Business Card

Found: My house

This is not art, but it's a catchy thing. We give out business cards all the time and it helps to have one that looks good so people will remember they have it.

Tag

Found: My house

This another thing I found that alone, can not be art. It could be used as a symbol though. It could represent consumerism.

Of course, even though not art, price tags easily catch one's eye. We love to shop and look for sales, and the price tag for some of us can be the most important part of the garment.

Frog

Found: My house

This frog is representative of the multitude of stuffed animals I have. I decided that they are not art because they are made in a factory with machines and assembly lines. They aren't a labor of love. They aren't handmade. They aren't unique. They probably made over 1000 of these little frog key chains.

Also, I have not seen any stuffed animals as part of art exhibits. Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't any, just that it's not art in the mainstream sense. To me, stuffed animals are toys and decoration. They are cuddly and make cute gifts. But, they are not works of art.

Shell

Found: My house

This could be a sequel to the coconut. It's one of those things we find on the beach. It's something we love to hunt for and collect. Plenty of people use shells to make craft and paint pictures of shells. But by itself, unmodified, in its natural context, the shell is not art.

SMP Presentation

Today I attended Mike Benjamin's SMP presentation. It was my first time attending an SMP presentation and I was pretty impressed. I had thought of the SMP as a research project that you work on, then present, and get finished with at the end of the year. On the contrary, Benjamin's project will be an ongoing endeavor that he will be part of long after he graduates. His work on creating a "local immersion" experience for students has laid the foundation for a new class that would be comparable to a week study abroad program in our own back yard. Six to ten students would live for 3 weeks as close to nature as possible to learn how to maximize sustainability and minimize environmental impact. The purpose of the project is to try to break free from the institutionalization in our lives and to embrace new methods of learning and living. As a child, Benjamin said he only really learned something if he was fascinated by it and was immersed in it hands on. That was the basis for his idea of living close to nature to learn about it. He was well prepared to take ideas and answer questions, and provided good rebuttals for a few arguments one spectator had who doubted the genuineness of the project. As a result of attending this first presentation, I have to say I will definately be interested in attending many more during my career here at St. Mary's, along with presenting my own when the time comes.

La Jetee

I was able to watch the beginning of the film more closely and critically until I got really absorbed in the story in the latter part. Some of the pictures of the people were shown for what seemed like a really long time while the narrator said quite a bit about them. I found myself kind of willing the pictures to move or change to adjust with the narration. In contrast, the pictures of the destruction of Paris were shown too quickly for me to take in all the aspects of each picture. It was like the artist was showing us that the damage to the city was so unfathomable that there was no way to grasp it. Looking at the still pictures also made me feel more controlled. It was as if I was being forced to look at something even if it was unpleasant.

Rapunzel

In reaction to the reading, I considered how many fairy tales I could have read as a child without understanding the intentions of the authors. Were these stories really meant to be read to children? It's not that there is anything inappropriate about the stories themselves, just that they became under-appreciated over the years. It is proof that there is so much more to art and literature than we as viewers and readers could ever fathom. Even a simple photograph of a cityscape can be a profound statement. Stories are like staircases with levels of increasing complexity. Every time Thompson took the story up to a new level in his essay, it became more personnal to him. His writing became more opinionated and far out. It's as though he was taking Rapunzel and making it into his own story. To be able to identify with a story is another level of analysis.

Self Portrait

I actually made my objective portrait after the subjective one. I debated for a long time on how to make a picture of me objective. It seems like there is almost no way, since I'm the one creating it or selecting it. I decided to draw the portrait based off the web cam picture because it wasn't an especially bad picture of me, but it wasn't one I really liked either. It just seemed to be a pretty accurate mirror image. I wanted to show this image, but needed to create something at the same time so I made a drawing. I didn't try to make myself look better (not that I have that kind of artistic ability anyway). I just tried to translate my face from one piece of paper to another. To me, that seemed objective enough.

I came up with the idea for my subjective portrait pretty quickly. I wanted to have fun with it and try to represent my unusual self. I chose the same picture as a base, and put a bunch of other pictures of myself and things important in my life on top of the face. It looked like a monstrosity, but I figured it couldn't get more subjective than that. It was my creation.

National Gallery

Touring Robert Frank's exibit was more eye opening than expected. I learned about how much importance sequence can have in photography. I had never heard of photographers making picture books before, and I came to realize that it wasn't about picking the best pictures and just sticking them in a book. The artists that create these books pay close attention to all the details to convey their message. There is also a lot to be discovered in each individual photo. Frank's photos seemed like poems full of figurative language and hidden meanings. It's hard to believe that in one moment a person could capture so much.

I also went through the modern art section of the gallery. It was neat to be able to go through and see artists we have discussed in class such as Giochometti. To be able to see the art in person helped me relate to it that much more.

Peeps

The Washington Post has an annual Peeps diorama contest. In the Style section of the April 12 edition there is a two page spread showing several of the more notable entries. Everyone loves Peeps, and a lot of people love art. It's the perfect combination. Entries included the "Miracle on the Hudson" and "Octomom" themed dioramas. The entries in the competition reflect current events, the things that are on people's minds right now. The detail is really amazing and the Peeps will make you giggle. It's art that reminds you of the joy in the simple things in life. It proves you don't have to be Monet to make something memorable.

From the Beach - Coconut

Found: Beach

This coconut was found on a beach in florida. It could have washed up on the beach, or fallen from a nearby tree. Who knows where it came from? All we know is that it is not art, because it has not yet been modified. There is plenty of art that has been made with coconuts, like party decorations and bikini tops. However, just by itself, it's just a coconut and that's all it can be until it is changed by human hands. It is neat to ponder where in the world it might have come from though. What if it came from all the way across the ocean?

From the Beach - Stump

Found: Beach

This stump was sticking out of the sand at a beach in Florida. It looks like driftwood, but obviously it's not going any where. But driftwood itself is another interesting item to consider when you're trying to figure out what is and isn't art. People certainly use things like this for decorations. They're great to make coffee table out of. As beautiful as the wood is though, it's not art to me, because I see art as something man made, something that was created for some artistic purpose. I would allow a sculpture made with driftwood to be art because the wood was the material the human used to make the art. It's a medium, but the art is the whole finished object. This stump sitting by itself on the beach is neat looking and has some potential, but it's not art.

Tie Strap

Found: My house

I found this downstairs in my basement. There is just no way I could see this as art. Someone please show me how this could be art. It's not art because it's a very simple piece of plastic. It's common. It's cheap. It can be used for just about everything. The cops use them as handcuffs! There is no way that can be artistic. The remarkable thing about this everyday object is not that it isn't art, but rather, like the zipper, how useful it is. Whoever invented the tie strap deserves a thumbs up.

Zipper

Found: My house

To me this zipper is one of those every day things we use that has been decorated a little to use for fashion. It's definately not a work of art in itself, but the color of the metal and the pattern of the string help make whatever it belonged on look more fashionable. I guess you could call it a helper. It's also something we use everyday without thinking about the genius of its invention. Seeing it seperated from whatever it was used on caught my attention. If it was part of the whole jacket or backpack, we wouldn't really notice it that much. But by itself, it's like an arm seperated from a body. It's in an unexpected place.