Eyes As Big As Plates: Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
These photographs by the Scandinavian artists initially really struck me for the way in which the models were positioned as if they were embedded into the earth and appeared as if they were just emerging from the earth itself. To me this highlighted the connection of humans and earth in the sense that the earth gave birth to us and that we are not separate from the earth itself. It also reminded me of the recycling of matter through cycles of life and death, what I mean by this specifically is that the matter that makes up our bodies could have once been part of another plant, animal, microbe or mineral. This was just my initial interpretation however. When I began to read more about the project, I discovered that it was initially inspired by Scandinavian folklore and creatures like trolls. The name of the collection “Eyes as Big as Plates” was actually inspired by a folk tale of a large-eyed dog and throughout the images, the artists try to capture the same curious nature and eerie gaze of this creature. I definitely felt this in photos such as #Brit (Norway 2018) and # Bengt II (Norway 2011), where the subject directly gazes into the camera and there is an eerie and mystical feeling that is captured and emulated through this. On the other hand, there is also a very curious and mischievous nature that comes through in some of their other photos, such as #Tuija (Finland 2012). In this particular photograph the subject skinny dips in the frigid waters of Finland and looks at the camera through a crown of lily pads with a playful smirk pasted on her face. Everything about this image speaks to mischievous water creatures of folklore. Essentially, the task that these artists have assigned themselves was to use old photographic techniques, such as shooting with natural lighting and using a medium-format film camera, in order to capture older people existing as a part of nature. This process is extremely delicate and requires lighting at particular times of day and the film being used doesn’t always turn out, for example they lost 75% of their photographs taken in Iceland. Time is also a very important aspect of their photographs through the older age of their subjects, the painstakingly long process of shooting and the old photographic techniques being used. Additionally, despite the seemingly fantastical nature of the photographs, they are also deeply connected to the natural environment through the subject and their own personal connections to nature. Maybe the subject is a swimmer and is photographed in the water or a farmer who has strong connections with the land. A more specific example of this is in #Agnes II (Norway 2011), where she is photographed as a wind goddess to represent her connection with the wind through her joyful and memorable experience while skydiving.
Pollen from Hazelnut & Wax Room: Wolfgang Laib
I was initially very attracted to the piece “Pollen from Hazelnut” because I was just imagining how badly my pollen allergies would be acting up around this piece and handling that much pollen. However, after this initial fear I also began to think about how long this process of collecting jars upon jars of pollen to cover 18 x 21 feet of floor space with pollen must be. The process itself would require a lot of time over many seasons and being within nature up close with plants, in this case Hazelnut Trees. In addition the significance of pollen itself is such a pure organic material that represents the beginning of plant life. The artists himself put it beautifully, “pollen is the potential beginning of the life of the plant. It is as simple, as beautiful, and as complex as this. And of course it has so many meanings. I think everybody who lives knows that pollen is important.” -Laib. Further than this, pollen is also such a crucial part of any ecosystem for its importance to the lives of insects such as bees and butterflies. Therefore the task that this artist has assigned himself was to capture the beginning and essence of plants, through spending quiet and meditative time collecting this material. This was extremely important to Liab on a personal level because of his previous work in hospitals with sick and dying people. Additionally it is also a physical representation of his time spent over many years, specifically his time alone just outside a small and quiet village, something which he highly values. He also values the ability to be doing the same task every year, especially in a world where everything in a constant state of movement and change.
Another piece that he has done, “Wax Room: Wohin Bist Du Geagangen – Wohin Ghest Du? (Where Have You Gone – Where Are You Going?)”, creates a meditative space filled with the natural scent of beeswax. This experience emulates a cocoon-like feeling and the combination of the smell, dim light, colour and material of the room induces a loss of awareness of time, space and self. The space is contemplative and meditative and infers a connection to the natural world through its use of beeswax material. In a way this piece is also deeply connected to the concept of beginnings with the cocoon-like nature of the space and entering it allows one to feel as if they are in a completely new body and otherworldly place. A lot of his works are appreciative of meditative states and time, and are able to connect to the natural world through the materials being used and the time spent collecting them.
Book Stacks: Inspired by Nina Katchadourian
For this project I wanted to focus more on creating punchy statements and sentences using the spines of the books rather than trying to create a more sculptural piece. I experimented with a lot of different lengths of book stacks and sentences and I ended up liking more of the phrases that I made with stacks of two books. I really enjoy the punchy and direct nature of the stacks when there are just two books, compared to the longer stacks. When experimenting with longer stacks of books I feel that a lot of the messages I was trying to create were getting muddled and lost in all the words. This was probably largely due to the fact that I was mostly using my own limited collection of books, however I did also borrow some graphic novels from my workplace (The Dragon) and I loved the humour I was able to create with some of the titles. I did include one of the longer stacks of books that I made however, because I did actually end up liking this one and I don’t feel that the message was lost or muddled. For this particular long stack I decided to format the words like a list and I feel like this helped a lot in keeping the message clear. I had spotted the book “The Hazards of Love” on the shelf at work and I was determined to create a list with this, so I was able to focus my search more for this particular stack. I also enjoyed how this stack ends with a rhyme (rhyming “me” and “be”), as it creates a more poetic feel as well.
Bird Banding Arboretum Trip
Video Art Brainstorm
Bird Species (left to right, top to bottom): Common Grackle, Northern Flickers (woodpecker), Red Winged Black Birds, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal. All of these images of birds were taken by me in my backyard in Guelph.
Protecting certain geographical areas of biodiversity is extremely important for the overall survival of the natural environment. Canada harbors approximately 80,000 different species of plants and animals and many people believe that sanctioning off any land that humans aren’t actively using and don’t need will suffice in sustaining these species (NCC). However, many plants and animals, take birds for example, require very particular types of habitats spanning over a vast amounts of land. Most bird species in Canada live and migrate along the border to the US, which just so happens to be where the majority of the human population in Canada also resides. For nesting, some bird species may require marshland, shorelines, grassy fields, or dead trees surrounded by thick forest. Additionally, in order to migrate, birds also need patches or strips of natural environment in order to rest and sustain themselves throughout the journey. In response to the rapid decline of bird species all across the world due to habitat loss, designated areas have been established in order to try and maintain these species. An area such as this has been established right behind where I live, a marshland that houses a large diversity of bird species that I get the joy and privilege of watching come and go throughout the year. Interacting with bird species has been a large part of my father’s life and now it has also become a significant part of mine. I often enjoy spending my evenings and nights following in my father’s footsteps, and with his advice, calling owls. The thrill of being able to hear one call back is like nothing else I’ve experienced. The first time I got an owl to call back to me I remember the chill it sent down my spine and I never get tired of that feeling. I love the birds and I never want to have to see them go. So, for my video project I wanted to film a sort of performance done by me and my father. My idea is that the two of us will go out in the evening to a large field that is close to my house and sit facing each other while practicing owl calls. I want the performance to appear almost as if me and my father are having a conversation with one another in these unique bird calls and sounds. The overall performance will highlight the importance of birds to me and my father, and the activity of watching and enjoying their sounds, as well as how this has connected the two of us on a personal level. I also want to highlight that birds aren’t just important on an ecological level, but also for the wellbeing of humans and human connections.
This project was almost too difficult for me to do, as I love books so much and they have played such a large part in my life, that it was hard to try and focus on one solid idea. After sharing my books in class however, I noticed that I have quite the collection obscure or eldritch horror as genre, so I started to gear my ideas towards the theme of eldritch horror. However, rather than being inspired by one of the books I posses, I decided to use the notebook I am currently writing for a podcast called “The Magnus Archives” produced by Rusty Quill. The best way that I can describe this podcast is eldritch horror on steroids, so I knew this notebook would be perfect for me to use in order to produce the effects that I wanted. I wanted the layout of the book to appear as uncanny as possible, so I decided to format each page with a scanned image of my notebook, creating a book within a book affect. Sometimes my hands are even holding the edges of the scanned notebook which creates and odd effect, as the reader holds a book that has image of someone holding a book. Aside from the notebook scans, I also scanned other objects and found some images from online to add things on top of the notebooks pages that related back to the text of my notes. For this particular element I was partially inspired by old “I Spy” books, trying to create a three dimensional effect on two dimensional pages. I also added objects and effects to the pages in a way that shouldn’t make sense in order to add to the uncanniness of it, such cracked glass, digital glitching and warping the pages and text. These effects also helped me to bring the readers attention away from the actual text and contents of the notebook pages and on to the physicality of the notebook itself. I intentionally wanted the book to be difficult to look at or fully comprehend, as eldritch horror is all about not being able to fully grasp or understand something, as there is something just not quite right or natural about it. Although, if the reader is familiar with “The Magnus Archives”, they would have context for all the pages and just about every decision I made for the contents of each page is some sort of easter egg for the podcast. Finally, I decided to loosely title the book (by loosely I mean its not advertised on the front cover) “The Assorted Archives”, as the pages are all from varying sections of my notes and aren’t in order. In the podcast, the main character, Jonathan Sims, is an archivist who is sorting statements people gave to The Magnus Institute about potentially supernatural encounters, however Jon finds that the archives are in a such disarray after the previous archivist passed away. The statements that Jon reads in the episodes of the podcast then are never in any order (chronologically or numerically) and I wanted this aspect to be reflected in my book as well. I therefore, wanted this to be reflected in the title, and I also really liked the alliteration and sound of “Assorted Archives”, so I stuck with it.
ART21 Video Notes
The first artist that really stood out to me from the videos was An-My Le and her piece, “29 Palms”. The piece really struck me as she decided to take such a powerful, emotional and devastating subject, war, and framed it in a manner that I have truly never seen before. War is a subject many artists try to tackle in their works, as it is a very real part of many peoples lives, however it is almost never portrayed in a positive manner. I really enjoyed how she took the moments of war that those who have never actively fought in a war would never know about. When thinking of war, we almost never think of peace or peaceful moments that might occur during it and I found it was very beautiful and moving for Le to focus on these moments. I also love how she chose to incorporate how nature and the landscape plays a role in these peaceful moments of war and war in general. I think the way in which she chose to shoot her images as well really helped to enforce the importance of the landscape in the pictures. She spoke about wanting to take as many steps back as she could and this allowed for her to capture landscapes where the soldiers and vehicles appeared extremely small in the vast expanse that surrounded them. Additionally, her use of black and white was reminiscent of the techniques used by landscape photographers like Ansel Adams and his work.
I also really enjoyed the pieces done by Stephanie Syjuco in her “San Francisco Bay Area” exhibition, looking at culture and protests through a very digital and consumerist lens. She was largely critiquing digital culture through her “transparent” photoshop background sheet and green screen pieces. It was very interesting to see how she took aspects of digital art and creation that people who create digital works will recognize but almost never think about. It was also interesting that these aspects, such as a transparent background and green screen, are also things that are never seen in the final products of digital works, but are still very much a part of the image or digital piece. For example, a green screen is still technically in an image, but its not the green that we end up seeing in the final results. To me this gives her pieces the feeling that they are somewhat unfinished, as we don’t expect to see these elements of digital production that are supposed to be hidden or only viewed by the artist.
Final Book Images
I really enjoyed the way my books turned out. I think the framing of the journal in each of my pages was very effective and the solution I came up with for the gutters of my pages ended up looking quite nice. I also really liked the texture of the inner pages of the book, as it has a nice, almost papery quality to them which I think complimented my concept very well. If I were to go back and change anything about them however, I would change the covers as I don’t particularly enjoy the glossy photobook covers. I believe I tried to order the hardcover trade book, but I think some sort of mix up happened and I ended up with two photo books instead. Regardless, I still really like how the overall design and layout turned out. I also might decide to paint the inner covers black, as they originally came in white and I think the black just ties in better with the overall black background that I used throughout the rest of the book’s design.
Artist Multiples: Horror Trope Pins
For my artist multiple I really wanted to keep with my previous themes of work in the horror genre and mix it with my interests in film and the film industry. I have always found the tropes within horror movies to be absolutely absurd and began to think about what these tropes might look like if they were applied within the real world. My goal for this project then, was to create and apply these common tropes through my artist multiples. I chose to use pins/ buttons in order to do this, as I really enjoy the declarative nature that is typically associated with them. What I mean by this is, pins are often used to declare a political or social message/ viewpoint. I think this helped to create a double meaning within the text of my pins. I wanted my pins to move further beyond simply displaying absurd tropes, but also conjure messages about our society in general. For example this is evident in the pins which declare, “Why don’t responsible adults exist?”, “I’m not proud of it but I ran”, “Why does the cute girl always die first”, “Killers wear a mask”, and “Cell service isn’t provided to those who are being chased by killers”. I really enjoyed the discussions that my pins ended up invoking within the class critique, so I think I was successful in bringing out meaning through these horror trope pins. I also liked that these pins made people start to wonder about the true horrors of our own world and if they are as far off from the movies as we make them out to be. Overall I think that, especially when applied in certain scenarios, my pins can be both shocking, comedic, and profound in their meanings and messages.
I am interested in their works because a lot of their art pieces involve turning the focus onto environmentalism and the human’s relationship to the natural world. She creates works that try to get people immersed and hands-on, becoming a part of the piece like her work with milkweed dispersal balloons, and Tell it to the Birds. A lot of her pieces also work with audio like A confounding mimicry and Playhead of Dawn. They use strategies that help answer the question of how to best represent a topic and bring awareness to people in an artistic fashion. The artist changes their strategies piece by piece, but the reoccurring practice of bringing people into the piece, or creating room for participation tends to be reused.
The Playhead of Dawn outside in the gardens of The Arts Club of Chicago.
For their piece Playhead of Dawn, they chose to make a piece about birds and the impact of humans on birds by playing a 24-hour audio piece that recreates the rise of the sun at dawn as the earth rotates around the sun. The audio piece amplifies the bird’s voices, and puts them in the front row for all to hear. The artists collected and compiled thousands of bird song data from around the world, and organized them, and timed them to be played at the correct times as if we could listen in at dawn at any time and geographic location in real-time. A lot of research has been put into making this piece as accurate as possible, even including the earth’s axis of rotation in the calculations of when the audio clips should be played.
The piece might evoke something different for everyone, but there are certainly a lot of things that people can learn just from listening to it. One might notice that throughout the day, certain areas will be silent, which could be due to passing over a body of water, or through an area of habitat that no longer contains birds from which to capture their song audio. The audio and absence of audio are important in this piece, representing the reality of a moment in a bird’s life, and reaching out to people to think about how their human lives can impact the lives of birds around the world.
The Milkweed Balloon Dispersal
For their piece, the Milkweed Balloon Dispersal, the artist was responding to the decline of monarch butterflies and making an educational and interactive piece to help make people aware of the decline of Monarch butterflies. They did some research about the habitat impact, and the importance of milkweed as a source of food to the Monarch butterflies. As a piece, they filled balloons with milkweed seeds, and handed them out to citizens, helping educate people, and offering them an opportunity to take part in the piece by bringing a balloon home and popping it somewhere to disperse the seeds in the hopes of increasing the milkweed plant population for the monarch butterflies. The intention of wanting to find an artistic way to reach out to people and educate them on the subject is shown in how they performed their art piece very publicly.
Book Stacking
For these book stacks, I asked all of my roommates to hand over every book they had hidden away in our house. It was fun to see how I could try and organize them in unconventional ways. Trying to piece together books that may have never met before to create new combinations in to universe. I tried to keep in mind color, text, and composition for these pieces. I also have not read any of these books before, so these were all newly discovered titles to me.
Nature Video Art Project
For this project, I was originally interested in working within the intersection of mental health and nature. There are studies showing that mental health can improve with the exposure to green spaces, like forests, parks, beaches, ect., and I think there is a problem with many societies today as population density increases in city areas. It seems people’s lives are centered within human-made walls, and people have become distanced from the natural world. I wanted to try and find a way to expose people to this problem. Avery and I first came up with the idea to set up a living room set in a field and play a nature documentary on a tv in nature, but we moved away from that idea because it was a bit too literal. We then had the idea to play nature documentaries in unconventional places around town, and see how people interacted with them. After further refining of ideas, we came upon the idea to read books to trees.
Trees have long been used and exploited the humans. For Centeries, they have been carefully cut down, and used to make clothing items such as shoes (Wikipedia, n.d), hats and masks (Indigenous Foundations, n.d). Trees have also importantly been used for traditional shelters, and burned to make food (Jiang et al., 2018)… but they can also be abused and slashed down for the lumbar and paper industry (Bergquist et al., 2016), or even for cut for traditions like Christmas. Trees can be mistreated, and cleared for food crops (Dall’Agnol et al, 2022), contaminated from the exhaust of vehicles (Gong et al. 2022), and from the chemicals that can spill into rivers from the textile industry (Dall’Agnol et al, 2022; Grappi et al, 2017). As a society, it seems that people relationship with trees and forests have become removed and distant.
K’aaxada Mask by Haayłingtso Marlo Wylie Brillon
Some Clogs.
Bolivian Amazon Forest and a Soy Crop
Bangladesh water run off from textiles
A stereotypical christmas scene
We also wanted to explore how some people have a relationship with trees in the art form of Bonsai. I personaly have had experience trying to make my own bonsai, and we try to bend to tree to do what we what by trimming its roots, physically reshaping the branches, cutting off unwanted branches, and keeping the tree to a small desired size because that is what make sus happy…. but have I ever stoped to thing that is what would make the tree happy? There is even the scientific relationship with labeling specimens and naming all the different parts on the tree, but has anyone ever introduced themselves to one of them?
We felt it was an important task to try and educate a tree on these topics, so that it can learn about the world and introduce it to some of these topics. Of course, we see the irony in our communication because trees can not see, or hear, though they do have many other ways of sensing the world (JIC, 2022). We wanted to see how it would feel to get personal with the one on one session from our very own Aboretum.
References:
Bergquist, Ann-Kristin, and E. Carina H. Keskitalo. “Regulation Versus Deregulation. Policy Divergence Between Swedish Forestry and the Swedish Pulp and Paper Industry after the 1990s.” Forest Policy and Economics, vol. 73, 2016, pp. 10–17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2016.07.003.
Dall’Agnol, R., Sahoo, P. K., Salomão, G. N., de Araújo, A. D. M., da Silva, M. S., Powell, M. A., Junior, J. F., Ramos, S. J., Martins, G. C., da Costa, M. F., & Guilherme, L. R. G. (2022). Soil-sediment linkage and trace element contamination in forested/deforested areas of the Itacaiúnas River Watershed, Brazil: To what extent land-use change plays a role? The Science of the Total Environment, 828, 154327–154327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154327
Gong, C., Xian, C., & Ouyang, Z. (2022). Isotopic Composition (delta N-15 and delta O-18) of Urban Forests in Different Climate Types Indicates the Potential Influences of Traffic Exhaust and Relative Humidity. Forests, 13(12), 2060–. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122060
Grappi, S., Romani, S., & Barbarossa, C. (2017). Fashion without pollution: How consumers evaluate brands after an NGO campaign aimed at reducing toxic chemicals in the fashion industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 149, 1164–1173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.183
Indigenous Foundations, “Cedar”, Arts UBC, n.d., https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/cedar/
Jiang, Hongen, et al. “Drilling Wood for Fire: Discoveries and Studies of the Fire-Making Tools in the Yanghai Cemetery of Ancient Turpan, China.” Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 27, no. 1, 2018, pp. 197–206, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-017-0611-5.
John Innes Center, “How do plants sense the world around them?”, JIC, March 2022, https://www.jic.ac.uk/blog/how-do-plants-sense-the-world-around-them/#:~:text=Plants%20have%20special%20structures%20called,far%20red%20and%20ultraviolet%20light.
In “The Tree”, we film an ironic scene where a girl brings many books to read to the tree to try and educate it on today’s world. The books selected are all related to economic and potential justice issues that we thought a tree might want to know. For example, what we label trees as… is that what they would call themselves? Might the tree want to protest how we treat them like polluting the air and soil with our inventions like cars and clothes, chopping them down for our celebrations, or manipulating their growth because of our beauty standards? The act of reading is also ironic in that the books are made from trees. This short film is intended to explore these concepts through humor, but hopefully, it also allows people to think about how our actions might affect each individual tree.
Book Project
For this project, I had a few ideas, but the most fun one seemed to cutting out images from a children’s picture encyclopedia and re-making the spreads. The difficult thing at first was trying to find connections or interesting images within the book, and then deciding on an interesting composition of how to re-arrange the images. After a lot of trial and error, this was my end result:
The Picture Encyclopedia, 2023 edition is better than ever. This book allows the images to come to life, and re-image the world without any labels. Explore the pages and find surprising images. The book is created from a children’s picture encyclopedia, however, the 2023 edition is an attempt to deconstruct the built narratives in the book and instead rebuild a more freeing and educating book on how one should expect the world to work. Take a look for yourself. See how it makes you feel. Cut out the images and make your own world. It’s fun.
Take a stand:
Barbara Kruger
Kruger is a text based artist who has been creating pieces for a very long time. They create these large prints of questions and installs them in places where the public can be confronted by the questions, like the public installation in the skate park. with Kruger’s work being primarily large text, they dismantle the artist’s trope of having complex paintings or sculptures for people to interpret, and instead offer the message directly for people to understand. It is nice that the text created is still something that people have to think about, and is not just an answer provided. Their pieces often are related to current issues in society, and offer messages for people to reflect on them. Kruger uses topics that are important to her, and allows that to fuel her work.
I like that the art pieces are simple in theory, and effective it terms of offering awareness to people. Words can be a very powerful medium, and being able to create enlarged messages is a great way to share and inform people about important topics. It makes me realize that I can incorporate the right words and messages in the pieces I create.
Marry Reid Kelly
In Mary’s work of “You made me iliad” she explores the narrative and experiences of WWII woman and sex workers. She explains that there are very few records of their experiences, due to societal reasonings, and so she feels it is important to explore their roles as a way of stating their lives on the record for them. I thought it was a very interesting piece because she says that this concept is something that can only really be shown in art. I think that it was a smart choice to use the little information that was provided by male documentation to piece together the information to create a mosaic of the woman’s experience. I like that it is a serious topic in creating justice for women of the past, but the black-and-white character design, setting, and script add elements to the intention of the piece that make it a bit more digestible for the people watching. It inspires me to see what other narratives have been lost in time for future projects.
Artist Multiple
For this project, I knew I wanted to go in a direction that inspired people to explore the world around them. I personally enjoy adventures, and I wanted to create a piece that could inspire people to explore as well. With the help of Nathan, I am proud to present the following maps….
Here to Nowhere
and
Here to Somewhere
Are you tired? Do you wake up in the morning, bored and uninspired? Well fear no more! The map to Nowhere and to Somewhere is just what you need. These maps offer you the route to the road trip of a lifetime, where you can drive from wherever you are, all the way to Nowhere, Oklahoma! But wait, you can keep driving all the way to Somewhere, New York! The route is displayed for easy directions, however, there are many alternative routes that may intrigue you. Get your maps today and go Nowhere, or Somewhere. It’s up to you.
The maps can be printed in any size, and can be folded for convenient traveling. The bold red path is sure to guide you to your destination. This particular series is designed to provide directions from Guelph, Ontario to Nowhere and Somewhere. These maps can be edited to provide directions from all over the world.
So, with Katchadourian’s work, what really strikes me is how she sees these invisible connections between book titles. It’s like she walks into a room and the books start talking to her, telling her how they can fit together to create something totally new and unexpected. It’s almost like she’s got a secret language with them.
Then there’s her storytelling. It’s not just about finding a funny or clever sequence of titles. She’s crafting these mini-narratives, these little worlds within the spines of the books. It’s amazing how a few well-chosen books can suddenly say something profound or hilarious, or even just make you see things differently.
And the visuals – they’re so key, aren’t they? It’s not just any books that make the cut. She’s looking for the right color, the right size, the kind of font that speaks in just the right tone. It’s like each book stack is a carefully composed painting, but instead of brushstrokes, she’s using the spines of books.
Context plays such a huge role too. Whether she’s in a private library or a public space, the stories she creates are like mirrors reflecting something about that place, the people there, or the wider world. It’s like she taps into the soul of the place and lets the books tell its story.
And how about the element of surprise in her work? It’s like she goes in without a script, letting the books guide her, and then finds these gems that just click. It’s that spontaneous, in-the-moment creativity that’s so exciting.
What she’s doing, really, is changing the way we look at books. They’re not just vessels of stories on their pages; they’re storytellers themselves through their titles. And when she brings them together, it’s like she’s giving them a voice we never knew they had.
It’s such a playful, yet insightful exploration of language and meaning, isn’t it? Every time I see her work, it’s like a reminder of the power of context, of how the meaning of words can shift and change depending on where they are and what they’re next to. She’s making us rethink what a book can be, and that’s pretty incredible.
Dave Dyment: A Billion Years [Past and Future]
So, what Dyment does here is pretty out there, but in the best way. He takes these two sets of records, each with a billion years etched onto them. One for the past, one for the future. It’s like he’s compressing the entire timeline of our planet, and even beyond, into this physical form you can actually touch. It’s a wild concept when you think about it.
The past record is etched with dates of significant geological and historical events. It’s this tangible walk through time, kind of grounding you in the history of the Earth and humanity. But then, the future record – that’s where it gets really interesting. It’s blank, like this open invitation to imagine what’s coming. It’s a mix of hope, uncertainty, and a bit of existential dread, all rolled into one.
And it’s not just about the content; it’s the medium too. Records, right? They’re this old-school way of storing information. In a world where everything’s digital, there’s something really powerful about using a physical, almost outdated medium to talk about time and history.
The project also makes you think about how we perceive time. Like, a billion years is just this unimaginably long period. By putting it into a form we can see and touch, Dyment kind of makes the abstract concrete. It’s a bit like he’s holding a mirror up to our own perceptions of time and history, showing us how vast and yet how limited our understanding is.
It’s also a statement on the impermanence and fragility of what we know and what we expect. The past is set in stone, but the future? It’s this blank slate, unknown and unwritten. It sort of throws you into this contemplative space, where you’re thinking about where we’ve been and where we might be heading.
And there’s something poetic about it, don’t you think? This idea of using records, a tool for capturing moments, to represent the entirety of time. It’s like he’s using them to play the soundtrack of our planet, only the future side is just waiting for us to fill it in.
In a way, Dyment’s project is like a time capsule, but instead of burying it, he’s put it on display, making us confront these ideas head-on. It’s an artistic exploration of time, history, and the unknown future that challenges us to think about our place in this grand timeline.
My Book Stacks:
I’ve always been drawn to the stories books tell, not just inside their pages but also through the lives they’ve lived. The worn spines, the dog-eared pages – every book carries a history beyond its text.
The idea for this project sprang up from my fascination with how books are more than just stories or information. They’re artifacts, carrying individual tales of where they’ve been, who’s held them. I wanted to capture that sense of journey. So, I started stacking them, playing with the titles to create new meanings, new stories.
I sourced these books from my own collection, from friends, and even some old library sales. I looked for titles that could work together, that could tell a story or evoke a feeling when read in sequence. It wasn’t just about the content; it was also about the physical book. I chose books that showed their age, that had character, because I wanted this project to have a texture, a life of its own.
In one stack, the titles read as a quirky, almost existential joke. In another, there’s a poignant narrative about life’s fragility and the human condition. Each stack has its own vibe, its own purpose. They’re like visual poetry, each book a line in a verse.
As I arranged the books, I thought about the interplay of titles, the conversation they could have with each other. It was about finding that balance, that sweet spot where the titles clicked and the stack came to life. It’s a bit of a metaphor, really, for how we all try to find meaning, how we stack our experiences and memories to make sense of our world.
This project is an ongoing dialogue with literature and time. It’s a love letter to the printed word and an exploration of the narratives we build from the objects in our lives. It’s about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and the stories that exist between the lines.
Intertwined (2023)
Where the books are interlaced almost page by page, it feels like a metaphor for the complexity of narratives and the intermingling of stories. As I arranged these books, I was reflecting on how our lives are like pages in a book, constantly touching and influencing one another. The mingling pages suggest a deep connection, the way our stories are not solitary but shared, how the lines between one person’s narrative and another’s are often blurred and indistinct. The choice to intertwine the pages of two books so intimately against the stark black background amplifies their connectedness. It’s as if these books, and by extension the stories within them, cannot exist without one another. The black background is void of distraction, focusing the viewer’s attention solely on the complexity and beauty of the interlaced pages, highlighting their shared existence.
The New Old (2023)
The contrast between the new and old books is stark. The old books, with their weathered pages and worn bindings, speak of a rich history and the passage of time. They carry with them the wisdom of age, the hands they’ve passed through, and the dusty corners they’ve adorned. Beside them, the newer books, pristine and unmarred, hold the promise of new stories, new knowledge, and fresh starts. This stack was about showcasing the cycle of life in literature, the old giving way to the new, and the new eventually becoming old. The reflective surface beneath them acts as a metaphor for contemplation, urging the viewer to consider the cyclical nature of time. I realized after I took the picture that the newer books cast reflections that are sharp and clear, while the older books have softer, more diffused reflections, reminding me of the clarity of the present and the fading memories of the past.
The Killing Cat (2023)
The books, with their vibrant and more modern spines, seem to represent the lighter, more humorous chapters of life. The titles are playful, hinting at a story within a story. This stack was crafted with a sense of whimsy in mind, recognizing that while life has its depths, it also has its moments of levity and laughter. It’s a nod to the quirky, unexpected joys that punctuate our everyday existence. Ironically, the second book is a graphic novel by Teva Harrison, a writer diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 37. She shared her experience living with this condition in this book.
Mo[u]rning (2023)
This stack of books brings together titles that evoke a sense of introspection and contemplation. The books, with their somber tones, suggest a quieter, more reflective narrative. They seem to capture those moments of solitude we all face, where we look inward, taking stock of our lives. This stack was intended to be a personal meditation, an invitation to the viewer to pause and reflect on their own journey through the stillness these books convey.
This sequence plays with the homophones “mourning” and “morning,” weaving a narrative about personal reflection, grief, and the hope of a new day.
The stack begins with a personal, introspective note, as if one is jotting down thoughts or reminders. It then transitions into a statement about resting in a period of sorrow or mourning, implying a time of loss or reflection on hardship. The final title shifts the narrative towards a sense of hope or contemplation of the future — if or when a new day, “morning,” arrives, symbolizing new beginnings or recovery.
This play on words invites the viewer into a moment of intimate reflection, suggesting a journey through personal grief with the possibility of healing and renewal as time progresses. It’s a thoughtful and intentional layering that adds depth to the visual presentation of the stack.
It [kind of] is a study in minimalism and the power of space. The dark background here creates a sense of depth and void, a space for the viewer to fill with their thoughts and emotions. The composition is tight, the books are close together, which emphasizes the theme of introspection. The titles of the books are aligned to guide the eye smoothly down the stack, inviting a moment of personal reflection.
Week 2:
Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth: Eyes as Big as Plates
Collaborating with Karoline Hjorth, Ikonen captures portraits of elderly individuals integrated into natural landscapes, often with organic materials like leaves, rocks, or seaweed, enveloping them in ways that seem to both camouflage and celebrate their forms.
The project started with the exploration of Finnish folklore, but it quickly grew into a broader examination of humanity’s relationship with nature across various cultures. It’s about the stories we tell, the myths we weave, and how we see ourselves as part of the natural world. The subjects aren’t just posing; they become part of the landscape, almost elemental in their presence.
There’s a deep respect for the elderly in Ikonen’s work, portraying them with a sort of mythic grandeur. They’re not passive or frail; they’re powerful, almost otherworldly beings. The use of natural elements in their adornment seems to speak to the cycles of life, to a deep-rootedness in the world, to a return to the earth that bore us.
The photographs are haunting, beautiful, and a little surreal. They challenge our perceptions of aging, of beauty, of the lines between the human form and the more-than-human worlds we inhabit. It’s like Ikonen is saying, ‘Look, here’s the beauty of age, of stories etched in faces, of bodies that have weathered time, now merging with the land that sustains us.’
There’s also a playfulness to it, a sense of not taking ourselves too seriously. By adorning her subjects with these natural materials, there’s a sense in which Ikonen is inviting us to reimagine our connection to nature, to see it not as something ‘out there’ but as an intrinsic part of our being, of our identity.
“Eyes as Big as Plates” is a powerful visual conversation about nature, mythology, and identity. It’s an ongoing project that continues to evolve, each photograph a new verse in a larger story about what it means to be human in the natural world.
Tim Knowles:
Tim Knowles’ work, especially his Tree Drawings and Wind Walks, offers a mesmerizing blend of art and nature. His approach is a radical shift from conventional art-making, where he relinquishes control and allows natural forces to become the artists.
In his Tree Drawings, Knowles attaches pens to the tips of tree branches, transforming them into the artists. The trees, swayed by the wind, create drawings that are spontaneous and beautifully unpredictable. Each piece is a direct record of a moment in time, capturing the tree’s interaction with the wind and the environment. It’s a poetic reflection on nature’s rhythm and the unseen forces that shape our world.
Then there’s his Wind Walks. Here, Knowles uses wind direction to determine his path through a landscape, letting the whims of nature guide him. He documents these journeys with GPS, creating drawings based on where the wind takes him. It’s a fascinating concept – surrendering human intention to the will of nature, allowing the environment to dictate the creative process.
Knowles’ work is a profound statement on the relationship between humans and nature. He removes himself as the central creator and instead becomes a facilitator, letting the natural elements express their own ‘artistic’ qualities. It’s a humbling reminder of the power and beauty of the natural world and our often overlooked role within it.
His environmental projects extend beyond traditional art boundaries, blending science, nature, and creativity. By doing so, Knowles invites us to reconsider our perceptions of art. He challenges the idea of the artist as the sole creator and instead presents nature as a dynamic and unpredictable force in the creative process.
The underlying message in Knowles’ work is about connection and harmony with the natural world. It’s a call to observe, to listen, and to respect the forces that exist beyond our control. His art is not just a visual experience but a conceptual journey, urging us to consider our place in the larger tapestry of the natural world.
Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan: Lesbian Rangers
The “Lesbian Rangers” project, developed by artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, is a fascinating and provocative piece of performance art that blends humor, activism, and social commentary.
In this project, Dempsey and Millan don ranger uniforms and patrol parks and natural areas, engaging with the public in a role that’s part environmental steward, part social activist. They draw attention to the presence and history of lesbians in various environments, challenging the conventional narratives of national and natural history. The ‘Lesbian Rangers’ guide visitors, not just through the physical landscape, but through a cultural and historical one that is often overlooked or marginalized.
The concept is a playful yet poignant critique of how certain groups, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, have been underrepresented or even erased in mainstream narratives about nature and history. By assuming the role of rangers – traditionally seen as guardians and interpreters of natural and historical sites – Dempsey and Millan assert the importance and presence of lesbian contributions and experiences in these spaces.
Their interactions with the public are filled with wit and humor, but also provoke deeper thought. They challenge stereotypes and invite conversations about inclusivity, representation, and the diversity of stories that make up our collective history. The project effectively uses the format of performance art to engage directly with people, creating a dynamic space for dialogue and reflection.
The “Lesbian Rangers” project is not just a critique; it’s also a celebration. Dempsey and Millan celebrate the resilience and contributions of the lesbian community, asserting their place in both the natural world and in historical narratives. This project transcends traditional forms of protest or activism, using art as a means to educate, engage, and inspire a rethinking of how we view history and the environment.
Katie Paterson:
Katie Paterson’s work is a beautiful blend of art, science, and deep conceptual exploration. She delves into themes that span time, space, and the universe, often merging the poetic with the scientific in her projects.
One of her notable works is “Vatnajökull (the sound of)”, where she set up a live phone line to Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier, allowing people from all over the world to listen to the melting ice. This piece beautifully captures the immediacy of climate change, making a remote and gradual process both accessible and visceral.
In “Fossil Necklace,” Paterson created a necklace with beads carved from fossils, each representing a significant event in the Earth’s history. This piece is a tangible timeline, a wearable narrative of our planet’s past, encapsulating eons of geological transformations.
Her project “Totality” consists of a large mirror ball reflecting images of nearly every solar eclipse documented by humankind. This work encapsulates the awe-inspiring phenomenon of eclipses, a dance between the sun, moon, and Earth, into a single mesmerizing object.
“Future Library” is another fascinating project, where she planted a forest in Norway that will supply paper for an anthology of books to be printed in 100 years. Authors are submitting works annually, but no one will read them until the century has passed. This project is a profound meditation on time, trust, and the legacy of literature.
Paterson’s art extends beyond traditional boundaries, inviting viewers to ponder big questions about our universe, our planet, and our place within it. She intertwines the vastness of cosmic phenomena with the intimacy of human experience, creating works that are not just visually stunning but conceptually profound. Her approach to art is a reminder of the interconnectedness of all things, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the mysteries of the cosmos and our fleeting presence within it.
Lindsay Dobbin: Listening in Reciprocity
Lindsay Dobbin’s “Listening in Reciprocity” is a deeply immersive and thoughtful project that explores the intimate relationship between humans and the natural world. Dobbin, a Canadian artist, musician, and educator of mixed settler and Indigenous heritage, creates a space for meaningful interaction with nature through sound and engagement.
In this project, Dobbin invites participants to engage in the act of deep listening at various natural sites. The focus is on cultivating a reciprocal relationship with the environment, encouraging a sense of connection and mutual respect between humans and nature. Participants are guided to listen to the subtle and often overlooked sounds of the natural world, from the rustling of leaves to the flow of water, and even the more silent, yet palpable, energies of the land.
“Listening in Reciprocity” isn’t just about hearing; it’s about an exchange. Dobbin emphasizes the idea that listening is a form of communication and relationship-building with the non-human world. This approach is rooted in Indigenous philosophies that recognize the agency and vitality of the natural world, seeing humans as part of a larger community that includes plants, animals, water, and land.
The project often involves communal gatherings and workshops, where participants not only listen to the environment but also share their experiences and reflections. This communal aspect fosters a sense of kinship and shared responsibility, reminding us that we are not separate from nature but intrinsically linked to it.
Dobbin’s work is a gentle yet powerful reminder of the importance of slowing down and attuning ourselves to the natural rhythms and voices around us. “Listening in Reciprocity” offers a space for healing and reconnection, challenging the often dominant narrative of human separation from and dominance over nature. It’s an invitation to engage with the world in a more mindful, respectful, and empathetic way, fostering a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life.
Wolfgang Laib: Pollen From Hazelnut
Wolfgang Laib’s “Pollen from Hazelnut” is an extraordinary work that merges simplicity with a profound contemplation of nature and existence. Laib, a German artist known for his minimalist yet deeply spiritual works, creates an immersive experience that resonates with the viewer on multiple levels.
In “Pollen from Hazelnut,” Laib collects hazelnut pollen over several years, meticulously gathering these tiny, vibrant particles. He then sifts the pollen onto the floor of a gallery space, creating a luminous, golden carpet. The result is breathtaking – a simple, natural material transformed into a sublime visual and conceptual experience.
This artwork goes beyond mere visual appeal. It’s a meditation on time, patience, and the rhythms of the natural world. The act of collecting pollen, a slow and repetitive process, is almost ritualistic. It speaks to themes of dedication, the passage of time, and the artist’s deep engagement with the environment.
Laib’s use of natural materials directly connects the viewer to the earth and its cycles. The pollen is not just a medium; it’s a life force, a fundamental component of the natural world. By bringing this outdoor element into an indoor, human-made space, Laib blurs the boundaries between nature and artifice, inviting us to consider our relationship with the natural world.
“Pollen from Hazelnut” also evokes a sense of wonder and the ephemeral. Pollen, as a symbol of fertility and renewal, carries connotations of life, growth, and the interconnectedness of all living things. Yet, its delicate and transient nature reminds us of the fragility of life and the passing of time.
Laib’s work is a quiet yet powerful statement on existence, nature, and the human condition. It’s a space for reflection and introspection, where one can contemplate the beauty and mystery of life. “Pollen from Hazelnut” challenges us to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and to recognize the sacred in the everyday.
Week 3:
Megan Arnold:
Megan Arnold’s “Are We Human or Are We Skater” is quite an exploration into skate culture. She seems to capture the essence of what it means to be a skater, beyond just the physical act of skateboarding. It’s the way she integrates various elements in her work that brings out the spirit and the subculture. She’s not just showing us what skateboarding looks like; she’s delving into what it feels like, its place in society, and how skaters navigate public spaces.
Then, take “Running Up The Hill.” This piece seems to be a metaphor for struggle and perseverance. The visual depiction of the hill and the figure climbing it – there’s something raw and relatable about it. The use of color and form really conveys the intensity of the climb. Arnold’s choice of this particular imagery speaks volumes about human resilience and the ongoing challenges we face. It’s not just a physical landscape she’s portraying but an emotional one.
In each of her works, Arnold appears to have this ability to take a concept or a subculture and unpack it in layers. There’s a depth in her approach, where visual aesthetics intertwine with deeper meanings, inviting viewers to look beyond the surface and engage with the underlying narratives. Her work isn’t just visually striking; it’s thought-provoking and invites a conversation, which is what makes it resonate so well.
Week 4, 5 and 6:
Research:
In the verdant heart of the University of Guelph Arboretum, an intricate tale of domestication unfolds, echoing themes of adaptation, exploration, and the nuanced interaction between the natural world and human influence. This tale resonates with stories of discovery and adaptation in both flora and fauna, much like the journey of an individual discovering an unfamiliar world.
The Canvas of Domestication in Flora
The Arboretum serves as a canvas where the strokes of domestication have painted varied landscapes. It showcases the interaction between native and introduced species, reflecting a broader narrative of adaptation and change. The studies on the impact of environmental factors, such as soil salinity on white pine trees, illustrate how even subtle human influences can reshape the natural characteristics of plant life [read more].
Wildlife Adaptation and Conservation Efforts
The conservation initiatives, especially for pollinators like bumble bees, highlight a proactive approach to supporting wildlife in adapted environments. The use of artificial nest boxes in the Arboretum is a testament to the ways in which human intervention can aid in the preservation of species struggling in domesticated landscapes [read more].
Artistic Inspirations from Nature’s Adaptations
The Arboretum’s landscape offers rich artistic inspiration. It speaks to themes of exploration, adaptation, and the delicate balance between nature’s inherent rhythms and human modifications. The contrasting environments, from carefully curated gardens to untamed woodlands, evoke reflections on the journey of adapting to and exploring unfamiliar terrains.
Reflections and Ethical Considerations
This narrative of domestication at the Arboretum provokes thought on our relationship with nature:
How do our interventions reshape the natural evolution of species?
What responsibilities do we bear in balancing development with ecological preservation?
How does the introduction of non-native species alter the ecological narrative of a region?
These reflections form a backdrop to stories of discovery and adaptation, akin to an individual’s journey into a new world, navigating the delicate balance between the familiar and the unknown.
This exploration at the University of Guelph Arboretum offers a metaphorical parallel to narratives of discovery, adaptation, and the nuanced relationship between the familiar and the unknown in the natural world. It’s a reminder that our interactions with nature, whether through observation, conservation, or study, are integral to the ongoing story of life adapting to changing environments.
Cat Meets World (2023)
“Cat Meets World” is an environmental video art piece that explores the profound effects of domestication on animals, particularly focusing on my cat, Haku. This narrative, captured through a camera mounted on Haku’s collar, offers a unique perspective on how the domesticated life has estranged animals from their natural instincts and environments.
The video begins with “Discovery,” where Haku steps out of the familiar territory of home into the vast, unfamiliar outside world. This scene sets a critical tone, highlighting the contrast between the safe, human-centric indoor space and the unpredictable expanse of nature.
As Haku progresses to “Hesitation” and “Observation,” his initial reluctance and cautious approach to the outdoors underscore the theme of domestication’s impact. These scenes depict how an animal, once in sync with the natural world, now finds it alien and intimidating.
The subsequent titles – “Separation,” “Exploration,” “Fear,” “Shelter,” “Realization,” “Courage,” “Excitement,” “Curiosity,” “Experiencing,” “Longing,” “Recognition,” and finally “Returning” – chronologically follow Haku’s journey. Each title encapsulates a stage in Haku’s emotional and physical exploration, echoing the broader narrative of how domesticated animals navigate and perceive the world that was once their natural habitat.
Discovery: This initial scene captures Haku’s first moments stepping out from the familiar comfort of home into the outside world, symbolizing the first encounter of a domesticated animal with nature.
Hesitation: Here, Haku pauses at the threshold of the house, displaying uncertainty and wariness about the unfamiliar outdoor environment, reflecting the innate caution domesticated animals have towards the natural world.
Observation: In this scene, Haku cautiously surveys his surroundings from a safe vantage point, indicating a cautious approach and the unfamiliarity domesticated animals often feel towards nature.
Separation: This title denotes Haku’s physical and emotional distance from the house, symbolizing the divide between domesticated life and the natural world.
Exploration: Haku begins to cautiously explore his surroundings, sniffing and examining the terrain, depicting the curiosity and inherent exploratory instincts of animals.
Fear: The sound of a barking dog triggers a fearful reaction in Haku, leading him to rush back towards safety, illustrating how domesticated animals can be easily frightened by natural elements they are not used to.
Shelter: Seeking safety, Haku hides behind a tree, representing the need for security that domesticated animals seek in unfamiliar environments.
Realization: As Haku calms down and plays with a branch, this scene represents the gradual adaptation and acceptance of his surroundings, a step towards reconnecting with his natural instincts.
Courage: Haku resumes exploring with increased confidence, indicating a growing comfort and adaptation to the outdoor environment.
Excitement: Engaging playfully with his surroundings, Haku exhibits joy and excitement, showcasing the innate pleasure animals find in interacting with nature.
Curiosity: Haku’s curiosity leads him to investigate various elements of nature more deeply, reflecting the inherent inquisitive nature of animals.
Experiencing: Haku’s journey through different terrains, including stepping into a puddle, represents his active engagement with the natural world.
Longing: Seeing the house from afar, Haku feels a pull towards his familiar, safe home, depicting the dual longing for both the comfort of domestication and the allure of the natural world.
Recognition: Recognizing his home, Haku’s increased vocalizations and rush towards it symbolize the strong bond and dependency domesticated animals have with their human-provided homes.
Returning: In the final scene, Haku’s approach and eventual return to the house illustrate the completion of his journey, representing the inevitable return to the safety and familiarity of domesticated life after a brief foray into the natural world.
“Cat Meets World” is not just the story of a cat stepping outside; it’s a poignant reflection on the disconnect between domesticated animals and their inherent natural instincts. The video serves as a subtle critique of how human interventions and the comforts of domestic life have reshaped animal behaviors, distancing them from their ancestral roots. This art piece aims to provoke thought about our role in shaping animal lives and urges viewers to reconsider the implications of domestication on the natural world.
Week 7, 8 and 9:
Blue, Gray, Black (2023)
I found myself reminiscing about this poem I fell in love with when I was just 12. It’s a love poem by Hamid Mosadegh, Iranian poet and author(1940-1998), a lengthy one, stretching over 34 pages, and somehow, it stuck with me through the years. I could recite it from memory, which is kind of funny to think about now. Anyway, I’ve been living away from where I grew up, and it hit me how rare it is to really get into the world’s different cultures, especially their poetry and art. I teamed up with ChatGPT to help me translate it bit by bit, and then after ChatGPT did its magic, I took a stab at refining the words, trying to make sure every line kept its original beauty and power. It’s been this personal passion project of mine, bringing a bit of my world to others, and maybe, just maybe, making this poem someone else’s favorite as well. It’s about sharing a piece of art that might stay hidden otherwise, and I think there’s something pretty special about that. This was ChatGPT’s response: “Poetry Translation can be subjective, and there are various ways to capture the essence and emotions of the original poem. The provided translation is an attempt to convey the meaning and sentiment of the original. The poem is in Persian, and it seems to revolve around themes of love, life and the intricacies of human relationships, as well as nature and its elements. Please note that poetry, especially from languages rich in metaphors and cultural allusions like Persian, can be difficult to capture in translation fully. The challenges of translating poetry include conveying the emotional depth, rhythm, and cultural context. While the translation captures the general essence, the original Persian text carries its unique beauty, rhythm, and depth.”
I decided to create this book by hand, and I think it was the best choice for a project like this, where I’ve translated a poem with the help of ChatGPT. You see, there’s something incredibly special about handcrafting a book. It’s not just about putting words on paper; it’s about bringing an artwork to life in the most personal way possible.
For starters, think about the artistic expression involved. When I’m putting this book together, I get to infuse my own style into every corner of it. The cover design, the layout, the type of paper I use – all these elements reflect a part of me. It turns the book into a unique piece of art, far beyond just the content of the translated poem.
Then, there’s the connection I feel to the work. By assembling the book manually, I’m not just a translator or a writer; I become an integral part of the book’s creation. This physical act of putting it together adds a layer of intimacy and fulfillment that I simply wouldn’t get from a mass-produced item.
Customization is another big factor. I have complete freedom to tailor every little detail to complement the poem. Whether it’s adding illustrations, choosing a specific font, or selecting materials that resonate with the poem’s theme, these choices make the book truly mine.
And let’s not forget the sentimental value. This isn’t just a book; it’s a keepsake, a tangible testament to my dedication and creativity. It holds a story, not just in its words but in its very creation. Whether I keep it for myself or give it away, it’s imbued with a sense of personal history and love.
Consider, too, the collaboration aspect. Working with ChatGPT on this project was like merging traditional artistry with modern technology. Presenting our combined efforts in a handcrafted format really underscores the uniqueness of this collaboration.
Of course, there’s also the aspect of it being a limited edition. By making it by hand, I’m ensuring this book is one-of-a-kind. This exclusivity adds a certain charm and desirability, especially if I decide to exhibit it or give it as a special gift.
Lastly, I think about sustainability. By choosing my materials carefully, perhaps using recycled paper or eco-friendly inks, I’m making an environmentally conscious choice. It’s a small step, but it feels good knowing that my art isn’t just beautiful but also kind to our planet.
So, that’s why I chose to make this book by hand. It’s more than just a translation; it’s a piece of art, a piece of me, and I believe that’s something truly special.
Week 10:
Analyzing each artwork and artist from the “Take A Stand” playlist from Art21:
“Part of the Discourse” by Barbara Kruger: Kruger’s work is a critique of power dynamics, using bold text and imagery to confront issues of feminism, identity, and consumerism. Her style agitates the viewer into questioning societal norms and their own complicity in these systems.
“Istanbul” by Doris Salcedo: This installation reflects on violence and memory, often focusing on marginalized victims. Salcedo’s work communicates the pain and loss in a tangible form, using absence and presence to evoke empathy and awareness.
“The Kitchen Table Series” by Carrie Mae Weems: Weems addresses race, gender, and family life. Her work challenges stereotypical narratives and explores the complex interplay of personal and political identities.
Ai Weiwei’s “Change”: Known for his political activism, Ai Weiwei uses art to spotlight issues like government corruption and human rights abuses. His work often has a stark, poignant symbolism.
“Gramsci and Pasolini” by Alfredo Jaar: Jaar’s work delves into the intersection of culture and politics, often illuminating overlooked social injustices through photography and installation.
“You Make Me Iliad” by Mary Reid Kelly: This piece combines historical references with contemporary issues, often using a narrative, poetic approach to address themes like feminism and war.
John Akomfrah’s work in London: Akomfrah’s films and installations explore post-colonialism, often creating rich visual and aural experiences that question historical narratives.
“In Protest” by Nancy Spero: Spero’s art is deeply political, utilizing various media to address issues like feminism and war, and her work often serves as a direct form of protest.
“29 Palms” by An-My Lê: Lê’s photographs blur the lines between war and simulation, challenging perceptions of military conflict and its representation.
Stephanie Syjuco in “San Francisco Bay Area”: Her work examines cultural identity and the impacts of colonialism, often through participatory projects that engage directly with communities.
“Working Along Freeways” by Robert Adams: This series reflects on urbanization and environmental change, highlighting the impact of human activity on the landscape.
Hiwa K’s work in Berlin: His installations and performances often address issues of identity and displacement, particularly within the context of the Middle Eastern experience.
“Feeeeeeeeeeeeels Your Pain” by Liz Magic Laser: Laser uses performance and video to explore the intersection of politics and emotion, often critiquing media and political rhetoric.
“Borderlands” by Postcommodity: This collective focuses on issues affecting Indigenous peoples, using a variety of media to highlight border politics and land rights.
Each artist brings unique tools and strategies to their activist projects, from direct confrontation and narrative storytelling to symbolic representation and participatory engagement. Their work can inspire new ways of thinking about art as a means of addressing and questioning justice issues, encouraging artists to consider how their practice can both reflect and influence societal change.
Week 11:
Yoko Ono: Yoko Ono’s “Cut Piece,” performed in the early 1960s, stands out as a poignant exploration of vulnerability and passivity. In this performance art piece, Ono sat silently while audience members were invited to cut her clothing. The work transcends a mere artistic display, delving into themes of objectification, sacrifice, and the artist’s role in society. It’s a strikingly intimate encounter that challenges the viewer’s role, blurring the line between observer and participant, and raising profound questions about power dynamics and empathy.
Sandy Plotnikoff: Sandy Plotnikoff’s use of everyday materials, like foil and stickers, brings an unexpected depth to common objects. His technique of creating foil impressions on paper captures fleeting moments and interactions in a tangible form. This approach not only highlights the beauty in the mundane but also encourages viewers to find creativity and meaning in their daily surroundings. Plotnikoff’s work is a reminder of the artistic potential that lies in simple, overlooked materials.
Hiba Abdallah: Hiba Abdallah’s installations, such as “Everything I Wanted to Tell You,” integrate seamlessly into public spaces, inviting communal interaction and reflection. Her work often focuses on the power of words and communication, exploring how public discourse shapes our understanding of community and identity. Abdallah’s art creates a dialogue that bridges personal experiences with broader social narratives, offering a platform for collective storytelling and contemplation.
David Shrigley: David Shrigley’s art is characterized by its straightforward, often humorous approach. Works like “I’m Dead,” featuring a dog with a placard, employ humor to address serious themes such as mortality and existentialism. Shrigley’s style is direct yet thought-provoking, using simplicity and wit to engage with complex ideas. His work often acts as a mirror, reflecting back our own absurdities and anxieties in a way that is both accessible and deeply resonant.
Artists and mental health:
Tracey Emin: Tracey Emin’s art is intensely personal, often exploring her own experiences with mental health. Her piece “My Bed,” for instance, is an unfiltered snapshot of her life during a depressive episode. The installation features her own unmade, disheveled bed, surrounded by personal items like empty alcohol bottles, cigarettes, and medication. This work confronts the viewer with the raw reality of depression, breaking down the barriers between the private and public self. Emin’s vulnerability in sharing such a personal space invites a deeper understanding and conversation around mental health issues.
Louise Bourgeois: Louise Bourgeois’ sculptures and installations often delve into themes of anxiety, fear, and trauma. Her series of room-like structures called “Cells” encapsulates various emotional states. These installations are filled with objects and sculptures that represent her personal memories and experiences. The “Cells” series is a physical manifestation of Bourgeois’ inner world, exploring themes of confinement, the subconscious, and the impact of past traumas. Her work encourages introspection and highlights the complexity of the human psyche.
Edward Munch: Edward Munch’s iconic painting “The Scream” is a powerful expression of anxiety and existential dread. The figure in the foreground, set against a blood-red sky, visually captures the intensity of a panic attack. Munch’s use of color and form conveys a sense of overwhelming emotion, resonating with anyone who has experienced similar mental distress. “The Scream” is not just a painting; it’s a visual articulation of the human condition’s more tormented aspects.
Yayoi Kusama: Yayoi Kusama’s work, particularly her “Infinity Mirror Rooms,” reflects her lifelong struggle with mental illness. These immersive installations create a sense of endless repetition and expansion, symbolizing Kusama’s hallucinations and obsessive thoughts. The repetitive patterns and mirrored spaces invite the viewer to step into her mind, offering a glimpse into the disorienting and overwhelming experience of mental illness. Kusama’s work is a testament to the power of art in conveying complex psychological states.
Frida Kahlo: Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits are profound explorations of her physical and emotional pain. Paintings like “The Two Fridas” reveal her inner turmoil and identity struggles, stemming from her health issues and turbulent personal life. Kahlo’s raw and honest portrayal of her suffering makes her work deeply relatable to those who have endured similar hardships. Her art is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of physical and mental adversity.
Rage // Insomnia
In my sketchbook today, thinking about how to shape “Rage // Insomnia.” It’s all a bit fuzzy, but ideas are starting to come together, inspired by some amazing artists.
Tracey Emin’s “My Bed” is stuck in my head. It’s so real and raw, showing her life during a tough time. What if I tried something that honest? I want to show the mess and chaos of dealing with mental health, kind of like she did, but in my own way.
Louise Bourgeois’ “Cells” got me thinking too. Her sculptures are like little worlds of emotions. Maybe I can create something that shows how it feels to be trapped in your own thoughts, kind of like she did with her art.
Then there’s “The Scream” by Edward Munch. That painting just grabs you, doesn’t it? It’s all about feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I want to use strong visuals like that, maybe something that really shows what anxiety feels like from the inside.
Yayoi Kusama’s work is fascinating, especially her “Infinity Mirror Rooms.” They’re all about repetition and feeling lost in your mind. How can I bring that sense of endlessness into my project? Maybe through repeating patterns or something similar in the videos?
I’m thinking of using two videos – one with smashing and breaking stuff, to show the turmoil in the mind, and another with someone tossing and turning in bed, to show the restlessness that comes with mental struggles. The black and white idea seems cool – it could make everything more intense and focused.
Still figuring out how all this fits together, but it’s a start. I want to weave these ideas into something that really speaks about what it’s like to deal with mental health issues.
Visual Concept:
Top Half of Screen: A series of clips where I’m demolishing a wooden structure, symbolizing the internal chaos of the mind. Each clip captures a different stage of destruction – a visual metaphor for the mental disintegration during a crisis.
Bottom Half of Screen: Counter to the top, here’s a series of clips showing me in bed, restless, constantly tossing and turning. This mirrors the physical manifestation of mental distress – the sleepless nights, the endless trying to find comfort.
Stylistic Choices:
Black and White Filter: Thinking of using this to strip down the visuals to their raw, emotional core. It could amplify the intensity of the scenes, making the emotional turmoil more palpable.
Synchronization: Plan to sync the actions in both videos – as the hammer strikes in the top clip, I turn or shift in the bed in the bottom clip. It’s like a visual echo of the chaos above reflecting in the restlessness below.
Presentation:
Multi-Screen Display: Imagining this project being shown on multiple screens of varying sizes – from phones to large projectors. Each screen adds a layer to the narrative, creating a fragmented yet cohesive portrayal of the mental state.
Sound Design: Considering a subtle, yet dissonant soundtrack. Maybe the sound of the hammer striking wood, juxtaposed with the rustling of sheets? It should be jarring but not overwhelming.
This is just a rough sketch, a starting point. The idea is still evolving, but I’m aiming for a visceral, immersive experience that genuinely reflects the turmoil of mental health struggles. The challenge will be in the execution, ensuring each element contributes to the overall narrative I’m trying to convey.
Artwork Statement for “Rage // Insomnia”
“Rage // Insomnia” is an immersive video installation exploring the often unseen chaos of mental health struggles. At its core, this project seeks to externalize the internal battle many face with mental illness, capturing the dual nature of this experience – the visible and the hidden.
Conceptual Foundation: The installation is centered around the juxtaposition of two contrasting yet interconnected states: the physical expression of inner turmoil and the restless, often unseen struggle with insomnia. It reflects the duality of mental health, where internal chaos manifests in both overt and subtle ways.
Visuals: The artwork is presented in a split-screen format. The top half of the screen depicts a series of clips showing the progressive destruction of a wooden structure, symbolizing the mental disintegration and the internal violence of a psychological crisis. The bottom half counters this with a series of clips portraying a person in bed, restless, embodying the physical manifestation of mental distress through sleepless, uneasy nights.
Stylistic Elements: A deliberate choice was made to use a black and white filter for the videos, intending to strip the narrative to its emotional essence and enhance the intensity of the visuals. The stark contrast amplifies the emotional depth and the rawness of the subject matter.
Synchronization and Sound Design: The videos are almost synchronized – as the top clip shows a hammer striking, the bottom clip mirrors this with a corresponding restless movement. This visual synchronization is complemented by a carefully designed sound landscape – the juxtaposition of the jarring sounds of destruction with the subtle, yet unsettling noises of restlessness in bed. The sound is intended to be dissonant yet not overwhelming, adding an additional layer of emotional depth to the experience.
Presentation: Envisioned to be displayed on multiple screens of various sizes, from small hand-held devices to large projectors, this fragmented approach allows for a layered, multi-perspective view of the narrative. The scale of each screen correlates with the intensity of the audio, creating a dynamic and immersive environment.
Through “Rage // Insomnia,” I aim to create a space for reflection and conversation about the complexities of mental health. This project is not just an artistic expression but an invitation to acknowledge and engage with the multifaceted nature of psychological struggles. It’s a visual and auditory journey through the tumultuous landscape of the mind, offering a glimpse into the often silent battle against mental turmoil.
Rage // Insomnia (2023)
More About The Presentation:
The presentation of “Rage // Insomnia” is designed to create a chaotic, yet deeply engaging experience, mirroring the unpredictability and turmoil of mental health struggles.
Multi-Screen Display: The installation features multiple screens of varying sizes, from smartphones to large projectors, each playing the video clips. This multi-screen approach is crucial in creating a fragmented, yet cohesive narrative, allowing viewers to experience the artwork from different perspectives and intensities.
Shuffled Playback with Structure: Unique to this installation is the shuffled playback of clips on each screen. After the introductory clip, which sets the tone of the piece, the subsequent clips are played in a random order. This shuffle mode contributes to the chaotic vibe of the installation, echoing the often unpredictable nature of mental health issues. It ensures that no two experiences of the installation are exactly the same, as the order of clips varies, creating a dynamic and ever-changing atmosphere.
Cyclical Nature with Pauses: Importantly, each cycle of clips – from the start of the intro clip to its end – is followed by a one-minute pause. This pause acts as a moment of reflection, a brief respite in the midst of chaos. It also serves to reset the narrative, preparing the viewer for the next cycle of shuffled clips. This cyclical nature, punctuated by moments of silence, mirrors the ebb and flow of mental health struggles – the intense periods of turmoil followed by brief moments of calm.
Through this carefully orchestrated presentation, “Rage // Insomnia” aims to provide an immersive and thought-provoking experience. The combination of the multi-screen display, shuffled playback, and structured pauses creates an environment that is both chaotic and contemplative, inviting viewers to engage with the complexities and nuances of mental health.
Going through my mother’s multiple-decade old collection of novels proved to be an insightful experience. Going through the spine of each book felt like reading one long free-verse poem about her. Aside from the two more “humourous” stacks, I’m most interested in the fact that I was able to find so many books that feature the word ‘daughter’ in their titles. I felt personally addressed while I was looking for the next title featuring the word daughter and after the following books echoing it.
Straying from Katchadourian’s method of capturing her books against a stark background, I wanted to include elements of the setting where I found the novels. I believe they are very much a part of the home, specifically the living room where my mum always sits reading. The stacks inherit a portrait-like quality when they are placed in a familiar setting such as this, with warm wooden flooring and a worn rug.
Looking back, the fringe of the rug in this image subtly resembles waves!This image is easily my favourite one of the project. I’m personally attracted to the repetition and varying colours.
Environmental Art Research
Out of the artists presented, Wolfgang Laib’s artistic process stood out to me mainly due to how human it is. It seems to be a natural inclination of ours as a species to take account of the world around us, to collect and categorise, then communicate our findings to one another. The meditative aspect of collecting from the natural world over time, and reflecting the findings in such a way as to mimic the stillness felt while gathering said materials is a fascinating feat. This process is carried out in Laib’s decade-spanning pollen collections, such as in his 2013 work, Pollen from Hazelnut (2013) pictured in its inception below.
Pollen from Hazelnut (2013) being constructed by Wolfgang Laib at the MoMA
Not only does Laib create a still field of colour from the pollen of the natural world for viewers to contemplate, but to his point, the very medium is the “potential for life”. In a sense then, Laib instills the spaces he constructs these pieces in with the very stuff of creation, the essence of life all in one giant golden plane for viewers to take in.
In other cases, Laib works with beeswax to create or enhance structures of varying size such as in the piece There is No Beginning and No End (1999-2001). When I view the work he has created through this specific medium, I think of the cyclical work of the bees that have provided Laib with this medium, and how the creation of the structure is a continuation of the material itself, from nectar, to honey, to wax, to a stair-like structure which in its pyramidal shape represents an endless procession.
Wolfgang Laib meditatively accumulates natural perishable mediums, carrying on their existence by means of converting them into objects that illustrate notions of eternal life.
As mentioned before, the process of creating the pictured pieces feels scientific in nature. However, the conclusions that can be made about them are purely philosophical and spiritual. Laib’s educational background in medicine has informed this process, with his taoist background additionally laying the foundation for his works’ intent. Laib attributes the influence of his parents and their simplistic lifestyle inspired by the teachings of Laozi. By far, the most essential tenet of Taoism is the concept of spiritual immortality. Pairing this tenet with Laib’s near-humanitarian artistic intent, his body of work throughout his career speaks to the cyclical nature of life on earth and the ease we may be able to feel as humans upon becoming aware of this possible truth.
Video in the Arboretum (Research and Idea)
Following conversations and viewings of several video artworks in class on the 21st of September, Zoe, Bella and I began conversing amongst ourselves and had several revelations about what we would do for our assignment.
Personally, I was inspired in part by the use of comedy in our guest lecturer Megan Arnold’s work in informing the direction we would take the project. Megan often uses comedy within her practice as a means of conveying more introspective topics such as climate anxiety, perseverance, and generally what it means to be a human being in the digital age. Particularly in the work A Deal with Dog, I found that not only was the video humorous, but after the humour, questions regarding our relationship with nature after the advent of the internet arise. A viral song creates the backbone of the project, Megan takes the lyrics in a literal and personal direction through going outside with her pet dog to run up a hill. The sensibilities of late aughts and early 2010s internet culture seems to permeate her practice in this way. I couldn’t help but want to conjure up the same visual language with my group in our video project.
A Screenshot of Megan Arnold and her Canine Collaborator in A Deal With Dog
In another work of Megan’s, improvisation during production with a few specific constraints develops into an intriguing and once again internet-informed piece concerning our place in the world. Group of non-skaters are wrangled into the Zavitz gallery, wherein they are instructed to “dance” with their skateboarding implements, resulting in an array of results all occurring at once.
Performers in Are We Human, Or Are We Skater?
Again, this work combined with the former helped to steer me and my group toward a comedic direction that speaks through the unique lens of early 2010s internet comedy as well as an altered interaction with the environment we had not previously though of before. Improvisation would provide a key role in maintaining a fluid project with varying pieces of footage to arrange in post-production.
Megan Arnold helped facilitate a meaningful discussion with regards to my groups vision and the conceptual directions it could be taken in from an outsider’s perspective. After conferring, we came to the conclusion that we would shoot improvised footage of male volunteers in the arboretum close to the apiary where there is lots of grass. We will instruct them to be the best cows they can be and assimilate into the larger herd of male volunteers. No costumes will be used, nor will any group members directly attempt to interact with the “cows”, as that would make the production far too theatrical in my eyes, which is not the direction we wish to take the project in.
Audio will play a crucial role in this video project, as it will heavily influence the general atmosphere of the piece. This is still something we have to determine, whether an atmospheric field recording and the distant moos of our cows will suffice, or yet perhaps instead, multiple select cows will be connected to microphones to create an awkwardly intimate audio experience (similar to Megan’s audio choice in A Deal With Dog). While comedic in nature, I am sure there are conceptual meanings that will reveal themselves as we shoot and edit the footage and finally get it in front of many more eyes in the final critique.
Additional Research
In mooving forward with our original concept, we set out to research similar works and scholarship on the subject of becoming-animal and its larger purpose in the larger circle of discourse concerning eco-feminism and poststructuralist thought. As of my writing this (October 2nd), I can present only multiple hypotheses as to the conceptual extrapolations to be garnered from our shooting and editing of the footage given the improvisational and instinctual nature of the main concept. These anticipated conclusions will be back with the following research below and then reflected upon the final piece’s posting.
Gathered from the master’s thesis written by Florence Fitzgerald-Allsopp entitled Becoming-with-Animal: Cultivating a Feminist Understanding of Human-Animal Transformation in Contemporary Performance Art (2019), becoming-animal as a feminist practice within the scope of performance art may present us with the possibility of undoing the dualistic and heavily gendered reality we find ourselves in. We wish to create a space of play, where our male volunteers may embody the unfamiliar yet internally present representation of the cow and all it symbolises. Fitzgerald-Allsopp recognises and discusses the gendered manner in which domesticated animals and wild animals are historically gendered within philosophy. We acknowledge the historically “feminine” domestic animal and the “masculine” feral animal archetypes and seek to dissolve this notion through a transformative performance.
We aim to represent the cow through the bodies of male volunteers as a means of not only getting acquainted with the home we all fundamentally share as animals through the physical act, but to additionally coax out the genuine representation contained inside. The vulnerable state of becoming more than the constraints of the body will most likely generate a multitude of responses from viewer, all of which are welcome.
The most helpful piece mentioned in the paper in informing our process is that of Lucy Gunning’s The Horse Impressionists (1994). Here Gunning instructs several female volunteers to do an impression of a horse, some embarrassed, some serious and some startlingly accurate, the video is an excellent example of the meaning emerging out of the experiment. Of course, the guiding motivation was to tease apart the memory of the horse within each subject, yet the varying responses reflect a greater conversation on the collectively conceived representation of the horse and the uniquely female experience of playing horse as a child. Gunning creates a safe place of exploration of the self in relation to the animals carried with us in memory.
The Horse Impressionists (1994), Lucy Gunning
The representation of the cow in the collective memory of the volunteer group of male students will be made physical in their performance until performance may cease and a becoming occurs. These mental representations will interact in one space, as the volunteers learn from one-another. Fitzgerald-Allsopp notes that the collective women in the piece bring to mind “the notion of women as “pack” [which] lends to something more fearsome, more threatening and more political” (Fitzgerald-Allsopp, 2019). I believe a group of exclusively men attempting to embody the mental representation of a cow can be just as politically meaningful. A “herd” of men embodying cows can be construed as a radical act of embracing a communal space of rest and exploration.
Humour in this case is unavoidable. Humour and play are important in maintaining a space where above all, our volunteers in a vulnerable state can feel safe to carry out this process. This attempt of course is futile, as we have been socialised to see and label accordingly (perhaps another extrapolation that might present itself once we begin to edit our footage).
The shooting of the video shaped up to be an experience quite similar to Gunning’s work, in that our instruction to “be a cow” resulted in a collective physical embodiment of each participant’s mental representation of a cow. Small differences occurred; some would moo at one another, others laid in the grass alone. Cumulatively however, each male became a cow, a female, not a horned bull. In a sense we have allowed for the male participants to use their bodies in a transformative manner. In this state, they seemed to convene in a deeply honest manner that veers away from the hyper-masculine social codes young men seem to adhere to.
We emphasise these honest moments in rudimentary close-ups that reveal an innate softness we seemed to have brought out in this piece. I would like to believe that in some way, we revealed to ourselves and our participants that there exists an innate softness we have the ability to share with each other. In these states free from acting out tiring gender-specific behaviours, perhaps a regenerative power exists for us to explore.
Research and Inspiration for Book
The topic I desired to cover for this coming project came quite fast for me. I knew that I wanted to share with viewers a part of my practice that plays such an integral role in informing my “finished” works. Margin doodles and drawings offer a more intimate experience rather than “gallery ready” works. Giving my small drawings a platform to be viewed feels like a step in a refreshing direction, as it is often something I keep to myself.
The artist that comes to mind for me in informing my direction for this assignment is John Porcellino. He has served as a main inspiration in my drawing in how direct yet evocative his comix are. Reading his King Kat Compilation book in 2021 during the tail-end of lockdowns and isolation, John’s work really helped me stay connected to my feelings and reduced how alienated I felt at the time. He is common ground between me and my partner as well, informing both our tastes in self-expression and remaining emotionally aware. I was gifted Perfect example last Christmas and reading it solidified the direction I wanted to go in terms of reaching out to my audience.
A page out of John Porcellino’s Perfect Example
In class while sharing our favourite books, I gravitated toward Witness My Shame by Shary Boyle for similar reasons as Perfect Example. Boyle is able to connect deeply with her viewers through these seemingly crude illustrations. Drawing in this way is a fast tool to record fleeting memory in a format that doesn’t take itself as seriously as painting sometimes can. I wish to connect with my viewers through depicting the feelings I have undergone in class during lectures prior to the assigning of this project.
A page from Witness My Shame, a compilation of drawings by Shary Boyle
Through creating a collection of scanned drawings from my lecture notebook this semester, my main goal is to capture personal interactions I have with myself and these being reflected in the margins and seeping or impressed through my written notes.
The two stand-outs from the playlist for me were Mary Reid Kelley and John Akomfrah’s respective work. The subversion of narrative plays a significant role in each artist’s practice which I find to be quite powerful considering the destructive role art has played in generating prevailing false notions of the oppressed. Kelley and Akomfrah actively place their unique standpoints within specific moments in history in order to reveal the forgotten populations in history.
A still from You Make Me Iliad (2010) by Mary Reid Kelley
The short film You Make Me Iliad features a clever mesh of poetic dialogue which masks the brutal nature of women sex workers during World War Two. A male German soldier tasked with overseeing a brothel believes his next source of inspiration for his written work lies in sex. A discussion ensues between him and a female sex worker regarding power and the using of women both physically and intellectually for personal gains. The referentially-dense dialogue diversifies meanings that can be gleaned from the piece, additionally speaking to the nature of making sense of senseless events so brutal as war (that may I add is an unabashedly male creation). Kelley discusses in her Art 21 interview the fact that all the trauma groups such as this were made to bear was never captured in first-hand accounts, meaning that just as the dialogue is abstracted, so too is the trauma as it is regurgitated through the passing mentions within soldier’s written notes and letters. Kelley reveals to us how trauma in these cases is disappeared by those history prefers to remember.
A still from Vertigo Sea (2015) by John Akomfrah
John Akomfrah creates impactful video art, often spanning entire walls as to create an enveloping and emotionally overwhelming display. In Vertigo Sea specifically, Akomfrah touches on the innately political and racial dimensions of the sea and its connections to human movement, both voluntary and involuntary, and the lives lost from one destination to the next. Reimaginings of historical paintings depicting the ocean portray black individuals as overseers of vast lands, subverting the intent of the original works as celebrations of whiteness and colonial culture. These scenes are interspersed among footage of immigrants on makeshift vessels, the Vietnam boat crisis, whale hunting, and marine life. The piece as a whole is a reflection on the ocean as a site of unimaginable cruelty just as it is historically rendered as a site of tremendous natural beauty.
Artists have the power to generate tangible thoughts/ideas with respect to activism. This allows us to define what it is that we are exactly trying to advocate for through critically engaging with associated work. This is very important when taking political action, as constant sharing of ideas and concepts is oftentimes the main driver. When I think about Kelley and Akomfrah’s practices, I get a good grasp of what artists can do to “undo” the damaging historical components of visual culture. Stereotypes or conventions can be reclaimed or reworked and put back into the world to transmit messages that better represent the communities they were originally aimed at attacking.
I think about how important it is to understand the history of art and who has been given the privilege to tell this history. This feels like a natural “jumping off point” with regards to my multiples. I intend to create a project that calls this subject into question while also fostering a community of people linked by the wrong that they have undeservedly faced.
Clothing as multiples interests me deeply. Objects that refer to their owners in their nature can be imbued with a decorative property depending on what is placed on them. With the same desire to shed light on untold histories as Mary Read Kelley and a similarly bold visual language as Barbara Kruger. In the same multiples assignment in experimental studio 1, I came up with the slogan “I am a male genius” on a whim. This time around I will be collaborating with my friend Ray in screen printing the slogan paired with a design of their making.
The design will be an amalgamation of various institutional figureheads, done through AI (which additionally contains destructive masculine undertones just as genius does) in order to create a symbol that compliments the notion of the slogan.
Multiple Process and Reflection
Exposing our geniusOur beautiful screenA test on a piece of paper
I could not be more happy with how a project has come out in this course than in the multiple project! Being able to continually learn new things and create something so cathartic with another artist (RAY FLEMING) that shares similar views with respect to the art world was a joy.
Now that I am able to spread this image and message among friends in the format of t shirts, I feel as if this can foster more of a community of people who have felt shadowed or outcast from the boys’ club. There is a male genius in all of our lives, who smiles proudly as he dehumanises us. Through averaging out a small portion of the male faculty in SOFAM and pairing it with my slogan, I express a very real anger through humour.
For the critique I brought in kits for writing letters to nowhere. These kits included a sheet of six stamps, a wax seal, and a long list of instructions all contained within an envelope. Going into the critique I already knew there were things that I wanted to change about the kit and those thoughts were supported by the feedback I got. The instructions could be simplified and shortened, the kit could include paper to write on, and the kit could include a pencil to write with. I also felt that if the stamp sheet was going to have six stamps all of the other supplies should be available in the same quantity. So before documentation I made these changes.
This new kit comes in a box with six envelopes, six pieces of paper, six stamps, six seals, a pencil, and an improved instruction card. The new instruction card is half the size of the old one and is made of nicer materials than the previous plain printer paper.
The artists from this playlist that really stood out to me were Stephanie Syjuco and the collective Postcommodity.
Stephanie Syjuco’s counterfeit crochet project really stood out to me. I really enjoyed how this project got people involved. Stephanie posted simple instructions and it became a large movement. She uses this project to talk about partaking in and denying consumerism as well as outsourcing labour.
Postcommodity created a site specific installation using hot air balloons along the Arizona – Sonora border. This symbolic fence was used as a way to “almost flip the script or to complicate the way we understand fences,” also “The idea of the balloons is to intersect the U.S.-Mexico border. That signified a suturing or connecting of the Americas together”.
The theme of the book is time and is shown by the age of the hands progressively getting older on each page.
Week 7:
Thursday ~
Initial Book Brainstorm:
My three books I brought to class ->
I started with these books because they are what was immediately available to me. However, there are many things about them I like for this project. The Printmakers Document by Jim Dine has an interesting layout with a mix of text and imagery. I particularly enjoy the pages in this book that are just long skinny columns of red text. Daily Magic by Judika Illes talks about time and the creation and evolution of the calendar in a really interesting way. This is a theme that I often think about and sparks a few ideas about how I could show the passing of time in a book format. The final book Images of Age by Micheal Jaques shows images he has made (drawings, prints, etc.) of the elderly. I really enjoyed these images and his art style.
Class Notes ->
Week6:
Thursday ~
Environmental Video Art Final Work: “Glowing in the Thicket” – Anna Syme & Alyssa Dupuis
These videos explore interacting with and being a part of nature through the ideas of camouflage and bioluminescence. During the day the feminine figure is seen trying and failing to hide within and mimic the natural world and at night they are seen glowing and enjoying being seen. The videos are to be watched in tandem on screens that face each other so that the viewer has to stand in the middle and look back and forth between the two. You can’t watch it all at once and will notice something new each time it loops. One audio track of ambient day and night sounds together plays in the background filling the space and immersing the viewers in both worlds at the same time.
Audio –
“Instead of masking like they did in the day, now that they’re visible,
they celebrate the vulnerability of being witnessed.
Though they risk shame, rejection, and humiliation by being so visible,
they are content.”
– Anna
Week 5:
Tuesday & Thursday ~
Video Art Work in Progress:
After getting all of our footage on Friday we started to put it all together into two videos, one for daytime shots and another for nighttime shots.
At first we thought of displaying them side by side in with a split screen but then after some thought we decided to display them separately on two different computer monitors.
(opening shots for each video) ->
Week 4:
Tuesday ~
Video Art Brainstorm:
Initial ideas with partner:
Research from arboretum website:
Moving with the wind- In one of the natural areas of the arboretum, Victoria woods, there are many types of old growth hardwoods such as sugar maple, white ash, black cherry, and beech. These trees have grown to be big but not huge because their root systems don’t grow out very far due to the wet soil. This means that if they grow too tall a strong wind could blow them over. So, even though this forest has never been clear cut it is not very dense, this leaves room for a variety of woodland plants to grow in the space between and in the upended root systems. Cool videos of trees .
…
Week 2:
Tuesday ~
Eyes as Big as Plates
Eyes as Big as Plates is an ongoing photographic and book series by artists Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth. The project started as an attempt to illustrate certain phenomena – folklore, stories, figures from myth. However, more recently it has become more about just working with whoever they are interviewing.
I found the photos captivating. They all carry a level of mystery and intrigue that makes you want to look at them for hours. I thought that the idea to reimagine older people as figures from lore and legend was such a cool concept. I love painting older people because they have the best stories and such a strong, sure presence, you can really feel this in Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth’s photos.
Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth work with the person they are photographing. They start by getting to know them, then they go to a location that makes sense for that person, and use the landscape to inform the viewer.
In the first image sits Halvar, a retired farmer from Norway. Halvar suggested that they shoot on the land where he and his family have their roots. His headdress is made of wild grass found in the landscape they were shooting in and is a symbol in local legends about figures that live underground.
In the second image is Agnes, a 90 year old woman who has gone parachute jumping twice (once at 85 and again at 90). She described “floating through the air as pure joy” so they decided she would dress to depict the fabled north wind.
These images feel powerful, and magical in a way that makes me believe these people could truly be the figures they depict.
For my book stacks I went to the third floor of McLaughlin Library. I wandered around and pulled books with titles that sounded interesting and books that I thought looked interesting. I then put together books that I thought worked together. I played with stacking them upright on the floor.
Then I decided to put my stacks on a shelf. I liked that you can kind of see where they were found.
As an independent project, I wanted to explore part of my personal practice as an artist: writing. I’m very interested in the concept of medicine in literature and how writing can be a useful tool to promote growth and healing. Earlier this year I started writing as a way to cope with being raped, I was shocked at how the words just flowed out of me. I never thought I’d have this much to say, I had repressed the memories for five years unable to actually call it what it was because I was in a relationship with the man who assaulted me and I loved him. I’ve always enjoyed writing but I always saw it as separate from my art until I started writing poems about my trauma this semester. I see these works as individual moments in time and vessels for human connection. I couldn’t believe how many people connected with my work when I started sharing it. I framed all of these works individually and I envision them installed on a wall together in a cluster. I think eventually I would also like to turn these into audio works where people could put in headphones and listen to each one individually around the gallery. I can also see these a prologues or prompts for future paintings.
This first one is a story about my best friend growing up and the first time I realized I might be gay, I was 12 and the kids at school were bullying me for having a pixie cut and they were calling me a dyke. When I asked her if she would still love me if I was a Lesbian she told me we could be friends but that we couldn’t have sleepovers anymore because she wouldn’t want me to molest me in her sleep. I didn’t talk about it until I was 20 after that day and I haven’t talked to her in 5 years for a number of reasons.
This is a poem I wrote about being assaulted, it’s called “The First Time I Had Sex”, I felt it was too personal to share with others so I blacked out all of the lines except one and pinned it into a black shadow box with a black mat like you would a moth. I also thought it might be more powerful to just have this one line with no context what so ever, I really enjoy the anonymity of this work because it can mean different things to people.
This work is some recent elections on gender and what it means to be a woman.
This is another line that I took from a different poem about being assaulted, I thought this was powerful on its own because the timeline addresses the man who did it while not getting too graphic. I have a hard time seeing myself as a victim and speaking about these events so I don’t know if I would ever share the full poems to the public.
If being sick was an addiction
anorexia was my drug of choice
Numbing the pain with alcohol, coffee,
and sex with strange men I met on the internet
This last piece is a summary of my late teens and early 20’s. As a way to cope with being abused at the time I threw myself into an eating disorder because it was the only control i had in my life, in a way even though I was hurting myself, being anorexic kept me alive during that time of my life. After the relationship ended I was with a very kind man I went to art school with, when that relationship inevitably crashed and burned I threw myself into a hyper-sexual phase as a coping mechanism for being with the trauma and trying to regain control in my life. I think I was also trying to prove that I was happy being “straight”, I was wrong. There’s something incredible about being able to self-reflect. and heal and look at the past and understand why you did the things you did.
I tried to add the image of all of these works together in the frame but my computer is not letting me.
Take A Stand
Book Project: Work in Progress
I added all the pages of my book but they are not showing up, I might just email you them.
Book Project: Ideas and Research
Originally I was inspired by this book called “Come As You Are” by Emily Nagoski. The book is an excellent read whether you are the owner of a vulva or not. The author confronts sex not as a taboo but as something that should be talked about and answers questions we’ve otherwise been too ashamed to ask. I find it a rather beautiful and powerful approach to sexuality. As someone who isn’t a big reader I don’t own many books, typically the books I do own are about plants or bugs. I bought this book last year when I was really struggling to connect with my partner and be intimate, I was so sure the problem was me and If I could read this book and figure out what was wrong with me maybe I might finally want to have sex with him. Flash forward a year a lot has changed, I am no longer with my partner and tho this has been a very scary and emotional journey I realized that I am not in fact broken, I’m just gay, and the reason for my problems was that I was lying to myself trying to prove that I could be happy and settle down with a man. I think when you’re in the closet or even just denying your truth sex can be really scary, I had made myself numb to the idea of liking girls for years despite knowing my parents were fine with me being a homosexual. It was some sort of overcorrection or overcompensation and I was so confused for so long. It’s not until I’ve truly let myself feel attraction to women and acknowledge these parts of myself that everything in my life has become much clearer. With my book, I wanted to focus on my two primary interests: plants and sexuality. More than that I wanted to challenge the notion of genitals and people’s obsession with how that correlates to gender and sexuality. I wanted to show just how beautiful and natural diverse genders and sexualities are and that genitals aren’t what makes a person a certain “thing”. Rather when I say I’m gay it’s not so black and white as I only date women or I’m only attracted to people with vulvas, rather I’m attracted to feminine and masculine energy in people the the rest doesn’t really matter, I’m just not content being with a cisgender straight man, mainly because I’m tired of being reduced to being a woman in their eyes. I want to be with other queer people who truly see me and not just the superficial parts of me on the outside that most people mistake for “woman”.
Arboretum Video Art
Harvesting Acorns featuring Shanza Yole and Forest Funston
Disclaimer: All materials harvested in the arboretum gene banks were done with permission from the horticultural team and sustainably collected for seed processing. The arboretum is a consumption-free space meaning that you cannot pick or eat anything you find in the arb.
My inspiration for this piece was my chosen family. I think one of the best parts of being queer is the sense of community that you find through shared experience. Working in the arboretum this summer I met some incredible people who are now some of my closest friends. Not having any queer friends since moving to Guelph has been very lonely and isolating, I didn’t realize just how much I was missing until I met three very special people this May across the lunchroom table in the Hilton Center. One of my favorite memories was picking native plums this summer while singing The Greatest Showman song. In an attempt to recreate the queer experience in the arboretum and explore what it means to be gay in the arboretum with my friends. These wonderfully weird and creative souls had never participated in performance/experimental art before and they did amazing, they were such good sports coming to my rescue and putting this video together with me.
One of the first books I picked up was in the philosophy section, how I got there im not sure, the book was titled Kents theory of form. I started comb through the various books, looking at the colours, their spins lined up one by one, withered and dusty. And yet the pages inbetween looked untouched by time. None of the pages had been dogeared, there was no evidence anyone had been there before me. Not a stain or smudge left behind. I myself am not a big reader as I dont have the attention spand for it, my focus for this project was texture, colour, repetition and form. Arguably the best book title I found was the Paradox Of Existence which pretty much sums up my entire life. an interesting play on words that I was experimenting with was:
Critique of Pure Reason
Free to Hate
The Paradox of Existence
Artist Research: Shawna Dempsey
Shawna Dempsy is a Canadian performance artist and queer icon, best known for their work with Lorri Millan as The Lesbian Park Rangers. Both artists have collaborated on a number of satiric and lavishly outrageous performative works such as Growing Up Suites, and my personal favorite We’re Talking Vulva. I think what is most appealing about Shawna Dempsy is their ability to reach various groups with their work through comedy and pop culture. So whether you can relate to them as a queer individual or as an objective third-party viewer you’ll probably have a laugh. Dempsy is able to touch on important subjects and voice feminist and LGBTQ+ advocacy. One of the strategies they use is satire. By using satire, Dempsy makes these necessary conversations surrounding the lesbian experience more palatable to viewers. This is an excellent approach because they’re able to shatter stereotypes about feminists/queer women being angry and volatile. Not only are queer women seldom represented outside of the male gaze but there is not always a lot of positive or accurate representation either. I really appreciate how they don’t take themself too seriously, it’s very refreshing just how silly and yet powerful their work is. If I had to summarize their system/task they assigned themselves in a sentence it would be: Abolishing the patriarchy one lesbian at a time.
In the Lesiban Park Ranger performance, Dempsy and Millan navigate queer wilderness while flipping stereotypes and gender roles on their heads. They challenge narratives on colonialism, sexism, capitalism, and the heterosexual “ideal” by inserting themselves into the landscape of Banff National Parks, (although they do not directly critique colonialism). This parody of the traditional and machismo role of the park ranger turned lesbian park ranger works very well to frame their message. By inserting themselves into the natural landscape not only are the viewers able to appreciate our natural resources but also identify some more critical issues of our nation, such as the forced displacement and assimilation of our First Nations people. The audience is invited to question the integrity and authority of the park rangers while confusing the audience. However, if you are able to read between the lines you might soon realize that this is much more than just a funny skit. There is a definite correlation between wilderness and queerness in this work which peaks my interest. Perhaps because, like the great outdoors, sexuality can be unpredictable and at times difficult to navigate.
Front CoverFront CoverSpineSpineiii, Page 1Page 2-3Page 4-5Page 6-7Page-8-9Page 10-11Page 12-13Page 14–15Page 16-17Page-18-19Page 20-21Page 22-23Page 24-25Page 26-27Page 28-29Page 30-31Page 32-33Page 34-35Page 36-37Page 38-39Page 40-41Page 42-43Page 44-45Page 46-47Page 48Back CoverBack CoverPrinted Book & Handmade Book by ShanPrinted Book & Handmade Book by ShanHandmade Book and Travel Bag by ShanHandmade Book in Handmade Travel Bag by Shan
ARTIST MULTIPLES
FREE RAINBOW ✥ CONSTRUCTION PROCESS ✥
FREE RAINBOW ✥ FINISHED PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION ✥
✥ IN ACTION ✥
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Week 11✦
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Multiples Ideas/Brainstorm ❉
FREE RAINBOW ✥ BRAINSTORMING ✥
(Picture of a rainbow cast by one of my sun catchers in my home)
My current interests within my art practice have been about honouring and focusing on the present moment. Noticing the small moments every day that can surprise us with a little magic. Specifically, I have been interested in unique phenomenon of light refractions and shadows in my environment. I am intrigued by the sun and the moon and how they interact with our surroundings, performing like another dimension in our world. There are some tools that can be used to enhance and create light refractions in a specific place. For this project I would like to create a “rainbow maker” multiple.
Even when a sun catcher is in the same spot every day, the way the light interacts with it is never the same. As long as there is sun/moon light, there can be rainbows. On cloudy, overcast or stormy days, these sculptures still hold a glimmer, it sparkles and within the crystal prisms you can see the trapped colours. This device can be used to bring unique light phenomenon into any environment.
I am proposing a very simple yet effective concept, either in the form of a “Make your own rainbow kit” or a ready-made rainbow refracting charm that can be placed anywhere you desire. I am going to include a metal clasp that can be secured to many different surfaces and locations, and fishing line to connect your clasp to your crystal prism that will also be included. I am debating whether it is necessary to include other components.
I am proposing that with your rainbow creator, you will have the freedom to insert it into the world wherever you feel our world needs it.
For myself, although I see rainbows as a magical and beautiful phenomenon, they are mainly special because of their universal symbolism for positivity: joy, inclusion, peace, love, good fortune etc… Although all are positive meanings, different religions and cultures have a different message for what a rainbow means specifically. You may place your rainbow and use it however you believe it is needed, no matter your beliefs it can be a powerful and beneficial device.
-1 octagon crystal (main light refracting/rainbow making component)
Either pre-assembled or requiring assembly?
-will include a prompt/ instructions how how to use your light refractor
NAME IDEAS:
-Free Rainbow
-Rainbow Maker
-Rainbow Creator
-Light Refractor
-Light Refracting Charm
-Light Dispersing Charm
TO ME, this idea feels like a way for people to express love, joy and also acts as an intervention in daily life; with the intent of having it catch someone’s eye and create a moment for them to be present. We are often wrapped up in our thoughts or on our next destination, we don’t pay attention or fully engage with our present moment.
INDEPENDENT WORK IDEA
♡
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO – The Light Dimension❉
(Examples of photographs of magical, curious shadows and light refractions I have taken over the last year)
As mentioned in my multiples post, I am currently very interested in moments in my everyday life when the sun or moon’s light interacts with our world. I am fascinated by the moments where they create dancing shadows and light refractions that perform as extra layers in our reality. There are instances where there seems to be a bridge between worlds: no longer as predictable and monotonous as it was, life is transformed, becoming curious and enchanting. Part of my current art practice is to capture and document these transient moments and use them as inspiration for paintings and drawings. I recreate the moments and aim to conjure the emotions and wonder felt in those inspired instances so that they may endure in the form of photographs, paintings and drawings. I hope to inspire viewers to take the time to contemplate the small moments in life that hold so much beauty when we are paying attention.
I have been also documenting videos but have not made any formal work with the footage. I would like to make a video loop with ethereal sounds to create a peaceful and otherworldly experience when watching the video. I would like to include footage of rainbows, light refractions, as well as shadows and other interesting light phenomenon.
SPED-UP PROCESS FOR CREATING SPREAD IN PROCREATE ON IPAD
Pages In Progress
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Field trip !
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Week 7✦
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Book Brainstorm❁
Shan and I decided we would like to create a book about making pigments from our surroundings. It will include documentation on our process of creating a series of pigments using specimens/objects in our daily environment from our video project.
Notes/Planning ↴
Book Inspiration:
This is a book I have at home that has some really great drawings and journaling style documentation.
This book that Diane shared with us was the perfect way for us to visualize how to begin this project!
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Week 6✦
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Video Art ☽
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Week 5✦
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Video Art in Progress☽
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Week 4✦
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Video Art Brainstorm☽
Shan and I have had the idea recently to create paint using plants or reused materials. We would like to create a video documenting the process. We would like it to be very intimate in the style of recording as well as quick and engaging to hold the viewers attention but also replay enough information.
Some people who inspired this idea for me are artists I follow on instagram:
@thedogwooddyer @blackforager @wildpigmentproject
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Week 2✦
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Bookstacks: Inspired by Nina Katchadourian
It was such a playful experience creating book stacks using different methods and inspirations. This exercise has given me a new perspective on books I have owned for a very long time.
Using my own and my partners collections of books, I gathered them all in one room(the room most of them live in, my little home studio) and proceeded to intuitively start making combinations and playing with the books. I lost myself in ply for a few hours just giggling away at my combinations. I noticed many of the books I had were one worded titles which made for an interesting challenge to work with. After playing for a while I reconfigured some of the stacks on my desk with my wooden wall in the background. I set them up with some direct lighting, I also made some shadows( with my hands in some and by manipulating my light sources for others) for some photos in order to capture an aura for the communicated statements. It was very difficult to choose just three, here are my final selections then I will share my additional experiments below. I wanted to also experiment more with colour and sculptural qualities but will require a larger library. This is definitely an activity I would like to continue attempting with different collections and see what the results may hold. Even with very limited books, I felt I had not yet exhausted all their possibilities.
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FINAL SELECTION
The Spine Chilling Book of Horror/ Shiver
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Me Without You/ Forever/ Heaven
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Sapphire Blue/ Forever/ Heaven
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MORE EXPERIMENTS
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Tried to create eerie lighting for this book stack, books surrounded by candlelight. This was the most interesting of that shoot.
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I experimented with stacking books in alphabetical order and then lining up the titles like in my previous attempts. This time I was interested in looking at the tower sculpturally. I then attempted this method a few more times.
