The Forgotten

Whattup! After a week of struggling with allergies and "artist's block", I have finally decided on an idea for this project. My piece will be dealing with "The Forgotten". There are so many people and things that we take for granted, throw away, put aside, overlook, abandon, and forget as we live our lives and I hope to create an art piece that will help us remember. My collection will consist of commonly neglected/forgotten items, pictures that depict the idea, and personal items of mine that I have forgotten. So far my list of items include:

1. favorite stuffed animal from childhood

2. baby blanket

3. photos/drawings depicting neglect

4. photos of senior citizens (grandma... :'( RIP)

5. unsung heroes

6. buttons

7. pennies

8. friends

9. couch (because I always find forgotten items under or inside the couch)

10. boxes (the graveyard for many forgotten items)

11. IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE LEAVE ME A MESSAGE! THANKS!!!

Extra Materials:

1. Light

2. Dark Cloth

3. Glue

As of now I am not sure how this piece will look, but I want to be able to reproduce the feeling of being forgotten/loneliness through my art.

transference

gift - \ˈgift\

n.

something, someone, someplace, sometime that is presented, transfered, or exchanged with another, not necessarily expecting reciprocation. typically an item, maybe for a special occasion. can be an item, friendship, something re-giftable, talent, place, a transfer, a reminder, an idea, a push, memory, a thought, a person, a promise, a feeling, a connection.

eight items:
track spikes (feeling)
warped image of a necklace (memory)
knitting needles (re-giftable)
image of my best friend (friendship)
extra mac charger plug (transfer)
bracelet (connection)
vase (thought)
cigarettes (reminder)

three more items:
sound of an alarm clock (push)
video of a tree in this field (place)
video of me standing by my friend (promise)

for my reproduction, i either would like to use knitting as a way to present my collection (although i do not know how that will work with the sound and video) OR i would like to make advertisements and create some sort of small finished catalogue/magazine, and the videos and sound will have a phrase and a link to a youtube video with the sound/video

Picking Locks on Doors that Don't Exist

Yep, that's precisely the title of my piece. I'm an avid antique collector, especially when it comes to skeleton keys, so my skeleton key collection is the center of my project. The logic of my ideas is as follows:
-Antique skeleton keys have lots of history, but most of the time, since they ARE antiques after all, the doors they unlock are either gone of forgotten
-Modern keys have also replaced almost all skeleton keys (better technology=safer homes, etc), making them obsolete
-So...skeletons could really be put on display at museums and such, since they are useless but still unique
-Also, thieves trying to break through locks wouldn't get anywhere by copying skeleton keys
-So, put key impressions in a shadowbox (like the kinds of cases used to put rare bug/butterfly collections on display) to play with the idea of picking locks that don't exist, and with the idea of putting historical artifacts on display even if their specific history is forgotten

Materials:
Skeleton Keys

New materials:
Clay (for impressions)
Wood
Nails

Definition: Antiquity!
(adv)- a state of being in which an object is ceremoniously worshiped and put on display without having any real meaning or purpose to celebrate

space/flying and inaccessability

My collection, so far, is made up of things created from this conscious criteria: things which relate instruct in a primary function, or are related to causing something to do what it is made to do, with the object itself missing. Ok, that's not very clear. But the things I intuitively picked were these: a lego assembly instruction manual (missing legos), a comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts (missing game, computer, keyboard, and joystick), a 10x finder scope (missing telescope), a model rocket electronic launch controller and wires (missing rocket and launch pad), a book called "Tell me about Sun, stars, and planets." (Missing, obviously....). Finally, i also had a little brass device called a lyre, which clips onto a saxophone and holds up a miniaturized flip book of sheet music for marching band (saxophone, music, and flip book not included).
Intuitively, I found, I had (with the exception of the lyre) chosen objects related either to space, or flying. (The keyboard shortcuts were for "Jane's Combat Simulations USAF")

So clearly, the main theme is air and space, and I should probably replace the lyre with something closer to this. Because this topic is so highly valued in American culture I think I will probably try displaying my collection in some kind of museum style case, although on the other side I could try disrupting the convention- but if I took this approach, I would need to plan carefully so it appears intentional, not just sloppy or haphazard.

Timeless Passion

For my reproduction piece I will be creating an assemblage piece with all of my found/collected items. Assemblage art is an artful process in which a three-dimensional artistic composition is made from putting together found objects. the word origins back to the 1950s when Jean Dubuffet created a series of butterfly collage pieces in which he called assemblages d'empreintes. Other artist such as Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso had also worked with found objects many years prior. The essence of my piece will inhibit the old feeling of valuable items that once belonged to an important person. All of my found objects will be in same shape or form vintage and quite old. I want to capture the feeling of the passage of time while at the same time project the beauty in old fashion crafted material. The piece will be a viually interactive piece and will have many photos pasted on it ( which are going to be real photos from a recently deceseed person) to give the feeling of an era and memory. My piece will be a relatively good size and most likely a hanging piece.

as far as materials go:
all of my materials will be from my parents home and are undecided as of now. To get an idea of what everything will be stores in, think of a shadow box or somesort of framing piece that will allow the viewer to take a peek inside.

Balancing Act

Drinking glasses are symbols of multiple themes throughout art. In paintings they are portrayed with a deep red wine that can show wealth and elegance. Other cases, such as a party, drinking can be proven just a fun social sport that anyone can partake in. But the reality is that one must have a good sense of “balance” in there life when they drink, or there could be major consequences. People must know when or when not to drink, how much to drink, and when drinking a fair amount, they must be able to control themselves and their actions of engaging in any dangerous activities.



Idea: For my project, I will be doing a sculpture with multiple styles of drinking glasses that are positioned in various ways that are barely connected to one another. Some glasses will have a liquid like substance dripping out of them, which will resemble an alcoholic drink. All the cups will be connected to a base which will be a serving tray that will have an image of a stop sign on the top side. The underside of the tray will have four wheels that are facing different directions to prove one of the consequences of hazardous drinking. Overall, my goal for the project is to make it look very unstable (although in reality it will be stable) so it will seems as if the whole sculpture could collapse at any moment. This will represent the balance of choices people make when they drinking, and if they go too far, everything will come crashing down.

List of Items:
-Currently all I have are different kinds of drinking glasses
+Serving tray (New Item 1)
+Pitcher (New Item 2)
+Wheels (New Item 3)

Materials:
- Plastic drinking glasses
- Elmer’s glue
- Silver sequence/ glitter
- Red hot glue sticks
- Hot glue gun
- Paper
- Markers
- Wheels
(All items can be found at home, or at a thrift store/99 cent store)

blue

My collection of blue items started by rummaging through an unpacked box of a random assortment of things I hadn't opened since moving to Irvine. The only common thing I could find was the color blue - an old earring, half burned candles, a string of lights, a bowl, a small jar - all varying shades of blue. Since class I have been wondering how I am going to re-create "blue" or show the concept of "blue" aside from the color "blue". I started thinking about all the things that come to my mind when I think of blue - the sky, the ocean, blue eyes, the color of my old car, red, white and blue, blue tears, blue moon, baby blues, blue jeans, coolers, black and blue bruises, "the blues", "out of the blue", "into the blue", ice, huskies, blueberries, water, kitchy Christmas trees... etc etc etc. Somewhere in that stream of thought "blue collar" popped into my mind and I liked the idea of somehow showing a blue collar essence - worker, work day, lifestyle - in my collection of blue. A blue collar worker is a member of the working class who does manual labor - construction, mining, manufacturing etc. I am completely open and eager for ideas but so far I have the following idea - I want to find a wheel barrel and fill it with a mixture of dirt and/or sand and large rocks ( possibly partial pieces of concrete or brick) - paint everything blue and display my collection in the barrel as well - partially buried - I suppose mimicking the essence of a construction site. Maybe even include a hard hat ( painted blue) and some tools as well. As for the reproduction part - I would like to reproduce some of the rocks out of wire and blue tissue paper and display them around the wheel barrel. I am also thinking about including snap shots of various construction sites construction workers within and around the barrel. I would alter the picture a little to have a hint of blue be a prominent feature - blue jeans, a blue hammer, a blue building - etc.

I am not completely sure I am even on the right tract.. I am very open to ideas!

Hungry?

menu:[men-yoo, mey-nyoo] noun

1. a list of the dishes served at a mean; bill of fare; Ask the waiter for a meny.

2. the dishes served.

3. any list or set of items, activities, etc., from which to choose; What's on the menu this weekend--golf, tennis, or swimming?

4. Computers. a list of options available to a user, as displayed on a CRT or other type of screen, i.e. a start menu

current collection...

>>10 menus (one wedding cake brochure, 9 restaurants)

my thoughts...

I've been collecting menus from local food places since the start of the school year since I wanted to remember all the places I've eaten at and what foods I liked (which is why a couple have highlight marks on dishes). I will be framing by installation with either a wooden or cardboard gateway-like structure with the title "Hungry?" on the top and an open start menu listing the restaurants/places the menus are from. Hanging from the top of the structure will be panels or pieces from the menus. The structure will be set on a table covered in a white tablecloth to mimic tables at restaurants.

On the table there will be five vertical sections. The center section will feature a laptop towards or up against the wall showing videos of people ordering from the menus or reading off the menus (making them human menus!) and will run continuously. Below the laptop towards the middle-front of the table will be a food sculpture, perhaps of sushi (since I really like sushi) with a sculpture plate and chopsticks, all made of clay or perhaps other materials. The surrounding four columns will begin with a hanging drawing on the wall of a person with the menu, perhaps holding the menu or having the menu down on a table while the person holds a spoon and fork (as if to eat the menu itself). The subsequent standing pictures or drawings will be of the individual unfolding the menu, and at the foot of the section will be the menu itself. Dispersed on the table with be plastic cutlery (spoons, forks, sporks, knives, etc) and I want to either spray a food scent on my installation or bring in strong smelling food to add a smell dimension to my project.

materials...

[ ] menus (at least 15)
[ ] cardboard/wood (gate-like structure)
[ ] string or yarn (hanging menu pieces)
[ ] paint
[ X ] paper and drawing tools
[ ] foam core
[ ] plastic cutlery
[ X ] scissors (cut menus, yarn, etc)
[ ]tablecloth
[ X ] laptop (better speakers maybe?)
[ ] clay
[ ] camera (to take picture and video)
[ X ] table (I will just use one of the classroom tables)

An Apple a Day Keeps the _____ Away

An Apple a Day Keeps the _____ Away

Apple (n.) 1 : the fleshy usually rounded red, yellow, or green edible pome fruit of a usually cultivated tree (genus Malus) of the rose family; also : an apple tree — compare crab apple
2 : a fruit (as a star apple) or other vegetative growth (as an oak apple) suggestive of an apple

When looking around my dorm to see what I had a collection of, I instantly thought of Apple products. I’m a loyal consumer of Apple products (except for their headphones) and realized that a majority of the everyday things I use are Apple products. My collection included

1. Macbook Pro
2. Macbook Pro charger
3. Ipod Nano
4. Iphone
5. Iphone outlet adapter
6. Iphone headset
7. Apple USB Cord
8. Ipod to TV converter

The discussion that we had about the projects had definitely helped me expand my view on this project. One of the suggestions I had received was to make an “Apple Tree”. For my project, I’m going to create a tree with the Macbook Pro as its base. I need to figure out how to create the branches and the trunk, but from these branches, I’ll be hanging each of my items off of them. It’s going to be an interesting project to display, but my hope for my presentation to be unique.

Reproduction: I was planning to add an apple, literally, but with the apple replicating the Apple symbol. I was also thinking about recreating each of my items through a drawing/painting or sculpture.

Damaged

(adj.)

-changed so as to reduce value, function, or other desirable trait; -- usually not used of persons. Altered, usually negatively, from original condition. Something that needs to be fixed, that is no longer whole, missing a critical part or piece. Burnt, water-logged, ripped, stained, scarred, bruised, broken, smashed, lost, forgotten.

Objects-

Burnt Tupperware Bowl

Broken Earphones

Watercolors with missing piece

Scarred arm, chin, and side

Stained cup

Shoe with hole

Lock on door that sticks

Hair clip, with two prongs missing

New Objects-

Broken Clock

Copy of Charlotte’s Web, with ripped cover and broken binding

Piano Music Box, with missing top

I chose damaged objects because I find them extremely appealing- once an object is damaged or rendered useless, it takes on an entirely new meaning. The life of an object, the point of its existence, centers around a use. But once the object can no longer serve its use, what is it for? I’d like to explore this idea in my concept- the point of an object after its use.

As of right now I have a few ideas for a display- Alison suggested that I have snapshots of the people the objects belong to. I was also thinking of taking a picture of a scene in which the object is in use displayed. Underneath these pictures, I want to recreate the object through a painting or drawing of some kind, depicting ta dramatization of the scar or point of damage in the image. Finally, underneath this succession of images I would have the actual object in the flesh. I’m debated whether or not to simply have the object, or “fix” the object (i.e. filling a gash, adding a piece, etc.).

Green Leaves

Leaves (n) plural \'levs\

1: A lateral outgrowth from a plant stem that is typically a flattened expanded variably shaped greenish organ, consitutes a unit of the foliage, and functions primarily in food manufacture by photosythesis.

Leave (v) \'lev\

1: to go away from : depart/withdraw from 2: to put, deposit 3: to cause or allow to be or remain in a specified condition, to cause or allow to be or remain available, to fail it include or take along.

Green

1: the color.

2: to be environmentally aware.

My collection began with gathering leaves in and around my home. As I collected them I began to think of ways to associate them as a collective piece and to make a collection that was not ordinary but extraordinary. I thought about what they meant to me and the world I live in and came up with the idea of "Green Leaves". I used the play of the definition of "leave/s" as a driving force in my plan. I noticed in our society we use the word green a lot whether we know what it means and I feel it is a fad. It is important to be environmentally and I believe people have yet to realize the importance and merely act on this green philosophy because it is advertised by the media. I came up with the idea of collecting different leaves and pasting them in a shape of a mushroom cloud in a frame. The leaves will be green and as time passes they will fade to brown no longer looking like a tree but a mushroom cloud. This will represent time, life and death and what I feel is the fad of green living. Hopefully the way I attach them they could fall somehow.

Existing Collection:

Leaves

Additions to Collection:

"Green" items

Three R's- reuse, reduce, recyle

more leaves

images of plants

Materials:

Frame

leaves

paint

camera

Reproduction:

I have taken leaves from different plants and have documented each plant I have taken from by taking a picture of it. I may print them out and make a separate framed gallery of these images some way. They will represent the leaves when they were green and alive.

I may also reproduce leaves using "green" material in showing how people are so fixated by this process of reuse and recycle.

Reproduce a plant made of other materials? Still in the planning process.

Any ideas? Input would be greatly appreciated!

Bottle Chandelier!

As far as obsessions go, I'm a big fan of bottles. I love knowing that designers put a lot of thought into ergonomics and aesthetic appearance, all the way to the glass etching and thinking about how light hits the faces of their products. This makes them appealing to consumers. Some of my favorites to look at are perfume bottles, wine bottles, water bottles, and lotion bottles. My initial/present idea is to collect a bunch of these different kinds of bottles, cut them up, and make big bottles from the pieces, and these are going to hang from the ceiling. I also want to put bottles within my handmade bottles, and illuminate them with leds or christmas lights. Tons and tons of bottles! Here are some pictures for inspiration: 

FOR FUN!!! PICTURES OF MY MOTHERS CREATIONS! :)

Many of you have expressed great interest in seeing some of what my mother has created with her junk decor medium. I could not possibly place enough photos for you to see everything but I picked some of my favorites to share with you! :)
Top Left: Front of house Top Right: Front Yard

The Man With 1000 Hats

Hat (n.)
1: The thing on top of my head that reflects who I am at the moment.
2: It could be anything.
3: I could be anybody.
4: It is my second face.
5: Easily changeable.
6: My disguise.
7: My barrier.

So I have a lot of hats and a lot of suggestions as to what to add (many of which i have and didn't bring) and what to do with them but I still haven't decided on the final outcome yet. So for now I will continue to add to the collection and think of what to do for the reproduction and arrangement of the final piece.

Digging In the Crates

Digging in The Crates (v)- the art of seeking out records to sample for productions

Back in the day Hip Hop DJs and producers like DJ Premier, Buckwild, Pete Rock, etc. were notorious for owning thousands and thousands of rare vinyls and obscure records that they sample break loops, drumbeats, or vocals from. They were known for searchin through record stores and garage sales just to find that one record where they could sample a 3 second drum loop that no had. Records were usually stored in milk crates and they would dig through these crates in order to create original montages of sounds by looping, splicing, and chopping the samples they had. Many classic hip hop records were created by sampling like Nas's Illmatic, Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold us Back, etc.

I have always admired the collections of music that these people had but never really had the money to buy CDs. And since most music has become digitalized, it is so much easier to download an album off the internet then go to a record store and buy a CD. My collection so far is pretty small, but I still want to expand my collection as a way to support the artists.

So as a way to display my desire for a bigger collection of music, I was going to make fake albums as placeholders to remind myself to replace these fake albums with real albums. I was thinking of using a variety of different mediums to reproduce these albums. I was thinking of drawing some by hand, using stencils, etc.

This is a stencil i have made before of an album cover and i plan to reuse:

Enough?...Never!

Before I came to art school, I had always dreamed about making arts. I have always worked in a bank. My creativity was securely locked up in the safe deposit box! Although I had the urge to create something, I did not know what to create. I have not had any drawing or painting lessons after grade school. In addition, storage space was also one of my concerns. What should I do? A friend showed me how to wire wrap, and I took a jewelry class at Santa Monica College. I fell in love with jewelry making! I sold some of them, and gave to friends on special occasions. I even gave mini jewelry making lessons at elementary schools. It was so much fun.

Remember what people say about “women and jewelry?” This makes me think about the issue on consumerism. I have to admit that I am a victim of consumerism! I LOVE buying jewelry. It’s awesome that I can make my own jewelry now. Every time when I see something I want to purchase at the store, I come home and make a “reproduction” of the piece. Making jewelry is a healthy hobby (except when I had tendonitis): It is economical, and it keeps my creativity alive. People ask: “when is it enough for you?” I’d say: “Enough?…Never!” I will always make jewelry for as long as I live.

Existing items:

A jewelry box
lots of rings
earrings
necklaces
bracelets
some beads
2 silk flowers

Items to add:

Jewelry making tools:

different types of pliers
wire cutter
some exotic beads

Things to reproduce:

I am thinking of either a pair of earrings, necklaces or the silk flower. I want to make them B-I-G! Since I have always made them in “normal” size, I will take suggestions on how to make big jewelry ( I think it’ll be like making a piece of sculpture.) Also, if any of you have thick wire that you don’t want, I’d love to take them as “donations!”

Materials I will need:

Big beads (I'm still thinking about the materials.I probably need to make them too)
10 gauge copper or stainless steel wire
jewelry pliers
regular pliers
wire cutters
silk strings
clasp (for necklace)
torch (for soldering)
solder wire (silver bearing, lead free)
saw to cut metal

I want to say "THANK YOU" to: Jackie, Geoff, Sheila and Rebecca for all their thoughtful input. They are really helpful.

Thanks guys,
Vida (=

A House is NOT a Home

A House is NOT a HOME
My hectic childhood consisted of constant change... my family moved from place to place, in fact I moved 13 times before the 5th grade. There is no easy answer as to why...my parents were not in the military just the circumstances of life drove our transient existence. In turn, I have never had the traditional view of "home", home for me is not a building...I do not have any memories deeply attached to a wall where my height was recorded or the feel of the carpet beneath my toes. Rather, my "home" transends the stationary limitations and travels with me wherever I go. For me it is rather a feeling, a warm sense of comfort and belonging...of tradition and love. It didn't matter where we were (my family) as long as we had each other we were "home." Now I am on my own, my family lives in another state and I have to adjust by creating another "home" for myself as an adult. I love the idea of exploring the idea of home and what it means so my project will focus on this concept.

What I brought to class:

To represent places I have lived...
*Sunmaid California raisin boxes

*A picture of a beach sunset

*An Iowa postcard (where I am originally from)

*A photo taken at the lake behind my grandfathers house in Iowa

To represent "home" in general...

*A doorknob
*Keys
*A lightswitch
*An art print of a house floating via a hot air balloon
*A portrait of my family

Additions:

*More found photos of families doing typical family activities such as serving/eating dinner at the kitchen table..playing games...etc. Only I was absolutely INSPIRED by Baldessari's work with found photos and I want to replace the faces in the photos I use with color? or perhaps what inspires me more is to replace the heads with those of animals in a collage type fashion.

* Perhaps I should add more objects that are indicative of a home.... welcome mat? Suggestions PLEASE on what should be included...

I Would love for my final project to be very similar to a dollhouse where there is a house front and then its open in the back so you can see inside the house..only for the house to be crumbling or deteriorating somehow...then inside are the altered photos of the families and home objects such as the doorknob and keys...I think it would be best for all the home objects to be painted all the same neutral color (white?)..

IM EXCITED I feel like I have a good idea but some narrowing and focus is in order! :)

Consumption

Consumption (n) - the using up of a resource; the eating, drinking, or ingesting of something.

So my original idea started off as things you consume in college. The original things in my collection include:

1. Monster
2. Caffeine pills
3. Coffee
4. Cereal (I noticed a lot of people would buy their own cereal)
5. Sweets
6. Money
   
7. Deals
8. Fast food

But then after the discussion, I definitely want to expand on my idea. I wanted to take the idea of consumption to another level. So I guess I'm deviating, but not too far from my original collection. But what I plan is as follows:

We are all consumed by things that entice us in some form or another. However, I plan to display our--I guess you can say--private, voluntary consumptions. The four types of consumptions I plan to display are vanity, money, culture, and carnal desires. Just realizing it now, they kind of relate to all each other. They build upon one another. Maybe breaking up consumption in this way was a reflection of how I've been feeling lately. (rant begins here) I've been thinking lately how some insecurities are based on how culture champions particular, intangible physicality, that play into carnal desires. At times it requires money to get them, but either way, it leads people to a state of insecurity, where, (for me at least) makes them vain (a.k.a narcissism, but without pride or "excessive or erotic interest in oneself") because they constantly need a reference to compare themselves to the ideal, the model. (/end rant)

I plan to display this through a sculpture (which I think will be my reproduction)--a stack of dishes. I plan to use dishes because we use dishes to eat our food. Eating food is a daily thing. Eating food is consumption. So by placing these four ideas on dishes, it connotes how these four ideas are things we experience throughout our lives.

It will consist of four layers, representing the four ideas:

1. Cup --vanity
   
2. Smaller plate -- money (brands)
   
3. Bowl -- culture
   
4. Larger plate -- carnal
   

Each layer will be covered up with a collage of some sort. For example, for the money layer, I plan to get "happy images" and then try to xerox transfer dollars and money signs as an overlay. Pretty much playing off the idea that "money can't buy happiness." Another layer, such as carnal, will be covered up with porn-like advertisements from various resources.

So I guess what I would add to my collection are fashion magazines, some sort of pornish magazine (haha), and a mirror.

As of putting my original things back into my collection, I plan to put them into the money section (covering up the dishes), where it can fall under brands.

As of final display it all pretty much will be in the sculpture.

A small note:

I thought of doing a dish sculpture because at Pippins, the Middle Earth dinning common, I always stack my dishes (which is about 3 dishes, 2 cups) and each time I do it it looks like an interesting sculpture. So the dishes I will use will be taken (without permission, haha) from Pippins.

Look at this Bottle!

;;natura ritratto (n.) (still portraits)--

A collection of objects found in typical still lifes of the artist Giorgio Morandi. The forms are easily recognizable and represent organic shapes and architecture. A new manner of looking needs to be done for these objects that are taken for granted.

Objects found in still lifes are commonly reproduced by a variety of artists. I, personally, take these paintings and drawings for granted but are a requirement in fundamental studies of art. Recently, I learned of the artist Giorgio Morandi. Morandi's paintings of still lifes (he painted one almost every day) reflect his understanding of nature. This artist was also inspired by the city of Bologna and the architecture it held. My interpretation of my collection will be to combine art pieces from Da Vinci, Warhol, Banksy, and Jeff Koons with still life paintings. The people in these artworks will be replaced with the objects of my collection. The purpose of this is to create a curiosity in my audience. I also want to make viewers question the manner in which they view objects such as bottles, glasses, flowers, and vases. So far, I will be reproducing these images onto a large piece of paper. Afterwards, I am planning on mounting them or framing my works.

;;Art Pieces to be Reproduced--

-Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

-Jeff Koons Inflatable Dog

-Banksy (something along the lines of this; an attempt at graffiti-art)

-Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe

;;add--

-different flowers

-bottles

-tree branch

;;collection--

-circular silver gift box

-fluted cup

-ornamented dish

-glass bottle

-detailed vase

-garden pedestal

-ball of yarn

-fake orchid

;;materials--

-canvas paper

-acrylic

-spray paint

-stencils

-glue

-brushes (various sizes)

-pencils

-framing materials

;;This is definitely a working draft. I am also thinking about sculpting and using digital production to aid in the reproduction of my collection. Any ideas, comments, or criticism? Tell me!

One man's trash...

I had a tough time coming up with a theme for this project. The idea just kind of came to me when I was looking around my car. I have so much crap in laying around in my car that I eventually saw something that connected them all. Everything in there was something that I had already used and would not use again. What is great is that the theme is abstract enough that the number of objects I can add is near limitless. My idea for a recreation of some sorts is to create a level design for a video game based off the objects. I don't know if i will bring in the objects themselves or draw/take a picture of the sculpture and bring that in.

Items brought in:

busted cellphone

old iclicker

panda express bowl

empty fragrance bottle thing

old class book

broken sunshade

light up glasses

empty golfball box

new items:

empty cclemon bottle

empty mint container

busted ps3 controller

Safe?

Safe (adj.): free from hurt, injury, danger, or risk; careful to avoid danger or controversy

8 items:
-Knife 1
-Knife 2
-Hammer
-Glass Bottle
-X-Acto Knife
-Scissors
-Pepper Spray
-Push Pins

New Items:
-Syringe
-Lighter
-More Knives
-Baseball Bat?


I have decided to call my collection "Safe?". This name might be temporary if I come up with something I like better, but it fits the idea I have right now. I know that I want to have images of my items(either drawn, photographed, or some other representational form, maybe even the actual items) arranged on paper to spell out words that describe actions that the items can perform. Instead of only looking at the dangerous side (ex: cut, shatter, bash), I am also going to use words like protect, shield, safe. I want to focus on the idea that something can be seen in more than one way depending on the persons experience. A knife may be dangerous, harmful and scary to one person, but in someone elses experience it may have been life-saving. The exact details of the whole thing are pretty vague right now, but I'm really excited to work everything out in the finished product.

Life is a dish best eaten scented

spice [spaɪs]

n

1. A variety of substances added to a main course - either a meal course, a course of events or a course of time – in order to enhance it. A spice can enhance any of the five senses.

For this collection I started by using spices such as peppers, chili or cinnamon but Rachel, Madison Kelsey and David were talking about touch, smell and color so it gave me the idea to extend the sense of “spice” as an ingredient that could be added to everything in order to make everything more vibrant. For example music, perfume, make up but as a disguise, something meaningful to someone that made his/her day. Also things that hide others. Spices can hide the flavor of other ingredients because they are really strong. In that sense deodorant could be a "spice" because it hides other smells. I also wanted to play with the way people use “spice” in their everyday life and I looked for things that had the word “spice” in it, for example the Spice Girls. I was thinking about adding an ethnic touch to the collection. Spices come from all over the world and are cooked very differently so I wanted to explore how each culture uses them but I still have no concrete idea how to attach it to the main idea of “Addition”. I am still working on the idea of additions to time and events that make these more vibrant.

If anyone has any suggestions it would really help!

Brought to class:

- Allspice, whole

- Pumpkin seeds

- Shrimp shredded

- Bay leaves, whole

- Crushed chili

- Cinnamon sticks

- Chili arbol

- New Mexico chili pepper.

Additions:

- Old Spice deodorant or picture

- Spice recipe

- Polaroid pictures of people interacting with spices

- Fragrance made out of spices

Materials:

- Glue

- Camera

- Candles

- Cardboard

- Gum

- Scissors

- Transparent cord.

- Tray

- Hair dye

- Maybe a ginger bread man

-Elena.

Carried Away

Carried Away:

to obsess over a mass amount of artistic mediums to find and discover why luggages carry different meanings, such as emotional baggage, path to self-discovery, and the need to travel the world

I wanted to create an installation solely focused on different meanings of luggages. With the help of some fellow classmates, I have been influenced greatly by some of their ideas. One being that each luggage seemed to have a different personality and they are each unique. I cannot help but to think that each luggage represents different parts of me, whether it is apparent or hidden away in the depths of my mind. I want to interplay different mediums because I think since each luggage is different, different mediums is a great way to focus different attentions to different ideas in my head. (Sorry if that was a bit confusing) Not to mention, the title of my collection is being Carried Away.

Here are a few ideas on what I will be attempting at:

• video installation: passing a single suitcase to different people; installed inside a suitcase; connecting each person; narrative of first person putting something inside a suitcase then passing it on to different people then the last person opening up luggage & finding something
• photography: photograph 2-3 luggages within luggages & paint over with pattern
• drawing: rough sketch on paper
• collage: numerous photoshopped photos of me in different locations with different luggages
• mixed media painting: acrylic on canvas with thread woven as text over canvas
• sculpture: explosives in a luggage
• performance: 2D drawing of a hand holding a luggage where people can interact & pose with cutout
• sculpture: stack luggages within luggages
• excess baggage: emotional baggage

add:

• tags: attach onto each luggage explaining each uniqueness
• clothes
• things you wouldn’t expect

brought to class:

• mustard suitcase
• burgundy suitcase
• pink cosmetic case
• black/brown luggage
• blue carry-on
• wooden turtle case
• 70’s floral briefcase
• tapestry bag

materials:

• video camera
• laptop
• photoshop
• camera
• acrylic paint
• paintbrushes
• paper
• pen & ink or charcoal
• black construction paper
• a scissor
• colored thread
• needle
• toilet paper rolls
• glue
• red paper
• matches
• extra clothes
• items from my past

It does seem a bit much, but I am soooo excited about these ideas that hopefully all will be good. Any suggestions is appreciated!

-Charlene

PS.

credits to: Kelsey for title, Alex/Emily/Geoff/Madison/Christie/Talia for an idea used

My Mother's Ring

When I was 12, I lost a ring that my mother had given me as a gift. I was devastated and I spent a whole week combing the grounds of my school, looking for a it. I wanted to make a collection that kind of represents this obsession I had with rings at that point in time.

I was thinking about making a wooden jewelry box and filling the inside with stiff foam to hold all my rings. And then I would either bejewel the box or maybe decoupage it with black and white photos of rings. I also am playing with the idea of making a kind of backdrop for the box with three poster boards forming a three-sided box and with the poster boards having words related to my story printed on it. That way the rings and the box would be in this isolated space, kind of how this memory is in an isolated place in my brain.

I also wanted to add a performance element to this collection when I presented. I was thinking of telling my story of my mother's ring as I opened the box and maybe even tried on the rings. How does that sound?

Materials I would need:

-rings

-foam

-jewelry box

-jewels

-tacky glue

-poster boards

-decoupage glue

-pictures of rings

corn products

Corn: (n.) the edible seeds of a plant utilized in the production of a majority of the products you buy and consume.

As a homage to my food obsession and my current interest in food politics, I plan to make a collection of items we wouldn’t usually thing of having corn in them, or using corn to produce them. Corn production within the last 40 years (since the revolution of Farm Policy by the government/Earl Butz in the 1970’s), whether we realize it, or not, has change immensely. Farmers are subsidized to produce extreme amounts of “industrialized” corn in the Corn Belt of the Midwest. This industrialized/commodity corn has to be processed in order to be made edible, meaning, farmers, specifically corn farmers, can no longer feed themselves and they must rely on government subsidies. Of the corn produced in the Corn Belt, 32% is exported or turned into ethanol, 5% turned into artificial sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrups and 55% percent of the corn produced will be fed to animals, specifically cattle. Cows are organically a grass fed animal and are not genetically engineered to only eat corn – the food used to fatten them up by meat manufactures to increase productivity and decrease the amount of time an animal meant for meat production is alive. The increase of production of artificial sweeteners has also coincided with the increase of diabetes in the United States.

All in all, I hope to inform viewers of how much the increase of corn production has changed the way Americans eat and buy products and therefore we must consider further what things are made of and how we can contribute to the fair and healthy production of corn.

As an example of things that utilized corn, I brought to class 10 items: febreeze air freshener, whiskey, shaving cream, charcoal, motrin, a diaper, glue, baby powder, batteries and a cardboard box. (the notes on my project were great, this is a truly inspiring and creative class! Thanks!)

A few new items: corn meal, soda, a reconstruction of a steak/maybe ground beef, reconstruction of Micky D's French fries, kool-aid, ketchup, etc.

Wow, if you made it through that rant, reward yourself and watch these films that inspired me (they’re pretty great/informative): the films: food inc., king corn and other things that I’m interested in: temple grandin (and her work with cattle), and the documentary: no impact man.

Ps. If you have Netflix, you can watch all the films noted above online as an ‘instant play’ option! Such a great resource for documentaries – I am slightly obsessed!

Trinklets

My collection consists of bracelets because it symbolizes a memory that a person holds onto. A person wears a bracelet to present a precious moment that either he/she had. However, after our class discussion on Wednesday, I decided to expand on this idea. I want to create a collage of objects that can be put onto a hand such as tattoos, watches, wristbands, rings, stickers, etc. I'm planning on mounting the project onto multiple canvases. I want it to be a series of painting, sketching, and magazine cut outs. The projects going to be simple and clean; 3 16x24 canvases with an arm being drawn. It's definitely going to come off as an abstract project. On the sketched out arm, I'm going to have all these drawn out items to bring it color. It's definitely going to resemble a collage.

Materials:
- 3 or 4 16x24 canvases
- lots of elmer's glue
- scissors
- pencils
- magazines
- oil paint
- cardboard
- exacto knife

Expendable

An inquiry into the concept of expendable objects and concepts in our world. Objects themselves are expendable or more frequently expended, and are representative of a category of such objects. Expendable is defined as:

2. (of an item of equipment or supply) consumed in use or not reusable.

3. considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining.

Items already brought:
-deodorant bottle
-camera
-watch
-battery

New Items:
-watch box
-soda can
-popcorn
-flash card
-book
-shopping cart
-sign
-undershirt

tethering a shopping cart to a bike was fun. I'll probably end up using it as a container for the final piece.

Friendly Convenience

I decided for my bag collection I wanted to do something that had to do with the convenience of a bag. The recycle aspect of it is stressed greatly but is taken granted for most of the time.

The way I want to reproduce this is by stop animation. I will reproduce a bag by either plaster or creation of my own bag from the use of plastic and paper bags (whichever one that looks better). Each bag will come out from this reproduced bag, and they will go off walking away from the bag. After the last bag comes out of the reproduced bag, all the bags will come back with objects in them such as notebooks, groceries, garbage, etc. That is all I have in mind so does anyone else have more suggestions?

The bags include: 2 grocery size eco-friendly bags (green and white), 1 notebook size eco-friendly bag, 1 crumbled paper bag, 1 green bag, 2 plastic bag (white and blue).

Addition: groceries, notebooks, garbage, any objects a bag can carry

Hand make: plaster or remake another bag through other bags

Reproduction: stop animation

-Natsumi Shiraiwa

Travelogue

Focusing on the theme of travel, I plan to stress the idea of moving from one location to another: from here

to here.

This concept stresses the act of moving, incorporating both animate and inanimate subjects. Moreover, the Webster dictionary offered another interesting definition: to relocate successfully. This caught my intention in conjunction with my working thoughts on travel because being physically successful does not always mean one is mentally successful (for example, a man runs out of a burning house to save his life only to be confronted by a mob of rabid squirrels). Overall, I plan to combine the idea of traveling people and objects with a possibility of failure in their movement.

For the actual project, I plan to make a flip book (not the traditional one – refer to the images below for a better idea). I chose this form of presentation because it will serve as a medium for the viewer to undergo their own travel process as they explore different portions of the book. There will be a narrative element in which it becomes the viewer's objective to move from a starting to ending point. Like the example above of a man running out of a burning house, the viewer will be subject to a threat and given choices (composed solely of subjects/ objects that undergo a sort of travel) to escape. Depending on the viewer's decisions, their attempt to reach safety from their starting predicament may or may not end successfully.





Items brought to class + 3 new ones:
License plate
Postcard
Glass
Bullet
Newspaper
Clock
Mouse
Money
Sound
Spices
Light

Materials:
Paper
Hard Binding/ Binder
Pencil
Ink
Printer/ or some other coloring device
Computer
Glue

If you have any suggestions, let me know! =)

~Alicja Chrena

Spiritual Enlightenment

Buddha is a religious figure that conveys the idea of spirituality and peacefulness. One who has proven to achieve spiritual enlightenment and peace of mind. Not only does Buddha represent an awakenedment to nature, but represents beauty and tranquility. Many human-beings are unaware of reality, but Buddhas attain nirvana. I personally find great beauty in these figures and I feel as though they give great light to humanity and remind people to breathe and enjoy the surrounding nature. I have been a collector of Buddhas for several years and I feel as though this project is the perfect means for me to illustrate their tranquility.

As of right now I am unsure of what I am going to do with my project. I plan to collect several Buddhas and take pictures of asian religious figures and somehow depict them in an artistic way. I was maybe thinking of taking a frame and printing pictures of buddhas on some sort of cloth or fabric. If anyone has any ideas, I would love your input. I am still unaware of how I can depict them in an artistic manner.

Things I brought to class:

Two Buddhas

pictures of other buddhas off the internet.

What I plan to add:

All statues of Buddhas and other asian religious figures

Best friend

To me, dogs are almost like people (I have a mild dog obession, by the way). I've worked closely with dogs (and I'm sure those of you that have pets all know this) and from what I've learned is that they all have their own personalities. There is an established friendship a dog can make with you, or perhaps and established caution towards you, just like the people you around you; perhaps your peers, co-workers, family members, etc. Dog ares also known to protect their families, or their "pack" from danger.
A dog is a companion, curious, adventurous, dangerous, sweet, scary, cute, cautious, small, big- the list goes on. But, in a metaphorical sense, the word "dog" can be used to describe a boy (or a girl) who sweet-talks you into bed. It can be used to describe a messy person, or a person who ditches their friends.
We are all familiar with the term "bitch," known as the female dog. In the modern day, the word bitch is used as a derogatory term for a girl who seems to act irritated and short-tempered.
"Dawg" is also used by teens when they call their friends. It is a synonym for "homie" and "home-skillet."

From this definition, what I can take from it is that although actual dogs are often seen as a companion, the metaphorical terms seem to be a bit derogatory. This is absolutely.... paradoxical. I want to play with this idea of paradoxes and create a project starting from that. I still need some help... But my idea so far is to have a cardboard cut out of a dog, and paper-mache it so that it protrudes out where it's half 3-D and half flat. I was initially thinking about using fabric and cotton to fill half of the cardboard instead; but since I'm playing with paradoxes, perhaps a paper-mache dog will take away from the comfortable cuddly-ness of a dog. From that, I plan on making little pockets on the dog where I will put the pictures that I brought to class on Wednesday. On the back of the pictures, I'm going start by putting obvious adjectives that we usually use to describe a dog. As I move from front to back, I'm going to put adjectives of dogs that are not so ordinary; like "Rapper" for Snoop-Dogg (Someone in class suggested this, Thank you whoever you are! :] )

What else can I include to this paradox? I am totally open to suggestions. Please help me out!
List of things I brought:
Peppermint Bark box
Three pages of my own pictures of dogs,
nine pictures of magazine dogs
four calender pictures of dogs
two sketches of dogs


Someone also suggested that I make a peppermint bark dog house. Tell me what you guys think!
Also, if any of you guys have dogs and have pictures of them, may I have some for my project? That would be great... :)

Love,
Sheila

P.S. Things that I might want to add:
Stuffed animal, a bone, a collar, a steak, a tracking device.
I was also thinking about having a playlist of youtube videos of dogs playing in the background when I finally present the project. Again... tell me what you think :)
Here's one of my favorite videos if you guys would like to watch, it'll make you laugh, I PROMISE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L28TM48bF0
Enjoy!