Manifesto:
In most of my relationships my role is always the happy person that always keeps things light. I never am the one to bring up when I’m feeling down or something’s bothering me. Being in this role, I’ve noticed that it is an unhealthy part of me because it always eventually comes out in passive or blown out ways when it could be have easily been talked about before reaching that point. A lot of times I can talk to others about their experience and their feelings, but when I have to explain how I feel I can’t really grasp it until it explodes in some way.
This is another reason why Daniela and I complement each other so well. She is the opposite. When something is bothering her she immediately puts it out there. She doesn’t do it in an aggressive way, but just lets you know when something puts her off. She calls me out when I am not being direct and pushes me to just say whats bothering me. We work because we are able to hash it out and are open enough to see where either of us is wrong or what happened.
This helps define who I am today because I am learning to be more upfront and honest about how I feel to those around me and most importantly to myself. Ignoring how you really feel never help the situation because it will inevitably come out in toxic ways. Be honest and open and expect the same in return. Even if you feel or think something you don’t want to think, confront it and try to pick out whats making you feel like this. Continue to dig deeper to the root of the problem.
Proposal:
Project goal: “How might I…”
create something that points out areas where one can take a break from the city while in the city
explore places/ spots to find some peace of mind and reflect/ relax
public parks
explore concept and function of public space and how design informs users- explore the different environments of parks
Example: union square and Washington square- both public spaces, but serve with very different functions and social dynamics
contemplative spaces
Project Plan
I really want to explore the different mediums we’ve been talking about in class and just make! I’d like to create a book to show a collection of my favorite contemplative spaces in NYC.
I’m interested in photography, printmaking, and collage. So, I’d like to incorporate all mixed mediums in this project to convey different feelings associated with different public parks/ spaces.
One idea I had was to make it like a guide book to finding contemplative spaces in NYC. I could research by being in the space and ask people why they go there, or how they feel before compared to after they leave.
I’d like to incorporate text somehow, so quotes could be interesting to include.
Research:
- interviews
- field work
- photographing
- researching book layouts
- typography
- collecting references
Skills I want to try:
woodcuts
typography
more communication design/ graphic design knowledge
printmaking
past exploration examples
timeline
week of…
Nov. 31st– visit center for book arts 28th street (11am to 6pm)
collect reference materials!!
Printed Matter bookstore 231 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001 (11-8)
Nov. 7th–
explore places/ parks narrow down list to 5-7? take photographs
research contemplative spaces (design and function)
interview questions/ record people in park
Nov 14th– collect reference materials for book layout/ research print method (woodcut)
edit pictures and select ones to use for book
Interview more people/ visit 5 places
Nov 21st– explore print methods/ write copy for book
Nov 28th– print on photographs and photograph process/ layering
Dec 5th– work on book
Dec 12th– finalize Book layout/ edit copy
Weekly status report:
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Week of Oct. 31st–
Timeline tasks: finalize project proposal and plan
visit Center for book arts 28th street (11am to 6pm)
collect reference materials!!
Printed Matter bookstore 231 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001 (11-8)
This week I visited The Center for Book Arts and Printed Matter bookstore. I really loved this because I found SOOO many great reference materials for inspiration. The exhibition at Center for Book Arts was called “Enacting the Text. Performing with Words.” It mostly displayed printed book and materials towards some kind of action, political or reflective, working mostly in interventions, performances, situations, and experiences. An important theme in this exhibition circles around a quote from Lucy Lippard in a 1969 interview. That is ” It isn’t really a matter of which is object art and non-object art, but what the artist is doing with it.” I absolutely loved this quote so much because in my personal opinion, this thought runs through my head constantly while observing political art. The critical side of me is always saying, “Ok so this talks about this issue, but what is it really doing about the issue. Where is it intervening? How will simply pointing out the issue really change anything?” I like the idea of the artist “doing something with it” because the rhetoric of that phrase implies that the art is a tool for something to be implemented. The art is the platform for something larger, that something being action not just discussion. I constantly have this conversation in my head with political art because I’m always asking, “so what?” I really appreciated this exhibition because the materials were mostly supporting some kind of political action in an active, participatory way. I don’t think my project will be as political, more of a resource for finding reflective spaces but it still really interests me. My favorite was the Guerrilla girls activity book and field guide. They had clear messages of education and activism. Visually, I was really inspired by Papo Colo’s Photogenics body of work. I loved the use of layering text over photographs and his choice in typography.
Another aspect of the exhibition that will influence my work was one artist’s use of manipulating a single image in multiple ways by using mixed media, drawing, cutting, and collage.
I also visited Printed Matter bookstore on 11th avenue. It was amazing, and I will definitely be back. Every book I picked up had something I loved and was inspired by… so many materials!! I was fascinated by the different layouts and book forms.
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Nov. 7th–
Timeline Tasks: explore places/ parks narrow down list to 5-7? take photographs
research contemplative spaces (design and function)
and form interview questions
- Nov. 5th-Clinton Community garden (48th street and 10th ave)- I stumbled upon this beautiful garden on my way home to New Jersey, not planning to look for any spaces to use for this project. My mom was picking me up uptown, and while I was walking to meet her I passed this little spot and had to pop in for some pictures because it was so beautiful. As I was quickly walking around, I got a call from her saying the bridge was closed and was going to be another 45 minutes until she could meet me; it was meant to be! I put my bags down and took my time, strolling around. Just entering a few steps away from the street, it felt like a whole new place away from the city. I could actually hear the birds and animals ruffling around, and the leaves bustling instead of the people and cars. I sat down, observed, and sketched. It felt like my brain was taking deep breaths, and releasing all the pent up stress. I wasn’t thinking about catching a train, or making a mental list of things I have to do. I wasn’t trying to decide my major, or questioning what I was doing. I was just actively present in that space. There were other people there and everyone was friendly but to themselves, like there was an unspoken appreciation for being in that space together, while not really interacting with one another.
November 8th- Tompkins Square Park
My visit to Tompkins Square came at the perfect time, after speaking with an old professor of mine. She is currently working on a project called, “Wounded Places.” One exhibition is described,
“Far Away from Where? gathers artworks that constellate around the emotional, social, and geographical distances created by wounded places. The artists respond to the tension of seeing-and-knowing and the (in)ability to embrace historic legacies of places. They draw from these rich legacies, transforming these spaces through the work and through the engagement with viewers.”
A portion of the exhibition is “NYC in a Minor Key”, which describes and depicts NYC as a palimpsest, a place with layers upon layers of history and perspectives. I am currently exploring this theme in my own work to submit.
As I’m sitting in Tompkins Square, I think of all the different people there. All different ages, races, ethnicities, cultures, statuses there doing all different things with all different experiences, thinking on all different scales- what color should I paint my living room? to ..where am I going to find my next meal? It is a collage of people sharing one space momentarily together. I watch a homeless man smoking a cigarette with leaves in his hair 5 feet away from a man dressed in a suit on his phone. There is such a drastic contrast amongst the people in the park, and it is at a point of transition with the neighborhood becoming more and more gentrified. Old men play chess and children ride their bikes. A family of tourists observe the park in awe while a woman walks through quickly on her commute home from work. Tompkins Square has such a rich history of pop culture, public access, and politics, and it is interesting to see where it all has come from. I’m interested in learning more about the history while exploring the park in my work visually, layering prints on photographs. I think this medium informs my work even more because it is about starting with something and making multiple iterations, like a palimpsest. There will be multiple imprints with different opacities and mediums, some will seem fading while others more stark as if to be more apparent in the present state of the park.
I listen to a jazz band play for about an hour, and witness all the people be pulled in as they pass by. Some of them stay and listen while others don’t skip a beat in their step, but maybe glance over quickly. I was more comfortable writing and sketching, so I set up my camera on my lap and recorded a video to screenshot stills later. I think the blurriness of the photos will be more interesting because they are completely candid, whereas if I were to take the photos individually, people would see me as an interrogator/ outsider. By doing this, I was able to myself be present in the space and my observations while simultaneously collecting footage to work with.
Sketches/ print layering ideas
Tompkins Square history
1988 police riot
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/08/fight-the-power-the-1988-tompkins-square-park-riot/
Photos from past
Value proposition
My project is valuable to its viewer because it offers a different perspective. I reaches out and holds the viewer aside from their normal routine and proposes that they take a break. It portrays New York City’s public spaces as contemplative spaces, areas to get away from the city… while still in the city. It touches on the concepts of inward and outward reflection, and encourages people to let the mind breathe every once in awhile.
My project doesn’t necessarily deliver specific benefits. It is more in the form of an artist book exploring the theme of parks being contemplative spaces through “case studies” of my personal favorites.
Through my own experiences, and by gathering the experiences of others, I explore the layers of different people that come to these spaces, and ask “Why they go, If they regularly go, and how they feel before and after taking a break.“
Having these reflective, contemplative moments (for me, in these spaces) is really important. It helps in all areas of life, because it allows you to think in a peaceful environment out of the usual hustle and bustle of the city. It acts as a third place, separate from home and work/ school.
Mission statement: Places to get away from the city…in the city.
Persona
My project is really for anyone, but specifically for people living in a busy, chaotic environment like New York City; places where is it hard to find a moment to think clearly. I think every human being can benefit from taking a step back and reflecting in quiet places, but my book focuses on parks in New York City so someone here would probably better relate to the content.
My general idea of the user would be someone in their mid 20s, newly out of college, and a little lost with what they’re doing; Someone who is confused and overwhelmed by the world we live in, and just needs to sit still and reflect on different scales.
I really didn’t want to include a photo of someone because it is not for a specific person. It really is completely inclusive to all, primarily ages above 17 but could also benefit teenagers to observe.
Logo Design/ typography exploration/ Name
November 14th week:
Material Exploration/ at home printing methods
This week I experimented with different ways to manipulate the photos I’ve taken over the past couple weeks. I am exploring at home methods using found materials, ink, and collage. One thing I’ve started doing that I like is using acrylic paint over the photographs to blur our different people or areas. I think this manipulation is an interesting way to depict the ever-changing aspects and social dynamics in the park. A jazz band can transform the space for a short amount of time, but once it leaves that space becomes something else. I think this transformation of public space would be interesting to play with visually. I’d like to continue adding more layers to create textures on the photos. I also found that I like editing the mixed media images in Lightroom at the end, and maybe making that image the final piece to put in the book.
Materials to get:
colored tissue paper
collage materials
book form/ general layout:
For the layout, I plan to design the book on Indesign then print it with Blurb (or some printing company) then I will design individual loose pages to include in each fold. On these pages, I will have my process, personal reflections, sketches, and handwritten notes. These pages will act as the “behind the scenes” to the book. The viewer will be able to take them out and arrange them however they want.
Week of Nov 21st
Continued gather materials to print with
Visited Washington Square twice (one day during the week and one day on the weekend) There was a lot more activity on the Sunday that I went, which gave me a better feel for the many different ways the park is used. There were performers, students, tourists, researchers, political organizers, artists, and all different kinds of people there for different reasons.
I collected photos, videos, recordings, and notes.
Artist in the Park
Sir Shadow
Photos from past of park
burial ground
Folk riot- We have the right to sing in the park
1961- https://janos.nyc/2015/04/24/this-week-in-nyc-history-folks-singers-and-the-right-to-sing-at-washington-square-park-1961/
Some finished prints
Book Layout Ideas
Overall, I am pretty content with the final product. I wish I gave myself more time to write the text portions because I didn’t think that what I was writing was working well with the visuals. I initially wanted to include writing about each place, but didn’t end up putting it in the book because I wasn’t happy with it and it was expensive to print the book. I really enjoyed working with different materials, and would like to continue this in my work, maybe focusing on less pieces and spending more time on them. I liked playing around with the layout of both the final book and the process book.
