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?

World Record: Chemistry Student Spits Out 67,890 Digits of Pi from memory!

Bar Code Art: College is a Business

Time Rod: 5 Questions/5 Observations

Observations

• Majority of the Images or Black & White
• in Family Construction, there is a romantic tension between the two teenagers, as depicted by the shadows they cast 
• The games of antiquities and Family construction both appear to be taken in a warehouse of some sort, where there was a variety of building materials that were used as props (actually most of the albums)
•  In Games of Antiquities, there was a reenactment of the Ancient Roman era 
• He uses a lot of drawings/paintings in the background to make it appear as though additional characters/shadows are present 

Questions 

• Are the people in the photos your family? 
• What was your inspiration behind the scenes you recreated?
• What was the significance of the undertones in The Watermill?
• Why are most of the images in black & white? 
• How did you come up with the titles of your projects 

Pre-Zombie Apocalypse

           
In this photo, there is a wide selection of everyday goods that are commonly found in a grocery store. From first glance, the image is very overwhelming. There is a multitude of colors and the objects are so congested that it seems very chaotic. However, as a closer look is taken, everything begins to appear very organized. Each item is color coordinated, and grouped by type and brand. It appears to be at a grocery store, such as a Wal Mart grocery. It looks as if everything is undisturbed, or freshly stocked, like how a store would look in the morning after it opens. After this photograph was taken, we assume that these organized shelves got picked over as more and more customers came through it.  Overall the way this store is set up is all about convincing consumers on buying the best most colorful items. The store is marginalizing consumers as a whole by thinking that the customers will be persuaded by these enticing labels and colors. Also by placing sales tags the vendor things the items may seem more desirable. It further depicts the materialistic aspects of society through the overabundance of options for the same products. When looking at the soda aisle (the one in the very back towards the top of the image), we see that the same item in different flavors and brands takes up the entire length of the photo. We are crowded with options, all many variations of the same exact thing. 

life and death: plastic as the biggest predator

Color Assignment

The Perfect Color...

This is my favorite color. It is beautiful...it is special. When I see it, I feel joy. It is creative, it brings me bliss. Some may see it, and only think of the color blue. Like a variation of a familiar primary color that has been done and remade so many times. But when I see it, I think of LIFE! The ocean, warm waves. I think of the sky, and childhood, as you lay upon your back and gaze at the clouds. It is not alone, it has many relatives that are all equally amazing. Turquoise, teal, seafoam, aqua. It's not about the label, it is about the emotions it evoke. The sparkle in blue topaz jewels, the tint of a new born baby's eye. Where ever you see  it, whenever you encounter it, all that matters is what you feel inside! 

Three Frames

The Artist's Struggle

Circle, Triangle, Square

What you see...

What I see...

Squares

BOLD

conflicted 

incrEASE

S T R E S S

Whimsical

Notice What You Notice

50 Observations about my Toothbrush

1.     It has 3 different shades of blue
2.     It is predominately white
3.     The white areas have a pear finish

4.     Its Colgate

5.      It’s has a numbered code above the thumb grip

6.     The bristle are different lengths

7.     The 3 circles on the toothbrush

8.     The 3 circles in the middle of the bristles are identical to the 3 circles on the 3 circles on the back of the toothbrush

9.     The dark blue bristles have white zig-zag stripes, similar to chevron print

10. The second shade of blue is closer to seafoam green. I have suede shoes the same color.

11.  Thee top bristles are chiseled

12. There are 8 lines on the back handle

13.   There are 6 different textures on the object

14. There is an interesting pattern at the tip (end) of the toothbrush, like the surface a frog’s skin

15. The Colgate letters are written in a metallic silver paint

16. The letters “a-t-e-“ are the only letters that are perfect

17. All of the other letters are slightly faded   

18. The code printed on the front of the brush is 3-dimmensional, so they must have stamped it as the plastic was cooling

19. It is the same length as my tv remote

20.  There 5 segments to it

21. There are 205 dots on the tongue scraper

22.  There are 3 different lengths of rubber on the tongue scrapper

23. The thumb grip on the front is slightly larger than the one on the back, though they are symmetrical

24. It is 1 ½ lengths of my forearm

25. It smells like mint and rubber

26.  The number “15” is printed right beneath the bristles

27. The bristles feel rougher on the palm of my hands then they do on the back of my hands

28. The 3^rd shade of blue is translucent

29. There are lines on the toothbrush, and light can pass through

30. The outline of the bristles look like a mountain range

31. There are 3 different shades of white

32. There are 57 dots on the front thumb grip, and 47 on the back

33. The middle circle is the same size of a green pea

34. Its curvature mimics the angles of a car seat  

35. Nice contrast between the multiple shades blue and white

36. Does not float

37. Letters are slightly faded

38. The center has 3 different styles of chiseled bristle

39. Weighs the same amount as my lanyard

40. Does not lay flat

41. 195mm long

42. Goes from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger

43. Has longer bristles at the top than it does at the bottom

44. Has a very skinny neck

45. Has the relative figure of a coke bottle

46. Has a flexible neck, but rigid body

47. Does not twist

48. Neck bends forward, but not backwards

49. The blue on the grips is the same color as the blue in a Windex bottle

50. If dropped on a wooden surface, it bounces one time before falling on its side