Final Journal Presentation: When the COLOR is gone we are all the same

People are so different from one another because we come from different places...

But When The Color is Gone...

We are all the same...

So let's enjoy our differences and love our similarities!

 

 

Write Up:

I orchestrated to destroy cultural barriers at UT, and help us function better as a diverse community. The title of this project is Cultural Collage: When the Color is Gone, we are All the Same. I wanted to do a project that focuses on culture because it is something I am so intrigued by.

 

When I first began my journal, I knew that culture and diversity is what I wanted to explore. I started by photographing different cultural events, such as Holi, Africa Night, Chinese Yoga etc. Even though these were all beautiful and interesting, I did not feel as though my images had a message behind them. I then had two competing ideas: 1) I wanted to capture the colorful diversity of UT students by shooting them in clothing that represented their heritage or 2) Find a way to focus on the similarities of students of different ethnic backgrounds instead of the differences, by doing a photo shoot in black & white. What I came up with is a mix of the two concept, that would feature a series of collages.

 

            I selected students from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds do be a part of my project. I photographed students from India, Panama, Russia, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, America, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and several others. In the first half, I highlighted the beauty and differences of everyone’s background by having them dress up in semi-traditional clothing, and capturing the variety of their colorful heritage through different locations around campus. In the second half, I removed all color and clothing, and showed how as humans we all express the same emotions and have similar interactions. Though I photographed one person at a time, the way they are placed within the frames makes it look as though they are interacting with each other. Through this project, I hoped to inspire others to learn and appreciate other cultures for their differences, but also their similarities. I do not see people in black and white, but because I understand the similarities in black and white I can love their many colors.



Final Group Project

Synopsis:

Our project took the form of a rap music video featuring a man who lost his girlfriend. He is reminded of her when he sees a sandwich that looked like the ones she used for make him. While the sandwich symbolizes love, it also brings forth feelings of hate and anguish, which are expressed throughout the man’s music video rant.

Notice What you Notice- Within the video is embedded a variety of whimsical creatures. During several of the scenes, all of the elements of a typical rap video will be featured, but in the background there is often something out of place. This includes: a guy with bunny ears, two dancers dressed in imaginary costumes, and several unusual features within his flashback memories.

Catalogue:

Art of Seeing – these elements are found throughout the video and are in the form of typical things one would see in a rap music video, such as a “hype man”, women dancing inappropriately, improperly worn clothing, as well as certain locational filming paralleling that of rap music videos.

Point of View- the point of view facet was emphasized through the means of filming and editing. There are no lyrics to the song, or words spoken in the video, and the film is in black and white. This was done in order to try and mimic old silent films, but still having a modern twist.

Metaphor- the metaphor within the video is the music society’s change in taste and how music today has become about objectifying women, and forming lyrics that most of the time don’t even make sense. By having an instrumental playing, but no lyrics heard despite the man’s lips moving, as well as women dancing on tables, we communicated that most music today, specifically rap, has just become nonsense. Further, there is also a metaphorical relationship between the music video and the rapper’s lost relationship. He uses the video to convey his painful recollections of the girl he used to love, and at the end it catches up with him when she reappears and crushes his heart once again.

Double-Entendre- The peanut butter and jelly sandwich itself serves as a double entendre. It is a physical sandwich that he carries through the video, but the same time it is also a physical embodiment of his relationship. When it is stepped on at the end of the video, the sandwich is physically destroyed, and the relationship is also symbolically demolished.

Life and Death- The life and death within the film begin with the sandwich being made, which as mentioned symbolizes the past relationship. The man carries the sandwich throughout the entire film as he reminisces about his lost love and of all the great times they had together. But at the end it is snatched from him and destroyed, which symbolizes the ultimate end, or death, of their relationship and the time for him to move onwards.

Multiple Frames- the multiple frames, while not pictures, are the events occurring throughout the video. We are telling a story by having the man notice something that reminds him of past memories and love, then having him rant about it and how much he misses the good and bad, and finally we take that from him to symbolize the time for him to let go and move on.

Framing the Image- the sandwich is present throughout the entire video and is carried by the man who sees it as a reminded of the past.  The video begins with the sandwich being made, and ends with it being destroyed.

Symbol- the sandwich represents love and past memories.

Sound/Audio- the project was done via a video camera and then edited with sound, placing music allows the video to flow like a typical rap video, except he conveys his feelings through physical expressions instead of words.

VIDEO LINK: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6NdEEpxA-N8djVoQm1kMmtaZEU/edit

Write Up:

I was very honored to have worked with such a dedicated group. Everyone put in a tremendous amount of effort and creativity into making this project come to life. Olivia did a fabulous job working through the concept. Damian was very helpful with the creative aspects of the project, as well as helping us figure out the locations of each scene. Ricky did a great writing the script, and staring in our film. Alix did an awesome job of editing our piece.

Kwibuka 20 Years: Remember, Unite, Renew.

1000,000 not forgotten...

number project steps

Claire Sherwood

1. What is loosening on "The Winding that Loosens"?
2. Do you prefer to create objects or work with film?
3. What is your favorite material to work with?
4. What education did you receive?
5. What inspires you?

Observation:

1. Inspiration from food
2. likes to work with different angles
3. very attentive to shading 
4. work with both film and still imagery
5. different for constructing statues 

How to ease stage fright: Performer's perspective

Jason Hackett: 5 & 5

Observations:

• simplistic sophistication
• places emphasis on the placing of the objects within the frames
• plays with proportions 
• Many objects used have an antique look antique look
• colors are muted, with a variety of patterns within them  

Questions:

1. How do you get your art into so many different galleries?
2. Why did you focus on the painted plates? 
3. Do you get inspiration from other artists when you attend exhibitions?
4. How has doing services at a variety of institutions influenced your craft?
5. Seeing as you have a B.S., have you always intended to become an artist?