Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Scientific Art

I didn’t really get much out of this topic in seminar and in class. I did find that the images that were presented in class that are considered scientific can show many things, such as details about human anatomy and illustrations of  colours and characteristics of flowers, fruit, and insects. However, I did sort of enjoy the artwork presented by the guest speaker, Catherine Heard. It was interesting how wax figures can be sculpted to show the inside components of humans, as well as how she showed the “crying” statue. I think they can be very educational and artistic at the same time. While they are showing graphical and biological aspects of the human body, they also portray character and beauty. The sculptures of the women who had their stomachs opened to expose the insides were very interesting to look at to where everything is inside us, but the position of her body and the expression on her face is what makes it art.

Instead though, I’ll discuss briefly  my progress on my final project. I am still very undecided on my choice for this project. It is very difficult to choose one theme from class and present in a meaningful peice. Out of all of the choices, I think I am going to chose photgraphs to display my theme since I lack in artistical drawing skills. I am going to try and portray images that we, as a society are accustomed to, and what we are socialized to on a daily basis. Then I am going to show images of things that we do not see as soically acceptable, or consider a social norm. I am attempting to show that visual culture has a great impact on society and how we react to it, and I will question what would happen if the other images I create were seen as acceptable in society.

Public Art Influences

When I first relaized what Shimon Attie was doing on the buildings of Manhattan, I wasn’t particularily interested. It didn’t seem that having writing projected in the walls was going to be effective. I still don’t think that it was that great of a project after seeing the final outcome. It was interesting the way the phrases were “written” on the wall in the actual script of the people who wrote them, but that was about all I got our of that. However, I did really like his past work in Berlin. At first, I didn’t think that projecting images on the buildings would work too well. After seeing though how they did work, and how the fit into the scenery like puzzle pieces, I was quite impressed. I loved how on the buildings he showed what they used to look like decades ago, and how he also showed the people and the families in the projections as well. I thought that his message was very effectively conveyed in these images. When looking at them, it made me think about the way of life back in those days, and about WWII. The projections almost looked real, and I think that that was what he wanted. I think the images motivated people to remember what it used to be like, and the hardships that the people faced, so that we can appreciate what we have now. The water projection that he did in Denmark (I think?) were also a neat idea. I would have never thought that something like that would work. But, it looked as if you would have to be in a boat to see the images because they were out in the water. The pictures of the people with the buildings and scenery was a good way of portraying the impact that those events had on the people, and again sparking memories about those times. In all, I think his intentions are very good, because his images will make people remember about the hardships that those other people faced.

Fashion

Fashion is one of my favourite things. I love creating new pieces, and designing different clothing. I do design stuff myself, and sew it myself, but only for myself. I am always aware of the new trends, and I try to stay ahead of them. I find it particularly interesting how it is so easy to find fashion and fashion images on the internet. But, by the time they are posted online, there is always someone somewhere else who has created something new. By the time that those styles hit the stores, the next seasons apparel is already being shown on the runway. It is very hard to keep up with fashion, and we are bombarded every day with it in advertisements, and this is how the world of fashion has such a huge impact on everyone. It influences what people wear and when they wear it, how much they spend and what they spend it on. Fashion moulds society to look a certain way, and we can’t avoid it.

Fashion is such a broad term though, that it can’t be applied to just clothing. The “latest fashion” can also be used to desribe furniture, or perfume, of going to the spa for a day. That is why fashion is such an important part of visual culture. It is apparent in almost any image now-a-days, and like I said before, it makes society conform to it. If someone isn’t wearing expensive jeans, a dressy blouse, with a Guess purse, they are critisized and don’t fit into the group. Fashion is just so apparent in everything visual that it is almost taking over. For example, if I am wearing something that I don’t think is in style, I always feel self conscience, but I wear it becuase it is all I have at the moment. When people wear something, others take it as a representation of the person and jugde them based on that. This is similar to what people do to artwork. They look at it, and judge it on the quality of appearence, and sometimes it isnt taken into consideration the reason of the artwork, or the person who made it. Therefore, fahion is hard to describe using 1 term. In my opinion, it is one of the most influential things in society today, and will continue to be, so long as people let it influence their decisions.

Manufactured Landscapes

The documentary “Manufactured Landscapes” by Edward Burtynsky was an eye opener for me. I have seen the film twice before, so I was already familiar with the theme of the movie. Its relation to visual culture though was a little but difficult for me to decipher. At first, I sort of thought that the techniques that were used in the movie proved effective. By zooming in on one spot of the images, and then zooming out, was a really neat way of showing how we might not see the whole picture when we look at something. I think it followed the the theme of the movie very well, because I never knew any of that stuff was going on in China before seeing this movie. It made me think that maybe not all things on the world can be solved. There is always the perception in society that if something needs to be fixed, that it will be fixed by someone else, someone who cares. Whenever there is a disease, there is always some sort of charity to find a cure. What is there for China? We can’t do anything about what is going on over there because it is the governments choice to run the counrty that way.

The images in the movie I think held a slightly different meaning than the actual documentary. When looking at the pictures just on thier own, the perception that I got was that they were being taken to show the beauty of the “manufactured landscapes.” These landscapes are a result of industrialization, and they are man made. We also cannot totally reverse what we have done to the natural environment, so by taking what we have now and appreciating it for its own beauty, we can accept that the man made landscapes are always going to be. Now taking the documentary into consideration, the meaning for me now changes to a feeling of despair, and helplessness in a world that is driven by money and power. The scale of destruction that humans have had on the environment and ecosystems is increasingly getting greater. And now, by seeing the pictures with the story behind them, we can also see that we are harming ourselves in the process. It is dangerous for people to be living on top of toxic wastes, sharp plastic edges, rusty metal, but the demand for consumer products is driving corporations to produce more, and find ways of getting it to the consumers faster. Building new transportation routes to accomplish this is also hindering the environment, and it is just becoming a vicious circle. Even though there is no clear message in this film, it is sort of left up to the veiwer to think what they want. In my thoughts, I think that something should be done so that the environment can be preserved, but will I stop buying products that are made in China? Not likely. It is almost impossible to live a westernized lifestyle without doing damage to the environment, which is the devastating fact about living in the post-modern age.

Visual Culture in Cyberspace

So, I origianally wrote this blog a while ago, and it has mysteriously disappeared off the face of the earth, so I am going to attempt to rewrite it again!

Anyways the topic of discussion was visual culture in cyber space. I would like to mainly focus on discussing the impact that the internet and the digital world has had on the art community. The internet has provided a way for artwork to be showcased around the world. Famous peices can now be seen from the comfort of someones home rather than travelling to Europe or other places to see them. There are many pros and cons to this though. For one, it allows more people to appreciate the art and see its beauty. New artists and established artists can show their work, and make people more aware of what they have to offer. There are ways to prevent people from taking their work, as I have encountered, by embedding codes so that images cannot be copied or saved from the site. However, it also allows for misconceptions. Images can be altered which ruins the integrity of the art and therefore, the meaning. The internet can also provide an easy way to plagarize someone elses work. Because there are so many sites to go to for original and unique peices from aspiring artists, people can go on and copy those images and claim them as their own. Although, I am very appreciative of the internet, and how it has allowed me to be able to see famous pieces.

Before the internet, we still had computers, which were capable of altering images of artwork still, which could then be used on t.v and posters. Therefore, the internet wasn’t the cause of all the negative impressions on art on the internet. It is just scrutinized because it allows easier access. When art is veiwed on the internet, I think that a person should be smart about it, and decide for themself if it an authentic representation. Sometimes it is easy to see if the site is trustworthy just by its presentation.

The “true” meaning of pictures…..

So, the movie that we watched this week in lecture was quite interesting. It was a documentary of a photographer named Shelby Lee Adams, and  his work involving images of families, mostly the Napier family, in the Appalachian mountains. Well, the first thing that came to mind when I heard the Appalchian mountains was Virginia. I have been to that state several times, and my parents always joked that we couldnt stop for too long because the hill billies would get us. Even though I never thought that there were still people living that kind of life, I never took it seriously as my parents were always racists anyways. After watching the film though, and seeing what sort of message it was trying to convey, I was confused. It seemed as though Adams wanted people to see his pictures as just being true to life, showing what these people were really like, and that we shouldnt jugde them because they choose to live that way. However, there were many things in the film that I thought contradicted this message. For one, he kept telling the people how to pose, or how to look for the photographs, which is a way of altering the final image. Another thing, the people knew they were being photographed, which also could have influenced the final pictures. They knew that he wanted to show “them” as good people, so  they may have tried to look their best (as anyone does for a photograph) , they may have acted differently because the camera crew was there as well. This is all a result of something called the Hawthorne Effect, where people behave and act differently if they know they are being watched. One thing that I could not figure out was, after the man got bitten by the snake, how did he get to the hospital? It showed that these people were very religious and very faithful in god. I even remember them saying that if the snake was to bite them, it was up to god whether or not they would die from it. So, if the man was bitten, why did he go to the hospital? And how did they pay for it? These people were portrayed as being very poor, so I was just a little confused about that, because maybe Shelby Adams offered some sort of financial aide. There is nothing wrong with that because it saved the mans life, but it also shows that he was influencing their regular lifestyles.

Therefore, what is the true meaning of these pictures? That these photographs show poor people who look to be unhappy ( as a result of Adams telling them not to smile), or that they are not really what they seem? I still don’t know what the meaning of these pictures are, because how can anybody want to live like that? I know that it is the way of life that they have practised for years and years, but, if they are aware that there are better opportunites out in the world, then why can they not take advantage of it? I guess if you just look at the surface, the answer would be that these people are poor, they know they are poor, but they are harmless, and don;t mid living like that. I just have so many questions about these people that probably cannot be answered. In my opinion, this movie did not show the true meaning of the pictures.

A picture says 1000 words?

So, “physiognomy,” was a term that i breifly pointed out in one of my last blogs, but it was brought up frequently in class this week. We were shown many pictures that were taken by early photographers such as E. Thiesson, J.T. Zealy,  and Carl Durheim. Some elements of their photography included taking pictures of people who were of different races, which I found particularily interesting. The people, which included examples of black and aboriginal races, were taken in different positions, and did not have the same clothes as the pictures of “white“ people. This was described as indicating social status, which is easily determined from looking at the pictures. They were also positioned so that some of them were not making eye contact with the camera. In comparison, the photos of the white people were usually more appealing to look at. The occupants of the picture were weraing nicer clothes and were allowed to face the camera. In addition, some of the pictures were of criminals. The purpose of taking some of these pictures were for medical records, so that doctors could look at them and see any medical ailments that the person had. Also, they were used to compare criminals, and determine the physical charcteristics of a criminal. Therefore, like I said previously, physignomy is almost like judging someone or something by its looks. I dont think that this was a very useful tool. Even though obvious medical illnesses (such as deformities, skin rashes, etc) can be seen, it is not a feasibile way to determine medical abnormalities. Alot of illnesses are better seen from an internal perspective of the body, such as blood work, skin tests, stethoscopes, so pictures are not an efficient way to keep records. As well, although there may be some similarities to mug shots of criminals, (dirty hair and faces, ) those are just stereotypical ways of analysing deterrants. There are many people who have done unlawful acts, and there is no way you can tell from the  physical attributes from their face. So, is it really possible to know everything about someone just by a picture of them? I dont think so. I do think it is possible to make many theories, and assumptions based on an image, but without knowing more information, there is only a limited amount of knowledge possible.

 I would just like to say something about seminar too. This week was the library workshop, and I thought it was very useful. I wasn’t very familiar with how to search for online articles because I am in first year, but after learning in seminar, I have found it very useful. I have now used it to find the rest of the articles for the class readings, as well as for other classes.

ttfn!

Art that makes you think….

There werent any classes this week  but I would like to share some of the thoughts I have from using ARTstor.

I really liked using the database to find images and explore them. When i was using it, i found an artist, whom I have not heard of before. (I havent heard of too many artists, mostly because Im not an art major) The artists name is David Goldes, and he does still life photography.

http://davidgoldes.com/

His photos are very interesting. They are mostly concerned with scientific expereiments that look at water, air, natural forces, and other natural elements. He conducts these experiments on a simple level, and his pictures make you think. Some of his collection includes mesh replicas of everyday objects, which are then set in an everyday arrangement. This motivated me to think of reality, and what objects really are, and how people are materialistic. Because, when you look, its as if the object is there, but in a way, it isnt. As well, his experiments with water are fascinating to observe. He mostly shows the physicalities of water, and how gravity, and other physical elements can be used to manipluate the water, in addition to showing tyhe magnetic forces of water. Anyways, that was  the most interesting thing that I have discovered so far by using ARTstor. I think its a great program and very useful for me, since im not an art major, and I am not too familiar with a lot of peices.

Ta ta

Art vs. Ads, and the camera scam

In seminar, we discussed the signifier, the signified, and the signs of different pieces of art and advertisments. In the discussion, many things were brought up such as the difference between art and advertisements. Everyone seemed to agree that ads were more blunt when it came to what the “artist” wanted the veiwer to see or understand, whereas art is more subtle. One thing that noone mentioned was that ads seem more blunt because they are usually accompanied with words, (mostly) and sounds. But, what I am trying to get at is that, even though advertisments aren’t produced by famous painters and sculptors, they still have a lot of thought behind them. Effective advertising is sometimes difficult because the person who is designing the ad has to make the consumers want to purchase the product by appealing to the 5 senses, and that is very difficult to do through a picture. So advertisers have a difficult task when they have to deisgn a single picture that has to make the consumer taste, smell, hear, and feel the product in addition to seeing it. So, wouldn’t advertising be considered some form of art? a matter of opinion, but that could just be one way to look at it.

In class, the movie that was shown was quite interesting because I have never heard of that theory before. I find it very believable because the technology that was used was very basic, and accessible back in those days. Also, it would be very difficult to draw to the accuaracy that was illustrated in the movie. My opinion though on whether painters from that time should still be considered artists? Well, I think that it still takes some skill to be able to copy the image exactly, when it comes to colouring at least. The sketching of the reproduced image would have served well for guidelines, but after, when the picture needed to be painted, it would still take skill to make all the details the same in colour. Although, it is still astonishing that this may have been the way that artists back in history did use the aid of a sort of camera, so it kind of changes my opinion and outlook for peices of art. Its not as jaw dropping now because they didnt draw to that accuracy with just their hands.