. These domestic everyday items are lost in the full view of a piece until looked at closer.In an interview (Link) Donovan said she was drawn to the scalloped edges of the paper plates, and how plastic cups absorb and diffuse light. Using the same item and doing the same action in making her massive sculptures gives a sense of time passing in the repetitive action.Once one sees the details one can really appreciate the time and amount of work it took in making these. Please go to this site to view incredible pictures of Donovan's art(link).

My daily ritual art project for 4-D studio though not as massive or impressive as Donovan's is similar in method. Taking an everyday object (lipstick) and an everyday common body part (lips) I kiss a piece of paper multiple times. I have found doing this is mundane, but will eventually come together. Scanning it into my computer every day to show stages and eventually animate to show the passing of time is also part of the project, as I create an archive or collection of the same image. Lips may be found originally more interesting then say a button, but I always was fascinated on how the American culture puts quite a bit of focus on lips. My original goal was to take a mundane action and turn it beautiful...but now I wonder if the lips were beautiful to begin with, why not take something beautiful and make it mundane? Since I am still in the middle of the process, the art hasn't made up it's mind.

William Kentridge Response

Week 4 Day 1: William Kentridge Response

Today in class we watch a video documentary about William Kentridge and his work. Since I had just done research on him I was actually excited to learn even more. Late in the film he made the comment that while younger and in his studies Kentridge had a difficult time deciding between Film, Drawing, and performance or Theater. As he result he never chose one over the others. Since he still flips back and fourth between all three, he is constantly seeing things in new perspectives and it aids in what ever project he is in. Theater could inspire a drawing that later relates in one of his films. Whatever the case you will often see Kentridge intertwine film, drawing, and theater within each other.

I was fascinated with how Kentridge created his animations. By taking one drawing he alters it many times instead of redrawing the same drawing on different pages similar to cell animation. Taking one drawing he captures it on film, then erases and redraws on the same page the next frame in his animation. Once finished he again captures it on film and starts the process again. Although the end product isn't as clean as cell drawing I find the rough, loose gestural drawing conveys his messages better then clean cell animation would. His animations are rather dark and dismal, creating emotions in me of guilt or shame and confusion. If he used many different pages in his animation instead of the 20 some odd he uses and reuses I believe the general feel of his animation would be different. Plus the media of his choice, charcoal, aids in his fluid loose gestural quick drawings. During the video Kentridge made the comment that if he gets caught up in a frame and trying to make it a nice drawing, he intentionally will rough it up. Combining his type of drawings, his media and his process you are left with an animation that is personally his. 100% his style and message. Without a doubt William Kentridge is leaving his mark in the 21st century.

William Kentridge

Week 3 Day 1: William Kentridge

"What hasn't this man done?"

I was dumb founded when selecting William Kentridge who I wanted to do research on. Originally I thought his form of animation was fascinating and wanted to learn more about his charcoal drawings and how they develop into films. Now as I continue to read I find Kentridge has filled his life with many creative projects.

In 1955 William Kentridge was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He earned his Bachelor degree in Politics and African Studies at the University of Witwatersrand located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Then trying his (very successful) hand to visual arts he attended Johannesburg Art Foundation. Later in the early 1980's he traveled to Paris, France where he studied mime and theatre at L'Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq. Using everything he has learned Kentridge has applied Politics into his art, making statements in animation, performance, drawings and more.

In 1998 Kentridge staged his first opera, and not just any opera, a highly detailed puppet opera. Telling the story of The Return of Ulysses. One of his most recent projects was The Magic Flute (Link )featured at Broooklyn's Academy of Music in 2007. Kentridge was not only the director, but he also designed costumes and sets for the performance.

I would have to say that one of my personal favorites of his animation would be Automatic Writing (Link). Although this film's narrative in not linear, I appreciate how it's interactive for the viewer, allowing the viewer to choose the story. There is no doubt in my mind that Kentridge will give us more years of creativity and performance.

Joseph Cornell and Eadweard Muybridge

Week 2 Day 2: Joseph Cornell and Easweard Muybridge

Comparison between Joseph Cornell and Eadweard Muybridge and how their artwork can be considered "book like"

A book is a collection of words or images in relation to each other and are organized in a sequence. There is a beginning, middle and end. We often enjoy a good story book or (if your like me) enjoy getting lost in the elaborate illustrations of a picture book.

Yet, my 4-D class instruction widen my perspective of a book. Take away the object or item of a book we would find in the library and you are left with "collection, relationship, and sequence". Joseph Cornell and Eadweard Muybridge both emerge their art in collection, relationship and sequence.

Joseph Cornell (1903-1973) grew up and lived most of his life in Queens,New York. He spent time making discoveries in small object or relics found in flea markets and junk shops. Then creating relationships with these relics by putting them together in various compartments or boxes. In the 1930's Cornell was influenced by Surrealism artist Max Ernst calling it 'the Max Ernst white magic side' of Surrealism compared to the more violent and dark side of Surrealism. Joseph claimed that the closest he ever got to the violent side was when he occasionally cracked the pane of glass in his box. Other than that he strayed away from the erotic or fantasies that most Surrealists exhibited. He viewed the glass pane as a the means of separation between two contrasting worlds. One outside world filled with chaos, and accidents, while the second inside world was peaceful and filled with memories.

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) became one of San Francisco's most important landscape photographers. Brought to the attention of Leland Stanford, he was hired to take a photograph in order to settle a debate: Was there ever a moment in a horses run (gait) where all four hooves are off the ground? Muybridge accepted the challenge in 1872, and six years later with 12 cameras he was successful in capturing the moment when all four hooves are off the ground at the same instant. Once these pictures went public, Muybridge was internationally famous. Later in his career at the University of Pennsylvania he produced thousands of images relating to the frame by frame movement and capturing motion of man and beast. Although science was surrounding Muybridge's project at the University(which to his credit he encouraged), Eadweard thought of himself primarily, an artist.

Cornell's art is based off of 'found imagery' finding the beauty in the trinkets and placing them together creating both a collection and creating relationships between the objects or images he found. There is not a set out line of sequence in Cornell's boxes, but this allows the viewer to take part of the art and explore. Making the art interactive, as the viewer decides for them self a sequence within the box.

Muybridge's photographs are based in and on sequence. The collection of still frames follow one another creating a sequence of motion. There is a clear relationship from photograph to photograph as it is the same subject in a difference pose.

Both of these artist exhibit attributes of a book (the concept, not the object) though completely different in their art. Each having a their own sets of collections that relates to each other in a form of sequence.

Bill Watterson

Week 1 Day 1: Bill Waterson


A brief history on the genius who created Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson. Watterson was born July 5th 1958 in Washington D.C. His father , James G. Watterson attended George Washington University Law School becoming a patent attorney in 1960. At the age of six Watterson's family moved to Ohio where his mother, Kathryn Watterson, became a city council member. In 1997 Watterson's father, James was elected council member who has recently retired in August of 2009 now in pursuit of personal artistic goals. This would explain where some of Bill Watterson's brilliant insight in his comics would come from.

Through out childhood and high school, Bill Watterson was constantly drawing. The mascot of Chagrin Falls High School where he attended was a tiger. Drawing for the school's news paper he often included this tiger in his comics and you can see early signs of Hobbes in the making. In 1980 Watterson earned a Bachelor's degree in Arts in Political Science at Kenyon College. After graduating he was offered a job by the Cincinnati Post drawing political cartoons. During a six month trial period at the Cincinnati Post, Watterson found that the job didn't suit him finding his Editor expecting to much from him. The following four years Watterson designed grocery advertisement before Calvin and Hobbes entered into his life.

Calvin and Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985. Charles Schulz, Walt Kelly and George Herriman were some of the few that inspired Bill Watterson to create his own comic strip. Calvin and Hobbes is seeing life through the eyes of a mischievous, adventurous boy and his stuffed tiger who through thick and thin, magically comes to life offering words of wisdom or food for thought all wrapped in an easily understood humor for people in all steps of life. As with most cartoonists Watterson incorporates many pieces of his own life into his art, such as his father's lectures on building character or his love for cycling to even his pet cat who inspired Hobbes in personality and form.

I personally own a couple of Calvin and Hobbes books and will periodically read them, laughing at the the circumstances Calvin will get himself into and marveling at the stunning line work and background art. The way Watterson will convey time through panels of his comic strip is seamless. Sometimes just a single panel will illustrate hours of time or hard work captured like a photograph. Others, such as his full page strips give a fantastic sense of movement and space.






When ever I do a comic strip (First Meeting) Bill Watterson does influence me, his narrative style is what inspires me the most. Capturing the plot and storyline in just a few drawings seems effortless and flows naturally for Watterson. Looking at the day to day life in a different perspective where the unappreciated is exciting and simple things become adventures. It's fascinating to me how easily the audience/reader is immediately immersed into the world of Calvin and Hobbes. I keep finding myself asking the same questions in life that Calvin will ask. I deeply appreciate this sort of genius Watterson exhibits, because how many comic strip can handle both being thought provoking, and hilarious?

I want to end this Blog with some of Bill Watterson's quotes that shows how brilliant of a thinker he is and easily shows why Calvin and Hobbes is such a timeless and popular comic strip.

--

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, every thing's different."

"The world of a comic strip ought to be a special place with its own logic and life... I don't want the issue of Hobbes's reality settled by a doll manufacturer."

"Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend."