project variation!!!

Mike & Bri's Pickle Delivery!

My recent inspirations

Alexa Meade- website and flickr

Richard Baker- interview

Manifesto

I agree with Nicholas Bourriaud’s definition of art in the realm of Relational Aesthetics.

1. General term describing a set of objects presented as part of a narative known as art history. This narrative draws up the critical geneology and discusses the issues raised by these objects, by way of three sub-sets: painting, sculpture, architecture.

2. Art is an activity consisting in producing relationships with the world with the help of signs, forms, actions and objects.

To get more specific, I would like to examine art in reference to the domain of exchanges:

An interstice is a space in social relations which, although it fits more or less harmoniously and openly into the overall system, suggests possibilities for exchanges other than those that prevail within the system. Depending on the degree of audience participation demanded, the nature of my artwork that is represented or suggested, an exhibition can generate a particular ‘domain of exchanges’ on the basis of aesthetic criteria, or in other words by analyzing the coherence of its form, and then the symbolic value of the world it offers us or the image of human relations that it reflects.

I believe that art does not transcend our day to day preoccupations; it brings us face to face with reality through the singularity of a relationship with the world, through a fiction.

In Creating Democracy with Kryzysztof Wodiczko, I felt particularly drawn to the idea of the fearless speaker. I feel it is a necessary state of mind in order to be a successful female artist. Truth and honesty is oftentimes difficult to articulate since oftentimes the truth is painful or unwanted. I will work to be a fearless speaker and remain honest and truthful to myself and my audience in order to establish and maintain a flow of trust.

In terms of relational aesthetics, I would like to establish recognition that we are strangers who recognize and accept the strangeness of each one of us. Once established as a fearless speaker, we can use and trust eachother. And once we trust, we can begin to play.

I believe that art is empowering. It will not retaliate, and it can be used in multiple ways.

I believe that the world needs artists to accept multiple roles and visions. Not only an artistic artist, but a life-artist, one who manifests art in everyday life and through multiple physical and emotional senses and situations.

I am fascinated with the unknown. The ambiguous. I feel at times that the people and things in our life that ignite feelings we are unable to articulate are the things we are most drawn to. It is to the unknown that one yields most impulsively; it is toward the unknown that one feels the most total, the most instinctive obligation. That is one of the rules of the game and part of its arbitrary nature, which alone inflames the passions.

I like challenges. I like to challenge myself in the studio. I challenge myself with the canvas size, the subject matter, and changing techniques. I believe one cannot opt not to respond to a challenge, but one can very well not respond to a request.

I want to be seen, be heard, be acknowledged and be wanted. Nothing is sadder than having to beg for existence and returning naked among the others. I would rather let down emotional walls and blocks and let my viewer find myself in my artwork. It’s better not to know how to play well; its better to know how to let others unmask you and to endure the rule of the game. Not too fast, not too late.

Semiotics is the study of sign processes (semiosis), or signification and communication, signs and symbols. In other words, it is the study of signs and symbols as a means of communication. I feel semiotics is no longer the dominant critical framework for the interpretation of the relation between art and power.

The unknown extends to situations of chance. Engaging with the mysteries of cause might be a way of questioning one’s identification with any given reality system. Cage’s chance-based reality is an example that illuminates this concept.

I am drawn to the art and life of Francis Bacon, and the following two quotes I feel best describe the creativity and conception behind my craft.

“The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly, a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear and pleasure; it’s a little like making love, the physical act of love.”

“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.”

-Francis Bacon

Painting has always been a mystery to me because I have found it difficult to articulate why it is a necessity in my life. This semester is the one where I finally felt confident in my decision to dedicate myself to painting and drawing. I have learned an abundance of techniques and facts from professors, and through my practice and persistence, I always find myself constantly drawn to the body. I feel this is attributed to multiple factors, such as my interest in the beauty of the human form and the desire to maintain mystery for myself and the observer, my recently newfound strong identification with femininity, and my desire to actively participate in the sensuality of mixing, spreading, blending, covering up, smoothing out paint, all while activating the materiality and tactility of the medium. I feel my paintings are a work in progress, and need attention, patience and observation. I would like to engage in studying the human form, either through figure painting or portrait painting. I would like to activate and heighten the mystery of my subjects through a sensual handling of brushstroke and color choice. I would like to paint straight from life, not from photographs. I aim for a poetic narrative in my paintings, one that the viewer can actively engage with and relate to on any level. I want to fuse together relational aesthetics and elements of theatrics, interaction, performance with my painting style. I aim to challenge my ability to convey visceral qualities of paint and of subject matter. I hope to achieve this with a creative fusion of color and design. I want to transcend the traditional painting surface and bring it to the dynamic level of living things. I want to experiment with the interaction of the location and space of “the gallery” with my artwork. I hope to challenge the conventions of the gallery and conceive of innovative locations and surroundings for my artwork to reside. I want to activate the space with my work, or have the space activate my work.

My latest inspirations: Alexa Meade and Richard Baker.

The reverse trompe l’oeil series is Alexa Meade’s spin on reality. Alexa has invented a painting technique that makes 3 dimensional space look flat, blurring the lines between illusion and reality. Typically a painting is an artist's interpretation of the subject painted onto another surface. In Alexa's paintings, she creates her artistic interpretation of the subject directly on top of the subject itself. Essentially, her art imitates life - on top of life. By wrapping her subject in a mask of paint, she skews the way that the core of the subject is perceived.

Part of the physical pleasure of painting is to explore the limits of what is possible in paint. Is it possible to render the feeling of flesh, the sheen of the ceramic, whatever it is? Objects in the painting force me into the pleasure or agony of figuring out my own limits.
— Richard Baker

Variation II Google Maps

View Mike & Briana's Variation II in a larger map

Manifesto of Certainty and Doubt

Manifesto of Certainty

Too much static

Heart pace quickens

Lump in throat, dry mouth

Head pounding, hands clammy

Cramps, tightness

Deadlines, projects, work

Hurry up and get there.

You draw me in close,

Exuding a soft inaudible chatter

Seduction and desire.

I gaze at the blank white square,

And run my hand across the surface.

The woven material stretches across the wood

Like a cotton sheet tightly hugging a bed.

Solitude

The buzzing softens

Self consciousness, shift my eyes

Am I in my body?

Inhale, Exhale

The tightness loosens

The quickness slows down

I squeeze the tube

And release a red oil mass, glistening and brilliant

As i grasp the handle, dip and immerse the tiny bristles

And lift the brush to the square

I push the thick lump back and forth.

Seconds, minutes, hours, progression, break.

In the bathroom I grip the sink and look into the mirror…

Honey eyes, shimmering makeup,

Gold necklace, tiny paint smudge,

I am female, I am painting.

Manifesto of Doubt

Follow me

Slowly walk back

Enclosed, insular, immersed

Dead end

I cross my arms across my body

Squint my eyes, tilt my head

Stare, scrutinize, sigh

Is it good enough?

Can it be better?

I shift my stance and shake my head.

Restlessness creeps in, I become anxious and uncertain

My furrowed brow deepens the frustration,

And my stomach tightens.

I run my hand across my collarbone

Rub my chin and yawn

I check my phone, it’s been hours

My body heat rises, face becomes flushed

What time will I be done?

I need to leave, my eyelids are heavy

Like there's weights attached to my eyelashes

The silence in the room emits a soft buzz

Alerts me to my solitude, aloneness and oneness

Am I good enough?

Is it good enough?

When can I stop? When can I start?

It’s tough

It’s repetitive

Irritating

But it’s not permanent I suppose

So I proclaim
Exclaim
In my most certain state
My uncertainty

...Female Painter?

the video...hope it works

if it doesnt, it's on my facebook, so look there!

more pictures from the following

the following

tried to make this project really unique and interesting, but my ideas didn't fit the criteria of the project...so I decided to follow a Spanish couple through downtown New Brunswick this morning. The woman were holding a bag and they were sharing a soft pretzel. I took photos and a video of them. I felt particularly self conscious and awkward as I followed them through the TD bank parking lot, because it was so large and empty. I followed them from State Theatre to The Train Station.

3 questions for discussion, monday march 22nd

1) In the article about Sophie Calle's projects called "The Following" and "The Big Sleep", the author states that people feel more obliged to instinctively yield to the unknown and that people opt to respond to a challenge instead of a request. Why do you think this is so? Do you have an experience that supports or refutes this assertion?

2) After the author provides a real life childhood example of hide 'n seek, he argues that "it's better not to know how to play too well, it's better to know how to let others unmask you and endure the rule of the game." Can you think of any present day adult situations that illuminate this assertion? Do you think the author would support the saying that "Ignorance is bliss"? Or is he simply establishing the ambiguity of human vulnerabilities?

3) In Signal to Noise By Ina Blom, the author states that chance is seen as irrational because of its unstable link to its effect. Jacques Lacan saw cause as inaccessibility of desire, which makes reality a disconnect between what we want and what actually is. Do you think this supports the idea that expectations rarely measure up to reality? Is this idea pessimistic or realistic?

more videos

Put Something Here Project; RE-DO!

I have to confess that I had a tough time with this project. I couldn't focus on one subject and really deconstruct its meaning and prevalence to the project agenda. I went from questioning the function of religious education to creating a facebook event for everyone to put something on the event wall that describes something meaningful to them (see last blog post). So I sat at my kitchen table, staring at the massive rainfall, and thought, "Why not focus on something that is literally happening now, something that is a concern to everyone in these past few days?" So I decided to transform a natural (and disastrous) occurrence, the flooding from the rain, and place objects in the trouble areas to make it something humorous. I drove around town, perusing the bad areas of my town by Lake Hiawatha, and found a spot right outside the pool I work at. The flooding completely covered the parking lot, and was draining onto the street. I placed a beach chair, beach ball, and "lifeguard off duty" sign on the flood area, and took videos and pictures of the reactions of drivers and passer-by's. I noticed that when I sat in my car, those walking by were more comfortable in stopping and observing the site-specific work. I got a lot of drivers to slow down, and some of them turned to me (I was in a stone parking lot across the street) and smiled and chuckled. The reactions were mostly curiousness, and it drew in the walkers to look into the parking lot and see the damage. Nobody was offended or bothered, they found it to be a humorous reaction to the natural disaster that persisted for days.

Put Something Here Project

I went for a more relational art standpoint, keeping in mind the Critical Vehicles reading from this past week. My Put Something Here Project is a two-part project...The first step is collecting the "things" that my facebook friends put on my event wall. These things are the personality fingerprints that reveal something that is strange, uncomfortable, awkward, painful or hilarious in some way. After a week of posts, I will analyze these stories, photos, videos, sounds etc. and plan out my mixed media project, so in a sense I am the critical vehicle that brings everyone to a universal and shared experience.

My friend from home asked me if I was inspired by Jonathan Harris, and having never heard of him, I looked at his website. His artist statement is very ambitious and his body of work is INCREDIBLE. Look around and prepare to be WOW'ED.

And also, go to "Briana's Facebook Wall Art" and post on the wall!!!!!

3 questions for discussion, monday march 8th

Critical Vehicles- Krzysztof Wodiczko

1. Have you ever been in a situation where you were the stranger who used a transitional object in order to create shared zones of experience with a non-stranger?

2. The article calls women the first "Sophists" because their memory conceals and discloses sources of knowledge and philosophy for creating social space as de-alienating space...sophists refers to those with wisdom....Do you agree with this arguement?

3. The article discusses immigrant utopias as a hope lived in the present, where they have to create a present day utopia to avoid perpetuating painful experiences...Could this possibly create anxiety or sadness if the hopes dont measure to their realities?
Cite an extreme modern day example; The movie Avatar causes depression:
Click for CNN newstory.

happening slideshow!

The Art Happening, February 25th.

Hello All,

When Hana asked the class to create a disturbance of the everyday for 3 hours, my mind almost automatically thought, "ART CARNIVAL! FACE PAINTING, GLAMOUR SHOTS, LOUD MUSIC, CARICATURES, BALLOONS, STREAMERS, YES." Because what's more obnoxious than blasting Lady Gaga on the 3rd floor lounge of an art school, music bouncing off the wide walls and ceiling while grad students and seniors work on their thesis? The ideas were flying around my head when I called my mom, since she had extra facepaint from when she volunteered at a childrens gettogether at her job..My friend veronika from home drove 45 minutes to drop off facepaint and wigs and weird clothes, what a trooper. Love her. So, the madness began on facebook...click here for the official facebook event.
and here for the album.

I sent out an official facebook invitation to all my friends with a brief description of the event. 21 guests confirmed, so I was pumped. That Monday when our class was cancelled, I went to Dollar Brunswick and bought streamers, balloons and neon poster boards, with a tab of about $15...they should change their store name to dollartwentyfive brunswick because EVERYTHING IS $1.25. I then put step 3 into action; flyers. I used my knowledge of intro to graphic design to construct the lamest flyers you've ever seen.

I hung them up around school all over each floor on Tuesday. I was a little intimidated and scared to hang them up, worried about what people would think, but then I realized that art students are just as weird as me, I mean, I've been going to this school for almost 3 years now. I received a voicemail from Dean Coakley on Wednesday afternoon during my Painting class...I saw the number an freaked out, "What if they're going to shut it down? I went to the office, already prepared to apologize...surprisingly, the Dean was really nice about it...she just wanted to know the specifics and if I knew the number of the RUPD, you know, just in case someone eats the face paint or something.

So, I was on my merry way after a nice conversation, imagining how much fun i was going to have. I mean, I deserve the break, I've been working hard with all my classes and working at my job 3 days a week. I just couldnt believe how worried I was about getting in trouble or getting told that the carnival couldn't happen. I really had a lot invested in it, well besides $15, I was super excited and wanted to host my first silly party, very atypical in a college setting (Sorry, no kegstands at carnivals). Thursday rolled around quickly, and the snow began. I was upset and had a feeling people were going to bail. I changed the time from 9 to midnight to 6 to 9pm instead, since my 6:10 silkscreen class was cancelled. I packed all the necessities after my italian renaissance class at 4:10.

My roommate, Kelly, let me borrow her speakers..she was super psyched and even dressed up in a cute ensemble with a top hat! I took my other roommates bunny ears for my costume. We walked together in the snow from Easton ave to Mason Gross, it was slippery and snowy. We began setting up, taping up posters and streamers and blowing up balloons. People began arriving, and I was so happy people pulled through. About an hour into the happening, 2 cops walk up the stairs...My stomach drops and I turn the music down. They said, "Have you seen a middle aged woman with light skin, dark hair, and a mole?" I quickly answered no and apologized and they walked away. A MOLE?!

Anyways, we found out from a grad student and former teacher of mine that this lady was stealing electronics from studios for awhile now...An hour later, they found her somewhere nearby, so my laptop was in the clear. All the people that I wanted to show up actually did, including Truman and Mike and Mike's rommate Kevin (Kevin was a trooper for letting me paint a butterfly on his face)...I learned alot from this happening. First, snow doesn't slow people down nor does it stop them from wanting to have some fun. I also learned that people just love disturbances of the everyday...The everyday can be so boring sometimes! think about it, how many times do you get up and get a snack, text someone, turn on the tv, or check yout twitter while you're writing a paper? Disturbances of the boring, the mundane, the rote. i enjoyed my relational aesthetics exercise, because I made it into something interactive and fun. Henri Lefebrvre said it best.."How do people live? The question may be difficult to answer, but that does not make it any less clear. In another sense nothing can be more superficial: it is banality, triviality, repetitiveness." AGREED. Have a good everyday!

Click here and here for more madness.

questions for discussions for feb 22nd

1) Lefebvre asserts that the praxis is vast and encompasses base and superstructures...While Bourriaud says praxis is the act of self transformation, (translating idea or skill into action and practice), is it coincidental that the test used to assess people who wish to become teachers is also called praxis? According to the authors definitions, how does praxis relate to the job of a teacher?

2) When Lefebvre describes the everyday through examples of the housewife, society woman and mathematician, he says the housewife is swallowed by everyday life and escapes through dreams, tv, horoscopes, etc (trivial things), the society woman escapes through fashion and snobbery and the mathematician escapes through mechanical activity. He says the more technical the activity becomes, the more urgent the need is to return to the everyday...do you agree with this assertion? why or why not?

3) Why do you think modern artists have gravitated towards conviviality and relational encounters in their works? Is it more a personal preference or a universally shared desire for human interaction in such a technically advancing world?

4)Bourriaud mentions Gonzalez-Torres' "candy spills" and the dynamics of the viewer/artist/gallery relationship and interaction...Roni Horn, a working female artist, created Paired Gold Mats an homage to Gonzalez-Torres and his lover Ross in 1994. Was this creation more of a examination of the relationship of artist friends or the interaction of viewer to artwork (example, the play on light reflecting off different facets of the foil)? Click here for a photo of Horn's work.

GOOD TIMES with elmo and star wars

jason mraz concert august 2009

GLORIOUS!!!!

GOOGLE MAP!!!!

click here for fun!

questions

Here are my 3 questions for in-class discussion:

1) According to the Baldwin Effect, organisms can learn to shape their environment and alter the path of evolution...It is also mentioned that "behaviors that once kept is from starvation and predators now lead us into stress, obesity, and drug addiction" In what ways can we as humans use the noosphere (symbols and semantics) to change our environment and solve these modern problems? Will we ever get to a point where these behavioral issues are under control, or is it impossible due to our stressful and unhealthy ways of life?

2) Do you feel that appropriation of the postmodern age is characteristic of avant-garde?
Give one example of appropriated imagery in popular culture (for example, cd covers, anything with allegory)

3) In what ways will the concept of chance find its way into our projects and artwork?

archaelogical trail

In this project we had to photograph our collection of our trail this past tuesday, here is what I came to interpret the project as: a recording of events that took place throughout the day, whether important or ordinary. The succession of pictures starts in the morning with coffee and ends with a weird still-life that I keep finding myself drawn towards...i couldnt help but photograph it... I posted documentation of my trail on my flickr account, just click here, or if that doesnt work, my flickr is on the top left side of my blog!

trail project

Howdy,

This past week we had a trail assignment, where the class pairs up and works together. One partner makes a trail, be it virtual, actual, or mix of both, and the other partner follows the trail and records his or her findings. While Z was the creator of the trail, I was the finder. I went on my hunt this past monday morning at 8:30 before class. Unfortunately, it was raining REALLY hard and it was really windy...my umbrella flew out of my hands and i was drenched, so i called it quits halfway in between. I finished this afternoon, on wednesday. Z set up 4 wooden panels in a path in between my apartment and mason gross. Each panel had a painted or photographed design, with a code underneath. I texted him the code after i found the first one, so he sent me a riddle to find the next. This continued until the last panel.

Text #1: keep your eyes open. Irises wide with light. Go outside and there you will find a clue hanging in plain sight

Text #2: Daffodills and tulips tell me whos to blame. The fool of course who with much remorse left them on the train.

Text #3: Hit the streets and hit the books just dont hit eachother. The lessons learned from librarians outnumber those taught by mother.

Text #4: Youre almost there oh so close the finish line in sight. Make a call down the way and pick me up a slice.

Even though I couldnt finish the hunt in one go, I still enjoyed myself...Z had a great approach and I felt like a kid again! I think I might do one of these for fun with my friends :)

xoBri

test drive

first blog post! i will be posting for my neighborhood narratives class for the most part, with some fun sprinkled in between.

watch this, i have no words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPmbVBfPc94