Project 1 [Documentation]

Project 1 Video Still
A dainty spray of perfume for the potential customer










Project 1 Photo Still
"Mmm, mm, mm..mm, mm m!"

Project 1 Image: Kieth, Iber, Matt

This is our image for Project 1. It captures Iber on the screen and Matt to the right overseeing the sales presentation.

Project 1 afterthoughts

Our performance would have been ten times better if we were able to do it in the case as we had originally planned so that the audio wouldn't seem as weird that it didn't match the words of the video which would have been inside the case as well

The audience was well placed since it was a pretty straight forward piece as far as the audience was concerned.

The sound would have been great if like I said it were projected separate from the video, but since they were in the same room it gave the viewer an uneasy feeling which may have worked in it's own weird way.

Project 1 - Photo Documentation (Emma, Jeff, Andrew)

Project 1
Image: Emma and Jeff

Blog Performance Proposal

My performance blog will be a project incorporating graffiti stenciling into it in some way. I want to create a stencil that allows me to graffiti a place that is visible and not hard to see in plain view. The point is to create graffiti in a location that will cause some kind of conflict and to see how long it takes for someone to act on it. Whether the action it is to destroy the art or to add onto it the project progresses in some way. The progress of each piece will be documented every few days on the blog.

Project 4 Proposal

I have been cultivating a couple ideas for the blog project. I want to show growth over time as a result. I have chosen to chart myself and that of a bamboo plant twice a week. I will include both pictures of the plants growth and my physique along with measurements of consumption and a running journal that describes the influences on each of us that week.

Project 4 Proposal

For my blog project (Project 4), I want to create a blog that discusses the current trends/ music of the time. I would pick a song (that is popular on the charts) 2-3 times a week, and describe it by using color, images, and words. Through this, I could describe the meaning of the song, how it made me feel, emotionally, and any other aspect. Furthermore, if I hear the song on the radio or anywhere, I could take a picture of my surroundings or those surrounding me. It would also be interesting to see whether or not the song charts change from week to week, and also see what genre of music is most popular.

Project One Assesment

1.What spatial changes would you make when performing your performance again?
I think one of the biggest spatial changes I would make when performing the performance again would be the space we were standing in. Rather than stand alongside the projector screen I would like to have the entire group placed inside the actual gallery glass cases. This way, we would appear as though we were actually on display for the crowd to see. Being inside the case would have given each of us our own little space and thus allowing the viewer to understand our different roles more easily.

2. How would you change the placement of the audience in your performance?
I would change the placement of the audience so that they interacted a bit more with the performance. Instead of having them just observe in a crowd, I would have them view the performance in chronological order. Thus, they could view the performance in the order that the product would be created. So, they would start with the engineer, move on to the sales man, then to the customer, and lastly to the commercial. This way they could experience the creation of a product from beginning to end.

3. How would you reconsider the use of sound in your work?
I would change the use of sound so that instead of playing the audio track from the iDeck, we would have it playing from large speakers surrounding the audience. Using these speakers would allow the audience to hear the audio better and at a louder volume.

Project 4 Proposal

For project 4, my idea is based on the mood ring. I would wear a mood ring for a certain amount of time. Every day at a set time or at least 3 times a week, I would check the color and see if it matches my mood. If I feel like the ring is accurate then I will take a picture of it on my finger and try to somehow create a design that would execute the emotion using images and words. Or maybe take a picture of someone else or an event that I feel portrays that emotion. I am still trying to develop the idea a little more.

Performance Project Assessment

1) I feel that our performance would have been more successful if the projection was in now way on a large enough scale. The streetlights would have been more effective if they were much larger than our bodies on the projection. A room with a very large white wall with less clutter would have been more suitable.

2) I would have rather had the audience in more of a theater setup. The view of the performance was definitely best from directly in front. This being the case we need to have the audience positioned directly in front of the performance in standard seating.

3) I am completely content with our use of sound. The sound clip of rain that we used fit the feel of the performance perfectly. It had a sort of mechanical quality that reemphasized the message of the performance. The mysterious quality of the lack of voice was exactly what we were going for.

Project Four Proposal

For my blog project, I was thinking of making a blog that discusses the common, trivial and embarrassing moments that happen in life and addresses the self-consciousness of a person. I'll make a list of them and 2-3 times a week, I'll perform one of them in a public space. I'll ask someone to document it through pictures and the post them on the blog. The thing is, I don't know if I should make these incidents realistic and make people feel uncomfortable and embarrassed for me, or if I should parade around doing something embarrassing clearly acknowledging it. Some examples of trivial things that seem to bother people: Umbrellas flipping inside-out during windy weather. A dab of food smeared on the face. Something stuck in the teeth. Toilet paper trailing from the shoe. Etc.

I. I think I would want the projector out of the way instead of in the middle of the room. Maybe projecting from the ceiling, or something. Other than that, I think the installation was a good size for the number of people that was viewing it. I would also want the room to be completely black or white without any of the clutter.

II. I like the idea of squeezing in some couches or comfortable armchairs for the audience to sit in to get the feeling of sitting back, lounging around and watching TV -- that sort of thing. Otherwise, I thought the placement of the audience was fine.

III. I think the use of sound in our project was effective, but I realized that they all have a similar and consistent rhythm. I would consider re-recording with more variation in speed in the voices.

Performance vs. Photography

While reading this article, it seemed relatively comparative to the last blog I posted talking about "performing the moment." In fact, the artist I talked about in that post had been stated once more in this new article. (Chris Burden) All these accusations against the camera capturing the action of a happening all come down to one point, the viewers reaction. Isn't that what an artist is aiming for anyways? He wants to achieve a certain revelation from his viewer or explore the reaction he receives from them during their happening.
While sure, I COMPLETELY agree that looking at documentation of a happening is nowhere near the same as the impact that viewing one in person would be, however that is not to say that their is no impact. In order to explore this idea, I went to do a little experiment of my own, since we were required to review one of the artists anyways, I searched for Stelarc's meat hook experiment. The result is probably the same as the one I would have if I was viewing the action in person, I really want to vomit. However it is quite possible that if I was there in person witnessing him hanging by hooks piercing his skin I might just have vomited because I can't stand the site of body mutilation. While looking through Stelarc's "official" website, it seemed that most of his experiments were designed to test the body and its capabilities. I'm not sure if this means he was able to hang himself comfortably but to be able to hang in a cross-legged position doesn't seem like it should be all too stressful.
All this argument brings up is more questions about photography versus live performance. Does the existence of a camera ACTUALLY influence the viewers perception of whats going on in front of them? What if they don't know the cameras there? Does the artist have to repeat the performance in order to show it to more viewers? If so, is it still achieving the same effect the second time around? If pictures don't do justice to the performance, what is to be said about the reaction it does create for its viewers? I feel as if the existence of photography needs to just be accepted however acknowledged that it is not and will never be the same as viewing something in real life. Just as movies are different from plays and reality, there all have different ways of achieving the reactions they desire.

The T is for The

For the blog project, I was thinking of taking something that was significant that happened in the day and illustrate it on the blog everyday. I think it would be interesting because it doesn't have to be funny and lots of interesting things can happen in a day. I'd figured it would be interesting for people outside of our class to read and comment on the blog too so I could get some feedback or interesting thoughts.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the external linking because what would I put up relating to something that randomly happens in the day?

Project 4 proposal: Playwithyourfood.

As I was taking pictures for project 2 I came up with my idea for project 4.
In coming up with a method for taking pictures, I found myself gravitating towards taking photos of items I consume on a daily basis. Over the course of the next week, I'm not allowed to eat, drink or generally consume anything without photographing it first.

Well...
While in a rush between work and school, I found myself precariously trying to photograph my Wendy's double cheeseburger much to the confusion of a neighboring car. I made it do an apologetic little dance and thought "jeeze. I really need to be carted off to the loony bin sometime soon." BUT- it did get me thinking that I could create a livejournal community called "play with your food."

In this community, I could post regular photographs of food that I played with and created into some kind of "food art." (for example: Mondrian inspired fruit roll-ups.) I would then ask other members of the community to post similar photos and to share if their work has any meaning/influences/implications. It essentially would be a food art gallery with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor (hopefully) :)
The best part would be if participants would approach it with any sense of seriousness - which I will promote by playing moderator and critiquing their work as well as my own.

Revisions for Project 1 (by Kerrin)

As Brandon mentioned, the concept of our project was difficult to get across in the space we had to work with. If I were able to make any changes without regard to money or resources, there are several things I would consider.

The use of sound would be effective, but I think it would have to be very specific to the visual stimulus provided. If this were to be a piece that included sound, I personally would deem it appropriate to drastically alter the setup and perhaps the overall intention of the project. For example: if I had a large, rectangular room as a working space, it would be great to play with the idea of using not one, but several video installations. The walls could be white and in order to represent the many religions being addressed, I would like no less than 6 televisions: 3 set into each length-wise wall. Each television could represent one of the world’s largest religions: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and perhaps Atheism/Secularism as the 6th installment. Visual representations of these beliefs could cycle through their respective television and headphones could be installed directly next to each one.

There would be 6 corresponding “soundtracks”- snippets of mantras, prayers, verses and speeches – that would go along with each individual video installation.
So theoretically, if I went to the television displaying Buddhist imagery and donned the headphones, I would hear the meditative chanting of Buddhist monks while watching the movie/slideshow.

Meanwhile, to maintain the aspect of having the audience becoming part of the performance, it would be ideal to have 6 different projectors. They could be attached to the ceiling and directed at the installation on the opposite wall, projecting “BUDDHIST” onto the person viewing/listening to the Buddhist installation. This would apply to all 6 “stations”.

In this manner, the viewer who is experiencing the religion by viewing the imagery and listening to the corresponding sound- they would be “labeled” by the projector as having subscribed to that particular religion. Passers-by who walk though would see the installations and then the labeled participants.

A little complex- but I think it would be neat 

Insofar as the unifying light goes, I would like to have one spot light in the center of the ceiling projecting downwards to a circular chase lounge that would invite viewers to sit. The rest of the room should be dark and illuminated only by the installations and the peripheral shed of the spot light. If an overarching sound throughout the entire room would make it more effective, I would suggest a vague humming or chant that can’t be identified as belonging to any one particular set of beliefs. If Atheism/Secularism is introduced as one of the installations, then the “light” would represent the idea of belief, mystery and answer-seeking rather than just meaning “god” or “godliness.”

Project 1 -Assessment

1. What spatial changes would you make when performing your performance again?
If I were going to make spacial changes for this performance I would try to attain a bigger room. I didn't anticipate how crowded the room would be with all of the tables and equipment. I would try to set up the project in a room without the tables and equipment surrounding the audience. I think it would have been more effective it the only thing in the room was the white-board.

2. How would you change the placement of the audience in your performance?
If I were to change the placement of the audience members I would probably spread them out more. A majority of the viewers were sitting on one side of the projection because there wasn't enough room on the other. I think it would also be interesting if the viewers could not see where the projection was coming from. If we had a bigger room, we could almost hide the projector and have the audience spread out more around the board and projection. I also would try to somehow get the viewers to take a step back and observe what was occurring between them.

3. How would you reconsider the use of sound in your work?
I think that our original idea for sound was really innovative, however it did not work as well as we had hoped. Unfortunately, the wireless mic was too bulky to attach to the dry-erase markers. I think if we could have had the sound of the marker and eraser project throughout the room it would have made a difference. The audience would have been more aware of their use of the markers.

Project 1 Assessment

1. I think the performance could be better if the projection was larger because then there would have been space between the two performers and the light would have been able to cover their entire body. Of course that would mean that we would need a nice clean white wall or a larger projection screen for that to happen.

2. When we were coming up with our concept, we were thinking the audience would be seated like a theater so by watching our performance, they felt like they were watching a movie or television show.

3.If we had our third person, one of us would have been making the noise of a water bottle being filled so the audience would automatically associate the sound with the action. That way, the bottle seller would not look so awkward holding an empty water bottle to the sky.

Camera/Action

"Performance art and photography are radically different mediums, but both define a non-ordinary space by imposing parameters on it — a space that depends on the viewer to make it come alive."

Traditional performance from a conceptual point of view has a lot to do with immediacy and the view of an action in the present moment. Some artist's take this credo and with it denounce the authenticity of the camera as it relates to the documentation of a performance. Artists like Allan Kaprow were outspoken about their unfavorable opinion of the photograph in art as they thought it took away from the beauty and concept behind the live performance. These antagonists did not like how the camera forced parameters on a performance or action by its frame and capturing of only one moment to describe and entire work.
This school of thought was challenged however by the 60's and 70's when artists began to rely on film to document their work and spread their ideas to larger audiences. The question then asked why film was not significant, when art came after the experience in the first place. The camera gained credibility as it started being used as a part of the performance by artists such as Ma Liuming and Marina Abromovic. Tehching Hsieh used the camera as evidence of his extreme works of endurance which often counted on documentation to prove his work credible.
I think that the use of the camera is at the artists discretion. I believe it can be an awesome medium, but it can also distort the work. Use of the camera should be specific and well thought out but never taken out of context.
This link will take you to a site where the camera is used for documentation and actually frames graffiti as art.
http://www.picturesofwalls.com/

Performance Project Assesment

1. With regards to space, I know exactly what I would have changed. We had initially intended to perform in "The Case" in Holman in which each performer would get a separate window as their space and would play the role of a live mannequin. This would also display the transitions of the product as it developed. It would have given a different effect to view the live performance from a point of separation and also draw attention to the TV commercial that parallels this idea.
2. The placement of the audience would have stayed the same but the interaction would have been totally different. The audience might be more willing to approach the performance with the glass barrier in between as they did not interact very much when the performance was right in front of them.
3. I would not reconsider the use of sound because I feel it was one of our strongest attributes. The fact that the audio and the commercial were sending the same message at the same time but out of sync, really added a new layer to the performance as there were multiple forms of media and expression that added an appropriate level of confusion among the audience.

performance assessment

Space: The space we had was a little bit cramped. If the projector did not have to be so close to the white board, and the teathered tables werent in the way, it would have been perfect. Also, if we used two projectors, each with the same picture, perhapse the audience could have split up and not got in eachothers way as much (not that they were in eachothers way).

Audience: The audience had enough seats even though they weren't sitting for very long, but I would have liked, if we had the space, for them to have been sitting on either side of the projector, rather than being all bunched up on one side.

Sound: I think that if we could have used the wirless mikes, and if we could have had small ones that could be taped to a few markers, that the sound would have been perfect. We wanted the only sound to be the markers and erasers, but without amplifiers, it wasn't as prominent. The chatter of the audience at work seemed like a good thing to me and i think it made up for not having the mikes.

project 4 proposal

My proposal is that two to four times a week, i will choose a current event article and design a logo for it. This will be somewhat akward since logos are for companies, sports teams, tv stations, events and the like, but i will make it work. for example, one ive already done: the current event was about Kosovo being recognized by the united states - i designed basically a clothing style logo "Kosovo, since feb. 22, 2008" and i created a flag for it.
By the way, i noticed on the examples just now that some one also named jeff had an almost identical idea, but he drew his events instead...since ive already spent hours making logos, i've decided to stick with my idea. (He stole my favorite number too).