True Believer (Pancake Jesus)

Preview

Final Project: Fleeting moments, change, and reconstituted fragments

Proposal:

A space created by continuing the rectangle created by the skylight near the loading dock down to its footprint in the floor. The walls will be "quilted" from fragments of rectangles of various sizes, cut from various translucent white fabrics, with the seams covered with strips of black or brown fabric or ribbon (depending on availability, budget, etc). These 4 "quilts" (2 measuring 113"x262.5" and 2 at 90x262.5") will be hung from a rod from the lower ledge of the skylight, and continued to the floor. The bottom of the frame (on the floor) will be reinforced by a rectangle made of 2x4's, matching the dimensions of the rectangle formed by the skylight. Pockets to insert the frame into the bottom of the fabric will be sewed into each of the "quilts." Additionally, pockets will be sewed into the vertical sides of the of the quilts, to hold cables that will help to maintain the form and rigidtiy of the screens. The quilts will be attached at the corners with buttons, drawing attention to the relationship between the body and the materials being used.

On one side, the buttons will be unfastened at the bottom, creating a flap-like doorway at the corner, intentionally disrupted the symmetry in the piece. Inside the threshold, the floor will be covered with sand-- whose temperature will inevitably change with variations in the intensity of the light through the skylight. We are attracted to sand for a number of reasons, including:

1. the way it holds heat
2. it's potential to transform the space
3. the tactile element of walking on sand
4. the fact that the viewer's progression through the space is literally recorded on the sand-- creating a space that is constantly evolving-- endless series of fleeting moments (if the sand is a canvas, each viewer/participant is repainting it, using what was there before)
5. It's associations with the outside environment- the sea, etc
6. It's associations with play: sandboxes, sandcastles, etc.
7. The fact that it is a material that is a record of time and change (sand is what was once rock), a literal compilation of fragments
8. The relationship between the color of the sand, it's reflective qualities and the translucent walls
9. The fact that it facilitates a specific type of movement, interaction (speed with which one can move through sand, crouching, touching, playing, etc.)
10. I'm sure there are other things we talked about that I can't think of right now.

In addition to sand, we will have objects to sit on, explore (maybe wood, shells, teacups, something... we have to clarify this)

On 3 panels of the walls (rectangles created by a single piece of white fabric and transcribed by black/brown strips of fabric/ribbons) we will project images. There will also be a camera mounted high above (perhaps outside of the space itself) that records movement in the space. That video (with the help of Elijah, who is brilliant) will be translated into an abstraced black and white moving image and a corresponding sound, which translates the image into a "song" (Elijah figured out how to do this quickly and effectively this week, so we know this part is feasible).

We are still trying to figure out the logistics of filming and recording, although the idea is that the moving images and sound will be projected into the space as viewers pass through, and the response of viewers to the space (and the sound and projected images) will then be recorded, translated and reprojected, etc. Creating a space that is constantly evolving (in terms of how the natural light moves throughout the day, how the sand is moved around, how the temperature of the space changes, how projected images and sound change and build upon each other), and which emphasizes the relationship between discreet moments across time (i.e. the way one person experiences the space is directly impacted by the image and sound produced by another viewer's progression through the space).

Materials:
Cloth
Black or brown ribbon or strips of fabric
Thread
Cables
Sand
Driftwood, etc
Shells
Wood for base (2x4s)
Plywood for floor (maybe)
PVC (for top)
Screws
Sewing machine
Projectors
Camera
Speakers (2, 4, 6?)

Timeline/Things to do

1. get materials (fabric, sand, etc.)
2. determine sizes of rectangles of the individual fabric panes in the walls
3. cut fabric
4. sew fabric
5. add black ribbons
6. sew pockets for rods at top and 2x4's at bottom
7. finish edges
8. sew pockets (on 1 vertical edge of each side) for cables
9. sew and close buttons
10. place rods through tops
11. attach tops to the bottom of the window
12. build bottom frame
13. Line bottom with plywood and/or plastic sheeting
14. fill space with sand
15. arrange objects
16. begin filming
17. convert original video to sound and altered image, re-project new image, repeat.

Addendum to final project ideas

"I have become aware of how raw nature is in a state of change and how that change is the key to understanding. I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather...At its most successful, my ‘touch’ looks into the heart of nature; most days I don’t even get close. These things are all part of the transient process that I cannot understand unless my touch is also transient—only in this way can the cycle remain unbroken and the process complete. I cannot explain the importance to me of being part of the place, its seasons and changes."

-Andy Goldsworthy

Maybe I want to make a piece about spring.

I don't think I'm interested in making a piece about nature for the sake of nature. But about the negotiations that take place between built and natural environments, and how we navigate those divisions, yes.

A catalogue of Andy Goldsworthy's work:
http://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/about/

Final project ideas

Spring break was lovely, now I just have to motivate myself back into work mode.

I've spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the final project, but I'm still having trouble coming up with a starting place. There are these fleeting images that I've come up with that maybe relate to the idea of "situational spaces":

1. A treehouse in a grove with hammocks (or inside, in an unexpected place-- maybe functional, and maybe not)
   
2. A half-built playroom made of Legos in which the "viewers" come in and keep building, playing, constructing-- I like the idea of a space that is transformed to suit the needs of its occupants, that is interactive, where the viewer has to construct their own reality (I also recognize the near-impossibility of the scope of this particular project--and most of my concrete ideas here-- under the circumstances)
3. A giant ball pit filled with transparent or translucent balls, with something projected onto it
4. Some sort of airy architectural space built under the beautiful skylight near the work tables in Tockwotton

Another way to start brainstorming, I suppose, would be to think about what happens in the space-- as in, what action does it prompt? For example:

-Thinking, waiting, listening, watching, talking, remembering, touching, resting, playing, working, building, eating

What kinds of dynamics does it create?:
-Sense of size, power, community, solitude, luxury, relaxation, tension, frustration, etc.


I like the idea of intervening in space outside of Tockwotton, but also want to do something feasible.

I like the idea of building or manipulating a space in such a way that people are forced to think about their relationship with their environment on a personal and more global level (think Andy Goldsworthy, or Olafur Eliasson)

I want to make something that incorporates sound, touch, sight, smell, etc.

I wish I had more concrete ideas to bring to class tomorrow-- the ideas I have don't seem that feasible-- hopefully getting into a group will kick me back into creative gear.

Projecting memory: An experiment in layering, silhouette and projected light

It was an interesting change to work alone on a larger piece, something that I haven't done in awhile. On the one hand, it was kind of a relief to be in charge and not have to make compromises based on other people's visions. On the other hand, I really missed the give and take of collaboration, especially since it was such a frustrating ordeal to come up with a concept and technique that worked. I was feeling really discouraged on Wednesday, and almost felt like my fixation on using cut-outs with projection was preventing me from exploring other ways of using light that could have been "illuminating." (Clearly the possibilities were endless-- and I was really blown away by the other projects that we saw today). At the same time, I felt intuitively that there was a way to make something interesting come out of this specific combination-- I was thinking a lot about the William Kentridge exhibit I saw last month, and Kara Walker, and puppet shows and the idea of play. I think the whole piece came together when I remembered the audio recording I have of my godson singing "Puff the Magic DragoN", and also when the overhead fan turned on and the pieces started swaying-- that was when I stopped concentrating on squaring up the three screens, and decided let their relationship to the projector and each other change as people moved through the piece.

I see this work as a sketch-- I think the idea would work better in a larger space that could facilitate more interaction. Also, I'm not totally satisfied with the craftsmanship (i.e. sloppy frames, knotted fishing line), but this is definitely an idea and a vocabulary that I want to explore more.

From the outside looking in (with Aston/Jake's projected stripes otuside:

At the entrance:

From the entrance looking back (the mechanics):

From the projector looking forward (more mechanics)

Playing with the hung cut-outs:

The end.

Besides "Puff the Magic Dragon," the other song from my childhood that I have stuck in my head this afternoon, as I remember it:

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
I guess I'll go eat worms
Big fat juicy ones
Little baby skinny ones
I guess I'll go eat worms, worms, worms

Hello Darling! A love seat

Paper dolls

I've gotten a bit side-tracked this weekend. I started playing around with paper in order to practice precision with the exacto knife, and ended up making two relatively complete collages with old wallpaper samples.

Invisible friend

Plastic surgery

I haven't really gotten around to playing with the projector that much, but I've found images to use for the assignment, and I think I have a pretty good idea of how I've going to combine cut material/silhouette/negative space with projection. We'll see.

I think that after spending so much time and energy on one large-scale piece over the past couple weeks, I'm finding it really satisfying to be able to start and finish pieces over the course of several hours. I'd forgotten how much I like working in 2-D, and on a smaller scale, sometimes.

Other works on paper ideas:

-Two twisted pop-up illustrations: 1) Child's hand pouring salt from a salt shaker onto a snail. 2) Child's hand holding magnifying glass over an ant

-Silhouette of child's hands making two Barbies kiss

-Paper cut stop motion on a loop of a hamster on a hamster wheel, projected onto a moving turntable playing the "William Tell Overture"

Springiness (procession pictures)

The weather today made me think of this E.E. Cummings poem that I really loved in high school and hadn't thought of in awhile:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
wich is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Some thoughts following 2 full days of sunshine

After fourteen hours of sleep last night and a nice nap on my couch this afternoon, I think I've finally recovered from my crazy, stressfully obsessive fixation with getting the last project done in a way that I (although it was definitely a "we" project, my motivation in putting in lots of time was more how I, not we, would feel about it) could feel proud of. In general, I have started to feel frustrated about not being able to turns ideas into reality-- fixating so much on the process and not the product has helped me be very conscientious of how I work, how I think, and seems to have somehow opened me up creatively, but I think in general my craftsmanship and execution may not have been up to the same level as my idea-making. In the case of this project, I don't think that was true at all. I am at least as project of the object itself as I am with the performance it was used in service of.

I had so much fun in the park yesterday. That wasn't necessarily the point, but it was still great. I loved that there were kids. And a trombonist. And blue skies, and plastic noisemakers. Thank you to everyone for taking part and for being such good sports about the whole thing. Especially thank you to Jake who put up with my crazy mania, especially during the last day.

I've been thinking about whether I enjoyed the process of making the piece. It's hard for me to say. When I think back on the process, I think mostly of feeling obsessive, in a way that was both motivating and exhausting. I'm very proud of the project that Jake and I made, and I know that the amount of work we put in was necessary for it to work, and I know that I learned a lot in the course of the project, but I don't think that level of intensity is necessarily sustainable... Things to think about.

I was sort of disappointed in the crit. I don't feel that I got that much out of it that can help me make future projects better, which, in the end, is what I want to get out of a critique.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures/video of the procession itself, since I only have the before and after shots.

I need to motivate myself for this next project. I have lots of ideas, but also lots of desire to sit out in the sun and do nothing.

Some Pictures from Class Today

So, despite the fact that I'm not completely prepared for my midterm tomorrow, I feel like it was worth it to spend as much time as we did on building the litter this weekend. I'm more proud of this piece than most I've worked on-- I think it seems (and looks) the most complete of any sculptures I've done, and less like a mock-up. Last semester, I learned a lot about my creative process, and came up with some really cool ideas, had some interesting collaborations, but with the exception of a couple pieces, I didn't necessarily come up with any end products that I'm satisfied with. And this is a piece that I am basically satisfied with (I'll be more satisfied when we do some touch-ups with spray paint, and also if the presentation aspect turns out as hoped).

I really enjoyed collaborating with Jake. We didn't quite click at the beginning of the process, we were a little bit stuck, a little to polite, neither one that engaged with the idea, but we managed to push past that, and I think we came up with an idea that we were able to execute (for time and expertise reasons) only as a team. I hope we're able to maintain that kind of positive collaboration as we finalize the plan for Wednesday. I wish I was better able to understand what makes a successful collaboration, and how to make it happen. In class today, I also came to the conclusion that there are probably groups of people who just can't work well together-- the process might be a good learning experience, but they might not be able to reach a conclusion they're satisfied with. I don't think it's that any individual can't collaborate, just that certain pairs/groups don't work well together.

I am so excited for the next assignment.

As promised, some photos.

Theo Jansen TED Talk

Amazing kinetic sculptures:
http://www.strandbeest.com/mGallery/strandbeest/Animaris%20Percipiere%20thunder%20may%202005%20photo%20Loek%20ven%20der%20Klis.JPG
Also:
http://www.ted.com/talks/theo_jansen_creates_new_creatures.html

Student Show

I have a couple pieces in the student show in List.

This:

"Untitled," Charcoal (2008)

And this:

"Mockingbird, #3-6," Collage (2008)

It's funny to see these works that I did so long ago and stuck in storage up on the wall. Also interested to see how different in some ways the things I was doing then are from what I'm doing now, but also how I'm fundamentally still interested in the same sorts of issues.

The opening is tonight from 7-10.

Works on paper that I'm excited by

That's cut paper!
"Chinese artist bovey lee creates paper cutout drawings, seeking to contemporize the ancient chinese folk art. to preserve and extend this artistry she replaces familiar subject matters in traditional paper cutouts such as folklore or celestial animals, with a blend of images drawing from her background in art. her works depict personal narratives, current affairs and politics."

http://www.designboom.com/cms/images/ridhika/bov01.jpg

The most luxurious way to get down to Tockwotton

Litter (vehicle)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of persons. Examples of litter vehicles include lectica (ancient Rome), jiao (China), sedan chairs (England), palanquin (also known as palki) (India), gama (Korea) and tahtırevan (Turkey). Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more men, some being enclosed for protection from the elements. Larger litters, for example those of the Chinese emperors, may resemble small rooms upon a platform borne upon the shoulders of a dozen or more men. To most efficiently carry a litter, porters will attempt to transfer the load to their shoulders, either by placing the carrying poles upon their shoulders, or the use of a yoke to transfer the load from the carrying poles to the shoulder.

Royal Sedan Chair, Vietnam
http://www.travelsinparadise.com/vietnam/hue/pictures/hue19-imperialcity.jpg

Palanquin used by the maharajs of Jodhpur
http://img5.travelblog.org/Photos/11430/236972/t/1873212-palanquin-used-by-the-maharajs-of-Jodhpur-0.jpg
Sketch of a Roman Litter
http://www.vroma.org/images/raia_images/romanlitter_sketch.jpg

Model of Egyptian Litter with Litter-Bearers
http://www.toysoldiers.com/products-soldiers/images/kingandcountry/ae01.jpg

British Sedan Chair
http://www.bath360.co.uk/history/sedan-chair-bath.jpg

Bench and next collaborative project

I liked the furniture project, although I was not completely satisfied with how the piece turned out, in terms of structural integrity. The biggest challenge for me was to figure out the angles of the seat-backs, but I eventually got it right. It's a project that I would like to revisit and revise at some point, but not right now.

I'm not really feeling 2x4s as a building material right now-- I'm not feeling that engaged by the idea of making functional objects, or furniture. I think part of the problem is that I had a chance to go to a bunch of exhibits in New York this weekend, and I came back with lots of ideas that aren't particularly compatible with the current project. It's making it hard for me to get really excited about any ideas for this next project.

I really love the peach-toned plastic sheeting material. Lots of possibilities for provoking visceral reactions, including one idea involving glass eyes (although we might have to abandon that, given shipping times, etc. Oh well).

Right now the things I'm feeling most excited about are:

Pop-up books as drawing/sculpture hybrids
Paper-cut drawings or stop motion animation
Video projection onto unusual surfaces, with a sound component.

I saw a really fabulous show at MOMA of the work of William Kentridge, a South African artist. Below is the link to the show website. Click "explore themes." You can view excerpts of a lot of the works. In the section "Ubu and the Procession", the piece "Shadow Procession" is fantastic. IN "Soho and Felix", "Tide Table" is really great.:

http://moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2010/williamkentridge/flash/index.html

Also, on youtube there is a video of these theaterboxes he builds, and fils with projected images, screens, video, and animatronic elements:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn38eZC84oo

Foil, food, play, etc.

I was disappointed we never got a chance to play in the snow, although I really enjoyed the class lunch, I think it's important for us all to be comfortable with each other, and open to communicating in order for the class to be successful> I really enjoyed Richard's slideshow-- it's nice to see the creative process of the people you're getting feedback from.

I really enjoyed the foil project, and I loved that every time I came to work over the weekend, most of the class was also there, and people were interacting and giving feedback and jumping rope (!!!).

It's always interesting collaborating with a new person, and finding a space for ideas to mesh. Ultimately I was happy with our collaboration, although I don't know if I came away 100% satisfied with the piece. I think I got sucked into the idea of weaving, and maybe that wasn't the most appropriate way to build the chair (although our other attempt to build a table instead wasn't right either). I enjoyed working with the material, but perhaps wasn't careful enough with it. Since we didn't have an 100% clear idea of the what hte final product was going to be when we started, we had to do some editing along the way, and I think that hurt the integrity of the material (i.e. unwanted creases and crinkles). I liked the illusion we created, I liked the fact that we were able to modify our original plan as we went, although maybe it's better for me to work with someone more confrontational-- I think being challenged, and having to really defend my ideas helps me make better art.

Since I am retaking the class this semester (although it's been very different so far, and I'm sure will continue to be with a very different group of people), I've been thinking a lot about what my goals are for the semester, what I got out the class last semester, and what more I think I can get out of it. I think I have a much better idea of my creative process, a better sense of how far I can push something, and when it's time to switch gears and change directions. In some ways I'm interested in exploring the types of things that I am studying (public art and community engagement, etc.), but I also am afraid of getting myself out of creative mode and into academic mode, and I think there's the possibility of producing painfully didactic and boring work if I do that. I guess it's all a balancing game.

I was feeling out of sorts today in class-- maybe nervous about the presentation I had to give, but for whatever reason not engaged. I need to find a way to use class time more effectively, so that I can get feedback from classmates during the class period, rather than I'm working (mostly) by myself and have a project dilemma. I think it's important we striek the right balance between work and play.

Bread dough, #2

It was great to have a discussion, and see the results of the first bread assignment, before starting working on the second bread project. Talking about what worked, and what didn't, helped to focus my process for the second assignment. I really liked Caroline's raw piece, and tried to replicate the raw-meat quality of the dough in my own project. Also, I was interested in the way that dough "membranes" (a word that I never use, but which I found really descriptive when used in the class discussion) can describe forms and and shapes articulated by other elements. For this piece, I used wire mesh and wire to drape thin sheets of dough. I also experimented more with finding ways to reinforce the dough invisibly, giving the material the appearance of being more structurally sound than it actually is. I think color, which I didn't add until later in the process, was important in making the piece more coherent. I really enjoyed seeing everyone else at work, and the moments of collaboration and exchange that happened.

Bread dough, # 1

At first I had trouble getting away from the idea of molding the dough to make bread, rather than sculpture. In order to focus my exploration, I decided to focus on texture, and on using the properties of bread dough (especially its tendency to expand) to explore different textures that can be formed by restricting the expansion of the dough. I approached the project more as an exercise, rather than a complete project.

"You Are What You Eat"

I took as a starting point the title of the assignment, "You Are What You Eat." To me, the title implied some sort of autobiography. If form follows function, I wanted to find the food that would be most appropriate to serve as a kind of edible autobiography. Some of my earliest memories involve cooking pancakes with my dad and grandma, so I chose pancakes as my base recipe. In thinking of how to utilize the material (pancake batter) I thought of the "Mickey Mouse pancakes" I sometimes ate as a kid, and decided to explore the possibilities of portraiture (of family members as a way to relate the project to the idea of (self)-portraiture) through pancake batter. The idea to "draw" with lines of burnt pancake batter came to me as I was falling asleep. The process of actually drawing (paintbrush vs. pastry bag, batter consistency, pan heat) required several hours of trial and error, but once I figured out a system, things went relatively smoothly.

I liked the challenge of the project-- of creating a piece of art that uses food as a material-- and through a process of experimentation I developed a process that I may want to explore further in the future.