For my kilometre, I go on a walk every morning with my dog, and figured that with the 1 km walk I could show what it’s like to go on a walk with us. The twist I wanted to add was seeing both perspectives, me and my dogs as well as putting music on both POV’s.
Turning the Gestures of Everyday Life Into Art by Katja Heitmann
Describe the work discussed in the article and the unique challenges – as well as the unique gifts- that come with attempting to archive personal movements.
This article discusses how Katjia uses dancers to study and recreate movements of everyday life into an art piece that mimics the unique way one’s body moves. The unique challenges started with the fact that the dancers could not photograph, film, or record in writing anything from the interviews, they needed to memorize and become one with the specific authentic gestures made to become one with capturing human data. Another challenge was the archive being ongoing and live, meaning the dancers could not clock in and out, they couldn’t stop otherwise the artwork was considered gone. This could cause fatigue or body aches, so they would need to persevere through. The volunteers who were a part of the piece never realized the movements they had made and reflected on them, which also allowed them to discover new things about themselves, and some even made adjustments to their everyday lives because of it.
Discuss one or two examples of movements in the article – what strikes you about them?
What strikes me most is Broek who had “anxiety hands” and constantly cracked his knuckles. The gesture of cracking knuckles is such a common thing among those who have anxiety and, I also can relate because I find in high-pressure or uncomfortable situations, I crack my knuckles to pass the time or take my brain somewhere else with the sounds.
Describe the habitual movements/unconscious gestures, tics, etc. of 3 people you know well. How do individual body parts move, and how does the whole body interact? What about facial expressions and the emotional valence of the movement? How does body type inform the movement? What do these examples of small movements mean and imply?
My boyfriend plays first-person shooter games on his Xbox a lot. I noticed that when he gets really focused in rounds he opens his mouth the smallest amount and closes it slowly. Usually, when he focuses on others body movements are completely still and, his facial expressions are blank.
My brother, whenever he says something in a group setting that isn’t totally addressed to anyone, will say what he wants to say and then look at everyone who is close, but it’s in a way that still isn’t addressed to people, like an open response question or statement.
My best friend, when she is reading, will bite her hair or play with it. I feel like it’s a way of self-soothing, or alleviating boredom or anxiety when doing something as simple as reading.
During the AGO, I found 2 pieces that captured my attention. The first piece I liked was “Bic Lighter”, by Tarralik Duffy on the first floor of the exhibition. The take on the lighter and the cigarette she made is almost a comedic joke, they are supposed to highlight a sense of playfulness and humor but I took it in a different direction and saw it as a complete hit on a sensitive topic. I like this piece because in my head it was giving more of a warning or highlighting on the topic of smoking and the severity of it. It has become one of the everyday objects used and I think that is sad, but for her to use it in a comedic sense was slightly refreshing. Although it’s a sensitive topic for her to take this in the direction of enlarging and making the pieces out of foam as a type of plushie is a cool idea. The second piece was made by Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña called the storm. I love this piece and was instantly captured by its beauty. I love the color pallet and the brush strokes used to portray a sense of darkness in the storm. I love the use of dramatic brushstrokes and the string natural effect it has on the piece. The combination of the dominating stormy sky on the open lands is so pretty. As well as the use of the framing adds to the dynamic of the piece and brings out the sun casting light onto the paths in the middle of the piece.
One Feat, Three Ways Video
Progress video
Audio Assignment
“Rhythmic anxiety” is a sound piece exploring the rhythmic patterns of anxiety-driven fidgeting. It is composed of layered sounds created by tapping my foot, drumming my fingers, and playing with jewelry—small, unconscious actions that often go unnoticed but reveal a restless mind. These sounds come together to form a beat that feels both structured and erratic, mirroring the way anxiety can create a sense of order within internal chaos. At times, the rhythm is soothing, like a subconscious coping mechanism, while at other times, it becomes overwhelming, reflecting how these habits can spiral. The title, Lost in Chaos, captures the experience of being trapped in these repetitive motions, where fidgeting is both a release and a symptom of unease.
Walking around the gallery was an interesting experience as it allowed me to see all the artistic styles and learn about different artists. It was also fascinating to discover what some artists are currently working on and what others plan to pursue after graduating. Hearing about their creative processes, including trial and error in developing techniques, provided valuable insights and helpful tips for future artistic endeavors.
One piece I particularly enjoyed was part of a series of paintings that captured the atmosphere of a women’s restroom with striking accuracy. The artist’s incredible attention to detail and creativity brought the scene to life. Speaking with her was insightful, as she shared valuable points about working with oil paints and showcased other thought-provoking pieces that pushed artistic boundaries and thought outside the box. It was also nice to see how each piece she showed different mediums, like the series painting, she had a wall of pictures of women’s purses and lastly put together a scene like restroom that made me think any girls messy set up when getting ready.
Unfortunately, I can’t remember the artists’ names, but these are some of the pieces I enjoyed seeing. Most are pieces with great attention to detail that bring certain elements alive.
I made an audio piece composed of clips of my dad playing his favorite songs on the guitar along with the music in the background. This is one of the best representations of my dad because throughout his life he has loved music and can portray parts of himself through song in a way he never could through words. Each one of these songs he grew up with and continues to play all the time at home. This is a little bit of a longer video but I wanted to incorporate some of his best sessions with these songs and give a sense of who he is through music and also a small sound of what it’s like to be in our household on a regular day. I incorporated some clips where he knew I was recording and some he didn’t know and I even caught him singing a couple of lyrics! In some of the clips, he also messes around a little bit which were the ones he didn’t know I was recording. I did that because he was quite nervous to be filmed. Overall, I think he did a really good job working through the nerves, and I think this piece came out well with capturing those candid moments which shows an authentic touch that really brings out his personality and love for music, I hope you enjoy it!
I created these buttons to encourage social interaction and engagement. Each button features an open-ended, thought-provoking question designed to spark conversation, break the ice, and make it easier to connect with others. Whether the prompts invite humor, personal stories, or deep discussions, they help turn everyday interactions into engaging and meaningful moments.
Starting conversations can be challenging, especially for those who aren’t naturally extroverted. These buttons serve as an approachable and fun way to initiate discussions, encourage curiosity, and make meeting new people less awkward. They can be used in classrooms, social events, or casual settings to create spontaneous and dynamic interactions.
I appreciate how these buttons promote interaction in different ways—whether through laughter, storytelling, or thought-provoking ideas. By wearing or displaying them, they invite connection, making social experiences more natural and memorable.
I created 13 squinting buttons. I originally made 15, however, one button’s mylar did not work so I had to take it off and another button had a strange white circle around the image (Pictured below on the left). The first time I printed out the images, I felt as though the pictures were still too big so I decided to go back to the computer and make the images even smaller (Pictured below in the middle and on the left). Unfortunately, within the black parts of my buttons there are faint lines, which Nathan said was because the printer needed to be serviced. Although I think the buttons would have looked better without these lines, McKenna mentioned it kinda looks like blinds on a window which is in theme with my concept of looking. Overall, I am very pleased with how these turned out and think they look quite ridiculous paired with all my “normal” buttons.
Artist Blurb:
Whenever I see buttons on someone’s bag, I always try to sneak a peak when they aren’t paying attention… I judge them on the buttons they have and determine if I think we would get along based on common interests or if I think I should avoid them… Therefore, I created buttons that not only look back at you, but also judge the looker for looking. I made the images smaller than the buttons themselves so the person taking a peak at them REALLY has to get in close and squint their eyes to see the person squinting back at them!
PORTRAIT PROJECT
IMPORTANT: I was very passionate about two concepts, one a portrait of my Opa and one a self portrait… so I did them both!!! The one I am handing in to be graded is Portrait of Hank but please check out my self portrait entitled no two snowflakes as well if you are interested!
BRAINSTORM
ICE SCULPTING AND VIDEO BTS
Portrait of Hank
Portrait of Hank Artist Blurb:
I made a sculptural and video art piece that speaks of the deterioration of the human body. As with all of us, age causes our bodies to change and break down slowly but in the case of my Opa, his body was deteriorating faster than normal due to symptoms from his cancer. I was heavily inspired by Portrait of Ross by Felix Gonzalez-Torres as my piece also speaks about gradual and unexpected loss. Where Felix uses candy, I use melting ice to create a type of vanishing portrait. Originally I had hoped this video would be in one shot but the ice sphere, a metaphorical body of my Opa, persisted and lasted 30 minutes! The video is quite frantic at the beginning as I edited together clips of me pouring the drinks, however, the last minute of the video is a singular clip which gives viewers a chance to reflect. In the moment I felt very strongly about eating the last little piece of ice as a way to not say goodbye to my Opa and to have him reside within me, however, looking back at the video I wish I had filmed the melting to completion. I created a hollow sphere out of ice with a small hole at the top to pour orange pekoe tea and coffee into. The tea and coffee, the tray, and the mug are all significant as they were always used when my Opa would come over for a visit. My fondest memories, and my last time seeing him, was during a tea and coffee visit.
Timelapse!
no two snowflakes
I went through every item in my closet with pockets and determined that out of 42 clothing items, 23 had stuff in at least one of the pockets. Once counted, there was a total of 63 items, 42 of which were tissues. I took all 63 items and scanned them, however, I was very intrigued by the tissues specifically as they looked strangely beautiful. I was inspired by Lacy Greene’s Lipsticks and On Kawara’s One Million Years which document the subtly of objects or a singular concept. I created a booklet out of all the 42 scans of tissues and printed it out as a zine. Below is a link to an online version of the book for those who are interested!
Walking around the open galleries made me extremely excited about having my own space and I began thinking about what I would want to display! It was a little intimidating but also really cool learning about everyone’s specialties and niches.
I especially loved the whimsical mixed media and sculptural pieces by Elisa, it is exactly my kinda style and really inspired me 🙂 I also loved Cindy Hill’s bronze casted dairies. I found the material really interesting to look at so I asked her about her process, she told me she used a burnout casting method. Cindy mentioned wanting to make a piece about destroying personal documentation. Her use of bronze was significant because she noted most subjects casted in bronze are men on horses, thus she wanted to make a feminine art piece using this historically masculine material. She mentioned that there are more horse statues than statues of women in Canada! Additionally, I really liked a sketch by Vida Beyer for its simplicity and I enjoyed Wendy Bishop’s sound resonance pieces for their thoughtful and mathematical arrangements of colour.
I have included some other pieces that really intrigued me! Overall, I’m glad I took the time to look and listen to the upper years and I am looking forward to displaying my own art 🙂
AUDIO ASSIGNMENT – 13 Piece Capriccio
BRAINSTORM
PREPARING FOR THE CONCERT
13 Piece Capriccio
BONUS: red belly
Artist Blurb for 13 Piece Capriccio:
My audio piece is a capriccio created from the sounds of 13 family member’s belly buttons. A capriccio is a lively, spontaneous, and sometimes humorous piece of music. One of my strangest stims, patting my belly button helps ground me, calms me down, and produces a loud drum like sound. Although it is a little strange, I have an incredibly nonjudgmental family whom I wanted to share this experience with. I invited any family members that lived close by to come over to my house and join me in my belly button drum circle. It was incredibly important to me that participants felt comfortable, playing their bellies however they deemed fit and laughing if they felt the need! The goal of this audio piece was to construct an unscripted musical composition while creating a safe and fun event amongst people I feel comfortable with. The experience itself was a very odd and unique one… looking around the room and seeing 12 other people smacking their bellies in a circle is something I never thought I’d be doing. Although the audio piece was mostly sporadic, I did conduct it to a certain degree as I quieted the group at the beginning and motioned to the group to slow down once we neared the one minute mark. I decided to keep in the murmuring at the beginning to humanize this piece and because it sounds similar to the murmuring that occurs before an orchestra, which ultimately quiets down once the music begins. My uncle (pictured on the right side of the images above) ended off the audio clip with a nice little beat. I am very happy with this piece as I was able to share one of my favourite sounds with the people I love. Every time I listen to this piece and hear the laughter of my family members, I smile 🙂
My Crops Are Dying but My Body Persists
Bridget Moser’s My Crops Are Dying but My Body Persists is an incredibly intimate video piece where Moser shares her experience with identity and existential crisis. As mentioned in Lau’s review, Moser references 2020 pop culture and memes. This is evidenced in her use of satisfying videos, such as the material squishing out of crocs, distorting music, a commonplace practice in “shit posting” videos, and strange yet goofy images, such as the bizarre muscular figure sitting on water. Her music choices also reference modern day “calming” and “Inspirational” soundtracks you could find easily on YouTube. For instance, the upbeat music at the 3 minute and 30 second mark reminds me of inspirational music I may use to ignore the chaos of the world around me while the meditation music at the 12-minute mark reminds me of the music I use to calm myself down, something I do when I am worried about the state of the world. The white, beige, and pastel colour pallet creates this sense of cleanliness. This orchestrated purity is even more off-putting when you combine it with imagery like Moser spitting out her own teeth or putting meat between fake toes.
I agree with Lau’s comment that the fake mouth at the beginning of the video, “delivers a monologue conveying existential dread (…) [which] ironically grapples with the malaise of being a body in the world”, as I had a similar thought that by disconnecting the body part, a mouth, from its source and using a robotic voice with no emotion it contradicts the human experiences it talks about, such as when the mouth says, “I take showers just to pass the time”. I also enjoyed Moser’s commentary on forming connections. As Lau highlights, Moser “awkwardly mounts the sofa’s back, caresses its dusty-rose velour, and balances atop it, trying to feel something”. This scene not only made me uncomfortable, but it made me feel exhausted as I could image how tiresome it would be to wiggle around that couch with such effort; Moser even begins to pant and breathe heavily. Another example of the inability or difficulty of forming connections is seen in the scene where Moser uses a fake hand, made of hot dogs, to touch a fake dog.
Moser’s phallic symbolism could be used to comment on connection in a more intimate manner, such as the scene where she touches a screen with an image of hot dogs and roses, runs away, then returns. Touching the screen, she forms a connection, while running away looking at her hand may suggest it is a connection she is not proud of or comfortable with. However, as she continuously returns to touch the screen again, this scene may be even more distressing symbolizing some form of addiction. Moser also comments on white fragility as Lau notes she delivers “a sly visual joke on white fragility (…) [by sticking] Band-Aids to the crusts of a slice of white bread”. Another scene that highlights this topic is when Moser lays on a white couch in a white room while hugging bread, getting comfort from her white privilege. However, her comfort is taken away as she sees a human figure stripped of its skin. This could be Moser’s confrontation with the things within herself she finds uncomfortable.
The quotes “I don’t know what I am feeling but I am feeling something” and “throw up and go on” stuck out to me the most as they beautifully explain the human experience, at least for me personally. These quotes highlight the confusion of being alive in a dying world and the perseverance to continue.
ONE FEAT THREE WAYS – PEELING AN ORANGE
BRAINSTORM
FILMING
29 (One shot)
Openers Opening (Edited)
Over and Over (Loop)
Artist Blurb for “One Feat Three Ways”:
Our feat was peeling an orange. Our three videos are entitled 29, Openers Opening, and Over and Over. Being the complementary colour to orange, we both wore blue to help make the focus of our videos stand out more. We spent three hours playing around with different ideas and items, some of which translated better into video format. By the end of filming, our hands were stained yellow and the whole room smelled like citrus. In opposition to those who try to peel an orange in one piece, we attempted to peel an orange in many small pieces in our video 29. To make it extra challenging, and a bit more intriguing, we attempted this feat using our teeth! Both Mckenna and I attempted this feat but we decided to use Mckenna’s version as one of our three final videos. In Openers Opening Mckenna and I use implements that open other things (handles open doors, zippers open clothes, Bottle openers open bottles) to see if they could open something unfamiliar, an orange. This video got REAL messy as most things are not great implements for opening oranges… In Over and Over we thought it would be fun if one person peeled an orange while the other tried to put it back together, creating this endless loop of opening then closing then opening. Originally planning to sit on the rolling office chairs, we decided to use the red chairs instead to ensure we did not move around during the video and mess up the loop!
AGO: HIP-HOP EXHIBITION
I was very excited to see the Hip-Hop exhibition at the AGO because last year in my sociology class we watched “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”, a documentary that detailed how toxic masculinity is promoted in the Hip-Hop industry and the system, run mainly by white men, typically only support black artists that perform these harmful stereotypes. A few pieces that really stuck out to me were Ride or Die by Gajin Fujita, Platano Pride by Miguel Luciano, and Nina Chanel Abney’s Untitled piece. Ride or Die drew my attention because it struck me as unusual to see graffiti in a gallery setting. The use of actual spray paint and overlapping designs made it feel like it was taken right from a concrete wall outside! I am not a big fan of the graffiti aesthetic and often ignore it in public, however, I found myself drawn to this piece. When something is given a platform, it is usually taken more seriously. Platano Pride caught my eye because you don’t see a large golden banana every day! In my sociology class, we also discussed the mistreatment of plantation workers. It was really empowering to see an artwork where a community reclaimed this symbol. Lastly, I adored Nina Chanel Abney’s Untitled work! The documentary, “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”, talked a lot about what is commonly valued and portrayed in Hip-Hop lyrics and music videos… money, babes, and cars! I love how the crudeness of the subject matter is reflected in the material being used, which seems to be harshly cut up crafting paper. This may have been my favourite piece in the AGO.
POWER PLANT
The Power Plant gave me an experience I was not expecting. I first watched the Floating Sea Palace by Lap-See Lam and I swear I fell into a trance. I had absolutely no idea what was going on except that there was a fish man… but I loved it! The translucent screen that was being projected on produced an incredible effect as shadows were cast on the wall behind it, giving the video literal depth! It was interesting too that the story was from a culture I am not accustomed to making it completely foreign to me. The immersive story and audio paired with the dark room and cozy bean bag chairs allows one to turn off their mind and just experience. Overall, the 26-minute video went by quicker than expected and I made my way to the second exhibit, How Many Colours Has the Sea by Charles Campbell. My favourite part of this exhibit was the audio piece that made me tear up a tad bit. I have never cried at an art gallery before… first time for everything I suppose. The piece was about loss and allowing yourself to sit with those feelings then let it go. Campbell gave me a space to contemplate the loss of someone close to me, and although I am not fully over it, this piece made me feel a bit better.
Took this picture of my finger while at the AGO by accident and later I couldn’t figure out what art piece it was…
Motus Mori Reading Questions
Question 1)
Heitmann’s collection of donated mannerisms are preserved through 10 dancers as they interview, mimic, memorize, then perform other people’s movements. This project has no end date and is an attempt to ensure the mannerisms of people who will eventually pass away stay alive and remembered. Heitmann believes everyone has at least one unique gesture as no two bodies move exactly the same. The donators are of all ages and their motions range from small to large. Once memorized, the dancers perform the movements in dance instillations for the public. One challenge of this project includes the dancer’s capacity to remember as some of them may eventually forget or unintentionally alter someone else’s motion. Another challenge is that those who donate their motions tend to want to “sit up straighter than usual or perform an ideal version of one’s self” while being monitored, changing their normal movements. The unique gift this project produces is a new form of documenting human kind. Rather than focusing on preserving text, physical art, music, or artifacts, this project provides a new way of thinking about and preserving an aspect of human culture that is often brushed off as not being important.
Question 2)
Both Mahat Arab and Ranti Tjan stood out to me because I relate to them. Recently I have started cracking my knuckles as a way to calm myself down, a practice that I only recently started doing and used to gross me out when others did it. I find it interesting that this mannerism is a newly developed one that, like Arab, stems from anxiety. As for Tjan, they realized that they arrange their body in ways that take up less space. I have always felt like a large person, I am quite tall and have broad shoulders. This used to make me feel very uncomfortable as a teenager and I adapted ways to “shrink” my body when in public so I would appear smaller and take up less space. I would sit with my legs touching each other, hold my arms in close to my body, and stand in a contrapposto position to lower my height.
Question 3)
My mom yawns dramatically and vocally when she is anxious… something I notice the most when her own mom comes to visit. This yawn is distinctive from her normal yawns as she really emphasizes it to the point where it seems fake, mainly because it is. I have noticed myself sometimes taking on this behaviour when I am around people I don’t know well or if there is silence in the room.
My brother sways his arms at his sides and looks up at the ceiling when he wants to hangout with me or wants me to do something for him. He will stand at my door and do this movement and I will know he wants something from me. This motion paired with the averted gaze tells me all I need to know about what he is thinking. His long arms really exaggerate this motion.
My dad has a very specific and goofy dance he does whenever he wants to embarrass my mom. He wiggles his hips in two quick and sharp movements and usually sports a giant grin while he does it. My brother and I mock this movement from time to time when we hear certain songs that remind us of him. This small goofy movement is seared into my brain and I will continue performing it, similar to Heitmann’s dancers, so that I may never forget it.
KILOMETRE PROJECT
BRAINSTORM
MAPPING OUT THE ROUTE
– Off for the Season –
Artist blurb:
I wanted to create a piece with some humour so I decided to give my tires a much needed break and take them for a joyride. I took them on a scenic drive exactly 1km from my house and back. Always being on the ground, I thought it was time they had a proper view. Being summer tires, they are off for the season both literally and figuratively. I shuffled the radio to represent the indecisiveness of family outings (not knowing what radio station to listen to, where to eat, where to go). The radio also incorporates an unknown element into the piece as it is randomized and I have no say in what is played next.
A kilometre is something difficult to calculate only in one way. For the project, I chose to view a kilometre in time. I chose to walk exactly 1 kilometre with a twist. That twist is that I will walk on a piece of watercolour paper with black acrylic paint on my boots. I chose to take this more hands-on approach to making a physical piece that represents a kilometre because I enjoy the unpredictable process of working paint on different surfaces. By conducting all these steps, it will create a unique and original abstract piece made of black footprints.
To start off this project, I had to calculate how long it would take me to walk 1 kilometre using maps. The result ended up being 14 minutes. After that, I made a sample of how the footprint would look which I later on included in the final piece. With the complicated step being done, all I had to do was put my boots in black paint and walk on the paper for 14 minutes.
Now that I’m looking at it finished, I totally think this would work great in an abstract gallery showcase. These abstract showcases love to capture unique ways to create art which fits perfectly with this art piece made out of footsteps. But only time will tell if it will end up in an abstract gallery showcase!
Turning the Gestures of Everyday Life Into Art by Katja Heitmann
There are many difficulties when it comes to the creation of this unique artwork. To start off, the dancers were not allowed to record the individuals’ movements leaving them to memorize and study the volunteers’ actions. On top of that, the dancers had to continually perform the gesture assigned to them. As a result, some dancers must have been mentally and physically challenged while also he is tired. However, there were also some gifts that came with this piece. Some volunteers in the article stated that they had never realized that their bodies acted in that way. This results in the volunteers having to reflect on themselves and their movement. Additionally, the volunteers have also discovered a newfound uniqueness to themselves.
One movement that I saw myself in was Mahat Arab’s cracking of the knuckles when he was anxious. Arab’s tic strikes me as a defence mechanism from the stressful environment he is in. By cracking his left knuckles he is able to distract and calm himself to continue performing the stressful task, like talking on the phone. As an anxious person myself I have come to notice That I act the same way as an Arab in an anxious or stressful environment.
When my brother is stressed or concentrating on a task he tends to bounce is right leg up and down. This tends to slightly shake is body leaving this face in a concentrated and stern expression. When my mom is stressed she cracks both of her knucks, unlike Arab. She also tilts her head to the right side while also looking down with a stressed look on her face. When my friend talks about meeting new people she tends to cross her arms around her body and straightens out her body. It’s almost as if she is protecting herself from getting hurt by new people.
FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT
During my time at the AGO, I absolutely loved the painting “Lynn Donoghue” by June Clark from the culture hip-hop exhibition. That painting caught my sight within seconds of me entering the floor. The large scale on which it was painted was unbelievable. I have never seen an artist make two artworks on one canvas/ panel but also make them cohesive. I admire how the artist drew two different parts of one person on one piece almost giving tribute to the models/ references beauty or a memory. It gives you a chance to examine the person’s significance in the artist’s eyes and also the artist’s painting/ layering process. My favourite part about this work is the style of painting. The ability to use single brush strokes of one colour to look like a face without blending ( or very little blending) is amazing. This is something I am working on improving in my own work, so I’m happy I got to see the style that I want to achieve in an amazing gallery like the AGO!
One of the works that stood out to me was “How Many Colours Has the Sea” by Charles Campbell exhibited at The Power Plant. The artist’s use of colour was mesmerizing. It was as if the arts of works were glowing and imitating an aura. On top of that, it was like the colours were moving and blending into each other. I personally like to play with colour in my own work. However, I have never thought about combining the colours Campbell did to achieve such glowing and vibrant contrast. Looking forward, I will definitely be keeping in mind the colour pallet Campbell used to great this glow while also paying closer attention to the colour palette I pick.
My Crops Are Dying But My Body Persists
Moser does a great job when it comes to integrating pop culture into her work. When we first start off the video experience we hear an oddly familiar voice. It is as if Siri or Alexa is talking to us directly. It immediately sets the tone for the popular ASMR concept with other absurd objects. The Artforum review perfectly describes the meaning of ASMR as “the sequence is pleasurable and calming to watch” and I totally agree. For instance, when she puts the manikin foot into a croc filled with shaving cream it results in the shaving cream oozing out of the Croc’s holes.
Moser also includes the popular theme of beauty culture. A standout moment is when she delicately puts facial cream on toast as if it were her face. Or when is glares at her reflection in the mirror with almost a confused look on her face. This just shows how pop culture is obsessed with their appearance and how people see them
Moser only seems to use mostly very calm neutral colours. She uses them in both her clothing and in her props. The Artforms statement of: “Moser wearing silky pink pajamas while prostrate on a sofa in a white, vaguely neoclassical room” proves that as well. It is as if she is too scared to involve something vibrant in her work. There is almost a fear of involving bright and eye-catching outlier colours that the public eye is more likely to reject.
If I’m being honest the only thing I physically experienced is discomfort. Then Moser was doing movements in the muscle suit I felt icky seeing muscles without skin covering them. Other than that I cant say I experienced anything else. If anything, I caught my mind wandering off from the subject or topics involved in the video most of the time.
Moser poses many ideas and questions in her art. However, there are two that really stood out to me and that would be “ white privilege” and the “bourgeois”. She speaks a lot about white privilege and how the leads to fragility. For instance, she places band-aids on the corners of the white toast or how adds a facial cream to the toast almost to relieve the slice of white bread of its hardships. I also saw the idea of the “bourgeois” through her luxurious background/backdrop, nice-looking sofa, clothing ( silking pj’s), and props that were on the table. For example, she displays a gold mirror, nice-looking vases, ceramics, and Himalayan salt which the Artform states is a “displays of “haute” consumerist taste”.
Moser tends to use absurdity to display the strange and odd modern everyday life. by using absurd objects it makes the viewer question what is seen as normal and absurd. It disrupts the way the modern person thinks and processes things. In addition, using strange objects helps her to talk about sensitive topics that would be seen as sensitive to a population.
Our Feat – Lamiss G. and Riya V.
Video #1: The One-Shot
‘Utility Lines’
With the objective to challenge ourselves with a more struggled feat, we chose a medium that does wouldn’t practically or usually receive the treatment of braiding. We braided together a vacuum pipe, garden hose, and extension cord as these larger objects are not conventionally braided, however, are braidable, and this we wanted to explore. The accomplishment of this feat was to execute a fluid motion, to let the materials behave as they do while being manipulated into the form of a braid. We wanted to explore the simplicity of braiding in some of our other takes, so it this piece, we wanted to explore the bizarre.
Video #2: The Sequence
‘Bound By What We Carry’ Our series of braids where out feat of braiding is applied to finding as many items on our body to braid into each other. One of our equirements was to have one of each of every medium to bind our two bodies together. This series explores levels of intimacy, discomfort, and comfort. The other requirement was the braider was responsible for actively gathering the material they’ll braid, meaning they undo and gather their partners shoelaces, belt, and hair for them.
Video #3: The Loop
“The Making and Unmaking” We found a unique way to repeat our action that would effectively look like an endless braiding and unbraiding loop. It’s two personal motives that continuously work together towards their own goal: One person making the braid, one person unraveling the braid. It’s not really going anywhere, not ever growing or shrinking, just two people manipulating the same braid and it never really changes as long as they both work on their sides.
Audio Assignment: Group Chat
For this assignment, I wanted to capture the mundane overwhelming experience of being a part of a group chat. This is because many people in my generation suffer from overstimulation. One everyday event is being part of a group chat. This event can be an honour to be part of but also very distressing.
To make this audio I used real group chat messages from my friends and ideas. Then I put them through a text-to-speech software that always picked the computerized voice I wanted to use. From there I edited the notification sounds.
Open Studios
On Wednesday, March 19 I got the honour to view all the amazing MFA students’ studios and the capstone students’ studios. This was just an amazing experience! I got to meet and get to know artists that I have been looking up to for a while. I also loved seeing the different creativity and art styles each studio had to offer. It was inspiring and empowering!
Overall, I’m really grateful for the blog assignment. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to push myself to see and meet the amazing people in the art community if it was required for the blog post.
some pictures!
Conceptual Portrait – How Artists see me
For this project, I wanted to see how artists saw me. So I went around in the art buildings and asked artists to try to capture my portrait in whatever way they wanted to. The only limitation they had was a 10-minute timer. This timer was used as a way to have the artist act on there first impressions of my face rather than over think and analyze my facial features. I provided each artist with a piece of paper and either a pencil or pen to choice from to make they drawing experience as natural and comfortable as could be.
I first asked artists in my class to draw me. After I had collected their work, I moved on to look for artists who had their studios open for the MFA open studios. I chose to do it during open studios because it allowed me the most access to artists in a short period of time.
After I collected all the portraits, I scanned them and organized them on a software. When that was finished, I printed them all on one poster to help capture some common features/likeness that artist captured
Button Assignment
For this last assignment I wanted to emphasis the stereotypes and stigma that Arab and African people go through everyday in a white dominated country. So to eliminate these untruthful stereotypes wanted to create buttons that state the TRUTH. At the end of the day Arab and African people are PEOPLE as help and deserve to be treated as such!
All of these stereotypes are ones that I have encountered has and Arab/ African women in my life. They have been either said to my face, said in literature I have read, or overheard people state.
“I can’t clean my room because I get distracted by all the trinkets and doodads I find.”
One Kilometer Masking Tape Road
When I started thinking about how I wanted to fufill this project, my immediate thought was travel as travelling a km seemed the most obvious. However I wanted to think outside the box when it came to travelling. (I also didnt want to go outside as it’s cold and gloomy). I came up with a concept that would allow me to travel with my hands. I decided that I would follow a winding road of masking tape with my fingers and present the km I “walked” in a balled up piece.
I first had to do some math to ensure I was following an exact km. I had found a listing on Amazon for a six pack of Scotch masking tape. Its length was 60.1 yards (54.955 meters). By rounding up to ~55m I concluded I would need 18 rolls to equal 990m. I purchased an additional single roll that I would measure out 10m from by using a meter stick. This would equal a km.
I was stricken with a moderate case of contact dermatitis on my hands as I was completing the project. It replicated the pain I would get in my toes due to poor circulation. Nonetheless pushed on
Did I acheive what I wanted to in this project? Yes. I was able to present a kilometer having actually travelled it. The pain in my hands reminded me of the sharp stinging in my toes, the harsh smell of adhesive reminded me of the gross salty snow and gasoline I’d smell outside. I listened to the same music I would if I were walking outside. While making this km tape ball, I started fast, slowed down overtime, and at the homestretch, sped up just to get the journey over with.. Just like I would have if I was walking.
Analysis #1 Turning the Gestures of Everyday Life into Art, Katja Heitmann
One of the key challenges mentioned in the article is the difficulty in capturing the fluid, transient nature of movement. The article discusses how traditional archiving methods, such as video recordings or written notations, fall short of preserving the essence of movement. These methods can only capture a version of the performance, potentially missing nuances like emotion, intention, or the immediate reaction of the performer to the environment or audience. The article also noted that, “It’s tempting for the volunteers to sit up straighter than usual or perform an ideal version of one’s self.” The camera and documentation of this work may cause these dancers to act rather than to be themselves. A gift that comes with this form of artwork is how open individuals can be when showing their little gestures and tics to others. Additionally, the article touches on the artistic potential of archiving personal movements. Some artists see the archive as a canvas in itself, offering opportunities for reinterpretation and recontextualization of movements across time.
One example of movement was a short GIF of what looks to be a preschooler walking on his toes. Toe walking is a trait that is commonly associated with the autism spectrum. This strikes me as interesting as a lot of gestures in humans, whether they realize it or not, come from a state of being neurodivergent. It’s also interesting how some behaviours are detriental to ones physical health whereas others are not. For example, toe walking, thumb sucking, and nail biting cause health issues impacting bone structure in the jaw and legs, but behavoiurs like repeated leg shaking, harsh blinking, and throat clearing have no detrimets to ones physical health.
My mom has restless legs when she’s tired, she moves them in this harsh circular motion uncontrollably. She also tends to get annoying and childish when tired, using a baby voice and exaggerated pouts to express her tiredness. This combination of restlessness and child-like behaviour encapsulates the age regression most people go through as they begin to get tired. Most individuals attempt to hide this, but my mom does not. This can imply safety in her environment or a care free attitude. My dad bounces his leg uncontrollably when sitting down, it is the only part of him that is moving, the rest is still not including regular human shifts. His heavy body weight makes the whole floor shake. There is no particular time or mood he does this, it happens randomly while he’s performing another task in his seat (looking at TikTok). This movement displays hyperactivity, as well as a way to ground himself. When I am home, my dog walker always greets my dog with a super high pitched “HEELLLOOO” followed by rambles about how she knows my dog missed her. This is accompanied by trying to pet my dog as he spins around aimlessly. The combination of her high pitched voice, aimlessly bedding down to attempt some cuddles with my dog, and the blurred facial expressions as she is moving around creates this awkwardly overstimulating scene to create. She’ll then greet me afterwards with a normal/slightly high pitched voice and will ask me how i’m doing. I imagine that she has differing routines with other clients and their pets. To me this implies the need for routine, both in my dog and my dog walker.
AGO + The Power Plant Field Trip
I was able to participate in the class field trip to the AGO and the Power Plant Art Gallery.
Starting at the AGO, I really enjoyed “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” exhibition. I was extremely mesmerized by “Cloud Break” (2022) a sculpture by Devan Shimoyama. This sculpture is made out of Timberland boots, Adidas shoes, rhinestones, silk flowers, epoxy resin and chain. While researching this piece on my own time, I was able to get an understanding for why Shimoyama creates pieces like these (theres more than just one), and I found something interesting about the artwork (Cloud Break) seen at the AGO.
Shimoyama touches on themes of racialized communities being displaced in the USA, as well as how DIY crafting in daily life can be used in memorial creation. This circles back to how communities can come together to celebrate life and mourn losses.
This is the picture I took at the AGO (left) next to a picture from an exhibition by Devan Shimoyama: A Counterfeit Gift Wrapped in Fire, 2022. At the Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago (right). Both pieces of art are called “Cloud Break” (2022), despite being in different forms. I believe that Shimoyama can use these shoe sculptures almost as deconstructable ready-mades, changing the composition of the sculpture to fit different narratives. I find this to be incredibly effecient both in time and cost when creating artwork.
I found myself circling back to this piece throughout my time at the AGO. The colours and composition really caught my eye.
Next up was the Power Plant. I spent a lot of time in the “How many colours has the sea” exhibition by Charles Campbell. This exhibition focused on the treacherous journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic by combining a sculpture, ocean sounds, and “Breath Portraits” that visualize the breath of members of the Black community.
[PICS]
(I know its elsewhere on the blog but I can’t get over this picture Diane took of me! I love it so much!)
One Feat. Three Ways
When exploring a feat we wanted to convey, the concept of toy guns was brought up. Thinking about a challenge that could be associated with this concept we realized how strong the toy guns were and found it hard to keep a straight face while being shot.
Looking at the bigger picture, we wanted to explore the concept of gun violence in today’s media. Most individuals in the younger generations are extremely desensitized to guns and gun violence. This has to do with mass manufacturing of Nerf guns, as well as children being given the ability to play video games that are rated “mature” or “adult only”.
These displays of violence go on to give children the understanding that it is okay to reenact or act upon what they see in video games. By using these brightly colored guns while maintaining a deadpan face as we explore various methods of shooting each other, ourselves, and a figure off camera we begin to show in a very crude manner how video games and toys have an impact on today’s gun violence.
Our one shot explored the consequences of shooting an individual while still maintaining that deadpan face to show that the concept of shooting others and being shot is a reality that most people have come to accept and embrace.
Our sequence explored different ways to use a gun. Adding a second dimension of what it means to blankly shoot oneself, this briefly touches on the normalization of suicidal ideation in today’s society.
Our loop is a video of us consistently shooting each other, in this rhythmic back and forth motion. To me this displays that unless a breakthrough happens in society, gun violence is going to be a persistent aspect of what it means to live on this earth in this time period.
Analysis #2 My Crops Are Dying But My Body Persists, Bridget Moser
To me, this video displays how ludacris some consumerism items are in today’s society. These items are made for individuals to feel better about themselves, to conform to a stereotype, to replicate what they see on social media.
This video explores items such as fake nails, white teeth loose on surfaces, spaghetti being used as hair, among plenty other items. These items and these concepts play into a beauty standard that women feel like they need to uphold in their own personal lives. We can see that with the nails and teeth loose on the table as well as an arbitrary concept of what hair could be that there is a disconnect between wanting to upkeep a beautiful aesthetic and feeling awful and exhausted about trying to be someone you’re not.
Furthermore, the space that this video is being filmed in displays a very “picture perfect” house that has the essence of a Barbie dream house. The white and gold aesthetic paired with pink furniture and walls creates a facade of an individual’s life. We can see the main character in this piece lying in her pink silk pajamas on her pink couch, but she looks so fed up with her own life. This plays into how consumers ultimately at the end of the day create conflict within oneself as they try to navigate the aesthetic that they want to upkeep in their own lives.
Chewing off Ten Press-On Nails in 1 Minute & 15 Seconds
Imagine you had to sit across from me.. Where the only sounds present in the room are white noise, sounds of fidgets, breathing, and me urgently and breathlessly chewing off all ten press-on nails I had just painted and applied.
I wanted to portray a habit through sound when I thought about what I wanted to record for this project. I have extreme impulse issues with biting/chewing my nails, unfortunately it’s a habit I’ve attempted to kick but cannot.. To me this sound immortalizes the (hopefully) last time I will chew off my press-ons.
When I choose to chew off my press-ons, I don’t ever realize how disgusting the sound is.. Getting the chance to record this sound, hear it, and play it back multiple times has given me a new found understanding of how my sound impacts others if it doesn’t impact myself. I’ve been told by my mom that the sound is gross, annoying and that I’m damaging my nails, which are true comments, but her criticalities’ of my habit were not appreciated, especially in her tone.
With this project I whole heartedly accept critiques of both my habit in itself and the portryal of the audio.
Open Studio!
I was able to see the MFA and Capstone Open Studios. Two of the pieces I was drawn to were these two-headed bird by Eliza Marie in Capstone Studio. To me these pieces combines sentiment of loss and happiness and starting over.
I was also able to see my W24 SART1050 TA, Natasha in her MFA studio. I had gotten to see her Studio last year and I was intrigued to find that she has been refining pieces from her first year as an MFA student. Her work explores scenes of nature in loose forms, creating a composition that flows nicely.
I remember looking at her pieces and being able to decipher what the scenery could be, but one look away and I had to start over. I also got to see some of Stephanie Fortins “The weight of stains” pieces. I remember overhearing how some pieces were made by putting damp fabric on rusted cars. I feel like this piece speaks to consumerism and the sociopolitical climate of today’s society, furthermore how humans play into the breakdown of our planet.
And here are some other works I took pics of. (And me helping make a nest!).
Conceptual Portrait
Title: To my psychologist
All my live I’ve had a disability. Since childhood I’ve exhibited clear symptoms of ADHD, despite this, nobody noticed.
I made this conceptual portrait as a means to get back at the neglect I’ve felt since childhood that has persisted into adulthood. When I was able to obtain a diagnostic assessment, I found later on in the report that both the psychologist and my mom on the collateral form got details about my life wrong or entirely forgotten them. Additionally the report was full of grammatical errors and weird sentence structures.
I wanted to reclaim my ADHD, and thus myself by correcting the report.
I wish I had gotten a better (and more) picture(s) of this piece. The corrections in this piece range from small correcting small grammatical errors and rearranging sentence structure to correcting chronological details about my life the psychologist got wrong. Additionally this came with nasty comments towards the psychologist and how the report looked like it was made with a template. (I would love to upload the scan of these works on SOFAM storage but I obliterated my toe on the concrete and had to get stitches).
Artist Multiple – Buttons!
For my artist multiple I made a conversational piece on menstrual/reproductive health. I wanted to break the partriarchal boundaries and uncomfortability that surround talking about women’s biological function. While I didn’t get a picture of all of them together (they very quickly disappeared), I did get a few pictures.
This is the full set of conversation starters:
Ask me about my luteal phase.
Ask me about my follicular phaseAsk me about my period.
Ask me if I’m ovulating.
Ask me about my endometriosis.
Ask me about my PCOS.
Ask me if I remembered to take my birth control.
Ask me about my miscarriage.
Ask me how many pregnancy scares I’ve had.
Ask me about my abortion.
Ask me about my decidual cast.
Ask me how long I’ve left my tampon in.
I had worn the “Ask me how long I’ve left my tampon in.” and the “Ask me if I remembered to take my birth control.” To a job orientation meeting, one of my colleagues/friend (female) pointed it out afterwards and said I got some weird looks from it.
I found walking around the MFA studios to be incredibly inspiring. It was very cool to get to see how other artists work. Along with all of the different mediums they choose to work with. It made me wonder what type of art I would like to focus on. I always feel inspired after viewing the art of others. The artist that stuck out to me was Tuesday Troup. I really enjoy how she paints very mundane scenes while also including detailed imagery. Her work feels very sombre to me, which I enjoyed.
My Crops Are Dying But My Body Persists– Bridget Moser
Bridget Moser’s piece “My Crops Are Dying But My Body Persists” shows herself interacting with various objects throughout the video. The colours in this performance remain monochromatic. The beginning of the video shows display of fake nails and human teeth. It then cuts to a mouthpiece intended to shape the face by tightening the jaw muscles. This reminded me of all the various products we’re sold to make ourselves look better. A lot of these products seems ridiculous and do not have enough proof that they actually work. This is a very prevalent topic at the moment. Social media platforms often promote these products to keep up with the constantly changing beauty standards. They only exist to sell more.
The objects that can be seen in the video remind me of something you might find in Homesense or on Amazon. The ceramics in these scenes are gold and white, which makes them seem void of any expression. I couldn’t imagine where in a home a golden balloon animal would look good. This is a commentary on how consumerism makes us feel void of any life. The entire performance feels existential, as if something big is going to happen and then it never does. The artist is aware that all of these products will eventually end up in a landfill, and that our consumerist society is slowly killing the planet. But what is there to do besides continue living? She expresses how lonely it all feels, and how she struggles to make anything worth it.
One Feat, Three Ways
The One Shot
The Sequence
The Loop
Our first idea started with our one shot. We decided to make our gesture “pouring tea” and our feat “what happens when you do not have a tea cup?”. We then decided that I would pour tea on Amelias head. We thought it would be a good idea to have her hold a tea cup. It makes the viewer expect that that’s where the tea is going, then it ends up completely missing the cup.
Our sequence was inspired by our one shot. We both decided that we would find random objects around the house to bring to the studio. We did not discuss what either of us would be bringing, which led to an assortment of different objects. We then poured the tea into each item. This was the most difficult to film because we kept laughing. It is also my personal favourite. The sound of each object really adds to the ambiance and the awkwardness.
Our loop was our final idea. We took two tea cups and put a hole in the bottom of each. We did this by taking a screw driver to hit the bottom, hoping it would break in the right place. We then took a tea pot a poured the tea into both cups. The intention was to make it look like a continuous waterfall.
AGO and Power Plant trip
They have They Can’t, Alvaro Barrington
This work is based off Tupac Shakur’s song “Keep Ya Head Up”. In this song he says “They got money for wars, but can’t feed the poor”. This can be seen sewn on the work in yarn. The work is meant to highlight racism and sexism faced by the black community. It also connects both capitalism and war and the ways that it harms marginalized groups. These words really stood out to me when I first saw them in the gallery. I believe that the connection between poverty and war is extremely prevalent right now. Poverty and homelessness is currently worldwide issue, along with governments funding war. We know that global issues are usually worse for marginalized groups. It shows how this issue has not changed over time. Tupac’s song was released 30 years ago and the words still remain relevant.
Story, Robert Rauschenburg
Another piece that caught my eye was Story by Robert Rauschenberg. This was a mixed media piece on panel. The piece is a collage of printed paper, wood, metal and wood panels. What initially caught my attention about this piece was how tall it was, along with the weird shape of it. It had a collage aspect to it that made me wonder why he chose these specific images. I found myself staring at it for a period of time to try to make sense of it. I enjoyed that the piece had me asking questions about why the artist made it.
Floating Sea Palace, Lap-Sea Lam
The first exhibit I viewed at the Power Plant was Lap-See Lam, Floating Sea Palace. I found this piece incredibly interesting, and weird in a lot of ways. I found myself paying close attention to what the story was trying to say. This made the time pass by quick, I was shocked that the performance was almost 30 minutes in length. The scaffolding that encompassed the room gave the video an interesting effect. It was almost as if you could see through the screen.
How Many Colours Has The Sea, Charles Campbell
In the power plant there was four MP3 players and four headphones. They played a ten minute meditation that had the listener reflect on something they had lost in their life. I found this incredibly relaxing, especially since the work was tucked away in a dark corner with bean bags provided. Across from it you could see Charles Campbell’s exhibit How Many Colours Has The Sea. Accompanying the piece was audio of the sea. I found this exhibit very immersive.
The Gestures of Everyday Life Into Art by Katja Heitmann
This article depicts the work of the choreographer Katja Heitmann. She invited a series of individuals to demonstrate a daily habitual movement. She then had a group of 10 dancers mimic these unique gestures. The idea was to keep the movements alive. This piece aims to keep an “archive” of what makes us human, stepping away from the digital world. A challenge that comes up in the article is when the dancers are attempting to mimic the volunteers actions. It was noted that the volunteer would often correct themselves, but over time, would become more open. The privacy of the interviews helped the volunteers to be more open about themselves. This gave the choreography a better sense of authenticity.
A movement that I found interesting was the “anxiety hands” of Stijn van den Broek. He mentioned that seeing someone mimic his behaviour “looked less elegant” than he thought. But this experience also gave him ownership of this action. What interests me about this is that he claimed something about himself that he thought might be embarrassing. It gave him a new sense of himself, reclaiming a new meaning. It was probably something he never considered. It made me wonder about all of the nervous things that I might do that go unnoticed from myself.
The first habitual movement that comes to mind is one of my dads. Ive noticed, for my entire life, that he often bounces his leg. This movement may imply anxiousness, but I believe that it is a more unconscious movement. Ive noticed myself picking up on this habit over time. Another movement that comes to mind is when my boyfriend will purse his lips when telling a joke. This seems like an unconscious movement and I am unaware if there are any reasons for it. The final movement I would like to discuss is how my cousin will stand in a way with his chest puffed out. Along with this, he pushes his shoulders back. This has become a joke within our family, anyone who stands beside him will often mimic this movement. Which reminds me of this art piece.
For my kilometre I took ten videos of olympians running the 100 metre.
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