Tuesday, October 9, 2012
It's a Bird, It's a Plane...
Taking the wonderful Colossal as your source, choose an exhibit in which the artist employs some form of creative re-tasking: the use of an object, idea, pattern, material in a way other than that for which it was originally intended. Consider in your writing the ways that your knowledge of the medium's original purpose influences your understanding of the piece(s) the artist has created. Please come to class ready to discuss the work you select, and paste a link to the work into your post (if you click on the title of the article in question you will be redirected to a discrete page).
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~Art is one of the things where there is not just one meaning. An artist can use a common image or object that can portray another meaning. However sometimes an artist might just draw something and expect the audience to take it as it is. In Peter McFarlane’s art, he uses very common objects that most people know. The first five all have a memory board from computer, and we can recognize it by the way it is displayed. In the first and second one, they both have skeletons of a fish and a lizard of some sort. I believe McFarlane meant for it to be seen as both the skeletons and the memory boards are both “backbones” for things. Skeletons are the support system for animals, and a memory board is the center and support system for a computer. The third image is also a memory board but it has a snake made up of parts of the board. I understand this, as a snake is a metaphor for a virus that may get into a memory system, and its almost saying if you have a compute with a memory board, you are bound to have a virus snake its way in. The fourth image is also a memory board but has a nest on top which shows how two completely things are almost entirely the same. A memory board is the center and the home of a computer and a nest is the home for a bird. The sixth image McFarlane exhibits is a bunch of spoons. Except the spoons make up a bowl. The overall image is supposed to portray an object that holds substance. Both a bowl and a spoon can hold substance, so he wanted to be creative is the way we look at his art. A spoon was supposed to hold smaller amounts, which would be taken from a bowl. He made the smaller factor into a much larger one. McFarlane says, “To me, waste is just lack of imagination.” He really enjoys taking ordinary things and turning them into beautiful works of art. Having the knowledge of the mediums’ origin helps me think in “out of the box” ways. I have so much knowledge it takes time to put different solutions together. Knowing a part of something helps your brain format and organize the knowledge you have to be able to see a new meaning. When I looked at each image, I saw the different objects first before I could put them together. Art is a wonderful thing that has endless interpretations.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/circuit-board-fossils-paintings-and-other-found-object-sculptures-by-peter-mcfarlane/
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/06/outdoor-light-interventions-by-luzinterruptus-illuminate-the-streets-of-madrid/
ReplyDeleteThe exhibit I chose was created by a group of artists. These artists create public art sculptures out of everyday items like bottles, glasses and cocktail umbrellas. An example of the ways that my knowledge of the original items influences my understanding of the pieces the artists have created is the placement of the cocktail umbrellas in the ruble. I understand that cocktail umbrellas represent a social happy time and the ruble represents the result of a hardship. So I intemperate this as happy times can come from struggle.
Art is a very complicated concept because it is hard to get the direct message of an art work. One can not just look at a piece of art and directly understand the truth behind it, it takes time to decode implications. I chose the sculpture created by artist Babis of a horse made of resins and computer keyboard buttons because I found it very fascinating and I could relate it to today's world. Babis named the horse Hedonism(y) Trojaner which is not a coincidence that it has the same name with the famous horse in Greek mythology that helped the Greeks to get access to the the city of Troja. The meaning of his art is that nowadays we are defined by the information we share and get from the internet for example our Facebook profiles. The horse in his art portrays internet in today's world. Where by people get information via internet and pass it on and share it whether voluntary or involuntary as the horse did in the Greek mythology. The original purpose of the creation did not influence me that much because I already knew that what we share over the internet is always public and get shared among people very quickly. I also agree with him about how we are now defined by what we use the internet for. The internet now controls our life and serves as one of the primary needs of most of the people. We use the internet in order to find and share information.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ignant.de/2012/10/01/hedonismy-trojaner/
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/new-murals-by-david-de-la-mano-and-pablo-s-herrero-on-the-streets-of-norway/
ReplyDeleteThe collection of art pieces I choose has different forms of human faces made of trees or humans. I was deeply impressed by the first painting on the wall of a building. It consists of two separate images. Although both of them show human faces, one is made of branches from a tree, and another one is composed of many human beings. The two smaller paintings start from the opposite sides of the wall, and come together in the middle with a little overlap. Although it looks just like a normal painting, I get more from this image. The top part of this work starts from a strong trunk of a tree, and it begins to divert into many different smaller branches. However, even though the original trunk evolves from one to many, the branches that come from the trunk form a face as a whole. It is the same with the human one. It starts from one person, and later the diversity appears. There are different kinds of humans (and maybe animals), but they all come together to be one.
This piece of art represents an idea of unity, and it illustrates the unity between nature and human beings. The tree is the symbol of the nature. Although nature and human are different forms of life, they interact with each other on the Earth, and becomes a unity. The second piece of art shows a human’s head composing of trees. It means that nature is an essential part of human’s existence on the Earth. It serves as a way to tell people the importance of nature, and how it relates to people.
The last piece of work is an image starting from a small tree to a face of human. It represents the evolution of human beings and nature. Humans evolve with the nature, and they both develop themselves as the time passes. They are accompanists for each other along the history since human had appeared on the Earth. Human should respect nature, and thank it for providing them what they need.
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/01/cut-leaf-illustrations-for-plant-for-the-planet/
ReplyDeleteIn the art exhibit I chose, leaves were used as part of an advertisement campaign to encourage planting. In these cases, the leaves have been used as a canvas instead of their original purpose of being part of a plant.
As a result of my knowledge, I was able to understand the caption “Every leaf traps CO2” in two different ways. The first way is the physically visible one. Pictures of vehicles that release CO2 into the atmosphere (such as planes and cars) have been cut out of the leaves. There is a picture of a car inside the leaf; there is a picture of an airplane inside the leaf. Therefore, any carbon dioxide it releases will not be able to leave the leaf. It is trapped by the borders of the leaves (only in the artistic sense).
However, the second way it can be interpreted is where my personal knowledge comes into play. In order for plants to survive, they need to carry out a process called “photosynthesis.” Photosynthesis is a plant’s method for making food for itself (glucose). This function, which is carried out by chloroplasts in leaves, involves absorbing sunlight and carbon dioxide, and secreting oxygen as a waste product. Therefore, plants trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make glucose and release oxygen. In this way, every leaf does trap CO2.
The advertisement would not have made a lot of sense to people who had no prior knowledge of the function of leaves; therefore, it was my previous knowledge that allowed me to effectively understand the creator’s message. In this case, my previous knowledge aided me in deciphering the message the author was trying to get across. However, it doesn’t always work that way. Our previous knowledge can influence our understanding of an art piece differently. It can both comply with the author’s message and/or negate it. For example, if an artist makes a sculpture out of ice-cream, it can portray happiness for one person and sadness for another. One person will interpret it as happiness because he/she loves ice cream and sweet foods. However, the other person will interpret it as sadness because ice cream eventually melts and is not nearly as delicious as it is when it is frozen.
ReplyDeleteThe exhibit that spoke most to me was New Rural Light and Book Installations by Rune Guneriussen. The photograph that stood out most in this collection t me was, Science of planting forest, by artist Rune Guneriussen of thin books stacked in a rocky forest. The original purpose of books is for them to be read, whether for fun or for a class, they are filled with information and knowledge about a certain period or filled with fictional dreams and stories. The symbol of a forest, is of a free space where nothing but nature strives, without the influence of humans. These two mediums together create a counter balance which brings them together. Books can have knowledge of fictional stories that take place in the forest, or knowledge of the environment. The original purpose of books is a time where one can be peaceful and dive into a life that is not theirs. The original symbol of a forest is that it is a place that is not disturbed, where animals can peacefully live together in the circle of life. These two original purposes of these mediums influence my understanding of this piece by bringing in personal experiences of trying to climb up to see the best view but then realizing that the best pat was trying to overcome everything in order to get there. Together a stack of books and a wall of rocks in a forest, create the understanding that anything can be conquered if you stretch tall enough and don’t let a heavy load weigh you down. In this photograph the books represent the heavy weight, that one has to overcome in order to be able to reach the top of the rock wall. The journey to overcome those struggles makes the joy of reaching the top that much more exciting. This exhibit uses the contrasting relationships between nature, books, chairs, and phones that creates a connection to the human culture. The start of it all was nature, everything was pure and untouched. Then came the knowledge in books, that allows humans to widen their horizons and reach new heights. Chairs and phones are a way of connecting with people. At the dinner table you sit down in chairs and talk about whatever needs to be discussed, the weather, how the day has gone, or exciting news. Phones are used to get in contact with people over seas, for emergencies, or to text a friend all day, every day. The electric lamps that he uses symbolize the unnatural light that has been brought by human culture. What Rune Guneriussen has used in his photographs seem like obscene but they all connect to simple things that are often overlooked in cultures today.
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/new-rural-light-and-book-installations-by-rune-guneriussen/
The exhibit I though was the most interesting was by Peter MacFarlane. "Circuit Board Fossils, Paintings and Other Found Object Sculptures" done by MacFarlane are dimensionally delicious. Though the Circuit boards MacFarlane uses are supposed to be for technology purposes, he makes them come alive, by allowing animals and objects to emerge from the boards. These pieces are like nothing I have ever seen before. My eye was drawn though to one piece in particular. The Snake. Snakes are considered very movement oriented creatures. They have a constant flow of energy one might say. The same can be said for a circuit board. In this piece the electric current is turned into a snake, Slithering and circulating around the board.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/circuit-board-fossils-paintings-and-other-found-object-sculptures-by-peter-mcfarlane/
The exhibit which most captured my attention was the New Rural Light and Book Installations by Rune Guneriussen. I could not say which individual picture I liked best, I thought they were all individually enchanting. The creator of this particular exhibit worked with electric lamps, books, chairs, and phones as well as the Norwegian outdoors to create a setting in which areas of raw nature are contrasted with human technology. In, for example, the pictures which feature books in the riverbed and books stacked up next to rocks, it seems that Guneriussen is trying to convey the feeling of sanctuary through ones previous knowledge of both books and rocks. Books are intended to captures one's attention and keep it. When reading a good book, it is hoped that the book draws one in and that, for a moment, it is the only world that exists. To quote Lloyd Jones, "a person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe". The rocks and nature give the same feeling. Their seemingly preserved beauty and lack of human intervention makes them a beautiful and peaceful sanctuary. It is interesting how he chooses to communicate it, but Guneriussen seems to be commenting on the fact that sanctuary is not hard to find, even in a day and sge riddled with technology.
ReplyDeleteHe might, however, also be commenting on the fact that wherever you go you cannot escape the taint of humanity. This hypothesis is better evidenced by some of the other pictures in the series, including a few which contain lights placed to look rather whimsical. The idea in interesting, but again it may be more than a funny take on fairy circles. The use of electric lamps gives the feeling that even the most undisturbed setting, a fairy circle being the perfect example, cannot truly remain undisturbed. He uses electric lamps instead of mushrooms in one picture, showing how technology and developments have taken the place of true, undisturbed, natural beauty.
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/new-rural-light-and-book-installations-by-rune-guneriussen/
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/04/new-optical-illusion-skull-portraits-by-tom-french/
ReplyDeleteIn the piece I chose, there is a skull and there is a woman.
Separate from the picture, I see a skull as a part of gross anatomy or death. I also see it as a symbol of what is underneath the surface of an individual, the bones or depth of a person. Aside from my interpretations, the skull is intended to protect the brain. By this I am led to believe the skull contains the mind to the body.
Now in the other part of the image there is a woman with messy hair and a wrinkled shirt with a faint curve in her lips which may be seen as a smile. Since this picture is in black and white and has lots of contrast, it is dramatized. With the skull out of the picture I see a woman with a displeasing life or someone who wants one thing.
Lastly, there is a mirror. A mirror is used as a limited way to see what is in front of it. A mirror is a reflector.
Now back together, there is a woman and a skull. Fusing my separate interpretations of the parts involved, There is a woman in front of a skull which is a mirror. A woman who's face is in the eye of a skull and whose hair and shadows allow us to faintly see her eyes. It is as if she is hiding her face so we see the structure of the skull more. The skull is not only a reflection of her, it is her.
The woman is posing. She isn't looking at herself, she's looking at the viewer. It is as though she always has the thoughts of others in her mind. Or, she is asking the viewer to look at her the wants us to, in the eyes, or rather, the soul.She is patiently dying of emotional pain with a smile. Self-concious, she looks at herself every day to see if someone will approve. Though her image looks that of an independent individual, she does not rely on her opinions alone for all of her decisions. She does however, want to keep her mind and soul her own. Her secret desire for approval contradicts her desire to make others opinions of her detached from her care.
The skull gave me a more grave interpretation of the art considering full skulls are revealed after death. The skull also allowed me to look beyond physical appearances first, i acted as a foundation to a physical being. It showed practicality.
the fifth picture down
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