Semiotics of the Shop

http://vimeo.com/39412542

Visual Project 02: Ideas

I'd like to create a response to Martha Rosler's video Semiotics of the Kitchen, but I'd like to reverse roles and attribute my look and actions to the "typical male" or the idea of the role of men.

This video will take place in the sculpture studio, and I will be dressed in what a man might wear and will be using power tools.  The style of video will be the same.  I will recite which tool or machine I am about to use, and then I will use it.

In order to get into the "manly carpenter" role, I will wear a plaid flannel shirt, jeans, and work boots.  Martha Rosler gets into her role in the beginning of her video by saying, "apron" and then putting one on.  To get into my role, I'm considering saying, "moustache" and then drawing one on my face with marker.  I will also speak in a deep voice in order to seem more "manly." I could either speak in a deep voice to begin with, or I could manipulate my voice as Laurie Anderson does in 01.

Remina offered to film my video, so I think I will take her up on that.  I got positive feedback from my group.  We had an extensive conversation about how the roles of women and the feminist movement have overshadowed the role of men.  As a generalization, men are not supposed to be sensitive, do not cry, and are protectors.  This video is meant to show this idea of the typical "man," and will be as ridiculous as Martha Rosler's video of the "typical woman" so that people realize that this role is, in fact, absurd.

"The Great Wall" by Cynthia Carr

Marina Abramovic and Ulay's performance piece was much more conceptual than simply walking, and it was much more of a personal journey than just a performance piece.  So many factors went into planning, as well as the actual journey, making it much more than an act of walking, and much more than anything that could be documented.  At first, when the couple was together, they anticipated the piece to resemble more of a love story. The fact that Marina and Ulay broke up before starting the piece changed the purpose drastically.  The piece became a journey where the two would both have to adapt to change, and have to anticipate any number of reactions from themselves and the other one when they finally met in the middle.  For this piece, they would be working alone, unable to draw off of each other's ideas. 


Marina and Ulay chose which end of the great wall to travel based on their connotations.  Marina's side was known as the male end, and Ulay's side was known as the female end.  Marina's side had rougher terrain, and she also decided to walk on the wall, whereas Ulay's side had a more flat terrain in comparison, and he chose to walk next to the wall, not on it. 


Marina was more focused on adapting to her surroundings and the people in them, whereas Ulay wanted them to adapt to him.  Marina's authorities were more cooperative, but that may be because she was more cooperative with them, in turn, getting her way.  Ulay's authorities were not cooperative with his wishes, perhaps because he was not cooperative with them.  Marina never traveled with a map, and had even walked the wrong way one day.  Ulay kept a detailed map with him at all times.  Marina acknowledged her "chaos" and his "practicality" and their differences in personality led to very different experiences. 


Though Marina and Ulay worked alone, they ended up writing the same line in separate poems that they had written: "cloud in the sky, dust in the eye."  They also cooperated with each other in the grand scheme of things.  They were committed to the idea, and they stuck with it even though their relationship and thus project plans had substantially changed.