Studio Project 03

On Wednesday, my 5 suite mates and I marked our daily route with glitter.  We had to drop glitter outside of each building we entered, outside of each classroom we had class in, and on designated points along the path such as the bell tower and DPC, as well as anywhere we saw another's glitter.  This project was meant to identify the similarities and differences of the routes taken between the three different majors that live in our house: Art, Biology, and Psychology, as well as mark the differences between the two Psych majors and the three Bio majors.  We all use a fraction of the space that is our campus; sometimes our paths cross at the same time, and sometimes we miss each other.  Our glitter served as a visual marker for where we've been, the space we've occupied, and as a marker for whether we've been there before or after somebody else.

Reading: Relational Aesthetics

Visual Project 03: Ideas

Potential Ideas. Both involving yarn:

1. String yarn around the columns at Schaefer between the two entrances by the court yard.  There are three openings through which one can walk.  I would string off the center section of columns only.  I don't want to completely obstruct every path, so as to be courteous to those in a rush and those on bikes.  I would string the yarn in enough of a scattered way so people could duck and walk between yarn if they so choose.

Reading: Relational Aesthetics

"The possibility of a relational art (an art taking as its theoretical horizon the realm of human interactions and its social context, rather than the assertion of an independent private symbolic space), points to a radical upheaval of the aesthetic, cultural and political goals introduced by modern art."  p. 14

"Art is the place that produces a specific sociability." p.16

2.  String yarn all around campus....

• ...as a representation of Globalism on our campus (a scaled-down version of Globalism).  Our interactions at this school are highly dependent upon seeing each other on the path.  This yarn along the path will be a visual representation of that communication. 

OR

• ...everywhere I go during the day.  I will carry balls of yarn with me and just lay the yarn loosely on the ground.  It will be a bit of a performance piece.  People will cross my path and I will cross theirs.   The yarn will echo where I have been.  They will see where I have been and my yarn will make people aware of others who also have their own agenda.  
• Reading: Relational Aesthetics
• "The general growth of towns and cities, which took off at the end of the Second World War, gave rise not only to an extraordinary upsurge of social exchanges, but also to much greater individual mobility..." p. 14

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. 

Visual Project 03

Kristen Seymour: 

Create an artwork that only uses straight lines and circles to convey the feelings of: Happiness, Frustration, Love, and Boredom.