Thursday 4/30 Entry

Scene

Freeze frame movie scenes are what started this project. These images are manifestations of scenarios and scenes that played out in my head. For instance, the ending scene of a tragic romance where a man finally reunites with the leading lady for what used to be their traditional date, dinner and a movie.

What makes these images scenes are the characters in mid-action. In the images, the subjects appear to be paused in a moment of activity; they haven't yet completed the interaction they set out to do. This "pause" effect allows the viewer to interject any plausible subject they want into the scene, and forces them to make specific decision on what this interjected subject would be doing.

*The images above are my own*

Sunday 4/26

Atta Kim

Atta Kim's photographs focus on two things: human existence and time. He treats both as blurs that are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Kim's most famous series feature naked people, almost always of Asian descent, naked and in fetal positions. The people have been separated from each other and their surroundings, and seem to be in an uncomfortable position but otherwise blank.

A few images in this series featuring select people interacting, either inside or outside of the cases. Life seems to be going on, with or without the people that are trapped inside.

The clarity of life and activity continuing is a very interesting aspect of this work. Kim makes it apparent that these people could be extracted from the image at any time and the image would still exist, possibly in a more natural existence than it was when the people were actually in the scene.

http://www.yossimilo.com/artists/atta_kim/?show_bio=bio
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/arts/design/12atta.html
http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.1706759/k.9A54/Atta_Kim_OnAir.htm
http://www.artnet.com/Artists/ArtistHomePage.aspx?artist_id=424629646&page_tab=Artworks_for_sale
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/04/148_21581.html

Thursday 4/23 Entry

Apprehension

Apprehension is defined as "suspicion or fear especially of future evil; foreboding". In the case of my series, there isn't necessarily a future evil, but there is an unknown, and the unknown is one of mankind's greatest fears.

This series creates a sense of foreshadowing within the viewer. Something is strange is about to occur, but we just aren't aware of what it is. There is a clear understanding that something is missing. While that something is most likely another human being or two, the viewer has no way of knowing for sure. This leaves the viewer feeling apprehensive or unsettled about what the work is depicting. The missing series leaves the viewer questioning why and when this something will occur.

*The image above is my own*

Sunday 4/19 Entry

Hiroshi Sugimoto

In his movie theatre series and his seascape series, Sugimoto's vast interiors and exteriors are void of human beings. In Seascapes, water and sky tend to effortlessly merge into each other, taking back the earth. In his movie theater series, Sugimoto captures an entire film in one shot. The screen becomes bright white, leaving no telltale evidence of what happened or even what movie it was. The only one who knows for sure is the photographer.

His images become strangely surreal. They look as if they were created in some other manner than simply documenting a scene. And yet, you know without a doubt, but without proof, that these images are authentic and that these scenes existed somewhere and at some point.

Why we have so much faith in Sugimoto's credibility, I'm not exactly sure. Is it the images themselves, or do we simply believe they are true because they look like they could be and Sugimoto himself has said that they are? Whatever the reason, this trust is a valuable tool; one that, hopefully, my work can also take advantage of.

http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/sugimoto/index.html
http://www.artnet.com/artist/16261/hiroshi-sugimoto.html
http://www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/2008-11-06/

Josh Goff Lecture

Josh Goff came in to talk about his business, Commonwealth Curb Appeal, and the importance of presentation and marketing for new entrepreneurs. At first, I was a little put off by him, as he was decked out as a cowboy, and couldn't understand how he could give advice on the topic. I was secretly hoping that his attire was an example of what not to do. It wasn't. Still, he had a few excellent points.

First Goff, emphasized the importance of a plan. He stressed that without a Mission Statement and a set purpose, your business goals wouldn't be understood by others and you would get nowhere fast. This was the first of three things he said you MUST have. The second was a team that featured a wide variety of reliable people with various expertise. The third was the capability of you and your team to properly network and to host events that raise awareness of your business. He stressed that proper networking skills need to be taught in most cases.

Goff also talked about presentation and the links between you, your team and the business. He said that hosting showcases, events and parties was the reason he no longer spent any money on advertising for his business (as of the fourth year CCA was pulling 1million in revenue). Knowing your very specific target market is key to determining what type of functions you should hold (his target were married couples with children, in a specific area, that own their own homes, and have a specific amount of disposable income). Next he said that you must be presentable at all times. That includes not playing loud music in your car when you pull up to places, being well groomed always, not chewing gum, and never using slang. He also said that when networking, don't just exchange cards. Instead, get to know the person, ask them strategic questions, and ask them how YOU CAN HELP THEM.

While he was off-putting at first, it turned out to prove several of his points.

http://www.commonwealthcurbappeal.com/

Thursday 4/16 Entry

Audience Participation

Audience participation is used in many kinds of education, entertainment, and "edutainment" as a way to force the viewer to think about what they are seeing. Often, the viewer is asked to answer questions, collaborate in groups to solve a problem, or be an example for the rest of the group by actively engaging in the performance.

In this work, the viewer is asked to do the same. Each photograph is slightly off putting. By being this way, the viewer is forced to figure out why they are apprehensive about the scene, as this is human nature. The viewer must then dissect the photograph, piece by piece, until they have found the irregularities within the seemingly normal depiction.

Once they have found the irregularities, they instinctively will want to solve the problem. The viewer is asked to subconsciously replaced the empty space in the photographs with what "should" be there, as they would consider it. All of these interactions are performed subconsciously, however the end result is an almost "Eureka!" moment. They are asked to do this to every piece in the series, until they have found a common thread within them all and, thus, solved the puzzle.

*The image above can be found at http://magicofricksilver.com*

Post-Tomorrow

Post-Real Time! I love the term. In my contemporary issuses class we spent a good amount of time discussing the term of Post-Historical Artist. The over use of "Post" and "Now" in contemporary art and culture becomes a bit tiresome. However, in theory I get so excited thinking about what the actual definition might be. Constantly I have to remind myself to stay within the bounds of my area (arts/media). As soon as I let myself apply these terms to the greater world the expansion becomes exponential. For us, being artist, these ideas suggest the need for forethought or projection of what may come next.

In the arts, as well as history, this is one of the most problematic and exciting areas of thought. The best any of us can offer is a constructed reality based on the now.

How many times have you asked yourself what is going on in the arts right now. Modernism, Post-Modernism, Post-Studio, Post-Museum..... what next? post-Real Time is a great possibility!