An Unnamed Need for Beauty

Angus hard at work!

Friday night's gallery opening was a welcome sight for eyes that deal with all things beauty on the daily. Professor Tilghman encouraged us to look at the details of the beautiful collections, with an emphasis on texture and surface. As an artist, texture is one of my favorite components of a piece, regardless of the artist's choice of medium. I feel that if an artist is able to manipulate and incorporate texture in a new and exciting manner, I'm a happy and satisfied attendee! Ability to manipulate texture and create something new has always been of high interest to me, and I definitely was able to experience something truly breathtaking at the show with the insanely perfect arrangement of insects that we were met with upon entrance of the space.

I was immediately intrigued and stunned by the sheer beauty of Jennifer Angus' installation of wallpaper patterned insects. In her artist statement, she states that she hopes top take the adult viewer back to the magic pull that insects had on us as children. Although I never really bought into the magic of insects as a kid, obviously opting for Barbie and Ken dolls instead, as an adult I undeniably felt the magic of her use of color, texture, and pattern. I have to say that Angus was successful with her mission because I walked into the front room and immediately had an ear-to-ear smile plastered onto my face. After getting over the initial shock/fascination of her masterful patterned arrangement, one can truly dig into the beauty of what Angus has set forth before us.

Don't they look like they're sleeping so nicely?

Beyoncé and the Maurizio Cattelan Experience

But of course you knew that.

I chose Maurizio Cattelan for my final project because I've always had an interest in him ever since I learned about him in the fall of 2013 in my sculpture class.  Partly because of his silver fox status, but mostly for his critical, ironic, and satirical portrayal of society through his sculptures.

But really, isn't he a babe?!

I chose to confuse my presentation audience with a reading of Beyoncé's biography and a series of images of her from my own personal collection, much like Cattelan's own personal style of interviewing.   He’s known for having ridiculous interviews where he actually sends in people for him that are prepared with absurd, evasive answers and non-sensical explanations that never directly answer the interviewer’s questions.  What a beautiful way to conduct an interview.  You’re able to evade this random ass stranger that’s wants to interrogate you and ask you all sorts of invasive questions about your life and what it all means and you just say "NOPE I’m not doing this.. here.. have an impostor instead. Thank you!"

What a beautiful art piece in and of itself.  I think it speaks to the artificiality of interviews and the wall that is created between the interview taking place and the audience intent on learning more about their favorite celebrity.  During an interview, we, as the audience, are trusting that the interviewee is being honest and trustworthy about what’s taking place in front of the cameras and microphones, but we have no idea.  We have no idea who’s coaching them, who’s feeding them the answers from the void, but Maurizio is letting you in on the sham.  He’s telling you exactly what’s going on.  And he’s being honest about it.  Isn’t he great?

Cosmogony 2.0 | A Carol Emmons Intergalactic Art Exploration

"Where do we come from?"

A question I'm sure we've all pondered and entertained at some point in our lifetime and one that will probably run through our mind at some point again while trying to go to bed.

"Hmm.. I wonder like where we come from.. is my mascara running?"

As light-hearted and cheerful as I try to be, I definitely have had my share of "existential" moments where I've endlessly let my mind run through the endless possibilities of how we as a human race have come into existence and where our future is headed.  For me, Carol Emmons was able to capture the sentiment of one of my bouts of existential pondering.  When I walked into the room, my eyes immediately started scanning the text spanning the entirety of the Kohler Gallery.  Being an installation artist, I feel that Carol successfully transformed the space into a zen-like meditation and reflection zone where one could contemplate not only the art pieces that Carol offered us, but also our own relationship to the individual and communal worlds that we experience every day.

I was particularly drawn to the idea of combining elements from various creation stories from around the globe.  Stemming from my childhood experiences with religion, I've always struggled with the Christian mentality of "we're right and everyone else is wrong" where it concerns stories of our earth's creation.  It made me extremely happy to see an artist being inclusive of all cosmogenic theories, not only the one King James wanted us to hear about.  

Thank you for an exceptional installation, Carol Emmons!

Overload | Escape from Hoarders

As part of my digital processes class, I was tasked with expanding my Flickr Overload photo set into a photo book.  I pieced my photos together in a style that tried to remain true to the Flickr set.   It's hard for me to say if the narrative had more of a say in the process of placing the photos, or if the consumerism had more of a voice.  Maybe they were both equally heard. Who knows…

I wanted the viewer to simultaneously experience my everyday routine that I go through when it comes to beauty and to also be gradually overwhelmed by all of the brand names and logos that I tried to portray through the photos.  The photos that are spread over two pages at the end are photos that I felt drawn to aesthetically.  After all, someone(s) did sit at a desk and design these products for us!

Some lovely design humor, poor guy/gal

As a result of this process, I realize I've seemingly become blind to my own consumerism that I'm totally giving in to.  But at the same time, it's my job as a makeup artist to be familiar with new products and current trends in the fashion/beauty industries.  How do I find a healthy balance between these two problems?  Is there a healthy balance? Is it worth looking into?  Should I start looking into contacting an space organization specialist?  So many questions, so little time.

You can view the photo book here on the Mixbook website or watch the cute little slideshow below.  (If you watch it below, you won't be able to get the full effect of the photo spreads.)  I wanted the theme of the book to remain relatively simple with the emphasis on being this sensation of being overwhelmed as a viewer.  I tried to listen to my intuition, as suggested by Sandy Dyas, to puzzle my narrative together with some semblance of a flow.  Hopefully my intuition was right.

I hope you enjoy :)

| Start your own Photo Books | Create custom Christmas Cards

Smoking Causes Film Ideas: An Experimental Film

When presented with the prompt for the experimental film project, I was initially worried because of my inexperience with this type of media.  Or any kind of media project for that matter.

"We thought it was one of those new fancy candle warmers! Oops!"

However, I was not ready to give up solely based on my inexperience with Final Cut Pro!  Armed with a Sony Nex-5 camera and our somewhat trusty friend Google, of course, Zain and I set out to explore the space created when smokers need their separation from the anxieties of the 21^st century life.  What is the 21^st century life like, you ask? Just watch and listen to this.  If you’re not convinced, it’s sung by a cute Australian guy, Sam Sparro.

Mr. Sam Sparro

The song shares some of the sentiments expressed in “The Medium is the Massage.”  Sparro sings about having “21,000 things [he] has to do today,” which I believe can be related to the constant buzzing of iPhones, Twitter, Facebook, etc., that many first world country citizens can relate to.  McLuhan suggests that we have been deceived by this constant technological buzz into believing that we’re somehow being soothed and satisfied by the connection between our thumbs and the Internet, when in reality, we’ve merely been conditioned to be anxious for the latest status update or CNN headline.  “Smoking Creates Film Ideas” examines the zone of silence and solitude that smokers enter when they flick the lighter, exhale, and allow their minds to wander without a screen in front of their face.  Even in sub-zero temperatures. 

We hope you enjoy our experimental short film. :)

Sandy Dyas: A Glimpse into a Midwestern Collage

Advertisement for her lecture & exhibition opening @ LU

I initially met Sandy Dyas in our Digital Processes class and was struck by her spunky and upbeat attitude.  I am grateful for the chance to meet her beforehand, as her attitude and personality greatly informed and enhanced her exhibition “my eyes are not shut.”  We were told to seek out the connections to space and time that Sandy was constructing in the gallery space. 

I was lucky enough to have the chance of seeing her exhibition before the official gallery opening and was blown away by her ability to transport me into the world of Midwestern life the photographs offered.  Initially, I was put off and confused by her collage-inspired presentation of photographs, but I grew to understand and appreciate the motives behind her decision to do so.  The grouping of photos allows the viewer to explore the subtle nuances captured in individual photos, then start to relate them to the others that have been strategically placed around it. Sandy spoke of working through a certain awkwardness in her photos in the lecture, and while this may or may not have been that awkwardness, I do believe that her method of collaging offers a solution to an awkwardness that I personally deal with when viewing photos in a gallery setting. 

I understand that placing photographs individually gives the photograph the space and individuality the piece deserves, but I often struggle with the process of piecing together the narrative, if there is one.  Sandy’s process not only allows the viewer to have a more informed idea of her narrative, but it breathes a new life into the way that the viewer is able to generate new meaning and connections from existing ones.  

If you're interested in hearing Sandy talk more about her work, inspiration, method of working, etc., check out "six white horses" on her Vimeo account which you can check out here.

Sandy Dyas was certainly a refreshing visiting artist to grace the walls of Wriston’s Kohler Gallery.  Her spirit and passion for art is something I won’t forget!  The integrity and confidence instilled in her photographs are traits I hope to exude in my own artwork with time and practice. Thank you, Sandy!

The photographer in her natural habitat.