Following Crits...

Last critique was personally most helpful this semester. Megan was able to discuss my work in depth and question its direction in ways I haven't thought of before. She stressed that my style of painting could almost be a thesis project itself instead of having it merge with the conceptual aspects of the paintings as I intended to. Giving it a large amount of thought, which possibly resulted in the lack of posts between last post and this one, I have decided to paint in a more subtle way, so that the viewer can identify with what is being depicted more than how it  is depicted. Even though there still is a sensibility of expression as in my other work, one can mainly sense the focus being on the figure ground relationships which I am trying to complicate. It isn't an easy task, however, hopefully an achievable one by mid-april.

Thesis Critique Feb 4th

I found this critique very informative and helpful for my thesis project. As I'm still in the progress of shaping my thesis project, I am very open to all the suggestions from my peers. Those that most interested me in the critique concerned irony and being able to push it further to give the subject matter a better feel. . It was also brought to my attention that some thought the paintings should become more shocking. That was of a slight concern to me, since my intent is not to primarily create a shock factor, but rather to engage the viewer in the conversation between the figure and the space it's in. I did however find the advice of irony very valuable and will try to push it in the final product.

Social Communication Design

It has long been brought to my attention that most people are not aware of the power we hold in shaping the identity of an environment. A simple gesture as saying hi to a stranger and indulging oneself in a quick conversation may in fact make someone's day better, and ultimately enstill a wonderful memory of the location in the person's mind. The particular sidewalk, busstop, or a bench will become identified as the place of an enjoyable memory, and even become a recommended place of destination for others.
   This can be brought to a realization by a simple design ornamenting a part of the environment. Perhaps next to a bench or a usually crowded area of the street. The proposed initial step is a poster. The poster would contain a logo which would invite the viewer to an understanding of the significance of greeting. A simple poster which would be reproduced and widely spread around a chosen city, in this case New Brunswick, would contain a person and the words 'say hi'. after a while of seeing the design daily in the streets, it would be known for its purpose, and as a result people would be reminded to greet and perhaps even engage in a conversation with the common stranger sharing the sidewalk, bench, or a busstop.

This design would create a great form of communication, where people would be inclined to greet one another on the street. It would ultimately help people identify the place as a place of friendship and even happiness. Communication is an important aspect of life which must be excercised in a higher dose in order to advance intellectually and avoid the silent but deadly take over of technology which presents itself in computers, cell phones, or ipods that prevent people from true one one one interaction.

A design specifically geared towards pedestrians on sidewalks would enhance the poster's effect and create an immediate response at the sight of both. Such sidewalk design would require the overall reshaping of its original dimensions. The standards which it originally adheres to would narrow down, meaning the sidewalk would be literarlly created as a narrow walkway from one place to another. This narrow path would force the pedestrians to share even a smaller space and have them closer to one another. This strategy of having a poster promoting greeting exposed to the community right before the reconstruction of the sidewalk would ensure that the person will at first understand the message attempting to be pushed through and ultimately practice it when budging shoulders in a fairly contstrained walkway.

This design would not only become an architectuaral and a conceptual feat, but would also portray the importance of a step by step process which is meant to slowly bring the people to communicate with oneanother at areas where everyone is a stranger.

crowded sidewalk

'say hi' poster

1st year MFA SHOW: 'You Are Here I am'

Enriched with conceptually stimulating works of art, the show’s curatorial process was able to exhibit 2D and 3D works in a shared space successfully. Upon entering, the sculptures of Max Cemeno greeted the viewer and gave an insight on how technology, machinery, and the non organic can take over the organic aspects of life, in this case animals, and have a particular function. The pig’s head being a mere gateway through which red liquid, only to be interpreted as blood is flowing into a barrel continuously, becomes endearing to the extent where the viewer must examine the barrel itself and question its ability to constantly remain with the same content of the liquid as it keeps flowing in. After the realization of the simple machinery conducting the display, the eye is met by a furious shark ready to attack, just as the fighter planes of the pacific were meant to do as they were decorated with bulging sharks on their noses. Yet again the viewer is brought to the open boundaries created by Cemeno, where the organic and the non organic are fused together to create another form of function in the space they both share.

               

   Being nothing short of stellar, the sculptures instantly sold the show. However, it was only a prelude to a vibrant exhibit that encompassed the main room and the smaller branched out gallery spaces. To compliment the 3D works of art, paintings such as deANGELO’s and Camperchiolises series made the exhibition  even more inticing. To contrast both, the encounter of a 3D hanging on a wall, done by artist Jim Brittingham gave a legitemate diversity to the show. The collaged material on the surface is compositionaly appropriated to have the eye guided through by the color and the static reflections of light. It is interesting to see an  intricate quality of line combined with a more roughly applied material, only to be painted on with even more vibrant colors. The only proposed problem would be its constrained rectangular display, as it diminishes willingness of the rough material and the genuine writing to respectively expand throughout the gallery wall.

                  It is all such intriguing works that lead the viewer to one of most astonishing features of the show. Created as an installation, it could be also more precisely recognized as a sculpture and a video piece, the work assembled by artist  Stefanos Milkidis took over one  of the gallery spaces only to bring a viewer into a world of entrapment. It is the chaotic presentation of video on the wall and the ceiling of the room displaying entrapped persons that give a feel of entrapment, which is then accompanied by a sculpture present in the video, in which it is the reason for the state of mind and the physical nature of containment. Such presentation makes the viewer  visualize the horrid state and consequently even become part of it.

                  The artists were able to present a challenge to the viewer and toy around with the viewer’s mind not only with their work but the title which brands their show. It is intriguing see a diverse goup of work be put  together in a gallery and give back something to the eye, it has never seen before. It is inspiring as much as gratifying to be able to see a show of such creative degree.

Designer: Marian Bantjes

Bantjes, a Canadian designer who was born in 1963 and soon after became internationally renowned graphic designer who works with costum type and ornament Her style which seems almost obsessive it how it’s depicted it’s the primary factor which gained her international fame. The art is very detail , one could say even decorative. The primary feature that holds her work together is pattern. The intricate, obsessive handwork that creates the particular images puts the viewer in awe of her ability to have patience to perform such a task, and even the compositional sense to put these ornaments together to create a grateful and an inspiring design. In 2005 she was named one of the top 25 up and coming designers, while others have called her the most innovative typographers today.

                  In an interview, she has revealed the routine of her days and how she spends them, now that she is a professional designer. She has admitted to taking some time before doing work a project unless the deadline is closed. As she wakes up she checks the emails and simply surfs on the net until she gets hungry, at which points she will break for food. Apparently her day doesn’t start until the mi afternoon and does not end until she goes to bed when feeling tired. She has revealed that it is very likely she would alter  her work time for some fun time when it’s a sunny day out or just simply relax inside.  

                  In her line of work, she has already achieved what most of designers strive to achieve, and it is to collaborate with another great and internationally acclaimed designer. In this case, Marian got an opportunity to work with Stefan Stagmeister. They worked together on a project in Austria. Stagmeister simply asked her to design a saying in a nice and readable form that was to be displayed to the public.

                  Aside from Stagmeister , she has worked for a number of international companies such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Young & Rubicam Chicago, The New York Times, the Smithsonian in New York, and was consequently accepted to the prestigious international design organization.  Next to all this accomplishments, she also owned, ran, and designed a firm with a partner. The firm was established in 1993 and she had worked with it until 2002, when she decided she wanted to capitalize on the design skills and create more individualistic works, which cam to be the obsessive looking patterns covering the covers of book or other surfaces. This led her to become the Chair and Creative director of 2006 Graphex Canadian Design Awards. She currently still lives and works in Canada.

Sources:

http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/bantjes.html

http://www.designweekvancouver.ca/programme/speakers/articles11.php

Modernism and Movies

The city of Paris consisting of newly modern structures and a way of live is suddenly being explored by a curious American tourist, who cant wrap his head around it all. At first the grey and gloomy modernist feel is being expressed by a building made of glass, where the tourist comes in contact with many new and confusing features of modernism. A simple chair becomes entertaining to the tourist as its simple design misleads him into expecting nothing of it, until he sits down and suddenly sinks down into its cushion. This modernity gives almost an austere impression of the environment as it’s depicted in grays, without any emotion or life.

As the tourist becomes further engaged in the environment, one can see it that this seemingly modernist and conformed system can become not as conformed, as things begin to fall apart at the restaurant scene. The message is clearly about modernism and the its interaction with a human, especially one who hasn’t been introduced to it yet. This particular restaurant scene also holds another hidden message within. One that implies modernism is is fit to adapt to any kind of a situation. For example, as everything began to fall apart, instead of fixing the particular things, they were adjusted and suddenly became part of the room and the design. As conformed as modernism seems, it is open to adjustments and change. 

                  Made in the late 60’s, the movie of modernism shares the decade with yet another film that was made whose message was more free spirited and not conformist as opposed to the Totty’s depicted modernism. The Monterrey pop was a festival that was documented for others to see how entertaining and inspiring can an event become where people with a common interest of music among other things can unite and go appreciate the music being performed to them by various well established artists. In simple contrast to the modernism film, which was mainly composed of a grey toned palette, the Monterrey Pop film included multitude scenes exposing the colorful clothing expressively worn by those who attended, more commonly known as hippies in the sixties. This colorfulness establishes singlehandedly establishes a point of separation between the two films conceptually. Thematically, although Totty’s film may imply on the disadvantages of a modern society, however, it is not as literal as the documented film of the festival, where just the performance of Jimmy Hendrix gives out this free spirited message of expressiveness and nonconformity. This particular scene, and the mere fact that Jimmy Hendrix is a black male performing ties into  Tatti's movie with the funny restaurant scene, where the black male is being identified as the band player without a question. It is the same period of time and even though one portrays expressiveness and the other more of gray toned feeling, they share the social status opinion. It is impossible to see a colored black man or a woman in the modernist film other that in the band as it is hard to see any black faces in the audience of Monterey Pop.