Week 1

Describe two works by Bruce Nauman (include images) where he frames every day actions (non-heroic, banal) as art. How are they “framed” as art, and what does the framing do to our understanding and experience of the actions?

One Hundred Live and Die 1984

This artwork is framed by the usage of four columns, creating a border, containing 100 words relating life and death with different actions, emotions, and colors. It can be interpreted as poetic and vulgar. The artist uses framing to bring light to different aspects of life that may be overlooked. Also by framing these words and using the fluorescent signs the artist could be making commentary on the popularization and exploitation of tragic or pleasant human experiences. A take on perspective dependent on a viewer’s perception.

Violent Incident 1986

Bruce Nauman frames his artwork, here in two ways, first by using the physical framework of the TV as well as the framing of each scene being filmed within the TV. The use of framing in this art work determines what the audience will see which may act as a constraint of some sort. The viewer can only see what the artist wants them to see, forcing them to cue in on a particular image and emotion.

Framing of his artworks sets a particular tone and controlled message, that being the validity and purpose of each artwork in their own unique ways. 

Where do you draw the boundaries around the artworks in this video? What are the artworks? What strategies and tools does Ono use to challenge the viewer? Do you like any of these concept-works? Discuss.

Drawing boundaries is problematic when dealing with conceptual art because how do we validate abstract art and determine what can or can’t be considered art. In respect to Onos’ artworks in this video, I would personally draw the boundaries on art that is possibly untransferable/personal, “watch the sunset, and feel the ground move.” This idea could be a starting point idea, but I would say it needs to be more explored and developed. Some artworks described in the video are performative, and others are “personal”/ experiential. Ono challenges the viewer by questioning boundaries of art, if there is a meaning to all art and should there be for it to be considered art. They are also challenging the viewer by making the art connected to a personal challenge. I enjoyed the concept- work where there is a numbered list of sadness and stones corresponding to the numbers of sorrows. I appreciated this concept as the stone’s beauty replaces the idea and correlation it had with sadness. Potentially, the viewer can create connections in their light and understand the importance of balance between negativity and positivity. 

How does Sol Lewitt express the notion that “the idea is the machine that makes the art” in his work? What does the artist’s actual hand have to do with the final work in a conceptual art context?

Sol Lewitt is an exciting artist as he challenges the meaning of what art and an artist is. Do the artist themselves and their hand need to be involved in the physical making of an artwork’s final form or make the idea more important? It is evident in Sol Lewitt that the process is more important than the final work. The notion that “the idea is the machine that makes the art” in his work is expressed by making the artwork’s map, blueprint and formula. By drawing out the recipe, so to speak, shape, colour (by abbreviation) and structure can form by the hands of others but initiated by his own hand. The concept of his art acts as the machine since it enables the production.  

I have represented a kilometre throughout text, more precisely by then length of a standard white sheet of paper.  1km = 100 000 cm, and a standard white paper is 28cm in length, therefore 1km thought text is 3571 pages as represented in the document “A Short Story”. Enjoy!

Click to access A-Short-Story.pdf

Personal notes 1

Week 2

personal Notes

Week 3

Personal Notes

Week 4

Social Distancing Video 

Portrait 1 (strengthening bonds edition)

—

Monica 

—

“I work as a research assistant at the University of Guelph and so fortunately I was able to keep my job. I haven’t gone out at all this year and so my routine is quite repetitive and underwhelming at times. Also this year I realized who’s really important to me, that being said it’s those who check up on each other no matter what.”

—

Marta

—

“Personally it has been a very hard year. I was unemployed for the start of the pandemic which was challenging. My mental health has taken a hard hit this year as I constantly feel more and more isolated from the world. Although on a more positive note, I have never felt more supported or comfortable with my roommate Monica. We’re able to connect more on a personal level since were been quarantining together for months. This is a friendship, experience and bond i’ll never forget.” 

— 

Music/Sound Design by Brigitte Dajczer Hal’s Heart

The two people I observed were roommates out on a walk. After listening to both their perspectives on the pandemic and how it effect their relationship, it was interesting to think about how they were yet again spending more time bonding while on a walk together. One of the roommates was more fortunate in being able to stay employed while the other didn’t. Regardless of the situation they both understood and cared for each others issues. This portrait witnesses’ how the pandemic challenged peoples relationship some for the better and others for the worse. The social distancing videos brings out various perspectives that one may have never thought about before. It also allows people to find comfort in shared experiences/struggles. 

Turns out the format of the video i posted early is not supported by word press and so here a MP4 version which should be accessible!

(ABOVE IS THE YOUTUBE LINK TO ACESS VIDEO IF NEW FORMAT ALSO DOESN’T WORK)

Personal Notes

What other artists have explored the concept of the effects the pandemic has had on society. 

• Distancing Bench by Kimberly A Kelzer (also looking at the change of human interaction)
• Portraits of health care workers – Tim Okamura

How did art change during the pandemic

• does not permit performance art and the use of close /raw interaction 
• how we view art is different (more social media presence)

Things to think about when finding who i will be recording as well as the reasonings for it and pose.

Would be great if I could catch someone in the act of providing groceries. 

Want a natural yet posed video. Something/ a pose that is applicable to the strangers experience. Make the pose uncomfortable? Comfortable? 

How can a singular (solo) person different from a pair of people? 

Is there a different level of personalization? Selfishness? Perception of caring? 

Two strangers vs two people who know each other?

Strangers would be interesting to find but also the framing the artist uses may not be possible. Would be interesting to create a interactionles interaction. (is this safe?) 

Make the person pose in a particular way or allow them to pose themselves? 

Week 6

This was a great article to read as it brought attention to an issue that many of us have experiences but very rarely talk about. When wearing a mask some of our key expressions are hidden, and typically they are vital for social communication when conveying emotions. Recently I had gone to meet a friend and we both decided that it was necessary for us to wear masks due to current events. As we interacted our conversation seemed to be “normal”, I had noticed though that their eyes were drifting, almost like they weren’t present. But because I couldn’t see their mouths, it was almost as if I had no supporting evidence that something was wrong, and also I felt that if I said anything without the “proof” I could possibly offend them. It was only after we had parted that they told me something was bothering them. I felt guilty and was frustrated with the fact that maybe if I could have seen their entire face (especially the mouth) I would have been able to be there for my friend. Levinas explanation of faces and vulnerability truly stood out to me, since many times words can create a new truth but regarding the face, it usually is representative of one truth. Without my face I am distant, a stranger, someone who observes. I noticed that my personality has changed, I am less of an extrovert and feel inclined to be anti-social with strangers; whether it be for my safety or a learnt habit. A new way to face the world will be to express our emotions elsewhere, the use of hands when speaking or using much more descriptive language. Being faceless is an important lesson which draws away from vanity and reestablished bonds within ourselves (personality). 

Personal Notes

Additional Personal Notes

JANINE ANTONI photographs of her parents reminded me of Cindy Sherman (Untitled Film Still #21 1978). Both these artists use makeup and clothing to create alter characters. It is not only the makeup, and clothing that make a character but also it is how they are positioned, their mannerism and changing emotions. 

This was an interesting piece to look at after reading the article. I believe that it ties in the concept of perception very well, every person who described Maurizio Cattelan had clearly had different impressions of him. This makes me believe that not only is our face unique to each person, depending on our emotional state that day it may alter your spiritual perception, based on what people see. Is our emotional reflection more important than our physical appearance?  Oddly enough this work reminded me of Chuck Close as his perceptions of faces drastically change every time since he himself has the inability to recognise faces. 

A New Way to Hide My Face: Concealed by Transparency 

I wanted to explore/ challenge transparency. By layering transparent material I was able to give it a new quality and function which I thought was very powerful. It helped me vocalise through photographs that it does not matter what something is but rather what it can be, we have the power to change an outcome depending on the path we create. This was an interesting challenge because not only did I not know how many transparent layers I’d need to conceal myself but it was also a race against time since with each layer there was less air to breath. 

Make An Alternative Pandemic Mask: Biodegradable Fragility

Creating a mask using dried petals I hoped to challenge two ideas; fragility and environmental consciousness. It has come to my attention that masks are becoming the new “plastic bags”. People are polluting the streets and oceans with used masks. Now how do I create something beautiful with an ugly underlying truth. By changing the material of a mask into something biodegradable I have created a temporary appeal to a mask but yet it maintains consciousness of its ugly counterparts/original form (by shape). Using dried petals represents the fragility of our future and personal fears of witnessing someone “break” due the pandemic. 

Face As A Platform: Garden of Eden

I had decided to use my face as part of a living sculpture. I had tried to recreate the outside environment in my own home. When I look at the photograph I sense a feeling of belonging and peace, but then in contrast an overwhelming visual of suffocation by nature’s entanglements. As the dirt fell into my eyes they started to water, and as time passed not only did I start to feel menatly out of place but I had started to be physically uncomfortable. The smells of dirt and various evergreen/dried plants were also becoming overwhelming. The emotional process was quite surprising; initial paradise, to a suffocating chaos. 

Week 7

Jhon Cage: Overall feelings of confusion and making you question if sound is only auditory related. Key words: redefining. How to compose silence? Importance in the process of music. 4’33” (for orchestra and soloist) Sound value is from the actions. Visual is more important than audio; since we see and orchestra the components of the orchestra and the particular chosen musical instruments we are able to deduce that we should be hearing classical music, but rather we hear the sounds of a musical environment/actions. 4’33” (death metal) yet again we have the visual of a death metal band but no sounds, the short intro at the start of the video creates a feeling of anticipation. After doing some research as to why John Cage decided to compose silence it was interesting to find out that it was in response to the continuous noise post WWII. As a musician it almost felt like the value which music had held for him has now become the value of silence. Intentional silence and music had started to share value. His works remind me of Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, Silent Sound. A conceptual artwork which also communicated in a unique way. Both of the artworks que into our psyche (find pattern without the pattern). 

Lee Walton: Absolutely loved the audio piece by Lee Walton, it would have been interesting for the artist to do a segment where they play the C note on pianos which have not been tuned for years! This would confuse the audience (especially those with a musical background) because they would visually see the C key being pushed but the sound would be much much different.  I wonder why he chose the piano. The video component was also a plus since you were able to see what kind of piano is being played and then can understand why it maybe sounds a particular way, or even find a pattern amongst visual and audio. I love the idea of using one object, and I think I may explore this in my own work. The use of repetition here was very impactful but also interesting, because even though the same note was repeated not only did it look but sound different. 

Yoko Ono’s screaming piece makes me question boundaries of art, are they boundaries, should there be? Would this piece have been considered a conceptual work without her fame/title/popularity? One aspect which I liked from the video is that it is sound which everyone is and at the same time is not familiar with. If every person in the room was to close their eyes and visual a story, they would be all different and based on personal experiences. Yokko Onos sound was continuously different and unpredictable, which is why I think she was able to maintain the audience’s attention.

Project Proposal 

I would like to explore the ideas of symbolism and variance. Bellow is my thought process and brainstorming for the audio piece. At times I like to focus around key questions, fears or personal relationships with a particular sound. 

• Use of Repetition (I like the idea of repetition, because if I were to use an object with the same function the emphasis will be placed differently each time on its unique characteristic even though they all share that same characteristic) (to find uniquality in uniformity) 
• Use of symbolism
• Mimicking natural sounds in an unnatural environment (water movement)
• Sounds of different model cars that pass by on the street (interesting to see how the sounds may progress during the day, I could stand near a busy street for a minute per hour of the day) < potentially there will be the use of silence in this audio piece similarly to John Cage in which the environment holds the power
• Sounds of different birds in my surrounding (a fear) (I have always found birds to be very peaceful, but there’s also a fine line between peaceful and chaotic, birds tend to have a natural progression of repetitive sounds, how would this should if I was to start with singular bird noises and gradually layer them up until It was overwhelming: reminds me of when you give a bird food with a smile on your face and then all of a sudden you feel trapped and attacked< does this feeling comfrom the auditory sensation of over stimulation on both parts???)
• Sounds of glasses (use of repetition and the creation of a beautiful sound by one action which ultimately produces variance in the pitch that is produced) (personal relevance, the sound emitted from sounds reminds me of family gathering and so to me it is almost as if each sound is representative of one person, also depending on the sound produced can be representative of socioeconomic status how so? Crystal and thin glass which is more expensive would produce a longer/sharp/clear sound rather than a cheaper glass material that would probably sound more blunt ) (to include video or to have it be only sound) (why this material/object?) (Lee Walton inspiration)
• Record/to mimic conversation as those around me speak (I have always loved to mimic accents and oddly enough staring at people to ensure not only the sound but emotion and attitude fit, I think it would be interesting to repeat conversations which I hear around me and jump from conversation to conversation). 

Week 8 and 9 Audio Piece

Each sound had 2.1 seconds of its own time, this was in oder to show the variance of unique characteristic and how some sounds could and wouldn’t last the full 2.1 seconds depending on the material. The use of repetition was to create variability but was also reflective of a person, the glasses which made a more so “beautiful” sound could be thought to be as mature or parental figures, and the dull sounds could ultimately be characterized as a child’s glass. It was important for me to layer the sounds at the end in a natural yet unnatural way as I wanted it to be representative of this idea community / coming together. It can be interpreted as a celebration or simply a group of people coming together, depending on ones personal experience. I also wanted to bring attention to how one material that shares a function can have so much variety and be considered unique regardless of this very function due to it’s personal characteristic in auditory effects.

Week 10 & 11 Conceptual Portrait + Personal Notes

Personal Notes

On Kawara, 

• The artist examines and plays with time, the effects of chronology on human compulsiveness 
• Reminds me of a militarian routine 
• The idea of postcards was so beautiful yet so simple at its core. It is by the sheer volume and the process of collection which made the posts cards so impactful. There had become a story, and each one was unique yet related in one way or another (there was always a statement, and it was always addressed to a person) The viewer is able to focus as well as be overwhelmed by the abundance of detail. 
• “Today” series, 1966-2013, it is interesting to think how every date can have a different story depending on the viewer. One date may hold no value to one person but for the new viewer it may bring overwhelming feelings depending on the relationship/experience/memories the audience has with the date. Why is time important? The power an artist holds is the ability to redefine any concept, even the notion of time. 
• Is his art a form of self reflection? Meditation? Discipline? 
• A sign of continuously life, the importance of everyday no matter if it was a productive, happy or emotionally staining, as long as you have the ability to move forward the process of art continuous

John Baldessari

• The use of repetition, to elicit feelings of frustration? Order? Confusion? Stability?
• “I will not make boring art”, challenging the meaning of what is/ can be considered as art (similar to Duchamp) 
• A new form of making art, The choice of words being so blunt and direct personally made me think about the role of an artist and if there is any one role which we hold 
•  Another artwork of his that stood out to me was “What is a painting” 1986, yet again there was an emphasis on the power of works and how a conceptual idea acts as art. Also in this artwork it was not he himself who painted on the words which brought up another very interesting idea in the process of art creation; is the artist’s “hand” as important as the artist idea, and should one hold more “value” than the other

Adrian Piper

• The engagement of social critique and conceptual statements 
• The limits of self and viewer
• “ transformed herself into an odd or repulsive person and went out in public in” I think that this idea is centered around social norms, pushing the boundaries of perception
• The artists hold a powerful energy as the directness behind her art allows the work to stand out, she is able to go beyond social constructions and in turn allow the viewer to think about the role they play in society
• the figure is also used as a tool (importance of gestures)

Conceptual Portrait:

Formula: make the unconventional unconventional. I have decided to create a series of photographs in which I document myself using an object and giving it a new alternative/unconventional function and meaning. The idea I was exploring is necessity. Is there a need for so many materialistic items or is because of our privilege we are able to chose a function rather than create a function. Refrensing Adrian Piper by making commentary on social norms which ultimately can have negative implications (the idea of over consumption, pollution, the lost connection between person, function and action)

Week 1

Sol Lewitt expresses that the idea is the machine that makes the art by using instructions for others to follow. The idea drives the artist to make the idea into reality. Motivation becomes a machine to make the art. The only way that the other artists are able to create the art is from the idea of Sol Lewitt. Sol Lewitt’s hand has very little to do with the final work because he uses other artists as his hands.

I do not generally draw boundaries in artworks because I think there is no limit to what art can be. The artworks are the instructions she’s reading out. Ono gives out specific and easy instructions that can be replicated by others. She uses encouraging sentiments like “this is good for your health” to persuade people to complete the instructions. A lot of the tools mentioned in her work is about using yourself to create the piece. I like a lot of her works like standing outside barefoot and feeling the energy through you. Along with the listening to breathing concept where you listen to yourself breathe, listen to others, then listen to the city breathe. I found most of her concepts connect to being helpful activities for mental well being. It is helpful to ‘ground’ yourself in everyday life so it becomes easier to use the skill in stressful states.

The first piece is a performance of him walking back and forth along the square lines. The second piece Nauman dances/exercises around the square guidelines again creating a mundane experience into artwork. He’s incorporating himself doing an everyday action into artwork. It becomes framed as art because he identifies it as art with the self validation of his title as an artist. As we see validation from him and other that it is art it can change our perception on what the meaning is. Either the audience can overthink what each movement mean or the entire concept behind the piece becomes dissected faster than if it was not classified as art.

Kilometer

The aftermath of walking 1km outside and re-entering the house. Foggy glasses used as a measurement.

Stillness (week 2)

This performance piece was very interesting to accomplish. Although I look in good spirits here it was not long till I began to regret picking an outside location. At times it was lack luster but surprisingly entertaining when people would walk or drive by. People seemed to really enjoy a disruption in their day. I wonder if their reactions would have been the same if it was not a pandemic and lockdown. I felt a connectedness to my neighborhood that I have not felt before. Usually I just get in the car and leave or immediately walk away from the house. But this gave me the chance to take in the surroundings and feel the breathing of the city (referencing Yoko Ono).

Week 3

“Making Changes” by Lee Walton- reposition a diverse group of objects while walking around a city

“Sitting” by Lee Walton- sit directly beside a stranger when other seats are open

“Ladder Climb” by Jon Sasaki- climb a ladder without leaning it against something

“Dead End” by Jon Sasaki- drive a van down a dead end alleyway and make a u-turn

“The distance I can be from my son- Back Alley” by Lenka Clayton- measure the length you can personally allow for a young child to walk alone down an alley way

Yuula Benevolski- not available

Defenestration

Sadly all my windows have screens on them so I used the top of stairs instead. I chose to use 4 knives in this piece and I made sure that this was completely safe for me to execute. I was exploring the idea of dropping something inherently dangerous. Kind of like the idea of Russian roulette where people play a “game” of chance that can lead to death or injury. Example: a group of friends stand in a circle and throw a heavy rock in the air above them and whoever does not move “wins”. (I do not recommend this game). It also exaggerated the idea of losing control and power. When holding a knife you are in control of where it moves but mid air there is no control and a sense of danger.

Week 4

Adad creates compositions of subjects very tight to the borders and creates a sense of closeness. I tried to crop it similarly but it would not upload.

“Socialization”

Timber is the dog shown in the video and was adopted during the covid pandemic. He has had trouble being scared of people and objects because he does not get the same exposure as dogs not raised in covid. Because Timber lives in a house full of women he gets scared when seeing men, children and dogs on walks because he has limited socialization with them.

Week 6

In the new era of wearing masks where half of people’s faces are covered. Humans are visual learners and understanding emotions requires visual cues. In public it has become harder to read someone’s facial visuals to be able to read their emotions. Whether sad or angry or happy we lose being able to express ourselves and perceive others. Sometimes it is necessary to overuse other ways to communicate yourself like using an over enthusiastic voice. If someone happens to be sarcastic in a situation it is easier to misconstrued people intentions.

My main interest of faces they mentioned in the article was the medical masks face. It is very emotional evoking to think about all those who are hospitalized and cannot see their family and friends when they are struggling. It can make it very hard for those who have to go into a surgery alone and never see a full face of even the nurses and doctors. Even those who are dying of coronavirus and other illness they have to process the end of their lives alone which in itself is heartbreaking. These faces are so powerful with their drive and willpower to undergo long work hours, traumatizing deaths, and more.

Without my face I lose a sense of myself because people, especially women, are taught to prioritize how we look and present ourselves. I also love to do my makeup even when wearing a mask which is funny to prove you don’t wear makeup for others. Along with becoming more comfortable in no makeup. It also a way to focus more on other ways of expressing myself. Like relying on fashion more as a way to represent my personality.

1. I was looking to directly distort my face with physical force. Using the measurement tape coincides with the idea of always measuring beauty, attractiveness, structure, etc.
2. The second I was inspired by ‘fun house’ mirrors that distort your reflection of yourself.
3. The third was my attempt of an juxtaposing face mask. In which, my roommates hands were my mask which defeats the whole purpose of having a mask.

Week 7

Kelly Mark “I Really Should…” (2002)

The conceptual idea for this piece was about a list of things that run through the artists head in what they should complete. These can be seen as goals that the artist wants to achieve. It is unconventional to listen to someone’s personal list of goals especially when the goals are mundane or personal to the person. For example, if you don’t have student loans to pay back, they it is unconventional to listen to an audio clip of someone’s goal to pay back theirs. The artist says 1000 different goals all in the same tone of voice. The artist maintains interest by having different goals that other people may relate to. While she makes every goal different, she repeats “I really should” before every sentence. This effect of listening to this piece is thinking of your own personal goals and relating it to how everyone’s brain has a constant repetition of them. Giving the exhausting effect that can come with this anxious thought process.

Lee Walton and Laurent Estoppey “Listening to the C” (2018)

The artist plays a “C” note on multiple different pianos and although it is the same note it shows how different they all sound. Conceptually it can relate to celebrating how many people have similarities and are still different within that. Along with how even though they all sound different they can all still sound good. Conventional music would want all the tuning of the pianos to be the exact same to keep unity and harmony. Instead the artists chose to embrace having different tuning and timbre. The repetition of the same note kept attention and the changes in the sound keeps interest. The effect of this piece on me is wanting to think of more things that are the same theoretically but in fact are completely different in practice.

Christian Marclay “Guitar Drag” (1999)

The artist drags a musical instrument, guitar, along a road to create a new form of making sound with it. Although a guitar can create multiple musical sounds for its intended purpose it can also create sounds with unintended purpose. This plays into the conventional use of a guitar is to pluck the strings so unconventionally the artist drags the guitar. The piece has repetition in a sense that the audio/video continue for an extended period of time. Keeping the audience wondering how long the guitar will be dragged for. Listening to this piece peaked my interest in repurposing a conventional item to unconventional. Reminding me of dada “readymades”.

Audio Proposal

I was thinking of referencing using audio of the same sound but they sound different. How crying between people sounds different even if its for the same emotion. Then I began thinking of the similarities and differences between crying and laughing sounds. How sometimes even though laughing is a completely different emotion sometimes crying sounds very similar. Along with the concept of happy crying is interesting that it is the same physical reaction but not the same fundamentally.

Audio –

I completed the audio using clips switching between people laughing and crying. Often it is hard to tell when the change between emotions happens. The repetition of the two different emotions causes for confusion in what the brain wants to empathize with. This piece makes reference to Lee Walton and Laurent Estoppey “Listening to the C” because of the focus on how different our similarities can be.

Week 10

notes:

on Kawara- Self observation of post cards, maps, lists. All represent ways of recording himself and measuring time. Studio is wherever the artist is not a stagnant place. Kawara “I met” lists was lists of everyone he met. Kawara uses unconventional functions of recording time.

John Baldessari- made a repetition list saying “I will not make anymore boring art”. In a kind of chalkboard punishment fashion like in old movies children who in trouble would write out a sentence saying they would not make the mistake again. Also a sense of manifesting in repeated sayings in hopes that you will follow it even unconsciously.

Katie Patterson- used glaciers from Iceland that were pressed into a record which were then played on a record speaker until completely melted. She also did mapping all the dead stars. This made an unconventional way of recording time and life and death.

Adrian Piper- in the mythic being they explored the superficial factors of masculine. In the calling card they create a sort of business card to pass out to people as a preemptive way of identifying racism and social issues.

Sophie Calle- get multiple people to interpret a breakup email. Analyze how people analyze differently.

Spring Hurlbut-memorial portraits of ash

Felix Gonzalez-Torres- creates representations of people that died from aids.

Conceptual Portrait

proposal for conceptual portrait: ask people for picture of their collections. Compile photos for a collection of collections.

This is a combination of my collections and friends collections. Some collections have been lifelong and some collections have been found in quarantine. All document time from an accumulation of finding items for the collection.

KILOMETRE WEEK 1

For this exercise I decided to record a car horn from 1 kilometre away. I was not optimistic in the horn picking up on my phone voice memos, but it worked! Coming up with this idea was quite a challenge for me, but hopefully it get easier with time. 🙂

WEEK 1 NOTES

STILLNESS- WEEK 2

Before I explain my hour of stillness, I just want to say I have so much respect for Marina Abramovic, that was so difficult for me. To be fair I did not consider the consequences of my itchy sweater beforehand, but even disregarding those annoying unanswered itches, being still for an hour was very taxing and boring. I chose to be under my bed for this exercise because it was the most constricted space in my room, and I wanted to communicate how confined I am within these four walls due to COVID and online school. I spend my morning, evenings, and nights in this space, and at times it can get a little unbearable, although I do love my room. I related this gesture to Abramovic’s works in the expression of my concept through a grueling task that highlights sensation and endurance. Throughout the hour I became increasingly distressed, restless, and anxious. I was surprised how similar the feeling was to my cabin fever at it’s worst. Maybe it was due to the fact that I am a little claustrophobic, but I was not expecting an hour to be that painful, and it wasn’t in the beginning. It was more boredom that bothered me. As I was lying there, I thought about how I was going to describe it in this paragraph, and then thought that I would write that I was thinking about how I was going to write this, and then I thought about how I was going to write that I was thinking about including the thought of thinking about that thought. As you can tell my mind was reaching for topics to explore other than my to do list (which almost made me give up a surprising number of times). I also tried to meditate, but then I was almost sleeping and thought that was not the point of this. Overall, it was unbearable, and I will not be doing it again.

WEEK 3: Defenestration

DESCRIPTION:
The task of throwing an object out a window seems deceptively easy. However, coming up with said object was rather difficult. At first my mind went to common subjects that are not usually airborne, like those in still lives. Then I thought that was rather boring, but a good way to practice framing a photograph (and that it could possibly communicate something about wasted food). My real interest was to break something- as one would anticipate an object to react when being thrown out a second story window. Since I felt as if I was owed this experience, I thought of this fairy figurine that was missing one of her wings, who would surely give me the performance I was seeking. She had a great last flight, then shattered into at least 5 pieces. It was satisfying.

ARTIST INSTRUCTIONS
1. Move objects to a different position, make sure it’s an improvement, leave.
2. If someone is sitting alone, go sit directly next to them. Enjoy the city and the closeness.
3. Find stability at the top of an unsupported ladder.
4. Find an alleyway with no exit that is only slightly larger than the van you are driving in. Drive to the end then turn around to go back where you came from.
5. Examine the distance you can be from your child in an empty path.

WEEK 5

Social Distancing Video Portrait 01 (sanity edition).
—
Sam and me
—
“It’s affected me just like everyone else, school is harder and life is more pessimistic. Hopefully with the vaccine coming out things will start to go back to normal, but honestly I think it will still be a while. I’m just glad I met you before quarantine or else I think I would have gone crazy.” -Sam
—
Taken from at least 5 m away.

Description: I really enjoyed exploring the works of Adad Hannah and creating this piece. Me and Sam don’t get to see each other that often due to the pandemic, so I wanted to capture a regular moment together and highlight the importance of connection in this crazy time. I think this idea is seen throughout Hannah’s social distancing portraits as well, as so many different people are united in the context of his overall art piece. You can see that everyone is struggling (and thriving) at times in response to the world around us. One of the most interesting qualities in his portraits is the recording of time and social events like the Black Lives Matter movement. There is a visible shift in the demeanour of the subjects as events such as that occur. Hannah is focusing on the everyday acts of everyday people and fortunately, his series will eventually come to an end. But while the pandemic trudges along, he making an important collection of still moments (that I’m happy to contribute to) that history will look back upon.

WEEK 6: Faces

Turn and Face the Strange: Darcey Steinke on Our New Life with Masks

This article was interesting to read, however I don’t agree with her point of view on masks. I consider myself skilled at reading facial expressions, and recently have found that I can still do this with people’s eyes and forehead alone. Even in the article Stienke describes her husband’s expression as “bewildered and irritated” when he is wearing a mask, I think this proves most of our feelings are communicated from our eyes. I have not experienced any misunderstanding, confusion, or grief within the past year regarding masks (from not being able to see whole faces at least, masks do muffle sound quite a bit). Maybe it is because I usually Face time people that are not within my small circle, allowing myself to make that entire connection without putting either of us in danger, but honestly, I love wearing masks. It makes me feel safe and allows me to not wear my previous mask of make-up. I used to put on make-up every day because it made me feel more attractive in a patriarchal society. I am now realizing that I prefer my bare face which helps me analyze and break down my own internalized male gaze. Within the article, Stienke’s discussion of prosopagnosia is particularly interesting to me. I struggle with relatively constant disassociation, leaving me feeling that my own reflection is not actually me. I look at others sometimes and only see the concepts of what a human is, so masks help me not focus on features, they distract me from my thoughts about faces. I will probably wear masks at times for the rest of my life after Covid-19, especially because pandemics are inevitable.

MY TRANSFORMED FACES

WEEK 7, 8, 9: conceptual audio piece

AUDIO WORKS RESEARCH

Janet Cardiff ‘The Forty Part Motet’
This work from the Canadian artist Janet Cardiff consists of 40 speakers arranged in a circle (pointing inward), each projecting a single member of a choir. They perform “Spem in Alium” from the 16th Century, a polyphonic piece that includes soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass voices, originally composed by Thomas Tallis. He conceived the music for a chapel with eight alcoves (for 8 choirs of these five parts), inspiring and relating to Cardiff’s emphasis on the sculptural quality of the sound. She reworked this 16th century song with contemporary means, as she captured each singer individually in a complex recording process. She captured children’s voices for the soprano parts, and even included the sounds of the singers having a break, highlighting a humanity within the piece. One usually does not experience music in this way anymore, leaving great impact on the listeners who are surrounded by the sounds as if they take up space. I also think the replacement of human presence with recordings is strangely prophetic and speaks to the move to digital landscapes within the last 20 years.

Kelly Mark I Really Should…
Kelly Mark is another Canadian artist that created the work “I Really Should….” This conceptual audio piece is of Mark’s (and mostly all of our) to do list, which goes on for 49 minutes and 16 seconds, including phrases like “I really should clean out my wallet, I really should pay back my student loans, I really should try to get my credit rating back,” etc. It uses a stream of consciousness type text that highlight her almost obsessive qualities when it comes to making art. Mark usually utilizes repetition and process in her works to frame daily habits as if they are worthy subjects in fine art. She maintains interest in this work in the fact that it’s so relatable, you are waiting for hear her to reveal a point on your own to do list. Although monotonous, she never repeats a line, with the work changing while standing still over 1000 intentions. I love this work because it fills me with so much anxiety while comforting me at the same time. I am very glad to hear that others are as unproductive or negligent as I am when it comes to tasks of a similar nature.

John Cage 4’33”
John Cage’s 4’33” is one of his most controversial pieces, containing three movements of set duration (33 seconds, 2 minutes 40 seconds, and 1 minute 20 seconds), each section containing no music from the musician(s). The piece highlights the ambient sounds from real life, forcing listeners to confront the impossibility of silence. The work is different than music and scores in the way it showcases this idea of what the absence of sound can sound like. By performing this piece live, many of the ambient notes are strung from the audience whenever anyone leaves in frustration, talks, or sneezes. I love this work because it really highlights anticipation for me, as well as Cage’s intended meaning. I find myself aching for any music at all, making even the smallest accidental noises hit my ear drum with importance.

NOTES and BRAINSTORMING

FINAL IDEA PROPOSAL
For my audio piece I am inspired by John Cage’s Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake, specifically in his interpretation of another’s piece in sound. The work is a 60 minute score, composed of sounds directed from James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, all captured in the places where they took place in the book. Instead of literature however, I am going to make an attempt at transmuting this painting by the Swiss artist Hans Emmenegger into noise from the 21st century. One of the things I love about Emmenegger’s work is that his pieces hold a timeless quality, I often forget these paintings were born in the 19th and 20th centuries when I view them. Due to this, I thought it would be interesting to create my interpretation of this ominous street corner in today’s society, and contribute to an important conversation revolving around the continuous, unjust treatment of women. In thinking of how I could conduct some sort of common narrative in my audio that would occur in a place like this, one of the first things I thought of was someone getting catcalled. The statistic has recently come out that 97% of women in the United Kingdom, aged 18 to 24, have been victims of sexual harassment in public spaces. This started an obviously important conversation and I feel it is important for as much light to be shed on this issue as possible, so I would like to highlight how common experiencing sexual harassment, more specifically in this work- cat calling is, for all women. In addition, just to make it a challenge and keep it in reality, I will record all of the noises myself.

final piece, “corner”

DESCRIPTION:
This piece contains layers of muffled music, distant cars, footsteps, and the buzzing of a light to capture the atmosphere of a street corner just away from the downtown of a city. It is my attempt to translate my feelings/ thoughts about this painted scene by Hans Emmeneger into an audio that could have been recorded in it (if it was in the 21st century). I captured all of the sounds from the streets near me, my backyard, and my boyfriend’s apartment. I used these sounds to form an active scene from the perspective of the light within the painting. I placed a party within the lit room, cars driving to and from events, and a disgusting cat-call within the 37 seconds – all things that I have observed and experienced when walking in Toronto at night. My inspiration was John Cage’s Roaratorio in how he translated a book to audio and Kira’s “A Walk in the Forest” with how she used sounds in her immediate surroundings to create an imagined atmosphere.

WEEK 10 + 11: A CONCEPTUAL PORTRAIT

NOTES

PROPOSAL “Ashley Being Herself”

When thinking about how to approach making a self portrait non-literally, I was confronted with the fact that I am still figuring out who I am. Only within the past three years have I been discovering myself, most importantly my sexuality and gender, which I am still working out. I have ignored myself for so long that I have become quite apt at copying the personalities of others to fit in. I know that I am not alone in this, and think it’s interesting how we can overlook the relationship we have with ourselves to survive socially in today’s society. My vision of myself is a collection of other people, so to demonstrate this I will literally copy those that I see in public. I will go to the park by the river in downtown Guelph at its peak popularity, and mimic people’s every move.

FINAL CONCEPTUAL PORTRAIT:

In this work I wanted to create a portrait of myself that captured the way I view my personality. Throughout many years of my life I did not consider who I was or wanted to be. I relied on copying others’ personalities to survive socially, overlooking myself completely. It has only been a few years since I have questioned and challenged this, sending me into internal debates about my true sexuality and gender. I often view myself and how I act as a collection of other peoples’ imprints on me, even despite my goal to become authentic. To express this concept, I chose to represent it literally and took to the trails of Guelph and mimicked those I saw around me. One of the most interesting things that came to me in this experiment was how uncomfortable doing this made me, it’s refreshing that I can no longer blindly follow others and be okay with it.

WEEK 1-Walking a km with Atlas

on January 15, 2021, I walked a kilometer of trails with my dog Atlas and filmed (most) of the walk with my phone. (The trail was icy so I needed to watch my footing in a few places!) In order to measure the one kilometer, I relied on my Fitbit kilometer tracker. I also attached an old Fitbit to my dog’s collar to measure his distance covered during my 1km walk. To walk 1km I took 1,536 steps and it took 15 minutes. During my 1 km, Atlas covered 10% more ground (1.1km) not to mention how productive he was undertaking all the other doggy activities during the 1.1km (e.g. chasing squirrels and birds, picking up sticks, leaving p-mails and sniffing the whole way). Similar to Yoko Ono’s Grapefruit book and undertaking the activities suggested by her, I found the activity of walking this km and contemplating how I experienced the km differently than Atlas broke down some boundaries of my understanding of what a km is and what it could be. It also made me contemplate time and how time units are man-made. For instance, on average, a dog’s life is significantly shorter than a human’s in terms of man’s definition of time, however, how much they “live” in the time they are alive cannot be measured by the same measurements that we typically place on a person’s life. It was also interesting to re-watch the video that I took of the walk: I noticed things that I hadn’t noticed while experiencing it live: how windy it was; the regular “crunch” beat my feet made walking through the snow (sounds almost like a heartbeat throughout much of the video), my dog’s ears flapping in the wind when he stands still. The video, while evidence of the walk, has also become a meditative work in itself for me. Similar to my comments on Sol LeWitt’s work, there are 3 pieces created from my work: 1) the concept of comparing one being’s km to another’s; 2) the act or performance of the walk; and 3) the resulting video as evidence or product which has its own substance and value.

To provide evidence of the distance travelled I have attached the beginning and ending kilometer readings on both Fitbits and the beginning and ending steps on my Fitbit. I have also attached the link to the video documenting most of the walk.

Homework Week 1

Sol LeWitt discussion notes based on viewing of video and reading of materials under the Artists section on WordPress:

How does Sol LeWitt express the notion that “the idea is the machine that makes the art” in his work? What does the artist’s actual hand have to do with the final work in a conceptual art context?

Sol LeWitt expresses the notion that “the idea is the machine that makes the art” through his conceptual art where the ideas and execution blueprints (e.g. the machine) are prepared in advance for others to execute (e.g. the individuals and supplies used are the inputs into the machine).  Personally, I would argue that there are different artworks produced out of the work that we view in the video For All to See: 1) there is the conceptual piece, or the idea, that Lewitt produces, in terms of the diagram and instructions; 2) there is a performance piece that is created with the execution of the instructions by the team gathered; 3) and finally, there is the final physical artwork that is the documentation or evidence of the first two artworks converging.  Although LeWitt’s actual hand was only applied to the original concept and instructions, without the birth and documentation of this first conceptual piece, the other two artworks would not be possible and would not exist.  The video compares LeWitt’s art to composing music, which I agree with.  His blueprints and concepts are the sheet music, but the artists require skills to execute (as would musicians reading the musical score), to interpret and adapt the performance according to their situation at time of performance.

The video also made me think of the saying “what is old is new again”.  It was very normal throughout art history for established artists to employ a team of individuals in their workshop to execute artwork. This was a method to create more art than one person could create on their own and also was a training ground for young artists.  It is only in more recent years that the norm is the concept of the celebrity artist.  I see Sol Lewitt perhaps trying to rejuvenate this practice as part of his conceptual art.  It is interesting how the video focuses on the artistry skill of Lewitt only, when only people of at least some skill would be required to execute the blueprint as intended.

Yoko Ono discussion notes based on reading from Grapefruit book and reading of materials under the Artists section on WordPress.

Where do you draw the boundaries around artworks in this video? What are the artworks? What strategies and tools does Ono use to challenge the viewer? Do you like any of these concept works? Discuss.

The conceptual art presented by Yoko Ono is both the book and the video of her reading excerpts from the book. My interpretation of this work is that her concept is to eliminate boundaries of what is considered art. Similar to the work we viewed from Sol Lewitt, the short instructions provided by Ono are the blueprints or concepts of art for others to interpret and perform, or not, as their own art based on her concept.  It goes further than Lewitt’s concept as the instructions are less defined and sometimes not even able to be performed, if taken literally from the instructions.  By including the absurd, the impossible and the humorous in the instructions, it challenges the viewer to think about art, things and living differently, and blurs the line between what we consider being art/not art.  It also changes how you think in terms of problem solving.  For instance, those instructions that are impossible from a literal sense make you think “well, how could I interpret this differently and perform the essence of what she is getting at”. I like the concept of this book and the variety of instructions.  Different concept works appeal to me on different days or in different moods.  On some days, listening to my heart beat may be exactly what is needed and all the energy I have, whereas on other days, the more difficult or mindful activities may result in something more profound.  In this sense I find the concept of the art very forgiving, kind and gentle.  The book actually says to burn it after reading it. To Ono, her artwork is complete by putting the concepts out there.  If one chooses to expand on the art by performing any of the instructions, that is up t o the next artist in the chain and is independent of her.

Bruce Nauman discussion notes based on video The True Artist Helps the World and reading of materials under the Artists section on WordPress..

Describe two works by Bruce Nauman (include images) where he frames every day actions (non-heroic, banal) as art. How are they “framed” as art, and what does the framing do to our understanding and experience of the actions?

Conceptually, Bruce Nauman frames everything he does as art because he is an artist and logically concludes (somewhat tongue-in cheek, but also a challenge to viewers) that what he produces must be art  (similar to Fountain by Marcel Duchamp and Dadaism).  I particularly like his neon light work and chose Double Poke in the Eye (showing two neon heads poking each other in the eye with fingers) and Seven Figures (showing seven figures having sex). Both these works challenge what we think of as sculpture in terms of the material the sculptures are made with and the movement of the sculptures, but the topics that are being represented in the sculptures also challenge our understanding of the work. At first look, there is no mystery to what exactly is being represented (two figures poking each other in the eye and seven figures having sex) but the viewer’s mind then races to what the possible meaning could be. His artwork can be quite shocking (either the topic being represented or the manner in which it is represented) in its lack of subtlety, which forces the viewer to contemplate. It is hard to look away.

Week 2

For this week’s assignment I chose to stand outside blindfolded standing on a small stool on my backyard deck. I had my daughter take pictures of me at the start and every ten minutes afterwards, up to 60 minutes (seven pictures in total). I wanted to challenge myself in terms of taking away one sense (sight) and limiting any movement (if I shuffled, or took a step I would fall off the stool) and also experiencing the cold of outside. I have attended several meditation and mindfulness experiences, so I knew that control of the breath was essential to the experience. The first 10 minutes were the hardest (as always) as the body fights the stillness until the mind and breath takes control. As Marina Abromovic states in the film, it is all about a state of mind that allows you to push your body physically to stay still. Similar to Abromovic, I fed on the “audience”. I found myself creating a system to know when my daughter would come outside to take a picture. I regulated the rhythm of my breath to the sound of the filter on the hot-tub (which was close by) and I soon discovered that 360-370 breaths was 10 minutes. I needed to understand the progress to feel good about carrying on. During the 60 minutes, I noticed several different sensations or changes. I noticed dogs barking in the neighbourhood, not just the ones close by, but those barking farther in the distance. My dog was in the backyard while I performed and at first was whining at my feet, not understanding why I was not interacting with him. I could hear him running, playing and chewing on ice and my mind would make mental images of what he was doing. I heard two planes go overhead and could tell that they were small engine planes (maybe private?) and thought about how COVID has drastically changed travel and the airline industry. I remarked on how many birds were active in the backyard at 3:30-4:30 pm. And by about the 30 minute mark, I started noticing the sound of the 10-minute timer alarm coming from inside the house, notifying my daughter that she should take the picture. The 10 minute-40 minute marks were the easiest, I could feel myself getting into the rhythm of breathing and slowing down. I had a few pain points during this time (cold fingers, pain in the arch of one foot, numbness settling into one foot) but the breathing made them manageable as I breathed into the pain. The 40-50 minute section was the most trying. My muscles in my legs were getting a bit tired from supporting myself in one position on the stool (I was essentially in Mountain Position for 40-50 minutes at this point with muscles engaged) and the combination with blindfolding was making me a bit dizzy or off balance. I had to be very present to stay on the stool. Once I hit 50 minutes, I found it easy as I knew there was an endpoint (360 slow breaths) and I counted down. I was a bit stiff at the end and had to take a second or two once the blindfold was off to re-orient my senses before coming down off the stool. It did make me think though what torture it would be to be in solitary confinement, not knowing when the end of the ordeal was near. You can visually see the stress built up over the one hour in the two pictures (Left-beginning and Right-end) below in the difference of expression in my face and the rigidity of my hands by the end.

I have respect for Marina Abromovic and her practice in terms of the messaging and the innovation of the art at the time. I do feel her authenticity has changed over the years, and this is touched on in the film The Artist is Present, where a friend states that she is always performing. I personally feel that her art is also her therapy for her unhappy childhood and the masochistic tendencies of her art, while making strong and significant statements about the art world, relationships and treatment of women, were also cathartic in her own coming to terms with the lack of love she received from her own parents. The meaning of the art to her may be different to the meaning of the art to the viewers of her art.

While watching The Artist is Present, I couldn’t help but think of her as similar to a cult leader. She is physically attractive, highly charismatic, unpredictable, seemingly beyond human in the physical demands her body can endure. I found the speech she gave in Italy very interesting, as she specifically says not to see artists as idols, and yet that seems to be what happens with much of the audience during The Artist is Present; many seem to idolize her. I also found it interesting with one of her earlier works being “Art must be beautiful, Artist must be Beautiful”, that she chose all young and beautiful artists to re-enact her earlier works during The Artist is Present (not one body that might be considered overweight or unfit to be found as part of the team). The music choice in the film also often provided an “exotic” flavour to the scenes. I couldn’t help but wonder throughout the film how much influence she had in the story told and the approaches taken. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but also felt throughout that the documentary was another of her “performances” geared to creating the image she has worked so hard to attain.

Week 3 post-One sentence instructions

1. Lee Walton/Making changes: Modify the position of random things found while walking in the city.
2. Lee Walton/Sitting: Sit on a park bench close to a stranger.
3. Jon Sasaki/Ladder Climb: Climb on an unsupported ladder as high as you can and repeat each time you fall.
4. Jon Sasaki/Dead End, Eastern Market, Detroit: Drive a van into a narrow alleyway and do a U-turn.
5. Lenka Clayton/The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Back Alley): Film your toddler wandering away from you until you feel it is unsafe and measure the distance reached.
6. Yuula Benivolski: Not available.

Week 3-Defenestration

I thought carefully about what to defenestrate for this week’s assignment as I was sure there would be some emotional attachment to the item I was throwing out the window. Travelling alone and with my children is normally an important part of my life. Given, the latest travel restrictions the government is putting in place this week, I determined that the likelihood of needing my suitcase for a vacation anytime soon was slim-to-none. (That idea is out the window!) I packed up a small suitcase with a sun dress, flip-flops, bathing suit, sunscreen and a beach towel and threw it out the window. The emptied contents on my deck in the snow do look pretty sad, but no point stressing over it! When the time is right, I will pick up the pieces and travel once again.

Week 4-Adad Hannah and Social Distancing Portraits

Adad Hannah’s work is very interesting to me. In his work, including the Social Distancing Portraits, there is a strong sense of recognizing something everyday and common, but there is something “off” or different (sometimes slightly, as in the social distancing portraits, and sometimes boldly, as in the The Screen) that makes you stop and think about human behaviours and humanity itself.

In the Social Distancing Portrait series, Adad Hannah has observed everyday people; people we would expect to see in our own neighbourhoods. They include people of different genders, age groups, ethnicities and backgrounds. It is difficult to pinpoint how these people are different from or similar to each other and I believe that is the point. Every one of the individuals is unique, and yet we are all unified by dealing with the global pandemic. The approach of having the subjects in each portrait stand still during a time-elapsed video is powerful in a few ways. If the portraits of the subjects were captured in a photograph, it makes it too easy for the viewer to look quickly and move on. With the viewer seeing a “live” performance in each portrait, it is difficult to look away and it lengthens and intensifies the gaze by the viewer. By giving more time, you start to build a relationship with each of the subjects, and watch them more intently. The short quotes also provide a link between the individuals portrayed. Each is different and unique, however, the themes of the quotes are similar, expressing their insecurity about the impact on their life, their mental and physical health, financial security, and the uncertainty of the future. Using a combination of live film and photographic portraiture also reflects on the state of most people during the pandemic; we are living our lives and time is going by, but we are restricted in our movements and everything is on hold. There is not much going on in the time elapsed. The people portrayed in each portrait are centered in the frame (both horizontally and vertically) and are shown full body and in-focus. The posture tends to be relaxed, doing something that the subject would likely be doing as part of their regular day. The shot is taken from a distance and usually outside, as would be expected during a pandemic, and in many cases the subjects portrayed look at the camera.

For my one-minute video, I chose to film my two children on their way to school on their first day back since the Christmas lock-down. This is a significant milestone during the pandemic, back to some semblance of normality, even though they need to wear masks all day. Similar to Adad Hannah, I filmed them from at least 5 metres away and centered them in the middle of the shot.

Quote from Anika: I think COVID really affected me because of online school. My teacher couldn’t teach everything she was planning and now for the rest of the year she is going to have to rush. Online school has also made it hard to see friends because at recess they are not in the schoolyard to play with. You can’t just talk to them during class because it would overpower the teacher and everyone would hear you. I think COVID will always be here, even if it is not as strong. Some stores are always going to make you wear a mask.

Quote from Shayne: I don’t like COVID because I can’t see all my friends. We also can’t do my favourite sports because everything is closed. I wish that we were still doing online school because online school is easier.

WEEK 6

Turn and face the Strange: Darcey Steinke on Our New Life with Masks notes:

While I found Steinke’s article quite interesting to hear her point of view on masks and the face, and some background on masks, there is quite a few of her opinions I disagree with as well. As it relates to COVID masks, I always find it amazing what a wide range of emotional reactions there are. It is quite obvious Steinke has a visceral negative reaction to masks. Personally they do not bother me. There have been a few instances where I have run into people at stores that did not recognize me at first, but once you say who you are the moment is over…not a big deal. I have had it happen in the past when someone has not seen me in a while or since my last haircut, etc. While the masks do muffle speech a bit, from the standpoint of reading people’s emotions I haven’t had issues either. Maybe I have always relied on the eyes to smile and overall body language, rather than the lips.

I do think the difference between seeing live faces and those on communication screens such as Zoom is very different. I have been fortunate not to have had a funeral to attend during COVID, as the inability to see loved ones live during a time of mourning is very difficult.

I also think the link between the different masks and interaction with faces she describes have a tenuous link at best with our current COVID situation. Many of the masks she discusses, such as ritual masks, have a long history of meaning and symbolism. Other masks, such as the KKK and terrorist masks serve the purpose of making the identity of the people performing shameful tasks anonymous. I just cannot associate that sort of emotion with a piece of fabric which, in our society today, has a functional purpose to medically protect the vulnerable for a temporary period of time. I have tried, but I can’t understand the viewpoint that the COVID mask is an infringement on human rights. It is just something to get used to for a short term and necessary purpose.

I also disagree with her comment of the aging face being an anti-face and a woman’s face becoming less interesting as she ages. As a 50 year old woman, I can honestly say I have never been more comfortable with my face. While 20 year old men may no longer find it attractive (which I am perfectly ok with!), I also find I am listened to and get more respect than my 20-year-old face did, even though I may be speaking the same words. Older faces tell a story to me and are beautiful in a different way.

Of most interest to me was the part describing John Howard Griffin’s experience of living both as a black man and a white man. How people related to the same person differently depending on which “mask” he was wearing is fascinating. I plan on reading the book. I also wonder if this impacted his behaviour and personality depending on which mask he wore.

While part of my face is covered while I am outside these days, I think more people have actually looked at my face during COVID with all the Zoom calls. On Zoom classes all the other students see is your face. In many live classes, I think students only really look at the teacher. To be honest though, to not be seen by a lot of people over a period of time is not particularly concerning to me as others viewing me does not define who I am.

Of the different artworks we viewed in class, my favourites are Erwin Wurm One-Minute-Sculpture Series and Nina Katchadourian. Both series are full of wit, are “in the moment” and I appreciate the humour.

My Different Faces

This last image describes sometimes how I feel as a mom (similar to the two-faced good-cop/bad-cop from The Lego Movie). I used one bag with the Mean/Naggy Mom and Fun Mom on opposite sides. (note: I revised these photos based on feedback in class to have better lighting, focus and plain background).

Week 7 Notes

1. 40 Part Motet by Janet Cardiff
   Conceptual prompts: Takes (beautiful) sound created by 40 parts to create a whole and allows it to be deconstructed into its smaller pieces again if desired or listened to in different combinations. The sound becomes physical, more like a sculpture that you can walk around and examine from different angles/speakers.
   This is different than listening to the same music sung by the same individuals in a concert setting or on speakers/headphones as it allows the listener to focus on specific elements and consider how it fits into the whole. I would imagine the experience is also different depending on the room that it is in, given different acoustics, and also the visuals available as you listen, as well as how close or far apart the speakers are from each other. The type of music chosen is also spiritual and can be quite transcendental given all these factors. The musical “sculpture” might not be as successful with a less spiritual song. Interest is maintained through the ability to hear the song very differently depending where you stand. Given there are 40 different speakers emitting different sounds you could spend quite a lot of time listening to and experiencing the piece differently.
   Hearing the piece on my computer is probably quite different than hearing it “live” with the speakers in the room, but it is a beautiful piece and I can imagine from watching the video that is is quite a captivating experience.
   
2. Kelly Mark’s I Really Should. I really appreciate this piece in that it is words that many of us say to ourselves and others (“you really should”), often as advice, as a scolding, as a change agent or just out of habit. By hearing the same words expressed over and over, the repetition changed how I heard and understood the words throughout the piece. At first the words just ran over me, they are familiar words that don’t hold a lot of weight because they are so familiar. Then they became a bit more sinister and I started to feel annoyed or berated by all the things she was telling herself she should be doing (many of which I tell myself to do all the time), and then I felt like she was being too hard on herself and I was exhausted by the long list of “to-do’s” she had set herself up to do. It would be impossible to achieve everything and many of the items may have been important in the moment, but many of these were not essential to living a happy life and were setting her up for feelings of inadequacy. The only thing holding these different sentences together was the words “I really should”. Otherwise the thoughts were random, with some being important to daily life and others being mundane.
   
3. Pipes in C by Anna Ripmeester: I quite liked this piece in that she took a found noise and turned it into music. It was a constructive, playful and positive way to turn an annoying situation into something positive (if you can’t beat it, join it). This differed from conventional music in that one part of it was not controllable, the pipe sound was the dominant and the guitar music the accompaniment.

Week 7 – audio piece proposals

Proposal 1: Similar to One Minute Apology by Laurel Woodcock and a Day in the Life (24 hour version) by Dave Dyment, I thought it would be interesting to take existing pre-recorded songs and reconfigure them with a different message and sound. I am proposing to do a piece about time and sound by piecing together 60 versions of the word “second” sung by 60 different artists in 60 different songs. They will be arranged chronologically (based on release date of the song) and I will also have an overlay of a clock ticking seconds over the top as it will last exactly one minute. The piece will be called “60 Seconds in a Minute”. I have already experimented with 20 songs and the effect is interesting in how the same word sounds so different depending on the voice, how the word is stretched out, or said shorter in more of a staccato, the ticking clock in between ties it together. Some “seconds” are longer than others; some take more than a second to say and others less than a second.

Proposal 2: We have several digital devices in the house that have alarms that go off for several reasons (waking up, reminders, meeting notices, etc.). The other day several went off at the same time. I thought it would be interesting to hear how they all sound together as a symphony (or cacophony) of sounds that are supposed to alert and awaken. This piece is reminiscent of Dot Matrix Symphony, The User where found sounds from an automated source are combined to make new sound/music.

Proposal 3: Proposal 3 is of a more serious nature, I thought about having 2 voices (1 male and 1 female) reading from a script. The script goes through the typical words said to each other from the time one of the persons discovers they have a terminal illness to the time they die and shows how the relationship changes from partners/loved-one to care-giver/care-receiver. In the beginning the script covers shock, dismay, expressions of love for each other, as the script evolves, the two people talk over each other (one discusses doctor appts, medicine schedules; the other discusses things they want to do before they die, home remedies, philosophies around death) and in the end they converge and say goodbye. Having known several people who have lived through this (including myself), it is a relationship that changes “in a minute” (no matter how long the person is ill) but is also one that is common for caregivers/those in palliative care. In terms of artists that we reviewed, it would most relate to I Really Should by Kelly Mark. This piece is also a spoken piece, that when you hear all the “I really should’s” together gives a different perspective on what these words, that you use everyday really mean when taken all together. (Note: based on feedback from Diane I did not pursue this piece as she felt it did not fit into description of the assignment.)

Week 8 -Completed Audio Pieces

I chose to complete both Proposal 1 and Proposal 2 above.

For Proposal 1, I completed a mix of clips from 60 songs recorded by various artists, arranged chronologically from the 1950’s-2020, singing the word “Second”. The result is 60 “Seconds” in Under a Minute. The variety of voices and styles (I chose a variety of crooners, rap artists, reggae, pop, rock, alternative, jazz, heavy metal and show tunes) and manner of singing the word is interesting, with some taking longer than a second but most taking less time. I also thought it was fun that 60 “seconds” can be executed in less than 60 seconds. What struck me most was how certain famous voices could easily be distinguished, as they have such unique voices and how memories flooded back to me for certain sounds just hearing that one word (Many of these songs were popular during my teens and early twenties). As discussed in the proposal, this piece is reminiscent of One Minute Apology by Laurel Woodcock and a Day in the Life (24 hour version) by Dave Dyment where found pre-recorded songs are reconfigured for a new purpose.

For Proposal 2, Eight Alarm Symphony I combined and mixed 8 different common alarm sounds from devices in the house (cell phones, ipods) into a symphony. The sound is a bit jarring at its apex, which is interesting as these sounds are supposed to alert you to important events or wake you in a pleasant way. As discussed in the proposal, this piece is reminiscent of Dot Matrix Symphony, The User, using found sound created by an automated device and remixing it.

Week 9 and 10

I am proposing to create documentation of the books I have read for pleasure in my life.  I know in advance that I won’t be able to make a complete list as I am quite a prolific reader and have also read many children’s books in my own childhood, babysitting family members and raising my own children that I won’t be able to remember all of them. There are some books I have read several times in my life and have understood different messages throughout the years as I matured and based on what was important in my life.  I have not decided exactly how I will document yet.  One way could be a list based on my memory and the most memorable books in my life would be documented first.  Another way could be a list based on my memory of approximate year/age of when I read them.  I could do a word bubble where certain books that I have read many times would be larger type, with those I read only once would be small type.  I could also do a collection of the front-page image of the books in a catalogue format. I strongly believe that you can tell a lot about a person based on the books they read (and whether they read for pleasure or not). I also believe that what you read can shape the person to a certain degree.  This work would be similar to Douglas Gordon’s List of Names from 1990 to ongoing.  Gaps can also be filled in as I go. For instance I forgot how much I enjoyed Judy Blume books as a youth.  My daughter picked up one of her books the other day and a flood of memories of how much I enjoyed them came back.

Week 11 and 12

I decided to document my life’s reading with a series of doodles and words representing the books that have deep memory for me. This project is a larger undertaking than what can be documented in one week, but the process is an enjoyable one and I will continue it as a conceptual portrait. I found the act of documenting and doodling.kept producing additional memories and images that I associated with the books. I managed to document about 100 books to date and they are loosely grouped on the four pages between books I remember enjoying as a child, books I remember enjoying reading to and with children in my life (mine and others), classic books that I have read several times, and books that I read during my teens/twenties that I have deep memories from. There are many, many more books to document as I dig deeper into my memories!

Summary of Work due next week:

Complete Conceptual Portrait assignment and post your final work/images/videos on the blog with a title and description of the work.

We will discuss finished projects in our final class, on Tuesday April 6th, 2021.

• 

• 

Prepare to make a special cold or hot beverage of your choice – make it impressive looking! Be resourceful with whatever is in your fridge – it might be basic, healthy, colourful, inventive, ambitious, lavish, unusual, nostalgic…

Tell us how you made it, and we’ll talk about your Conceptual Portraits, and celebrate making it through the term together!

• 

• 

• 

• 

Summary of Week 9 work:

1. Complete and edit your audio piece and post finished work with a description on your blog page.
2. Catch up on any missed work and complete your blog pages.
3. Look for signs of spring, and go for a walk in the new bright light!

LOOK AHEAD:
If your audio work is complete, and your blog is up to date – you can look ahead to the Conceptual Portrait assignment and lecture for next week.