Slide 1
“Hello, Thank you, I Love you. ”
This is my Integrated Studio fake class bridge 4 project.
Slide 2
Hi,
My name is Fée Brandt, I come from an international artist family, so I have always affected by multi-cultures and multiple Art forms that my family work with. Since I was small, I have always interested in trying all media and field of art such as music, performing or design. That’s why I chose Integrated Design as my major to experience more mixed-media art. And today, the monument artwork I am going to present is 2 new area of Art I am interested in exploring — Public/ Social Interactive Art and Art of Sounds.
Slide 3-5
The idea was born along knowing a magnificent monument, the Balto statue, located in Central Park, next to the zoo. I was inspired by its heroic story. In 1925 January, a disease called Diphtheria exploded in Nome, an isolated city in Alaska, and killed many child-patients. There was no antidote because of the poor political and economic situation as well as the lack of transportation due to hostile cold weather. The only transportation is sled dogs. So PHS organized 20 men along with their 200 dogs traveled 675 miles through 20 exchanging stops. Balto is the leading dog for the last stop’s team, he kept running towards destination even when the sled man was temporarily blind due to the blizzard. “The credit is his” his musher, the sled man said. The statue is built 10 months after Balto came back to Nome, on December 17th, 1925, by Frederick George Richard Roth after receiving commission form private donators and Municipal Arts Society.
But afterward, everything changed. Balto got sold to a world Tour Triple when he got old and then again sent to Cleveland Zoo, he never got to go back to his home, Alaska, but being stuffed in an exhibition after his death.
Slide 6
So this is what a hero get as a payback? Abandoned, imprisoned in a foreign country until they die. I deeply pity and angry for Balto to be treated this way. He doesn’t have to be a hero, but as an animal, he should be loved the same way he loved humans.
Around the world, there are animal abusements, abandonment, and killings. And animals don’t deserve to be treated this way, we used to be just like them. Listing out how much love animals have distributed to us, especially our pets. They guide people that are blind, people that are mentally sick. They help people trace evidence, and they just stay there when you are sad and cheer you up. I feel really connected with this issue, because I am an owner of two puppies and one of them recently died and that has made him realized how much help he has done to make me mentally better, and how I didn’t spend enough time with when I should have. I want to thank him and also thank all the animals that loved us and took part in our lives.
Slide 5
Concept and Artist statement:
I want to remind the love that animals have given us, and encourage humans to do the same thing and be aware of all kinds of animal abuse around.
I created a public interactive monument that is formed with sounds, texts, and symbolic representation. Using a regular cardboard box on the street as the eye-catching representation, collaborate with the sounds of a dog whimpering and baking as a media of storytelling, then with the text inside as a speechless protest leading to self-epiphany towards animals care.
Slide 6
Materials I am using is simple and common. A cardboard box with sounds and text attached. The main character is people’s reactions and interaction with the piece that will be recorded by a camera. My monument first attracts people by creating the representation of abandoned dogs in a box on the street in the cold winter which is a common type of animal abusements. When people cross over and realizes the sound and come to check, the text they see will explain all the concept behind it.
I secretly film them from far away and also set up a camera inside the box as well. I made a documentary with these recordings and analyzes and categorizes all kinds of people group’s reactions towards it to reflect the concept. The inside camera didn’t work at the end because the camera ran out of battery after 2 hours of filming. My lost and failure.
Slide 7
Here is my documentary! please enjoy.
Documentary FINAL (small) from Fée Brandt on Vimeo.
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Why box?
I use a regular cardboard box to blend in with the street, to associate with the box people abandon their unwanted dogs in, and also to illustrate the fact that animal abandonment happens regularly proved by the approaches of these passers-by.
Why sound?
I use the sound of dog whimpering and baking because I want to appreciate the gentle and healing sounds of dogs and to create a direct association of the love they dedicate through their language that cannot be understood by human beings.
Why text ” Hello, Thank you, I love you.”
I wrote the text in behave of all animals who take part in our lives. They thank you for the moment they see you, and they love you no matter who you are. They are single-minded and pure, but their love is strong and loyal. The text not only reminds the viewers the power of animals’ lover but also suggest them to do the same.
I intentionally hand wrote all the text to present my dedication towards this piece, and make people’s reaction more personal. Because it’s handwritten, it’s harder for the viewers to read with first sight, it requires them to stop by and read it carefully. This method eliminates the ones who are too busy to care or too careless to bother.
What kind of people are there?
After standing next to the box and watch people’s reaction to a total of 2 hours, I categorized and analyzed 3 type of groups of people according to their reactions.
- The Earphones
- The CopyCats
- The listener, trendsetter
- The ???
Slide 9
After this project, I learned a lot about public art and how to deal with unexpected interaction. The public is a variable and my art has to crab’s them and let their interaction speak for the piece. It’s interesting to see this variable changes and reflect my concept.
To reflect from my work, I think I could have made my text more powerful by creating my direct association with animals for viewers to better understand. Some challenges I have are to communicate with the police explaining that my piece isn’t explosive and to film people without noticed by them, as well to avoid people destroying and taking the monument.
In the process of developing my monument, my research helped me clarifying my concept and emotions towards animals and testifying all the heartbreaking animal’s abusements happening in this world. The story of Balto as my starting point reminded me of my passed-away dog and led to flashbacks of times when he heals me through my emotional conflicts, and dedicate his life to love me without asking anything to payback. He might not be a hero like Balto who saved Nome, but he is one for me. I should have spent more time with him and loved him. That’s why I created this monument hoping to stop things, like the afterlife of heroic Balto, happen again.
Slide 10
Final documentation of my monuments
it in 3 imagined spaces
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I am looking forward to digging deeper into public art or interactive art in the future. I am loving this type of art genre because of its bold honesty, it unabashedly reflects society. I can see the future of my work being located in more locations, capturing different people’s reactions, using different animals’ sound, preventing more animals from abandonment and abusement. The idea of using a cardboard box was inspired by my past cat Pillücy who is found on the street by us and is probably being abandoned by its previous master because of her inborn blindness. Also, I have always loved using a box as a container of messages. My previous artwork: Fish in Me, is also made with similar material, so I am more familiar with the material. This project being the last project of my studio and seminar class, I now understand the concept behind ” fake” better. Creating a “fake” monument of a real monument not only extends the message but also drags out more personal truths. My fake has been more powerful than the real. I think.
Slide 12
- Thank you very much!
- Comments & Questions?
