Thursday, April 28, 2011

ART 245 Spring 2011

Final Writing Assignment:

 Power and Space

            One of the most widespread spiritual wisdoms today is practicing the discipline to remain present.  Often time, people find themselves so mentally involved in the past and future that they miss out on their life as it is happening in the now.  For instance, a father may be sitting at the dinner table performing the ritual of eating and being with his family, but really his mind is still at the office or obsessing about tomorrow’s schedule.  His senses are becoming desensitized and he is losing his zest for life.  Common interventions include such practices as yoga or meditation to heal the crazed mind.  However, every now and then, something exceptional occurs that adds layers to the meaning of being present without ever having to take on the initiative for change.  It happens on a level so deep that those who come across its path have no choice but to stop and be in the moment demanded of them.  This remarkable power is found within the culmination of intellect, imagination and work, also known as art.
            The married artist/architectural team of Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio and the electronic artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer are at the forefront of advanced technological, conceptual art manifested through natural forces and public spaces.  The effects of their creations are jarring and thought-provoking.  Both sets of artists use space as form while manipulating the most basic elements of life adding surreal dimensions.  However, the undeniable individuality of these artists’ works of art, places them at very different ends of the spectrum in the means they take to evoke the senses. 
            Diller and Scofidio met at New York City’s Cooper Union in the 1970s where Scofidio taught and Diller studied.  They later married and together became firmly established architects known as Diller + Scofidio.  Their approach cultivated a new form of modernism in their endeavor to use space to explore social behavior.  They believed that social norms confined within the walls of society dictated the way people responded to their environments.  The goal of Diller + Scofidio was to free them.  As their highbrow reputations grew, they became recipients of such prestigious awards as the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.  One of their most high-profile works, and at the time, a defining work, was Blur Building created for the Swiss Expo in 2002 over Lake NeuchâtelThe presence of this building was beyond anything, or rather nothing, that the public had ever experienced. 
            Blur Building was 300’ wide, 200’ deep, and 75’high.  It consisted of no dimension, no form, and no scale.  The building was made of water, and water was all that one could see or even do.  31,500 high-pressured nozzles shot a fine mist of fog up through the structure regulated by computer technology, which detected climate changes and maintained control while regulating nozzle pressure.  Upon entering the space, one had to first trek down the 400’ long ramp leading into the clouded mist where the only thing to be seen was the loss of vision itself.  Synchronized with the whiteout was the white noise of spraying nozzles.  The only concept of direction or space for that matter were strategically placed lights set up for safety purposes.  The bottom level featured a water bar selling bottles of water from all over the world while the top level maintained a Godly presence as though ascending above the cloud and into the heavens.  From what originated as a sketch on a napkin, came a project that took 2 years and a path of calamity ending with a well-deserved product of praise.  Although Diller + Scofidio suffered the omission of their most interactive concept for the building, “braincoats” (raincoats designed to light up and respond to one another) they received remarkable reviews.  The Swiss press claimed that Blur Building was “deliciously without purpose” and a “crazy, idiosyncratic thing!”  With all the hype of “nothingness” Diller mentions that in actuality, the topic is the weather and its universal alliance.  This alliance is something all people from all ends of the spectrum can find in common, much like in the work of Lozano-Hemmer.
 Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio Blur Building, 2002

            Lozano-Hemmer was born in Mexico City and has a background in Physical Chemistry.  He too finds himself at a meeting point of architecture, digital art and social behavior.  He has been commissioned for such events as the Millennium Celebration in Mexico City, as well as the 2010 Winter Olympics, and has exhibited in various museums in over 40 countries. Lozano-Hemmer’s central focus is in creating spaces for the public to become a part of through established, predetermined experiences.   Among his most distinguished installations was a visual light show of green rays at the central oval field of Madison Square Park titled Pulse Park.  After the sun had set, the park would begin to flood with visitors eager to participate in the unique experience.  Participation involved registering at a kiosk where visitor’s heart rates would be measured resulting in the surreal experience of a metrical light show.  Once one person had been measured, their reading would be passed onto a corresponding light followed by the next persons reading and then to the following light.  The lights, set up along the perimeter of the park, would pulsate to the exact rhythms of the heartbeats to which they had been registered.  The result was a visual documentation of heartbeats, naturally and electronically igniting Madison Square Park.  People found gratitude in their personal contributions to the installation.  After registering, many sat in awe experiencing the body through the visually rhythmic show.  It was important to Lozano-Hemmer for the installation to occur during the months where darkness came early and at a location where families often frequented.  Remarkably, the installation was generated from biodiesel fuel and used only one-tenth of the power it takes for a typical hockey game.  Aside from the shows technicalities, Lozano-Hemmer eloquently defines the purpose of the installation as “the remains of people who have left their hearts behind.”  It is also noted that this romantic concept was originally inspired after hearing the heartbeats of his unborn twins.
Rafael Lazano-Hemmer Pulse Park, 2008

            Like Diller+Scofidio, Lozano-Hemmer operates on a universal level.  He appropriated something as significant as the heart to recreate an organic space using the force of life made visual through the power of light. As Otto Piene says on his artwork ‘Light Ballet’: ‘my endeavour is a twofold: to demonstrate that light is a source of life which has to be continuously striving for larger space. We want to reach the sky. We want to exhibit in the sky, not in order to establish there is a new art world, but rather to enter new space peacefully – that is, freely, playfully and actively, not as slaves of war technology.”   This insight into freedom and the expansion of self runs parallel to the emotional response of both sets of artists’ works.  Although Diller prefers to mention their Blur Building as being significant through the unification of weather, it can’t go unnoticed the commonality of water and the heart as mutual life forces made to be seen with the eyes through these interactive spaces.  Two different sets of artists and yet their creations unify people through harmony, bringing them into the present moment while simultaneously expanding their own versions of reality.   These artists' methods have created reintroductions to life consequently and positively bringing all visitors to the same energy level.  These highly intelligent and motivated artists do as much for humanity as their well-deserved, esteemed reputations say they do, reemphasizing Diogenes when he stated "I am a citizen of the world."  Diller + Scofidio and Lorenzo-Hemmer are prime examples of global culture within the new age of Enlightenment.



References:

Digital Currents: Art in the Electronic Age, Margot Lovejoy, Routledge: New York,  2004
http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/pulse_park.php


http://www.artelectronicmedia.com/artwork/pulse-park 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Final Projects, Crowdsourcing, Part 2:


Cloudsourcing Edited


Cloudsourcing


Cloudsourcing is an online collaboration of people from all over the world submitting photographs they take of clouds that hold an uncanny resemblance to any-crazy-thing we recognize in this zoo of a world!

A person who visits the site has the option of either touring the zoo or participating in the project by submitting photographs and adding to the zoo exhibits.  Taking a tour occurs by clicking on the "Enter The Zoo" icon, transforming the page into a colorful, illustrated, two-dimensional map of the zoo sky’s endless exhibits.  Select an exhibit and experience a variety of themed cloud photographs methodically placed within a soothing composition.  Click on an inspiring cloud to view it enlarged and then traced to better identify the uncanny resemblance the cloud holds.  One will also discover the cloud's original geographical location, highlighting different areas of the world where people have participated as well as observing different clouds and their unique environmental formations. 

In choosing to contribute, the participant will upload their chosen photograph to Cloudsourcing.  The site will ask for relevant personal information to correspond with the uploaded image.  In addition, Cloudsourcing will require a description of the cloud(s) along with an outline of the image made possible with tools found within the registering process.  Once all items have been received, Cloudsourcing administration will input the data and place the photograph in its new exhibit.  Upon completion, the participant will be notified with details of their cloud’s chosen exhibit.

Additional features of interest will appear on the Cloudsourcing home page including top rated “clouds”, the most fascinating geographical locations and the group project of building a cloud castle.  Beyond the collaborative creation, Cloudsourcing participants will have the option of making charitable environmental donations.


Sunday, April 10, 2011

Final Project, Crowdsourcing, Part 1:



My participation in The Johnny Cash Project included completing and submitting the above drawing to appear in the music video if approved.  After looking through several randomly chosen images, a frame that would allow for realistic detail juxtaposed with abstract mark making appeared.  I have always been drawn toward portraiture and found the connection between the man and bird to be particularly interesting.  The composition allowed room to play with the negative space substituting the vague, organic imagery of trees with a random, graffiti like scribble while maintaining the same tones and texture.  A very fine point drawing tip was used at a varying opacity to layer in as much detail as possible and maximize depth in the changing gradations. Artistically, this drawing was gratifying to complete in that it offered a variety of visual information layered with emotion.  I look forward to finding out the results of my submission and would definitely recommend this project to other people.  



Drawing Software: Easy to use and pleased with the option of tools. 


The Johnny Cash Project can be found at: http://www.thejohnnycashproject.com/


The One Million Masterpiece Project

For the One Million Masterpiece Project I chose to do a drawing inspired by a simple line found within the project's mission statement, "capture a snapshot of the society in which you live."  This idea of people from all over the world contributing a visual representation of where they are from is a unique way to see the world and join together.  For my drawing I chose to work from a snapshot taken while at Burning Man.  The significance behind this decision runs parallel to the symbolic meaning found within the photograph.  The festival of Burning Man acknowledges a cultural celebration energized by the self-expression of our society.  The butterfly wings represent an animistic connection between humans and nature layered in the presence of the desert.  Finally, the wind is an energy flowing around the world carrying feelings and memories symbolizing unification.  It is my hope that this drawing will represent freedom of expression and respect for our land while contributing a positive example of western culture.

Drawing Software: Easy to use but the limited tools made any realism increasingly difficult as the colors and tools just wanted to look like child's art. 

 http://www.millionmasterpiece.com/

Monday, April 4, 2011

Critical Summaries

Meet the Curator: JoAnne Northrup on Leo Villareal: Animating Light

JoAnne Northrup's lecture was an informative and personal account of the evolution of Leo Villareal's art exhibition.  Originally inspired by Burning Man, Villareal created his first light sculpture as a simple tool to help him navigate back to his camp during the night.  His conceptual and technical process would continue to progress, but not after giving much thought to his educational history.  A Yale grad, Villareal loved studying computer technology and medieval art.  While interning at the Guggenheim Museum in Italy, Villareal discovered light as art for the first time.  These experiences combined with Burning Man inspired Villareal and he quickly began creating with the comfort of receiving little acknowledgement.  Burning Man became an experimental laboratory for Villareal, and although he did not consider his first creations art, after time his intent behind his pieces evolved and the art within the sculptures became obvious.

Villareal’s initial pieces were very basic in that they were simple turn off and on pieces.  Eventually, Villareal began playing with dimming and then layering.  The core of his work is about codes and sequencing manifested through light.  The end surface result is a very painterly and immersive creation that seems to envelop the body.  As a consequence of manipulating light, comes a manipulation of emotion.   It is impossible to not feel the atmospheric and personal quality in any of his pieces, especially those with emotional intent.  In his piece, Primordial, Villareal is expressing his and his wife’s personal experience with in vitro fertilization.  This instillation is about having a relationship to the body, imagining cells and the beginning of life.  In another example, Amanecer, presents the illusion of moving clouds while a sunset peers in to brighten the space and claim the viewer, much like the sun.  In conclusion, Northrup's lecture was eloquent and timely as she revealed the mystery behind the captivating art.
        


Ben Hoffman: The Cartesian Medium

            Ben Hoffman’s exhibition at the Nevada Museum of Art was both a striking portrayal of nature as well as the end result of a lengthy and technical conceptual process.  The perfection that Hoffman was able to reach with his art through mathematics and digital software was stunning.  The pure symmetry found within every detail was soothing to the eye while the vibrancy of saturated color was seducing and captivating.  His use of mathematical equations layered within the composition added texture and rhythm increasing the interest for the viewer. 
With his art, Hoffman was able to accomplish a reintroduction to some of the most common and simple objects found within nature.  His approach journeyed deep within the mathematical DNA exposing the structural building blocks. The digital recreation enabled the given objects to shine in all of their glory.  The choice of scale for the pieces was of utmost importance.  Prior to his exhibition at the NMA, Hoffman exhibited these same pieces on a smaller scale at a local pub.  While the concept is enough to grab ones attention, the scale did not do justice to the imagery.  Showing them on a large scale really allows the pieces to demand respect and attention. 
            One of the most handsome pieces in the exhibition was the portrait of a pine cone called Cathedral.  This piece stood out as being very peaceful, grandiose, and enchanting.  Hoffman's choice of use for the color black as the negative space added to the complexity of the piece creating an infinite illusion within the depths of the pine cone.  The mathematical equations were placed next to the image in the same golden brown tones of the cone reading like a poem.  The use of light created soft movement across the composition seeming to disappear off the page.  Overall, this exhibition was smart and sophisticated, establishing Hoffman's place in the art world.


Ben Hoffman's work can be found at http://cartesianmedium.com/CM/Home.html


maria elena buszek
"Personal, Political, Popular: Contemporary Feminist Art, Music, and Scholarship"

 

tracy and the plastics (2004) 

  
The lecture given by Dr. Maria Elena Buzek was an entertaining but sometimes incomprehensible depiction of feminism within art history.  For the entirety of the lecture, Buzek chose to read from an essay she wrote specifically for the lecture.  Although she read with enthusiasm, the fast pace and wordy account of her research was only sporadically interrupted by coherent summarizations and examples by video.   If she had only chosen to speak to the audience, her message would have been clarified beyond the following summarization:  
            Buzek prides herself on experiencing art through the eyes of the artist rather than through the words of a page, discovering new layers of significance to popular feminist art.  Her initial inspiration came from music history, working as a young woman in a record store.  It was there that she discovered the written work of Lester Bangs who brought to light new parallels between cultural movements and the arts as well as a unique critical style of writing.   Discovering her voice, Buzek was able to begin verbalizing her observations of pop culture being a young persons game, temporary and oversexed.  Women's liberation was meant to unify and yet there was an obvious dissection between the selectively picked and airbrushed women rejecting feminism vs. artists like Tracy and the Plastics, Peaches and Le Tigre, to name a few. 
 These women are feminist artists whose technologically advanced works of digital art are layered with captivating, thoughtful and sometimes humorous messages.  Tracy and the Plastics for instance, chooses a hierarchy destroying approach, leaving the audience to consider if they are the audience or a part of the show and whether or not the person on stage is more real than the video behind her.  This technique of breaking down structure occurs with such charm that the realization of disintegration is an after thought.  Furthermore, the technicalities of the show push contemporary art to the next level, making a clear statement about the capabilities of women. 
The work of Buzek is important, interesting and complex.  Her research highlights the best of what is happening today while re-emphasizing the work of yesterday.  If only her lecture style was appropriated to the audience would the message have that much more of an impact, leaving the afterthought, that her books must be great.