Creative but Lacking in Create

Hotel Vetiver

2012-01-07T21:52:00.002-05:00

Last week I shot some photographs at Hotel Vetiver in Long Island City, NY. They're still undergoing construction, but lots of rooms are in service. I started taking pictures for their website and these are a few of them.

Oh Tennessee, What did You Write?

2011-07-09T01:46:00.002-04:00

At the end of May I traveled to Tennessee to climb in the Obed.

The first stop was Knoxville.

And the World is at a Standstill

2011-06-02T09:31:00.002-04:00

Things can change so quickly.

One second, I am staring out at a clear blue sky,

only to be greeted by snow covered rooftops, and frosted trees.

Only to be greeted by the scent of flowers, and the sun on my skin.

The world outside my window is a constant reminder that time has passed.

Day into night, then day again, and nightfall after.

Through rain or shine or sleet or snow.

It is a constant fluxuation, a reflection upon the self.

I am learning the lessons of the seasons while I grieve over my mistakes.

They will always be there--like the seasons as they change.

Evaluative Blog Post

2011-05-02T10:24:00.003-04:00

Overall, I would say that my thesis turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. The only thing I would really say now is that my project is far from finished and that I can only move forward and continue photographing my father.

I felt that my critique with Justine Reyes went well. While she related to my project and life with my father, she was definitely a tough critic. However, she brought up some very good points. She talked about how technically I should be more wary of my lighting and the amount of details, such as in my highlights when I am shooting and editing. She also recommended that I used film to compete with the loss of details that occurs when shooting digitally. I suppose that is something I would change about my project. I would have liked to use film for my project, but I didn't really have the time for it. Digital made the most sense for time because I

could see what I was shooting and whether I needed to reshoot immediately, as opposed to waiting to develop my film, then having to go back and reshoot. She said that my project was a good starting point because I am by no means finished and because after school I'll have more time to refine my work. Personally, I thought my technical details were good, but I understand what she is saying. As much as this is my project and my ideas, it has been ruled by deadlines and crowded with other projects for other classes. This is my jump off point, my outline for later.

When talking about the book, I realized that there is some editing that still needs to be done. I would probably remove some pictures, when I think about it now, or include re-edits. Justine mentioned that my text could be more personal, but I felt that it was just enough--I didn't want to reveal too much (overly emotional), but I also didn't want it to not be enough--I suppose it's a matter of opinion. She said there was no reason not to be more emotional about it because it is a difficult situation to deal with. However, she mentioned that my images were strong in comparison to the text because the book wasn't really about the text, I meant for it to establish a sort of timeline, or narrative.

Basically, I realized that I need to learn to take my time. To work for images; focus on lighting, on color balance, etc., while I shoot. After school, I will have no deadlines, I will be working for myself and really fine tune my project. In general, I am happy with things. I have a lot to look forward to. I need to be more honest. While I have opened up, I am still a bit closed. It's time to hone in and push the envelope. To refine my work and technique.

Better Late than Never

2011-04-25T15:18:00.004-04:00

In Decemeber 2008 to January 2009, I took a trip to the Philippines with my parents... I eventually started scanning film, but due extended abscenses from the country and laziness, it is only now that I'm getting around to finishing scanning, as well as editing some of the film.

I will say, it is nice to have a fresh look at things.

Playing with HDR

2011-04-21T15:50:00.000-04:00

Industrial Landscapes

2011-04-14T01:06:00.003-04:00

As a contintuation of my exploration of space, I decided to try something a little more industrial. This building was formerly an indoor recreation center called Rex Plex in Elizabeth, NJ. They have an overall blue tone to them because silly me forgot to set my white balance and I haven't yet edited them. However, I quite like the cold feel it lends to them.

During critique a funny thing was brought to my attention. Almost all of my pictures share the same horizon line and almost line up perfectly when put next to each other. I always noticed that I have a certain style of framing things, but I never realized how geometric it was. My teacher referred to it as my way of looking at the world and my compositions are completely subconscious. From that we got into discussing composing my own landscapes due to how easily I could stitch these photographs together to create a world out of my vision. It could be very interesting.

Thesis is Coming

2011-04-11T21:47:00.001-04:00

Critique Comments

2011-03-31T14:13:00.003-04:00

Nina Kania: In critique I really liked the idea of describing her pictures as the "domestic landscape." Since the last critique we had, she really narrowed down her focus on what textures she wanted to use, which has helped to strengthen her idea. I love the close cropping and beautiful lighting and I feel she captures quite nicely, those moments in the morning lying in bed, thinking about your day, which I feel everyone can relate to.

Kristin Furbeck: I really like that Kristin decided to shoot medium format for her project because the intense detail you can achieve is very beneficial to that way that she depicts the body. During her critique we discussed the idea of prints versus using a slideshow in which Megan brought up the idea of how a good print can speak for itself. It seems that we can get so caught up in making things bigger and flashier that we forget about the basics. It will be interesting to see what she decides, but I feel that the prints will be effective paired with the audio of people describing what exactly it is about the body. I feel that it does not matter whether it corresponds to each picture perfectly because as you listen it can help to almost narrate where you are looking at the wall--I like the idea of the viewer having to look for the photograph that they are hearing about.

Memories

2011-03-29T22:38:00.006-04:00

“Most of the time, people want to believe they remain the same, but sometimes they also want to believe they have changed, and they shuffle and edit the facts in their memory to fit whichever belief is more relevant.”

Baumesiter and Bushman

These are photographs tied to my memories. In the prints, the squares are physically cut out and are meant to be aesthetically displeasing, or even awkward. My intention was to obstruct your view and ruin the cohesiveness of the photograph. I took out what I felt were essential details forcing the viewer to see what they want to see by either filling in the blanks, or projecting their own memories into the images.

Carlos Chavarria

2011-03-26T21:42:00.002-04:00

"The term 'Downtown' designates the central area of the large American cities...and where all realities coexist within the same city."

link

Some Final Images

2011-03-24T12:23:00.002-04:00

A glimpse at the last few images I'll be adding to the book, which I will be ordering momentarily.

Critique March 4, 2011

2011-03-07T12:45:00.005-05:00

I feel as if I am coming upon the final stages of my Thesis project.

For critique I presented a preview of the book I want to have printed to go with my installation.

My critique group agreed upon how I had it set up and the general order, however it was suggested that I try a white background and that I try making the photos full bleed.

Since Friday I have changed a few things about my book. Here I have two versions...a white background and a maroon/dark reddish color. I realize that on a screen the maroon looks nice, however in book form I realize that white is the standard color and may look better. My problem is that I don't like how the warmth of the majority of my photographs (the reoccuring wood particularly) contrasts against the white. Even in first version of the book I had a warm color, which I feel enhances the warmth. Also, I don't really like how the letters that I have collected contrast with the white, but that could easily be fixed by placing a slight boarder around the notes. I wasn't a fan of the full bleed image, but I settled on making it bigger, which I really like.

Also, suggested was that I don't install it with the wood panelling, which I am agreeing with after hearing several times because it is going to get repetitive as well as be a bit too much. My idea to use the end table from my house was well received and some suggestions were to add a chair as a way of inviting people to sit down and read the book.

Another part of my installation was to have 4 photos hanging on the wall to go with the book, but after some discussion I am going to play with the idea of the book existing on its own without the photographs. However, some of the photographs that I found were very strong are not included in the book, so I was considering having those as opposed to making reproductions of images already in the book.

Critique was actually really helpful. I was beginning to stress out a lot over my project, but I feel that it has clarified where I stand with my project and it seems to just be a matter of making final decisions and tying up loose ends.

More Houses

2011-02-12T22:30:00.000-05:00

And more questions. I have been shooting in plenty of homes, but I still have not really answered: what is the question that I am asking my photographing these homes?

I figured that as I kept going the question would more or less answer itself, but not yet.

And so I move on to more houses.

Simon Menner: Images from the secret STASI archives

2011-02-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

"Sure, we all know what an image taken by a surveillance camera looks like, nevertheless I thought that there must be more than this. In a catchphrase: I was wondering, if Big Brother watches you, what does he see?"

link

Critique Feburary 4, 2011

2011-02-06T23:21:00.003-05:00

More or less I feel that critique was a wake up call to the fact that I should not feel so comfortable with the status of my thesis project because there is still work to be done.

For critique, I showed all the photographs that I have selected and edited for my thesis. It was the first time I had seen all of them together and in a lot of it is a matter of narrowing down what use. I presented my idea of displaying my work as an installation of 4 photographs hung on wood the same wood paneling that is familar to many of my pictures and one very good point was brought up: the idea that creating an installation would take away from the meaning, intimacy, and focus of the photographs making it more about the space as opposed to my father because the space that I am recreating already exists in the photographs, which I never really thought of before. Some considerations that were recommended were possibly printing on different objects that might be meaningful to my relationship with my dad and including old photographs of him, but generally that I need to rethink things.

With those photographs I also showed some experimenting with photographing objects that my dad owns or collects, which might be useful with text, however, I shot them on backdrops as opposed to in their actual spaces. I'm scrapping this idea more or less. I'm annoyed at myself for having wasted time setting things up, but now I am going to focus 1) On more meaningful objects and 2) on photographing objects in their own spaces. When I look at it now I don't quite understand why I did it, I suppose when considering making a book I was planning on captioning, so I was hoping I could possibly write about the meaning of this object to my father. However, I showed my dad the pictures and he couldn't really remember where he got any of these objects except the ship clocks... Another suggestion for the book portion of my project was the idea of it being hand made--when I think of it existing as a book I cannot help to refer to Phillip Toledano, who's book Days with my Father is very clean cut and "commercial." I like the idea of making it by hand as opposed to sending it away and having it printed professionally. It would contribute to its meaning, exemplify the relationship I am trying to capture more, and add to the idea of memories and remembrance.

Basically I have some organizing and deeper thinking to do.

Eggleston: Faulkner with a camera

2011-01-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

"Seeing a really good Eggleston picture is to be astonished by the knowledge that someone is seeing strange, remarkable things you could see yourself if you were just paying attention..."

link

Are Artists Bored by Their Work?

2011-01-26T22:49:00.002-05:00

James Elkins ponders the question why modern paintings are created much faster compared to paintings in different centuries.

"Why do modern artworks take less time to make, on average, than their Renaissance counterparts? It has been argued that modern paintings are like icebergs: what we see in a Picasso portrait is only the one-tenth that remains after the nine-tenths have been hidden..."

link

Day and Night

2011-01-24T19:06:00.003-05:00

Today was freezing, so I decided to take some pictures. I want to focus on exteriors, mainly the facades of houses and buildings. I prefer shots at night, but I also don't mind pairing the two. As cold as it was, I did invest in a wireless remote for my camera, which has cut the time it takes for my night shots in half. It was absolutely worth it.

Snow...

2010-12-27T17:34:00.005-05:00

It more or less snowed all day yesterday. Today, it's a winter wonderland outside. Shoveling wasn't as bad as I anticipated, except for locating our shovel. I'm still getting accustomed to my new camera, but I love it.

So Contagious

2010-12-24T01:56:00.005-05:00

My dad has been sick for the past two days, so this morning I brought him to the doctors. His heart rate was a little high and the doctor thought he might have had bronchitis, or even pneumonia, so he thought it would be better to send him to the ER. He is fine, except he does have the flu and he's a little weak. It's thankfully nothing to worry about.

Website

2010-12-10T15:40:00.002-05:00

I now have a website.

Check it out.

What Remains

2010-12-09T22:33:00.004-05:00

Despite taking lots of pictures in my home, I haven't really showed my own bedroom. Partially because it's a complete wreck, but mostly because I have actually been living between two different bedrooms at home. A few weeks ago my 'old' room was completely cleaned out and this is all that remains.

It's strange seeing it so empty.

Street Photography in an Image-Filled Age

2010-12-09T15:02:00.005-05:00

“It’s harder and harder to take a picture without somebody in the picture who’s also taking a picture,” the Brooklyn-based photographer Gus Powell said on Tuesday evening, explaining that the mere act of taking a photo hardly makes him stand out in a crowd. “We all take pictures — that’s what we do. It’s more that your camera doesn’t look like a phone — that’s the bigger issue.”

link

My Room

2010-12-07T23:29:00.002-05:00

We've finally been utilizing the extra space in my room.

Chels is still lacking a bed, so she's been crashing on my floor.

We've also set it up for studying and working out.

Even the Poos has been frequenting.

Christmas, Already?

2010-12-05T00:08:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe it's December.

Not a moment has been wasted around my neighborhood. Even my own house has a tree. This is the first time in about 3 years that we've had a tree, as well as a world record in terms of initiative for the holiday season on my mother's part. At least the months aren't lingering.

The Twilight Hour

2010-12-02T00:26:00.003-05:00

The twilight hour is when all the magic happens. In terms of lighting that is. The only pictures I took of my weekend in the Gunks was to capture a some shadows. I've also been very intrigued lately with using a square format for pictures especially in terms of setting up a compositions, so I decided to test out my cropping skills, too.

Rainy Days

2010-12-01T13:12:00.005-05:00

My thoughts are trying hard to compete with the rain outside my window.

The wind has been howling for hours and it's making me oh so lazy. I haven't the slightest impulse to leave the four walls of my bedroom and I have no problem with that fact.

Notes

2010-11-29T20:11:00.003-05:00

I had completely forgotten about this until I was looking through some random papers the other day. When we leave notebooks, my dad likes to leave notes. Lots of times they are to my mother, or they are about things he has done, or is going to do. Parts of them tend to be confusing, but for the most part you can understand what he is trying to convey.

This weekend I left a notepad out again and today when I came home I found this note.
Ever since he had a mild stroke in 2006, his handwriting has been all over the place and his spelling hasn't been the greatest either. I remember when I was younger how I would call him the human dictionary. He seemed to know how to spell everything, as well as how to explain everything. Maybe he'll start writing me letters.

Studio Journal: Recent Happenings

2010-11-28T11:04:00.002-05:00

Things have been moving a little slower as of late. Thanksgiving came and went. It's nearly December. I haven't been as productive as I wish I could be, but this is what I've been working on as of late with my dad.

Group Show

2010-11-24T00:44:00.000-05:00

Studio Journal - Phillip Toledano

2010-11-04T21:02:00.002-04:00

In regards to starting my project about my father, it was recommended that I look at Days with My Father, by Phillip Toledano. I have never been moved to tears before by artwork, but these photographs hit so close to home. Already I feel this will be one of the biggest influences upon my upcoming work and the series is nothing short of beautiful.

Studio Journal - My Dad

2010-10-27T19:16:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about what my interiors work is turning into and after taking pictures again at my house, I started to think about photographing my father. He's 75 years old and his age, as well as health is beginning to catch up on him. It is an extremely sensitive subject for me and I am hoping that this can serve as a type of "phototherapy."

Here are a few shots from when we hung out together a few weekends ago.

Studio Journal - Jo's Apartment

2010-10-20T21:43:00.002-04:00

A few pictures from a shoot this weekend. I accomplished exactly what I set out to do and I am very happy with how these turned out. This is probably one of my favorite interior spaces that I have investigated so far and I have a feeling that I will be back there soon. The lighting was beautiful and the bright wall colors lent to some beautiful photographs.

The Italian Files

2010-10-14T00:58:00.004-04:00

I am finally getting around to scanning more of my film from Italy last year. The first two images are from Venice and the last from the tower in Verona. It is nice to see where my style began to really come into its own, since I feel photographing so much while studying abroad really helped me be more decisive with my pictures.

Studio Journal - Home Part 2

2010-10-12T23:44:00.004-04:00

On Saturday I decided to revisit my house and take some more pictures. I focused more on cropping, as well as photographing more rooms and sections of my house. I definitely approached it with a different perspective than my last project and I am happy with my results. This weekend I have at 2 shoots planned in different houses, so we'll see how it goes.

Studio Journal - Seeing Through Things

2010-10-05T00:19:00.008-04:00

I managed to scan some black and white film from my time in Italy. There is evidence that my idea has been sitting around in my mind for quite a while now in terms of spaces. I love the idea of seeing through things--down alleyways, through doorways, windows, etc. Also, stark contrasts between light and dark.

Studio Journal - Night, New Brunswick

2010-09-24T15:37:00.004-04:00

I'd like to think of myself as being somewhat productive lately...

I managed to go out on Monday night and take pictures on my street in New Brunswick. There are a lot of shots that turned out extremely well, but I am still having a hard time with focusing the lens and autofocus isn't helping whatsoever. I took more of my time shooting these and double checking that they were in focus and some were still slightly out of focus, but for the most part everything is coming out exactly how I pictured it. Unfortunately I didn't have the same luck with my night shots from home and I need to go back and reshoot a few photos that would have been great if it weren't for the focus. I adjusted my viewfinder to help, but it's just too hard to see at night.

WLCM BCK Review

2010-09-20T13:09:00.007-04:00

In the main room of the gallery was the start of the WLCM BCK show, which consisted of artwork by 2nd year graduate students and full or part-time faculty members. It is important to note that there was no common theme for the show, so the organization of works was based on what pieces worked together, which seems extremely challenging. The only guidelines that were given were to submit a small to medium sized work, which in itself allowed for a variety of interpretations based on the scale in which each artist normally works in. A painting may seem enormous in comparison to many works, but that might be the smallest painting that the artist owns. While touring the gallery, one of the students who helped curate the show, Caetlynn Booth, mentioned how they tried to work with formal elements to help curate the show, and how accents of red seemed to be a unifying element for many

of the artworks. The hanging height for each work was 60 inches, however there is one piece in the first room that serves as quite problematic, as well as out of place in the show. THE DARK SIDE OF LIBERTY by Raphael Montanez Ortiz which is 98” x 48” does not meet the standard hanging height used in the entire show and sticks out like a sore thumb.

I feel it ruins the aesthetics of the room, as well as the cohesiveness that the curators were trying to establish despite the challenge of having no coherent theme, but also, it is difficult to read and has a glare obstructing its view from many angles. It is a bold political statement about the issue of immigration and illegal invasion, which is not only reinforced by its size, but the way that it interrupts the entire space. However, that may not necessarily be a bad thing because it makes it stand out, but then again it can also allow for its neighboring pieces to be overlooked. Perhaps this is exactly what the artist intended--to spark discussion about his piece. Otherwise, in the first room, I feel that the pieces work fairly well together as a group, but are stronger if you view them in terms of each wall. For example the first wall on the left when you enter the gallery contains 4 paintings. One that stood out was ...on the grass, by Eileen Behnke.

The similarity on that wall is that each painting possesses some type of abstraction of space. The two outside paintings are the most abstract because they consist of a series of lines, while the inside two are abstracting life like Behnke’s abstracted composition of people lying on grass. I love the bold colors and the bright highlights in the flesh tones, as well as the perspective, which messes with your mind slightly. It appears normal when analyzing each figure individually, but when I assess the painting as a whole I find myself somewhat confused as to where I am viewing this from. It addresses the edges extremely well, allowing your eyes to move through the painting and I am very interested by the framing.

In the first room to the right from walking into the gallery, I was very attracted to the series of 4 photographs by Tyson Washburn titled Centennial Towers, Four Floors.

The space appears abandoned and eerie, especially with the dim lighting, the dark shadows, and the nighttime, which seeps in through the ‘windows’ in the background of the very industrial looking spaces. There are remnants of people’s presence there that make you wonder where the place is and what is going on there. It is a space I would love to explore myself. The four photographs work together in their divisions of space and the edges almost line up creating a cohesive view and in each photograph the darker spaces are surrounded by a sea of brightness--the lighter portions connect floors and ceilings to the photo next to it and you get the idea that there are different floors. Adjacent to this piece is a series of 2 portraits of a painted face. They are exactly the same picture, except for the addition of a neon green accent on the woman’s face--it is essentially a cropped faced surrounded, or enveloped by darkness. The stark contrast of color and darkness in these photographs makes the two pieces work well close to each other because although different in subject, they share the formal element of darkness enveloping the scene and high contrasts.

In the adjacent room there is a delicate, dream-like quality that pervades the works. There is an illustrated book of poems by Richard Tuttle and John Yau titled The Missing Portrait.

The book seems fragile and as you turn the pages, the play between the way that the text is printed and the simple illustrations of shapes, string, and cut out paper, works extremely well together. In the picture I chose, I love way that the text fades near the end of the sentence “...between light window closed,” and I feel it is a very good use of typology in helping to convey meaning through words. Also, the illustration calls to mind the Dadaist use of chance to form collages--it seems random and abstract in its use of shapes. To add to the dream-like state, the book even rests on a pillow--it is as if the thoughts are resting upon the pedestal it is displayed on. Next to this piece is a photograph that really emphasizes a nostalgic and dream-like quality called Double Vision #2 by Annie Hogan.

It is a layered image of the empty interior of a house with beautiful light cascading through its windows in a delicate matter that adds a stillness to the room, with the image of a small house, or shed that appears to be in the woods. Despite the action of splicing two different images together, you are able to distinguish the two pictures and I find that the images do not clash, or distract each other. The house, or shed that appears off center is extremely bright and appears to almost project from the windows in the room. It calls to mind the idea of memories and the home and feels as lucid as the imagery of dreams. Putting these two very different pieces together in the gallery space works extremely well together due to their relation to the state or act of dreaming and nostalgic qualities.

Overall, the show was put together very well despite the variety of works that were submitted and the limitations of not having a common theme.

In addition to the WLCM BCK show at the Mason Gross galleries, there were two separate shows divided amongst other rooms. In one, a tribute to the Mason Gross alumnus Lyda Craig. Consisted of a series of paintings, drawings, collages, and a few figures out of clay, which all seemed to pertain to the human form whether it be through the use of self portraiture, or simply studying the human body. The pieces vary in scale from bigger paintings and drawings to small works where you must get very close to fully experience the work--it creates a very intimate setting, like in Oregon, which is mixed media on panel.

It is a great example of Craig’s use of the human figure and her depiction of it using a combination of drawing and cut outs. There is a lot going on in the piece compositionally, with the overlapping of torsos and human figures creating space with such flat figures. I also enjoyed the pairings that were made, such as The Thinker, which appeared as a painting of a nude male from side profile sitting on a chair in a pensive position. It appears again as a miniature clay model and as a small scale cut out using paper. Having such variety not only made the piece more interesting, but it allowed for emphasis on the pondering figure, as well as different ways of looking at it. The painting emphasized lighting and color, which created tensions, while the clay figure lacked a similar detail, and the cut out became merely a silhouette of the man.

In the other room there was work by Jim Toia called Dissolving Gardens, which was being shown at Mason Gross in association with the Zimmerli Museum. On two opposite walls there were projections. One consisted of a frame built into the wall that displayed two overlapping videos of waves breaking on the shoreline and a mountain. The other consisted of an array of leaves and other pieces of outdoor objects on the wall with a video of leaves falling, which you must watch for a few minutes in order to actually catch because the action isn’t very consistent--it is like actually watching leaves fall off a tree. The entire room possesses an aura of tranquility, especially due to the sound of the ocean pervading the room, as well as the meditative quality of witnessing nature. It is an attempt to recreate a wholesome and peaceful experience that we can find in nature, through the manipulation of our senses of sight and sound.

Interview with Jesse VandenBergh

2010-09-16T13:30:00.002-04:00

I interviewed Jesse VandenBergh who is working on a concentration in Video. I watched one video entitledYanks, Sox, and Ground Zero Mosques, was a short, comedic video relating the Yankees and Sox rivalry to, the heated debate around the construction of a Mosque near Ground Zero. Also, I watched Bad News, a lighter work, which he created for fun where a newscaster stuck in character breaks up with his girlfriend.

KM: How would you say you go about your process of coming up with ideas?

Usually I’ll think of a funny idea or concept and build it off that. For example in Bad News, I thought it would be funny if there was a newscaster that was stuck as a newscaster all the time. Then, I thought of where I could go from there and write a little skit.

KM: What would you say is important about your work? Are there any goals you ultimately like to reach with each project?

Sometimes I’ll do things for fun, like Bad News, which was just for fun, there’s nothing really important about that. And other times I like to do some form of political or social commentary and make it kind of funny. Sometimes I just aim for some type of satirical comedy and other times it’s just for fun.

KM: How do you decide who to use in your videos?

It used to use anyone I could find in the beginning and now we’re seniors and now we know who is in their element for one. Now I have a select group of people that I usually choose from. If I see that someone can act really well, or is really funny I’ll approach them about being in a video.

So at this point you know exactly what you’re looking for the kind of videos you want to do.

KM: Do you feel like your process for each video is the same every time, or does it change depending on the project?

It’s generally the same I mean the only thing that’s different is the content of the script. I usually have the same process: write a quick outline, storyboard it, shoot it, edit it.

KM: How did you get into video?

My dad is a freelance editor and he worked for this company called Framerunner, and he was laid off conveniently when I had the idea for my first video. So I wrote that and he was editing from home, so it was easy for him to help me edit that, as opposed to being out working in the city, so that kinda got me into that.

KM: Did you know you wanted to do video when you came to school?

When I came to school yes. I guess I’ve wanted to do it since I was really young.

KM: What would you say your inspirations are? Whether it has to do with video or just art and life in general.

For the comedy aspect I would say my main influence is my grandfather because he was one of the founders of MAD magazine. I guess I get my sense of humor from him, and he taught me how to draw, which comes in handy for story boards. Other than that, from a video standpoint I love directors like Stanley Kubrick, Scorsese, Tarantino, Hitchcock, and Christopher Nolan are my top.

KM: Do you find that your work is influenced by them directly, or are there any connections?

I did a parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey, so I guess I was mimicking some directing styles, but from a parody or satirical standpoint, I just adapt that style to reference or make fun of it.

KM: What are your thoughts on Thesis? Ideas, qualms, etc.

I’m not really sure what I wanna do just yet, now, but hopefully just doing more stuff like this and going to class and seeing what happens I’ll kinda come up with something. To just keep doing what I am doing maybe I’ll find something that I can do a little differently, maybe things I can find that I’m comfortable with that I can do the same.

Water Exhibition Review

2010-09-13T18:40:00.007-04:00

Water is a theme that can be interpreted in many ways. For centuries it has been worshiped for its life giving qualities, its beauty, and its serenity, as well as feared for its destructive qualities. From an artistic standpoint, there are many ways to approach the topic of water and at the entrance to Water, the wall text states the intention of the exhibition: “To provoke a reassessment of your relationship to water and a greater appreciation for its life giving presence on our blue planet.” There is a great display of water in many forms through an interesting combination of work that is owned by the Zimmerli along with some borrowed works. It shows art that normally would not be seen together and is a great use of such a diverse collection. The time and differences that span across the creation of each artwork emphasizes the important role that water has played throughout the ages for artists from all walks of life. Everything in the exhibition seems to ‘flow’ one into the other. Each idea spills into the next due to the positioning of the artwork at a close distance and helps the viewer to draw connections between each piece. For example in one room the basic theme was water in the landscape. Displayed between a painting by John Constable called Brighton Beach and John Jesse Barker’s View of New Brunswick Railroad Bridge was Edward Foley’s piece entitled Two Lakes (diptych). Foley’s screen print on wood challenges the classical depiction of the landscape, while Constable and Barker’s paintings fit the more traditional description of a landscape--a vast sky, wilderness, and some form of water. Through these pairings, the missing pieces in Foley’s landscape can be identified. It is interesting to consider how the meaning of each work may have changed from what the artist originally intended, but the arrangements allow for a new meaning and almost revitalization of familiar works to the museum through the simple gesture of changing the context which they are viewed in. To add to the diversity of the subject throughout the exhibition you can participate in a cell phone tour that has interviews from experts other than Art Historians, such as a geologist giving opinions and insights outside of an artistic perspective. It helps to contribute to the diversity of the exhibition and paired with the artworks ultimately allows the viewer to reassess their relationship to water.

The works I selected from Water are some of the more contemporary pieces in the show. While the entire show encompasses a variety of interpretations and inspirations by different artists, there were a few pieces that caught my attention. Water is a prominent theme throughout the history of art and has been a subject for artists and people alike to dwell upon and create from. What I wanted to focus more on the non-traditional interpretations of water. Each of these artists takes more of an indirect approach to the theme and offers a view of water in a different light.

In Hans Haacke’s Condensation Cube he brings the actual process of creating water into the gallery. It it simple, clean, and elegant and is by no means what one would think of immediately when considering the topic of water. The way the light catches the drops of water creates a beautiful prismatic affect that helps to draw your attention to it, until you realize exactly what it happening in the piece. It is a combination of science and art in a process that is taught to us in school at a young age.

In Edward Foley’s piece entitled Two Lakes (diptych), we are shown a screen print on wood that deals with the subject of water in the landscape. While he strays away from the identifying color of blue for water in his work, you are able to identify the texture of the water’s surface and the reflective quality of water in each ‘lake.’ It is in fact a landscape, but it is missing information that would make it easily identifiable to us--a horizon line, trees, people, etc.

In Maya Lin’s work entitled Pin River - Hudson, is another piece that deals with the subject of water in the landscape. It is made out of steel pins nailed into the wall in a specific way to imitate the shape of the Hudson River on a map. It is delicate and intricate unlike the actual river, but possesses a similar beauty which has served as inspiration for artists for hundreds of years. The shadows cast by the pins creates a movement through the piece that gives the sense of flowing water. Not only does this piece pay tribute the artistic qualities of water, but its importance in history in the development of this country. Also, it offers a very unique view of water in the landscape.

In George A. Tice’s Water Tower, Rahway, New Jersey, we are offered a look into history. Most water towers were built during the Industrial Revolution and many are now architectural landmarks and monuments. The photograph reminds me of the New Topographics work done by Bernd and Hilla Becher in which they documented industrial architecture. Tice adapts a similar straightforward and frontal style, allowing the tower to occupy the entire frame. Like Bernd and Hilla Becher he is documenting something from a different time. Also, he is depicting one of the many sources of water throughout history in line with systems such as aqueducts, channels, pipes, and sewers. It is a portion of a long list of advancements in water technology.

In Atul Bhalla’s series of 20 individually framed photographs called Piaus, the artist depicts different forms of receiving water in an urban environment. In the photographs we are shown rusted pipes, drinking fountains, and sinks amongst different types of graffiti and other garbage. It can serve as a reflection on the quality of water in different parts of the world and the challenges that many people endure just to have safe drinking water. The pictures are portrait-like and how they are displayed extremely close to one another is effective. It allows each photograph to play off each other by way of composition, color scheme, patterns, and lines, as well as enhances their overall meaning.

These selections offer “vivid portrayals of water interlaced with human purpose that remind us of the central role of water in human endeavor.”

Studio Journal - Space is Found in Our Homes

2010-09-06T22:37:00.004-04:00

"Memories are motionless, and the more securely they are fixed in space, the sounder they are." - Gaston Bachelard

Studio Journal - Night Shots

2010-09-05T23:31:00.009-04:00

For my Photo II class I did a project titled The Urban Landscape, where I took black and white photos of Weehawken and New Brunswick at night. It was an experiment to see what I would come up with and it was successful, and I have been meaning to revisit the idea.

Tonight, I did just that. However, I used a digital camera instead of film this time and I am finding that I definitely prefer them in black and white because it creates such rich blacks. As I am reviewing the rest of my photos, I am also finding that a lot of the shots are out of focus because it's difficult to tell at night. I need to do something about that. Also, in the last 4 or 5

shots I realized the perspective that I like the most, but at least I figured it out for next time.

Studio Journal - Grandmother Says

2010-09-03T20:59:00.006-04:00

On Thursday I accompanied Emily to the beach to see her Grandma. There is nothing like AC, home cooking, and tough love.

Since I'm taking Thesis this year and know that I generally want to focus on spaces, I decided to take pictures in her house as a means of exploring my idea.

Already, I am realizing something about my idea. I am not just feeding my obsession with furniture and nice lighting I am exploring the most intimate of places--the home.

This is a home that I have been to many times. It has been a part of my childhood and is well imprinted in my memory. Which is making me think of the difference between my photographs in people I know vs. people I don't know. However, in a sense the act of photographing a person's home is almost a way of getting to know them--through their things. (I can't help but think of Fight Club "The things you own end up owning you.")

Now I have something to think about. Maybe getting back into things won't be so bad after all.

It was right in front of me all along.

2010-09-01T09:37:00.004-04:00

I am freaking out.

I don't understand when I became so conflicted about every aspect of my life and I have spent the past hour trying to convince myself that it may not necessarily be a bad thing.

I have gone as far as to say: Do I even want to do this anymore?

As well as: Why am I doing this?

Somehow I have forgotten what I love about art. However, I feel that it is partially the result of my lackadaisical attitude about everything in my life. The whole summer and maybe even before that I have been struggling with the idea of my life, the people I know, the things that I am doing. I have a waning interest in everyone and everything, and I really don't know what to look forward to anymore.

Amongst the disparity of this all let me explain why this may not necessarily be a bad thing.

I am scared shitless. I have no idea what to expect and to be honest I am afraid that I just won't be able to handle things, but having nothing to look forward to opens the window of opportunity to just go with things. To delve head first into the unknown and see what will happen. I need to "makeover" my life not just as an artist. This will be painful, but in a different way.

Now, I just have to believe that I am right.

Trees Part 2

2010-08-04T01:04:00.004-04:00

It's been quite a few months. I've been on hiatus, but now I'm beginning to come back to life.

My last post was part of a study I did on trees for my final painting project. I figured I would reintroduce myself to life by showing what I came up with. Each painting is 3ft x 4ft and involved a lot of trial and error. With each one I learned something new about how to paint trees and wanted to follow different color schemes.

Since then, I've started a few more trees and have expanded on my original ideas. I am more or less creating a forest in my room and I couldn't be happier about it. There's always a new way to look a trees and I am discovering new ways to represent them all the time.

Trees

2010-04-15T02:01:00.002-04:00

I went to Maine the first weekend of April and took a lot of photos doing studies of trees for my painting final. These were some of my favorites and I now wake up to the top two every morning.

It's Paper Time Again

2010-02-24T20:45:00.005-05:00

I am taking a class where the ultimate goal is to write an 8 to 10 page research paper by the end of the semester and the first rough draft is due tomorrow. I don't mind writing research papers, but it has been a while since I've had to write one and I'm having difficulty organizing my thoughts without being repetitive and overly flowery. I read this article a while ago (I don't even remember where now) about how some people think that the bad economy will generate some sort of "artistic Renaissance" and weed out all the overly commercial art. The theory is that if there aren't as many patrons for artists, they will start focusing on what they want to do and their own ideas, as opposed to making things for other people. I found it very interesting because if you think about it, this is not the first time that this has happened in the history of art One of the first examples that comes to mind (mainly because of Italian Cinema last semester) is Neorealism in Italian Cinema. It appeared after the WWII and introduced the style of filming on location and often using non professional actors. It captured life in a war torn country and its devastation.

I've been researching lately and I feel my topic is going even further than the development of a new artistic movement. There are quite a few news articles about how the economic crisis is hitting the art world pretty hard and the unemployment rate of artists "is twice that of other professional groups," according to Agnes Gund the President Emerita and Chairman of the International Council of MoMA. Lots of articles talk about how during the Depression the WPA generated created a lot of jobs for artists and they are wondering why something like that cannot be instituted today. More or less it has broadened my focus to different aspects of the situation and I'm actually enjoying doing the research since it is an extremely current and relevant issue, especially as an art student.

I know exactly what I want to talk about, but I'm having a hard time finishing the ideas I have because there isn't really aren't any conclusions to come to except that we will have to wait and see what happens. Nonetheless, it should be interesting enough to write.

From Rome Open City (Rome Citta Aperta) by Roberto Rossellini

My Life as an Old Woman

2010-02-19T00:48:00.003-05:00

I've been in all sorts of strange moods lately. Well, that's a bit of an understatement. I haven't really had any moods until yesterday when the only thing on my mind finally wasn't pain. But first thing is first, my back is a hot mess. Last Tuesday I couldn't take the pain anymore, so I broke down and decided to go to the ER. Nothing came up on the x-rays, so they told me to see an Orthopedic, shot me with a pain killer, gave me a prescription for pain killers, and sent me on my merry way. I decided I wouldn't go back to school until I saw the doctor and had an MRI--Wednesday was a snow day and Thursday I couldn't get any appointments (as usual). Friday was finally the day I had an MRI and it seemed that each day my mobility was decreasing even with the aid of a muscle relaxant and pain killer cocktail.

Fast forward to Sunday. I could barely walk. Standing was no longer my comfort position and trying to lie down was like problem solving. I literally spent five minutes trying to bend over and get something out of my backpack, when finally I went into Chelsea's room, woke her up, and asked her to get my backpack for me. I was expecting to make my way back to classes Monday, but around 10:00PM I went to stand up and I had the worse spasm ever. I started bawling my eyes out in pain and called my mom (the only plausible solution at the time) and she picked me up from New Brunswick. Since then, I have been camping out on the couch with the dogs, because I couldn't handle the extra flight of stairs and to be honest the rest has been helping. Yesterday I started sitting down for longer than 5 minutes at a time and getting up from lying down is much easier. However, there's still pain, I'm slow, and I have to remember to stand up from my seated position often.

And my MRI results were in yesterday. I have bulging discs, which are causing the pain in my legs and my solutions are physical therapy, or an epidural in my spine. I am opting for the PT before anything crazy. I was so afraid that I might need surgery because if this is what bulging discs feel like, I can't imagine the pain an actual slipped disc might cause.

In a sense, I deserve this. My back has been hurting me since before I left Italy and when I came home, but still I pushed myself and I have been pushing myself ever since and ignoring the pain, because generally it eventually goes away. Now, I have to live like a recovering injured person--no working out for now, no climbing, no lifting, and lots of rest. So I am probably also going to stop working nights at the rock wall, because after a day of classes, I'm going to need to vegetate and I'm going to have to make time for PT.

Now that I finally have a moment to myself to think and to rest and more importantly time that isn't occupied by the searing image of pain, I absolutely hate it. The reason I was so busy in the first place was to divert my attention away from anything feelings or thoughts that might be trapped in my head and now it seems like they're all coming at me full force.

I suppose this is my queue to start over and do things right.
But I can't help asking: when will things start looking up?

I'm a Sucker for Windows

2010-02-18T13:06:00.002-05:00

I love nice lighting and big windows, which was basically an attribute that all of Europe had. I decided to start compiling a series of photographs based on different windows. These are a few that I liked. The top two are the Guinness factory and the bottom two are from the Baptistery and the Camposanto Monumentale (Cemetery).

Finally Home

2009-12-27T00:55:00.004-05:00

I should have arrived home on Saturday the 19th, but on Friday night it decided to snow in Florence for the first time in about 10 years or so...

The Ponte Vecchio is somewhere in the background

On our way to Friends Pub for one last time.

A snow covered Duomo

The view from the terrace.

The view on the train to Rome.

It was definitely gorgeous and the experience of a lifetime to see snow in Florence, as well as have the opportunity to have a snowball fight and annoy all the Italians, but it ended up being hell the next day when it was time to leave. There wasn't actually a lot of snow, but the next morning when I went to catch my 7am train to Rome, there were already delays of up to an hour and eventually my train was even canceled. Unfortunately for me, it hadn't snowed in Rome and there were no delays flying out of there, so when I finally did catch a train from Florence it was about 9:30pm and I didn't make it to the airport until about 12:30...my flight was at 12:15.

And here's where the bitterness really kicked in.
I had no cell phone, barely any cash (because I expected the most money I would need was when I arrived home), and had to buy an entire new flight more or less. Since I hadn't missed my connecting flight in Dublin, technically, I could call the airline pay a penalty fee and buy another ticket for the difference, which is what I did, however I couldn't get a flight until Monday and the price was still astronomical. It was almost what I had paid for my round trip flight.

Luckily, I didn't get stuck at the airport for 2 days... I actually ended up in Gaeta, which is a whole other story within itself.

The Season is Ending

2009-12-14T17:01:00.006-05:00

Real World Firenze is slowly coming to a close. Not that I really watch the show, but I feel that it's almost impossible to not at least have the gist of what it's about. Regardless I think I have been educated enough about it after reading Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman, who says:

"I tend to consider myself an amateur Real World scholar. I say "amateur because I've done no actual university study on this subject, but I still say "scholar" because I've stopped watching the show as entertainment."

And with that said, although my housemates and I are eight people and not seven (arguably seven at some points), we were certainly strangers thrown into a house of the proper Real World age and social demographic, except in a foreign country where none of us can speak the language and to study. All that's missing is a confessional booth, but we've certainly had the drama, conflicts, interactions, and absolutely random experiences to probably be just as interesting to watch as a season of the actual show.

We had always joked about this in the house and we still do from time to time, but as the days wind down, I find myself in more of a contemplative mood and trying to summarize everything that has happened in the past 4 months, or give my last "confessional." I came to a pretty big realization about my time here last night and as I was talking to Julia today about it, one of her only responses was that my experience really was like the Real World and that was my last time in the confessional booth and more so that is what this entire week will be (with a few finals and last minute sight seeing in between).

It really isn't going to hit me until I am stepping off the plane in JFK on Saturday. So much has happened, yet nothing has really happened at all.

I will leave it at this.

The one creative thing I have done here other than write and take photographs:

(I'm surprised I still know how to even draw at this point.)

Every Twenty Minutes I Write a Paragraph

2009-12-13T11:42:00.005-05:00

At this rate, I should be finished with my paper in about 3 hours, or so I hope.

I am writing about la Finestra di Fronte (Facing Windows), by Ferzan Ozpetek and the ideas are there, but I cannot find enough time to focus.

I cannot find one of my favorite clips from the movie, which are basically the scenes where the main character, Giovanna voyeuristically looking out her window at her neighbor across the way longing for a better life because she is unhappy with her own. The way the scenes from the window are shot, as well as the idea of observing the world outside your window and looking into the lives of other people actually reminded me a lot of the Gail Albert Halaban exhibit Out my Window, which was more or less my motivation for writing about this paper.

However, in this scene, the elderly man, "Simone" recites an important quote in the movie:
"Don't be content to survive! You must demand to live in a better world, not just dream about it." And has what my Cinema teacher likes to describe as one of the best scenes depicting food that she has ever seen in any movie.

As much as I am procrastinating writing about this paper and that I may have complained about this class at times, it has definitely been one of my favorite this semester. I had no idea how big Italian cinema actually was before this and I cannot wait to go home and start watching more foreign movies.

**Edit**

I realized exactly what is taking me so long to finish this paper.

It's because I hate writing papers for a good professor, especially a when it is criticism, opinion or review of something because I am too afraid to insult their intelligence. Also, because it is a personal and private dialogue between the professor and I, a one-on-one, without ever actually having to be in front of each other, which prevents me from feeling stupid, embarrassed, or unintellectual about my opinion. The only thing they can hold against me is whatever they use their red pen to mark down and we never have to talk about it.

I've been Thinking

2009-12-08T23:16:00.006-05:00

And so I've realized exactly why I want and need to go home.

It's 5:17am, I'm a bit drunk, but I am finally catching friends I haven't talked to in a while. And yet tonight has been a roller coaster of emotions. My roommates and I went to dinner and theater with our Cinema teacher and it was absolutely amazing. I didn't quite understand the theater part, which was about wine because 1) it was in old Italian and 2) my mind was wandering half the time.

My emotions have been more than a hot mess in the past few 2 weeks and I am ready for something new, although I have quite a bit of sorting out to do when I get home.

I am ready for a semi-image change, a return to my regiment, a reintroduction to climbing, and working at the Trattoria. I will certainly miss Italy, but there are so many people I have left behind, that I absolutely miss from my life and in my semi-drunken state I am realizing that to its full extent.

10 days. Wow.

Also, I am well overdue for an escape from the absolute confusion of my house that is more or less the epitome of the Real World. But what else would you expect from 8 different people living in close quarters for over 3 months, who coincidentally go to the same school, but have never met and would probably never meet in their lives. (And of course, the famous just friends situation + you have a boyfriend, but who's judging).

And like I've said the whole time. We shall see what happens when I get home. haha.

I found this picture while rummaging through my computer bored out of my mind during class the other day and I love it. It's from a used furniture store in Chicago.

Imitation is the Greatest form of Flattery

2009-12-07T10:03:00.008-05:00

Lately I have three obsessions:

The White Stripes,

the Dead Weather,

and the Kills. (especially Midnight Boom) Let's just say Alison Mosshart his my new idol.

That and I have a new found desire to learn Italian, to move to another country, to stop being lazy about making art, and an addiction to sandwich shops in Florence such as Antico Noe and I Due Fratellini.

It hasn't quite set in that I will be returning to the states soon and I don't think it will until I am on a train to Rome the morning of December 19th, or when I find myself freezing to death when I walk out of the airport later that day.

I have quite the list of aspirations to fulfill and a head full of realistic fantasies and ideas, that should last me through the winter.

I'm ready to start a new life when I return, or at least take the steps towards it.

We shall see what happens.

Roma

2009-12-07T09:55:00.005-05:00

I have not exactly been the greatest at keeping up to date with my photos. My digital camera is officially dead, so I have been trying to deal with that and I have been shooting film as well as growing lazier and less motivated to take pictures. Since finals are coming up, I will probably be spending lots of time procrastinating, so I will try my best to be counterproductive and edit and post more pictures.

Like a Child in a Candy Store

2009-11-02T16:07:00.002-05:00

So I broke down and bought a tripod--more or less something I should have done all along.

My room--a complete mess of course.

The kitchen--surprisingly clean.

The terrace at night.
Halloween night.More fooling around with long exposures.

I haven't felt up to it lately, but eventually I want to make my way out in Florence at night to take some night shots. I took a lot of nice pictures on Sunday in Fiesole, but I haven't had a chance to sort through them yet. Basically, this is my new toy.

Last Weekend in Firenze

2009-10-24T05:04:00.002-04:00

The city really isn't that big, but I haven't really spent much time wandering around it. Last weekend I decided I would try to see what I could find away from the center of the city and parts of it almost reminded me of being home.

Home in Firenze

2009-10-20T10:54:00.004-04:00

Since I finally spent a weekend home I was able to catch up on taking some photos I had been meaning to shoot. These are the hallways of my apartment. They are gorgeously lit during the day.

Barcelona

2009-10-19T03:36:00.006-04:00

Even though my purse was stolen (which was mainly my fault) I must admit that Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in Europe so far. The people were great, the city was amazing, and the nightlife was so much fun.

I did most of my sight seeing on a bike tour, which was a great way to figure out the city and where most of my pictures came from. Siesta's are probably the greatest thing ever invented.

Smoking and biking is a difficult skill almost as hard as taking a picture while riding a bike.
La Sagrada Familia was everything I imagined and more.
The weather was amazing all weekend and the beach was gorgeous.
We stayed at the Ideal Youth Hostel... this was the abandoned building behind it. The location was great, but the hostel not so much.

Amalfi Coast Part III

2009-10-16T06:23:00.004-04:00

The last day was spent in Capri. Another gorgeous day spent cruising around on a boat, cliff jumping, and swimming. I even got to enjoy a nice Caprese sandwich.

Amalfi Coast Part II

2009-10-14T07:58:00.005-04:00

On Saturday the weather was a million times better, so we went to Positano.

It more or less made the trip worth it--the water was the perfect temperature for swimming and it was nice to sun bathe in October.

The beach was gorgeous, but I enjoyed the walk down to the beach through the little town much more than the ocean.

Amalfi Coast Weekend

2009-10-12T10:35:00.005-04:00

I am slowly starting to catch up in pictures, but last weekend (scorsa fine settimana) I went to the Almafi Coast staying in Sorrento at Villaggio Verde, which consisted of little cabins with lots of grape vines, orange, and lemon trees--it was gorgeous. The weather was perfect and warm considering it was the first week of October, but I cannot complain since I was able to get one final dip in the sea before cold weather sets in. Day 1, ended up being overcast and rainy, which was a disappointment, but it was perfect for travelling to Pompeii, the ancient Roman city forever preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and for travelling to Naples to enjoy some delicious pizza.

Veneto

2009-10-06T12:11:00.008-04:00

I took a little trip to Veneto (Verona and Venice) on the last weekend of September with my housemates. Verona was such a beautiful place, but I unfortunately forgot to bring the battery for my digital camera, so I only have black and white film from the day there. We visited the Colosseum there, which was breathtaking and we spent a lot of time walking around the crowded streets. As quaint of a place it is, it seemed, in my opinion, more crowded than Florence is normally and the fact that they overexaggerate the fact that Romeo and Juilette is based out of Verona and it because of it, it becomes quite the tourist trap.

Venice however, may be my favorite city in Italy. Yes, I did not spend much time there and yes, we ran through it very quickly, but I would love to go back and explore the museums and the galleries, but the lighting on the narrow streets and canals was beautiful and that it just the thing for me to be inspired to take lots of pictures, since I am obsessed with lighting. It was a bit expensive, but I ended up taking a Gondola ride, which I am glad that I did.

Minus being sick the whole weekend, I had a good time. Venice is everything I hoped for it to be and I wish I could have spent more time taking pictures. Is it wrong for me to love it based on the beautiful lighting? I hope not. Piazza San Marco was also extremely gorgeous. I love the combination of architecture throughout it (Gothic, Renaissance, etc.) and all of the mosaics in the St. Mark's Basilica.
If I end up being able to go back there, I would love to check out the Venice Biennale, the contemporary art museum, and the Peggy Guggeinheim house. I can't wait to see the film I shot.

Panzano in Chianti

2009-10-01T11:15:00.002-04:00

Futurism in Photography

2009-09-23T01:00:00.000-04:00

After a semester of Futurist manifestos and writings, I am finding that it is coming back to haunt me, but surprisingly not in a bad way. Just when I thought I had retained just about nothing from my studies, I find that the Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia, is located around the block from my apartment, just reopened after being closed all summer, and is featuring an exhibit on Futurism in Photography.

And suddenly it all came back.

It's funny to think of futurism in a photograph. After all Futurists wanted to capture movement, so isn't it ironic to use a medium that "freezes time" to express the philosophy of an entire artistic movement? Futurism was an escape from social and artistic conventions that held society down--an escape from the mentality before and during the war. The Futurists wanted no part of the past and it was evident in their work.
The exhibit is on display from September 17 to November 15th. The museum is small, intimate, and probably one of my favorite museums to date. It is serving as a reminder for everything I still need to do and more importantly a reminder of photography being what I love to do.

Cinque Terre

2009-09-22T02:59:00.007-04:00

One of the first trips we took around Italy was to Cinque Terre. Minus the fact that I have been to Boracay in the Philippines, it is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. When you see the ocean there, you can understand exactly why there are 3 different ways to say blue in Italian.

The "five lands" are comprised of Monterosso al mare, Varnazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We started in Riomaggiore (where the above picture was taken) where we stopped for a quick snack and cappuccino. Riomaggiore was comprised mostly of small shops and picturesque houses in a variety of colors--I thought to myself about how I could live here the rest of my life and just create things.

Next, we took the walkway called "via dell'amore" to Manarola, which we skip heading to the port town of Vernazza. There we take our first dip in the beautiful, clear blue, and extremely salty Meditteranean sea.

After lunch, we finally head to Monterosso, where we finally experience the type of beach we want minus the sand. So, to digest, we lay our towels onto the rocks and sleep as comfortably as we can with a few more dips in the sea to cool off.

And So it Begins

2009-09-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

Arriving in Italy was an adventure in itself. I decided to fly into Rome and then take the train to Florence. I had not slept at all on my connecting flight from Dublin--I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and did not know even one word in Italian. First, I had to take a train from the airport to the main station Roma Termini, then I had to figure out where to buy a ticket and the difference between track numbers and train numbers in Italian, which wasn't really that obvious. At many points I wanted to give up because it was even more difficult to find people who spoke English.

The train took about 2 and a half hours. Luckily I was able to sleep and thankfully these Italians sitting across from me helped me out even though we had no idea what we were actually saying to each other. My next battle would be to find the hotel we were staying at for the first two nights--Hotel Villani. Basically, I traveled ill prepared and ill equipped. The only thing I did manage to do properly, was pack extremely light, but I had a crappy walking directions from Google maps and an address to get me to where I needed to go.

After walking around for 10 minutes or so getting frustrated and overheated trying to find street names, or at least something from my map to get my bearings, I came upon the Duomo. I looked up, stopped dragging my suitcase and forgot about how miserable my journey had been up to this point.Eventually I gave up. I stopped for help, but none of the directions seemed to make sense. So, I found a taxi stand, gave him the address, and relaxed. The hotel ended up being on an extremely small street that runs parallel to the Duomo. I more or less felt like an idiot, but honestly, I never would have found it, so it was better that way.

These pictures are from the hotel roof a little after I arrived. The lighting was gorgeous and these were the first pictures I took in Florence--the pictures that have reinspired me to be productive again.

Ciao from Firenze

2009-09-17T12:35:00.006-04:00

So my Italian adventure has begun and I have been here for 3 weeks now. It is more beautiful than words can describe and I have been completely re-inspired after a summer of creating absolutely nothing. One of the things I love the most about Italy are the windows. There are so many windows on every house and they project so much light into all of the high ceiling rooms making the most picturesque scenes. I could sit at my desk all day and just stare out at Terracotta rooftops listening to the sounds of the city and trying to understand conversations with the little Italian I know and am slowly learning.

The Duomo is down the street from my apartment. It is gorgeous. I pass the Ponte Vecchio on the way to class and I go running past the Uffizi along the river. Sometimes I forget I am here to study. It feels more like a dream vacation than anything, especially when the past 2 weekends here I have travelled to Cinque Terre and Elba, sun bathed and swam in the ocean, just to come back to the cobblestone streets of Firenze.

The city makes more and more sense everyday and I am learning more and more Italian everyday, which is a great help. You'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't speak English, but it's getting easier. One of the most difficult things about the language barrier was going to the grocery store on the first day--it's hard to cook for yourself every day when you can barely read the packages. I will update again soon, now that I am beginning to organize my photos.

I Smell Like Pizza

2009-06-09T00:06:00.003-04:00

I always forget, that even when I'm not working on a particular project, I am always working in my journal, which is where I end up getting a lot of my ideas. Saturday I went to the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival in New York and I saw a lot of interesting things. I mainly went to see Sam Brown, the creator of Exploding Dog, but there was also a lot of cool stuff there I had never seen, as well as a lot of inspiration. There were so many hand made books and pamphlets, which is more or less motivating me to continue working on the 4x6 book, which I've only completed two pages for thus far. I have been meaning to scan them it, but I've been far too lazy/ busy with working at the pizzeria/ my lack of hours, which is starting to increase actually.

These are just some random, simple things I regularly do. Sometimes I just want there to be more than just text and other times I just find things in magazines that inspire me to make things up. Usually there will be more text, but these are an exception.

A Little Anti-Internet Lately

2009-06-04T10:48:00.003-04:00

For a while now I had been considering "downgrading in technology" and getting a point and shoot digital camera, but as it was not a necessary item to obtain, it was very low on my priority list. So, while rummaging through my brother's room, since it's more or less a disaster and I probably know more of what's in his room than he does, I found his camera and decided to take it into my own care. After ripping through his room for about 45 minutes, I found the power cord and now it resides in my purse.

Already, we have experienced adventures in New Brunswick, since Chels and I moved into our new apartment on Monday (where I was asked if I know how to actually use one of these), a beach adventure in Point Pleasant (where I was told I can't be trusted with a camera), and a night of pulp action role playing (where I was a Russian assassin) and tequila shots. I am also happy to say that iPhoto and I are becoming acquainted again and it is quite lovely.

My only complaints are that the camera is extremely crappy due to poor treatment by it's previous owner. Sometimes the camera won't focus even when you hold the button down halfway, so you have to tell whoever you're taking a picture of to wait, and restart the camera until it decides to work. Also, I have many fears that the lens will decide to not open, or close one day, since it makes an awful sound when it switches into the picture taking mode. My "new" camera has character and I'm ok with that because I have a tendency to purposely take awful and stereotypical pictures when given a point and shoot anyway, so I suppose it is fitting.

I'm So Lazy

2009-05-25T12:08:00.004-04:00

I've been meaning to do a lot of things lately, but it hasn't really been happening. And considering it's still only May, I'm ok with that.

I'm slowly working my way into the basement and working on it and I even started painting it, as well as started a painting last week. This is my little set up in the corner right now. My mother and I are arguing about the color however... I want this blue, but she wants a light yellow, but it won't go with the floors, so I may compromise with a lighter blue.
I did start one of my "memory paintings" that I want to do, though. I feel it's going to need a few of each, for it to work, but basically I want to take moments--whether they be nostalgic, embarrassing, or important, I want to try to depict the scenery from memory without any references. This painting particularly is the house I used to live in ... downstairs this old woman and old man lived there and I would always go in their apartment and they'd give me a butterscotch candy and I remember the old man always in the living room sitting in his chair and it being really dark. It's only 16 x 20 and it's a pretty simple concept, which is why I think there needs to be more.

Work in Progress

2009-05-18T00:13:00.004-04:00

For one of my finals this semester, I had to create a gallery proposal. I had an idea for a while to cut out a shape from the photograph as a way of displaying holes in memory. Part of the idea came from my psych book: "Most of the time, people want to believe the remain the same, but sometimes they also want to believe they ave changed, and they shuffle and edit the facts in their memory to fit whichever belief is more relevant." After experimenting, instead of one shape being cut out, it evolved into several and I also started to put things behind it, like patterns and colors. It evolved to the photographs being filled with holes and in turn being filled with gaps and revisions of my memory--the places I've been, people I've known, things I've eaten, etc. (a lucky accident because I forgot to bring magazines to cut up.)

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I would love to make large versions of these, since these are just models. And to keep experimenting and growing with this method.

2009-05-14T20:05:00.001-04:00

Visual Libraries - Signed out books now coming back
Originally uploaded by visual libraries

VISUAL LIBRARIES - Leave your Mark. A collaborative, visual project which encourages you to sign out a Visual Library Book and ‘Leave Your Mark’.

I really liked this idea. Some of the things people have done is really cool and there seems to be a wide variety of people doing it. Too bad it's so far away.

Longing for Productivity

2009-05-11T21:06:00.004-04:00

Sure enough exams are dragging on and on. Not that I have the most difficult things to study for, but I more or less am excited to go home, because I am longing for productivity. I am thinking of setting up a studio in my basement at home, since I'm supposed to be repainting it this summer and my room is cramped to begin with.
And as much as I am feeling inspired lately to get out and make things, I have to wonder if it's because I am so finished with school, that I am longing to be able to do something else. I really hope that is not the case, but since I'm recognizing it as becoming a problem, I feel that it won't happen. After all, going home means starting my summer job at the Trattoria, so I imagine my motivation goes much deeper. I'm gonna run with it. I should try to get as much done, or started as possible before I lose my motivation.

One good thing about exams is wasting time on the internet. I finally started looking up information about Florence, since I'll be studying there in the fall. I was a little worried about not being able to use a darkroom for a little more than 3 months, but I found out that The Darkroom, the International School of Photography in Florence rents out darkrooms by the hour or for 12 hours, which makes me really excited.

I'll leave it at this...

"People can correctly know what they think and feel, but they may not know why they are thinking or feeling something."

The Suburban Landscape

2009-05-10T12:44:00.004-04:00

After experimenting with night shots in black and white, I decided for my final this semester to try night shots in color, but instead of photographing an urban area, I wanted to take on the Suburban Landscape. I haven't really taken enough pictures yet to call it complete, but I needed to start somewhere. Night shots are interesting on color film and printing them was extremely time consuming, because there is so much color correcting to do between fluorescent and incandescent lighting combined with the sensitivity of color film. More or less it became a focus on lighting and color in different scenes and the effect that can create, but I'm happy with it. These images are from digital scans of my negatives, so it was much easier to color correct in photoshop--maybe I'll try using my digital camera, but I don't want to admit defeat yet.

I'm Excited

2009-05-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

So this exhibition has been on for quite a while now, but better late than never.

Jenny Holzer, Green Purple Cross, 2008, and Blue Cross, 2008.

March 12-May 31, 2009 at the Whitney Museum

Jenny Holzer's pioneering approach to language as a carrier of content and her use of nontraditional media and public settings as vehicles for that content make her one of the most interesting and significant artists working today. Alternating between fact and fiction, the public and the private, the universal and the particular, Holzer's work offers an incisive social and psychological portrait of our times. PROTECT PROTECT centers on Holzer's work since the 1990s and is the artist's most comprehensive exhibition in the United States in more than fifteen years.

Here I go with Obsessions Again

2009-05-08T12:19:00.009-04:00

I have a tendency to find photographers I like that remind me of my work, or work I want to do and I become obsessed. Last month it was Gail Albert Halaban and her work Out my Window. This month I'm in love with Andy Mattern and his series Trees, Leland Street, and Facades. The scenes depicted appear peaceful and untouched, yet have an eerie feeling as if we're missing something. They are all mundane things--trees at night on an unknown landscape, the interior of an apartment lived in, yet untouched, and nighttime shots of store fronts and buildings forgotten about for the day.

Convention Hall Love

2009-05-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Death of an Empire

2009-05-07T09:00:00.001-04:00

Feast of Santo Niño

2009-05-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Atypical Weekend

2009-05-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

The Sensibility of Home

2009-05-04T10:25:00.001-04:00

Forgotten Seasons

2009-05-03T19:22:00.002-04:00

In my Own World

2009-04-02T21:08:00.001-04:00

Fresh

2009-04-02T00:00:00.002-04:00