'The Critique' (Thesis Installation)

All in all I would say that my installation came together just as I had expected/planned, which is very rare for me. Usually some changes are made during the process, or unexpected speed bumps that come up change the outcome of the project. My installation looks almost exactly how I envisioned it. The actual installing of the project took a while, but Charlie, Brett, Morgan and myself were all able to assist one another. Things went pretty smoothly. It was great to see everything come together.

I received a lot of great feedback from people in the gallery, some from people I know and some from complete strangers. Getting compliments from the people I did not know felt really good because their opinion on my project was unbiased. I received compliments on my watercolor paintings as well. Both Gerry and Damian told me that Associate Dean, Dennis Benson really liked my installation (entitled The Critique), saying that it was clever and witty. This was a great feeling considering some of opposition I have faced in the past dealing with my work. As a video student, I am honored that someone with a high rank like Dennis acknowledged and enjoyed an exhibit from the video department. Throughout my time at Mason Gross, the sizes of each video class would progressively get smaller and smaller. I've always been afraid that eventually the video department would get cut, so I am glad that someone with that rank find quality in it.

I just received my thesis paper back yesterday and I thought all of the notes were very valid. There was a suggestion to make my character in the video drawing his last minute blueprint during the meeting as opposed to mentioning that he just made it beforehand. I really like that suggestion and I wish I could have done it that way. It would have added to the rushed quality of the drawing. I would not say that I regret anything when it comes to 'The Critique' but it would have been a minor enhancement to make it the way suggested.

Thesis Crit 3/11/11

  During my critique I received a lot of positive feedback. I presented the concept of my video which initiated a discussion that served as a great brainstorming session. People suggested new ideas based off of my ideas which I feel can enhance my video.

  The premise my thesis revolves around the subjectivity of art. Two angels meet in God's boardroom to pitch their blueprints for Adam and Eve. The angel who designed Eve meticulously thought of each feature of the female body as a work of art. The angel who designed Adam went to a bachelor party and blew off his assignment. This explains the awkward appearance of the male form. The boardroom itself is comprised of watercolor paintings that will be hanging in the gallery next to the video itself. The video is a sketch in the vein of Saturday Night Live, which typically does not come to mind when thinking of art. Paintings however, are. Again we get into the subjectivity of art. I explained how the subject of the video is almost like an art critique, to which Charlie Robinson pointed out how the boardroom paintings almost look like a gallery. I have decided to play more into this notion by slightly altering the painting, and making the character of God in my video care more about aesthetic.

  John seemed very enthusiastic about my project as well. He encouraged me to take the content as far as I can push it, and think of several other juxtapositions to throw in as well.

Thesis Critique from 2/18

  Allison presented her project of photographing her friends who surf. Her intention is to display people who come from different backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, and ages brought together by their passion for surfing. I like how surfing, while it is an important aspect of Allison's thesis, is not the focus. In fact, it is not even mentioned. Her photos are black and white closeups of sandy faces, weathered by the sun. She also mentioned how she wanted to incorporated pieces of driftwood between the photos, and include a scrapbook beside the wall display. Someone suggested that the scrapbook should be made of driftwood rather than having it displayed on the wall. I like that idea because it is more subtle. If the viewer decides to look through the scrapbook, it may take them a few seconds to make the connection of driftwood, and the subject of surfers. I feel like if a work can allow the viewer to learn and discover more by exploring the piece, than it is more mentally stimulating. Allison is making great progress and I look forward to seeing her completed installation.
  Drew showed us several photoshopped images of juxtaposed objects. One included a mediocre car presented in the room in which it was assembled; similarly to the way ads for nice cars are presented. Another showed a cubist style image of a couch. Drew said how he photographed the same couch from multiple angles to create the impossible object. He did not have any work for his actual installation but he said that it would be in a similar vein to the work he showed us. My only criticism is that at this point in the semester he needs to get started, but I'm sure he knows this.
  Steph showed her videos of of juxtaposed images. A lot of them involved footage from old Fred Astaire films and more recent footage. My favorite one included silhouettes of Fred Astaire and a woman dancing layered atop an educational song by Devo called 'Trilobites'. The footage of the 1940s dancers syncs up perfectly with the very 80s sounding music, and it looks as though they are dancing to it. Her videos are very short and usually involve layering and or repetition. I think there is something to be said for this. You get a very different sense for something after you have seen it over and over. One video consisted of repeated clips from Madonna's music video for 'Like a Prayer'. For such a controversial video for its time with religious subject matter, Steph morphed it into something very humorous. I am not sure exactly what Steph plans to do for her thesis project but I know it is in a similar vein. Like Drew's project, I wanted to see more of what her exhibition is going to be, but I know it will be similar to her manipulated media videos.

Critiques from Friday

 Of the members of my group who were critiqued this past Friday I found Arnold Weinberg's project to be extremely fascinating. He is focusing on technology that can allow someone who is completely paralyzed to produce graffiti as long as they can move their eyes. The technology consists of glasses with sensors that pick up the movement of the eyes and transfers that to a computer. From there, the artwork can be projected onto a building.
  Charlie Robinson's project is also very interesting. Like me, he is focusing on narrative video, something that is not really done often in a gallery setting. His video is a post-apocolyptic western that follows two bounty hunters as they exterminate virus infected people. The two become distanced as one grows more and more violent and power-hungry. I think this is a very fun and original idea and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
  Brett Tocco, also a video major is focusing on a slice of life of the skateboarding scene. In the past I have seen several skateboard videos that Brett has shot and edited together. I have worked on a few videos with Brett in the past and I have seen a few of his older skateboard videos. His work has definitely improved since I've known him and. Skateboarding is often looked down upon in society as something associated with loitering and delinquents, when in actuality it is a very difficult skill to perfect. I think it is very innovative to take such an overlooked subject and transform it into an artistic endeavor.

Studio Journal

iPad: A Novel Invention

The above link is to a topical video I did days before the anticipated release of the iPad. Due to the iPad's built in e-reader the video's plot encompasses the plots of various novels from 'Fahrenheit 451' to 'Lord of the Flies'.

This is also a miniature example of what I would like my thesis to resemble. For my thesis, I would like to incorporate several art history references as this video incorporates several novel references.

Studio Journal

Birds of Prey

This video is a shot for shot parody of the kitchen scene from 'Jurassic Park' where the two children are hiding from two Velociraptors. The only difference is that my version is a much lower budget, and instead of velociraptors I have two intrusive Jehovah's Witnesses.

Doing a shot for shot recreation of a Spielberg film was very educational for me as an aspiring filmmaker. It allowed me to step into his shoes and direct as he would. I still find that I use some techniques that I learned from this video, in other videos that I have made since this.

Studio Journal

2001: A Highway Journey

The above link is a parody of Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Kubrick is one of my all time favorite directors and basing a video off of his style was great fun. In retrospect I know I could have chopped the video down a few minutes, but I think this is one of my best satirical videos. It is both topical and a parody.

The style of this video is close to what I would like my thesis to resemble. However I will make my thesis tighter.