Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Art Events
Title: Basket Weaving Presentation with Rose Ramirez and Lydia Vassar.
Date: 9/24/09
Type of event: Lecture and Demonstration.
For this art event I went to the basket weaving presentation that they held on campus earlier this semester. Going to this event was definitely interesting. We got to hear Rose Ramirez and Lydia Vassar talk about the art of basket weaving, the plants that they use to create them and just the overall Native American culture and traditions. I personally enjoy learning more about different cultures and love to be there to experience it. There were kids there from the Pechanga Reservation School who did demonstrations on how to basket weave and just seeing it being crafted was mind blowing because it definitely is a patience craft. I thought it was more interesting that these kids were so good at it especially since most kids have such a short attention span one would think that traditions like these would be long gone. However basket weaving has survived and I wouldn’t be surprised if it still continues to live on when I’m older. I believe in preserving culture and it’s nice to see that something such as basket weaving (though not needed in today’s commercial world) is handed down to children and they take the time to learn it.
Title: Distinctions Gallery
Date: 10/10/09
Type of event: Art Exhibit
For this art event I went to visit the Distinctions Gallery in Escondido. The gallery had a mixture of paintings and photographs. As an aspiring photographer I mainly went to look at some photography. One photographer that had some interesting images was John Purlia. Many of his subject matter seemed to deal with vinyl/vintage toys and images which carry a feeling of novelty with them. His photographs were definitely out of the ordinary which is what I believe he was going for. He seems to be telling some kind of creative story with his picture through the way the subjects are setup. They almost seem to be interacting with each other even though they have nothing in common. For example in one of his pictures titled “Idol Worship of the Worshipped Idols” had a Buddha statue with a background of pictures of girls that seem to be leaning on and fawning over the Buddha and below the Buddha had toy girls that seemed to be dancing around it. He used a vignette on it as well to draw viewer’s attention on the image. The angling was straightforward and centered but that was what creates this sense of power coming from this idol of these women.
Looking at his images reminded me a lot of my own work because I have been getting into the whole “creating a scene with toys” type of photos. Overall I had a good time looking at the images that were presented in the gallery. It exposed me to more artists who I would never have heard of unless I went. The only thing I would’ve liked to have seen was more photographs since most of the artwork at the gallery were paintings but from what they had it allowed me to have a good experience there.
Title: Nature and Nature: Andy Goldsworthy
Date: 10/13/09
Type of event: Movie
The movie that I saw for my fourth art event is Nature and Nature: Andy Goldsworthy. This art piece is a video where Andy Goldsworthy and Colin Renfrew visit some of Goldsworthy’s work and have discussions about his work and what his work means. This experience is new for me because I have never gone out to see a film about artists on my own. The only other time I have seen a film like this was in class. This film has helped me to understand Goldsworthy’s work more and what we has viewers should get out of his artwork and what it means to him to work with nature.
While the movie may not have been a work of art, the content it presented is. A lot of Goldsworthy’s work involved the use of lines and time which are some of the visual elements. His work also includes the use of balance, particularly with the use of reoccurring circular shapes that he likes to use.
I believe that by working with nature, Goldsworthy has achieved something unique in the world of art. His work draws out nature in a very raw form for people to experience and see. Goldsworthy seems to use art as a form of personal expression. He uses his art to reflect his personal life as an environmentalist. I also liked the idea that not all of Goldsworthy’s work will stand time. His ice sculptures look the most beautiful in the sun’s light, but that light is the very thing that will eventually kill the sculpture. The idea behind that really spoke to me and reveals how life and time are intertwined and how precious both are in nature and this world.
Title: The True Meaning of Pictures
Date: 11/5/09
Type of event: Movie
I saw a movie in my photography class called The True Meaning of Pictures which is a documentary on a photographer named Shelby Lee Adams. Shelby Lee Adams’ work can be described as difficult to look at but at the same time it makes you want to look at them. His work portrays the people, who also happen to be his friends, in Appalachia and their daily lives. My interpretation of the photographs is that it is supposed to shock its audience. Many people will feel uneasy looking at some of Adams’ images and I believe that is what he was going for. There is a picture with a decapitated pig which is a good example. The juxtaposition of smiling faces surrounding a decapitated animal really evokes a kind of eerie mood but the proud expressions on their faces show that they have nothing to be ashamed of. I believe that it’s those expressions that support the idea that Adams maintains the Appalachian’s dignities and isn’t degrading. He also uses a lot of soft lighting in many pictures which really brings out a beautiful quality in the harsh subject matter. The lighting is probably what keeps the viewers looking even though they want to turn away at times.
After seeing the movie I can definitely say that I learned more about a different culture. I mean I’ve known that there still “rednecks” in the south but these people live very traditional lives that surprised me. They also are living in poverty. The movie has also influenced me a little to start take documentary pictures of friends and family while still keeping making it artful.
Title: Glory Box
Date: 11/23/09
Type of event: Performance
For my last art event I saw a performance online called “Glory Box” by Tim Miller. I had seen this performance live before yet I was interested in watching it again so I found it online. It was a one man performance where Miller discussed issues on human rights in America and how it is affecting him and his partner.
During the performance, Miller used several techniques in order to draw in the audience and let out his emotions. One of these techniques was the lighting. The lighting was used in order to set the mood of the performance. He used a lot of warm colors from the light to set a mood of hope and a future of happiness. The cool colors from the light set a mood for a dark future that may tear his hope for happiness apart. Body language was another technique that he utilized. He was constantly moving his body or using it in some way like when he pulled down his pants and underwear, which was probably the most shocking moment of the performance.
Watching her performance was definitely a reminder to me of how much art is about emotion. The message of the performance was very clear. Tim Miller was trying to show hope for a future where people don’t judge him or his partner for who they are. The performance was definitely a form of personal expression as well as art for a social cause. His performance art revealed his emotions and stress as well as a criticism over this country and the scrutiny it has been giving him and his fellow gays and lesbians. Tim Miller was definitely trying to leave an impact on the audience and I am sure that he has.
Date: 9/24/09
Type of event: Lecture and Demonstration.
For this art event I went to the basket weaving presentation that they held on campus earlier this semester. Going to this event was definitely interesting. We got to hear Rose Ramirez and Lydia Vassar talk about the art of basket weaving, the plants that they use to create them and just the overall Native American culture and traditions. I personally enjoy learning more about different cultures and love to be there to experience it. There were kids there from the Pechanga Reservation School who did demonstrations on how to basket weave and just seeing it being crafted was mind blowing because it definitely is a patience craft. I thought it was more interesting that these kids were so good at it especially since most kids have such a short attention span one would think that traditions like these would be long gone. However basket weaving has survived and I wouldn’t be surprised if it still continues to live on when I’m older. I believe in preserving culture and it’s nice to see that something such as basket weaving (though not needed in today’s commercial world) is handed down to children and they take the time to learn it.
Title: Distinctions Gallery
Date: 10/10/09
Type of event: Art Exhibit
For this art event I went to visit the Distinctions Gallery in Escondido. The gallery had a mixture of paintings and photographs. As an aspiring photographer I mainly went to look at some photography. One photographer that had some interesting images was John Purlia. Many of his subject matter seemed to deal with vinyl/vintage toys and images which carry a feeling of novelty with them. His photographs were definitely out of the ordinary which is what I believe he was going for. He seems to be telling some kind of creative story with his picture through the way the subjects are setup. They almost seem to be interacting with each other even though they have nothing in common. For example in one of his pictures titled “Idol Worship of the Worshipped Idols” had a Buddha statue with a background of pictures of girls that seem to be leaning on and fawning over the Buddha and below the Buddha had toy girls that seemed to be dancing around it. He used a vignette on it as well to draw viewer’s attention on the image. The angling was straightforward and centered but that was what creates this sense of power coming from this idol of these women.
Looking at his images reminded me a lot of my own work because I have been getting into the whole “creating a scene with toys” type of photos. Overall I had a good time looking at the images that were presented in the gallery. It exposed me to more artists who I would never have heard of unless I went. The only thing I would’ve liked to have seen was more photographs since most of the artwork at the gallery were paintings but from what they had it allowed me to have a good experience there.
Title: Nature and Nature: Andy Goldsworthy
Date: 10/13/09
Type of event: Movie
The movie that I saw for my fourth art event is Nature and Nature: Andy Goldsworthy. This art piece is a video where Andy Goldsworthy and Colin Renfrew visit some of Goldsworthy’s work and have discussions about his work and what his work means. This experience is new for me because I have never gone out to see a film about artists on my own. The only other time I have seen a film like this was in class. This film has helped me to understand Goldsworthy’s work more and what we has viewers should get out of his artwork and what it means to him to work with nature.
While the movie may not have been a work of art, the content it presented is. A lot of Goldsworthy’s work involved the use of lines and time which are some of the visual elements. His work also includes the use of balance, particularly with the use of reoccurring circular shapes that he likes to use.
I believe that by working with nature, Goldsworthy has achieved something unique in the world of art. His work draws out nature in a very raw form for people to experience and see. Goldsworthy seems to use art as a form of personal expression. He uses his art to reflect his personal life as an environmentalist. I also liked the idea that not all of Goldsworthy’s work will stand time. His ice sculptures look the most beautiful in the sun’s light, but that light is the very thing that will eventually kill the sculpture. The idea behind that really spoke to me and reveals how life and time are intertwined and how precious both are in nature and this world.
Title: The True Meaning of Pictures
Date: 11/5/09
Type of event: Movie
I saw a movie in my photography class called The True Meaning of Pictures which is a documentary on a photographer named Shelby Lee Adams. Shelby Lee Adams’ work can be described as difficult to look at but at the same time it makes you want to look at them. His work portrays the people, who also happen to be his friends, in Appalachia and their daily lives. My interpretation of the photographs is that it is supposed to shock its audience. Many people will feel uneasy looking at some of Adams’ images and I believe that is what he was going for. There is a picture with a decapitated pig which is a good example. The juxtaposition of smiling faces surrounding a decapitated animal really evokes a kind of eerie mood but the proud expressions on their faces show that they have nothing to be ashamed of. I believe that it’s those expressions that support the idea that Adams maintains the Appalachian’s dignities and isn’t degrading. He also uses a lot of soft lighting in many pictures which really brings out a beautiful quality in the harsh subject matter. The lighting is probably what keeps the viewers looking even though they want to turn away at times.
After seeing the movie I can definitely say that I learned more about a different culture. I mean I’ve known that there still “rednecks” in the south but these people live very traditional lives that surprised me. They also are living in poverty. The movie has also influenced me a little to start take documentary pictures of friends and family while still keeping making it artful.
Title: Glory Box
Date: 11/23/09
Type of event: Performance
For my last art event I saw a performance online called “Glory Box” by Tim Miller. I had seen this performance live before yet I was interested in watching it again so I found it online. It was a one man performance where Miller discussed issues on human rights in America and how it is affecting him and his partner.
During the performance, Miller used several techniques in order to draw in the audience and let out his emotions. One of these techniques was the lighting. The lighting was used in order to set the mood of the performance. He used a lot of warm colors from the light to set a mood of hope and a future of happiness. The cool colors from the light set a mood for a dark future that may tear his hope for happiness apart. Body language was another technique that he utilized. He was constantly moving his body or using it in some way like when he pulled down his pants and underwear, which was probably the most shocking moment of the performance.
Watching her performance was definitely a reminder to me of how much art is about emotion. The message of the performance was very clear. Tim Miller was trying to show hope for a future where people don’t judge him or his partner for who they are. The performance was definitely a form of personal expression as well as art for a social cause. His performance art revealed his emotions and stress as well as a criticism over this country and the scrutiny it has been giving him and his fellow gays and lesbians. Tim Miller was definitely trying to leave an impact on the audience and I am sure that he has.
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