2/25 AFHV

This is the movie that I have been working on lately. It is my first attempt with working with sound and I am not sure how I feel about it. I think it works as far as capturing the overall feeling of kind of an anxious frantic feeling but I'm not sold that that is what I want. These are shots of online and televised babies. From Americas funniest home videos and from Youtube-- some of the more popular clips like "serious baby" and "charlie bit me". There are also a series of different clips of babies on the toilet and in the toilet. I find it so interesting that parents want everyone on the internet and those who watch television to see their child in the bathroom. The sound is a mix of laugh tracks (which I find terrifying) and sound taken from the montaged clips from AFHV.

2/22 James Turrell

http://greenmuseum.org/content/artist_index/artist_id-11.html

http://www.pacewildenstein.com/Artists/ViewArtist.aspx?guid=05c48019-2fde-4e3b-be25-56419dcc2729

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/turrell/

I first learned about James Turrell On the PBS series ART 21. It was the episode was Spirituality. I was surprised at the reaction that I had to his work through the Television. Even without being in the spaces he has masterly created, I felt an atmospheric involvement. Turrell's use of light is captivating. Without the experience of being within the space of installation I find all his spaces to be especially ethereal. Focused on self awareness and meditation.

Turrell talks about the qualities of light in relation to life. In death, he explains, things are always explained in terms of the quality of the light. Bright, dark, white, black. His work focuses on those aspects of light. How it can alter perspective, allow you to look inward. Meditation is a large part of Turrells work.

"The Light Inside"
1999

Skyspace at Live Oak Friends Meeting House, Houston, Texas
2000

"Roden Crater," East Portal Entryway
2000

2/18 YOUTUBE

Cat and Tv

little girl watching tv

cat and birds

all the single babies

news and health

4kids on tv

Spongebob

2/16 Hank Willis Thomas

http://hankwillisthomas.com/splash.html

http://www.artnet.com/artist/424601654/hank-willis-thomas.html

http://www.nyartbeat.com/nyablog/2009/03/unbranded-an-interview-with-hank-willis-thomas/
Opportunity Knocks

It Didn't Just Grow by Itself

Now that's funny!

Hank Willis Thomas is an artist who's work deals with the complex underlining issues in popular culture particularly in advertisements. The idea of the 'Other' came up quite a few times in his lecture, speckled throughout his work. "A person's definition of the 'Other' is part of what defines or even constitutes the self and other phenomena and cultural units." according to Wikipedia. This is often referred to as the Self/Other Dichotomy. By sectioning off a part of someone/something/cultures and compare them to yourself you end up defining yourself by what you are not. Social conditioning and Political norms is constantly evolving, but the need for the 'Other' remains. Thomas deals with the shift in the otherness from early 20th century advertisements using African Americans for their 'Otherness' the the now Middle Eastern caricature's that people now are barley blinking a eye at. Thomas highlights the branded conscienceness that people have programed into their heads, and asks the viewer to think twice.

We Both is Glad

2/15 Paul Pfeiffer

Pure Products Go Crazy, 1998

Caryatid Red Yellow Blue, 2008

Live Evil (Auckland), 2002

Morning after the Deluge,2003

Most of the notes that I took in this lecture are almost illegible. They are sporadic and should probably be approached like deciphering brainstorm on paper. This is from my memory kinda how this artist talked about his work. Most of what I took from this lecture, was the way that Pfeiffer talked about his work in relation to his audience. He enjoyed the power and control that the viewer had once his work was up. They had the option to stay and spend time with the piece, or they could pass over it. This is much like the conversation between and person and a painting. Often in his work the viewer is subjective-- this idea of complete obscurity.
Something that really stuck with me was how he talked about his work. He didn't call them art, or work, or pieces but referred to them as experiments. It was as though he was not even sure as to what they did himself. This again leads back to the total control that the audience has in his work. They are the common denominator within all his work.Human Behavior--Animal behavior-- observations within his work. He talked of race and sexual identity and how time changes the conversation of his work constantly. It changes meaning. As time changes so does the audience-- to they will forever be the protagonists, not the work itself.

Another quote that stood out for me was the idea of the moving image become still. The transformation of something moving in real time to a moment in time. At this point then viewer again or like always has the option.. to sit with the piece as time passes or move on, and take away only that moment.

http://www.gagosian.com/artists/paul-pfeiffer/

http://www.thomasdane.com/artist.php?artist_id=12

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/pfeiffer/index.html

2/15 Harry Gruyaert

Floor Excercise

"TV Shots" from Media Series, 1974

"TV Shots" from Media Series, 1972

Diving

"Do Not Adjust Your Set"

Harry Gruyaert is a Belgian artist who photographs popular culture and news as it is shown on the television screen. Playing with the antenna he manipulates the color saturation. He is probably most known from his series from the 1970's Munich Olympic Games which he considers his most pure adaptation of journalistic photography.

"At the heart of Gruyaert’s work is his affinity to structuring the intense nature of color. His images are beautiful in terms of life, luminosity and the people in relation to their situations. A contrast of elements assembled into refined graphics of shadows, hue, light and atmosphere."fototv.com

I stumbled across in a happy accident. This semester I am a T.A. for a sophomore seminar class, and as I was putting together a class lecture on the importance of research and the used of "Artstor" I began searching for artists that might pertain to the work I have been doing. As I was looking through his imagery, I was very surprised to see that his work, looked a lot like mine. In fact, his work was probably the closest to all other artists that I have looked up to date.

http://www.steidlville.com/artists/368-Harry-Gruyaert.html

http://www.artnet.com/artist/618119/harry-gruyaert.html

http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/photographer/Harry__Gruyaert/A/

2/11: the Unexcpected

I'm sure I am not unlike most people my age.
I get a cold, I take some medicine. Not a big deal.
But it is the unexpected, the truthfully unheard of until this moment that I would have never thought possible. While I was at work, I noticed that I was not blinking my left eye. Ok-maybe pink eye. Not horrible. As the day progressed I also noticed that I was half smiling, have raising my eyebrows. In fact I had no normal function of the left side of my face. This gave me cause for some concern. Student health here I come.

Prognosis- Bells Palsy, a paralyses of one side of the face. For some people this is a minor bump. For some people you give them 3 weeks and they are back to normal. For others it is permanent, and due to its effects on nerves can become life threatening. For me its dangerous. At 3 mos. my parents were told that I had strabismus most commonly known as lazy eye. 22 years, 2 surgeries and about 50 pairs of glasses later, it was pretty much under control. Now I face a sever back tracking. Since the palsy effects the muscular strength of the left side, it effect my very weak eye- which if long enough and persistent enough may take my sight. With a cold and 24 hours, everything has changed. This is something I never thought could happen to me. As much as I try to stay positive about the situation it is hard not to think about becoming a walking camera. I like most people my age just don't think about stuff like this. You don't think anything like this could happen to you.

2/8 Colin Pantall- Sofa Portraits

Colin Pantall's Sofa Portraits of his daughter watching television are in as little words as possible, stunning. Paul had shown me these portraits early in the fall semester, and until now I had forgotten about them. Pantall's imagery is speaks quietly of the captivating language of the television. The muted colors and renewed scenery work together to provide a story line.

As I begin to really search for artists and continue to build my portfolio this semester, I have been struggling with the idea of bringing portraits back into my work. Last semester, I put all my focus into color, and light and the idea of transmission. When I look at the work now, it seems sterol. There is a distance too it, something that I can't find a connection to.

There is something a bit temping to all about watching television. It is an activity that involves little to no interest, and little to no active though or movement. For children and parents alike its become something of a replacement. If you'd like to admit it or not, its a part of our lives. Its in the doctors, the stores you shop in, schools, practically everyroom in a persons home. The television has taken the place of decorative books and magazines. It has moved its way onto your mantel and at the end of your bed.



http://www.colinpantall.com/

http://colinpantall3.blogspot.com/

http://colinpantall.blogspot.com/

2/4: snow day

With the amount of snow that we have received this winter so far, there seems to be an abundance of spare time. Time to catch up on homework. Time to clean the kitchen. Time to brush up on some over due reading. Time to sleep, and sleep some more. The snow also brings with it the opportunity to be a kid again. To play in the snow, and build snowmen and angels. I was surprised that most of my friends did not send there days doing these things. If anything, the snow was much colder and wetter then once remembered. Minutes outside felt like hours.
Unfortunately I did not have to pleasure to stay and play. The weekend for me means work, rain or snow. This time of year is especially busy for those of us that work in the chocolate business. On Saturday I left my house at 11pm. All of my roommates were watching TV. At 8 I got off, when I got back I discovered that all of my roommates were exactly where I had left them. Not only did they not move, they watched 2 whole seasons back to back of one show. It seemed even more unbelievable that my male roommate stayed and watched it the whole time. It was much more of a girl show.
So what was the reason for this. How is it that they all looked so miserable and still sat and watched the whole thing. Was there something that told them to continue to keep going, like spending all that time would have been for there benefit. And to be quite honest, I was happy. Happy not for the loss of their day, but for the reinforcement for my work. It was inspiration.

2/1 Artist: Asako Narahashi

http://www.03fotos.com/




Title: Atami, from the series half awake and half asleep in the water

Title: Atami, from the series half awake and half asleep in the water

Title: Jonanjima

title: Dubai Creek, Dubai

I found Asako Narahashi while I was searching through blogger on other peoples reviews. Her work stuck out to me, not because particularly beautiful or vibrant, but because it was strikingly different. Her half awake and half asleep in the water series almost holds you in the water. Although her imagery has an active element, its overwhelmingly calm. Almost like the calm before something.
Her images are in a way are other worldly. The landscapes are skewed, and look like miniature prototypes. The water has a conforting effect, taking up most of composition. Even the colors in the images have soothing qualities, blues, browns greens.