Payton

Artist_MultipleF24

TOXIC ALGAE BLOOMS

For my artist multiple I chose to report on the toxic algae blooms that plague Lake Erie. This semester in Limnology class we read “The Devil’s Element” by Dan Egan. I strongly encourage YOU to read this book. If you think you can escape the consequences of the corruption of our freshwater you are mistaken. People get so caught up in their own shit that they fail to realize we are animals inhabiting the natural world. It is only a matter of time until the natural world reminds us of our vulnerability.

We are not escaping the algae plague. I could sit here and tell you how excess phosphorous inputs are promoting the cyanobacteria responsible for the toxic blue-green algae blooms… or I could show you. I could show you the green sludge that ebbs and flows in Lake Erie. I could show you the swim bans and the notice signs. I could show you what the fish exposed to this water look like. I could show you all of this and hope it terrifies you into action. In all honesty it felt like even after putting all the buttons on I could not draw enough attention to this issue.

The buttons are a method of raising awareness of the issue but also a method of holding people accountable as contributors to the problem. We are all implicated in this assault on Lake Erie. By putting on the button that has “TOXIC” written on it the wearer appears to be the toxic element. Wearing the button becomes a confession. WE are the toxic ones, WE are the problem in the freshwater crisis and WE will also be part of the solution.

The QR codes printed on some of the buttons are a link to the Lake Erie Foundation website https://lakeeriefoundation.org/saving-lake-erie/. While this link is technically associated with the American states effected by the Lake Erie issue I thought the link was still appropriate as an informational resource. Additionally, the book the pins are inspired by has an American author and references state policies.

Other interesting links that were in consideration: the Canadian governments action plan https://www.canada.ca/en/canada-water-agency/freshwater-ecosystem-initiatives/great-lakes/great-lakes-protection/action-plan-reduce-phosphorus-lake-erie.html and messaging from Environmental Defence https://environmentaldefence.ca/save-lake-erie/

I think sharing the QR codes was a great addition to the project. After a consultation with Diane we acknowledged the need for an empowering element to the piece. We are responsible for making Lake Erie toxic, now we must be part of the solution. Finding a solution starts with taking accountability and educating ourselves. The links are encouraging people to investigate and prompting self-led education.

Conceptual_PortraitF24

The conceptual portrait pushed me outside my comfort zone. Before this I had never spoke openly about this weird habit of mine. I think preparing emergency kits is partially a manifestation of my OCD and the underlying anxieties I find myself submerged in. The world is going to end, will you be prepared?

Initially I thought of letting the items speak for themselves however through the process I found myself with the urge to explain things, myself and the feelings of discomfort I was having. I think the video turned into not just an exploration of these objects but a documentation of my unique idiosyncrasies, of my obsession with preparedness and of my genuine awkwardness.

P.S. If I can actually endure the torture of an Emergency stash Vol. 2 it will be produced in the new year.

Andy Warhol’s Time Capsules (Must investigate before filming my emergency box unpacking).

https://www.warhol.org/time-capsules/

Ex. An artist takes a photo of the ping pong table outside their apartment window. It is a portrait of the community, of the functionality of communal space and of a portrait of apartment living.

<https://phroomplatform.com/hayahisa-tomiyasu/#:~:text=For%20five%20years%2C%20Hayahisa%20Tomiyasu,except%20for%20playing%20ping%2Dpong.>

artists actual website <http://www.tomiyasuhayahisa.com>

Ex. Artist takes a photo of parents every time she leaves her parents house.The took 27 years to make and eventually ended with the artist leaving home with no one left to say goodbye. <https://deannadikeman.com/leaving-and-waving>

“Toy Story” <https://www.gabrielegalimberti.com/toy-stories/> An artist travelled the world and recorded the toy collections of kids in various areas.

Audio_AssignmentF24

My Final Audio Submission: Tinnitus

Between 500-950 Hz is the wavelength my tinnitus resembles. In this piece the listener experience what tinnitus is like for approximately a minute. When a primary noise is introduced, in this piece the voice it is the voice, the tinnitus ringing lowers- for me this is quite accurate to the real experience. Typically when there is primary noise that I can focus on the tinnitus is more mild. In absolute silence the tinnitus sounds more prominent, however the tinnitus is most severe after drinking alcohol and immediately following being in a loud environment like a bar. I have had tinnitus my whole life but only in my late teens found out it was not a universal experience. A stat on tinnitus estimate 37% of Canadians hear permanent ringing in the ears.

brainstorm 10 ideas

1. dropping jewelry down the sink
2. matei’s unwillingness to be quiet
3. typewriter or progression of documentation styles
4. unsettling eating noises: lip smacking and slurping

The idea I want to convey with my practice sounds is that something completely unrealistic can be misinterpreted as reality if we fail to inform ourselves and seek answers. Unfortunately the sounds seem so boring because they do just seem like an ambiguous wild setting.

Practice audio 2: Impossible sound, Setting a tropical rain forest with unidentified monkey and birds, overlayed with reindeer grunts and black tailed prairie dog squeaks.

Still too boring

Practice audio: Impossible sound forest in Peterborough inhabiting a Toucan

I acknowledge this sound is extremely boring.

Video_AssignmentF24

1. Loop

The loop was created with framing in mind. The subject walks into frame sits down preforms a bubble popping ritual and leaves the frame. While the subject walks outside of the frame the sound of the footsteps continue until the subject once again enters the frame; this is to emphasize the illusion of the never ending loop.

2. Sequence

“Wrapt in Space” inspired by “Relation in Space” is a nerfed take on the icon Abramović and Ulay performance. Nerfed being a reference to Nerf guns, insinuating something has been altered to be safer. To me the use of the bubble wrap perpetuates protection. A barrier is placed between two people and the way they run into each other is much gentler than the outrageously brave original performance. The contrast between the original and the appropriated/parodied version to me represents an unwillingness to let go and indulge in reckless abandon. Our version, to me, represents self preservation and holding back. For some reason I cannot shake the slogan “no glove, no love” from my brain when comparing these two pieces, not that either of these pieces are sexual health PSAs but, there is an emphasis on making the interaction practically sterile compared to the original’s rawness.

The endless ways we can protect ourselves…

3. One-Shot

The one-shot was conceptually the most challenging in my opinion. When I think of one-shot I think of changing prospective in an amazing and innovative way. I think over complicating things in my head can some times prevent me from diving fearlessly into the possibilities. It is like a form of decision paralysis but rather creativity paralysis. The one thing that Dennis and I kept reciting was Diane saying something along the lines of “embrace the struggle,” basically meaning the documentation of the struggle is far more interesting than a perfect piece would be. I also appreciated Diane’s comment about how the final version of the one-shot looks like an interpretive dance- I can totally see this. As a former dancer the idea of movement confined to a square foot is not just hilarious but slightly uncomfortable. The way the one-shot looks also makes me slightly uncomfortable- to me it looks like Dennis is about to roll his ankles over and over again, and at times the bubble wrap sounds just like ankles cracking to me (this is probably heavily influenced by my history of ankle sprains).

This is a claymation one-shot that I am obsessed with: <https://youtu.be/cKEwnhc8ItY?si=VdXyv-8AIhQ-Ocr8> Pharrell, Tyler The Creator and 21 Savage <3

Toronto_Excursion(Field trip)

“Santiago Yahuarcani “Santiago Yahuarcan’s paintings are a testament to the consciousness, affection, and intelligence of the rainforest and its inhabitants.” <https://torontobiennial.org/exhibition/paintings-by-santiago-yahuarcani/>

Acknowledging the historical context of the piece, I can see why the piece is tragic in ways. I do appreciate that the concept of healing is also present within the piece. Indigenous peoples have been displaced and prosecuted by colonizers, there is darkness within the history; the representations of traditional healing and unwavering resilience is what leaves me, as a viewer, with hope for a better future.

Use of plants in medicine was a topic of discussion surrounding this piece. The Tobacco plant has traditional medicinal uses, as does wild garlic. In the Toronto Biennial article it states, “His illness influenced his paintings, which took on gloomy tones and introspective representations, including many self-portraits where master plants and Indigenous science heal him.”

Pipilotti Rist_Fall24

1. Post an image from one of Rist’s videos that you are most interested in. Summarize the action of the video. Who is performing, and how? Describe the images – including framing, colours, and movement. How did she shoot and edit the video? Describe the sound and how it interacts/enhances/competes with the images. How is it installed in a gallery – in terms of projection/scale/presentation in a context of other things? How does the work strike you?

“In the first video, she navigates her way through a candy-colored world — a birch forest; a long airportlike corridor; a leaf-strewn sidewalk that the camera scuttles along low and fast, as if from the vantage point of a bug.”

I think what I enjoy most about Rist’s work is her ability to create worlds. The video from the vantage point of a bug is mesmerizing. The background is a saturated blue, grass green stalks shoot up like skyscrapers and atop them hold red tulip petals. A bug’s perspective is likely to go unseen by anyone other then bugs. By changing our perspective Rist reminds us we must not become too absorbed in our sole perspective.

2. Rist has had a long career in video art making – how do you relate it to the kinds of video that you might see all the time on Tik Tok or You Tube, in our time? Reflect on her performances and also – on her ideas (particularly about women’s bodies, and sexuality, exposure, behaving strangely or subversively…) and how they play out from examples in her works.

3. Experiment: While still at school – put on your sweater/shirt INSIDE OUT. How does this change how you feel? Is it changing how other’s are treating you? If you can wear your sweater/shirt inside out all day – make a few notes about the results of this very small change in your presentation in public. Is this a performance? Why?

Funnily enough this week I accidentally put my shirt on backwards, not inside out but still not quite right. I could only last about 45 seconds before hurrying to correct my mistake. I thought of wearing my socks inside out because maybe it would feel less bothersome, but I could not bring myself to do it. I do not fear what others will think… I just literally cannot function in horrible feeling or fitting garments. For productivity sake I must not indulge in this challenge.

1km Assignment_Fall24

In this video the subject measures out exact 2 meters from a rebound wall using a measuring tape, a marker is placed. From the 2 meters mark the subject then throws a lacrosse ball 250 times without dropping the ball. The ball travels 2 meters to hit the rebound wall and 2 meters back to the stick for a total of 1000 meters travelled. In the video we witness the ball travel 1Km while remaining within the same 2 meters.

The brainstorming process for this assignment was collaborative and challenging. Many people inspired ideas, conversations and explorations around this topic. In class I overheard Breanna propose 1km of picking up trash, this was a very inspiring idea. Breanna’s idea inspired many thoughts for me one being “1km bouquet.” I am a farmer’s daughter, when I consulted with the Warden (my mom), she thought back to the kilometres she spent harvesting cucumber and tobacco “1km of harvest” or “a bushel of apples from apple picking.” I asked my family and teammates what came to their minds- 1km of dental floss, unravelling a ball of yarn, the length of genetic material within us, the songs that makes up a 1km long playlist, my dog’s leash, etc. I thought all of these were interesting but I wanted to have a unique representation of a 1km, one that not everyone could produce.

I landed on 1km of Game Day.

September 15th 2024 marks our home opening games for the women’s lacrosse team here at Guelph. One of my teammates who is obsessed with statistics confirmed we run well over 1km per game, more like 5+ km per game. Since this is a 1km project I to extract moments of the game that would add up to 1km without surpassing it- this is pretty tricky as the assignment asks for precisely 1km. Collecting moments of genius through Captain Megan’s crease-wraps (20m x6), moments of grit when our goalie, Mady, absolutely soaks the ball and still runs up half the field unphased by the welt that’s forming (50m x4), moments of hustle when I got the ball in the defensive end and transitioned it to the attack end (100m x2 + 50m x4), a few major turn-overs in transition (20m x5), a handful of free positions (15m x 6), a few too many fouls (4m x10), and the finale of sportsmanship being the distance it takes us to shake the other team’s hands (50m). 1km of Game Day.

I did end up walking 1km (& 7m forgive me please) with a teammate after the Sunday evening lax party. In 1km we talked about life, love and of course lax. Here are the major take aways from what Mady and I discussed on our slightly inebriated walk:

Mr. Frog is here strictly for platform testing.