I first learned of Cindy Sherman in AP Art History in high school, and I think she's great. Her portraits are always attention-grabbers and the fact that she poses herself in all of her portraits takes guts. Not only is her work fascinating, it also supports beliefs important to Sherman. She raises interesting questions about the role of women in society.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Diane Ackerman Responses
SPEAKING OF TOUCH
The word “touch” derives from many different languages and has many different meanings. Despite the many different meanings of touch, they all stem from one central factor, emotion. The literal meaning of touch or everyday meaning is when something physically touches us, but the meaning can be so much deeper than that. I like D.H. Lawrence’s use of the word, “a profound penetration into the core of someone’s being.” A touch is so much more than something physical. It came full circle when reading Sachs’ quote when describing someone on their last breath, the sense of touch is the last to go.. This makes it so much more meaningful.
The word “touch” derives from many different languages and has many different meanings. Despite the many different meanings of touch, they all stem from one central factor, emotion. The literal meaning of touch or everyday meaning is when something physically touches us, but the meaning can be so much deeper than that. I like D.H. Lawrence’s use of the word, “a profound penetration into the core of someone’s being.” A touch is so much more than something physical. It came full circle when reading Sachs’ quote when describing someone on their last breath, the sense of touch is the last to go.. This makes it so much more meaningful.
"The first emotional comfort, touching and being touched by our mother, remains the ultimate memory of selfless love, which stays with us life long."
Thinking of something so complicated and complex as life stemming from something as simple as a touch is extraordinary. This section made me stop and think how incredible life is and how it comes to be. Life is so complex and without touching, it would not exist. Touching has much more of an impact on our daily lives than we could ever imagine.
Thinking of something so complicated and complex as life stemming from something as simple as a touch is extraordinary. This section made me stop and think how incredible life is and how it comes to be. Life is so complex and without touching, it would not exist. Touching has much more of an impact on our daily lives than we could ever imagine.
THE SKIN HAS EYES
“Touch, by clarifying and adding to the shorthand of the eyes, teaches us that we live in a three-dimensional world.”
I think the sense of touch is something taken for granted in life. The touch of a loved one letting us know they care, or touching an object in the dark and knowing almost immediately what shape it is, these things have become natural and automatic. This is much like sight. I like the example Ackerman gives of Rembrandt not painting an entire boy’s hat in his painting because the mind registers it full. We all have natural habits, and touching is one of them.
“Touch, by clarifying and adding to the shorthand of the eyes, teaches us that we live in a three-dimensional world.”
I think the sense of touch is something taken for granted in life. The touch of a loved one letting us know they care, or touching an object in the dark and knowing almost immediately what shape it is, these things have become natural and automatic. This is much like sight. I like the example Ackerman gives of Rembrandt not painting an entire boy’s hat in his painting because the mind registers it full. We all have natural habits, and touching is one of them.
Human Body Required
The decisions I made came from trial and error in working with the wire. I ended up creating an abstract ballet costume with a triangle motif. The triangle motif came about from the creation of the top. The top was made with a number of small triangles all tied together with thin wire. The paper hanging down is meant to bring the design together, full circle.
Short Story Project - The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
The story begins by the narrator describing a festival as he walks through the crowds of a small town. My mind immediately thought of bright, vibrant colors - purples, reds, yellows, greens. While reading I thought of happy thoughts and positive vibes. This is why all the paper balls inside the square are bright colors. The story then took a quick turn and became very dark and depressing. When the boy was locked in the cellar and described the darness and being scared of the mop, I thought of the once happy boy trapped in a box of darkness - grays and blacks. The bright colored paper balls represent the littly boy and the dark box represents the boy being trapped in the cellar, with the mop strings being used in order to hang the piece.
Soap Carving - Destroyed
2. Placed in oven
3. Pressed down with spatula
4. Cooled in refrigerator
5. Warmed with a lighter
6. Created texture
7. Inked with yellow ink
8. Covered with sprinkles
Memento
My memento takes me back to special times with my family. My grandma always cooks Sunday dinners for my entire family. One of her favorite things to do is bring the family together to sit around her huge rectangular dining room table to enjoy delicious food and each other’s company. My memento focuses on shape, color/texture, and smell. The rectangular shapes connected by one rectangular panel represent how those Sunday dinners keep my family connected and close. The balsa wood was stained in a dark wood to better reflect the colors of my Grandma’s house from her dining room table to her kitchen cabinets. I also included a pattern of fresh rosemary to further emphasize her Sunday dinners and the comforting smells of her cooking.
On Longing - Quote Responses
"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale."
Standing next to the ocean or looking up at the stars and the huge galaxy they call home can make you feel so small. It makes you feel like there is so much more out there, and we’re just one tiny part of it. Realizing this puts things in perspective both mentally and physically.
"Capacity of objects to serve as traces of authentic experience."
Many objects we feel are important hold memories. They hold experiences we have gone through, whether they be tragedies or celebrations. Often times for me, these objects are memories that I am not ready to let go of or of a memory I never want to forget.
"The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the three-dimensional into the miniature, which can be enveloped by the body."
A souvenir takes something like an experience or even memory and makes it something physical. Something we can hold on to. This memory becomes something that is a constant reminder of a past experience.
"Nostalgia cannot be sustained without loss."
Often when we feel nostalgic, we are missing a past experience that has been lost. Nostalgia is yearning to get a past experience back. To feel the same things you once did, or see the same people, be in the same place.
"To have a souvenir of the exotic is to possess both a specimen and a trophy."
To fully remember an experience of a foreign culture, we have to hold on to both memories of human interaction and physical objects.
"The place of origin must remain unavailable in order for desire to be generated."
Desire roots from what is unknown. The unknown can often times be exciting, and those feelings can often bloom into desire. Once everything becomes known often times the desire falls away.
Elements & Principles in 3D - Repetition
I started out by making a base for the chevron pieces. The base has a repetition of strips of masking tape mirrored above by the chevron pieces created out of white card stock. Both working together to represent repetition.
Elements & Principles in 3D - Focal Point
The combination of large to small circles created out of masking tape help to create the focal point of this sculpture. The rings are connecting by clear tape creating a tunnel-like structure drawing the viewers eye into the smallest circle or focal point.
Elements & Principles in 3D - Scale
I began by creating both a large and small version of a simple, geometric square. I wanted to adequately display the difference of size, which is why I created the abstract base to showcase the two geometric shapes.
A Few of My Favorite Things
- A poem by Harold Atteridge. By The Sea. This poem is one of my favorite things because it brings me back to my roots. I grew up living close to the coast and making beach trips with my family. My dad would always say, “Chels, once we cross over the bridge [to the beach] all our worries will fade away and the sun will shine.” By the beautiful sea, everything is better.
- Triangle necklace. Symbolizes the importance of never-ending friendship. The three points represent myself and two of my best friends. It represents us always being there for each other no matter what.
- Alex & Ani bracelets. These two bracelets are some of my favorite things because each bracelet symbolizes different things. The starfish symbolizes vigilance, intuition and ability. The seahorse symbolizes patience, protection and contentment. All of which are important things for me to be reminded of every time I wear the bracelets.
- Pink moscato. The famous writer, Paulo Coelho, once said, “Wine, for me, symbolizes a girls night, a me night and a thousand nights of memories.” I definitely agree. It reminds me of letting go of the stresses of life every once in a while and just having fun with the girls.
- A candle. In this busy life, everyone needs that time to relax. I love taking time to myself surrounded by the calmness of candles. It brings peace and balance into my life during my stressful times. To be cliche, it brings light to my darkest times.
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