Month: September 2019

Physically

• I see a lot of repetition in Patterns, in structure
• I see communities from all age groups
• I see a lot more greenery, not flowers. Just green
• I see a lot more birds, squirrels
• I feel slower
• I feel calmer, relaxed, undisturbed
• I feel tired. About to fall asleep
• I hear children screaming
• I hear echoes from the building
• I hear birds chiming
• I don’t hear footsteps
• I hear the water fountain

Physical boundaries

• There are fences, that don’t allow me to jump
• There are elevations that create a boundary
• There is not much light in the dark. (Restriction for use at night)
• There are limited seating tables
• There isn’t comfortable cushioning for long seating
• Area is designed for individual use, instead of gathering.

 

 

Questions :

1. What was my first impression to you
2. When did you start valuing me as your best friend and seeking to build a future with me.
3. What do you think had made us become so tightly together.
4. What are you most afraid or worried of about me/ us
5. How have I changed throughout the years and how do you feel about that.
6. What do you think my future would look like?
7. Have I become a friend or a person that you are proud of?
8. What kind of person do you think I would be without you.
9. Any expectations for me or ways you would like to see me improve in our friendship?
10. How much do you love me?

Reflection & Statement of Intent:

After interviewing my best-friend Sabrina, I have gotten a chance to reflect back onto my past. Through that, I witnessed the changes I have developed socially, mentally and physically from growth. I also found it interesting to see the contrast between how she perceived me to be (after coming to New York) compared to how I am now. The interview made me realize how much my decision of coming to New York, is affecting our friendship in the future.

For this project, I decided to create 3 sets of photographs, depicting different aspects of myself. Socially, mentally and physically. Each set of photographs contains two images. One representing how I was portrayed by the interviewer from the past, and the other on how I portray myself in the present. The photographs in the set are put together side by side, juxtaposing and relating to each other. The piece is conducted with a white backdrop and natural lighting. By photographing my friend Julie interacting with objects representing myself, I depicted versions of me to visually showcase changes.

After receiving critiques and feedbacks from today’s class, I’m glad to hear that my intent for the project is reflective on my piece. And themes and motifs such as growth and change are well executed through the deliberate choices I’ve made. I’m most relieved by the way lighting turned out on the final piece since I did not have the proper equipment whiling shooting. The biggest takeaway from the critique was to take away the second series, I learned that the concept behind it was too literal and that the primary colors toke away the sophistication of the project as a whole. After observing, I agreed with the feedback and ultimately decided to take away the second set of photographs. Overall, I really enjoyed the process and the outcome of this project and gained a lot more insight into my artistic style and interest.

 

Sketch from Interview:

Final piece 

Reflection:

After today’s presentation, I received a lot of insightful comments and suggestions to what I did well in this project and how I could improve if I were to execute the project again. One of the most insightful suggestions I gained from my classmates was to integrate the hands the same way as how I was holding the penguin in the photograph. (first photo- mood board) To bring out my idea of treasuring, protecting the memories I have with my sister. The most common positive comment I received was on my discovery of how different shapes can gradually shift and turn round through layering.

Overall, I really enjoyed the lessons and skills I have gained throughout the process of creating the final piece. Although I really struggled through using cardboard at first, my knowledge and relationship with the material has definitely strengthened.  And looking back now, it is through the failure of the cardboard igloo where I gained the concept of creating round shapes through layering and allowing myself to bring this concept towards my final piece. I really enjoyed this project and nevertheless the memory I built with my penguin.

Moodboard:

My list of Embodied lessons:  Space + Mat embodied lessons

Annotated Drawings:

Finished photographs:

 

Questions :

1. What was my first impression to you
2. When did you start valuing me as your best friend and seeking to build a future with me.
3. What do you think had made us become so tightly together.
4. What are you most afraid or worried of about me/ us
5. How have I changed throughout the years and how do you feel about that.
6. What do you think my future would look like?
7. Have I become a friend or a person that you are proud of?
8. What kind of person do you think I would be without you.
9. Any expectations for me or ways you would like to see me improve in our friendship?
10. How much do you love me?

Reflection & Statement of Intent:

After interviewing my best-friend Sabrina, I have gotten a chance to reflect back onto my past. Through that, I witnessed the changes I have developed socially, mentally and physically from growth. I also found it interesting to see the contrast between how she perceived me to be (after coming to New York) compared to how I am now. The interview made me realize how much my decision of coming to New York, is affecting our friendship in the future.

For this project, I decided to create 3 sets of photographs, depicting different aspects of myself. Socially, mentally and physically. Each set of photographs contains two images. One representing how I was portrayed by the interviewer from the past, and the other on how I portray myself in the present. The two photographs in the set would be put together side by side, juxtaposing and relating to each other. My current idea is to conduct this piece in a studio space, with different tools and props I am looking to create different settings for myself to be photographed in, in order to convey different aspects of myself. Through the photography process I am looking to convey emotions through different angles, colors and texture as well.

Sketch from Interview:

Portraits of myself (draft):

Project 1 – Perceiving and mapping time

For this project, I wanted to challenge myself to do a time themed assignment without using a time-based medium. Instead of using mechanics that captures the duration or moment of time, I wanted to record time in an analog form. Therefore, I chose to map time using tracing paper. With the map of Manhattan as the base, I traced the route I traveled each day to a sheet of tracing paper, with different color pencils representing a different time period of the day, I repeatedly traced my route each day for around 2 weeks. And gained 10 sheets of tracing paper with different shapes and colors created by the different places and times I’ve been through. The piece in the end results with the 11 sheets of paper layered on top of each-other. With the most present date on top to the past on the bottom.

My inspiration for the construction of this piece came from the subway map. Where different colored lines expand and stretch into different forms, intertwine and connect with each other. I also indicated the places I stopped with a dot. The larger the dot, the longer I stayed. Illustrating the duration of time in a place as well. At last, the gradient effect created by the layered tracing papers represents how memories fade throughout time, with an intention to generate a sense of nostalgia. Throughout these two weeks, I toke this mapping project as a daily exercise of practicing memory. By tracing the places I’ve been through each day, I have witnessed my memory strengthen, and the regular pattern between the places I’ve visited.

Time- brainstorming, sketching process

Where does this come from?

The single-faced cardboard came from an Amazon Package, the Kraft cardboard is from a packaged product, the paper is from the recycling bin and the napkin paper is from my roommate.

safety/toxicity – what is it made of? Are there safety precautions for working with it?

There is not much safety/toxicity. A hazard from this material could be a finger cut or catching up a fire. Therefore we should be cautious if working around devouring elements, or dry areas. Cardboard is usually made of recycled paper. And paper is made out of wood.

responsible reuse/disposal options – what can you do with at the end of use?

You can use it as a spring. I use the object for pop-up cards or as flower decorations. The material is easy to be recycled or deconstructed for different use.

tools/context – what tools do you need?

Any type of paper, scissors or a cutter (depending on the material) and your hands!

tips – what are some best practices you learned about working with this?

• I learned that the thicker the material, the more elasticity.
• I also learned that the consistency and tidiness of the folding contributes to a better result.
• I also learned different types of Cardboard names and how they are made.
• 9 different techniques explored for turning linear cardboard into 3D shapes.
• 

 

Gina Beavers

The Life I Deserve (Ice-cream) 2014

Acrylic on canvas on board

Gina Beavers is an artist from New York City, She is famous for creating paintings and installations from photos of the Internet and social media and rendered in high Acrylic relief. In the exhibition – The Life I Deserve, she included paintings of “Instagram foods”, trending nail/ makeup tutorials and common Social media photos such as “beach/ fitness selfies”. Irony towards the current social media age is prevalent in this exhibition. The feeling of nauseate and discomfort was overwhelming after I attended the exhibition. After seeing a bacon version of starry night and #Foodporn images, I came to a realization that the images and photographs I’ve considered as satisfying are quite disturbing after all.

In her exhibition, I felt most resonated with her work – The Life I deserve (Ice-cream) 2014. The painting is one of the most common photos to be seen on social media. An ice-cream held up to the center of the photograph with the ice-cream in-focused and the subtle backdrop of the city. Illustrating the idea of what the current generation calls “Phone eats first”. While I was staring at the drawing, it made me rethink, why do I constantly have a natural inclination to take a photo every time I eat an Ice-cream? Instead of just sharing the joy of sweetness, is there an underlying factor for this action? Do I want my viewers to feel a certain way? Am I trying to implicate something about myself? And the answer is yes. All these little choices and actions I make on social media has a motive to make my viewers portray me a certain way. Posting a photo of me and my friends is trying to implicate that I’m sociable. Sharing current news or trends on social media is trying to implicate that I’m up to date. Uploading a photo of an ice-cream on my story is to implicate that I’m having fun and enjoying life.

Overall, I really enjoyed Gina Beavers exhibition. By transforming a photo on a 2D screen onto a large 3D painting allowed me to jump out and observe my actions on social media a little clearer.

Julie Becker

Transformation and Seduction1993/2000

video 4:36 minutes

Julie Becker is an artist from Hochschule der Künste, Berlin and she studied at the California Institute for the Arts in Valencia. Her works are mostly made of photography, video and installation. In her exhibition – I must create a masterpiece to pay the rent, she exhibited series of installations, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and videos with themes of fantasies, nightmares, dispossessions and the social imaginary of late capitalism. The theme dream is prevalent in her artworks. Especially in Transformation and Seduction. A 4:36 minute video of repeating clips of a girl wandering the woods (originally from Disney’s The Gnome-Mobile and the Mary Poppins kids,” a sad showbiz tale) with a narration of a poem or text in the background. The video is confusing. The narration seemed to be a description of her own dreams. In the video she said“…as if I were looking for, and finding (and still doubting a little) proof that I was I, and that I was really in the forest, searching for one particular common girl” In my perspective, the girl in the video is her.

The way Julie Becker constructed the piece really inspired me. I like to way she brought together different clips from various movies and created her own story. Also, I found It fascinating how linear the clip seemed even though it was just repeating footage of the same girl wondering the same area in the forest. The faded, desaturated and shadowed filter suits the overall aesthetic of the film. Demonstrating qualities of dream and fantasy. Although it was quite confusing, I really enjoyed the piece and her whole exhibition as well.

Simone Fattal

They Found Weapons of Mass Destruction 2016

Collage

Simone Fattal is a Lebanese- American visual artist. In her exhibition – Works and Days, her work consisted mediums such as sculptures, paintings, watercolor, and colleges. Exploring themes of displacement, politics of archeology and excavation, she created 200 pieces of work over the last 50 years. And hasn’t stopped ever since. “They Found Weapons of Mass Destruction” stood out to me in her exhibition. When I first looked at the work I thought it was a college of just all the places she has been to. But as I look deeper I saw a lot of different historical artifacts such as a sculpture of Alexander the great and written Farsi representing regions from both Europe and the Middle East. It seemed as if it was illustrating a story about a period of time, a war between two places. And this college serves as a memoir. Simone’s way of recording an event that happened during her times.

I believe college is a great medium to create a memoir since it is very straight forward to understand. Although I might not have gotten the full understanding of what Simone’s art piece meant, but by finding matching images and themes, I have learned to figure the general concept of the collage. Moreover, since it was written during her time, Fattal presents a specific insight into the event with a personal perspective. She presents photos directly linked to France showcasing her deep connection to the French Culture. Furthermore, being present at that time period, Fattal can direct the audience’s attention away from the media presented to every average individual and instead to personal documents such as manuscripts and maps. Simultaneously, by presenting varied media such as ceramics, she gives us an overall presentation to the context making it relatable for a larger audience. Additionally, she includes snapshots which transports the viewer back to the Middle East.