Class Commentary-March 31st

Today Guest speaker Brandon Boan came in to give us a quick once over of his work. I always find it interesting to see where people who graduated from this school find themselves a couple of years down the road. I would have liked to have seen or known Brandon while he was in school here. Just to see if he himself has transitioned and grown as a person/artist. He reinstated or reitterated on numerous acounts that he has always been interested in how "you can watch things move through other things" or "see objects turned into images of themselves through activity". I know that some artists stick with one concept for their whole careers, and maybe it's just me and not understanding his work or its ryhme and reason, but I don't see anything in it. It looks like a mess to me. I guess that's my problem with a lot of artists and their work who use found materials. I understand some of it and love it and then others I loathe. It's hideous to me. Like Brandon's "Groveling Gleam", I thought that piece was beautiful. I loved the idea of the light travling and trying to search for something or lose itself. But then the "robot letter sloshing machine" looked like one big mess. I don't know if it was because oft he way Brandon documented the material, but I thought it was hideous. Or maybe it was his verbal interpretation, and unlike the "Groveling Gleam" I couldn't paint a picture in my head of what the hell it was supposed to do or act like. This somewhat proves the point that artists can't present their own work. They can't verbally explain or interpret what it is. Because they don't know half of the time, or the other half they have a bunch of jumbled thoughts going around inside of their head and can't make sense of them. But they made sense enough of them to make decisions for the art piece. Makes no sense to me? I get's that's where I differ as a designer. There is a reason for me doing something in my work and I have an explantion for it. And I can verbally explain it to anyone that asks.

Time Maswing

Media: Film, Sony Vegas Pro: Film Editor
Video Duration: 3m:15s
Size: Variable depending on projection surface




This is a continuation piece from the last project. I started thinking about why the inner workings of my head are likea machine..why the gears keep on turning. It's becuase I'm growing up. I have stress in my life. Everyday pressures. There are moments however when the gears stop turning and I shut down. It's when I day dream. Most of the time I daydream about things that I have already experienced and I'm reliving the past. When I was a kid, I didn't have any stress. I just had to be a kid. I could play and be free. I used to like swinging when I was a kid. It was fun because I could go higher and higher like I was a bird, or pretend that I was a fighter pilot flying a jet through the air. It never got old. And when I was ready...I would jump off at that pivotal moment and be completely free from the world. Just flying. Falling. I long for that freedom. With this video I’m gesturing towards the idea of transitioning from adult to child. I never want to be truly grown up. I will always hold on to a piece of my childhood. I also think that because my parents got divorced when I was young, it caused me to miss out on a lot of my childhood. Sometimes, I think now I’m trying to relive or make up those times.

Two sources:

I don't know if my choices for sources made my aesthetic choices richer. I tried to stay true to myself. If I took anything from these sources it was that idea.

Joan Truckenbrod is a digital media artist in theh USA. I chose Joan because she isdealing with the idea of growing up. Not necessarily with a single person but a group of families. She states that "each of us is costumed by societal expectations. Her artwork is obsessed with the inadequacies, inequities and cultural dysfunction of these social costumes." I feel that my piece and ideas closely resemble this statement. I think society has this view and it's instilled in all of us through media that we have to grow up to make money. To survive. To die. Where is the fun in that. I do not want my life to be pre-determined by society.

Murray, Bryan S. "CREATIVITY AND COGNITION 1996." January 1996 22 March 2008 .



"Kalani Lee's illustrations happen when Pop Culture, Fashion, Art, Rock n' Roll Spirit, and Cuteness meet up for tea and finger sandwiches." I chose her for the simple a couple of reasons. One we share a common theme in our illustration pieces...flat colors. Two I enjoyed the fact that when she describs herself in this article she claims that she is a kid at heart. Atleast I'm not the only one.

ANNA SUI T-SHIRT ARTISTS. ANNA SUI T-SHIRT ARTISTS. 22 Mar 2008 .


1.) So why did I chose to represent myself in this light?
2.) If you knew nothing about me, given my outer appearance would you expect me to go play on a swing or approach a project like this?
3.) What is more important? The sound track or video?
4.) What are the spatial or time relationships that are most important to you when watching?
5.) Do you think there is/was a better way to present or represent my idea?

Accumulation Project: Me vs. Myself

This emtry comes from someone whom I have only known for a couple of months.

1. Charismatic- You have a welcoming personality

2. Hard to read- Self Explanatory

3. Passionate-about what you want to do with your life and where you want to go...very enduring quality

4. You tend to question yourself alot--Not a bad thing, but I can definately relate to that one, because we have had conversations about morals and church, and it affects us emotionally and hits harder in the heart then it does with alot of other people in the our society.

5. VERY dedicated to your school work. At least your not a lazy bum and don't expect things to be handed to you. I see you want to get somewhere in life, and it takes dedication to do so.

6. You DEFIANTELY fun to be around. You have morals and standards but at the same time, your not a prude.

7. Forgiving for sure. I have to say I did piss you off that one time, but you looked past it and moved on, and I can tell alot about a person from that sort of situation. Thanks for understanding I was drunk. YOu understand people have to learn from their mistakes and it makes people grow from it. We're all not perfect.

8.Soul is not superficial-again self explanatory

9.Non-Complacent-we talked about traveling and seeing the world. Your not like alot of people who just want to stick around one place and not experience life. You want to travel the world and see everything.

10. Confident in yourself for sure! You know who you are and where you came from and that makes you the person you are. You know what you like, but you still keep your options open and doors open. You don't settle for anything less then what you want.

Class Commentary- March 19th

We discussed our projects today in small groups. I found it very helpful. Malena and I discussed my last project in detail. She thought that it was a little too literal. Tha it was expected. Maybe it was expected because the whole class had already heard about it before I even presented it. Regardless I wasn't happy with the piece as a whole. I decided that there needed to be another revision. I knew I wanted to do a video. I was going to do the stop frame animation film with xray of my inner head as my project. But everyone thought it was a bit too literal. Malena said I needed to do something unexpected. Once again Joey suggested that I get naked. David suggested. Brian and Arutyun suggested I use flash and draw the piece on there. I decided to just go sit outside with a cup of coffee and jsut sketch whatever I felt like. I can't exactly tell what I was sketching. Nothign was important. Just some lines. A couple of figures. But then those lines started taking shape. Before I knew it I had subconsciously sketched a swing. And then I took a trip down memory lane and day dreamed for a couple of seconds, minutes, years...I don't know.

Class Commentary-March 17th

The McColl Center: Phantasmagoria
The exhibit was amazing. I throoughly enjoyed every piece at the show. I don't know how many people read the synopsis of the show but it was based on a precinema projection ghost show invented in France in the late 18th century. Each piece was unique and dynamic. I hada couple pf favorites though. One was the silhouettes that moved electronically across the still frame image of the Met in NYC. I thought this artists captured something so pure with the forms. If you break it down, aren't we all just beings. Spirits that exisit. If you take away our physical bodies, your spirit is no more special than mine orthe next person. We are just there. We come. We go. This piece put me into a trance everytime I stood in front of it. I could have watched it all day long. It was soothing as well as mysterious. I wonder though...if the McColl center had put it somewhere else in the exhibition space. Like if it had been located in the back instead of up front as soon as you walk in. OR if the piece was located on a main wall perpendicualr to the walking path instead of parallel to it so that it would be in line of sight. Basically a framed view. I also enjoyed the seat that smoked. When you sat down in front of it you looked at your self in the mirror and then you dissapear. I enjoyed it for the fact that it comforted me. I loved being surround by the smoke. It felt jsut like how my feels sometimes....cloudy. It was a release from existence. I disapeared momentarily. But I wonder if the setting changed would the way people recieved the piece change? If this seat were located on a busy corner of an intersection in NYC and someone sat down on it and they dissapeared...would it draw more or less attention? In a environment like that people are robots, drones, ants. They have a path, they walk it. Oblivious to anything that goes on around them. You don't exist anyway to them. For all they care you couldbe a tree in front of them that they have to walk past. Would a big puff of smoke shock them out of the everyday trance they live in?

Accumulation Project: Me vs. Myself

This next entry comes from my best guy friend. We have known each other for about 13 years now. Grew up together. Played sports together, etc. I would have to say he knows me better than anyoine else. He chose to just generate some words about me.

Self-confident – Never questions himself or his actions and has a strong moral and ethic code.
Loyal – Friends for 13 years, does not get much more loyal than that.
Purposeful – All actions are usually never hesitated upon
Artistic – His photography and graphic design eye has much more going on than what most see on the surface of his projects.
Fun – Great guy to be around, doesn’t care what others think
Athletic – He’s a very physically aware and motivated person whether it be sports, outdoor activities, you name it he’s done it
Giving – Always giving in some form to those around him and never asking for anything in return.
Philosophical – Deep thinker, interesting conversations when the conversations go in that direction.
Creative – Always some abstract idea with his artwork, and he applies such to other things in life as well.
Strong Willed – His demeanor is unwavering, if he believes in something he’ll fight for it.

Accumulation Project:Me vs. Myself

This is an entry of items that were given to me by a really close friend of mine. She and I have known each other for 12 years.

1.) a Picture of Me- "It's you! You took your time coming out of you shell."

2.) Picture of the lab puppy- "You loved your dog so much. And even though she passed away recently she was lucky to have been blessed with all of the love, attention, and adoration that you gave her. You give all of your friends the same."

3.) Picture of you & me at your high school graduation- "You and that awful bleached hair...but you've never really cared what anyone else thought of you. This picture represents your self confidence.

4.) Band-Aid "We've been friends for 12 long years and you have always been there when I needed you to through good times and the bad. You jsut have a way of making things better."

5.) Sand Dollar- "Every sand dollar is like a snowflake; no two are alike. The sand dollar represents your individuality.

6.) Picture of you, Philip, Bryan, and me- "As you grow older you begin to realize that your family is what you make it; not just who's blood related to you. We have all shaped who we are today."

7.) Box of colored clips-"There are many different ways that you piece your life together. The different colors represent the different paths you have chosen to take in life and those you have yet to chose."

8.) Pencil- "For your artistic side. You have amazing talent & you will do great things with it one day."

9.) Battery- "Because you are the self-proclaimed energized bunny."

10.) Picture of you & I: "Your ability to make people laugh is truly a gift."

Class Commentary- March 12th

We watched a couple of videos on some intersting artists. Cai Guo Qiang makes art with fireworks. Fireworks were invented in Asia and I find it intersting that he is taking such a historical root within his culture and using it in his art. But is it really his art? Or is it the fireworks art? He said he is a the mercy of the material...the substance. It is dangerous and sometimes unpedictable. Much to the same likeness as an artists imagination. I think that this is a wonderful junction of creative opportunity and danger. The world makes substances. Man makes materials out of substances. Man uses materials. Man and Materials join forces to make art for world. It's an infinite circle.
Tim Hawkinson is a crazy scientist. He builds these wicked sweet inventions of art. That is honestly the only way I can describe them. They breath and come to life. They scream "LOOK AT ME!" I don't honestly know if I have anything to constructively say about his work other than the fact that it is so amazingly different that it stuns me.

Class Commentary- March 10th

We watched a video on Dutch Artist Theo Jansen. This wasn't the first time that I have seen his work. He has been doing these living creatures for some time now. During my research when I studied architecture, I would run across his work from time to time. I had a project where we had to design a music studio for a music professor on campus. The site was in the VanLandingham Japanese Garden. Terrible site. Anyway, one requirement was that the building ahd to move and transition through time and space taking on different forms and occuying different areas in the garden duringthe whole development process of a music piece. There was no set amount of time that the building had to stay in one place, nor were there specific areas that it had to occupy. To me...it was a reflection from one physical piece
(music) to another physical piece (studio) in how the the whole process changes and develops. It completes a circle of life. Begeining and ending inthe same place. I had walked through the whole garden making reference and cataloging all of the specific focal points that I thought wre important. I developed conceptually this overall building based off of circles. And how you can experience them and walk through them. I took my inspiration from the moon gate and the idea of a cycle of creative thought to make a music piece. With the moon gate you walk through a circle. I redesigned the gazebo to mimic the trees around it. It took on the shape of a log turned on its side. Tree trunks are circular. But with the gazebo....you walked beside the circle. The musicians studio plan took on the shape of a circle. Basically you would walk around or underneath the circle. acoustically I thought the sound echoing through a circle would be great for keeping long notes and echoes. It would make the music come to life....like it was having a conversation with itself. My idea was that the building itself didn't come to life but the journey that musician was forced to take in experiencing the whole site came to life.