Reinvention


I was unable to discuss my proposed changes last class with Irene however here is the original piece:

Pencil crayon on art board. My reinvention will be a photograph of found objects. Here are my ideas (may be hard to see):

I will edit the post with my photo once it has been approved.

Well I was still very ill when I put this together. I had a few issues with objects not cooperating. For example my backdrop kept falling however, beyond the soccer net I thing the chairs add as filler. I took two pictures one with myself and another with my wife:

Reinterpretation

Unfortunately, my reinterpretation project will not upload to the blog (so it will be shown in class?).  However, in spite of this, I would like to explain my project instead.  Originally the work I chose to reinterpret was a sculptural piece that I made back in first year.  I posted a photo of the piece onto the blog previously however an explanation is needed for further understanding.
             In the original sculpture it is a casted molding of a girls body and face, she is hunched over with one arm extended and the other grabbing at her skin, peeling it away.  At the time, the piece spoke to the ideas of identity, self-perception and sort of to the topic of beauty.  As this ‘girl’ peels away at her skin, it is as if she is peeling away at herself physically and emotionally.  The things that she dislikes about herself or the words in which stick to her end up causing her to literally wanting to get out of her own skin.
             For the reinterpreted art piece created for the class, I have turned it into a performative video piece where I have put myself in the place where the girl originally was.  In doing this, I put myself in the position to feel what it is like to be peeling away at myself.  With extreme discipline, I peel away at myself; as I do this, a new self-awareness is brought about, through the pain experienced a new sense of calm and control is reached by the end of the piece. 
             As an artwork is reinterpreted, so are the original meanings in it.  Where the original piece was read in more of a superficial tone, the interpretation of it touches upon the ideas of self-awareness as well as the threshold of pain that the human body or in this case, myself can endure with complete silence and discipline. 

 

 

 

Original

 

 

 

http://gifboom.com/captbarb2

 

Still life in motion

Project 1 - Lisa Goulet

Original - Entropy I

Re-Invention - Entropy II

Re-Invention Bowen Duan

                                                                      Original

  Re-Invention

Artwork Re-Invention

                                          Original

                                          Re-Invention

Re-interpretation Project

Project #1 Re-interpretation.
The top one is the original and I tried 3 different re-creations.

Assignment 2

1. How is the festival theme of vulnerability reflected in the works? 

I think that the artists have done a great job of representing the theme of vulnerability in the works of art. It is interesting that while the artists are creating their pieces on vulnerability they are personally experiencing it at the same time as they perform and create the work. I enjoyed the piece by Grey Muldoon and thought he did an outstanding job reflecting vulnerability. He performs a very personal experience involving Christmas lights made out of 235 pill bottles. I also thought that Sara French’s piece was really well done. She embodies the character of a Greek philosopher and dresses up in her piece to represent him. It’s a performance piece that she does and the element of vulnerability is perceived in the performance part of it alone because she is opening herself up to the public to strangers and interacting with them in a way that makes her vulnerable.

Jeff Huckleberry’s work also represented vulnerability very well. He took it in a different direction however and explored physical vulnerability versus emotional vulnerability. It makes you realize how vulnerable and delicate our bodies really are. In his piece he rolls around breaking beer bottles and pulling apart wood that sends shivers down my body thinking about it and how he has taken himself to a whole other level of vulnerability.

2. What thoughts do you have on vulnerability in relation to art production, in terms of your own experience or research? 

I personally feel that my thoughts on vulnerability in relation to art production in terms of my own experience and research are very strong. I think all artists are vulnerable workers because we expose a part of our personal identity to people that makes us more vulnerable than most people. As artists we sometimes have to open up a side of our personality or life and show people in order to justify certain work we do. Not only do I believe that makes artists vulnerable but also the career in general of being a practicing artist is also something vulnerable in relation to the art production. We sometimes have to deal with underemployment, and the struggles of freelance work and possible low salaries at points. Our job prospects make us vulnerable at some point or another. The idea of exposing yourself to the world automatically I think makes us very vulnerable. As an artist you might create something that is so emotion and personal to you but as an artist you have to share that with the world. With my own personal experiences so far in my art career I don't stop to think that I am as vulnerable as that even though I am. I think that the university setting is such a safe and accepting place to be in that even though we are putting our work out there and making our selves vulnerable, the support we receive makes it much easier to move forward and not realize just how vulnerable we really are. 

3. Do the performances communicate the ideas the artists are putting forward in relation to vulnerability? Why or why not?

I think that the performances strongly communicated the ideas of vulnerability in the artists work. The performance pieces especially communicate to us that the idea of vulnerability is present. They show the physical and emotional side of vulnerability and make it clear to the audience. I think that the artists not only are the ones vulnerable but they are making the viewer as well by watching them perform these pieces. As we interact with the performers the audience shares a certain emotion and compassion for the performer. The performers are putting themselves through a process and sometimes one that is painful and so as the audience it makes us inclined to emphasize and share that connection with them. It makes not only the artist vulnerable but also us as the viewers watching. This is what makes the pieces so powerful to me. 

Assignment 1 (Finally figured out how to post this on the blog, yes!)

Having now started our readings for class this book is a wonderful read. The way Claire Doherty has put this series together documenting major themes and ideas in contemporary art is pretty interesting. The writing style itself I found to be a bit tricky at first to read but once you break it apart slowly and go over each artist’s surveyed it becomes easier. Some topics that really stood out to me were the meaning of place, the role of the artist, the role of the curator and the relationship between action and public space.

One of the documents in the text that I want to expand on is the one by Michael Asher about his exhibition at Galleria Toselli, Millan, 1973. His proposal for the exhibition was to have the walls and ceilings completely sand blasted so that every layer of white paint that had been covered over the years at the gallery was removed down to the underlying plaster. He states how it took four days to work on the removal with a small group of people. I found it so interesting and amazing when he writes about how the process of subtraction was also a process of addition in the sense that the exposed plaster is something someone could view as added material.  The really amazing part to me that Asher has pointed out through his exhibition and talks about is how the white display surface walls are such a fundamental part of the gallery space and presentation of works in a gallery. Its funny how the plaster then becomes just as important and integral as the crisp white walls of a gallery.

I did a creative response to reading this at home in my own bedroom. I stripped it down to the bones by moving my furniture away from the one side. The pictures show before and after and as I was doing this I was surprised about how it made me feel. It’s a space that I am in every single day but have never really thought that intensely about the space itself before. Seeing it emptied out and just sitting in the space created a wave of emotions. What an interesting experience!

Vulnerability [assignment 2]

1. How is the festival theme of vulnerability reflected in the works? 

            I think vulnerability is not only reflected well within the theme of this particular festival, however it is reflected in all artists whether successful or not.   As a student artist, it is easy to fully understand the concept of vulnerability; creating a work you invest a part of yourself within the work, you take the time to build it to perfection and yet allowing it to be seen is a huge step.  It’s a huge step in the sense that our hard work is put up in front of tens, hundreds or even thousands to see.  We allow it to be judge and by allowing ourselves to let our creative product, our work, even all the sweat and tears unknown to the viewer that goes along quietly with our art to be critically reviewed and received is where we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.  
             Vulnerability is the fear and anticipation of being exposed to an attack whether it’d be physically or emotionally.  In art we see it constantly from critics and viewers, attacks on pieces in which they say:
             “I love it.”
             “I hate it.”
             “It’s beautiful.”
             “It’s ugly.”
             As said before, the work and effort put into the piece is put on the backburner, quietly attached to the work yet unknown or unseen to the viewer or critic and only known to the artist.
             In one work in particular by Jeff Huckleberry, I believe his performance speaks to the labour of love that comes with creating art.  I see it as addressing the pain in which artists endure except physically available for the audience to see.  It’s the emotional harm or vulnerability manifested to such an extreme point that shocks the audience and allows them to experience the performance in a way of fear and pain like all other artists go through; for example the bursting beer bottles and the idea of being cut up and mangled from glass shards created a reaction from the audience that was sympathetic and concerning rather than just a critical view point as they regularly give.  In a sense, by showing vulnerability in a different way/sense the audience and viewers changed their stance on critically viewing art; instead they weren’t critical at all, they were sucked into the feeling in the moment it seems by the original posters description of it.

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2. What thoughts do you have on vulnerability in relation to art production, in terms of your own experience or research? 

             As stated before, I believe all artists are vulnerable.  Art is not a mathematical equation where you are either right or wrong.  Art is the manifestation of creativity combined with many other factors of influences based on what the artist wants to portray.  Art can be considered an opinion of the artist to relation of the world around them and by allowing for this opinion to be shown to the world. 
             For myself personally, vulnerability may not be a key concept within my work however, it is always tied to my work because of my own inhibitions and fears.  When creating art, sometimes the concepts art so dark, twisted or plain weird and I have my sense of vulnerability to what others may think of the work, what they may think of me; whether it’d be my skills as an artist or just my character as an artist or person.  It’s more or less the vulnerability towards failure or to misjudgment.
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3. Do the performances communicate the ideas the artists are putting forward in relation to vulnerability? Why or why not?

             I believe that all the works are closely linked and represented vulnerability in a strong way.  Personally my favourite use of vulnerability are the works from performance artists showing self affliction.  The performance pieces are able to show case physically what vulnerability is to the audience.  It shows the affliction of emotional and physical pain which represents the struggles of the artist.  This idea of vulnerability shown by the artist is also reflected within their viewers.  With a piece of art, a viewer is able to critically judge immediately the piece by saying they 'love' it or they 'hate' it.  However, with a performance piece the viewer is unable to come to such a quick judgement, therefore the power is taken away from the viewer during the spectacle.  They rely on the artist to take them through a journey in which can confuse, shock and awe them.  The viewers are thus just as vulnerable as the artist.  The fear of seeing the artist mangled, the fear of whats coming next, the shock of the performance leaves the viewer feeling vulnerable going through a roller coaster of emotions and feelings.  It is interestingly beautiful to be able to capture the audience and bring them through the feelings in which us artists feel on the regular.  As said before, the self affliction aspect of vulnerability brings in the paradox of leaving the audience just as vulnerable as the artist. 

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Pictured below are works of my own that have brought to light my vulnerabilities of fear and judgement by others due to subject matter, conceptual ideas as well as just the difference in which my art was composed compared to other student works:

Kristina Jovanic

Vulnerability

1       1.   The theme of vulnerability is reflected in many different ways in the works of the artists. Additionally, the artists are experiencing vulnerability while producing artwork that reflects vulnerability.  Though each artist presents a situation that is unique, they all manage to speak to some level of vulnerability, and what seems to come hand in hand with this theme is a level of discomfort. In the piece by Grey Muldoon, he attempts to place a very personal situation and feeling into a public place.  Setting up a situation that involves pill bottles and potatoes, he creates a sign for viewers that reads: “Artist’s Statement: Another sob story. My mother died. These are her pill bottles. The last thing she could do was peel potatoes. She was tough and wonderful. Join me.”

      The concept of the work is interesting. As a rule, in our culture, people do not tend to allow our personal issues and losses to become so public and accessible.  In that context, it is interesting to note the response given to the piece by passersby when the work was displayed on the streets of Edmonton. As observed by Joshua Schwebel, most “regular” people who were not involved in the festival did not stop and interact with the piece.  However, a few individuals who were associated with the festival did.  Although Muldoon claims that he was not dissatisfied with these results, Schwebel makes an interesting point when reviewing the artist’s work.  Wuldoon’s apparent intention for the piece was to “make spaces in public for discussing painful losses of close family members.” With this being said, Schwebel concludes that Muldoon’s work was not successful in this effort.

      The idea of failure and success of an artist’s work is also a theme that makes its way into this festival. Expanding off of Grey Muldoon’s work and Schwebel’s perception that it was not successful, is, in a way, allowing the artist himself to become a victim of vulnerability. Throughout the festival, blog artists’ works are viewed and then judged by the viewer as a strong piece or not. But an artist taking these risks and putting ones self “out there”, captures the theme of vulnerability all on its own.

      In Sara French’s piece, the artist has chosen to embody a character. This character, though he is not currently alive, is not fictional and therefore has a set history tied to him. Those who know of him have preconceived ideas of how he should be and how he should act if his character is portrayed. The man that Sara French has chosen to embody is the Greek Cynic and philosopher Diogenes. In her piece, she dresses up in what appears to be a nude coloured toga and socks  and wears a very theatrical mask that is meant to represent Diogenes.  Her interaction with the people around her in her first performance (there are three) is observed as rather stiff and is difficult for the people passing by to interact with her or react to her. The second performance was judged as more successful than the first.  In itself, the act of this performance and her willingness to leave herelf open to public observation is an example of vulnerability.  However, as was the case with Grey Muldoon, the risk and element of vulnerability is exacerbated due to the fact that she is attempting to portray and develop a known and recognizable human being.

2        2.    In many cases, I feel that vulnerability in artwork is a common unspoken factor. As a young artist who is trying to find one’s way through the art world, every action and every risk is an act of vulnerability, whether it is obvious or not. In my own work, vulnerability is a dominant theme and I have produced many pieces where vulnerability is the main concept behind the work.  Many of the themes that I choose to speak to through art are based on personal experiences and intimate themes such as relationships, dreams, etc. There have been a few pieces where I have chosen to use fish as a representation of myself. In my first year of study at Brock University, I created a piece that included a live fish placed within a box filled with mirrors. This was intended to represent my feelings of being thrown into the art world and having my actions observed by so many people, leaving me feeling rather mindless and small. In my third year, I also chose to use fish as a representation in my work.  In this case, the small and colourful beta fish was intended to represent more of a sense of panic.  The use of the fish was a part of mixed media piece that showcased parts of recurring dreams I have experienced, involving fish and water.

3.      I think in a lot of the artists’ work they display vulnerability in a very obvious, literal way. When reading the description of all of the art works, I could see how easily vulnerability became the theme of the festival, as well as the substance of the works of these artists. I also feel that, if I was able to see these pieces for myself, I would be able to quickly identify that vulnerability was a theme and focus in their creation.  What stands out in my mind as the most interesting and subtle factor behind all of these pieces is the feeling the artist may have been experiencing when presenting and creating these works. Yes, it is obvious that vulnerability is present within Muldoon’s work when he talks to the loss of a loved one, and in French’s work when she embodies a character that is rather vulnerable.  But what truly emerges through these pieces is an empathy with how the artist must feel when presenting these works to the public. To me that feeling of vulnerability, though it may be subtle and hiding behind the actual work, is far more real because it directly affects the artist. As an artist myself, I find that component of vulnerability in the message of these works far more relatable and powerful.

Assignment 2 - Lisa Goulet

(1) I actually found the works discussed/shown on the festival blog more interesting than the previous year’s works on loneliness; the artists worked in creative ways to express loneliness in manners that I hadn’t thought of. Two standout pieces that I felt reflected vulnerability quite effectively were Corporal Outis’ stalking project, and Jeff Huckleberry’s self-affliction performance.

Corporal Outis managed to perform a piece that was interesting, thoughtful, engaging, and humorous all at once through stalking willing participants as an icon of popular culture. I loved his account of the whole process on his blog, and his reflections of how his own perception of vulnerability changed throughout the piece. His work shows many different types and subjects of vulnerability and poses questions about the society in which we live today. He presents his targets as vulnerable subjects through the surveillance of their homes and workplaces, reminding us all that we are vulnerable and not as invisible as we may assume. I felt a bit voyeuristic while looking through photos of others’ homes and a little uneasy at the  fact that I was looking at very personal  places, yet this is what the general public sees day to day in the area. I enjoyed when the project’s intention was turned on its head and Corporal Outis was finding that uninvolved parties were successfully stalking him, wanting to get a photo taken with the Storm Trooper walking around town. This reverse-stalking tactic was brought upon by social media, and I think is something that resonates with most of us who engage in social media and publish content on the internet, which we don’t usually realize can be used in such a way. Overall, this performance was a great experiment toying with layers of emotional vulnerability.

At the other end of the spectrum, Jeff Huckleberry’s piece explored physical vulnerability, which, honestly, was not something I had really considered when we learned about the festival’s theme. This reflection of vulnerability reminded me of a recent first aid course I took, and how it made me realise just how fragile and vulnerable the human body is. I found it very hard to keep reading Jeff’s piece because it felt dangerous and painful to me, as he pulled apart wood and rolled around in breaking beer bottles.

(2) In my own experience, I don’t believe that vulnerability is something that I stop to contemplate often. I believe that every artist, by putting a piece of themselves, their beliefs and philosophies, which are all reflected in their work, is, puts him or herself in such an inherently vulnerable position. Every medium has the potential for exposure, even if it is the most personal subject meant for only the artist’s eyes, and thus has the potential to cause an uncontrolled reaction from outside individuals, who may or may not understand the work the way the artist has meant it to be understood. I think that is an incredibly vulnerable position to be in, and it’s something that probably comes into consideration when an artist produces every piece they imagine, yet at the same time it is probably something that many artists learn to push to the back of their mind and attempt to ignore. At the end of the day though, vulnerability as an artist is inescapable.

(3) As I said above, Corporal Outis’ work was outstanding in his communication of the emotions of vulnerability. The execution of his piece was somewhere in the middle between art, popular culture, and technological. I think this was the most effective communication of vulnerability, as it was out in public and ended up being very interactive and engaging, even though I was only reading an account of the events. Because a record of his performance remains in the blog he set up, it still carries the character he intended to portray, as opposed to having a third party recount their experience at the other performances. The other pieces were predominantly at the site of the festival, attended by art folk within a short period of time, and some portrayed their ideas in a quite indirect manner. I think these factors alone regardless of the actual performance are less effective personally, as I didn’t get the chance to witness them in person. I can imagine many of the performances would evoke instantaneous feelings as a witness, but they don’t seem to fully translate well into a written format and I found it hard to uncover what ideas about vulnerability they were trying to communicate. 

Assignment 2

The performance Corproaloutis has many complex layers of vulnerability. A person who is stalked and eventually caught plays with the idea of the victim/predator scenario. However, this piece also adds an interesting dynamic, since the subjects are volunteering to be placed in this position of vulnerability. The artist then takes it a step further by posting online real information about the “prey”. This creates a real sense of exposure as information such as names; pictures of their houses and cars as well as digital updates of where the subjects go during the day are recorded and accessible to everyone on the Internet. It’s interesting that so far (day 1) these shots or tidbits of information seems to be captured in public places, so by technicality his methods of “stalking” is legal. This opens the door to other issues such as public surveillance.

            As mentioned in one of the artist’s post, “reverse stalking” is another form of vulnerability that comes into play with this piece. As the artist chose a conspicuous outfit, he quickly becomes a well-identified figure in the community. Along with his posts, he points out to his followers that he can be tracked, and also become a stalked predator.  

  2) When it comes to producing art, much of my work emits a kind of vulnerability. While many different practices of art produce their own reasons of exposure, I personally find that the more honesty that’s invested in a piece or process, the stronger of an impact it has on its viewers. When creating my own pieces, I usually come up with a concept or interest. Through that, I then try to locate the reason or intention behind that concept (this can be a uncomfortable experience, especially if you don’t like the answer). When finally accepting a ground truth about the piece, I then attempt to create a work that will communicate this uncovered concept most effectively. I believe one of the most challenging moments is witnessing the viewer’s response to your work. After what can feel like intense exposure, to watch how a viewer looks at your truth or message before moving on to the next piece can feel like the most vulnerable moment of your life- yet to see acceptance or fascination can lead it to be one of the most exciting.

 3)             This particular performance was successful in its endeavors to communicate vulnerability. Joshua Schwebel, reviews this and adds in his own experience as being one of the stalked subjects. In his writing, he makes an interesting point about the vulnerability that is created in the performance. Going to watch the Star Wars movies, the audience is permitted to the gaze, watching characters while retaining a sense of anonymity and thus safety. As the storm trooper has now broken free of the theatre screen and his tracking down his prey, the roles are reversed. His identity is now protected behind his outfit and as Schwebel noted in his writing, the artist’s real name is never revealed, creating a heighten sense of paranoia. 

Assignment 2

1   1. For the performance art of Corporal Otis. As we know, the trooper in the Star Wars is a popular culture. Why is this performance art interesting to me? At the begging, I think it is the character in the film came to the real world. I think in this artwork, the deeper meaning is that trooper change watched from to watcher. So I think the different roll in this piece is vulnerability. For example, when we watch the movie, we can see the trooper in the screen. At that time, we are very safe, because we are in the corner to watch him. We can see everything. However, when the artist change the roll. I can feel people are not safety. He can watch everyone, people feel exposed. So In that space, people can be vulnerability. On the other side, trooper with masked to hidden is very safety. Conversely, people whom spectacular and expose can be a space of vulnerability.

   

2   2.Vulnerability is a concept that links the relationship that people have with their environment to social forces and institutions and the culture values that sustain and contest them. It can affect emotionally. For example, when I was a litter girl, my aunt and her husband divorced. After that, my aunt and my cousin left for a new life. However, when we had holiday such as traditional spring festival, I can feel her loneliness and lack of the love from her father. I think in that space can be vulnerability. That makes me think if that happen to me… It makes me understand my cousin more.

The other story is about me. I remember when I first came to Canada, when I pass the security check, I missed my parents and I can’t help crying. It’s my first time to be that far away from my parents. In that time, vulnerability was full of my heart. I told to me not cry again. I think vulnerability appear in everyone life such as family relationship, friendship, and so on.

3.I think the artist putting forward in relation to vulnerability. All of the artists make performance art according to vulnerability. It was very interesting performance art. For example, Corporal Otis make a trooper change watched from to watcher. When the audiences watch the trooper in the movie, they can feel safety. However, when the trooper change to watcher. People start feel vulnerability. On the other side, trooper with masked to hidden its safety. Conversely, people who expose can be a space of vulnerability. For the other artist such as Jeff, he puts the harm in his body. As a audience, I can feel uncomfortable and vulnerability in that space. Also, he lets his skin and body in a vulnerability environment. I think this festival, the artist doing very well. That was very interesting. They also made the interaction with the audience. I think the festival was very success and I like it very much.