Leslie Hinton
Arth555/Film555
Dr. Cooley
December 17, 2001


Annotated Bibliography


Synopsis of research: In the early part of this term, my interests in autobiographical impulse were in regards to a repetitive process such as mark making . Marks that are considered obsessive. I found the work of Yayoi Kusama, Liza Lau, and Agnes Martin prime candidates for this research project. There was a plethora of information in relation to their work which I began to collect. As this study developed so did the intrigue of how this material would be interpreted by studio faculty within the University that I am currently attending. With encouragement of Dr. Cooley it was decided that I should in fact conduct interviews with these professors. This became a deciding factor to my final research. The amount of information and the richness of what was revealed to me through this personal information on the artist’s approach to their work, their studio space, thought processes behind their work etc. was too important not to include into the presentation. I would have to alter my original premise pertaining to an obsessive style of repetitive mark making ---because I learned from the interviews that none of the artist worked in a similar way as Lau, Kusama, or Martin. I could not find a strong enough relation to the artistic practices of these obsessive practitioners of the mark with the intentional marking of the professors---so I made a decision not to include the first part of my research into the final presentation. Each faculty member has a distinct methodology to their work that has developed after decades of study and practice. I was able to integrate the texts we discussed in class along with find significant correlations between authors and artists. This help further shed light upon their work in terms of the autobiographical impulse.



Lyons, Robert. Personal Interview. November 2007.

This interview proved to be a substantial gain in my research. Firstly he sheds light upon the motivating factors of his artwork, as well as the environment from which he is most inspired/motivated. He gives a history of his process including distinct memories from his undergraduate career. The key points of this interview cause me to sway my presentation on the terms that I find the aspect of work space pertinent as an autobiographical impulse that is a determining factor within the mindset of the artist and is important for the outcome of their work.

Scotchie, Virginia. Personal Interview. November 2007.

This dialogue revealed much about this artist interpretation of everyday objects into her work. Where her forms have originated. This was pertinent to my research on the visual autobiographical documentation. She gave me a background on her history as an artist---with special attention to work ethic and I introduced questions concerning her workspace. Addition incorporating questions concerning mind set before approaching work---what sorts of ’rituals’ or key factors must be in place before attempting to work. Discussion of repetition of form as well as introducing negative space as a way of surface decoration. My research began to sway even further into concerns regarding the artists personal space, where they create, how they approach their work---what must take place before hand.

Schneckloth, Sara. Questionnaire via e-mail. December 2007.

The highlights of this Questionnaire in terms of the responses were Professor Schneckloth’s in-depth description to her artistic practices. Her extreme consciousness and hyper awareness to her physiological connection to her mark making. This type of visual manifesting of memories through her process was invaluable to the research. The concentration of her questioning the idea as the human mind as a storage vessel for memory----out springs her Emotional Reliquaries. Her responses reveal insight into not only to her approach but as well the space in which she creates--regarding it as a sanctuary.

www.saraschneckloth.com. Visited throughout research.

This website further permeated meaning and a backdrop for the questionnaire responses. Giving a greater visual understanding through a well documented portfolio of imagery. This imagery allowed for a better appreciation of the intention for their creation, as well as depicting what Professor Scneckloth’s impulses are as an artists and autobiographically. It proved to be useful as providing pictures for the presentation itself.

http://web.mac.com/ROBERTFLYON/RFLs_Site/Welcome.html. Visited throughout research.

Professor Lyon’s website was a tool of substantial use. In it he gives an artists statement. His justification for the materials that he incorporates in his work. The interests he has in his creative intentions---how this has in fact changed overtime as technological advances have thrusted themselves upon our society. As well this website was important for its images that proved to be useful in the presentation itself.



http://people.cas.sc.edu/scotchie/pages/biography.html. ‘Biographical information on Virginia
Scotchie’

This website was informative in terms of giving accounts of the artist’s areas of interest, inspiration, along with an in-depth bibliography of reviews and periodicals that would further be beneficial to research. Additionally this was a good source for accumulating imagery for the presentation itself along with


Barthes, Roland. Roland Barthes on Roland Barthes.

Excerpts of this were significant in the author’s description of the body as a tool for writing as well as his photographs of his studio space. Once again I found a parallel between his techniques and those described by Schneckloth


Kuhn, Annette. Family Secrets: Acts of Memory and Imagination (London: Verso, 2002)

This article was helpful in it’s mention of memory in terms of creating a huge springboard for creating whether it be through film, texts, or works of art. This was applicable to the information that Sara Schneckloth shared regarding her creative process, her usage of memory as a catalyst for her work.


LeJeune, “The Autobiographical Pact” & “The Autobiographical Pact (bis),” in On
Autobiography (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1989),3- 30 & 119-137

I used LeJeune’s definition of what he describes as falling into the category of autobiographical. Since in my own presentation the term is somewhat broad, I consider an artist space as being autobiographical , thus I needed a broad definition such as LeJeune’s.


Descartes, Rene. Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy.

I was able to use this text to my advantage when incorporating the material from Robert Lyons interview into the presentation. I found that their philosophy on their work practices similar. Lyon’s longs for solitude and introspection in order to gain momentum for his artistic work. While Descartes similarly relies upon the study of his own self to catalyst him into productivity.
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Robert Lyon Interview

Leslie Hinton
Arth555/film555
Dr. Cooley
Interview with Robert Lyons
December 2007



LH: what is your studio environment like? How do you interact with the space-behave with the space?

RL: At this point in my career I can afford to have my own studio that is connected to my home. This allows me a great deal of freedom/independence. In graduate school at times it was difficult to work when there was so much activity. I was a lab tech as well. I really need solitude.

LH: Do you have any ‘rituals’ that take place before you begin your creation process?

RL: usually I meditate by sweeping the floor of my studio or by taking long walks—I just need time to be alone and to think.

LH: So basically your saying that you want to get lost in your work—consumed by it? Can you tell by any sort of physiological consequences when you haven’t worked for a substantial amount of time?

RL: It’s my life---it’s what I do, it’s how I connect to myself and to the workd. If I’m not working my hands do tend to become anxious and antsy.

LH: In what way do you use repetition in your work if any? You usually do make series why do you think you work in this way?

RL: Yes repetition has always been important---I think this stems from my minimalist approach. Early on when I began working with clay I would grid out the surface by implementing nails--now when I am working on the lathe I make similar marks by using hand turn ‘wooden stakes’ and making a pattern.

LH: You have said before that you were at one time a painter why did you switch to sculpture?

RL: I guess I just think more three dimensionally---rather than flat ---I enjoy the tactile qualities of sculptural materials. My groupings of work each have their own level of discovery. I try to stay really open to ideas and mediums. What greatly excites me is using new materials and seeing how they react to the process I ensue on them. If I don’t like it I have no problem taking it to the dumpster.

Sara Schneckloth Questionnaire

Leslie Hinton
Arth/film 555
Dr. Cooley
Questionnaire for Sara Schneckloth 
 
 
 
Do you feel that your work is more about the process or more about the final product? 
 
 Both are intertwined - the process is ongoing, with ‘final product’ being more of a resting point rather than an end.

Do you sketch out each piece thoroughly or are you more attracted to an immediacy and spontaneity of your work/ mark making?   Would you call the way you work visceral and intuitive?    
I like to have a sense of a loose structure in which I can invent and explore the themes that are most relevant, but it is rarely a pre-determined event. Drawing lends itself to this kind of immediacy, in terms of both materials and how they are handled, and there is always the sense for me that I’m witnessing a thought evolve as I work. The initial phases of the process are much more visceral/intuitive than pre-conceived and intellectualized, but there is a moment in which I do come at the work from a more analytic bent.

What sort of information do you think can be revealed to the viewer about you by means of your medium/technique---do you think choice of media can reveal information about the artist?   Should a creator be concerned with this information?   
Yes and yes to the last two parts. Different mediums require different kinds of patience, planning and precautions - drawing in readily accessible mediums conveys a sense of ease and spontaneity, but there is, I hope, also a sense of mystery in how the raw elements come together in different ways on a surface. Some moments are unmistakably the stuff of ‘traditional drawing’ whereas others are more layered, fused and complicated. If anything, it may give a sense of using the most mundane materials (tempera, charcoal and graphite) to try to generate a unique sense of visual place.

 
Is there any sort of criteria that must be present in your surroundings in order for you to work---i.e.  must you be listening to a certain type of music, using only a particular brand of charcoal, or even wearing a specific hat---anything customary  that must occur or be present in order to get connected to your process.   

My studio is very much a sanctuary - I have tried to work in other environments but there is something to be said for the safety that comes with the closed door and familiar setting - it allows me to take greater emotional risks with the process, and build on past momentum. I have worked more ritualistically in the past, mindfully occupying a specific mindset as a way to identify the heart of the emotional state I want to explore via the work. Recently, this aspect has fallen away somewhat in a more analytic bent towards exploring new combinations of materials and compositional structures.


 
A quote from your website  :  'My work strives to embody  moments of remembering and raise questions about the relationship between the body's physical performance of memory and inscriptive practice'       Is this performance one that you do in the privacy of your own studio -I imagine this performance being almost comparable to some sort of way to release an intensity and become in tune with ones subconscious--almost having ritual like qualities ---is this true at all for you?  Am I on the right track to understanding your methodologies?  -Could your work be considered a manifestation of memories through the act of visual creation? ---What relationship do you want the viewer to have with your work if any at all?
This is a good assessment of how I practice. The mark is very much a product of a body fully engaged in the act of making, and it is a body informed by its history and memory of emotional and psychological experience. I believe memory informs so much of how we move, how we hold ourselves, how we inscribe a surface - by consciously channeling this ‘ritual remembering’ I am hoping to give past experience an imaged present.
    
 
"In the gesture of drawing, there abides the question of how human beings hold memory"  Your reliquary pieces almost remind me of a vessel holding some sort of intricate web of information, similarly to the way in which the human mind stores memory.  Do you think that your art making is a reaction to this storage? It is how you handle being human to a degree? 
A complicated question, but basically ‘yes.’ It deserves a longer answer, and is part of a conversation moreso than an essay here, but I will attach a segment of a talk I gave a couple of years ago that speaks directly to this idea.

Can you tell me a little bit about the process surrounding "In Haptic Recall".  How long did you work on this piece?  From the slide it appears as though there is multiple layering of paper and media. What sort of autobiographical impulse can you say you achieved with this, if any?  Does the title explain a recall of a physical touch or are you referencing a mental grasp/touch of a memory?  Does the act of repetitive mark making in this piece illustrate any sort of desire to achieve a greater awareness of your own self? Connecting to ones self?      
 
Here is a few pages from the artist talk I mentioned above - I think it gets at the heart of many of the questions - it is a rather long read, but it is fairly on-point in terms of process.
How do we hold memory? Thinking here both literally and figuratively – question functions on two levels - how do we hold the actual stuff, the things, the objects of memory, but also, how do we physically hold on to memory and emotion in our bodies? How do memories hold us?

Article in a few weeks ago in the New York Times Science section on the enteric nervous system – the ‘brain of the gut’ – talks about a related phenomenon – how emotional stress and trauma and anger affect the body, specifically the stomach and intestines. Children whose parents divorce or died while they were young experience greater gastric distress as adults – the article also brings up discussion of butterflies and other physical reactions to stress. Stomach holds emotion first, down to the serotonin. Interesting article about the scientific connection between emotional and physical experience.

It’s along these lines that I started thinking – if I occupy a certain memory, actively grieving, what happens to my body. When you remember times of embarrassment, your face flushes, if you remember excitement or danger or fear your body responds – with adrenaline or muscle tension or a stomach clench. I realized that as I was making these drawings, as I was immersed in the act of seeing and drawing, of remembering and drawing, my body was going through a whole set of reactions and making marks that came out of those physical places of memory. My stomach would hurt, my shoulders would tighten, I would clench my teeth.

Next artistic impulse was to try to visually answer the question – Where do I hold emotional memories in my body, and how? What would it look like to see the container for these emotions?

In answer to that, I started drawing things I called emotional reliquaries. Reliquaries are vessels for holding remnants, or relics, of the dead – they show up in many cultural and religious traditions – in Catholicism – saints have reliquaries that preserve remnants of clothing or possessions or even fragments of bones. They are decorated, often ornate coffers of wood, metal, glass. They are portable sacred containers that hold and protect and venerate what is left behind.

In many African cultures, reliquaries are kept that hold the bones of the ancestors – and tribal initiates interact with the bones as a way to learn family history. I felt like I was keeping my own reliquary in the form of my storage locker – bits of the past safely contained that I was learning from by taking them out one by one.

My reliquaries are done in mixed media – oil, charcoal and pastel on paper - many on toned brown paper. To make them, I occupied the mental space of grief, of loss, of anger and sadness, and tried to draw from the gut – starting with a gesture that carried some of the emotion related to the memory I was feeling – then I consciously built it into a form of a container – adding features that I pulled from the work I did with the inherited objects – adding handles, spouts, mouths, lids, turning them into vessels, literal containers. Most of these images are 30x40 inches in size. Body parts are integrated into some, and the term ‘biomorphic abstraction’ started coming into play in conversation about the work – they are both of the body but invented at the same time. They behave like figures, some feel quite animated, but they are still objects to me, like funerary urns or genie bottles holding something inside. This was a leap for me to move from observation to invention - I was making things up, fusing forms, creating new ones. Again, I would feel like I’d been on an emotional roller coaster after I’d finished one. Whether it showed in the work or not, was another question - sometimes yes, sometimes no. I grew to like or dislike them as figures or characters - some seemed more animated than others, some seemed defiant, others offered a sense of peace.

In this piece, this reliquary, I was working in a much larger scale – this is about 8 feet tall. 5 feet wide, in charcoal. The scale had me jumping, climbing, getting up high, down low. I decided to work in some other imagery – of teeth, flowers, the body, still making it a container – I had been reading a lot about reliquary figures in West Africa – small carved statues that sat on top of reliquary drums that contained human skulls and bones – the figures functioned as intermediaries between the living and the dead, serving as a site for ceremonial offerings and talking to the deceased. I was attracted to this idea of the intermediary object – something that could translate between the states of life and death, inside and outside, and serve as a point of focus or meditation. In a way, that’s what I felt like I was doing with my drawings. They stood in between me and the memory of my family, and it felt like by doing them, I was coming to grips with that separation.

This was also a departure piece for me, in which I realized that I needed to be working much larger as a way to more fully explore this idea of bodily expression of memory. More could come out if I could move in a larger and more expressive way, in effect making it more of a performance – and the drawings could be a record of that performance. In that stroke, my way of telling the story changed again, becoming even more abstract, but even more personal, because I had to get more of my body involved to make the drawings work the way I wanted them to.

I felt timid at first – I was not used to working on a large scale, and felt intimidated by the huge piece of paper. Decided to work on rolls of paper – that way I didn’t feel like I had to meet any specific edge – if I wanted to make a small drawing I could, and if I wanted to make one 20 feet long I could do that too.

What resulted was a body of work I hung as my Masters show this past march, called “working from the reliquary.” It was 11 pieces all executed on scrolls – some fully unrolled, some still concealing some of the image in the roll. All pieces were done with charcoal and pastel on paper – the longest was 17 feet when unrolled.

As you might guess, each piece started with a memory. The process of making the drawings became very ritualized. I would go to the studio and meditate on a particular experience – if something was painful for me to remember, that meant it was fertile territory. This was becoming harder and harder to do often, I’d been in this for about a year and a half now, and that was a sign that I was working through things - it was clear that it was a finite activity. But, when I would feel something in my body, tension, upset, I would make a mark on the page, paying close attention to where the mark was coming from physically. If the memory was marked by anger, the marks were darker and bolder, of sadness, they were lighter, more melancholy, of frustration, they were gnarled and confused. The drawings were begun in a state that was intuitive, automatic, and done in private. I made them on the floor, down on my hands and knees, physically on the paper. It often felt like a dance or wrestling.

Again, the idea of the gesture is central here – making a mark that feels honest and direct, essential. Many of the later marks became intentional, trying to craft a form on top of the gestures – a piece was successful to me if some of the energy of the original gesture carried through. A lot of the time however, a true mark would get buried under overworking, and under more static marks that tried to coach a piece into a certain form. This is I think a continual frustration in drawing – trying to keep a piece animated and alive versus wooden and flat.

I felt like I was acting out my insides and the record was the drawing, and that the drawing was the story.

Like the reliquaries, in some I integrated specific body parts, pelvises, bones, teeth, organs, eyes, mouths. Also like the reliquary containers, these drawings became figures, but they were less literally containers than the previous work – they became to me embodiments of moments of remembering that I could share with others.

They generated a reaction from viewers that indicated that some of the subject matter, some of my story, was carrying across without being literal. Some viewers felt ‘grossed out’ or saddened by the images. Others felt they were simply richly bodily and sensual. Some saw them as direct expressions of pain or suffering or disease - uncontrolled growth - like cancer. Again, the work spurred conversations with people about loss - they would identify with one, and tell me about their own sense of anger, frustration, sadness - for some people the work acted like a mirror - and for me this was one of the most satisfying parts of the whole project - hearing back from people who saw a part of themselves in the work. We tell stories to share common experience, to remind us we are all human, that we all feel pain, we all feel joy.

Final blog Post

Prior to takng this class I only imagined Autobiography in the realms of written works. Sure Benjamin Franklin, Rousseau, St. Augustine----I could imagine this literature falling into the category of Autobiography----but a film such as Tarnation, Obsessive Becoming, Electronic Diaries?---This might be a stretch. Now I can not stop considering basically every human creation or action in terms of autobiography. What color a person chooses to print out a flyer, the ring they use for their phone, what sitcoms can they just not miss ,etc. etc. I have also become more aware of the viewer----what does the actions of my own self reveal about my background? What sorts of impulse do I partake in---where does this stem from--what am I revealing to the common outsider.

Something about the literature we read, especially Roland Barthes, Jaques Derrida, and Rene Descartes--changed my view point substantially. Descartes methodologies---how he aproaches his own work and research. What circumstances in his life allowed him to arrive at the determination that he must look inside himself in order to make any sense of his surroundings. The information he had gained during his travels and his studies were substantial and pertinent---but as well was his introspection. Jaques Derrida and his considerations of how one reads a work, the keeness of one's ear---how keen is my own ear? Is this applicable to other works besides the written? Can one achieve a state of a keener ear? Roland Barthes punctum and studium. Brings about the topic of when the reader/veiwer is pricked. Does the photographer/creator/writer have any control over this? Should the creator concern himself with this un-contolable punctum that is impossible to predetermine?

This plethora of information has been in the foreground of my mind especially whenever I view a film, artwork, or reading. Although I think its significant to all reading and all seeing---the text on a t-shirt a road sign or billboard----what associations can be made.

As far as how I can apply it to my own projects-- I suppose I have always been an introspective person--but now I have more of a filter or rather I am trying to become more aware of my intentions as a maker. Why am I working with these materials? Why am I interested in these visual texts? What does this particular mark mean--what about this color---how is the viewer going to read this work? As you could easily see by my presentation I am not the most verbally articulate person on this planet---neither have I excelled in terms of writing or have I ever been the swiftest or reader. I have always wanted to used my hand in order to manifest a particular idea or emotion I could not other wise express----this class has made me more concerned in becoming more intuned with the relationship of my work to the viewer as well as more consciencious of my own process.

Interesting for me to work so close at hand to the blackboard software--I typically cringe and refuse to use the computer when I have to. But I was taken aback when I found myself really enjoying this aspect of the class. I think it creates a dialogue with the other students that would have otherwise been lost. As well as a broader perspective of the readings ----additionally causing there to be a platform for discussion during class time. This technique is viable to learning an intense and thought provoking material---feel as though I truly benefited from this style.

Reaction to Final post comment

The question of a compulsive repetition versus a more intentional
With the work of Yayoi Kusama and Liza Lau they both have the need to create an environment with their compulsion. Kusama voluntarily lives in a mental institution so that she will have enough time to be alone with her work---this frees her up from making her own meals as well as not having to do the laundary. From childhood as you can view at her website in her early work, she has had 'visions/hallucinations' of the surfaces of her parents home covered with polka-dots. A pencil drawing portrays her mother---the 'normal' rendering--yet imposed in awkard places are these dots. Its always been inherent for her--a short documentary of Kusama wearing a bright red unitard again with these white dots. She is surrounded in a forrest setting--who knows where maybe the red wood national forrest or her back yard. She proceeds to take these cut out dots and with out pausing to ponder their positioning she intuitively swiftly urgently places the dots as high up and on as many trees as possible. She then turns to a cat, then a horse, then a nude man--covering as much of them as they allow. There's something to say about this need ---this impulse. She has created this compulsion ----that inturn has created her----what the name Yayoi Kusama means. It's about the act just as much as it is about the dot.
As far as Liza Lau's work is considered, once again she creates an environment covering surfaces allowing the viewer to become aware of her compulsion. She took part in an interview on NPR's This American Life-----the shows title was 'Obsession' . She provides the listener with the information concerning her work schedule. Most days she would bead for 18 hours blocks. She would sometimes only cover a 5inchx5inch stretch of space. In order to fund this project she would have to sell smaller beaded things--i.e. beaded chairs, beaded dishes, beaded portraits of dead presidents----onlyso she could get enough money to buy more beads--to bead more of her kitchen.
The faculty I discussed in the presentation all have 'intentional' repetition within the grid of the object /sculpture/drawing in which they have created. I find this fascinating that in some way they have formulated a series of rules or laws within their work as to how repetitive marks are going to be made. How they interact with their work is in this way organized to some degree. I can appreciate the methods and feel I have gained a great deal of insight by researching both the compulsive and more intentional. Now that I think about it Kusama is one who teeters in both realms -----I see intentional marks in her paintings as well as her ceramic work---Could one come to the conclusion that the medium for her dictates her response to it in the form of her marks? There is much to say about the intent and a direct reflection of one's life story. The interviews I partook--really allowed me insight into these artist lives--they do reflect off of one another---work as a trace of creator.

Presentation Tomorrow!!!

Last Post for Final Presentation
So as I am wrapping up the final details of my powerpoint for tommorrow----I am coming to the conclusion that there might not be enough time to touch on the artist Kusama and Lisa Lau . The information I have gathered from the three interviews have proven to be more informative than I had imagined. My original intention was the discussion of repetitive mark making as a means of artistic impulse---I am very intrigued by the obsessive working habit of Kusama and Lau. Because Kusama voluntarily lives in a mental institution and it is common knowledge that she has regular hallucinations along with being extremely temperamental---I did not know how to approach my professors without them thinking that I was comparing them to some 'emotionally turbulent' Japanese artist without sounding offensive. After the first interview with Virginia Scotchie---I saw that her work does incorporate the methodology of repetition in her zealous creation of the form---but of course in a less compulsive sense as Kusama. She revealed a great deal of information surrounding her approach to process. This was when an epiphany occured---I am attracted to understanding the logistics needed to create the work. I think my intrigue about Kusmama and Lau was due to the idea that it is a rare occurrence to find work patterns such as these.
My questions began to sway towards asking more about their studio space---are there any 'rituals' that must take place inorder for them to feel comfortable enough to work---what sorts of events from their past help in the development of their current practices-In a way my questions were formed by their previous answer –Maybe the ‘punctum’ of their answer resulted in my next curiosity--and I eventually came around to asking questions pertaining to repetition. My second interview was with Bob Lyon. It was easier for me to develop questions for these two faculty since I have know them for two years, taken classes with them, and are constantly around their work especially when it comes to Virginia Scotchie. Lastly---unfortunately I was embarrassingly late on giving Sara Schneckloth her questionaire---her responses were so insightful. Its amazing to look at a person's work after having that sort of background knowledge-a change occurs. From the point when all three interviews were complete I began to analyze and apply our readings to each individual artist. For Scneckloth I began to see a correlation between her methodologies and that of Roland Barthes and Annette Kuhns. Barthes because of his referencing to the physical body---how to 'write the body'. How his physical body plays an important role in his writing--as well as the importance his studio is for his work. Kuhns due to her topic of memory ---how she enlist memory as a tool in her work. On an uncanny parallel Schneckloth relies on memory, the pysiological self, and the santity of her studio for her process. Pertaining to Bob Lyons approach to his work, it is reminiscent of Rene Descartes. Descartes acknowledges the importance of his academic upbringing, study of language as well as his travels. "After I had thus spent some years studying the bok of the world, and trying to aquire some experience, one day I resolved also to study within myself, and to use all the forces of my mind to choose the roads I should follow" (Descartes). Almost verbatum Lyons relayed the same message to me. The most crucial part about his process is the time that he has alone to reflect and for meditation. As far as Virginia Scotchie is concerned---her work is based upon this idea of what she has termed 'swiping' in my presentation I correlate this with Walter Benjamin's idea of remediation. Although this type of remediation does not involve an entire society---it pertains to the individual artist. Professor Scotchie being trained in production pottery---using the technology of the wheel--the technical skills she gained from her studies---and appling her own personal technology this swiping/grabbing from the object world. Her work is based on the everyday object. The irony about it is the fact that she will throw a tradition form on the wheel but distort it so that it looses function---this is a deliberate commentary on the technology of throwing. Scotchie's repetition comes with the practice of surface implements whether it be adding numerous knobs, spouts, or drilling out polka-dots---this is partially to deny the form traditional use--I would not consider it obsessive---as in Kusama's work.
In all three of the interviews I became aware that their treatment of studio space along with how they function within that environment was in fact an autobiographical impulse. Scotchie growing up with six other children -never being alone, tidiness reflects immediately in her studio. Both Lyon and Schneckloth prefer the solitarity of their space---the quiet time of self reflection/contemplation. The way in which these three artists view their final work---their use of tools---their idea of the viewer--materials--It became apparent to me immediately that all these aspects of the creator reveal an autobiographical impulse that is pertinent to the process.

Yayoi Kusama's Ceramic Forms

http://www.yayoi-kusama.jp/e/information/index.html please visit her website

Post for Final Presentation 2

There are a few different artist I specifically want to mention during my presentation that are the most engrossing. I think I am drawn to them because of the exasperation of mark making, their obsessive use of a chosen form ---what does this reveal about them autobiographically? Yayoi Kusama, Agnes Martin Liza Lou are the quintessential examples of expressing their impulse through the visual arts. I have also asked a few of the studio art professors their opinions on this subject matter and if at all they can relate/attempt to help my better understanding of this subject.

Yayoi Kusama for example since the age of ten has continually covered her environment with polka dots. She has created elaborate costume and performance in order to physically display her work---she is the work at times. From wikipedia synopsis what her name brings: [Yayoi Kusama (草間彌生 or 草間弥生, born March 29, 1929) is a Japanese artist. Her paintings, collages, soft sculptures, performance art and environmental installations all share an obsession with repetition, pattern, and accumulation. Her work shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, Art Brut, pop art, and abstract expressionism, and is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. She describes herself as an "obsessive artist". Kusama is also a published novelist and poet, and has created notable work in film and fashion design. She has long struggled with mental illness.] I posted a few pictures on my blog but please visit her website she is truly a phenomenon

Liza Lou (California based artist) on the other hand --instead of uses beads inorder to create her mark. Sometimes working 18 hours a day in order to cover only five inches of space. (See Pictures above). In order for her to create these beaded environments she must sell less complicated smaller versions. She sells these only to make enough money to buy more beads so the process can continue and is in an endless cycle.

Agnes Martin a Canadian artist makes minimal graphite marks repetitively mostly on paper in more of a Taoist fashion.

Why are these three artist so different in their choice of marks and where has this impulse sprung from---what sort of autobiographical satisfaction can they gain? Is it possible to every be satisfied---is their work ever done or their 'voice' ever truly understood by the audience?

I will post the questions I presented to the facutly in my next blog

Post 1 For Final Presentation

My current studies/title is Master of Fine Arts Candidate with an emphasis in Ceramics and a minor in printmaking. This is the first semester of my second year. I have been given a studio and am expected at the end of every semester to have produced a substantial body of work. I am to present and 'defend' this work in front of a review committee which consists of the entire studio art faculty. This is meant to demonstrate a continuation of the previous semesters work as well as a display a further challenge and investigation/understanding of the medium at hand. Although I partake in a substantial amount of clay work ----this semester I have been formulating different casting slip bodies going to cone 10 (2435 degrees F), learning how to load and operate an atmospheric kiln, as well as incorporating my printmaking with ceramic work cohesively. Simultaneously I feel the ‘impulse’ to draw and paint as I have always felt compelled since youth.
Now why am I telling you all this?
I think this information will provide the class with a back drop for this research. I think that my choice of topic for this final presentation reveals a bit about me---autobiographically speaking.
My topic overview:
In my talk I want to discuss the Autobiographical Impulse in terms of mark making in visual arts----The repetitive almost compulsive way in which some visual artist manifest themselves through the action of decorative motif on surface. Because of my own methodologies and work process I feel compelled and interested in this subject matter and think that much of our in class discussions and text is applicable in researching and understanding this topic.

Reaction to Bell and Gemmell ----Flickrverse

I like the idea of using digital memory and the technologies surrounding this topic as a way of bettering our medical care. The discussion of being able to catch a disease early by constant evaluation of caloric output, body temperature, pulse ecetra---this is a completely new idea to me. As far as using these sorts of technologies to record a persons constant move as in the case of this 'Digital Diary' seems a bit compulsive... I think that could be an extremely dangerous power that could be used to the advantage of certain people or groups of ppl . As far as how this article pertains to the flickrverse 2005 this is a definate way to grid and record correspondance between many people where as the article seems to be discussing digitally documenting a singular persons interactions. I wonder what sort of software was used in this flickrverse---does the creator of it have an intention for it to be viewed as a piece of art or was it merely to document the practices of flickr users?

reaction to Rose

After reading the rest of the classes reaction to Rose---I feel a bit disoriented within the text I seem to have gathered quite a different perspective from the it. Seems a bit like he's writing some sort of motivational speech or self-help dialogue. I will be a better judge after our discussion in class regarding this work.

Reaction to Vollmer's 'Reading the Water"

It is ingenius the way in which Vollmer uses layering to project meaning---not only with sound but as well with text. The beginning dialogue imposes all three male Vollmers although they are not all in the shot. It seems as though there is a constant stream of these three subjects being present in some way. Although it appears firstly that Niklas has taken it upon himself to show his young son Tannus the coastline of Maine---I think in reality his true intentions are to relive his own cildhood and carry on a dialogue with his aging father. It is interesting that while Vollmer senior is partaking in what he knows best being an ecologist/biologist---Niklas VOllmer is in the role of his profession as cinematographer shows them with this sort of barrier of professionalism. While the young son creates a playful layer does Niklas Vollmer use his son's presence in the film as a way in which to communicate with his own father on a more intimate layer as well with text 'where are you going daddy?' "are you okay?" "don't leave" etc. The shots of water itself algae covered---opaque/rippling behind a motorboat, transparent in a calm marsh.....what sorts of connotations do these shots hold? Has the study of this coastline created an ecology between these three generations?

reaction to Family Secrets

during this analysis of the family Album Kuhn brings up many aspects of the photograph and its relation to the famil unit I would have never before pondered. She says that family pics are in fact what creates a culture within that unit. Like Barthes snipets she discusses the captions written by her mother in the margins of the album. Mentions memory as being a type of archeology that is extracted, investigated, ecetera. There are those who produce and those who comment on the production. The discussion of the character 'Mandy' was a bit difficult for me to follow---and how it tied into the essasy itself . I relate this author's use and understanding of the picture as correlating hugely with Barthes. Although I think she consider's the punctum in the snipet/caption rather than the imagery itself.

Reaction to Derrida--- Along with questions to consider for tomorrows presentation

There seems to arise a great deal of questions from Derrida's text rather than any blatant answers. Firstly he references the human ear as a way to decipher literary works specifically Nietzsche's own auto biography 'Ecce Homo'. Nietzsche makes it clear that he signs his work posthumously, meaning that it is only done after it is read. The ear relays the information and 'speaks' it to the reader.
Does this mean there can be no real control for the author? Is the reader the only one who can decipher and project their own views upon the writing?

There is a political nature within the text how does this effect a society or a culture?

What is Derrida suggesting by this social power displacement?

Can a Signature change over time? Example Person A. reads Ecce Homo if it is read a second time by Person A. how much if at all will Nietzsche's posthumous signature change?

What determines the size of the ear ? What has created these determining factors?

What sorts of responsibilities does the reader have----any ownership?

Can this theory be used in context of any medium?

reaction to Autobiography as Defacement

Found it interesting his reliance on Wordsworth. The first section that really stood out to me was on page 921 " Autobiography, then, is not a genre or a mose, but a figure of reading or of understanding that occurs, to some degree, in all texts." I see this as having a very liberal meaning. So could it be considered that a 'want ad' or a 'to do list' is in some respects self-reflective? According to De Man it appears to be his opinion that in fact these items are in fact auto-biographical. Noticed his use of the words 'genre' and 'generic' atleast three times within 921-920 to describe autobiography we have discussions during class about the underlying meaning of these words.

The last sentence of this piece
"Autobiography veils a defacement of the mind of which it is itself the cause"
I wonder how Franklin, Rousseau, or St. Augustine would handle that opinion.

reaction to Renov

This text opened a door into the insight of those in which we have read such as Barthes, Foucault, Derrida etc. Discussion over the logistics behind the collection of information required to entertain such ideals these authors share. Relates this back to the film-maker as artist and author. I understand where Jimmy and Kim are coming from when they say it is a more 'readible' text but for me it was more academic literature regarding techniques of gathering and presenting material rather than actually being allowed into an author's intimate message. I think that is why I would rather read from 'Barthes by Barthes' I feel as though I am being allowed into a sacred space----that not everyone is allowed--and that which is rarely given---maybe like a blog

Reaction to Obsessive becoming

diverse use of layering. images of destruction by fire, buildings toppling. In the foreground boys might be boxing or playing with toy guns. Was this a metaphor for his own upbringing and the hardships that are articulated by the narraration and the text? I think that I was overly conscious of Barthes idea of the punctums. Daniel Reeves has created this film by using photos and video documentation to represent significant life altering occurences. Similarly to Roland Barthes use of photography to provide 'studium' and 'punctum' to relay his writing. This juxtaposition of imagery that are both innocent and the harsh--bianaries. A vulnerable youth and the idea of the traumatic realities of what humanity is capable of--images of war. Vietnamese burn victims---children in the Warsaw ghetto. I think the film was a bit too lengthy I think it should have been edited in such a way that it was more to the point ---that is how he differs from Barthes. Reeves goes on a visual tangent that is hard to follow. Barthes was successful by way of being more articulate.

reaction to Roland Barthes

I can apreciate his use of photos with his text. He mentions a metaphor of the imagery to a constellation one must be at a distance in order to see the fuller picture---just like reflection on ones own existence. Touches upon the what we have mentioned repetitively in class---the aspect of the ever changing self. pg 56 'I am a symbol of my immediate self'imagunary 'I' is impertinent' would Barthes think it impossible to capture the true self in some medium at all? On page 50 talks about the his ear;y childhood game of prisoner's base could this be comparable at all to Foucault? As well he discusses the aspect of having a physical body and that there is really no use for it---defined by migrane and sensuality Is this similar to Descartes idea of dualism---the mind and body being two totally seperate entities?

reaction to Foucault

I thought that this text was a bit more dense compared to the Foucault we read for last class. My understanding of it was that he was describing the use of sex as a confessional tool starting with the Medeival times to the time of the writing. Pleasure equals truths--- truth equals the confessional ritual---sex equals a confessional ritual. Over time with the development of a different understanding of the human body i.e. we see our selves more in physiological terms we are organisms, as well as evolving more complex relationships. The priciple of the type of confession Foucault discusses early on has changed.

I do not know in fact how we can relate this to some of the other text? or my personal life but I am sure there will be more light shed on this reading during class

reation to 'Nobody's Business'

I suppose at the age that Alan Berliner's father was at the time he was filmed----he is dealing with his ever approaching mortality. He has lived a full life definately had a share of obstacles that shaped his adult and senior life---mainly the divorce from Alan's mother. Now is concerned with those alive i.e. his grandaughter. He has no wish or longing to realize his roots or reminice over his past.

Because this film is so short only an hour ---this aged man's entire life is squeezed into this time frame. It is rich he has accomlished quite a bit. At the end of my existence if an hour length film was to depict how I functioned on this world--would it be as high quality and interesting as Oscar Berliner?? Would anyone be willing to view it?

reaction to Foucault

What I think is worthy of addressing in the beginning of this text is to me Foucault uses terminolgy such as 'critical ontology' and the statement, "the main political problem is the politics of ourselves". These cues signify the type of introspection that can be somewhat burdensome ----yet eventually result in becoming aware of self. Interesting that he later says you must sacrifice in order to gain.

"Self has not to be discovered but to be constituted through the force of truth" After World War two and the writings of Descartes their was more weight on the indivual creating the reality of their 'self' ----you stood alone- transform and modify until you have come to a destination you are content with.
The section pertaining to exomologesis brought back memories of Lynn Hershman's 'Electronic Diaries'. Exomologesis--Recognition of an act. Her over consumption of high caloric food along with the rituals surrounding them are in a way making a physical recognition of her realiztions through self exploration. Can this be comparible to a sort of penance? I know that fasting is... can Hershmans technique be seen within the same context? I think so.
In order to truly define and be aware one must go through a metamorphisis in order to evaluate one's stance within the broader spectrum of existence. This at times can be somewhat painful.
Mentions chanting monks that are in constantly consious of the self through this physical action. Interesting idea confess so that you can truly know yourself.

Reaction to Rene Decartes: Discourse on Method, Optics, Geometry, and Meteorology

This Text is pertinent to what experiences I have had in Graduate school thus far. Getting an MFA one is expected to hold a mirror up to the self inorder to develope their work. From gained experiences and previous knowledge gathered in undergraduate a body of artistic work is expected to arise . From this point one is expected to mold oneself and search for truth within theis own frame of existence. Decartes expresses his gratitude for his time as a youth he spent researching---but it seemed like for him the more he read and improved his knowledge the less he really understood. That is when he had the epiphany that he must turn his studies inward. This is when he truly began to understand his being.
It appears from this reading that he is trying to discern God's role Comparitively to geometry specifically the triangle one with three perfect sides---this is how he imagines God and rationalizes/imagines him.
I found it beneficial to read the section concerning ideas. Much of the time in my own work I feel a bit self conscious and riduculous to say the least----Maybe I am interpreting him wrong but Decartes states that if we come from God and God is perfect and our ideas come from us if there is any confusion or obscurity it is something within ourselves---we need to be introspective to cure or come to terms with whatever is hindering our creative thought processes. That is what I gather from this text --I find it optimistic to think in this way. I enjoy the style in which Decartes writes as well it is very visual making suggestions of shapes and colors for me atleast makes the literature more pleasurable.

Reaction to Michelle Citron's : Home Movies and Other Necessary Fictions

Interesting to see the correlation between this work and that of Hershman. They seem to both be self destructive, have a tendency towards a depressed disposition, as well as had a male family member abuse them. There must be some relation to the medium of film being utilized for the process of 'confession' in hopes of moving forward. These woman as well have in common the use of bing eating as a way to punish and deal with strong emotion otherwise unthwarted. "I stood outside my body and watched myself abuse it. I knew my behavior was a sign of a deep disturbance, but I couldn't name it, nor could I stop myself" (Citron). This text is so reminiscent of Hershman's Electronic Diary I would not be able to decipher the one responsible for it. Citrons text further explains her film Daughter Rite which is beneficial to understand the context of the home videos a bit more of the history behind it and why these snipits are significant to her story. I dont understand why the title of this has the term 'fiction' just how fictional is it?

Reaction to Lynn Hershman: Electronic Diary

This documentation of a middle-aged woman's daily struggle were both jarring and thought provoking. She has a testimony or series of confessions that eat away at her , compelled her to the point of recording her inner turmoil. Is she using this cycloptic eye of the camera to somehow clense herself and in some hope rid herself of the compulsions that plague her? In some way I do think she is utilizing the camera---making it a type of cinematic therapist.
We witness her ups and downfalls she informs us of her childhood where she believes all this trauma originates. What for me was quite painful to attempt to understand was how much her current state had been melded by males she had relations with. Her father who apparently beat her as a small child, her husband who disappeared, she even discusses and compares herself to Hitler---dracula. These seemingly horrible figures she is drawn to and somehow relates to. This is reminiscent of Leigh Gilmores text on the weight of an absent male---"Just wait until your father gets home"----why is it that these men have somehow so intensely impacted the entirity of her psyche even down to her eating habits She has taken to food as a substitute for a male lover/partner maybe it wont be as painful as a tangible male with a 'y' chromosome.

reaction to leigh gilmore autobiographies

Gilmore really relies upon Zami Lordes work A New Spelling of My Name. This author has both the issue of being a woman, black and her sexual preference. She claims to want to have the best qualities from both her mother and father wanting to know what it is to be both male and female.

I think that it is interesting that when looking at a piece of art work one is inclined to speculate the gender of its creator. Sometimes its a rather exciting guessing game trying to decipher and decode particular cues associated with the work being feminine or masculine. Usually bulky steel, welded metal sheeting, lathed wood, stoneware sculptures I tend to assume they were made by a male artist. PIeces done on fabric using solf hues or ---slip casting or thrown vessels I associate with the female. A lot of the time I guess wrong but always in the back of my mind my curiosity and assumptions I try to justify. Is this what GIlmore is referring to when she relates the autobiographer with the interpretations of the reader?

Reaction to Bejamin Franklin's: The Autobiography

What I found most fascinating about Franklin's writing came when I referred back to that of St. Augstine's. In comparison this text is more of a documentation of what his heritage is---his family lineage. Rather than any sort of personal reflection. What a typical autobiography entails is not quintessential in this work. Where as the piece we read by Augustine that is rather dramatic in introspection stating grand foibles he has a youth, temptations, struggles and inturn 'confessing', Franklin overall has an optimistic persuasion. At the very beginning he states how thankful he is for the life in which he has lived. Later he does discuss specific characters he met along the way and lessons that he learned as a youth----overall it seems as though he does not have much guilt or any brewing anguish towards the path he has taken in life---I can appreciate this greatly.

Reaction to Films---"Daughter-Rite"

It was a bit painful for me to view this film on Tuesday's screening. I felt that I could relate on some levels to the narrator. In many ways as I get older I find myself partaking in similar behavior to that of my mother.....and I'm not sure how thrilled I am about that aspect of my current self. It has been something close to my mind since living within driving distace of my childhood home rather than in undergraduate where there was no chance of seeing the family on a weekend. There was an overall since of melancholia that I interpreted from the interviews with the sisters. They were never able to develop a sincere relationship with their mother---although this seems to have brought them together as a family unit. I definitely found this film powerful. The use of silent home movies---the omniscent mother that we actually never see in her current state---almost how she was to the girls growing up always there in a way a burden but never really touchable.

Reaction to St. Augustine's Confessions

I was not sure what was factual and what was fiction. You have to remember that Saint Augustine was likely trying to sway the readers with this piece of literature. Why would he be completely honest with us? Especially if he is one of 'great faith' and associates himself with the church. As a reader of this text I do not make any sort of pact---I do not trust this work and take it with a grain of salt. Wouldn't this work be considered a tool for swaying the public, and glamorizing the conversion to a particular religion?

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/saintaugustineofhippo this is an interesting blog by someone who is I assume obsessed with Saint Augustine maybe he can answer our questions.

Sherman's March

Ross McElwee's documentary was captivating on many levels. Interesting that it is so multi-faceted he integrates a historical context as a basis and excuse for his film. Following the route that was taken by Sherman during the civil war leaving a 700 mile by 60 mile wide area of destruction, including none other than the town in which we reside---Columbia. Most southerners cringe at his name seeing him as an intruder who took part in devious crimes, yet McElwee (a southerner) relates to him. Even comparing his own failures in relations with the opposite sex to that of the failed business endeavors of this war 'hero'. McElwee is going through some sort of rite of passage---a quest-- in search for answers his own battle ground. Does he associate his own turmoil with that of Shermans---Sherman was in conflict he had relations with people in the towns his men were destroying. This inner-struggle McElwee fueled his ambition for this film---just like in the other screening 'Phantom Limb' and similar in Eakins chapter he accounts that successful autobiographical information comes from a sort of seperation of self or conflict-----is the only way to achieve an accurate autobiographical depiction?

Reaction to Registers of Self

Eakins in the beginnings of this chapter states that he is approaching the term autobiography 'in the spirit of a cultural anthropologist'. He has obviously struggled himself with the usage of 'I' found within literary works. When disecting the work of Lejeune, Eakins concludes that Nietszche can be held accountable for his logic. "The name shared by the text's protagonist, narrator, and author, the 'I' figure so named remains no less a creature of fiction---the end of autobiography." Eakin's seems somewhat cynical about this topic. What I found fascinating was his thoughts pertaing to the idea of there being multiple selves or dualism that we as humans can not deter from thus making it difficult for there to exist a singular "I". It is impossible to distinguish between the physical body and the mind. Eakins references Deny and Camus study of Madame I---as well as classifying the most successful autobiographical material being that which pertains to the author reflecting upon their own physical body-----a mangled leg or disfigured face. Does having some sort of deformity or physical ailment cause us literally to have a change within the context of our autobiographical information? Ironic that the film we screened on Tuesday "Phantom Limb" definately relates to this text---the narrarator/protagonist/"I"---has had the experience of losing his brother---comparing it to the physical ailment of losing a limb a part of his body is no longer present---this has plagued him and become part of his autobiographical information. Eakins would likely approve of film and enjoy this documentary claiming that in fact it is autobiographical.

Reaction to Atobiographical Pact (bis)

This text ties in with our discussion on the work of artist Janine Antoni that we had last week. I think if LeJeune was asked whether or not Antoni's work was autpbiogrphical he would be aggreeance that in fact it is. Although his writing deals with the concept of literature, it can be applied to visual arts as well. The original word autobiography was created to describe "life of an individual written by himself" or " text in which the author seems to express his life or his feelings" . Antoni's work especially 'Gnaw' falls into both of these descriptions, and therefore is an autobiographical work. LeJuene also describes a pact created by the observee/reader and the one who creates . What the author puts out there can most definately be misconstrued by the reader For visual artists and especially for those who draw upon concept and performance many times their work is misconceived ---there usually is much room for interpretation by the vewer which is at times downfall of a persons work because this leads to failure to express exactly what is desired. If you paint a picture of a pink bunny holding an icecream cone and show it to twelve people everyone will accept this work entirely differently. Maybe one of those twelve has a phobia of rabbits, maybe they are lactose intolerant and the sight of icecream makes them sick, maybe they are offended because they were burdoned with two enormous front teeth and can unfortunately relate to this furry creature. If someone were to write about a pink bunny holding an icecream cone---the reader of this article would create their own pleasant imagery of this in their mind---they have complete freedom of design---it can be edited to fit your own desires---if you have a problem with dairy products you will likely negate this.
Can't everything created by human hand be in some way considered autobiographical? "I’m interested in everyday body rituals and converting the most
basic sort of activities—eating, bathing, mopping—into sculptural processes.
Even in doing this, I imitate fine art rituals such as chiseling (with my teeth),
painting (with my hair and eyelashes), modeling and molding (with my own
body)"-----Janine Antoni artist statement.

How you know you spend too much time on the computer. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

How you know you spend too much time on the computer. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

REACTION TO LAB SEPT.11.07

Most disheartening was Justin Hall's 'Dark Night Flick'. His desperation and melancholia is acted out by way of his video blog. It seems that his only hope in this struggle is the internet, this thing that is so much bigger than him omniscent almost like a God salvation. I found myself viewing several posts on BBC's video blog site it is almost addictive in fact. Through this medium one does feel privledged to be allowed into these bloggers lives if only for a couple minutes. Was this the sort of intimacy 'Hall' relied on to ease his troubled mind. He spoke of having such a difficult time in every day real relationships. Is blogging a way to develop somewhat superficial relations getting what you need out of a person just mantaining some sort of social construct within your own without the risk of being exhausted or burdened by the presence of a literal human being. You can choose to turn your computer 'on' and 'off' you can edit yourself decide exactly how much you want the public to know is this the future of relevant relationships?
As far as the BBC film blogs found it fascinating that Maureen a British country woman has her discrepencies on the diminishing language that she is accustom to. Ironic that she is using a sophisticated means of technology to get her opinion out when the cause for her problem is due to the rapid change in culture catalyst by the technological world in deed. First blog in 1997 and look at the rapid progression has this been a variable in Maureens dilemna???? I think probably. The lexicon of our generation is being defined by the technology we use. Maureen mentions wicker baskets that would carry bushels of apples---this was utilized in the language of her younger years now no one know what she is referring to and she has found it difficult to understand references made by those in the computer generation. Are we at risk for losing some of our important language to spout out computer/internet/text message etc lingo? will this be the future

glaze tests on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

glaze tests on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Morgan Fischer Standard Gauge 1984

I thought this film was thoroughly enjoyable and informative about the processes used during the time Fischer work for the technicolor editing company in Hollywood. He sees dicarded materials such as still clips just as important as what was kept in the final product of the film. There is such a grueling time consuming process in film editing especially during Fischers hayday when it was all manualy done there was no final cut pro software that the information could be plugged into. He is drawn to 35mm stills that have there idiosyncracies, human error is present. These are the ones the editor learns form critques his own work. Can be easily related to my own area of study MFA---ceramic candidate. In this department there is a copius amout of time spent on glaze formulating and calculation along with testing of different bodies of clay before the work is even started. Usually these test are recorded in some sort of journal for documentation and then the test-tiles are tosted away, but to me they are infact minature works of art worth just as much apreciation as the final product of the ceramicist, in this way I can relate to Fischers eye for what is typically overlooked.

Autobiography: Essays Theoretical and Critical

'The camera, in Benjamin's well-known formulation, introduces us to unconscious optics as does psychoanalysis to unconscious impulse' -- found this citing of information extremely pertinent to the text, and to our class discussions. Can film relay a message straight from the creators inner-being----is this always intentional---can it be done without them being overtly aware of this? In Benning's film 'Girl Power' at the age of sixteen one of her first pieces was she conscious of how deafeningly autobiographical this could be to the viewer. Is the viewer's interpretation of the work itself the deciding factor as to whether or not it is a personal narrative?
In much of this writing there is the comparison between literary works and film. There is a dispute that film does not have the same magnitude for introspection and self-observation that literature does. I would have to disagree with this. I am able to relate just as candidly with character portrayls in films as in literary works. It is a different written work, allows a reader to be more of the visual creator of characters within the text----while divergent from this, films where visually the characters are thrusted upon you.
The author then describes how film is problematic within the contexts of autobiography. There is the circumsance of 'authorship' which states that within cinema there is almost always a crew responsible for the creation. While with a memoir, novel etc., there is typically only one person in production. This argument does make sense and holds validity. Although a majority of the time the crew of a film production are there solely for the purpose of one person vision/idea.
key words 'act value' 'spectatorship' 'authorship'
Fellini "I am my own still life, I am a film Everything and nothing in my work is autobiographical." From my own experience whether it be author or cinematographer if they are most passionate about their work it is unavoidable that in some way even if it be an abstract idea or done sub-consciously, undeniably they are in that work. They are the work.



posted by Leslie Hinton @ 11:48 AM

Lost Book Found::::Jem Cohen

Begins the film high above the city almost as if he is reflecting upon his concurrent situation, how he arrived at this particular spot. The events leading up to. He uses a great amount of still shots almost like a photo album. Reflects upon the characters he met while being a cart roller selling hot dogs and peanuts on the side of the street----becomes invisible to the passer byers. He starts to notice the things that were hidden to him prier to this job. I do infact think that this film is extremely autobiographical it was almost as if he was reading us his diary on his innermost thoughts and his own reaction to his environment. How he interacted with the city in which he lived. Where his mind was while he kept this boring job what he was preoccupations were. Made me question what I notice on a daily basis what sorts of characters I might run into, what words are inscribed on Columbia's pay phone change holders?

Reaction to: Reading Autobiography by Smith and Watson

Significant question to ask when reviewing an autobiogrphical work----Is the author of this piece trying to COAX me one way or the other----What was there intention during the creation? Are they encouraging me to be swayed? A critical reader needs to take into account the editor of the work, the preface, the field notes, footnotes, bibliography etc. These are extremely important variables that should be considered with text I usually am not so observant or take the time to surface such details, I think after reading this article I will be more sensitive.

Smith and Watson continue to go on extensively about the different meanings of the use 'I' and in what sorts of context 'Real, Historical, Narrating, Ideaological'. Touches on the importance of the 'addressee' how to go about gathering context clues from the layers presented by the author.
The most interesting point made to me specifically was the segment discussing Medium. This was unlike the article edited by James Olney who gives the overall impression that any other medium besides written word should be taken lightheartedly when it come to the autobiography. This section by Watson and Smith has just the opposite theme----'short feature, documentry films, theater pieces, installations, performance art in music, dance, and monologue, the painted or sculpted self-portrait, quilts, collages, mosaics, body art, murals, comics and cyber art.' These are all methods of construing a narrative. In the 21st century there needs to be a broader appreciation for the arts and as a viewer or observee an openmind and a longing to expose oneself to these practices. I would have to be more reciprocating to this text than the Olney, I think that if one has an intention to express ones own existence and story it can be done just as successfully in other mediums as in literature.

Reaction to Remediation: Understanding New Media

Reaction to Remediation: Understanding New Media
Immediacy, Hypermediacy, Remediation
Jay David bolter and Richard Grusin

The start of this article was a bit frustrating honestly to someone who works in a media so far removed from computers and technology. I am getting my masters degree in ceramics…..basically I work with mud on a daily basis. Creating a three-dimensional work of art by means of a mathematical grid seems so abstract to me. Virtual art / virtual reality being the new media progressing in the near future is what the current culture is leaning towards. Talk of this reminds me of the film Star Wars when a hologram is used of princess Lea in order to communicate information to R2D2 and Luke Sky Walker she is in the round a sculpture created by a robot.
This summer I visited the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Massachusetts. A majority of the work was done either with a camera, computer, there was not a single painting, print of piece of pottery in the entire museum. Seems that the text and through my own experiences I am discovering that to be an artist in the 21sth century you must be technologically suave. but they due suggest that because of the old media ----new media can exist ---Microsoft’s Encarta would not exist if there had not been an original Encyclopedia.
It seems like it is not so much the artist that has changed but rather the viewer. In our society we need just like we discussed in the last class our need for constant stimulation we are being constantly fed with imagery, information in our daily lives, pose the question is photography making painting and painters unnecessary?
A window created by the masters mentioned in the text such as Durer with his wood cuts to the technique of tromped oil done by Vermeer, Da Vinci ----is this the same concept as our hyper-immediate window a computer screen makes as the user has multiple pages layered with accessible information easily available with the touch of a button. Would these artists been the computer geniuses of today?