Mechanical Reproduction- Benjamin

"We must expect great innovations to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting artistic invention itself and perhaps even bringing about an amazing change in our very notion of art." - Paul Valery, Pieces sur L' Art, 1931

This was a very long article that I had to read a few times in order to grasp it all with understanding. The comparison of marxism vs. capitalism to printmaking, photography, and film was a bit overwhelming. I see though how printmaking started to change the way of the art world and where that took us from there. This all was the outcome and start of the mechanical reproduction. This was a great thing to happen to the American people and the world, mass production was the answer. We want more, faster and begin to lose a sense of tradition and the unique existence of a piece of art. Benjamin talks about the aura of a piece has been lost through the mechanical reproduction. Each time a piece of is reproduced it is degraded more every time until it becomes nothing more than part of the mass media.

Death of the Author-???

The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes really is the death of the author. This reading was spent mostly looking up words and by the end of it all I did not retain any of the information read. I am not clear on exactly what this article is about. Can someone please explain what Barthes last sentence is talking about? I feel like this information went right over my head with the language and vocabulary used in it.

Critique Me!

• September 22, 2010- Michael Wyshock
• October 7, 2010- Nathan Skiles
• October 11, 2010- Kim Russo
• Between this time I have had Studio visits with Michael Wyshock, but do not have exact dates.
• November 4, 2010- Kim Russo and Britany Hollinger
• November 11, 2010- Kevin Costello
• November 18, 2010- Nathan Skiles
• December 1, 2010- Chris Gentile

- I have had studio visits with the following people throughout this semester but did not record the dates:

• Vanessa Meraz- some time in September 2010
• Harmony Hammond- some time in late September 2010
• Jeremy Fisher and Therese Mcpherson
• Kris Brian
• Jill Hoffman

Getting to the core of it all...

Why am I really doing this? What exactly am I trying to accomplish? I could have been very well a doctor like my parents wanted, I could have followed through with their idea of success. Why am I telling you this now? Well I guess it is to say I am and will always be a creative thinker. I need to make art. I want to make art. The art I am about is the art that creates an environment that persuades the audience to hopefully move to change or at least think about it. Its about reaching down to the root and loving it tenderly with real affection. You may be wondering the root of what? The root of humanity. This current body of work will be made up of bringing people together, the idea of community and traditional humane connections. Take a moment to become "fleshy" to connect without the direct technological interferences and really communicate with one another face to face in the flesh. This is what I want to accomplish by my art, to make communities that connect in a direct way using the senses (touch, smell, see, hear, taste.) Maybe get back to some basics in order that we don't forget it completely. Technology has been great and opened many doors, but I do believe we should not forget how to read body language and also be able to have social interactions of everyday life. When was the last time one of you actually wrote a letter to someone by post or even received one from someone other than the bills and the "junk mail" as some refer to it? Think about it emails are great but imagine how excited you are when you do get that occasional card or personal letter in the mailbox amongst the bills and "junk mail", don't you smile?

WHY DO I DO THIS, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

It started out with me being unable to articulate verbal language to others. Painting became my outlet and way of communicating the “big heavy things” in my life and the current world around me. At the age of fifteen I had made my mind up and it was set from then that I was going to be an Artist and use that to speak to the people. Practicing art for me has always been pleasurable but as I matured I realized how much art has an influence through Art history courses, my knowledge was expanding and I came to understand the goal that I wanted to be a part of. The outlook of the world through my eyes and viewing it to everyone I knew. I saw mostly problems and history repeating itself. I did not understand this, why are we so reluctant to change when it is for the better of us all? So through my work I look at today’s society and try to make sense of it and also bring what have become our daily norms into, what I like to call its “true light.”

Artist at the moment:

Loretta Lux

Marlene Dumas

Pablo Picasso

Edward Kienholz

Rene Magritte

Chaos, Territory, Art- Grosz Reading

Grosz's goal is to delve into the conceptualizing origins of art and associates it with the chaos within the evolution process, somewhat like that of the "big bang theory" also art to sexual selection/ seduction. Later she brings out the connection of architecture to art, showing the framing of paintings is integrating the use of architecture and in wanting to contain the chaos within the framed art. The natural world is art, the process of luring a mate in the natural world is a combination of "the arts" using singing, dancing, releasing of specific scent as indicators to their mates. As Deleuze believed art makes sensation.

My Start to a solid plan

Are we dumbing down the human race with the constant use and necessity of technology today? This is a question I ponder over as I do my work this year.
What I will be looking at:
-The effects of excessive online networking of children
-Technology
-The tactile lost of play in today's society
-imagination is becoming less more inventive
-making people into having shorter attention span
Majority of today's media involves sex, violence, and drugs > moral conduct?
So if children are our future, what are we doing right now to ensure that we have a bright path laid out before us, to skip about with ease?

As for the research goes more the reading and some field work in and as the year proceeds I am very interested in doing installations and start to incorporate audio as well.
Main sources:
-playgrounds
-public areas with children (observational studies)
-Reading books and articles that delve into my subject from other focuses and their point of view
-public schools

Images that come to mind:
-lima beans as a metaphor
-sonograms
-the fetus development
-social child play (toys & games)