Short Biography
Daniel Lucas Narvaez, also known by his alias DaluvaeZ, is a Puerto Rican visual artist from The Bronx, New York. Narvaez studies at Parsons to major in Design & Technology, as he hopes to be a professional game designer. Like most artists, Narvaez wishes to use his skills to be a communicator to society. He is a huge gamer himself, and is also aware that the gaming community is in dire need of better role models. With his creative skills, combined with his perspective living in urban life, Narvaez strongly believes he can offer something to the world, and make it better.
Statement
For Bridge 4: Manifesto, I chose to research Ken Garland’s First Things First. At the beginning of the semester, Oscar Wilde’s words of “Art is not needed” lingered in my head. I had a question that I still hope to answer, “Is art really not needed? Or have we just forgotten its applications?” Garland’s manifesto seemed to be associated closest with answering my question. The last couple of bridge projects prepared me to give Bridge 4 one hundred ten percent of effort. I started the project with picking apart First Things First line by line, and interpreting each of Garland’s statements. I then did background research on the era and location that this manifesto was written in. Long story short, the downfall of art is directly linked to the rise of commercialism. By tackling this particular manifesto, I partially answered my own question. Art is still needed, but not in the best way. My research took me to the eras when art was the center of civilization, and I attempted to argue a link between the past we know and the present that Ken Garland speaks of in First Things First.
The manifesto states that Art can be used to contribute to a nation’s prosperity, to which I believe that deals with progressing society both socially and politically. This is where I found a link between the Seminar project and the Studio project. In Studio, my group and I are countering racial discrimination by creating stickers that expose and nullify racial stereotypes, (For example, one of my stickers sarcastically bashes those who claim Puerto Ricans place their national flag on all of their belongings). Art can be used for change, if it is used in a social activist manner.
BetterSociety Promotional Sticker – “Puerto Rican Flags Everywhere” 2018
I placed some of these around my neighborhood, and as expected I received a mixed batch of responses from the stickers. Some people were puzzled and questioned, while others (mostly Puerto Ricans like myself) actually found the stickers to be quite humorous. The BetterSociety Campaign that me and my group members created hopes for people of color around the world to embrace the stereotypes that are placed upon them. We hope to see people numb the hate behind these stereotypes, and turn the hate into personal empowerment. In my own case, I hope to see other Puerto Ricans being able to say, “Yeah I put my flag everywhere. And?” or “No I can’t speak Spanish, so what?” That empowerment alone can be what determines how an individual’s day is affected.
This project means a lot to my hopes for the future. Art can do so much for bettering society, it’s all about who’s steering the wheel. Artists all around need to know this: they can convey a message, whatever that message may be, to others. Our works are just as powerful as role models, so we’ve gotta be responsible about what messages we put out into the world. When I become a game designer, I want my work to be properly valued. I aim to catch the attention of scholars, critics, gamers, writers, teachers, producers, musicians, dancers, actors, and even everyday citizens. Video games are still viewed as childish and useless, but I’ve seen one change a man’s life. With that in mind I can’t just discredit the craft. It’s an art just as significant as music, dancing, or acting. If gaming can change one person, it can change society.
