MoMA POST – DRAWING/IMAGING

Faith Ringgold, American People Series #20: Die, 1967

Space is pretty shallow, because of how graphic this painting is and how the shapes in the painting are so defined. The composition of it is the reasoning behind why I say this; the colors are also really bright and contrasting so that adds to the graphic-ness of the overall image. It is also a large painting – so size does play a part.

 

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, The Myriad Motives of Men, 2014 

This painting appears so deep because of the lack in range of colors used – they are all very dark, even the light colors seem dark in a sense. By limiting the amount of colors on their palette, the artist was about to make the viewer perceive the painting as deep although there may only be about 6 different colors used in varying ways throughout this entire piece.

 

Erik van Lieshout, Untitled, 2014

This painting is shallow, because the lines and shapes in it are so loose and without real definition. It’s pretty cool/interesting, because the figures and buildings are just recognizable, with dabs of color randomly throughout it attracting the viewer’s eye.

 

Diego Rivera, Agrarian Leader Zapata, 1931

This painting is deep, considering the composition; it looks like the artist took his time with it and added great detail, causing the painting to get deeper with each brushstroke. There is a variation of colors across the wheel, and different shapes and shadows that draw together and make for a well-resolved piece.

 

Pablo Picasso, The Studio, 1973

This piece is shallow – it is composed of lines shapes and colors in their most basic form. Abstract, it seems to be a rendition of a studio, lending hints of figures and objects commonly found in one. The perspective is head on, which also adds to the shallowness.

 

Pablo Picasso, Three Musicians, 1921

This painting is deep-looking, because of the darkness of the background and the lightness of the foreground. There is also this variation from pattern to solid colors in the background and foreground, which allows the viewer to believe the two are more contrasting than they really are. The fact that the figures are composed of shapes helps the deepness too; the painting is abstract.

 

Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes, Silence, 1915

This painting is shallow, because the shapes look very light and on the surface. There aren’t any shadows really, just a contrast from the top to the bottom of the painting – sort of like a gradient grey color. The shapes are also brightly painted and viewed head-on.

    

Giorgio de Chirico, The Song of Love, 1914

This painting is pretty deep, looking at the shadows and detail placed in each aspect of it. If you even just look at the glove, you’ll notice the detail in the folds of the fabric, and how it’s hanging from the wall. Though the way the objects are placed in the painting may be unconventional and not make much sense in terms of real life, the painting looks realistic because of the perspective which makes it deep.

   

André Derain, Bathers, 1907

This painting is deep because of the shadows. The painting is really only composed of about three or four colors – orange, yellow, green and blue, and the warmer colors represent the light while the cooler colors represent the dark. Even with only four colors, the way they are used makes the painting look deep, and is also probably the reason this painting is so appreciated; it was done in such a harmonious and beautiful way.

   

Pierre Bonnard, Basket of Fruit Reflected in a Mirror, c. 1944-46

This painting is deep, due to the layering of the paint and how the shapes are made. The brushstrokes are lose, which makes it seem like it could be shallow, but the overall composition of the painting brings it all together making it deep. It is ranging in color and shape, and the perspective is head-on with distance in the background.

ASSIGNMENT #6: SCIENCE MODULES QUESTIONS

ASSIGNMENT #3:

NATURAL DYE KIT RESULT QUESTIONNAIRE

NAZAR´EA JEAN

Sustainable Systems 2017

  1. What Plant material did you choose and why? Where did you get it (farmers market, grocery store, etc)? Where do you think it was grown? How far do you think it traveled to get to your hands? 

We chose to use red carnations, because out of all of the materials they were the most outstanding color. They were purchased by Ming from a random vendor, and they had to have been grown nearby and cut relatively recent due to the state of freshness that they were in at the time we were conducting the experiment. The flowers probably had only traveled from a garden to the vendor where Ming transferred them to my hands.

2) What color did you expect before you boiled? 

Mauve/Pink.

3) What color did you expect the wool/cotton would turn before you put the fibers into your natural dye liquid? 

Mauve/Pink.

4) What color did you expect before putting your fibers in the mordant? 

Mauve/Pink.

5) Alum is an acid mordant. Might other mordants impact the color differently (other common mordants: vinegar-acidic; ammonia-basic)? 

Other Mordants would impact the color differently, because of the concentration of whatever chemical holds the color in the material and etc. It would vary across the board. The acids also effect the color, and whether it washes away heavily or lightly.

6) Was the color different between the oily and clean wool samples? Describe the differences. 

The color was slightly different between oily and clean – the only real difference was the shade of the colors. One was warmer while one seemed to be cooler. It was hard to really differentiate.

7) Was the color different between the cotton samples (dyed-not washed, dyed-washed, dyed- mordant-washed)? Describe the differences. How was the color different between the cotton and wool samples? Describe the differences. 

The cotton sample that was not rinsed with water is the closest to a classic baby pink color. The one that was rinsed is a more washed out baby pink, and the one treated with mordant is more peachy than pink. The wool samples were able to collect clumps of color it seems, because there are areas in the wool that seem to be more dyed than the rest.

8) You dyed two natural fibers (cotton and wool). Hypothesize (guess) how the natural dyes might work on synthetic fabrics such as polyester. 

The dyes probably wouldn’t be as effective on synthetic fabrics, since those are harsher therefore harder to dye. They wouldn’t produce any noticeable color changes.

9) How satisfied are you with the outcome? 

I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome, considering I didn’t know I could dye fabrics in such a way at home on my own stove!

10) Attach a cotton and wool sample to a note card and bring to class to present (see instructions in the assignment for labeling). 

11) To do this tiny natural dye experiment, you used water in many different ways and disposed it in a sink. List all the things the water picked up and you put down the drain. How does this dirty water get clean again? 

The water picked up the remaining color dye from the flowers, any dirt in the fabrics and dirt from our hands as well. It is cleansed again through a cycling process that the NYC Sewer Systems undergo – water is distributed back out to the ocean, where it is again reused.

12) Now think of the tons of fibers that were dyed this year for fashion (see the steps, processes, and chemicals used in this flow chart describing “Wet Process Dyeing”: https://textechdip.wordpress.com/contents/wet-processing/). Imagine one innovation that fashion or home décor designs might reduce pressure on clean water necessary for drinking and bathing (what could you eliminate, reduce, change, improve)? 

It would be cool to see clothing items sold with personal dyeing kits, (all natural, of course) so that consumers could go home and dye their clothes on their own if they wish. That way, less dirty water is produced and customers have a cool new way to personalize their clothing.

12) Reflections: Will you do more natural dyeing? Were you surprised? What might you consider if using natural dyes in your own projects/products? What has not been considered? Why do you think natural dyes are uncommon? Do you think natural dyes are safer for the environment? Why or why not? 

Natural dyes are probably uncommon because the process is tedious and the color isn’t as strong as most may want it to be. I am pleased with the outcome and will probably be dyeing some clothes of my own in the near future naturally. I was surprised to see that it actually worked, but convinced that I could become more sustainable by doing something like this on a regular basis. Natural dyes are definitely safer for the environment, as they provide another less harsh way of dyeing clothing.

13) Connecting Dots: In the Film “Tapped”, you saw how water bottles that were not recycled, ended up polluting waterways. Watch this 5 minute video about turning water bottles into fabric: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyF9MxlcItw. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using recycled material as compared to virgin (harvesting cotton or mining oil)? 

Using recycled material limits the amount of material being trashed and/or burned because there is no where for it to go. This is smart, because instead of putting trash into the ocean or burning it and creating harmful chemicals, Americans will be reusing the materials in ways they didn’t even know where possible.

ASSIGNMENT #5: POST UN-RESPONSE

MY ASSIGNED ARGUMENT: Convince reluctant countries to buy-in to global climate change agreements given the realities of the north/south, rich/poor, developed/developing countries divide.

I decided to defend my argument through posters and propaganda-like strategies.

The first of these images is made to look like an ad of some sort. It opens a dialogue about the relationship between America’s gluttonous consumer-nature and the floating mass of garbage that has collected in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – which, ultimately, is a direct result of consumerism in a sense. The fact that Americans are so prone to purchasing means that we end up buying things as replacements for perfectly fine household items and etc. This leads us to create more trash, and with nowhere to put the trash it ends up in our oceans. Other countries are experiencing similar repercussions, so in seeing this image they’ll be notified that the two do correlate, and be more likely to buy in.

The second of the two images is another poster in the same exact style, this time sporting a picture of a factory emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere and a polar bear leaping from one iceberg to the next. The text reads, “NO CORRELATION? THINK AGAIN.” and “CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING, AND YOU SHOULD BE ALARMED.” This image is supposed to evoke emotion in the viewer, as the picture of the polar bear is sad to see (since the ice caps are melting). Most effective climate change ads feature imagery as such. It also makes the viewer think there is something they don’t know; so other countries will be reeled in through that method.

Both of these ads, while minimalistic and simple, also get across a message: that climate change is happening, and you should be alarmed. 

 

ASSIGNMENT #2: SUSTAINABILITY AND THE DESIGNER

ASSIGNMENT #2

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE DESIGNER

NAZAR´EA JEAN

Sustainable Systems 2017

KOWTOW is a clothing brand that prides itself on the fact that all of their clothing are made from premium 100% certified organic fair trade heavyweight loop knit. The description of the clothes on the website are even complete with certificates:

The fact that Kowtow as a retailer is already so ahead of it’s competition with it’s sustainable style and fashionably conscious collections only gets better once you surf their website – as a lover of all things trendy you’re bound to see something compelling. The Fashion Industry is also a known contributor to climate change, as millions of climate sins are done on a daily basis by all those stylish from big name designers to lowkey boutique employees. Let’s face it: the entire world could be a whole lot more sustainable. But what Kowtow does is different; providing a conscious alternative to big and well-known but unsustainable brands.

The clothes are extremely chic, and the price, though a little more expensive than most affordable stores, gives in to the quality of the fabric; though more environmentally-conscious options are usually expensive, it is worth it in the long run. Especially if we want to see many more years on this earth.

SUSTAINABILITY AND YOU

SUSTAINABILITY AND YOU

Truly sustainable designers/artists are frugal, thoughtful and remain true to their artistic inclinations. While keeping in mind the fact that our environmental state is steadily declining, they are able to come up with designs that are resourceful in the now and will be in the future as well. The sustainable designer or artist is creative enough to use unconventional fabrications and make them fashionable; they are able to picture things not only as what they are, but also as what they can be. The sustainable designer/artist should also be influential, so that people will follow in their footsteps.

Designers (or more specifically fashion designers) can recycle cloths and textiles and incorporate those into upcoming lines – after all, fashion does repeat itself. I remember vividly a couple of years ago having pencils made of recycled denim, and if that could be done then an article like shoes could be made of recycled denim as well. All of the materials that we use should be recyclable.

Some designs that might help improve the sustainable fashion movement emerging would be clothing made specifically with climate change in mind. Examples would be long sleeve shirts with removable sleeves or pants with removable pant legs, all made of breathable yet warm fabric.