Vanessa Nefve

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Chainmail Headpiece

project overview:

Create a wearable object made of wire that is smaller than 16 inches.

Inspired by the luxuriously armored facade of the upper east side I created a chainmail headpiece to represent the protective facade that is the upper east siders clothing.

Brainstorm drawings and sketches:

Final piece

 

 

 

Objects as History MET group project

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n7klypWXFfLckpBt5zfX3J3iWA-8bansy68S8W49IhQ/edit?usp=sharing

 

Met in class activity

The object I have chosen is called Man and Centaur. This is a mythical creature both part horse and man. This figure was made out of bronze. The Greek artists of the geometric period created this piece around the same time as the funerary krater. The man (perhaps named Herakles) in the figure appears to be stabbing the centaur.  The figures are only 11.1 cm tall. The sculptor has also changed these body parts into basic shapes instead of proportional sizes. The reason why I chose this object because I was interested in the relationship between the two creatures in the figure. I initially assumed the figures were embracing and that the creatures are women because of the waist and hips of them but after inspecting them further they are clearly male and the interaction between the two is most definitely not pleasant but instead incredibly violent and fatal. The uses for this item are primarily as offerings to the gods as they were found in sanctuaries. As an offering, I wonder what god they offered it to and if they had different meanings as offerings with what sculptors chose to sculpt. There are also multiple viewpoints to this object because of the negative space in the figure.

5 Beekman Street hotel

Project overview: Create a piece that displays historical, personal, public, and fictional characteristics of the 5 Beekman street.

A little background of the building:

5 Beekman Street is breathtakingly unique from an architectural standpoint because of its intricate glass ceiling. 5 Beekman Street has had a long history, with many different tenants and stories to accompany them. At its opening in the 1880s, it housed a theatrical opening that premiered Hamlet for Americans. The NRA also became one of the initial tenants of the building. Afterward part of the building went down in flames after a fire started in the typewriting office. In 1911 a nineteen-year-old waiter jumped out of the ninth floor after being fired. The building became filled with small businesses from the 1940s to until 200o when the building was abandoned. Such glamorous and obscure site attracted many photographers to the building including a 2010 magazine cover shoot for harper’s bazaar. Then two years later Maison Margiela hosted a Great Gatsby themed party because of the striking resemblance of the buildings interior to the film.

Personal/public connection:

When I ventured into the building for the first time I immediately felt as if I had stepped into an alternate reality. When I spoke to guests and staff it seemed that I was not the only one that felt that way. Many people related the hotel to movies or time periods saying,” it felt like I had gone back in time to 1920s luxury” or some said “I feel like I’m in a Wes Anderson movie” or even “The hotel sometimes reminds me of the one in the shinning”. Staff had even told me that the hotel gets a lot of foot traffic from people who want to feel like they were at the great Gatsby parties.

Concept:

Because of the building’s rich incredibly rich history, I felt inclined to tell its story. The building’s glass ceiling was so extraordinary it left me dumbfounded. I had such a strong feeling of this alternate 1920s great gatsby world while in the hotel that it was difficult for me to separate film and reality. So to tell the story of the hotel’s past I decided to depict scenes from each of the tenants and events that happened at the hotel.

I wanted to pay homage to the ceiling that took my breath away and to do so I decided what if I depicted the hotel’s past by drawing with smoke and fire onto glass almost as if we were observers after the fire that happened in the building and if what was left of the building were these scenes of the hotels past burned into the glass ceiling.

 

Process:

I started this project by choosing images that represented the most intriguing and paramount stories of the hotel. Then I used a sharpie to sketch these images onto the glass. After that, I used tape as a sort of “stencil” to create the scenes I had just drawn. I cut thin lines of tape in order to create a layer that covered parts of the glass. Then I used a candle to create smoke that covered the glass. The longer I left the flame on a certain area the darker the smoke got and by doing this is was able to vary tones with the smoke. I also experimented and found that the way I moved the glass over the flame I was able to create different patterns with the smoke and by doing so some of the scenes were able to look almost dreamlike. Then I took off the tape and cleaned parts of the glass and if some parts were not clear or the way I wanted I went back and re-did the process. Then I took a clean sheet of glass and superglued the sheet to the side of the glass that I had burned so that when displayed, people would be able to touch both sides of the glass without wiping off or destroying the smoke. I then took a clear superglue and superglued the sides of the glass as it is very sharp and I don’t want the piece to cut viewers. I also joined the pieces together by connecting them with gold door hinges that move so when all closed together the piece folds to mimic a book but unfolds to create a timeline spreading each sheet of glass out so that it can be seen.

Critique: My Critique was generally very quiet and I was unsure how people were responding to the piece. I noticed that people were picking on the general ideas of the piece and the majority of questions were around what material I used to create the piece.

First tests and failures:

first attempt-

the beginning of taping

after I burned the glass

after some burning and removal of the tape

after more taping, burning and attempts of shading

both sides after I completed burning, you can see that I did a poor job of taping because the lines look jagged and I also got lots of candle way onto the glass which I would have to clean up and start over but with this trial run I learned that the idea I had to use smoke to paint onto glass was possible with a candle as I has tried many other forms that didn’t leave any marks. I also started learning how to try and control the smoke and the different values of the smoke.

Second attempt-

I decided that something with more structure would perhaps be easier as it could all be one tone and the tape would be able to create a nice picture.

after lots more taping

After burning and the removal of some of the tape. I decided that the lines looked jagged and I did not like the way the image turned out so I chose not to include it in the final piece.

Here is another attempt I didn’t include in the final piece-

Here are some process images of the pieces that I chose to include in the final piece-

 

The final pieces

The stories of 5 Beekman street-

The 1911 suicide-

The NRA tenants-

The Great Gatsby-

All together-

Final Photos

Studio Bridge Project 1-10 days of collecting

By looking at what the objects I use in my everyday life I have come to realize the bigger picture that these items represent. Items as simple as deodorant or even pockets portray the repression of women that has been occurring for centuries.


My first item is a picture of my drawing class. In a class of fifteen people, only one is male. This is not uncommon for art school. Women make up 60-70 percent of those studying art at a university level. Yet women only make up about 30 percent of artists shown in museums and art galleries. Some reasons given for this by gallery owners are; women are seen as risky investments because women may leave their careers to start a family, women not being as aggressive when it comes to promoting their work, and even a lack of passion for their careers. Art critic Brian Sewell in an interview for The independent spoke on this topic saying, “Only men are capable of aesthetic greatness. Women make up 50 percent or more of classes at art school. Yet they fade away in their late 20’s or 30’s. Maybe it’s something to do with bearing children.”

Ever since I’ve been a little girl I realized that women’s pockets were utterly useless they were either too small to put anything in or sewn shut. Christian Dior once said, “men have pockets to put things in, women for decoration.” Pockets are hidden spaces that allow for the mobility of both hands. On average women’s pockets are 46 percent shorter and 10 percent narrower than men’s. Women are forced to either restrict their mobility by caring a purse, carrying their items in their hands, or asking a boyfriend/male friend to carry their wallets or phones on a night out. In a study of 80 different styles of women’s jeans and 80 of men’s by Jan Diehm & Amber Thomas, they found that only 10 percent of women’s jeans fit a women’s hand while a 100 percent of men’s jeans can fit a man’s hand.

I had always wondered about using men’s deodorants and razors, I found that women’s razors gave me razor burn and female deodorants really didn’t do a great job at masking the sent. I made the switch about four years ago and found that I got a much closer shave with men’s razors with no burns or cuts while with the men’s deodorant was stronger and always masked the sent. The biggest thing that I noticed when I switched was the cost difference. I began to research the “Pink tax” and found that women’s items are marketed in an approach called “pink it and shrink it” where manufactures create the same item, make it smaller and more feminine. In a study of 400 of these items 42 percent of the time women paid more than men for the same item, 40 percent they paid the same, and 18 percent men paid more.

Another item I have is a tweet that shows a picture of Beyonce and Ed Sheeran performing alongside one another, Beyonce was dressed in a huge ballgown while Ed was in a T-shirt. The caption of the tweet said This photo is very representative of what we expect from men and women at the top of their game isn’t it? While a T-shirt and jeans may be Ed’s style that would never be acceptable to his female counterparts. Beauty standards in the entertainment industry are nothing new but it remains one of the most powerful messages that is given to young girls. Because the entertainment industry influences our society so heavily here we are shown that while Beyonce is one of the most successful women in the world she had to work harder to get to where she is.

 

 

Space and Materiality- 2 Ideas Brainstorm

Space and Materiality-Wire portrait

Project overview:

Create a self-portrait out of wire

Here is my final wire portrait

then here is it attached in our groups of 4

and lastly the class picture

Space and Materiality- material research

Here is one where I cut paper very thinly to change the material

Here I used layering and a hole puncher to also change the material

Bridge project 1

femme vanessa 1-239z35o

Vanessa essay fem-1ou7oix

Project Deconstruction Exercise

 

Project overview: Create a model of a memorial that you create.

Concept overview: In Loving Memory of the Patriarchy is a memorial site for the heroes that have inspired and supported women.

Contextual Research: I was researching the Me Too Movement and Dr. Ford and I came across the open letter which led me to search for other open letters and that moved me to think of creating a place that gives thanks and where these letters can be publicly read.

Material research: I started by watching lots of youtube videos on casting items in resin, sawing wood, and pressing flowers. Next, I made much smaller versions of the final product by using soap trays. Then I started a long period of trial and error until I had two pieces that were usable.

 

letter- New York times and Me Too leaders

 

Location: This memorial would be placed at Jefferson Market Garden. The garden is surrounded by flowers, a pond, and greenhouse. I believe that due to the seriousness and traumatic memories this memorial can bring up that it was better to place it in an area that feels safe and peaceful as opposed to somewhere like Central Park where the memorial would get more exposure. The site was also used to house a women’s prison that was shut down due to the terrible conditions there and I’d like to transform that area of women’s suffrage to one that can inspire women. Also because the site is a community garden it will bring in the public and because of this, the monument would bring awareness to the gravity of sexual assault.

Inspiration- At the time that we were assigned the project Brett Kavanaugh had been appointed to the supreme court. I wanted to show how important Christine’s sacrifice was as well as have something that could continue her fight.

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