Response to Monday Lecture

Today in class we discussed identity. It is interesting to contemplate identity because it is such a complex and multifaceted concept. Identity encompasses so many different labels and categories and each is weighted differently by each individual. It is common for artists to create projects addressing their identity.I know Kip Fulbeck often does photography based on identity. I have seen his work on "The Happa Project" and "Permanence:Tattoo Portraits". Both are powerful images that deal with identity and give an insight into the people who are the subjects of the portraits. It is only human to want to hear and understand other people's stories and these photo books document that curiosity. My favorite artist that was presented was Maya Lin. I loved her pieces for the "Systematic Landscapes' exhibition. The precision and science that went into the two pieces that were shown was completely impressive.They made very interesting pieces as well as showed off great skill. The sculptures were amazing. She has a definite clean and scientific style to her work both in these pieces and the Vietnam Memorial. I could definitely see similarities there. One of my other favorite artists that uses identity as an important theme in their art is Jeff Sheng. He photographs gay and lesbian people. One of his projects titled "Fearless" documents portraits of high school and college athletes that are out. His greatest project though and most famous is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" which deals with gay and lesbian service members. His website is http://www.jeffsheng.com/

Identity is a very common intersection of art and life and can be used to create awesome personal art. I can't wait to explore what I can do with my identity in my art.

Documentation of Pun

For my pun I made a take on the phrase"Sexy time!" from Borat. I thought it was a very funny project and I enjoyed making it a lot. I thought that the phrase was a great thing to make ea pun out of because it is so relevant to our generation and has made virtually everyone who has seen that movie laugh. I made a whole ambiance of conventional sexiness. I scattered condoms around with flowers and candles. The clock wore a leopard print thong and red lipstick. The exercises in class were a great interactive experience that brought me  out of my comfort zone and made me meet new people. My group made an outside world survival kit for agoraphobics and a Michael Phelps Olympic training kit. They were both hilarious and fun to do, but unfortunately I have yet to receive the photo documentation from my other group mates. The other groups exercises were so funny too, it was interesting to see how pother people could take the exact same props and turn them into something completely different. My favorite was probably the hipster trap.

Future Projects

It is a little hard to think about the upcoming projects. They intimidate me a bit because I have never done art in this kind of a way before. I have to start thinking with a completely new perspective of my life in terms of possible art projects. 


For the confessions project, I would like to do something with photos. I love photography and I feel that I can really let a viewer into my life if they can see the environment that I am comfortable in, where I live, what I do everyday etc. I can't think of any particularly bad habits or anything that I have. I'm pretty clean but don't have OCD that I could talk about. I have insecurities but none that are even particularly interesting. Just the normal "I need to be good at everything I do" sort of thing going on there. Oh wait, okay actually now I know exactly what I'm going to do. Its a perfect confession for me. I just need to think of a clever way to present it. I am gonna keep this one a secret,but it has to do with a mini obsession of mine.


Sequence and narratives project is interesting. I think I might like to paint or draw something for this one. Taking photos would work too, It depends on whether my previous project is a photo based project too or not. I think painting a zombie apocalypse or the progression of a physical movement would be interesting. I could also use people to act out a narrative. One photographer comes to mind that did a lot of narratives named Duane Michals. 

This series called chance encounter is so intriguing to me. I always want to the story behind the man's reactions to each other.


For my alternate persona I think I would probably show that I kind of have a hippie side. I don't kill bugs in my house unless completely necessary or I'm in a bad mood. I always try to trap them and take them outside. I almost cried when I heard and saw pictures of the pacific ocean garbage patch and I love to take care of plants. I think that would be an alternate persona for me. I don't dress or act the part in real life but I definitely feel for the environment  like a member of the green peace party. 


 For my personal space project I have to really think to not do something cliche or something that is done by many people each year. It makes me think of the project where Yoko Ono had people come up and cut pieces of clothes off her. I'd like to do something where the viewers influence the project and create something that I provide the concept for. I'm thinking about maybe doing something with play dough or something. I want to do something interactive for sure where the end product is influenced by the people who participated in it. 

Follow-up on Reader Intro entry

I have now gotten the reader. YAY!

The introduction primes the reader for the artists that will be discussed in further chapters. Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Jean Tingueley, Robert Rauschenberg and Merce Cunningham are all artists who have pushed the boundaries of art and redefined it in certain ways. Art has been progressively been encompassing more and more subjects and projects as well as ideas. The definition of art is completely obscure due to the people who have pushed their ideas in and labelled them as art. These artists are all such people. I am very excited to learn about what they have done in the aspect of changing the face of the definition of art. It is a very debated topic to discuss "what is art" and I personally have talked and discussed this topic so many times without becoming more clear on the idea. Maybe the following content of the reader will clarify that.

Response to Comics Chapters 1 and 2

Our textbook "Understanding Comics" by Scott Mc Cloud is a rather dynamic textbook in the way it displays it's content. The book is very easy to read and has nice comic style illustrations to help with the concepts that are presented.

In chapter 1 the author addressed some of the critiques that exist about comics. They are ofter considered crude and inartistic non literature for young people or people too lazy to read a real book when in fact they are one of the oldest art forms of the world. People have always been inclined to tell stories over time with pictures in sequence. This fascinated me because anthropology is my minor and I had never heard about this before but it makes total sense and is very interesting. The comic form is a form that had been considered effective for many many years. It is also not unlike a movie which is also a narrative being told through a series of images occurring over time. Comics can fall into the genre of sequential art, but yet to have an actual well distinguished definition for themselves and creating one is one of the goals of the author.

In chapter 2 the author introduces the vocabulary of comics. The idea of amplification through simplification in respect to icons was so interesting. I had always been affected by icons in every day life as we all are but i had never realized why. This concept is so interesting to me. Simplifying the icon to the most basic elements such as cartoons do, make them relatable for us as humans to see the image of ourselves in them. Humans are very self centered organisms that see the devices that are part of everyday use as sorts of extensions of self. the line between self and tool is often blurred. Realistic art often creates an otherness separating the viewer from the viewed, while simplistic cartoons tend to unite them.It is not a lower form of art rather a form that functions in a completely different way. The use of these psychological concepts can be used and manipulated by artists to give their work layers of meaning.

Response to Reader Intro

To be honest,
I haven't gotten a chance to get my reader. I just got my paycheck today which I need in order to get my reader and was waiting for this weekend to buy my reader because this week has been crazy for me since I'm taking 18 units. I can't wait to crack open the reader since lecture is so interesting.

Follow up to come very soon....

My electronic dependency

I know this is cliche but I could not live life the same way that I do without my computer or my cell phone. My cell phone is a way that I keep in contact with my friends and let them know what is going on in my life and the little interesting bits of my day. I also use my computer to network and have a social life. learn about events that are going on in the community and in classes.

Funny story, I crashed my computer this week. I am writing this blog on my boyfriends computer. I got a horrible virus that won't even let it start up. My life has definitely changed because of that. I no longer have instant access to my Facebook or my email which is important because my emails are often important and about school and tracking info for books and things like that. I basically have had a life change because of it. I kind of forget how many times I'm on it for different reasons some of which are actually important and school related and when it's the first week of school and all my classes are posting things online this is really a problem for me. It is safe to say life is not the same without this technologic convenience. I take it for granted and the teachers at this school take it for granted that each student has a home with a laptop and home internet access. It shows what kind of a society that we are integrated in, its interesting to think about what this implicates about that UC system and the people in it. Not that there is a problem with that, its just interesting to think that no teachers even ask questions like "who has access to the internet and has a laptop?" This has become a new standard for upper middle class society, and we all assume that all our peers are in the same economic bracket. It's a given.

Life sucks without a computer!