Lecture #6- Alexandre Singhe Response

·      The most interesting quote Alexadre Singe lecture was where he compare drug production with alchemy, in particular meth production. I think this could be used across the board with the creation of any drug, legal or designer. It is this effort to create a substance that can cure, dampen, erect whatever you desired effect that drives both one for gold or the universal solvent the other for something that is worth its weight in gold. It is more over the form of learning that would particularly parallel alchemy in that there is no formal school no institute it is taught individually from teacher to apprentice.

·      I would describe Singhe’s work an experiential, psychological, and aware.

·      I was unaware of the physical nature of this performances, I believe that it would be in slide form not transparencies that must be changed manually. It was this physical element that makes a performance a unique event in junction with its unscripted nature.

·      I did not have any specific question because I found that it was hard to find concrete examples of his work just the discussion. I just wondered how all these various groups of subject matter interplayed together, and what the underlying connection between his groups of work. To be honest, I’m still confused. I guess it is the interplay between fantasy and reality that remained unchanging between the talk to installation of talking everyday objects.

·      The most compelling piece of work was his performance itself. It has a life of its own and challenges the role and practice of fine art. Although his collages and images may be viewed individually they are connected and brought to life with Singhe’s dialogue. The art isn’t really in the images, but in the reactions and consequences that result from the story uniting the images. That is the most powerful element.

Exhibition #4 "The PreRaphaelite Len" Response

The exhibition, “The Pre Raphaelite Lens; British Photograph and Paint, 1848-1875”, surrounds the shared language that formed between early British photographers and the current painters of that era, reflecting the intrinsic relationship between the two groups. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of painters who wanted to return to the purity and clarity of the paintings of the Medieval and Renaissance period preceding Raphael, became spurred on by the detail that the new medium of photograph could capture in a moment. In turn early photographers struggling to establish their new media as fine art some looked to the visual strategies and subject matter of the Pre-Raphaelite painting as the answer. The two groups began to venture on with the questioning of representation and observation in art constantly taking and giving to one another both literally and figuratively. This interplay between the two media is physically shown both in the grouping of work by shared theme such as natural world or literature, and the actual placement of the work in that paintings and photographs are intermingled together indiscriminantly.

The concept behind the exhibition was most directly shown in the grouping of three pieces of work under the literary section. All three depict a scene from Tennyson’s poem “Marianna” based off Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure”, in which Marianna is anxiously waiting the return of her betrothed while he is out making trouble. The two photographs are works by Julia Margaret Cameron and Henry Peach Robinson while the painting is produced by John Everett Millais all of which are titled “Mariana”. All of the artist employ the use of the figure’s posture and expression to convey the tension and anxiety of the figure, Cameron and Robison having the model slump to one side supporting their head or pillowing it while Millais figure is standing up and twisting to stretch as if she had previously been nervously perched over her embroidery. Their faces are tight with tension or lost in thought, Millais and Robinson the former while Cameron’s model stares vacantly out of frame and Robinson looks as she is looking at someone off to the side and about to say something . Cameron’s work depends solely on this use of position and expression to tell the story, as it is a medium shot with no backdrop as with much of her other work because of the severely small depth of field, and one prop that looks ambiguous. The long haired girl lays her head on her arm fallen to one side she looks off camera at nothing, but her face shows worry and her body weariness with her tangled hair and deep set eyes so one may look upon it as a universal portrait of all women wearily waiting for their lover to return from where they are not supposed to be. Much like Cameron, Robinson background means nothing although it is visible the drapery gives away the location as in studio nothing more, as well as that for this instance he only used one negative for this composition unlike many of pieces of his work. Although he relies on body language Robinson also uses props in order to solidify this expression of anxiety using a crucifix as Marianna’s objects of comfort that is clutched in her hands. Unlike Cameron and Millais whom use their costuming of the figure to recreate an Mideval scene by placing their models in period dresses, Robinson does not concentrate on the recreation of the Shakespearian feel. Instead his model seems to be wearing civil war era clothing; so modern for the time it was taken. Instead of a literary Marianna Robinson seems to be creating a looser interpretation of Marianna possibly to parallel the story with current time or universalize the scene so that everyone can access the emotion. Millais painting is obviously distinct from the two flanking photographs in that is in a full range of color, and of course is oil on panel. It is a full framed composition with Marianna standing in front of a table placed before a stained glass window of the holy family with an altar shadowed in he background, unlike both photographs the details remain firm through the block on the back wall even if at times it breaks up into multiple brush strokes. The amount of costuming and props far surpasses both photos with her green embroidered dress with her hair in a bun, and her table bursting forth with materials, the stained glass glowing and the marriage altar in the back surrounded by dark shadows, it becomes full in a the photographs are not. Through studying both the obvious and subtle similarities in these three work in particular, but the exhibition as whole it become perfectly clear the mutual relationship that was formed through mutual competition and integration of these two groups 

Exhibition #5 Sally Mann at VMFA Response

            The exhibition “Sally Mann: The Flesh and the Spirit” organizing Mann’s images in thematic and formal groups rather than chronicling her work, emphasizing her new work rather than looking back. In all of the sections of work, Mann “uses the local and intimate for universal meaning.” often using the body as a powerful canvas for expression. Her images also explore and ponder the human experience through the whole spectrum of life.  Her more recent work utilizes alternative processes from wet plate (used in the last decade particularly) to Polaroid to platinum adding another element to her compositions, unintentional distortion. This addition creates a new interplay in her work between the physical nature of the media she is using and the physical nature of the body reaping more of an internal sense of the subject.

            The viewer is first greeted and parted with a set of multiple self-portraits inset in Warhol style grid pattern that read like windows. All of the tightly cropped images have Mann’s face pressed close to the glass as if she whispers and peers into a box (the camera) of answers, or a mirror. The eyes are almost always present though they may be closed or have distortion over them while other peer or probe into the viewer. Although the distortion is not intentional it plays the role of giving the images the aesthetic of an internal search or a mind bubbling as it tries to return to equilibrium. The brush strokes often show through ranging from slopped on, to aggressive but thin, others smooth but distorted, etc. conveying the emotion of the hand that created it. Her choice of wet plate media that causes these textural distortions also lends honesty to the portraits in that the long exposure time does not allow one to pose or stay in one place, the medium must catch a fleeting but uncreated personna.  This process also making each photograph a one of kind creation rising from the meeting of the artist’s body and mind with the body of the medium.

Two rooms over, the viewer is confronted with large scale closely cropped highly distorted portraits of Mann’s children now grown, a body of work entitled “What Remains”. Immediately one can recognize these images are differ vastly to those of their childhood. Now gone are the open faces and adventures of their childhood as included in a room to the side, replaced by worn and rocky faces of adults partially hidden with distortion. The distortion separates view from subject, but only partially almost to allow the viewer to think they are beginning to gain access only to have the rest of the person, the landscape blocked or denied. These distortions may represent a mother’s forced separation from her children as they mature, or simply Mann’s acceptance that time will thwart any effort to gain clarity when trying to capture a living thing. There is a sadness that individuates itself from the sadness felt in the self-portraits in its immensity and the particular feel of mourning. Many of the faces resemble death portraits or masks such as “Emmett #42” and “Virginia #42” while others look resentful at being trapped or transforming, but this death is not final it is just the death of the child within us as we age that Christian Boltanski is often speaking about. With this death, the openness of childhood is destroyed replaced with the closed secretive faces of adults, most poignantly felt by the mother’s who become locked out.

Mann, like all mothers must accept the death of the old relationship with her children, and come to terms with the new. This is the effort that unites these two separate bodies of work. On one hand, she must let separate from her children through accepting the end of the old relationship of their old selves, the end to the accessibility she had when they were with her and that the ephemeral nature of life will affects her children too, in “What Remains”, all the while having to reform her identity to be able to live without the roles and rewards of early motherhood, becoming independent of her children, but searching where to start as is stated in the explanation “these images signal a change in Mann’s identity” with her self portraits deep introspection. The shared formal qualities such as the use of the same process, inclusion of eyes and framing suggest a flimsy relationship while the concept of impermanence’s affect on those around us seals the two together and with many other bodies of Mann’s work that is presented such as “Proud Flesh” in the face of changing subject matter and size. The faces of herself, and her children become the expression of the forced transformation caused by impermanence and time. 

Lecture #3 Cyprien Gaillard and Mario Garcia Torres Response

            In the exhibition “Directions: Cyprien Gaillard and Mario Garcia Torres” both artists are described as conceptual artists “that examine architectural and artistic “ruins” of the recent past.” (Hirschorn). Gaillard is said to capture the disintegration of the tangible objects that exemplify utopian ideal of rationality that created physical structures that seemingly lack a human element in both photography and film. Torres presents still images in the form of a traditional slide show to inquire about art’s permanence. He presents the finds of his expedition to the Grapevine Manor in St. Croix with the intention of documenting the mosaics of the late Daniel Buren as he had explored many other avant-garde artists. He found the mosaics and the hotel in a state of advanced deterioration, walls collapsing and nature creeping in.

            As you approach the large tables of glass museum cases and peer into to top at Gaillard’s still images, you feel like you are looking at sets of butterfly wings or pieces of paper in a museum. Each Polaroid is placed into a diamond grid along with other images related by location, form, etc set in a curved piece of matte board. The subjects matter varies from parks, bridges, graveyards, neighborhoods, architecture, etc., but always concentrating on the objects people put faith into to be a permanent reminder of ideals or people they wanted to preserve. The repetition, size and placement reminds us that these objects often fail in their primary purpose because they slowly become forgotten and disappear from memory and then the physical world. All of these elements cause the objects documented to become not individual images of objects, but one form caught not in one place but in the single state of being swept away with time. The compositions often place modern and antiquated objects and architecture together as if to say that our modern ideals and structures are no different in their fate.

            Walking into Torres’ installation, you are presented with two projectors clicking in unison, and a vinyl record player emitting a relaxed music track that then falls away into the voice of the artist telling the story of the hotel that his body of work concentrates on. One projector cycles through the images Torres captured of the crumbling walls, and abandoned objects and places he found during his visit to the hotel while the other cycles though but repeats as single image of the hotel during it’s prime with people smiling and lounging around the pool overlooking the beach. The single shot repeating representing the glorified version of the hotel, the memories of the people who were there is the only thing that will be the only thing that does not change (after we leave a place it begins to change). The second projector cycles through images of a place transforming; showing the ephemeral nature of the objects we would believe should last as a hotel devoid of guest becomes a part of the landscape either through decomposition, or being overtaken. This statement is epitomized by the juxtaposition of two images of the pool one full of water and life the other empty in all contexts.

            Although Gaillard’s still image creations, and Torres’ slideshow differ at the basic level of medium, Polaroid versus slide film, and that the subject matter differs in that Gaillard gathers many locations while Torres concentrates on the demise of one place, there are similarities. Both document the objects that we believe will last particularly architecture as well as using media that are slowly descending into antiquity. Another way they are similar in that they both use repetition but in diverse ways. Gaillard uses the sheer number of images to imitate the ambiguity objects fall into as a result of time as they do in actuality while Torres uses repitition in two ways. In one instance showing the unique permanent nature of memory associated with location and in the other showing the ravages of time on a physical structure without the protection of human intervention. Lastly, the two contrast in that Gaillard concentrates solely on the process of decompositional transformation while Torres’ work encompasses the continuous nature of time recognizing the existence of the island before and after the hotel. 

Artist Entry-> John Feodorov

·      Feodorov was born in L.A., but spent a lot of time in New Mexico on his family’s land on a Navajo reservation. This dual existence has influenced he and his work. He earned his BFA in painting and drawing from California State University, has been an exhibiting artist for years showing his work that attempt to unite the spiritual with the modern to create a new mythology that works in our contemporary world. He works in the form of multi media combining painting, sculpture, video, photographs, etc creating works that range from installation to painting and everything in between. He is currently an assistant professor of art at Western Washington University.

·      In a general sense I chose John Feodorov because he directly deals with the subject of a modern spirituality as well as the contemporary search for meaning and connection both of which are concepts that I’ve had to deal with in my current work. Though he often makes fun of this search he realizes that there is a legitimate need and struggle to bridge the gap between current cultural views and concepts, and our innate need for the spirituality. He creates pseudo sacred spaces and objects through the combination of the spiritual and the objects of the everyday in order to create a new “hybrid mythological iconography”. His use of these everyday often manufactured objects to convey the new spiritual struggle and the pitfalls that exist on the path to a truly modern spirituality, or to question our relationship with both new and old icons and idols is another reason I found that Feodorov interested me. These modern objects have already infiltrated our spiritual senses and outlets. One just have to look around from the release of Jesus action figures to the manufactured items left on modern burial altars. Feodorov sites this exact phenomenon in the second quote below.

·      In particular sense, I am keenly interested in his installations pictured above. In particular “Forest at Night” (Photo 4) and “Temple”(Photo 3). In both installations he creates sacred spaces where the viewer is met with a feeling of entering a sacred space in spite of the fact that they are constructed from everyday secular objects. In “Forest at Night”, Feodorov creates individual altars for trees that have been cut down for clear cutting causing the room to take on the feeling of a memorial or an altar to the dead. In “Temple”, once again he creates a space reminiscent of a place of worship, but this time he addresses the possible need to connect the sacred and secular together by incorporating manufactured objects and popular icons and experiences to create spirituality suitable for the modern day. We see this connection on modern memorials and graves in particular. This transformation of the gallery space into a sacred space is something I want to incorporate into the final form of my current work. I have never been one to just put photographs on the wall, and with this project I began thinking creating a spiritual space to think and contemplate the images I am presenting, and Feodorov’s transformation of his spaces with the use light, architectural hints, and form has influenced me deeply in reference to my current body of work, and I will continue to study his work.

·      “While my works do not embrace any one belief or theory, I see them as artifacts of contemporary desperation—a search for a Something, an Other, that may or may not exist.”- Feodorov

·      “Perhaps what is needed is a new “spiritual” iconography that utilizes everyday manufactured items and materials to merge the concepts of sacred and profane rather than segregate them. Of course this idea is not original. For example, throughout the U.S., impromptu shrines of flowers and teddy bears spring up after the death of a child, relative or even a celebrity. In numerous cultures, shrines to dead relatives and friends frequently incorporate “kitsch” items to memorialize the departed. Cheap plastic gods, saints and idols can also be found in markets and dollar stores around the globe. In these examples, any material can be transformed into a temporal “sacred object”.”-Feodorov

·      PBS’s Art 21 Interview with Feodorov-> http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/feodorov/clip2.html

·      Artist Website-> http://www.johnfeodorov.com

·      The John Ericson Museum of Art-> http://www.jema.us/pages/jemaintro.html

 

Beth Campbell Response

·      The most interesting quote from Campbell’s lecture was the term, “the veneer of everyday”. This came up multiple times in reference to multiple pieces of her work, including “House”, “Never-ending Continuity Error”, and the “Following Room”. It is technique of using mundane objects and situations, for example bedrooms or storefronts in order to imitate the look of the everyday. This creates a seemingly real phenomenon. These mundane objects lull the mind into what seem like a state of normalcy before this security of mind is broken through a visual realization. These realizations, such as not having a reflection or reaching out to touch non existent panes of glass, snaps the mind out the average thought process into questioning not only what is placed in front of it, but how the mind takes in the world around them. They lead to questioning our basic perceptions and conceptions, how much of the world we experience is our experience and how much is our thoughts.

·      Three words to describe Campbell’s work: Experiential, Jarring and Psychological.

·      Through listening to Beth Campbell speak I learned that her work seems to be deeply influenced by Buddhist philosophy and epistemology. Her work often functions as a koan as she stated they are made with “the intention to unravel expectation”, breaking people out of their comfort zone of thought to think of deeper more abstract concepts about their mind and the world around them. She spoke of “constantly being ticked in everyday… there is a veil between you and the objects… that interaction isn’t really happening.” This is eerily similar to the Hindu and Buddhist concept of the creative force of prakriti, which tricks us all into believing what is around us, is real and permanent. I never got the opportunity to ask, but both concepts are similar.

·      I did not have two original questions because there was very little online. I could not find enough to formulate intelligent questions ahead of time.

·      I found “The Following Room” the most compelling because it was the more complete and detailed illusion. At first it appears to be a single mirrored room, but if you reach out to touch, or observed it long enough you realize that it is multiple room built at different perspectives with lines imposed on the scene to look like the crack between mirrors in order to mimic reflections. This is the most jarring because there are no other clues as to the fact that it is an illusion, such as with the “Never-ending Continuity Error” where each level is a little different. Campbell also stated this was the most physical realization because viewers were constantly reaching out to touch the mirror only to realize it is not there, and then having to make sense of what is in front of them. This is the most powerful experience in my eyes.

·      Two New Questions:

o   How much does Buddhist epistemology and philosophy informs your work?

o   Do you think of your work as visual koans?

o   Have you ever thought of making an illusion large enough to surround the  viewer, like “House” but with you current concentration?

Wafaa Bilel Lecture Response

• ·       I do not remember a specific quote that interested me the most, but the discussion of bringing the conflict zone into the comfort zone was the most interesting and touching to me. As a child of a military family, the conflict zone has never been far my comfort zone here at home. Much like Bilel, I found myself struggling with the concept of going on with my normal life when members of my family are still in harms way. It feels like you are split between places. Your safety zone becomes grounds for your guilt, anxiety, and the images you try to ignore. This feeling of having the military conflict looming over your life is something I find unique to the families involved in the conflict today, as many people don’t have anything personally invested in this “war”, and therefore ignore it because it is too much or it is up to the politicians, etc. Bilel bringing the conflict into our view by means of our familiar world, like video games or websites, forces the people who don’t want to look to at least glimpse at the ethical and political connotations of our current situation in Iraq or Afghanistan. In turn, they will hopefully become involved or aware.  This is something I appreciate deeply.
  
• ·      Physical, Interactive, and Personal Politics are the three words I would use to describe Bilel’s work.
  
• ·      The most intriguing thing I learned about Wafaa Bilel is that “Shoot an Iraqi” was rooted in his brother’s death, and struggle with dealing with having family caught in the crossfire. Also I found it interesting that Bilel essentially caused himself to form PTSD during the “Shoot an Iraqi” installation because this is an issue that will be relevant on both sides of the conflict into the future.
  
• ·      I did not get the answers to my questions as they were both about pieces he did not touch upon.
  
• ·      Do you (Bilel) think that this interactive work affects people in a more profound manner than classic photography or documentary in the modern era? Why?
  

Second Idea Blog-> Human Situation

*This is a photograph by Larry Towell from San Salvador, El Salvador. The caption reads "A daughter comforts her mother who passes out while grieving at the grave of her son who was killed by government death squads" This is one of the most powerful, but extreme images of the human situation I could find. 

Human Situation

“That is the real rub! It seems to me that it is not so much death itself that is the rub, but the constant chaffing of the wish to find happiness and avoid suffering moment by moment, hour by hour, day after day, year after year, and perhaps even life after life… It is this push to avoid suffering and find happiness that disturbs our peace, and death is only a part of that rub” (Perdue, 02)

“Religions are intended to oppose death and suffering, and spirituality is always intended to bring forth a positive effect, not necessarily for everyone, but always the practitioner… Spiritual practices are not just for ultimate peace from death, but also temporary restraint of suffering.” (Perdue, 05)

“This is the place of spirituality in our human lives- it is just another tool in the bag of tricks we employ in our quest to find happiness, and avoid suffering. It may be only tool that can work. It may be a worthless waste of time” (Perdue, 05)

“The Human Situation” Buddhist Reasoning and Debate. Perdue, Daniel. 2010.

The human situation is often the basis for further discussion so any book discussing world religions should start with universal qualities as it first discussion. In particular, Daniel Perdue often starts his courses and books on this concept.

“Having been born as we have, now we face death.” (Perdue 01) is the first phrase in the discussion of the human situation, but it is more than that. Between now and death we will face difficulties, no matter who you are you will suffer before you die. Knowing that these are not optional, it becomes a matter of how your respond to constant threat of death and suffering. We all want happiness but often cannot have it, and this is the dilemma we are all in together. “No matter what, that game is always at play. Look into others’ eyes, and you will know the truth of this.” (Perdue 03) This struggle, chaffing, urge whatever is the universal push towards spirituality. All religions offer relief in one way or another, and in that way and only in that way are they all the same. The issues of death and suffering as a part of the human situation are dealt with across the board, and are good places to start a discussion because it is common ground to build up understanding and is a problem we are all facing and can understand. Our spiritual views and practices are often the main tool to stave off suffering and death (even if only temporarily), and bring comfort to our lives. I will explore how people use spirituality to bring comfort to themselves, deal with death, deal with the inconsistencies in life, etc. How personal spiritual beliefs and practices help people deal with the human situation will definitely be an issue I address in my interviews and project all together.

Questions for Wafaa Bilal

I have two questions that came to me when viewing Wafaa Bilal's official website. In reference to "Midwest Olympia", I would ask if he thought the work conveyed the concept that the situation in the video and the image represent an image of war? If there were no writing along with it would people get that idea from the experience. In reference to "A Bar at the Folis Bergare", I am confused as to the underlying concept behind this work. Is it referring to art history and the experience of the gallery or is it possibly a comment of women's roles and historical oppression?

Artist Post #1 -> Lili Almog

Lili Almog

Lili Almog was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1961. She came to New York City and received a BFA with honors in photography in 1992 from the School of Visual Arts. She began with collages in the 1980’s and has evolved into photo based artist. Her most recent body of work is “The Other Half of the Sky” where she photographs and interviews women in modern China was produced in 2009. I am hoping to find out more when I pick a book of hers up.

            I find myself attracted to her work in relation to a direction I may end up going. All of her work is informative, but in particular I find two collections have inspired me especially in reference to my concentration on earth-based women. “Bed Sequence”, produced in 2002, is the first body of work that caught my eye. In this series of photograph and film, Almog photographs and interviews women about their past, present, hope, rooms, etc. in their bedrooms. Their bedrooms are set up as a private stage on which the women can let go and tell their stories. The unscripted film reflects this freedom these women feel in their private space despite the intrusion of the photographer and camera. This work is directly related to her obsession with masks. Here she strives to remove the mask.  “I've always dealt with portraiture, and with women through the ages, and with masks or facades. In this case, I just let the women present themselves as they wanted to be seen.” (Quoted in “In The Bedroom with Lili Almog” by A.D. Colemamn) I have often found myself intruding into other peoples’ private spaces from their homes to where they escape. I find you get a better picture of who a person is when they are in their own domain when their guard is down, and their outer mask is gone. You also get to a lot about a persons from how they’ve created their space. I am hoping to take time in my earth based women to go into my subjects home, places of practice, etc. and get to know them through their words and environments.

                  The second series of Almog’s work that interested in reference to my documentary of earth worshipping women is “The Perfect Intimacy”. Almog follows and photographs the nuns of Carmelite Orders in three locations capturing their lives, surroundings, and devotion. Through her still lives, portraits and candid shots that often read like paintings, she captures the daily lives of the nuns, but also the energy that the nuns, their possessions and their surrounding exude. Lyles Rexer states, “"Through stirring color and composition, Lili captures the celebration and even ecstasy of women who are in love with God," says Andrea Meislin. And, we might add, their dignity” (Quoted in “About the Cover” by Lyle Rexer) Both Almog and I are interested in women, and how their spirituality affects their lives although she seeks out a more extreme spirituality than I do. I also find that both of us include their surroundings and see the potential stories possessions can tell and therefore include them. Although her formal portraits are stiff in this series, the photographs of the everyday lives of these women and their surroundings capture the essence of faith that exudes from them. One of the things I would have included was more compositions with the nuns in prayer and practice, but I guess they were unnecessary because their faith and practice has such an influence on their everyday it is reflected enough.

·      Artist Website -> http://www.lilialmog.com/New_Site/Home_Page.html

·      Gallery Representing Lili Amog is the Andrea Meislin Gallery -> http://www.andreameislin.com/

·      Interview Links

o   “From A Women’s Prospective” by Robert A. Schaefer, Jr http://www.doubleexposure.com/Almog_Schaefer.shtml

o   “Lili Almog Gets Herself to a Nunnery” by Eileen Torres http://www.thevillager.com/villager_168/inperfectintimacy.html

o   “Bed Sequence” available at: http://www.zonezero.com/exposiciones/fotografos/almog/index.htm

Idea Blog #1

The one word that I would use to describe the topic of this first idea blog would be Decisions. I am at a crossroads right now. I have two bodies of work that I would like to work on this semester.

The first of which is a concept that I first worked on in a documentary class. This involves a documentary study of women who follow spiritual systems or practice that are earth based. This includes all systems such as Wicca or Shinto as well as personal spiritualities that involve the earth. This idea is in line with a lot of my past work where I follow others into the personal spaces as with The Places We’ll Go where I followed my subjects to the places where they go to get away from life, and Earth Based Women in which along with interviewing women about their believes and lives I followed them into the their homes to see their altars and sacred domestic spaces as well as following them in their practices  (These are the first two images).  I would expand to encompass my subjects past and the people in their lives whereas before I was concentrated on their views on certain subjects and just their homes and certain practices.  The place to start would be to revisit the people who helped me before and expand the questions and locations from before because of how limited my frame was before. From there I would look at organizations and other opportunities to network.

The second idea is way more personal than most of other bodies of work where I usually projects my emotions, views and ideas onto others. I am attempting to visually capture and explore the tunnels or vortex of thought I fall into and can’t get out of until it has run its course. These “tunnels” are streams or loops of consciousness containing a multitude of things ranging from thoughts memories, emotions, fantasies, realizations, etc. These currents can be powerful and quick running me over like a linebacker, or can runs it course slowly in the background of my mind over the course of months. I have seen references to similar phenomenon in literature and film. Off the top of my head I can think of references in Sylvia Plath’s “Bell Jar”, J.D. Salinger “Catcher in the Rye”, and Joan Didion’s “A Year in Magical Thinking”. Films often contain flashbacks that are similar to what I’m speaking about, but are not the same because they are not simply memories, but it is similar to the flashbacks and fantasies in “Love Song” by Christophe Honore. I have a clearer idea of what the final product would look like than the first idea. Over the years I have done multiple dioramas with viewfinders. On that note, I have posted an image of the first diorama I ever completed (Last Image). I would continue in this path by using a diorama to contain a single tunnel.  I will go into this further in later blogs. Due to the personal nature of this work, the place to start would be increase the amount I journal especially when acute tunnels are occurring and photographing where they often occur.

I was hoping by writing a summary of both that I would get a better idea of which one I’d like to do, but I find myself torn still. Over the next couple days, I will continue research on both artistically and conceptually in order to find which idea I’d like to concentrate on.