Alec and Shimpei continued

Alec shared q a little bit about his experience as a working artist. He has done an internship with a video game company during the summer. It is cool to learn how students here can go into one field (he's illustration) but learn so many other skills for other art careers at the same time. It seems like he could do a lot of other different things. Its all about marketing yourself.

Shimpei's photographs were very natural moments that occur everyday. I liked being able to see how he placed the photos on the wall but wished I could have seen the actual show. I was thinking of doing photographs for my final project, but I would want to do posed, fantasy photos. I thought it would be fun to mix ordinary events and people with very ordinary settings. The contrast would be perplexing.

More SU art students

Alec Acevedo and Shimpei visited today to talk about their art work and future career plans. Alec's work was really interesting and I especially liked his sand animation video "Phoenix Tears." The images he created with sand were so powerful and detailed.

Shimpeishirafuji.com
moonfoxart.com

My soundtrack is composed of four songs. "Chasing the Daylight" and "Running so Long" by Phillip LaRue and "Lord I don't Know" and "I am Free" by the Newsboys. I included scenes from my daily life, but decided to focus more on a specific experience of my Freshmen year. This clip traces my little, and I mean very little track career this past year. I spent most of the year being injured, but through this experience I learned a lot about faith, perseverance, friendships and life. I am a believer that everything happens for a reason, and though things are still a little fuzzy, I'm sure that in the end I gained much more than I lost.

SU Art Students

These two upperclass art students visited our time arts class to present their artwork and give us insight about the majors at SU. The industrial design student showed us her design book of past projects she has worked on. The format was very professional and after hearing her talk more about her major I almost was considering switching. After all, when I was searching for colleges two years ago, I was first drawn to Syracuse because I liked their industrial design program.

My fickleness soon abated though when Varvara presented. I love all her 2D designs and paintings. It made me remember again why I want to be a surface pattern designer. Her work is great, but what inspires me the most is the process she uses to create art. It seems to be a daily never ending part of her life. She takes things she did in one class and uses it later for s0mething else. She also takes classes where she knows she will be able to make the kinds of things she is interested in. She mentioned a few classes that I am really interested in taking in the future. She also said something that I can really relate to. She said how she makes her art to be pretty, not philosophical. I've always treated my artwork like this. My goal in creating something is that someone else would like it enough to display in their home. I create things for aesthetic reasons, because I like the way they look. Its nice to finally hear someone else who agrees with this method.

My graffiti is an anti-coffee message. On campuses, students drink coffee in an addictive matter. They use it to keep on top of classes and schoolwork. Though it is normally seen as harmless, my artwork is commenting on the bad crash-and-burn effects of coffee. In some ways, coffee can be just as bad as other drugs or alcohol. I hate the way I feel after drinking too much coffee. My brain is spinning and my hands shake and get jittery.

I posted one of the images on the cappuccino machine in Haven hall to juxtapose the dangers of coffee with its presumed harmlessness and accessibility. I sat on the bench near the mailboxes and watched students pass the graffiti as they walked in and out of the building. Some glanced at it while others didn’t even notice. I don’t think most people cared, or if they did, they didn’t want to show it. One girl gave a funny look when she saw the poster. I think she may have wanted to use the machine but changed her mind after seeing the weird image. I stayed for an hour and then went to class. When I came back two hours later, the poster was gone. I figure one of the RA’s or the building adviser took it down. The building adviser’s office is right next to the machine.

Watertower Graffiti

Yay for the self timer camera!


A quick running break :)

“Style Wars” a 1983 film/documentary gives a view into the world of NYC graffiti and the hip-hop subculture that surrounds it. “Bombing” as they call it, is a when a graffiti artists tags something with his name. Usually they bomb trains, subways, or city walls. This enrages city official and citizens who claim it trashes the city and gives “a bad impression of New York.” Those who support graffiti say it is just art. They’re not hurting anyone. Though the film shows both sides of the argument, it seems to give harsh depictions of the authorities. The mayor particularly, is highlighted as a conceited, heartless bigot.

After watching the movie, my opinion of graffiti hasn’t necessarily changed. I have a really hard time respecting the art of graffiti artists due to the method of their art. It’s not so much the fact that what they are doing is illegal, but simply because they are altering someone else’s property without permission. Its like stealing-taking something that is not yours- they are changing something that isn’t their to change. I will admit that I am in awe of some of the huge masterpieces that adorn city buildings and subways, but I just can’t condone the process.

Though the movie didn’t effect my overall stance on graffiti, I was surprised to learn a few things about the culture. For one, I didn’t realize how much bombing meant to taggers. These guys are looking for a way to spread their name as far and big as they can. They want other taggers to admire their work and say, “That guy is the king of bombing.” When it comes down to it, graffiti art is a real pride thing. They are also extremely dedicated artists. I was surprised to learn how serious some of the artists are, planning large murals far in advanced. It’s not just some act of vandalism for them, but a real lifestyle. One man describes the deserted subway tunnels as his “dungeon under the city.” For him graffiti is an emotional release and a double life creative outlet. Graffiti art is foreign and interesting to me. It represents a culture that I don’t necessarily understand. When I look at a piece I wonder about the artist. What the artwork means to them, and I imagine how they had to sneek around to do it. From the movie, I have learned how special this art is for a select group of people, but I myself would never want to participate it that kind of art. These guys aren’t making a political stance or statement. They’re just disrupting the city through art.