couch fort

my 3d final. phewwww.

train of thought

the song is 'train of thought' by mother mother, a canadian indie rock band

half of basically all my 2d Work

chapter: Space, p1 by ~yokotei on deviantART
and the rest of my Week A sketchbooks here

a more interesting idea

i've decided i'm going to use symbols from my dreams, things that represent me on a subconscious level, rather than the obvious. this way y projects will be more about self exploration than reflection. and i dream a lot cooler stuff anyways.
i used to be really into figuring out what my dreams meant, so i have a journal in which a write them down fro time to time. this will come in handy for seeing which symbols occur most frequently.

some symbols i know off the bat:
1. Teeth. In my Dreams they have a tendency to fall right out of my head, and having had dreams like this several times, it's not suprising that this is one of the first things i think of. i use Dreammoods as my online reference for symbols, and they have a whole page on the various meanings for teeth dreams. with dream interpretation, it's best to look at the symbol's personal meaning to you, and if that is unknown, to look it up and take the meaning that makes the most sense to you. my teeth dreams usually have to do with my insecurities.
2. Failed attempts at flyingdreammoods says this represents a "lack of power in controlling your own circumstances" whilst dreams where one can actually fly are lucid dreams, where one consciously controls the dream (meaning you're aware within the dream and thus can do whatever you want). Since coming to Temple i have yet to have a failed-flying dream, but i still have never had a successful flying dream either.

I still may use symbols from my waking life, so right now i'm far more engaged in the idea of using these symbols.
setting up my paper and stuff over the break, will probably do it as tiles or panels on bristol board.
all for today, full symbol list when i get around to it.

a little autobiography, in a rap i could never perform myself.

i knit, crochet, watch anime
it didn't always used to be this way, at least
the way i'd spend my day

ne'er considered myself a social creature
raised to the white noise on tv, the cartoon preacher
cause y'see, my mama, don't think she had a hobby
and daddy was a movie, buff
so i spent my time inside
no one said 'play sports' so it didn't cross my mind

i'm not saying i don't have friends, that'd just be sad
i've had my crew since middle school, or at least had
some come some go (and good riddance to buttery trash)
at while we're not close at the moment, i don't think you could lash
together a tighter crew than mine

and i call them my crew
because i misfortunate endeavor
led to the birth of a webcomic i called 'notebook paper'
i'd give you the link, but i'm sorry to say despite the group effort, i could never sit down and say, actually work on it.

little autobiographical thinking, in preparation for my drawing final.

Art = Commodity?

"The point is that every piece of art changes your whole perception of the rest of the world for the rest of your life.
And it's not a joke! And if it doesn't, then it's not art, it's a commodity."
- Lawrence Weiner responding to a question from Liam Gillick in "Between Artists"

I agree wholeheartedly with Weiner’s words, though it took some thinking to understand just why. Art should change the way you see everything -- in that sense, when walking from piece to piece in a museum, you compare the first piece you lay your eyes on to the next, and the next to that one, and so on and so forth. Changes in perception can be subtle, but it is the evolving comparison of art in our waking lives that changes. I believe it is possible to 'step back' as well, for example, viewing a renaissance masterwork in a museum, and then going home and reading the newest copy of your favorite comic. But there are still qualities for which you can search -- line quality, value, form, perspective, and all the other elements of design -- we weigh them against each other form piece to piece. What is prevalent? What falls flat? Is nonexistent? These are all aspects of our perceptions.
When you stop looking at art is when it becomes a commodity -– it’s the ‘refrigerator syndrome’ when you look at something often enough, without thinking about it, you may forget why it’s there in the first place., like the sticky note reminding you that you had a dental appointment today. Things that are deemed kitschy have this quality –- kind of cute, mass produced and easy to overlook. You forget why you appreciate those creepy figurines of pale children, so they sit and collect dust. While all things that are created are at one point touched by the hands of an artist, or can be perceived as art, if they lose the appreciation of the audience, they lose their artistic status.
Take for example a hand-thrown mug. My mother has several of these. They have beautiful patinas with textured, porous-looking surfaces, and the rustic feel and color treatment of each makes them look similar, but unique from both each other, and the large collection of mass-produced-in-china coffee mugs that keep these few company in the shelves of her kitchen. But again, she wakes up in the morning and so long as the coffee lands in the mug, she doesn’t really pay attention to which one it is. To my mother, the art in these handcrafted wares has been lost. It is easily recovered though, by stopping and thinking about the mug – beyond the caffeine laced contents and utilitarian function.

Art and commodity can be two halves of a whole – a lot of art is created in material objects, which can be traded and sold, utilized and mistreated. But when they are treated as art, they may be on display, or archived, hidden away and preserved for the pleasure of future generations. Again, it depends on how you see and use the piece.
The duality of art and commodity is most apparent to the artist themself. While it has not been my own experience, I've known people who were mg classmates who received offers on their artwork, which was on display at a school art show. Some of these classmates were excited by the idea of having the opportunity to sell their work-Maybe they had nowhere to store it at home, or they just did it for the grade. Or perhaps their parents were not too keen on hanging it in the dining room. But others were move reserved in their experience reluctant to sell a piece that if they were to continue pursuing art, could be an invaluable part of their portfolio. And the last example: the kid who was too emotionally attached to their art to even conceive letting some stranger try and purchase it.
And why shouldn’t they be attached to their work? Not only did they put hours of work into it, but at this stage, the piece is truly an artifact of their growth as an artist. And I’m sure this is one of those universal truths: art is the artifact of the person, community, and culture that produced it.
Each piece I’ve produced(while it still feels pretentious to call my own work ‘art’) has been evidence of my growth into artism. Everything else I’ve made is just crap: unfinished sketches and comics, anything that tried neither my imagination nor abilities, I wouldn’t look at and call art. Practice, maybe, but not art. Weiner has a strong and valid point – an object is not art if it doesn’t challenge your perception, imagination, or standards for the next thing you see.

Upright

A Whirl by ~yokotei on deviantART

What-t-t-t

Tilt by ~yokotei on deviantART

Perspective Drawing Week 3

Mezzanine by ~yokotei on deviantART

Where are weeks 1 and 2? good question :D

Do Things When You Think of Them

Touch My Heavy Heart by ~yokotei on deviantART

ready for print.

Pushing the Gottverdammt Envelope

situational irony.
'Conventional'. lately this word has begun to sting as much as 'uncreative' and 'unoriginal', maybe even to the degree of 'cliche'. however, how does one overcome the conventions to which they are accustomed, and thus evolve?

Layers Are Like Onions

Subtle Build-up FTW. one more layer, but i need the drawing back to photograph it.

Three rolls of tape on a Rainy Tuesday

this will be reworked sometime in the near future...

Sleepy Tape by ~yokotei on deviantART

Contrary to Popular Belief

I was not under the influence of illegal substances when this was conceived.

if i ruled the internet by ~yokotei on deviantART
I was, however, sleep deprived and sugar/caffeine high.

Catch Up Day

Since I got to Catch up on one hour of Sleep, I figured today would be appropriate to catch up on blogging as well! I woke up in a really good mood - as soon as I was conscious enough, i picked a book up off the floor and was able to read/study a bit. It forebodes well, considering my usual abilities of concentration.
Project one for 2d, set up as it would be glued down on paper (relative to the borders on the cutting board, anyway)

So, for every hour I'm awake Today, a Blog Post! To catch up on work i haven't been posting, and events that you wished happened to you.

fish armada

the robocops of fish


fish fish fish armada by ~yokotei on deviantART

smoke smoke smoke

Der Raucher Kultur by ~yokotei on deviantART


Rauch frei by ~yokotei on deviantART

Freshman Lecture Review

this week - H. John Thompson

Things I liked:
1. There is no set definition and medium for 'a drawing'. Thompson's work is not confined to pencil and paper, in fact, his definition of drawings were small scale and very polished looking studies of architectural elements, in materials that imitate their real life counterparts.
2. It's okay to live in your parents' basement. or in his case, the basement of his grandfather's bakery. While he does work inside his studio just as often as he works outside, he has a really nice setup, perfect for his work ethic and storage needs. The collection of oddly-scaled chairs are interesting and cute as a source of inspiration.

3. Draught Horses are amazing and intense creatures. Thompson's work inspired by draught horses and decide 'found' objects ( the old truck he disassembled) is very strong conceptually and visually - the way the finished piece took up almost the whole gallery space at Uarts, just communicated the dominating presence like that which he described in his encounter with the horses.

"And that's when the turkeys showed up."

face smoosh face

facefaceface by ~yokotei on deviantART
scanner face is a happy face.

Why, Gap, Why???

Gap changed its logo. and it looks like crap.

Prior to this watching parts of Helvetica (the movie) in class, I didn't have a problem with the font, and I still don't. But in the case of this logo (which affects me personally, because i have a part time job at a gap subsidiary) it looks like crap. The old logo felt very mature and respectable, actually reflecting the characteristics for which the clothing brand is appreciated, but this is just so neutral and pales in comparison.
if they had at least gone with a look more reminiscent of the first gap's storefront, it wouldn't be awful. at least that looks modern. Again, in comparison, the helvetica looks tired.(photo courtesy Carnesaurus on Flickr)
And why the tiny gradiated square? It looks shy and uncomfortable in that corner

Single Shots of Wisdom from Derek Sivvers

Our assignment this week was to watch a TED talk and review/ share our thoughts about it. After wasting dutifully viewing a handful of videos for about an hour, I settled on the short but inspiring talks but Derek Sivvers. He seems like a cool guy – started his own record company by accident – and upon further research I found that he also has a blog of inspiring stories and lessons, some of which are based on his TED talks.

His three talks, “Weird, or Just Different?”, “How to Start a Movement”, and are all based partly on conventional wisdoms, partly on personal observation, and a little bit on a ‘recent study’.

His first speech, “Weird, or Just Different?”, not only educated me on the street system used in Japan (did you know they name their blocks, rather than their streets?) but emphasized the importance of being open to information that challenges that to which you may be accustomed; in other words, “whatever you learn somewhere, it might be the opposite somewhere else”.

“How to Start a Movement” was actually quite entertaining – after initially watching the TED talk, I found it on Sivvers’ personal website and viewed the narrated version of the video, which features a shirtless dancing guy. Sivvers emphasizes that while he will be named the leader, and remembered as ‘beginning’ the giant dancing crowd that forms around him, his true functions are: A) to inspire a single individual, who becomes the ‘follow’, and B) to nurture that ‘follower’ by encouraging them in their fellowship

It’s just plain funny, but still has enough going on to have substance.

“Keep Your Goals to Yourself” is kind of self explanatory – Using findings from ‘recent psychology tests’ (quotation marks because anything citing a recent study really needs better citations) and the 20^th century writings and findings of several psychologists, including Peter Gollwitzer, who conducted the recent tests (Qualifier! Eh? Ehhh?) Sivvers explains that you shouldn’t share your goals, and “if you do need to talk about something, you can state it in a way that gives you no satisfaction”. I have definitely been having this problem lately with class, between procrastinating and general time management failure. So quit asking me what I plan on doing for my next piece :P

In other news, now that I’m aware of it, I’ve been seeing TED talks everywhere on the Internet. Mrs Q. posted the cutest Texan kid talking about organic food here, and the hilarious but offensive LATFH.com called out this mutton-chopped robotics engineer here.

Freshman Lecture Review

This Week: Douglas Bucci, who hangs out/teaches in the metals department here at Tyler.

1. He's accesible. One of the reasons I chose to attend Tyler is for the jewelry/metals/cad/cam program: I attended a small metals and jewelry making class at Moore College for two consecutive summers, and was smitten with the idea of all the new and shiny 'toys' in this department. While i haven't done any serious metalwork in a while, I'm still quite enamor with the idea of taking a jewelry class here at Tyler. now that he's been introduced, i feel that Doug will be more approachable.
his work itself is also accessible, both the commercial (which is easily identifiable, even for a shut-in like myself) and personal (which caters to a more specific audience, but is very relatable).
2. embracing discomfort. i've noticed in my own experience - being dissatisfied with your work means that you are doing something right. this is not to be confused with doing something at the last minute and 'settling' for the result ( something of which I've been guilty on recent occasion). It's bizarrely comforting to know that this is the way a professional perceives things as well. and he also drew a line between comfort and discomfort - putting his family first, being in Philadelphia, all while pushing himself to do more artistically.
3. his work is truly personal, without becoming static. The pieces he makes focus on a central theme in his life - his dealing with Diabetes. So they're all connected in that way, but especially with the printed pieces he's produced most recently, are complimented by the technology he's exploring.

No Lecture Next Week? No Review Next Week

Persona Review

The quick rundown of this movie:

• It was made in 1966
  
• It is Swedish, and available with subtitles.
  
• Directed by Ingmar Bergman
  
• Stars Bibi Andersonn as Sister Alma, The Nurse, and Liv Ulmann as Elisabet Volger, the Actress
  

I can't say I understood the plot of the movie – was Elisabet truly mute out of choice, or had some psychological damage been dealt to her that she withdrew defensively? Why did she write the letter to the Doctor back at the hospital, divulging Alma's confessions?

To some degree I understand, not because Elisabet talks, but information that is weaned from the three other characters in the movie – Alma, and to a far lesser degree of screen time, the Doctor and Mr. Volger. We learn throughout the movie: she was an actress; she fell mute after having an awkward moment on stage. She has a husband and child she is not comfortable talking about. She is sensitive to the woes of the world, portrayed in the scene where she watches the self-immolated monks on the television. Though she is mute, she is not a trustworthy person in which to confide, as shown by her letter which Alma reads. She lies to Alma to preserve the 'bubble of insanity' she has created for herself, and she manipulates Alma for the same purpose. And lastly, we learn that she regrets having become a mother, because of her cold and unsympathetic nature which makes it difficult for her to connect to her son.

However, that last tidbit of knowledge is procured entirely through Alma, who throughout the duration of the movie is mentally tried in her caretaking of the actress. She is both naϊve and too open in her dealings with Elisabet – perhaps it is because she is the actress' foil (or is it vice versa perhaps?). Through the prolonged exposure to each other, Alma somehow begins to take on the persona of Elisabet, in the same way the actress might have assumed a role in a play, but in the process she loses a sense of her identity.

I think the transformation Alma undergoes is caused by her naϊvety in her admiration of the actress. In an early scene, she tells Elisabet how she admires actors and perceives them as benevolent people; through the course of the film she learns the opposite is true, simply by being confronted with the wall of silence with which Elisabet has concealed herself.

The silence of Elisabet also becomes her in a way: she is cold and unsympathetic in her inaction as well as her inferred action, the knowledge we gain of her through others. But I feel she is the more relatable of the two characters – she isn't a nice person, and runs away from her problems through her muteness, whereas Alma is all smiles and naϊvety and customary politeness, and has to be stripped of her visad. It isn't necessarily that she becomes Elisabet – it is that she is like her, like any real human – she has regrets, secrets. Elisabet is not held to the same standard, because she is 'insane' and can thus act according to her selfish nature and desires.

The art direction of the movie – beautiful, flawless, not at all what I'd expect from a movie from 1966. The film itself is preserved perfectly (including the places where parts of the reel were intentionally destroyed) and while some of the backdrops felt sterile (the hospital rooms, the bare mattresses) similar to movies of its time, Persona had the feeling and definition of a modern movie. The natural textures, from the rocks to the characteristics of the actresses' skin – every pore is clear as day. The lighting is also effectively dramatic – I guess hear would be a good part to say, the film was beautiful and thus subtle, giving way to the plot of the film until that turned on its head. I would remind myself, "it's technically an art film, it doesn't quite have to make sense." But further introspection, as Alma did in the story, uncovered the plot for me.

While at first glance it's a crazy, nonsensical and long-winded mind fuck of a movie, Ingmar Bergman's Persona is really a faultlessly crafted film, both visually and in its dissection of the walls we build around ourselves.

Freshman Lecture Review

This week we had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Marianne Dages.

things i liked:
1. Her talk was geared toward teaching us how to function as artists in the Real World. It felt as relevant as it most likely is. Especially her advice to start thinking about things now. I know a lot of my classmates, and myself, are still just mentally floating along, not sure which particular direction to commit to, and that's fine and dandy, but once I decide (and I'm itching to do so) I completely plan to kick my life into high gear. I've also had that same vague idea of 'sitting in a huge space, just thinking', but as for accesorizing - I'm interesting in fibers and small metalwork, which require lots of equipment - I'm going to start thinking and making shopping lists. I actually love making lists and then not doing anything on them. So much that I've though of getting a cute 'to do list' tattoooed on my arm! :) but i don't like tattoos otherwise.
2. Variety Ms. Marianne didn't just talk about her experience - she referred to friends and other artists that inspired her, all of which have/are finding means and spaces to make their art, and make the most of it. It's good to have options and she showed plenty of them. I particularly liked the Residencies, because it kind of reminded me of why I chose to live on campus - to concentrated on my work. though of course, it's not like 100% Frozen Concentrate.
3.Personal story. I felt Ms. Marianne had a good balance of other's she is influenced by, to that of her own experience. And in contrast, her own experience felt ore valuable. she also talked a lot ab out process, how she began out of school and got to where she is now, and treated her story as it is - a work in progress. She gave me the impression of being an extremely well rounded person.

Next Week: Douglas Bucci!

Drawing Art Review: Kwon Kisoo

Kwon Kisoo is exhibiting his first solo show at the Flowers Gallery, and thanks to the Flavor Wire Article (found via Artkrush) I know about it. Simply titled “Kwon Kisoo: Recent Works”, the exhibit features the ‘Dongguri’ paintings. Kisoo has exhibited these mostly in East Asia and has developed a following there, but this is his first showing in New York.
Dongguri is as much a character as it is a simplified form; explained as Kisoo's "alter ego", it has no gender or otherwise distinguishable features, leaving it open to the interpretation of the audience. The forms are simple and repeated - strange candy stripes make up the bamboo forests, blossoms share the same shapes, the Dongguri itself is repeated with near indistinguishable clones ( I can't tell the difference between the 'original' and the 'copies', at least), and accompanied by an equally ambiguous four-legged companion. But they all come together to create whimsical scenes and compositions. The attention to detail within individual pieces is quite stunning – while the forms appear easy enough to multiply and mass produce, Kisoo’s precision in recreating the forms by hand is evident – the pieces all follow certain rules (for example, all the blossoms in the works are oriented like compasses, with the petals all consistently pointed in the four cardinal directions) but there is room for infinite variation within those guidelines.
Further researching the current exhibition of Kisoo’s works in the Flowers Gallery in New York, I found two pieces not included in the Flavorwire article: A Blow off Day Are You? And Blow Off Meditation. They vary the most from the other Dongguri paintings because they lack the implied landscape, replaced by whimsical lines which support the Dongguri. The slow, undulating ‘ground’ reminded me most of Dr.Suess. From Deep Black is also a variant, being grounded by a variety of colored cubes, reminiscent of The Matrix. And Would You Wait for Me 2 features the Dongguri standing on a miniaturized planet-scape, fraught with holes from which colorful bamboo shoot forth. Within all these variants Kisoo maintains the underlying mood and graphic, yet whimsy appearances of thegroup of works.


The Dongguri paintings are in a sense, multi functional - while they may be criticized as being 'too commercial'(Kisoo has already created a line of clothing and other products based on the works) that may not necessarily be a bad thing. From the standpoint of modernization, it means that Kisoo's work is accessible to a broad audience: persons who buy the products and view the artwork online, in addition those who may view his work in person. And the 'commercial nature' of the work does not detract from its other qualities.
Another criticism of the Kisoo's paintings is that they are not in fact art, but illustration work. My question is, "in what way?" according to Princeton University's WordNet database, illustration is defined as "artwork that helps make something clear or attractive". While the Dongguri paintings are inspired by Korean landscapes, the scenery itself is still visually ambiguous. The geometric and graphic style actually emphasizes a fantasy atmosphere. There is also no 'clear message' Kisoo tries to communicate; rather, there are theme which loosely suggest his viewpoints on current issues like the environment and materialism, but in viewing the work, these come second.
Previously I've had no experience or knowledge of Kwon Kisoo or his work, but finding it for this assignment has actually led me to become very interested and excited about the Dongguri paintings. Unfortunately the exhibition at the Flowers gallery in New York ends this week (October 2nd), but hopefully sometime in the future I’ll get the chance to see these works in person. In the meantime I’ve changed my Google homepage to the free Dongguri theme.

Narwhals Are No Laughing Matter

A class assignment. hopefully it is as obscene as it is nonsensical - I like to think that the two balance each other out. And describe me in the process.

Value Nonsense!

from class.

Andy by ~yokotei on deviantART
homework.

Rick by ~yokotei on deviantART
i'll think of something witty next time.

Freshman Lecture Review

This Week, Candy Depew talked about stuff. Most of Which had nothing to do with the studio.

Things i liked:
1. All of her work was eyecatching. especially the calcite skulls.
2. She does a lot of collaborations. and had interesting stories about them.
3. She had a lot of cool places that she visited, to talk about.

Some of the installations and work she did were fascinating, However, by 11:15 or thereabouts, she only mentioned a few things about her 'studio model', the apprentice system. i didn't feel as informed as i did entertained, but after 45 minutes the novelty wore thin.

Text Art

representational, nonrepresentational, and emotional/onomatopoeia drawings. but i forgot the latter so i did a picture of my friend instead. XD
cricket by ~yokotei on deviantART
I like how dA frames look, but here's a picasa slideshow to amuse Sam...

Contour Line Drawings.

the firts one, after attempting to edit for more contrast

Contour Line-me by ~yokotei on deviantART

the second one, which i didn't edit half as much


Contour 2 by ~yokotei on deviantART

process and sketches:
my secret was taking pictures of the frontal perspective in order to do the forshortening on the legs. :)

Freshman Lecture Review

Things I liked this week:
1. Peter Hanley's Mohawk. Not often you see a dude whose obviously over 30, has a Mohawk and doesn't look awful. Double props for an bilateral symmetry.
2. Prezi saw this program in use a few weeks ago while undercover with some friends, and i must say, it is very aesthetically pleasing, and feels a lot more efficient than powerpoint.
3. The Studio not as a location but as a state of mind, per say - I feel like i'm starting to get a sense of this living here on campus. It's not like i can work in the room, there's not enough space, and too many distractions. In Peabody's basement studio, i'm probably just as distracted, but it's an inspiring kind of distraction, because there's room to spread out, and like-minded individuals ( collaborators, per say) with which to share ideas, and from whom to get pre-critiques (I say pre-critique because they help you prepare for the big ones in class.)

I didn't feel that Hanley was as strong of a speaker as Blahn or Girard, but that's alright because the most important thing they are bringing to the table here is their ideas. and it was kind of amusing that his digital presentation was very conversational, in the sense that him talking and his writing sound pretty much the same.

Next week : some lady whose name escapes me!

~Peabody RHSA Elections~

Hey Peabodies (and whoever else stumbles across this),
Here are some answers to Questions you might have about me/the election/the meaning of life:
Who the [Expletive] are you? Nicole Micheletti, currently holing up in Room 216 of Peabody Hall. Currently a freshman, BFA at the Tyler School of Art.
What in the World do you think you're doing? Running for Senator at Large for Peabody's Residence Hall Senate Association ( think the 'Senate' is left out of the name from time to time).
...Why?(Are you running) I think this would be a great way to get to know Everyone, and be involved in our cool little ecosystem.
So, you don't get out much? working on it...
What is RHA? They decide on cool events and stuff we throw here at Peabody! And Outside of it but involving Peabodies! And i'm not clear on the details yet otherswise, but in short: we make your life fun.
and what do Senators do anyway? To Quote the Official RHA paperwork:

The Senator at Large is a non-executive position that serves as the active voice for the residents residing in particular residence halls. These members hold veto power in efforts of representing the best interests for their residents. Furthermore, Senators at Large shall be Responsible for communicating projects and programs to the residential community in addition to seeking out attendance at general assembly meetings.

What's in it for me? Fun and community-ness and your new best friend(me). But I won't try to take the place of your old best friends, I swear.
Cool, so when/where do I vote? TODAY! ( Monday Sept 13) At the front desk downstairs!
Will there be cake? Next time we get together, i will bake you a cake.
What's a 'yokotei'? That's my Internet Moniker of Choice. You can't has.
How do I know you're a Real person? Friend me on Facebook (which i never ever check but i will, just for you) where my name is backwards, or check out my crappy and neglected DeviantArt page. or come say hi! I'm in Room 216 or the basement usually. because i don't get out much.

~Nicole Micheletti

Freshman Lecture Review

things i enjoyed about last weeks lecture:
1. Phillip Blahn was seriously entertaining; an engaging speaker and had an awesome accent! I studied german for a few years in high school and kind of regret that i didn't keep up with it (had to choose between that and art class) but it's still fun to listen to people who are german, speak it and mix the language with their english, because occasionally i understand what they mean without having to think too hard about it.
2. The Bauhaus Structure I didn't understand exactly what a Bauhaus was until this lecture ; I've come across it researching Robert Raushenberg Last Spring (he attended Black Mountain College, which under the direction of Josef Albers was in the fashion of the Bauhaus) but didn't really understand what it meant. something to do with architecture or studio space? this talk really shed some light on the subject for me, and actually got me excited about the structure of the school. however, i don't feel it is practical for me personally, or to restructure Tyler with the Bauhaus model - it would interrupt the flow of things, for sure.
3. Modernism I had no idea where this movement started!I thought it was an offshoot of Art Deco (though i'm still under the impression that this was a movement in the realm of Decor and architecture - where do those lines meet?) but this totally shed some light on the matter for me. Like the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, there's a definite sense of utility, while still being almost ahead of it's time and therefore without time. it's complicated.

next time- Peter Hanleys take on Studios ( or lack thereof)

Read-Write Culture, Copyright, and You

One phrase I have been reconsidering lately: "Intellectual Property", and maybe even "Artistic License". They're vaguely synonymous, right?
Since we watched Larry Lessig's TED talk on Creativity and Copyright Laws in class, I've thought about what it means to own something that is available on the internet. If somebody takes your 'work' or property and distributes it in it's original form, then what rights should the original owner have over it? I'm not even sure. It feels as if the 'professional' circles that generate media should be subject to the idea of 'fair use'; but as the same time when an amateur's work is used 'with permission' for commercial purposes, it feels equally wrong and if you look at it this way, the logical ( but not necessarily satisfactory) conclusion is mutual exlcusion. in short, i don't really know which side to join.
back in 2007 when the internet meme, or fad, known as "rickrolling" came into popularity, there was much talk about whether or not Rick astley, the original artist of the song, might release remixes or some other ploy with which to seek a profit from the revival of popularity of his song. he had this to say about it in an interview with the la times:

“I don’t really know whether I want to be doing that[cash in on Rickrolling],” he said. “ I’m not being an ageist, but it’s almost a young person’s thing, that.”

Finished Sheepy

Sheepy by ~yokotei on deviantART

First Assignment of the Semster for Drawing.
What a great excuse to plug my Deviantart account too. Or Something.

Sonntag Nachmittag das Abenteuer

aka the Sunday Afternoon Adventure!



This past Sunday I had a dilemma - I was up very late working on my piece for Drawing class, but it was on Newsprint (The runt of the paper litter) and that Just Would Not Do. Mostly Because Rubens ( my teacher...professor...instructor? whatever you call them in university) had said to use good paper, which i obviously had not. Now the following morning (still Sunday) I was regretting my decision to use this paper, and decided to go down to Utrecht to get something more substantial.(see last post for the drawing in question)
At the same time I was running out of yarn for a project I'm doing in my spare time, and the only place in the city I know/like that stocks it is Rosie's Yarn Cellar. And for the hell of it, I wanted to check out other yarn stores along South Street.
So I ended up taking the bus to the Convention Center - not South Street- only to check a Walk Philadelphia map and realize I need to go eight more blocks.
So I headed south, looking for the address to Nangellini and ended up around The Hospital at UPenn - on Spruce Street, not South Street - and asked for directions.
Finally I made it to Nangellini - on South Street - and ogled yarn, but since they didn't have what I needed, I moved on. However, They sell other awesome clothes/knitting related stuff/art, so once I figure out how to ride the bus this'll be my new favorite store. :)
My next Destination was Loop, a yarn shop in the Rittenhouse District - twelve blocks away, but on South Street - I walked the whole way across and saw some hilarious things, inlucding Harry's Occult Supplies and some street art. Loop was like a very modern boutque, but for yarn. unfortunately they didn't have what I need either; that's all I have to say about that. So I moved on to Rosie's. And of course, exactly what i needed was right on the shelf, so soon as I walked in the door.
I went to Utrecht afterward to get my paper, and congratulated myself for a Mission Accomplished by getting myself a Chai Latte (aka Nectar of the Gods) form Dunkin Donuts, and went and sipped it in Rittenhouse Square.
fin

progress shots still life

drawing foundations, first assignment of the semester.

First Memory, or a Long-Anticipated Incident of Deja-Vu

It's kind of funny (to me at least) that my earliest memory should be something that never really happened, but nonetheless it is just that. The farthest back i can remember is a nightmare i had when i was still in diapers. The scenery was reminiscent of the Sing-along videos that were my television du jour: a astro-turf colored field with flat plastic tulips, against a flat gray-blue sky. but unlike the flat stages of WeeSing!the field seemed to go on forever. i know this because i was running across it, trying to escape the clutches of the Easter Bunny. He Hopped after me, surely plotting to eat me or turn me into chocolate eggs. i ran until i woke up.

now where does the Deja Vu come into play? well, in march of 1998, i was six years old and my mother's current place of employment ( Robert Wood Johnson Hospital) was hosting an Easter egg hunt. and i was all but thrilled to find that the exact same Easter Bunny was residing over the event. I think my mother coerced me into posing for a picture. but i couldn't find it.
My mother and a coworker consorting with the Enemy.

Classy Classes classify Classiness

New Blog with the Purpose of keeping my Proffesional (ha!) and Personal lives separate. Though i'll probably mention my knitting a lot still.
So far I've been asked to blog for two classes! i was thinking about just using Chow Mein, but i felt this was more appropos to do.

more on the Title later. and class stuff of course.