Final Project Jackie Logan 4-24

 

Control

For my final project I wanted to take another crack at Dadaism. Hannah Hoch being my main inspiration. In my first pieceI made it about great black women in history and brought it together in a Hannah Hoch Style. But I don’t think i used surrealism at all in message or imagery. Not to mention how celebratory it was in comparison to “Cut with the Kitchen Knife”. So I very much wanted to get more critical. I went through a few thoughts, but ultimately I decided on the entertainment industry. The dark side of it and underlying controversy that takes place in it. I also wanted to add some drawing to connect all of it into one idea. 

“For all the new visual material, it is often hard to be sure what we are seeing when we look at today's world." Page 6 How we see the World

This quote from The reading illustrates a lot of The entertainment industry is. We only see what they show us. And even what they show us can be hard to distinguish. It’s coming through a lenses of what they want us to see. So it is never clear what we are looking out. There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes. It can also be unclear in what is true or not. We hear a lot of stories and a lot of versions of stories. There is no way to know for sure what is going on. Just what someone wants to show us. 

“We only see what wee look at. To look is an act of choice. As a result of this act, what we see is brought within our reach - though not necessarily in arm's reach." page 8 Ways of seeing

At the same time we engage I what they bring sometimes even despite of what lies underneath. They catch your hearts in a way to wear we can sometimes be blinded to what is truly there. It is something that is brought close to us as if so something that we are meant to engage in. 

“creating a vessel through which she viewed artistry as the absence of complexity, a vacuum through which she was led to a state of complete relaxation of mind" yono oko article

If anything my piece is showing you only a small part of the inner complexities of Hollywood. It is a very large world and there is a lot to see. 

I called it control because of how everyone in it including us feels like a pawn to what controls it on the top. Which is Capitalism. As the same few companies own pretty much everything. And that is a scary thought. 

And artist who inspired me a lot is Cindy Sherman. I already knew who she was before the class but what I like is how she uses contextualize stereotypes of women in her work. She isn’t really projecting more than just showing what they are and making us think about them. It is something I hope to do as a fellow under represented group in media creation. 

(4/24) Final Project - "Anger Management" - Kyle Pangilinan

Anger Management

Digital

Physical

Mental

        I am the main subject of my photo series, Anger Management, portraying how I deal with my anger. Each photo contains a unique setting apart from each other. I chose to do my final project in a digital medium as it is what I am most comfortable using. Every cut image has been neatly put together and altered further through Photoshop. Initially, I wanted to make a single collage of my work, showing my self-help journey; but then I made it into a photo series, expanding each of them individually. I categorize my work as a digital photo series. I went to a boardwalk near Bayonne where I took multiple roaming selfies, relating to Carrie Mae Weems. I made several poses and expressions, narrowing down the ones I would use for my final and using smaller assets from others that I took. Each emotional or physical expression was vital in capturing my arduous journey to getting better, through confronting my inner self. According to Berger, “If we accept that we can see that hill over there, we propose that from that hill we can be seen. The reciprocal nature of vision is more fundamental than that of spoken dialogue. And often dialogue is an attempt to verbalize this – an attempt to explain how, either metaphorically or literally, ‘you see things’, and an attempt to discover how ‘he sees things’,” (Berger 9). The first photo depicts two of me fighting in a digital realm, like the MATRIX franchise. This represents one of my ways to relieve my anger, watching shows, playing video games, and scrolling through social media. The next one presents another fight, more dangerous than before as the sun explodes and both of me are fighting; where one shoots, and the other creates a force field for protection. This conveys me getting my stress out through physical exercise and expression, getting all the negative emotions out of my system; all while not trying to hurt myself. And the last image shows a more peaceful approach to dealing with my anger. In this beautiful, ethereal plane, I simply nap; allowing myself to calm down and prepare for the next day.

        The artists that inspired my photo series, were Carrie Mae Weems and Cindy Sherman. Weems' "Roaming" photo series was the base for my landscape, and Sherman's bizarre self-portraits affected the themes for each photo. My photo series conveys the internal struggle of someone fighting for a better life, revealing the steps taken on my self-help journey. My first two self-portraits reveal similar underlying themes of my internal struggle. But the only difference between them and my final is that my final shows a progression of me taking steps to get better. At the time, the first two photos portray single images; one telling the viewers I want to get better, and the second week conveys my desire to relax in my room. The other major difference that exists, is my Ana Mendieta photo recreation, a photo of a chopped tree relating to Imágen de Yágul (Image from Yagul) 1973. Before starting, I planned to make my final project into a collage, presenting different variations on how I would approach it. However, after receiving some recommendations, I decided to expand on each key part of my project’s story, as a multiple photo series. I have pushed myself more to convey my message within this photo series, especially from Carrie Mae Weems’ Roaming series. A deeper understanding of the artists I learned from this class allows me to acknowledge and better myself on what I need to do to live my life.

        The images and messages we see in the media shape our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. They can influence our sense of self, values, and beliefs. In today's world, social media platforms have become a powerful tool for self-presentation. People use these platforms to create a specific persona or image of themselves. They carefully curate and select images and messages to present themselves in a certain way. This can lead to both positive and negative consequences. According to Mirzoeff, "Media no longer prize form so much as content. A book might be available as an e-book, an audiobook, a video, or a Braille text, as well as a printed volume. Broadcasting itself has largely shifted to “narrow casting,” organized around content rather than form. Broadcasting was a mass medium, in which the audience was given very limited choice over content but was able to receive the form very widely and usually free or at low cost. Narrow casting aims at specific audiences organized around preferences for content, such as channels devoted to specific sports, independent films, home decorating, and so on. The audience may be substantial but are more alike than different. Narrow casting usually has to be paid for and is often expensive. Truly mass audiences now tend to gather for ritualized media events such as the Super Bowl, the World Cup, or the Oscars, whose content is not wholly known in advance but has very few variables,” (Mirzoeff 52). It can be empowering to have control over one's self, however, it can create unrealistic expectations and contribute to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. According to Berger, “Publicity speaks in the future tense and yet the achievement of this future is endlessly deferred. How then does publicity remain credible – or credible enough to exert the influence it does? It remains credible because the truthfulness of publicity is judged, not by the real fulfilment of its premises, but by the relevance of its fantasies to those of the spectatorbuyer. Its essential application is not to realty but to daydreams,” (Berger 146). You may believe you’re seeing a person present themselves as their true selves, but that online persona could be a fraction of who they really are. The relationship between the spectacle/media and identity is complex and multifaceted, and it is important to understand how these forces shape our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us.

Works Cited

• Mirzoeff, Nicholas. How to See the World: An Introduction to Images, from Self-Portraits to Selfies

• Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 2008.

Final Project - Arianna Guevara

 

The World Is Woman

I made this collage art piece with the intent of coming from a feminist standpoint. I used elements of Wangechi Mutus collage art style making a human-like creature. This piece shows a woman’s body with the head of a fierce animal holding up both the world and the sun. There are plant -like vines  wrapped around the creature's legs, waist, and arms pulling it down to the ground. I used the vines to represent the challenges women face that try to keep women down regardless of how we try to progress over the years. Women still face challenges today such as gender inequality, workplace discrimination, and societal expectations. We still have gender pay gaps and limited opportunities for career advancements. There are also ongoing efforts to restrict women’s reproductive rights. The eyes on the bottom also represent the criticism and judgment  towards women that choose not to conform to societal expectations. Society often places pressure on women to follow traditional gender roles and expectations such as getting married, having children, or prioritizing their appearance. Some can be labeled as “unfeminine” or “selfish”. I placed the sun and the earth in the woman-like creatures' hands to emphasize the important contributions women make to the world. Women have made contributions to various fields including science, politics, arts, and most importantly hold the gift of giving life to both men and women. 

This work is similar to the previous pieces I’ve done in a sense that I usually incorporate feminist ideas and appreciation of women and the body. However, the style of it is a little bit different. I made this piece with a couple of more textures. I included the use of different materials such as pipe cleaners, paint, glitter, Pom Pom balls, sticky notes and magazine images. I also expanded the collage using a bigger canvas. 

FINAL PROJECT - ARIANNA ALMAGUER

 

*DUALITY*

My final project I wanted to dive deep about how women are perceived as or looked as in people’s eyes and this final project is something that I had dealt with my teenage years and even ongoing. I put myself in the work, where you see the different side of a woman. On the left you see the very sweet, colourful candy like, dream like girl and this is what people are attracted to and what people think that this is how girls or women are supposed to be or look. On the right, you see dark figures, dismembered bodies and even though it is revolting, but it is also fascinating to look at, you can’t look away. I am the only child in my family, and I am always told that I had to dress a certain way when I was younger. I was told that I had to dress girly just to be attractive. Imagine being told at 13, that I had to dress in order to be seen as attractive to other people.  

My project is a combination of Natalia Seth work and Wangechi Mutu. 

Natalia Seth work is from her dreams

    - "When I’m falling asleep, I force myself to think of ideas, and then, just let my train of thought go wherever it may please. That’s a cool time to clear out my mind and think of creative things, just clear out all the clutter from the day." - Natalia Seth

I am the same way, I also get my ideas to draw something from my dreams because sometimes trying to think of something when you are wide awake, nothing comes to mind but once you sleep you start getting these dreams that you never imagned of having. I feel like dreams are much better to get your ideas than thinking hard and making your mind hurt. 

I can also relate to Natalia of making friends, the only way I can actually make friends or even associate with people is with my art. 

    - "As a child I was super awkward and shy, and finding this medium has allowed me to channel my weirdness through my images. When I couldn’t express my feelings in words, I created images instead". - Natalia Seth

With my art, I am able to actually start having conversations with people about something that we are interested in. 

Wangechi Mutu centers her work on the female body so through her collages, sculptures, and video works, she creates these powerful matriarchal hybrid figures from elements of human, plant, animal, and mechanical forms. Her art dives into gender, race, art history and personal identity themes. Mutu’s art is deeply concerned with reshaping narratives around womanhood, challenging racist and misogynistic views prevalent in Western culture. 

    - "Females carry the marks, language and nuances of their culture more than the male. Anything that is desired or despised is always placed on the female body." - Wangechi Mutu

This quote suggests that women often bear the weight of cultural expectations, both positive and negative, more intensely than men. So the marks could be a physical or symbolic like lets say a traditional clothing, body modifications, or how women are expected to carry themsleves and not look like slobs. For language its about women learning and embodeying the cutural norms, customs or language at such an early age therefore they become like a carrier for these cultural expressions. Nuances is just a sublte aspects of culture, like social roles, how to behave, rituals, they are ingrained in women's lives once they are born until they die. 

This also talks about the desired and the despised aspects of women. Society values or disapproval is always aimed at women. Desired are to be considered women's beauty, their nuturing qualities, modesty, and self- sacrifice meaning giving up on your own interests or any wishes just to help others. Despised are the ones that has flaws, doesnt know the norms of a woman, and behaviors that challenges on what women are supposed to be doing. 

Lets also talk about the placement on Female Bodies. The female bodies becomes a canvas for cultural expression, expectations and judgements. So we have no say in our own body but other people can have a say on our body. The desired traits are always emphasized with adornments, makeup and fashion which thats what we always see on magazines and on social media, women wearing clothing brands and some of the clothes are sometimes very scandily leaving with no little imaginations. The despised ascpects of women are lead to the body shaming, objectification, or restrictions on the bodily autonomy. Meaning, the despised women are women who are not seen beautiful are always shamed because of their body or their face. We are always having a restrictions on our body, we can't go to clinic without being controlled by men. 

LINKS:

Wangechi Mutu’s Magically Intertwined World | Art & Object (artandobject.com)

Wangechi Mutu | MoMA

Natalia Seth, A Multimedia Artist With A Dreamy Vision Of The World – Collective World

Natalia Seth: A Digital Artist Using Social Media To Express Herself and Create Change — Pulse Spikes

Self-Portrait Final Project - Daniel Lau

Nightmare's Awakening 

Marina Abramovic quotes/Project Description 

"To control the breathing is to control the mind. With different patterns of breathing, you can fall in love, you can hate someone, you can feel the whole spectrum of feelings just by changing your breathing."

- Her words illustrate how controlling our breath can profoundly affect our emotions and thoughts. She emphasizes the power of breath control in changing how we feel, highlighting the importance of practices like mindfulness and meditation. Her insight reflects a deep understanding of the human mind and its complexities. Personally, due to my experiences with my ex-girlfriend, I often find relief from stress by taking deep breaths.

"True connection requires mutual trust and respect."

- Her quote captures the heart of genuine connection by stressing the need for mutual trust and respect. She recognizes that meaningful relationships are built on these foundations, emphasizing equality and reciprocity. Her insight reflects a deep understanding of human dynamics and the importance of authenticity and empathy in relationships. It's worth mentioning that her wisdom reminds us of the basic principles that lead to fulfilling connections between people. It's clear to me that my relationship with my ex-girlfriend was very dysfunctional since we stopped adhering to those principles, with her being an abusive partner, both physically and verbally, and myself not having the courage to defend myself. A terrible combination. 

"Love is not just a feeling; it's a conscious choice we make every day."

I can safely say that she beautifully shifts our perspective on love, portraying it as a deliberate action rather than just a passing feeling. She emphasizes the significance of commitment and effort in relationships, recognizing that love requires continuous care to thrive. Her insight highlights the depth of human connections and the importance of nurturing them intentionally. Abramovic's wisdom reminds us to approach love with mindfulness and dedication, understanding that it's an ongoing journey of choice and development. In the beginning of my relationship with my ex-girlfriend, we not only felt happy but also understood each other well. We knew our strengths and weaknesses and explored our options based on them. Little did I know, this was the start of a living hell. 

"Sometimes, the greatest act of love is letting go."

- It's highly evident that her words beautifully challenges traditional views of love. She suggests that letting go can be the ultimate act of love, highlighting the importance of prioritizing well-being and growth in relationships. Her wisdom encourages us to embrace the freeing aspect of letting go, even when it's tough. In my toxic relationship with my ex-girlfriend, I felt dead inside. Letting go of her was what I ultimately chose because I realized our relationship was no longer healthy. It was best for both of us to part ways and continue to grow spiritually.

With my final project, I've created a digital self-portrait that represents my relationship with my ex-girlfriend. It illustrates the ups and downs of our relationship and my emotions throughout. As far as I remember, the ending of our relationship wasn't smooth.

Final Project - Nicole Corvi

 I Shall Grow and Grow 

There was a one-eighty somewhere between this week and last week regarding my idea for my final self-portrait project. Originally, I uploaded two multiple exposure photographs of myself with the intention of creating a series about having an ‘identity crisis.’ The plan was to take these photos of myself, then manipulate them to encapsulate themes of depression and anxiety; something we all struggle with, while also something many of us do not often look in the eyes of. Did I like this idea? Of course, I specialize in creating sad photographs. Except this time, there was something in my head telling me that creating this was going to bore me, and that I was not going to be excited, or proud, of what I ended up presenting for my final.  

Two days before the project is due, I have decided to explore the sculpture route. Heavily inspired by Cindy Sherman and her take on malleability, my final decision was to create myself out of clay because the medium itself is pliable. Therefore, I oversee molding my own identity. In an article written by Phoebe Hoban, she includes some words regarding Sherman from curator Eva Respini, "'Now we all take it for granted that a photograph can be Photoshopped. We live in the era of YouTube fame and reality-TV shows and makeovers, where you can be anything you want to be any minute of the day, and artists are responding to that. Cindy was one of the first to explore the idea of the malleability or fluidity of identity.'" Sherman continuously transformed herself through each of her works. This made room for plenty of self-expression and growth throughout the decades of her career. As artists, the personal manipulation of our visual identity translates into the people that we are. Constantly growing, learning, changing; the clothes I wear, the color of my hair. “Nobody’s here but me,” Sherman claims. At the end of the day, it is all on us to be the people we want to be. 

I Shall Grow and Grow is a ceramic self-portrait appendaged with wefts of the magenta-colored hair extensions I wear and adorned with low-quality nose jewelry purchased on Amazon, mimicking my own curation. The stoneware vessel has been hand-thrown using the pottery wheel, while the face has been built on the surface post entering its early leather-hard stages. In its final form, the piece remains resting sealed in this leather-hard stage, intentionally never entering the bisque firing process. The reason for keeping the clay in this state is because this piece is meant to continuously be altered as my life goes on and as my identity blossoms. The clay can keep being manipulated through each change I go through; I can take away from it or add onto it. I can give myself a nose-job if I ever decide to get a real one, or some lip-filler. "And by limiting her subject matter strictly to herself, while at the same time excavating countless permutations, she inspired a generation of younger artists to explore their own identities across a range of mediums,” states Hoban. Influenced by Sherman, and as a young artist, this is exactly what I am doing; merely exploring myself using the medium I know best.  

 

 

Works Cited 

 

Hoban, Phoebe. “The Cindy Sherman Effect.” ARTnews.Com, ARTnews.com, 18 Nov. 2019, www.artnews.com/art-news/news/the-cindy-sherman-effect-505/. 

 

Sehgal, Parul. “The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman’s Instagram Selfies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/05/magazine/instagram-cindy-sherman-ugly-beauty.html.