l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness
The concept of my final piece was to emphasize the “loneliness” and isolation described in ee cummings’ poem, “(a leaf falls) loneliness”. cummings’ poems are characterized by short, broken up words and phrases, usually ignoring traditional rules of grammar and punctuation. As such, the book is meant to mirror his writing’s style, by being very simple and minimalist in terms of the book’s design and look. Each page is completely black, with white text and a small white picture accompanying each line. These pictures are a falling leaf (a literal representation of the poem’s subject), whose pattern of movement mirrors the visual movement of the letters it accompanies, and a man in the bottom-right corner, who attempts to catch the leaf, but decides instead to turn away and leave the panel. The man is intended to be lonely and isolated in this space, a fact that is emphasized by his being a silhouette. The drawings were sketched in photoshop and traced in illustrator in order to create a cleaner and simpler look. The text used was Trebuchet MS.
The book was created by printing the pages on a textured paper through a wide-format printer, which was then cut out and fixed to black matboard using a spray adhesive. The biggest difficulty came afterwards, in the binding, where I had to punch holes in each (now very thick) page, and then use two key rings to put them all together. The rings were difficult to work with, but I managed to get them through each hole without any damage. This binding was also important to the book’s meaning, as the rings are one of the simplest methods of binding, which goes along with the book’s overall simplicity, as per cummings’ work.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
post the fourteenth // tryptich
The idea of my tryptich was that the two outer pieces each represent a different side of my creative mind, while the middle, a drawing of myself, was to represent the combination of the two. The left piece is a depiction of my graphic design interests, a clean, simple logo that represents my own ambition to be a designer as a career. The logo is one that I would consider using for a portfolio or design company. The clean, solid look emphasizes the styles which my designs tend to be. The right side of the tryptich is a representation of my interest and love for comics, especially webcomics. My many sketches and doodles usually are concepts for my own comic ideas, so transferring them onto the tryptich was like putting my own mind on display. Finally, the middle piece is a combination of the two outer pieces, combining digital art and traditional art (being a photoshop drawing) and representing myself alone.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
post the twelfth // presentations
Masaki Fujihata // Perry Hoberman
This presentation focused on two artists who work with interactivity in their art. I feel that interactivity is a key point to work with in digital art, especially in modern times when computers and digital ideals take up a large amount of the human mindset, especially when concerning art. Fujihata and Hoberman’s art dealing with interactivity and computers demonstrates this idea especially well.
Lynn Hershman // Marina Abramovic
This presentation featured two woman artists who work primarily with feminism in their artwork, and both rely on performance in order to bring their message across. Abramovic’s works are typically very controversial, and many include segments of self-mutilation, such as a piece in which she carves a star into her stomach. The gruesomeness of acts such as these serve to emphasize the pain she deals with. Hershman’s work dealt with isolation and loneliness, emphasized by the idea of the collision between man and machine.
Mattes // Jenik/Brenners
Lucy’s presentation featured two sets of artists whose work was centered around the idea of an ‘avatar’, a representation of one’s self in digital form. A good amount of the information and “art” shown appeared to be from early versions of avatar and chat systems, such as the ‘desktop theatre’ of Jenik and Brenners. These ‘theaters’ were not really visually impressive in the least, but that can be chalked up to the techonology of today being far more advanced and able to produce more than simple sprite images. Mattes’ work on “Second Life”, a 3D program in which one essentially lives another life with their avatar, is rather impressive, but I personally do not see much of an appeal in living a life as the ones shown through this program. Though, one of my favorite games of all time is Animal Crossing, which is similar in concept, so I suppose I’m being sort of hypocritical in that sense. Either way, I feel like these two ‘artists’ are definitely very similar in what they do, and in that way, this presentation was very effective.
Lillian Schwartz // Robert Lazzarini
Josh and Kristen’s presentation focused on two pioneers in the digital art world. Lillian Schwartz was in fact one of the very first people to create artwork in a digital medium. Most of her digital pieces were very experimental in nature, and lacked the technological sophistication we are used to today. Her pieces were commissioned by companies such as AT&T, and had to be programmed into the computer, rather than simply drawn in as we do today. They mostly consisted of lights and sounds, and most images were very vague. However, given the timeframe in which she worked, these pieces are very impressive. Robert Lazzarini’s work is also very impressive, and functions as an excellent combination between digital work and tangible art. He creates models in 3D on the computer and warps them digitally, and then recreates the warped objects as real sculptures. These pieces are visually stunning to look at, and blend the seemingly impossible concepts of digital art with reality. In this way,he has pioneered the transition from digital art to tangible art.
Teun Hocks // Ellen Kooi
Shannon and Cayte’s presentation showed two artists whose works combine reality with the surreal, with end results that may appear similar, but were brought about in very different manners. Teun Hocks’ works are typically photographs which are then painted over, blending the life-like images with impossible and humorous situations, such as a man losing his hat to the wind, except that in his case, there are multiple hats floating about. His works often deal with everyday life situations, so that we, as viewers, can relate to them, but they are twisted into surreality, adding to the humor of the situation. Ellen Kooi works with photography alone, and does not manipulate her images in any way, which makes them all the more surreal, as many of the scenes she creates and just as surreal and strange as Hocks’. She creates these photographs by carefully planning out and staging each shot, resulting in images that seem like they must have been manipulated in some way, but were in fact not. Thus, these two artists have similar end results but the works are created in completely different ways.
Rueben Langdon // Trisha Brown
Casey and Aaron's presentation focused on two artists whose works translated real-life movement into digital creations. Rueben Langdon's work as a motion capture actor is not necessarily "art", per se, but his extensive experience in the field of motion capture for video games and movies certainly makes him an important aspect to that particular branch of digital art. Trisha Brown's contributions to the field as a choreographer fit in well with the idea of motion capture, her three-year project combining motion capture and real-life dance certainly makes her an important figure to the field.
This presentation focused on two artists who work with interactivity in their art. I feel that interactivity is a key point to work with in digital art, especially in modern times when computers and digital ideals take up a large amount of the human mindset, especially when concerning art. Fujihata and Hoberman’s art dealing with interactivity and computers demonstrates this idea especially well.
Lynn Hershman // Marina Abramovic
This presentation featured two woman artists who work primarily with feminism in their artwork, and both rely on performance in order to bring their message across. Abramovic’s works are typically very controversial, and many include segments of self-mutilation, such as a piece in which she carves a star into her stomach. The gruesomeness of acts such as these serve to emphasize the pain she deals with. Hershman’s work dealt with isolation and loneliness, emphasized by the idea of the collision between man and machine.
Mattes // Jenik/Brenners
Lucy’s presentation featured two sets of artists whose work was centered around the idea of an ‘avatar’, a representation of one’s self in digital form. A good amount of the information and “art” shown appeared to be from early versions of avatar and chat systems, such as the ‘desktop theatre’ of Jenik and Brenners. These ‘theaters’ were not really visually impressive in the least, but that can be chalked up to the techonology of today being far more advanced and able to produce more than simple sprite images. Mattes’ work on “Second Life”, a 3D program in which one essentially lives another life with their avatar, is rather impressive, but I personally do not see much of an appeal in living a life as the ones shown through this program. Though, one of my favorite games of all time is Animal Crossing, which is similar in concept, so I suppose I’m being sort of hypocritical in that sense. Either way, I feel like these two ‘artists’ are definitely very similar in what they do, and in that way, this presentation was very effective.
Lillian Schwartz // Robert Lazzarini
Josh and Kristen’s presentation focused on two pioneers in the digital art world. Lillian Schwartz was in fact one of the very first people to create artwork in a digital medium. Most of her digital pieces were very experimental in nature, and lacked the technological sophistication we are used to today. Her pieces were commissioned by companies such as AT&T, and had to be programmed into the computer, rather than simply drawn in as we do today. They mostly consisted of lights and sounds, and most images were very vague. However, given the timeframe in which she worked, these pieces are very impressive. Robert Lazzarini’s work is also very impressive, and functions as an excellent combination between digital work and tangible art. He creates models in 3D on the computer and warps them digitally, and then recreates the warped objects as real sculptures. These pieces are visually stunning to look at, and blend the seemingly impossible concepts of digital art with reality. In this way,he has pioneered the transition from digital art to tangible art.
Teun Hocks // Ellen Kooi
Shannon and Cayte’s presentation showed two artists whose works combine reality with the surreal, with end results that may appear similar, but were brought about in very different manners. Teun Hocks’ works are typically photographs which are then painted over, blending the life-like images with impossible and humorous situations, such as a man losing his hat to the wind, except that in his case, there are multiple hats floating about. His works often deal with everyday life situations, so that we, as viewers, can relate to them, but they are twisted into surreality, adding to the humor of the situation. Ellen Kooi works with photography alone, and does not manipulate her images in any way, which makes them all the more surreal, as many of the scenes she creates and just as surreal and strange as Hocks’. She creates these photographs by carefully planning out and staging each shot, resulting in images that seem like they must have been manipulated in some way, but were in fact not. Thus, these two artists have similar end results but the works are created in completely different ways.
Rueben Langdon // Trisha Brown
Casey and Aaron's presentation focused on two artists whose works translated real-life movement into digital creations. Rueben Langdon's work as a motion capture actor is not necessarily "art", per se, but his extensive experience in the field of motion capture for video games and movies certainly makes him an important aspect to that particular branch of digital art. Trisha Brown's contributions to the field as a choreographer fit in well with the idea of motion capture, her three-year project combining motion capture and real-life dance certainly makes her an important figure to the field.
post the eleventh // whitney response
Robert Williams // Tam Tran
The two artists i chose to compare from the trip to the Whitnet Biennial were Robert Williams and Tam Tran, both of whose works in the exhibition displayed an extraordinary sense of imagination and wonder, through two completely different methods and techniques. Williams’ paintings on display could be best described as “insane”. His watercolors convey ridiculous scenes, depicting scenes that have no real grounds in reality or intention of obeying the laws of physics. His works are full of pure imaginative spirit, which transitions us to the other piece in the exhibition I found to be very interesting: Tam Tran’s “Raising Hell”, a series of photographs in which a small child pretends to be a superhero, wearing a makeshift towel cape, spiderman pajamas, and wielding a stick as a weapon. I feel that this is, in a much more subtle way, just as representative of imagination and creativity as Williams’ paintings. The photos capture the act of imagination, rather than show the end result of said thought process, and is somehow more pure in its display of creativity. It is a passive act of imagining, whereas Williams’ watercolors are an active display of creativity.
The two artists i chose to compare from the trip to the Whitnet Biennial were Robert Williams and Tam Tran, both of whose works in the exhibition displayed an extraordinary sense of imagination and wonder, through two completely different methods and techniques. Williams’ paintings on display could be best described as “insane”. His watercolors convey ridiculous scenes, depicting scenes that have no real grounds in reality or intention of obeying the laws of physics. His works are full of pure imaginative spirit, which transitions us to the other piece in the exhibition I found to be very interesting: Tam Tran’s “Raising Hell”, a series of photographs in which a small child pretends to be a superhero, wearing a makeshift towel cape, spiderman pajamas, and wielding a stick as a weapon. I feel that this is, in a much more subtle way, just as representative of imagination and creativity as Williams’ paintings. The photos capture the act of imagination, rather than show the end result of said thought process, and is somehow more pure in its display of creativity. It is a passive act of imagining, whereas Williams’ watercolors are an active display of creativity.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
post the ninth // artist comparison (self-image)
The artworks of Frida Kahlo, Marina Abramovic, and Cui Xiuwen, though they explore different media and periods of time, all include, to an extent, an aspect of self-portrayal, be it due to a positive or negative perception of one’s self-image, or perhaps reflecting on one’s own past. Essentially, each of these artists’ works have a strong relationship with the artists themselves, as the ideas and meanings behind the art are strongly set within the artists’ ideas on themselves, and in the cases of these three women, in can be noted that the female image comes into play strongly in their art.
Marina Abramovic’s photographs, which are typically digitally manipulated, have a strong sense of female identity. Whether or not the images are meant to be satire of that same femininity is questionable. Many of Abramovic’s photographs have her in a situation which would typically be considered part of a traditional female role, such as a piece in which Abramovic is surrounded by various pots and pans and typical kitchen equipment. This type of piece seems to be a solidification of the roles women are supposed to play in life, and Abramovic’s being surrounded by these stereotypes seem to indicate that she feels entrapped by traditional gender roles in society.
Cui Xiuwen’s images, also digitally manipulated photographs, seem to mostly deal with the repetition of a single figure, duplicated over and over, yet each time, the figure (Xiuwen herself), has a new pose and position, so as to create the illusion of multiple people instead of a single person repeated. Xiuwen’s use of this repetition could be interpreted as her feeling like she has no personal image when surrounded with people, she feels as though her individuality is lost amongst the populace. Her lost image is represented by being surrounded by nothing but more of herself.
Frida Kahlo, the most notable and famous of these three artists, dealt heavily with her own image. Her perception of herself is clear when looking at her paintings, she creates herself to be an ugly person, most notably exaggerating her unibrow and facial features so as to construe herself as unattractive. She also paints herself in a surrealistic fashion to emphasize a feeling of weakness and uselessness, such as a painting in which she paints herself as a wounded and dying deer in a forest. This stems from her past, where a bus accident crippled her and left her weak and sickly for much of her life, causing her self-image to greatly suffer, a theme which is prevalent in most of her work.
Marina Abramovic’s photographs, which are typically digitally manipulated, have a strong sense of female identity. Whether or not the images are meant to be satire of that same femininity is questionable. Many of Abramovic’s photographs have her in a situation which would typically be considered part of a traditional female role, such as a piece in which Abramovic is surrounded by various pots and pans and typical kitchen equipment. This type of piece seems to be a solidification of the roles women are supposed to play in life, and Abramovic’s being surrounded by these stereotypes seem to indicate that she feels entrapped by traditional gender roles in society.
Cui Xiuwen’s images, also digitally manipulated photographs, seem to mostly deal with the repetition of a single figure, duplicated over and over, yet each time, the figure (Xiuwen herself), has a new pose and position, so as to create the illusion of multiple people instead of a single person repeated. Xiuwen’s use of this repetition could be interpreted as her feeling like she has no personal image when surrounded with people, she feels as though her individuality is lost amongst the populace. Her lost image is represented by being surrounded by nothing but more of herself.
Frida Kahlo, the most notable and famous of these three artists, dealt heavily with her own image. Her perception of herself is clear when looking at her paintings, she creates herself to be an ugly person, most notably exaggerating her unibrow and facial features so as to construe herself as unattractive. She also paints herself in a surrealistic fashion to emphasize a feeling of weakness and uselessness, such as a painting in which she paints herself as a wounded and dying deer in a forest. This stems from her past, where a bus accident crippled her and left her weak and sickly for much of her life, causing her self-image to greatly suffer, a theme which is prevalent in most of her work.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
post the eigth // photo alteration final
My photo alteration project was based upon a simple concept of looking through 'portals', and the multiplication of these windows we look through in order to see. The idea originated with a picture being taken of another person taking a picture, creating a sort of parallel between the image and the taker of the photo. By adding a window and a box to look through in the image, the viewer is looking through 4 different portals i order to get to the other person taking a photograph.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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