Friday, December 31, 2010

art = perception of reality

According the the dictionary art is:

the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/art?o=100074)


Although, I believe that art cannot simply have a definition. Art is one’s perception of reality, it is nothing yet everything. Throughout our everyday lives art constantly surrounds us. Art tells us a story one the artist writes. But, who is an artist? It seems as of lately anyone who has the money or expensive art supplies and school can be an artist. Its much more than that, i believe that an artist is formed as soon as one is able to acknowledge the world around them. Artists see things, feel things, understand things different then anyone else. They find beauty in struggle, and pleasure in observation. A true artist creates from inspiration, not funding. Artists embrace things others might find repulsive or strange. Without a true artists art is not possible. The amazing thing about art is that it puts the viewer into the mind of the artist. Art allows one to see things from another person’s point of view, literally. With out this outlet many of us would not know what to do with ourselves. So, art can not be explained it is felt and understood without words.



-carley

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Sometimes, the simplest question brings about the deepest answer.

What is Art?


Art is an eruption of my consciousness.

Art is not always beautiful.


Art is bursting at the seams.

Art is not everything.


Art is created when we commit to realization and experimentation.

Art is not always realistic.


Art is the representation of emotion.

Art is not an emotion. You do not feel art; art makes you feel.


Art is flowing through my veins.

Art is not always reflective of the artist.


Art is created and then the idea formulates.

Art is not a secret club that only a select few can be a part of.

Art is accessible to everyone.


Art is visual language; it tells a story, and it tells us something about ourselves.

Art is not always comprehendible.


Art is a concept.

Art is not an object.

Art is process.


Art is finding a way to be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.

Art is not easy.

Art is simple, sometimes.


Art is not natural.

Art is taking something natural and modifying it.


Art is not confined to one medium.

Art is design.

Art is not fashion, but fashion is art.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Biomimicry

 "Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary 
sexual traits in the animal kingdom, and grow faster than any other mammal bones.
Growth occurs at the tip, and is initially cartilage, which is mineralized to become bone." 


If we could figure out a way to artificially growing bone at a rate such as antlers and replace
 it for weaker metals, saving minerals and salaries for extracting them. This could potentially 
save millions of dollars and be another way of our nation going green. Being used for ages 
for similar uses as metals, I'm surprised that there hasn't been research for finding a means to
grow bone artificially


The major thing here is doing it within a budget, so that the research doesn't go over the price 
of mining the materials. Also, to preserve the means of it being green.




Information: 


Hall, Brian K. (2005), "Antlers"Bones and Cartilage: Developmental and Evolutionary Skeletal Biology, Academic Press, pp. 103–114, ISBN 0-12-31906-06, retrieved 2010-11-08


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJggaUbBkTs


think how we could utilize this rapid bone growth.


-Nick Love

Manifesto

What does art mean to me?

At the start of the year, my idea of what art was totally different from my views today.  Since starting at the College of Visual Arts the perception of art it has molded me into a art hating, anti-Museum, Modernism bashing self imposed "artist". When introduced to the idea of 'anything can be art' I almost lost all respect for all museum art. I still do not understand most of the work I've seen since visiting most of the sites over this last semester. A pink canvas, an brown square titled "flesh". Though many would argue this is art, I still don't think that these works should be thousands through millions of dollars. I've concluded that art is luck of the draw. That fame is based off who will see it. How I've stated it before, is "Why does everything good take time? That is one thing we don't have enough of..." At this point in my life, when it comes to art I question whether or not I need to be going to school for it. I feel as if the chance of being discovered with my art is higher if I do go to college, and if I don't then I will be working a day job for the rest of my life. Growing up, I watched my mother and father work so hard to just make it, to this day they are working to get by. I know that they are happy, but I know that they don't want to work for the rest of their lives. How I view it though, is things work out regardless of choices you make early in your life. My parents live in a beautiful place, raised two wonderful children and do things they love. I now question everything I see as art, making me respect some pieces less, but more importantly made me respect some even more. This school, and this class has made it so that I can talk about art, and back up my art. It has expanded my art diction and allows me to sound educated while explaining my art.

This year has tested me in many ways, and has taught me a lot about myself. But thats how life is, and this is just another lesson. With a wonderful and understanding teaching staff, it has allowed me to make my way through this year, and progress through expressing myself through art.

-Nick Love

Art Manifesto

What does art mean to me?
-Well....Lets get deep. Ready? Let's go!

Art to me, is freedom of expression.
If we were given the freedom of speech, where else should one express themselves? Art is directed to any audience intended.
I look at photography as a form of art, and I look at photography as a form of expression. I can express my mood, my ambitions, my opinions everything...well...maybe not everything through photography. But you get my drift.
How do you view art?
How do you express yourself?

Xoxo,
KP (and RO)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Presto-Manifesto

Nature, Color, and Meaning. These three things are the drive for my artwork. I grew up surrounded with nature, it is a means of escape from my troubles, and is endless inspiration for my artwork. Colors are the silent words that artists use to create narrative, the world is created with color. Even lack of color is created by color, because without color we would not know what we were missing. Artwork is meaning, a way to convey my thoughts and views. As to what art form or even career I will translate these three things into, who knows. I am inspired by many things, each one of them great in their own way.

Manifesto!

What Art means to me…

There is not a clear definition to define art because art is such a broad topic that many people are not aware of. Before I had done any research on schools, I wanted to become an artist of some sort. I didn’t know the different possibilities there are within art.

To me, art has always been about being creative. What art means to me? It simply means creativity.

In this first year of school, I have learned that anyone can take something and call it art. “Right time, right place’ –Abbi. To me, it’s kind of sad to see that. I believe for something to be called art, it should have some sort of meaning to it, a background, a story, a reason, or something. After researching on an artist, I never knew it would bother me for someone to call himself or herself an artist and not make their own work. In fact it bugs me a lot to see this. I believe that to be an artist, you should do everything from the thought in your head to the finished piece. I don’t understand how someone else can make someone’s thought. That is just crazy because no one thinks that much alike to do that.

What art means to me? Is still unclear, but getting closer what I think.

Manifesto

What is Art?

To me art is something that can't fully be explained through words. Art is what you feel. It's an expression of many emotions that can tell a story. Even the most boring art piece can have a story behind it. you can point at a certain style and say this and only this is art. Everything is art in my eyes. I guess I see art as being more the idea of something rather than the piece itself.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Art is Existence- Noah Christopherson


manifesto... 

manifesto...  something has to manifest... 

why isn't this easy?


For me, art isn't just a painting, or a photograph; though I do consider those art; art is the subtle way a piece of cloth flows over a hip, or the way a necklace slightly accentuates the indentation of a clavicle. My art is fashion, and with my designs I have something to say. It's not just about creating something for a person to wear out everyday, it is about creating a way of life, something that is significant in a person's day. Being a womenswear designer, I am in the market of making pieces of clothing which make a woman feel powerful and in charge of her own life, all while keeping her feminine and sensual. There is often times a slight edge to what I design. It could be anything from a structured shoulder to adding leather detailing on the bodice of a dress. Women deserve to feel empowered, important, and beautiful all at the same time, there is a way to display those through fashion.

"If you ask any lady, they want to be taller, they want to be slimmer, you know, and they want a waist. I'm not here to make people look like a sack of potatoes."- Lee Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen has been a huge influence in my fashion life. His designs always tell an intricate story and display amazing skill and craft. McQueen has inspired me to design things which are a little bit out of the ordinary, and a little more like art. Fashion, to me, has a place in museums. Nothing can express a person's feelings better than clothing. 

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."- Coco Chanel

For me, truer words have never been uttered. The great innovator of feminine fashion gave women a new face in clothing. Her feministic views on life drastically changed the outlook of women in the world. Chanel started a fashion dynasty. The designs are timeless, and that is what I aim to do. I strive to create things which will be reinvented for generations to come. My goal is to make an imprint; not to just fade away into obscurity.

Fashion is a universal art. One could argue that since everyone has access to it that it is not true art. But think about designers… not everyone has access to Christian Dior or Louis Vuitton. You must work to obtain these objects, just like you must work to have the money to obtain art.

Art isn’t an object to me, art is what I live and breathe everyday. Fashion is in my blood, it keeps me alive, it’s why I exist. To design is to exist in my world.

So if you choose to call a fashion student vain or shallow, imagine your life without your chosen form of art. What would be the point?

a manifesto by aurora judith.

Manifesto: 
To me art is an array of things, i cant really put my finger on how to say it in an organized sentence or in this case a couple of well thought out paragraphs. For me its not limited to fine arts and design but expands much more to things such as styling, performance, and even things minimal or unnoticed such as a table setting.
Art can really be whatever you think it is or at least that is how I see it. I see art  that can be anything from man made pieces of simply found in nature through color, pattern and textures which was created completely by accident.  
I find art to be rather strange yet beautiful, it can be intentional or not. There is something magical about art, it doesn't always need something to back it up or an explanation, the beauty of art is that your imagination can make it whatever you want.  Art is your imagination at its finest, translating whats in your head outward. Your art doesn't have to mean anything to anyone but yourself, art is self standing. Art can be as personal or impersonal as you want it. With art, there are no limitations, It is something that very few people take advantage of. 
At this point I don't really have a plan with what i want to do with my life. Now, that isn't one hundred precent true i have many different plans with an array of art bases careers I just do not know what path i want to take. All i know is that i want to stick with what I love, art and design. 
For me art has always been something that i have respected and wanted to pursue. I do not know exactly what i will be doing over the next ten years but my love for art and design gives me some idea. 
When I was younger I wanted to be a ballerina, but really who didn't? Performance art is an important part of art for me. There is nothing more beautiful than a Russian ballerina floating across stage in her perfect Pointe shoes and full tutu. Ballet gave me the love of intricate costumes, music, exquisite set design, glitter and hairspray. The love of ballet has given me the love of all things girlie which is something that i think shows in what i create. 
I have always loved interior design and architecture. I like the idea of building a house from the outside in around a central theme. I like when design can all match together without necessarily being exactly the same. I think there is real art to house design and decoration and finding the perfect medium between over design and not enough. I love looking at a well designed and furnished I think its fun to take a focal point for a house and see how it revolves and all pulls together. I like color and textile a lot, i am excited to move into color theory in school.
Fine arts is another component of art that is important to me. I love photography  and capturing a moment forever. I love painting a lot, i like mixing colors and translating my mind out onto canvas. Its fun to create something out of nothing and make it into anything that you want. Art gives you the ability to take nothing and make it into something wonderful. 
I also have a fascination with galleries and museums. I think that art history is wonderful and would love to be a currator at some place such as the MOMA, the Louvre, or the MET. I think i would also like to own my own upscale modern art gallery which sells all mediums of art.
As you can see i love all kinds of art from words to colors, but what i love most is clothes. I love how you can pair outfits with accessories to create a perfect look, the way you dress is your own very personal artist statement. Fashion has always been something that i have loved and noticed and i think it is one of the most advanced ways of art there is, maybe it is because not everyone realizes it. Clothes, earrings, shoes, and bags, the options are never ending. I think that styling is a big part of art, stylists like Rachel Zoe makes beautiful outfits that are runway ready complete. This is not something that is necessarily easy to do. I would love to work in this field just not necessarily as a designer. I would love to work in the fashion business industry or behind the scenes with runway production or product development. I would also love to work with textile design. There are so many career choices within the fashion industry. I just need to find the perfect one for me.
This blog was helpful for me to get all my end of semester thoughts worked out and reminded me why i chose art and design. 

Manifesto

There are two different kinds of art, the first tries to sell the viewer something, the second is just art for art sakes. Now, selling the viewer "something" is very broad, this could be a belief, concept, or product. A lot of people would argue that if you are selling a product, then this automatically discounts it as art. Obviously there are differences between selling an item and a belief, but are these do drastic that it means graphic design is not art? In my opinion, no, graphic design is comprised of art.

A lot of art is made to sell an idea, to get people to agree with you, or think in the way that the artist is. Good art challenges what most people think, and makes them reassess. It doesn't necessarily make people change what they believe, but it makes them question it, which is always important.

In general "What is art?" is very broad, there are countless ways art can be created, and this is what keeps it interesting. If artists just kept painting portraits, and that is all that was considered art, then consider how small, and boring the art world would be. This doesn't just have to do with medium though, the craftsmanship of the work can greatly vary. If the craft is lower end, then the concept of the piece should be strong, otherwise this would mean that a preschoolers drawing could be considered art. This isn't to say though that highly technical art cannot have a very strong concept.

revised presentation photos: ro





Sunday, December 12, 2010

My Manifesto.

What is art to me?
That is a broad topic,
but I believe anything and everything is art,
Art is creating something from virtually nothing,
Art doesn’t always have to speak for itself,
As for me and what I want to create,
I want to take what inspires me,
create something new and wonderful,
and inspire others with it.
One thing that art school has taught me about myself
is that I am not just an artist,
I am also a writer,
I want to tell stories
and illustrate them as well
but I don’t just want to tell a meaningless story,
I want to write stories that can teach people
Illustration isn’t about telling you what to imagine,
it isn’t meant to replace what you imagine,
it is meant to spark imagination,
to get you more involved in the story,
and keep you interested.
 I take my inspiration from a wide array of artists
I like the simplicity of Quentin Blake's art
(he illustrated Roald Dahl books)
and how it keeps you interested in the story,
but doesn’t give you too much information.
it lets you imagine it for yourself as well.








I also love Mary Grandpre’s Harry Potter books,
Mary GrandPre captures the magic of the writing, in an eclectic style
I find something new every time I look at it.










Both Quentin Blake and Mary GrandPre
have a whimsical air to their art.

In my art I want to have aspects of both of these artists’ styles.
but I want it to remain my art,
with my own specific style.
I look forward to discovering my own style,
and eventually becoming the artist I want to be.


x


21 years of business brings you....a new way to problem solve!!


Adriane Gilbert
Mike Keefe


Mike Keefe, Chief Tech. Officer and Co-founder of Popular Front, began the graphic design company in 1989.
"Technical piece was always interesting to me', says Mike Keefe, "time base medium (the web) became a natural way to get things out there. A new way to problem solve."

Keefe did not start out with web advertising. Keefe has a background of a Film and Photography.
"We had nothing. We were renting a [small] space, [smaller] than this room (conference room). We had little staff and no money. As the company grew, we out grew the space. We rented a larger space, then out grew that. Now we are here."
Popular front is located in a tucked away area off of 1st avenue in Minneapolis.
"Popular Front is always competing with people who do things the old way" (Keefe).
"As a marketer, you have to go where people are talking about your project." Adriane Gilbert, Associate Creative Director, who recently worked on 'The Secret Powers of Time.'
"Talks about the differences in how people's sense of time varies in a small country like Italy."
Gilbert states, "I'd say that his findings hold true to my personal experiences as someone from Northern Italian decent. Regardless of your culture or background, this is a super interesting take on time and society."

Gilbert found (studied at) MCAD during the "Media Art Stage".
"I love to do it all. To think about things as a story."
Gilbert doubled majored in her education. Now, Gilbert often works with Manhattan Toy, Hasbro, and Target. Who does not love a good Target (rhetorical question)?

KP: "What made you decide to into the graphic design business/industry?"
Keefe: "Digital Advertising. Designing stuff to direct traffic to more information about a project."
KP: "For your 'Project Groups', are there different people in a group for each new project? Does each new project call for a new project group?"
Gilbert: "The project groups change based on if the company we are working for at that time wants one of our clients in which they are familiar with to work on the project."
Keefe: "The people in which the company is familiar with stay and help the people who were designated to work on their project."
Gilbert: "Our process is to sketch board. Sketch boarding is a process in which yellow, fat black and grey markers are used on a board to get creative juices flowing and to bring the project group together at an early stage."

Popular Front may not always have an open position, but they are always looking for fun and motivated people interested in the graphic design industry.
I encourage you to go to the Popular Front website (http://www.popularfront.com/) and check it out.
"Everyone that works at this company went to art school." Keefe. :-)

Xoxo,
KP (and RO)


Saturday, December 11, 2010

What i want for christmas: Whipple! (Popular Front)


 
Designing products for the consumer is what the guys at popular front are all about! 
The experience was great! I really enjoyed the field to this place, and even more fun than finding the hidden location was learning what popular front does! Popular front uses design (graphic design, photography, illustration, you name the art form, it has a 70% chance of somehow being connected to something the team at popular front can use you for!). 

Going to visit the site gave me a whole new appriciation for garphic designers and after had alot of experience with a failed graphics site for neo pets profiles back in the day, i loved seeing how the different levels of interaction, design, and and difficulty one can design on a budget :) 

so when you want alittle fun, go back onto the popular front website and go to their consumer's websites. its alot of fun to do!!! whipple has to be my favorite and for sure is now on my christmas list :) 

---Tawnya

The art of feeling a story by what you wear, Angelic Pretty designs

Basic history:
Lolitas have been spotted on the streets of harajuku since the late 80s and were part of the visual kei movement (Mana who created Moi Meme Motie is thought to be the one who started it all). but as time passed the two fashions have broke away from each other and has formed their own likings and ideals. lolitas are through to represent young, victorian ladies of high class. They enjoy going for walks, visiting flower gardens, having tea parties, talking with their friends, and enjoying crafts such as embrodiery and painting. again today's lolita can be disguished by 7 main styles: gothic, sweet, classic, country, kuro (all black), shiro (all white), punk, and cosplay lolita.
dress and acessories by AP: Roayl Poodle JSK (jumperskirt)
 


the essentials for proper dress is: blouse, dress or skirt, knee high socks, petticoat, bloomers, head piece (bow, bonnet, headband, hair ornament), purse, jewelry covering your neck and wrists, and shoes with a heal and elegant buckles. if its the correct season you may also wear a winter jacket or a parasol (umbrella to protect you from the sun/rain).your ensemble should either be described as "cupcake" shape (for sweet lolita) or bell shape (for other).
http://zeep.zip.net/images/GLB1_30_500.jpg
Mana who is...a man!
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs39/f/2008/314/3/2/Maki_Asuka_and_Mishi_by_Unichi.jpg
maki, fan and asuska


jsk: angelic pretty roayl poodle bag: guess shoes: bodyline
Lolita designers Maki and Asuka-san have been designers of Angelic pretty since 2003-2004 to current. They base their designs off of "sweet" motiefs and use them as themes to create beautiful pieces that take the one wearing the design on their own adventure. To complete the look to each design the customer may choose to pair things they own in their closet already or purchase the whole line of items for the new design or printed dress. each print is hand drawn by Asuska-san and then printed on fabrics in 4-5 color ways: Black, Pink, White, Red, and Blue. laces and threads are also custom made. Maki-san designs the dresses and they both collaborate on the final outcome on how the dress will sold.
jumperskirt : Angelic Pretty shoes: bodyline








The person who wears their designs are the true artists. creating their own story, mix and matching their favorite designs and clothing items, to achieve what they want to look.

lolita can be worn by anyone who finds it their fancy. young children (the youngest lolita is 5!!!), teenagers, japanese, european, australian, and american whoever! old people (oldest is 53 years old) and anywhere in between. Women, Men. can wear this fashion. its a small piece of what used to be, what can be, dreams, and fancies.

fashon show: collection 2008:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-uASrDTUJU%20
Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Ntf-BpwL4
new documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfUw0xcVPzY *dialogue French, English subtitles part one. :)

Enjoy!


Biomimicry by Regeneration



I used to love playing these computer games as a small child and how animals like in the video the crabs can regenerate. Its basically a healing process that allows the re-growth of body part.

if we were able to "mimic" items such as plastic with the same cells as planaria or other like species. we can use the items and if they break, place them in salt water for about a week (think fish tank). and take it out and the item should have re-grown back together.

just a thought!
enjoy the snow!

---Tawnya

The MIA

origin: Native American

origin: Japanese
origin: Chinese
 When we went to the MIA what seemed like along time ago, we were to pick three pieces and write as though we were making our own exhibit and explain why we'd put them together. I chose these three out of my favorites. My exhibit is about the destruction of past cultures. The Native American culture is disappearing. as Americans we don't hear much about what currently Native American cultures are about and overall, their existence doesn't affect our culture and life anymore. The Japanese piece is what i use to convey my meaning. The dark tones and clay rocks paired with the rectilinear and curvilinear forms seem very chaotic. The form to me is a tornado. Chinese haiwani sculptures are buried/placed with  the dead to represent the riches the person did own and want to continue owning in the afterlife. The Chinese culture also was very perfect when constructing these sculptures. What is still practiced in China today with technology and buildings, but keeping loyalty and honoring your ancestors and the dead is a tradition that is lost in culture today.

-Tawnya

Tawnya's Exploration to Nina's

6 images finally got them off of facebook and onto the jumpdrive sucessfully! enjoy!


Friday, December 10, 2010

Deeparture, a deeper look.

Being so unknown, the piece 'Deeparture' by Mircea Cantor, was not easy to find information on. I decided to find out just what is going on in this video.


Like Abbi said, both animals are showing extreme emotions of anxiety. This is one thing that i noticed, but seemed to have overlooked. When looking at this piece, the safety of the animals was not a thought that ran through my mind, and being an animal lover, i would take a chance and say that most others don't either. 


"Cantor’s Deeparture (2005) is as severely economical in its setup as it is intense in its poetic potential. It involves two unwitting players, a wolf and a deer, in perhaps the most unlikely and artificial environment in which they can find themselves—a white-cube gallery. The artist shot the animals in 16mm film with a seemingly unforgiving eye, structuring a series of taut close-ups from various angles into a seamlessly looping video. Confounding expectations, the “natural” predator-prey relationship does not play itself out here. Instead, both animals keep their distance from each other and appear in turn tense, confused, exhausted, and dejected, even oblivious. As viewers are gradually roped into emotional engagement with the ultimately unreadable animals, they’re led to wonder if these nonhuman players serve as a blank screen upon which human emotions and psychological attachments are projected."


as Doryun Chong says, the natural predator-prey relationship does not play itself out. This naturally leads me to believe that these animals are experiencing serious psychological reactions to this unfamiliar territory. so the question is no longer "how is this art?' but 'is it this worth it?" can we really harm others for the sake of art?


in the words of Andy Warhol:


"Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches."


but art cant just be about attention. 
we have got to be aware of the consequences.
although i feel that this piece is art,
the point could have been conveyed in other ways.




http://visualarts.walkerart.org/detail.wac?id=3552&title=acquisitions
http://www.mirceacantor.ro/images2/MirceaCantor_PhilaMuseumArt.pdf

Thursday, December 9, 2010

re-generating material

Today, while I was standing outside in the bitter cold, i reached into my pocket to check my most recent text message when my iphone slipped out of my hand and landed face down onto the concrete. I picked it up, hoping for the best to see the screen shattered into approximately one million pieces. Of course the first thought that popped into my head was "F**** this noise!!!" but out of this tragedy grew inspiration. "What if we could create a material that would heal itself, like human skin" I thought to myself.
Every single human consists of the material in which to heal itself, lets take for instance, our skin. A healthy human body's skin consists of two layers, the epidermis (the layer of skin you can see and touch) and the dermis (the innermost layer in which you cannot see or touch unless the epidermis is damaged). These two layers exist in a constant state of equilibrium, thus protecting your body from the external environment. When the epidermis is broken your body immediately starts the healing process.
When a wound is healing there are four stages that it must go through in order to complete said healing process. Stage one: hemostasis, this is when your blood collects and hardens to stop the flow of blood leaking out of the wound (an example of this would be a blood clot). Stage two: inflammatory, this is your body's attempt to get rid of what ever is harming you (although your wound may be inflamed it does not necessarily mean its infected). Stage three: proliferative, this is when your cells divide (one becomes two, two become four,etc.).Finally stage four: remodeling, this is where your body does its best to make everything the way it was before the injury happened.
Now this is just the basic idea of how our skin repairs itself. Imagine if the one thing almost everyone owns, a cell phone, could go through the four natural healing process of our skin and completely repair itself?! I would not be out an iphone all i would have to do is put a band-aid on my sad hurt iphone and POW...healed. Usually the human healing process takes about a week to two weeks, depending on the wound. My phone for instance, would take probably two weeks to heal but it would be totally worth it...wouldn't you agree?!

-carlen goldhorn

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

I'm throwing on my Louboutins.

if you like these....





this video is fun to watch to learn more about the man behind the curtain, the designer Christian Louboutin. 
I like the way that he wants to portray women. I think as a woman, myself, he takes shoes in a very serious way. not to make woman look cheap and much like paris hilton.
just thinking of my final presentation and thought others might enjoy too!

Snow all Night, Energize all day






Minnesota, such an amazing state! Our beautiful state is known for many things, some of those things are; blood thirsty mosquitoes, a ton of lakes, amazing woodlands, the Twin Cities i.e Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and of course Prince. These listed things are a pretty good example of what most people think of, when thinking about Minnesota, but there is one thing I haven’t mentioned that Minnesota is quite known for....our wonderful weather. To be specific, the crazy snow storms that we get here, theres a reason our state is nicknamed MinneSNOWta. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could put all of that snow to use? Instead of it just sitting around all winter and eventually turning yucky in the spring, could it be possible to use it in a productive way.

Think about a structure that looks somewhat like a lamppost with a bowl on top. This structure could be used to collect snow, in the bowl-like container, and once the sun came out again it would melt the snow. The melted snow would then go down a pipe which is inside the post of the structure, the melted snow would first go through a filter to rid it of any solid materials. It would then continue down the pipe to a spiral shaped device that resembles a water wheel, as the melted snow turns the wheel it would generate energy that would be transferred to a nearby collector by way of underground wires. Once the melted snow passes over the wheel, it would go into and underground water storage tank that could be used for a variety of things.

These snow collectors could be both useful and decorative, they would be most useful in the cities where snow has to be plowed on a regular basis and is the most likely to turn that nasty gray color. It would have to be monitored though how many of these snow collectors were put up, because if there wasn’t any snow on the ground the seasonal balance would be thrown off. The snow collectors could even be built out of nature friendly materials, that would only be able to exist in cold weather and would decompose once it hit a certain temperature for at least two weeks. So what do you think, want to help me build a snow collector?

Yves Klein - Walker Assignment





Walking into a room of Yves Klein’s artwork can be a confusing and maddening experience, my first reaction was not very note worthy. I loved the blue pigment that Klein used for most of his work, which I didn’t know at the time but with further research I found out it was a pigment that Klein created, it is called International Klein blue.

So here are all these monochrome paintings done in International Klein blue, and then there are these pieces of work that either include a natural sponge or is a natural sponge covered in pigment. Also there are several pieces that are done with gold leaf, or monopink (as Klein called it), this is what is pictured above, Titled: Le Rose du Bleu’. What is the meaning behind all of them? Is there a meaning?

Yves Klein is one artist where you have to read about him and know his background to truly understand the content of his art work. Although Klein’s art work appears to belong in the category of modernism, because of its appearance; a large painting of one color, but Klein has a meaning to his monochrome paintings. He has a point which he is trying to get across to the viewer, a point that is more easily understood when one knows contextual information about Klein.

When reading about Yves Klein, I was surprised time after time, if one was to lay out a timeline of Klein’s life and experiences you could almost see how he evolved into the artist who made these striking blue monochromes.

Not long into his life, Klein embarked on his “monochrome adventure”, the norm of being a mere painter was not enough for Klein, who had studied the mystical society of Rosicrucianism (the study of metaphysical, mystical, and alchemical lore), as well as Zen Buddhism. Knowing that Klein had this sense for spiritual exploration is very important in understanding the content of his work.

As a student of those religions, Klein entertained esoteric and faith based ideas in which blue played a vital role as the color of infinity. Could this possibly be why Klein chose to create International Klein blue? Why didn’t Klein choose to create a different pigment for his work? It is theorized Klein created International Klein blue because the color blue has no dimensions, it is beyond dimensions, whereas the other colors are not. I can believe this to be true, especially because certain colors evoke a pre-described image that our minds will always conjure once we visually intake that color. The color blue seems to relate closest to the sky and the sea, not surprisingly a choice of Klein’s seeing as he “signed the sky” as his first work of art, when on the beach with some friends.

Klein wanted to move beyond abstract painting, he wanted painting to no longer be a still object. For it to be a kind of performance, a dramatic device that interacted with the audience. What kind of performance, though, is seen in these monochrome paintings? Can a painting that has an absence of variables, interact with the viewer? In Klein’s paintings, that include natural sponges there is more texture to catch the eye, and a shift in the tone of the pigment where it fills the crevices in the sponges. Like in the above pictured painting; Le Rose du Bleu, there are dark and light tones, not just an even blue.

My eyes were more attracted to this painting then any of Klein’s other works, most likely because I use a lot of texture in my own artwork, but also because this was one of the few paintings that wasn’t done in International Klein blue. There isn’t a good way to describe the color of this painting, the pigment is so far between red and pink that I would call it pink maroon. For the first couple of minutes that I stared at this painting the color gave me an almost wretched feeling. With the combination of pink maroon pigment and bulbous sponges, I could not help thinking about the sponges being some sort of blister or sore. If you stand up close to this painting, it becomes a new piece of art. The pebbles and sponges create a unique landscape that is completely entertaining, but still as baffling as any of Klein’s other works.

To understand Yves Klein’s art work, you might just have to study the man who created it, for a very long, possibly a lifetime. Even then, once you’ve done your research and know all there is to know about Klein, there is a chance that you still won’t see his art work as he wanted you to. I know what Klein is trying to say with his paintings, I even understand it (to some degree), but I don’t get that from his paintings. The painting ‘Le Rose du Bleu’ still makes me uneasy when I look at it for too long, and I see no reason for why I like it. I do like all of Klein’s paintings because in each one there is an absence of anything but color; color which leads me to the sky and down a river, into the earth and over the fire. Into each element of the earth that Klein included in his art work.




Tuesday, December 7, 2010

An Art Piece? Or Fashion Show?

this video shows a piece that alexander mcqueen did for the spring/summer 1999 collection...

his vision was something along the lines of art and fashion colliding. could this piece be placed in a room on a mannequin and still have the same effect on a body walking down the street. does it lose its context when in one form or the other?

check out the video, its short and kind of shows what alexander mcqueen did as a designer, and how each of his runway shows told a story and had a deeper meaning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql91Z809xLs&NR=1

Pieces By Joe King