"Taoism (or Daoism) may be regarded as the esoteric part of the Chinese tradition, and Confucianism as the exoteric. The exoteric is that which is open and available to everyone, whereas the esoteric is hidden and only for those who have the requisite spiritual aptitude" (Tzu, Lao viii).
“The Buddha was not a mystic. His awakening was not a shattering insight into a transcendental truth that revealed to him the mysteries of God. He did not claim to have had an experience that granted him privileged, esoteric knowledge of how the universe ticks" (thinkbuddha.org).
Tzu, Lao, Stephen Addiss, and Stanley Lombardo. Tao Te Ching. Boston: Shambhala, 2007. Print.
Part of what I love about Taoism is the mystery of it. Followers of this philosophy are expected to just go with the flow. If you fight nature and the Tao than you will struggle. The key is to become part of the Tao and than you will understand. It's compared to the flow of water, if you struggle against it you will make no progress. Once you go with the water, you will float gracefully down the stream. The ideas behind this philosophy are so simple yet there is so much you don't know, like what happened before and what is going to happen. I hope that with my work I can capture that feeling of mystery and the hidden. There is the outlying beauty of the images but if you really look at them and let yourself become part of the environment you will realize so much more.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Guo Xi
This artist is a little bit different from other artists I have researched in that he is an ancient Chinese painter. He was the preeminent landscape painter of the late eleventh century. He was revolutionary, using "innovative brushwork and ink [that] [was] rich, almost extravagant, in contrast to the earlier master's severe, spare style" (metmuseum.org). He would use layer upon layer of inks and water in order to make his paintings look misty and blurry, as if the mornings dew had just disappeared.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Experience
“Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish." - Hermann Hesse
I heard this quote the other night in my Religions class as we were being lectured on Taoism. I think it goes along with what we talked about that night in class. It's one of the main points of Taoism. The Tao cannot be grasped using our normal vocabulary to convey it; trying to grasp it in words only spoils it. You have to be able to see it or experience it some other way, to feel it. That is what I would like to be able to present in the end. I want my final work to be installed in a way so that it is more than just the images, I want it to be an experience. I'm hoping to be able to fulfill that by using sound as well as projecting moving images on the wall. I didn't realize it until now but I am actually working a lot like the early Taoist artists. In his book, The Illustrated World Religions, Huston Smith states Taoists "teach that human beings are at their best when they are in harmony with their surroundings. It is no accident that the greatest periods of Chinese art have coincided with upsurges of Taoist influence. Before reaching for their brushes, painters would go to nature and lose themselves in it, to become, say, the bamboo that they would paint" (138). Again, this is what I've been practicing as I go out and photograph. I try to become part of nature in order to document my own experiences within it.
Smith, Huston. The Illustrated World's Religions: a Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. [San Francisco]: HarperOne, 1994. Print.
Smith, Huston. The Illustrated World's Religions: a Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. [San Francisco]: HarperOne, 1994. Print.
"Clearing Autumn Skies"
Kuo Hsi
Monday, November 22, 2010
Ansel Adams
I chose to research Ansel Adams this week because he is one of the greatest landscape photographers ever. It would seem like an obvious choice to choose him since my work has become more landscape based. I love the simple beauty of his images. He doesn't do anything to his environment when he's photographing. He simply captures what he sees. And that is, in essence, what I am trying to accomplish now.
Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, CA in 1902. He was a photographer as well as an environmental activist. He was an only child and had a somewhat solitary childhood. He had a huge interest in nature and would take long walks near the Golden Gate Bridge. He once stated that his love of nature was "colored and modulated by the great earth gesture" (anseladams.com). He spent a lot of time hiking, climbing, and exploring around Yosemite and the Sierras. He spent a lot of time traveling the country seeking out natural beauty that he could photograph. He was also very involved with promoting photography as a fine art medium. "Adams was the last and defining figure in the romantic tradition of nineteenth-century American landscape painting and photography" (anseladams.com).
"Adams's technical mastery was the stuff of legend. More than any creative photographer, before or since, he reveled in the theory and practice of the medium" (anseladams.com).
http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/art%20news/905N-000-001.html
www.metmuseum.org
www.anseladams.com
Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, CA in 1902. He was a photographer as well as an environmental activist. He was an only child and had a somewhat solitary childhood. He had a huge interest in nature and would take long walks near the Golden Gate Bridge. He once stated that his love of nature was "colored and modulated by the great earth gesture" (anseladams.com). He spent a lot of time hiking, climbing, and exploring around Yosemite and the Sierras. He spent a lot of time traveling the country seeking out natural beauty that he could photograph. He was also very involved with promoting photography as a fine art medium. "Adams was the last and defining figure in the romantic tradition of nineteenth-century American landscape painting and photography" (anseladams.com).
"Adams's technical mastery was the stuff of legend. More than any creative photographer, before or since, he reveled in the theory and practice of the medium" (anseladams.com).
http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/art%20news/905N-000-001.html
www.metmuseum.org
www.anseladams.com
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Stephan Cartwright Question/Response
1. A lot of your work is very technical and consists of many numbers and graphs. What kind of artist would you consider yourself to be?
2. What do you want your viewers to get from your work?
I went to the Stephan Cartwright lecture on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised by the experience I had listening to him. He is an avid biker and traveler. That was what initially attracted me to his work. He has traveled all over the world and has done extensive bike trips, one of his biggest trips was something like 9,000 miles! His longest project to date is his "Latitude and Longitude" project. For the past 11.5 years, he has recorded his whereabouts using GPS. He records his whereabouts every hour on the hour. From this data he creates line drawings and maps detailing his travels. He makes graphs as well, with each line representing a different year. This is the premise for most of his work. One of his pieces, the "Life Location Project", was a way for him to figure out his life and where he had been and also to see how his life could have intersected with other peoples'. He uses a line for himself and then he also has lines representing his wife and his immediate family. It's really interesting to see how all of the lines diverge and then intersect at other points and then all diverge again. When I looked at all of the lines flowing together, it made me think about my own life and how it has intersected with so many other people, coming together just for an instant and than breaking away again to go separate paths. My favorite pieces that he did were called "Frequency." He did one for Richmond and one for Philadelphia. It comes back to the GPS coordinates again. He would keep track of everywhere he went within the city. Each location, for every time he was there, equaled one cube. If he went somewhere multiple times, there were cubes for each time he went there, stacked on top of each other. Eventually what he ends up creating, is a cityscape of sorts, made up of all of these cubes. What was really interesting was that he could point to certain cubes and immediately know where the location was. Overall, he was a very interesting and engaging speaker to listen to. I'm really glad I ended up going to this lecture. I've never been to a sculpture lecture before so it was a nice break from all of the photo/film lectures I have seen.
2. What do you want your viewers to get from your work?
I went to the Stephan Cartwright lecture on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised by the experience I had listening to him. He is an avid biker and traveler. That was what initially attracted me to his work. He has traveled all over the world and has done extensive bike trips, one of his biggest trips was something like 9,000 miles! His longest project to date is his "Latitude and Longitude" project. For the past 11.5 years, he has recorded his whereabouts using GPS. He records his whereabouts every hour on the hour. From this data he creates line drawings and maps detailing his travels. He makes graphs as well, with each line representing a different year. This is the premise for most of his work. One of his pieces, the "Life Location Project", was a way for him to figure out his life and where he had been and also to see how his life could have intersected with other peoples'. He uses a line for himself and then he also has lines representing his wife and his immediate family. It's really interesting to see how all of the lines diverge and then intersect at other points and then all diverge again. When I looked at all of the lines flowing together, it made me think about my own life and how it has intersected with so many other people, coming together just for an instant and than breaking away again to go separate paths. My favorite pieces that he did were called "Frequency." He did one for Richmond and one for Philadelphia. It comes back to the GPS coordinates again. He would keep track of everywhere he went within the city. Each location, for every time he was there, equaled one cube. If he went somewhere multiple times, there were cubes for each time he went there, stacked on top of each other. Eventually what he ends up creating, is a cityscape of sorts, made up of all of these cubes. What was really interesting was that he could point to certain cubes and immediately know where the location was. Overall, he was a very interesting and engaging speaker to listen to. I'm really glad I ended up going to this lecture. I've never been to a sculpture lecture before so it was a nice break from all of the photo/film lectures I have seen.
Alternative
Alternative is defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as "of or relating to behavior that is considered unconventional and is often seen as a challenge to traditional norms."
"It is possible that a photograph may not make a concrete statement or answer a specific question. A photograph is not necessarily about something; rather it is something in and of itself. A photograph may be enigmatic or it may allow a viewer access to something remarkable that could not be perceived or understood in another medium" (Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials, and Processes 1).
Since the beginning of my project I have considered alternative methods. First I was thinking about how I could display my final work in a different style than I normally do. And then as I continued photographing I realized I could develop my images in new ways as well. At first I was thinking about making my own photographic paper and from there I discovered new ways of printing my images, methods like photosynthesis, liquid emulsion, or image transfers and lifts. As I continue to make work, I will continue to develop new ways of finalizing my images. My latest idea was to actually print on leaves or pieces of bark, so going through all of the old alternative process books has been really fun. I get to discover old ways of printing and than figure out how I can possibly make these processes work for me as I start finishing up images for the final.
Hirsch, Robert, and John Valentino. Photographic Possibilities: the Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials, and Processes. Boston: Focal, 2001. Print.
"It is possible that a photograph may not make a concrete statement or answer a specific question. A photograph is not necessarily about something; rather it is something in and of itself. A photograph may be enigmatic or it may allow a viewer access to something remarkable that could not be perceived or understood in another medium" (Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials, and Processes 1).
Since the beginning of my project I have considered alternative methods. First I was thinking about how I could display my final work in a different style than I normally do. And then as I continued photographing I realized I could develop my images in new ways as well. At first I was thinking about making my own photographic paper and from there I discovered new ways of printing my images, methods like photosynthesis, liquid emulsion, or image transfers and lifts. As I continue to make work, I will continue to develop new ways of finalizing my images. My latest idea was to actually print on leaves or pieces of bark, so going through all of the old alternative process books has been really fun. I get to discover old ways of printing and than figure out how I can possibly make these processes work for me as I start finishing up images for the final.
Hirsch, Robert, and John Valentino. Photographic Possibilities: the Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials, and Processes. Boston: Focal, 2001. Print.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Christopher James
Christopher James is an artist and photographer, specializing in painting and alternative process images. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries all over the world. His work has been shown at the MOMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art among others. He has written a couple of books on the subject of alternative processing including The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, which has received critical acclaim. He is currently University Professor, and Chair of Photography, at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. He also works as a graphic designer.
"With digital imaging hosting the new “mushy democracy” of photographic expression; where the equipment finds the faces, exposes for neutral feeling, and then makes the perfect print, there is a (forgive the theater in the next word) hunger for the accident, the raw imperfect light and texture of life. Alternative process image making grows ever stronger in this environment..." (Christopher James, Visual Literacy: Revolutions, Arts, and Mirrors 1).
"In alternative process printmaking, the hand and the eye are equal partners in the art and crafting of the image. The print itself is a sign, a symbol, and a mark … perhaps even a metaphor for the process of making the print" (9).
I've been working with alternative processes throughout my project by using my Diana camera. I've been thinking about trying other processes as well, like making my own paper and transfers. Now I'm thinking about doing emulsion lifts and placing images on objects found in nature, like leaves or pieces of wood. I really like that this artist has a whole body of work devoted to plastic cameras. This artist works with a lot of different alternate processes, some of which I would be interested in trying with my own work.
http://christopherjames-studio.com/build/writing.html
(Book review is the last on the list)
http://www.eastmanhouse.org/index.php
http://christopherjames-studio.com/index.html
"With digital imaging hosting the new “mushy democracy” of photographic expression; where the equipment finds the faces, exposes for neutral feeling, and then makes the perfect print, there is a (forgive the theater in the next word) hunger for the accident, the raw imperfect light and texture of life. Alternative process image making grows ever stronger in this environment..." (Christopher James, Visual Literacy: Revolutions, Arts, and Mirrors 1).
"In alternative process printmaking, the hand and the eye are equal partners in the art and crafting of the image. The print itself is a sign, a symbol, and a mark … perhaps even a metaphor for the process of making the print" (9).
I've been working with alternative processes throughout my project by using my Diana camera. I've been thinking about trying other processes as well, like making my own paper and transfers. Now I'm thinking about doing emulsion lifts and placing images on objects found in nature, like leaves or pieces of wood. I really like that this artist has a whole body of work devoted to plastic cameras. This artist works with a lot of different alternate processes, some of which I would be interested in trying with my own work.
http://christopherjames-studio.com/build/writing.html
(Book review is the last on the list)
http://www.eastmanhouse.org/index.php
http://christopherjames-studio.com/index.html
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Simon Tarr Question/Response
1. Would you consider yourself and your artwork related to photography at all?
2. Would you ever be interested in creating still images from the videos you have already created?
Simon Tarr's lecture tonight was interesting and quite different from a lot of the other film/video artists I have seen. His work is what I would expect to see from a video artist but that isn't a bad thing. My favorite piece of his was the performance work remixing Nanook of the North. When first watching it, I believed he was controlling the sound but it turned out he was controlling the images doing things like adjusting lighting, colors, length of clips, etc. I'm really attracted to the Zen aspect of this piece, which he touched on during the lecture. I enjoy the fact that the piece is never exactly the same every time he performs it. This idea relates back to my earlier blog posts when I talked about haiku, chance, randomness, ichi-a, and ichi-go. It's funny how this video work relates to the work I'm making even though both pieces are extremely different aesthetically. I also enjoyed the video he made while in Japan. Watching it I felt some sadness for the people he was capturing and I can't really explain why. I was intrigued by the voyeuristic nature of the work. I think it's interesting that he was able to capture peoples' expressions, probably from quite far away judging by the shakiness of the camera. Seeing things that close up and knowing that the actual viewer is farther away from the subject makes me feel like I'm intruding on something private. Overall, I enjoyed Tarr's lecture. His work was diverse and it was refreshing to see something different.
2. Would you ever be interested in creating still images from the videos you have already created?
Simon Tarr's lecture tonight was interesting and quite different from a lot of the other film/video artists I have seen. His work is what I would expect to see from a video artist but that isn't a bad thing. My favorite piece of his was the performance work remixing Nanook of the North. When first watching it, I believed he was controlling the sound but it turned out he was controlling the images doing things like adjusting lighting, colors, length of clips, etc. I'm really attracted to the Zen aspect of this piece, which he touched on during the lecture. I enjoy the fact that the piece is never exactly the same every time he performs it. This idea relates back to my earlier blog posts when I talked about haiku, chance, randomness, ichi-a, and ichi-go. It's funny how this video work relates to the work I'm making even though both pieces are extremely different aesthetically. I also enjoyed the video he made while in Japan. Watching it I felt some sadness for the people he was capturing and I can't really explain why. I was intrigued by the voyeuristic nature of the work. I think it's interesting that he was able to capture peoples' expressions, probably from quite far away judging by the shakiness of the camera. Seeing things that close up and knowing that the actual viewer is farther away from the subject makes me feel like I'm intruding on something private. Overall, I enjoyed Tarr's lecture. His work was diverse and it was refreshing to see something different.
Chance
When I typed the word "chance" into wikipedia I was offered a few different choices. I decided to check out the word "randomness" in relation to chance.
Random is defined as "Having no definite aim or purpose; not sent or guided in a particular direction; made, done, occurring, etc., without method or conscious choice; haphazard" (wikipedia.org).
I feel like this is the most important factor in my work. Everything I have been doing relates back to chance. This also relates back to my haiku entry where I discussed the terms ichi-a and ichi-go, roughly meaning never before, never again. When I go out in nature I realize that everything I am seeing is new and I will never be able to see it that way again. In a way, my photographs are a way of preserving these special moments and showing my viewers something that they would have probably never experienced.
"In ancient history, the concepts of chance and randomness were intertwined with that of fate" (wikipedia.org). I feel like a lot of my work is related to this idea as well. All of these different concepts are intertwined with each other and hopefully I am able to communicate those ideas with my images.
Randomness by Deborah J. Bennett. Harvard University Press, 1998.
Random is defined as "Having no definite aim or purpose; not sent or guided in a particular direction; made, done, occurring, etc., without method or conscious choice; haphazard" (wikipedia.org).
I feel like this is the most important factor in my work. Everything I have been doing relates back to chance. This also relates back to my haiku entry where I discussed the terms ichi-a and ichi-go, roughly meaning never before, never again. When I go out in nature I realize that everything I am seeing is new and I will never be able to see it that way again. In a way, my photographs are a way of preserving these special moments and showing my viewers something that they would have probably never experienced.
"In ancient history, the concepts of chance and randomness were intertwined with that of fate" (wikipedia.org). I feel like a lot of my work is related to this idea as well. All of these different concepts are intertwined with each other and hopefully I am able to communicate those ideas with my images.
Randomness by Deborah J. Bennett. Harvard University Press, 1998.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Daniel Sroka
Daniel Sroka has been a professional artist for the past decade "developing a new approach to nature art through his own unique style of abstract macro photography" (danielsroka.com). He spent 20 years as a graphic designer before making the switch to fine art photography. He was also Yahoo's first creative director. In addition to his fine art photography he also maintains a photography business online, doing weddings etc. He is represented by the Karin Newby Gallery.
He creates "abstract, dream-like images out of the simple elements of nature, such as leaves, sticks, flowers, and seeds. He finds most of his subjects as he walks through the parks and gardens near his home, collecting the sticks and leaves that have fallen to the ground. In his hands, these overlooked natural objects reveal their complexity and subtlety" (danielsroka.com).
When I first saw this artist's work I was blown away by our similar styles and our similar artistic goals. Upon further research I discovered that many of his shots are done in the studio. That made me feel a little bit better. While he focuses mainly on one object in nature to glorify I usually focus on an overall landscape or groups of objects in the environment. In a lot of ways his work is even more abstracted than mine. It was nice to see an artist doing similar things and it was also nice to know that even though a lot of our ideas are the same, we're able to do different things and make completely different work.
http://hammermarks.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/july-artist-of-the-month-daniel-sroka/
http://www.danielsroka.com
http://www.karinnewbygallery.com/
He creates "abstract, dream-like images out of the simple elements of nature, such as leaves, sticks, flowers, and seeds. He finds most of his subjects as he walks through the parks and gardens near his home, collecting the sticks and leaves that have fallen to the ground. In his hands, these overlooked natural objects reveal their complexity and subtlety" (danielsroka.com).
When I first saw this artist's work I was blown away by our similar styles and our similar artistic goals. Upon further research I discovered that many of his shots are done in the studio. That made me feel a little bit better. While he focuses mainly on one object in nature to glorify I usually focus on an overall landscape or groups of objects in the environment. In a lot of ways his work is even more abstracted than mine. It was nice to see an artist doing similar things and it was also nice to know that even though a lot of our ideas are the same, we're able to do different things and make completely different work.
http://hammermarks.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/july-artist-of-the-month-daniel-sroka/
http://www.danielsroka.com
http://www.karinnewbygallery.com/
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Graduate School: MICA
MICA was my second choice for potential graduate schools, mostly because of their diverse masters programs. I am really interested in the M.F.A. in photographic and electronic media as well as the M.F.A. in community art and the multidisciplinary program. What I like about the photography and electronic program is the mixing of all different kinds of photographic and film/video mediums. Students are encouraged to experiment with all different types of media, old and new, and even mix them. They also have state-of-the art equipment and labs for any kind of work you want to do. I am also intrigued by the community art program. I have always been really interested in public art like murals or functional pieces. With the community art program you get to work with kids as well developing art pieces for public view. The multidisciplinary program is a lot like the first program where students don't have a specific track in any of the arts, you just work with the materials and mediums that you want to work with in order to get your work done. Each student is given their own studio and access to all of the studios and equipment. Plus, this school is located in my home state in Baltimore. Baltimore has always been one of my favorite places and is quickly becoming a big force in art as well as music. What really jumped out at me first with MICA was the M.F.A. in Community Arts. I've never really seen that kind of program available at other schools. It is definitely something I would like to pursue in the future.
Craig Kalpakjian (faculty)
He is a faculty member in the Photographic and Electronic Media department. He has exhibited work all over the world, most recently in Paris. He was born in 1961.
Shannon Heaton (student)
She is a grad student in the Photographic and Electronic Media department. This is work from her MFA Thesis Exhibition 2, in 2009.
He is a faculty member in the Photographic and Electronic Media department. He has exhibited work all over the world, most recently in Paris. He was born in 1961.
She is a grad student in the Photographic and Electronic Media department. This is work from her MFA Thesis Exhibition 2, in 2009.
Haiku
Recently in my Religions class, we had a guest speaker whose topic for discussion was haiku. Everything he described about this particular form of poetry seemed to fit what I'm trying to do artistically. There were two words he used, ichi-go and ichi-a. Which essentially means, never before and never again. That's the whole point of haiku. To lose oneself in nature and actually appreciate everything that is around you and realizing that whatever you are seeing then has never happened before and it never will again. Every experience is unique. Nothing is ever the same. Ever. The whole point of writing a haiku is to forget your ego just for a minute, to heal yourself. To really appreciate and enjoy what you're surrounded by. Hearing the guest speaker was really inspiring. He told us we should practice writing haiku's everyday. We would be surprised what we could come up with. I think it's a really good idea, something I want to try. I think about the final presentation of my work and I think about possibly incorporating haiku's that I write while I explore and meditate and get lost in nature. I think that would be really interesting to incorporate all of these different aspects because though they are different at their core they are all the same.
"Haiku can help kids and adults alike to connect to the world of nature and people-to see the interconnectedness of our small world, perhaps even making a step toward peace" (Patricia Donegan).
"Kawahigashi Hekigoto carried Shiki's reform further with two proposals
"Haiku can help kids and adults alike to connect to the world of nature and people-to see the interconnectedness of our small world, perhaps even making a step toward peace" (Patricia Donegan).
"Kawahigashi Hekigoto carried Shiki's reform further with two proposals
- Haiku would be truer to reality if there were no center of interest in it.
- The importance of the poet's first impression, just as it was, of subjects taken from daily life, and of local colour to create freshness"(toyomasu.com).
Graduate School: Rochester Institute of Technology
Located in: Rochester, NY
One of the main reasons why I was interested in RIT was because it has a whole school devoted to photography and imaging arts. Within the school of photographic arts and sciences there are multiple B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs devoted to different types of photography such as, advertising, fine art, and photojournalism. It's kind of amazing to see how many different options there are for photography students at this school. The M.F.A. program is devoted to imaging arts. The program focuses on traditional and digital ways of image making, as well as some new media. Another thing I also really like about the program is the fact that RIT is all about getting you and your work out there. Part of the M.F.A. program is all about getting internships and assistantships. You get to focus on your work as well as getting professional experience in museums, galleries, or with other photographers. What makes this school a really good match for me is the fact that it's so open. You are given the tools to do whatever you want, whether it's photography or film or any type of medium. RIT still uses a traditional darkroom as well as top of the line computer labs, so you can work in any style you want. Plus, there are over 40 faculty just in the M.F.A. department, so there is room for a lot of diversity. The most unique aspect to RIT is how they incorporate traditional, alternative, and digital photography into their program. I really appreciate the fact that they still use a traditional black and white and color darkroom. Not many schools still use darkrooms and the fact that this school has both black and white and color stands out to me.
Elliot Rubenstein (faculty)
He has been an educator in the Fine Art Photography program at RIT since 1976. He completed graduate school at the Visual Studies Workshop SUNY, Buffalo in Rochester. The main focus of Rubenstein's work is the "problematic interrelationship between nature & culture and its historical impact on the development of landscape art" (elliotrubenstein.com). He received a National Endowment of Humanities, primarily for his research in the tradition of the sublime in the American West. He lived with an Aborigine group and was given permission to explore and photograph sacred sites of ancient and contemporary rock art. In the last decade he has undertaken seven excursions into the deep jungles of Latin and South American in search of primitive art.
Emily Winton (student)
She attended the University of South Florida for photography and then moved to NY to receive an M.F.A. in the fine art photography track at RIT.
One of the main reasons why I was interested in RIT was because it has a whole school devoted to photography and imaging arts. Within the school of photographic arts and sciences there are multiple B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs devoted to different types of photography such as, advertising, fine art, and photojournalism. It's kind of amazing to see how many different options there are for photography students at this school. The M.F.A. program is devoted to imaging arts. The program focuses on traditional and digital ways of image making, as well as some new media. Another thing I also really like about the program is the fact that RIT is all about getting you and your work out there. Part of the M.F.A. program is all about getting internships and assistantships. You get to focus on your work as well as getting professional experience in museums, galleries, or with other photographers. What makes this school a really good match for me is the fact that it's so open. You are given the tools to do whatever you want, whether it's photography or film or any type of medium. RIT still uses a traditional darkroom as well as top of the line computer labs, so you can work in any style you want. Plus, there are over 40 faculty just in the M.F.A. department, so there is room for a lot of diversity. The most unique aspect to RIT is how they incorporate traditional, alternative, and digital photography into their program. I really appreciate the fact that they still use a traditional black and white and color darkroom. Not many schools still use darkrooms and the fact that this school has both black and white and color stands out to me.
He has been an educator in the Fine Art Photography program at RIT since 1976. He completed graduate school at the Visual Studies Workshop SUNY, Buffalo in Rochester. The main focus of Rubenstein's work is the "problematic interrelationship between nature & culture and its historical impact on the development of landscape art" (elliotrubenstein.com). He received a National Endowment of Humanities, primarily for his research in the tradition of the sublime in the American West. He lived with an Aborigine group and was given permission to explore and photograph sacred sites of ancient and contemporary rock art. In the last decade he has undertaken seven excursions into the deep jungles of Latin and South American in search of primitive art.
She attended the University of South Florida for photography and then moved to NY to receive an M.F.A. in the fine art photography track at RIT.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Michael Kessler
Michael Kessler was born in Hanover, PA in 1954. He received a B.F.A. from Kutztown University. He currently lives and works in Santa Fe, NM. In 1977 he participated in the Whitney Independent Study Program in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. He also received a Pollock/Krasner Award for painting in 1992. He is known for his abstract paintings of nature beneath glossy finishes. His work is currently on display in over 24 museum collections all over the U.S. His most well known works contain organic backgrounds layered with squares and rectangles shot through with acrylics, varnishes, and gesso.
"Kessler seems to feed off his colors'saturation; when he departs from it, as in the less exhilarating ecru etudes, he loses his bearings. It is as if he senses that in the great battle his work chronicles, nature always wins; the best humanity can do is live—and paint—with intensity"(ARTNews 2005).
"It is an unlikely updating of Hans Hofmann, this skillfully modulated push-and-pull between the polar drives to surmount nature and to surrender to it, rather like ancient ruins, toppled and overgrown with vines. Kessler’s ruins are his immaculate geometries, cancer-eaten by lichenlike tendrils that spread across and penetrate into the thickly built-up paint. There is something poignant in this" (ARTNews 2005).
When I first started formulating ideas for my project I took a lot of inspiration from all different kinds of art. Painting as well as film were two of my biggest influences. I enjoy Kesslers' view of nature and how abstracted it is. When you first look at the pieces it is hard to tell what you're looking at sometimes and then you realize you're looking at a tree branch or a leaf. That's what I'm trying to accomplish with my images. And I think in some pieces that idea is stronger than others. In the second quote the critic describes the struggle to overpower nature or surrender to it. I enjoy the idea of surrendering to nature and letting yourself get lost in it and overall just appreciating the world around you that you take for granted.
http://www.geoform.net/features/features_kessler.html
www.allentownartmuseum.org
http://michaelkessler.com/
"Kessler seems to feed off his colors'saturation; when he departs from it, as in the less exhilarating ecru etudes, he loses his bearings. It is as if he senses that in the great battle his work chronicles, nature always wins; the best humanity can do is live—and paint—with intensity"(ARTNews 2005).
"It is an unlikely updating of Hans Hofmann, this skillfully modulated push-and-pull between the polar drives to surmount nature and to surrender to it, rather like ancient ruins, toppled and overgrown with vines. Kessler’s ruins are his immaculate geometries, cancer-eaten by lichenlike tendrils that spread across and penetrate into the thickly built-up paint. There is something poignant in this" (ARTNews 2005).
When I first started formulating ideas for my project I took a lot of inspiration from all different kinds of art. Painting as well as film were two of my biggest influences. I enjoy Kesslers' view of nature and how abstracted it is. When you first look at the pieces it is hard to tell what you're looking at sometimes and then you realize you're looking at a tree branch or a leaf. That's what I'm trying to accomplish with my images. And I think in some pieces that idea is stronger than others. In the second quote the critic describes the struggle to overpower nature or surrender to it. I enjoy the idea of surrendering to nature and letting yourself get lost in it and overall just appreciating the world around you that you take for granted.
www.allentownartmuseum.org
http://michaelkessler.com/
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Aimlessness
" In Buddhism, there is a word, apranibita. It means wishlessness or aimlessness. The idea is that we do not put anything ahead of ourselves and run after it. When we practice walking meditation, we walk in this spirit. We just enjoy the walking, with no particular aim or destination. Our walking is not a means to an end. We walk for the sake of walking" (The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation p 6).
"This world has many paths. Some are lined with beautiful trees, some wind around fragrant fields; some are covered with leaves and blossoms. But if we walk on them with a heavy heart, we will not appreciate them at all" (p 9).
I just found out about the philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh the other day in my Religions class. A lot of his teachings are going to be very helpful when it comes to my work. The above quotes are from his book about walking meditation. This directly ties into what I am doing this semester. I guess I had just never realized that my project is based around walking meditation. I spend a lot of time wandering around in my various environments, getting a feel for what's around me. The idea of aimlessness is very appealing to me when it comes to making my images. I don't like having a set direction for where I'm going. I just start walking and see where I end up. I can't wait till I have a full day or a full weekend to be able to lose myself in a new place, wandering aimlessly. I feel like this will have a huge impact on my work and hopefully will help it grow. Today during the mid-crit I almost felt at a dead-end. I'm satisfied with my images but I feel like I need to go in a new direction, whether it's a completely different environment or a different method of working, or both. I'm excited to keep researching this philosopher and his various teachings.
Hanh, Thich Nhat. The Long Road Turns to Joy: a Guide to Walking Meditation. Berkeley, CA: Parallax, 1996. Print.
Zoe Beloff Question/Response
1. Why is it important that the viewer be able to interact with some of your installation pieces and films and not others?
2. How is your work that is psychically based related to your personal, autobiographical work? Do you even relate the two?
I was really excited to see Zoe Beloff speak yesterday. I already felt attracted to her work because it delves into the paranormal, psychological, and the unconscious mind. I became a bit disinterested when she was describing her current work. I thought her idea with the five dioramas was really interesting but when I saw the piece with the actors acting out the hysteria it just felt a bit ridiculous. Finally, in the end when she came out and said that everything was made up in her head and Albert Grass was actually "her" I reversed my decision. The idea that all of her work is made up is really interesting to me, especially the fact that many people don't know it's all fake. They might have an idea because a lot of her work is so fantastical but many just take her word for it and believe that the psychoanalytic society is real or that Albert Grass was a real person in the movement. The whole concept behind Beloff's work is manifesting the unconscious and probing what is real and unreal. She tries to create a dialogue with the past, filming scenes that occurred in the 19th century and using the same equipment or film that would have been used then. I really liked the exhibit at Coney Island. I think the diagrams and models for the Dreamland were really interesting. I also enjoyed the films for the Contemporary Psychoanalytic Society. Filming your dreams is another way of probing the distance between real and unreal. Sometimes our dreams can seem so realistic that when we wake up we have a hard time distinguishing what really happened and what didn't. Beloff was able to answer one of my questions in her lecture. I wondered how all of her work related to each other, not knowing that her work that was more based in the psychic world was completely fabricated by her and what she considered a part of herself. She stated that a lot of her work is biographical, just not in the literal sense. She and Albert Grass are the same person, therefore she able to project her views through him and through the rest of the project. Zoe Beloff's lecture was definitely one of my favorite lectures that I have seen at VCU.
2. How is your work that is psychically based related to your personal, autobiographical work? Do you even relate the two?
I was really excited to see Zoe Beloff speak yesterday. I already felt attracted to her work because it delves into the paranormal, psychological, and the unconscious mind. I became a bit disinterested when she was describing her current work. I thought her idea with the five dioramas was really interesting but when I saw the piece with the actors acting out the hysteria it just felt a bit ridiculous. Finally, in the end when she came out and said that everything was made up in her head and Albert Grass was actually "her" I reversed my decision. The idea that all of her work is made up is really interesting to me, especially the fact that many people don't know it's all fake. They might have an idea because a lot of her work is so fantastical but many just take her word for it and believe that the psychoanalytic society is real or that Albert Grass was a real person in the movement. The whole concept behind Beloff's work is manifesting the unconscious and probing what is real and unreal. She tries to create a dialogue with the past, filming scenes that occurred in the 19th century and using the same equipment or film that would have been used then. I really liked the exhibit at Coney Island. I think the diagrams and models for the Dreamland were really interesting. I also enjoyed the films for the Contemporary Psychoanalytic Society. Filming your dreams is another way of probing the distance between real and unreal. Sometimes our dreams can seem so realistic that when we wake up we have a hard time distinguishing what really happened and what didn't. Beloff was able to answer one of my questions in her lecture. I wondered how all of her work related to each other, not knowing that her work that was more based in the psychic world was completely fabricated by her and what she considered a part of herself. She stated that a lot of her work is biographical, just not in the literal sense. She and Albert Grass are the same person, therefore she able to project her views through him and through the rest of the project. Zoe Beloff's lecture was definitely one of my favorite lectures that I have seen at VCU.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Ned Kahn
Ned Kahn is an environmental artist and sculptor. His work usually involves "capturing an invisible aspect of nature and making it visible; examples include building facades that move in waves in response to wind; indoor tornadoes and vortices made of fog, steam, or fire; a transparent sphere containing water and sand which, when spun, erodes a beach-like ripple pattern into the sand surface" (wikipedia.org). He won a MacArthur Foundation genius grant fellowship in 2003 and the National Design Award for environmental design in 2005. Kahn currently lives and works in California. Kahn's work provides insight into contemporary society.
"On the one hand, he has a strong commitment to making projects that respond to their environment and to individual viewers. On the other hand, he seeks out natural complexity, and he knows intimately how natural turbulence can develop in technological systems" (http://www.nedkahn.com/biography.html).
Kahn is an artist I just happened to stumble upon in an artist's directory. His work is almost in the same vein as Andy Goldsworthy and also Chris Welsby. He uses nature to create these monumental sculptures. Nature works with his projects, much like Welsby's, where wind and other natural elements make the cameras move.
"In contrast to Turrell, Goldsworthy and Eliasson, however, Kahn harnesses kinetic, natural forces within formal, exhibition settings, and his works come to resemble interactive science experiments" (http://www.nedkahn.com/biography.html). In one of his projects, Slice of Wind, 10,000 metal discs move freely and reflect light as the wind passes through them. I enjoy the kinetic nature of Kahn's work. It's a lot like what I am doing now, where I just set my camera down and expose for long periods of time, letting nature do its thing. All I do is sit and capture it. I like the fact that all of his work is a scientific experiment. He makes these "experiments" yet they function as art so everyone can interact with them.
http://www.hohlwelt.com/en/interact/context/nedkahn.html
www.newlangtonarts.org
http://www.nedkahn.com/
"On the one hand, he has a strong commitment to making projects that respond to their environment and to individual viewers. On the other hand, he seeks out natural complexity, and he knows intimately how natural turbulence can develop in technological systems" (http://www.nedkahn.com/biography.html).
Kahn is an artist I just happened to stumble upon in an artist's directory. His work is almost in the same vein as Andy Goldsworthy and also Chris Welsby. He uses nature to create these monumental sculptures. Nature works with his projects, much like Welsby's, where wind and other natural elements make the cameras move.
"In contrast to Turrell, Goldsworthy and Eliasson, however, Kahn harnesses kinetic, natural forces within formal, exhibition settings, and his works come to resemble interactive science experiments" (http://www.nedkahn.com/biography.html). In one of his projects, Slice of Wind, 10,000 metal discs move freely and reflect light as the wind passes through them. I enjoy the kinetic nature of Kahn's work. It's a lot like what I am doing now, where I just set my camera down and expose for long periods of time, letting nature do its thing. All I do is sit and capture it. I like the fact that all of his work is a scientific experiment. He makes these "experiments" yet they function as art so everyone can interact with them.
http://www.hohlwelt.com/en/interact/context/nedkahn.html
www.newlangtonarts.org
http://www.nedkahn.com/
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Magic
"Magic takes place in a curious world of paradox. When seeing a clever magical trick, the delight is in the fact that we don’t know how it is done, that we can permit ourselves the sneaking suspicion, if only for a moment, that perhaps, at last, here is some real magic, that there are no hidden wires, no rigged props, no stooges in the audience, but what we are witnessing is one hundred percent, real, authentic magic. The pleasure is in the ambivalence. And the idea of real magic hovers just out of reach, claims to its existence almost impossible to counter, because it occupies a twilight realm of anecdote, rumour and endless tales about what a friend of a friend saw" (thinkbuddha.org).
There is a certain aspect of magic related to my work. You can see it in my meditations and in the images themselves. Sometimes when I look at my work I wonder how the image came to be. "Modern Western magicians generally state magic's primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth,[4] many seeing magic ritual purely in psychological terms as a powerful means of autosuggestion and of contacting the unconscious mind" (wikipedia.org). If magic is related to spiritual growth then an element of magic is definitely ingrained within my work. The act of meditating is a magical experience in an of itself. You get to be by yourself within your thoughts for an undisclosed period of time. The feeling is different for everyone but I know that every time I finish meditating I feel different and I see the world in a different light. I'm hoping that my images convey that sense of magic and mysticism.
Thorndike, Lynn (1923-1958) (8 volumes). A History of Magic and Experimental Science. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0231087942.
There is a certain aspect of magic related to my work. You can see it in my meditations and in the images themselves. Sometimes when I look at my work I wonder how the image came to be. "Modern Western magicians generally state magic's primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth,[4] many seeing magic ritual purely in psychological terms as a powerful means of autosuggestion and of contacting the unconscious mind" (wikipedia.org). If magic is related to spiritual growth then an element of magic is definitely ingrained within my work. The act of meditating is a magical experience in an of itself. You get to be by yourself within your thoughts for an undisclosed period of time. The feeling is different for everyone but I know that every time I finish meditating I feel different and I see the world in a different light. I'm hoping that my images convey that sense of magic and mysticism.
Thorndike, Lynn (1923-1958) (8 volumes). A History of Magic and Experimental Science. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0231087942.
Monday, October 18, 2010
James Turell
Born to Quaker parents, Turell was born in 1943 in Pasadena, California. His work mainly focuses on light and space. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1984. His work is represented by the Pace Gallery in New York. He received a B.A. degree in perceptual psychology from Pomona College and an M.A. degree in art from Claremont Graduate School, University of California. He is best known for his work in progress, Roden Crater. He is turning a natural cinder volcanic crater into a massive naked-eye observatory designed especially for viewing celestial phenomena. His other works "usually enclose the viewer in order to control their perception of light" (wikipedia.org).
"I feel my work is made for one being, one individual. You could say that's me, but that's not really true. It's for an idealized viewer. Sometimes I'm kind of cranky coming to see something. I saw the Mona Lisa when it was in L.A., saw it for 13 seconds and had to move on. But, you know, there's this slow-food movement right now. Maybe we could also have a slow-art movement, and take an hour" (wikipedia.org). While his work is mostly focused on light and space, it is still connected to nature. He's trying to get the viewers to connect to the space they are in and get in tune with that environment. Essentially that is what I'm doing, using photographs, sound, and film.
"Turrell's works defy the accelerated habits of people especially when looking at art. He feels that viewers spend so little time with the art that it makes it hard to appreciate" (wikipedia.org). I enjoy the fact that he is making art that forces the viewer to take time and actually pay attention and appreciate what they are looking at. We bypass so much beauty everyday because we are in such a hurry to live our daily lives.
http://thepacegallery.com/
http://conversations.org/story.php?sid=32
www.pbs.org/art21/artists/turrell/
"I feel my work is made for one being, one individual. You could say that's me, but that's not really true. It's for an idealized viewer. Sometimes I'm kind of cranky coming to see something. I saw the Mona Lisa when it was in L.A., saw it for 13 seconds and had to move on. But, you know, there's this slow-food movement right now. Maybe we could also have a slow-art movement, and take an hour" (wikipedia.org). While his work is mostly focused on light and space, it is still connected to nature. He's trying to get the viewers to connect to the space they are in and get in tune with that environment. Essentially that is what I'm doing, using photographs, sound, and film.
"Turrell's works defy the accelerated habits of people especially when looking at art. He feels that viewers spend so little time with the art that it makes it hard to appreciate" (wikipedia.org). I enjoy the fact that he is making art that forces the viewer to take time and actually pay attention and appreciate what they are looking at. We bypass so much beauty everyday because we are in such a hurry to live our daily lives.
http://thepacegallery.com/
http://conversations.org/story.php?sid=32
www.pbs.org/art21/artists/turrell/
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Meditation
Since I have started working on this series, meditation has become one of my top priorities. In the beginning, I never would have expected how much of an impact meditation would have on my life. It has become one of the main focuses in my body of work. A lot of the images depend on my meditating and connecting to the environments that I put myself in. Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, states that meditation is "the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life. For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey to discover your true nature, and so find the stability and confidence you will need to live, and die, well. Meditation is the road to enlightenment." Since starting this project, I fully believe in that statement. Putting myself out in nature, allowing myself quiet time to connect to the world around me has done me so much good. I think that's why I am able to capture the images I capture. I could just as easily employ the same methods of photography and capture images that look like crap without saying anything to the viewer when they look at them. I believe that letting myself go in the environment and learning how to appreciate my surroundings has made a big difference in the work I'm producing. Meditation "often involves invoking and cultivating a feeling or internal state" (wikipedia.org). When I am out photographing, I stop to meditate for awhile first. After a period of time I feel something within myself. Usually it's an overall calming feeling as well as a vast appreciation for everything around me. I see the world through new eyes and in a more positive light than ever before. It's this practice that is very beneficial to my work and to myself as a person in the long run.
Rinpoche, Sogyai, Patrick Gaffney, and Andrew Harvey. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. [San Francisco, Calif.]: Harper San Francisco, 1992. Print.
Rinpoche, Sogyai, Patrick Gaffney, and Andrew Harvey. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. [San Francisco, Calif.]: Harper San Francisco, 1992. Print.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Alexey Titarenko
Titarenko received his M.F.A. from the Department of Cinematic and Photographic Art at Leningrad's Institute of Culture in 1983. Since his work had no connection to Soviet propaganda, he wasn't able to publicly declare himself an artist until 1989 with his exhibition "Nomenclature of Signs". He was also the creator of Ligovka 99, a photographer's exhibition space that was independent of the Communist ideology. His photographic series from the 1990s have won him worldwide recognition.
"By shooting slow shutter speeds and multiple exposures he essentially stops time and reveals a mysterious, ethereal world that resides between the shadows" (Burnstine, Susan; Black and White Photography; p 20). Titarenko's images of crowds of people initially drew me to the work. His images with slow shutter speeds are absolutely beautiful. The way the subjects leave trails as they move while having their hands remain in focus is just incredible. Recently I have been doing some experimentation with slow shutter speeds. I set up my camera and then just turn the shutter on and let nature do the rest.
"[I]n the purest tradition of documentary photography, Titarenko plucks fragments from daily life with no staging whatsoever. But the use of long exposures and the subtlety of his black-and-white cameos endow the reality he confronts with a metaphysical dimension, timeless and introspective" (Bouruet-Aubertot, Veronique; Beaux Arts Magazine). I'm also interested in the idea of not staging anything. I am coming into this project from a documentary perspective. I want to capture nature or urban environments in all their glory and show their beauty. I want to show the things that we often ignore when we are walking to work in the morning or going to school.
http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/press/titarenko_shots.pdf
http://www.philamuseum.org/
http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/index.html
"By shooting slow shutter speeds and multiple exposures he essentially stops time and reveals a mysterious, ethereal world that resides between the shadows" (Burnstine, Susan; Black and White Photography; p 20). Titarenko's images of crowds of people initially drew me to the work. His images with slow shutter speeds are absolutely beautiful. The way the subjects leave trails as they move while having their hands remain in focus is just incredible. Recently I have been doing some experimentation with slow shutter speeds. I set up my camera and then just turn the shutter on and let nature do the rest.
"[I]n the purest tradition of documentary photography, Titarenko plucks fragments from daily life with no staging whatsoever. But the use of long exposures and the subtlety of his black-and-white cameos endow the reality he confronts with a metaphysical dimension, timeless and introspective" (Bouruet-Aubertot, Veronique; Beaux Arts Magazine). I'm also interested in the idea of not staging anything. I am coming into this project from a documentary perspective. I want to capture nature or urban environments in all their glory and show their beauty. I want to show the things that we often ignore when we are walking to work in the morning or going to school.
http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/press/titarenko_shots.pdf
http://www.philamuseum.org/
http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/index.html
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
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