Rob Dougan's Clubbed to Death
Rob Dougan (also known as Rob D) is a composer who blends elements of "orchestral music, trip hop, and bluesy vocals" in such a method that parallels electronic music. His 1995 "Clubbed to Death" single was popularized by The Matrix.
Personally, I can't stand The Matrix series, but Dougan's song is on point with beauty, inspiration, and grace.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Latest Trip to Staunton, Va
These are some images from my latest trip to my grandparent's house in Staunton, Va. I'm pleased with the amount of development I am already seeing in this work (compared to my first trip) and I'm very excited for senior portfolio next semester!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Photo Trips to Staunton, Va
Over Thanksgiving break, I made a trip to my grandparent's house in Staunton, Va. I haven't been to this house in almost 6 years. There are many memories of growing up held inside those walls and revisiting the house was very sad. My grandmother has been in a hospital for almost 8 years after having a brain damaging stroke and my grandfather has been left to live in this house alone. As a result, the family no longer meets for family holidays in Staunton, but in Charlottesville (where the nursing home is located). The house is a mere skeleton of what it used to be and it's hard not to compare my memories to the empty home.
Aside from setting up shots in their house, I took time to rediscover all the old rooms and artifacts I found intriguing as a child. The downstairs closet still smells of mothballs and the wall paper throughout the house is just as 70s as it always was. Old portraits still stare out of their dusty frames and the curtains stick from not being opened in years. I realize I miss the old days of family Christmases and Thanksgiving dinners and that I never appreciated them as much as I do now.
I took the liberty of bringing back one book that I always thought was particularly interesting and just plain weird. I don't think my grandfather will miss it. I don't even think either of my grandparent's knew it was there. I don't plan on ever giving it away. It's strange what objects we eventually find ourselves attached to.
"Gnomes"
Text by Wil Huygen
Illustrated by Rien Pourtvliet
This book is a detailed description of almost every aspect of gnome life. It covers skeletal structures, evolution (primitive gnome species), family life, animal interaction, dangers, healing, and various gnome legends. I remain amazed that someone went into such detail fabricating a non-existing species, documenting their existence, and explaining their ability to live undetected among us. I couldn't help but entertain their possibility when I was a child as I scanned their bizarre living habits.
Here are some pages I found interesting and strange:
As a kid I found the above page rather shocking, if you can imagine. The gnome's height is such that gravity does not affect their bodies the way gravity affects ours. Female gnomes go through life without ever wearing bras. Strange detail.
Honeymoons with animals as transportation.
Half the map of a traditional gnome house.
Due to their harmonious relationship with animals, gnomes acted as doctors for many species. Above, a gnome performs surgery to remove a sharp object lodged inside a goat's paunch.
Gnomes also have enemies: trolls (particularly in northern Europe, Russia, and Siberia). Trolls have been known to catch gnomes and torture them!
Hope this post is amusing for you as well!
Aside from setting up shots in their house, I took time to rediscover all the old rooms and artifacts I found intriguing as a child. The downstairs closet still smells of mothballs and the wall paper throughout the house is just as 70s as it always was. Old portraits still stare out of their dusty frames and the curtains stick from not being opened in years. I realize I miss the old days of family Christmases and Thanksgiving dinners and that I never appreciated them as much as I do now.
I took the liberty of bringing back one book that I always thought was particularly interesting and just plain weird. I don't think my grandfather will miss it. I don't even think either of my grandparent's knew it was there. I don't plan on ever giving it away. It's strange what objects we eventually find ourselves attached to.
"Gnomes"
Text by Wil Huygen
Illustrated by Rien Pourtvliet
This book is a detailed description of almost every aspect of gnome life. It covers skeletal structures, evolution (primitive gnome species), family life, animal interaction, dangers, healing, and various gnome legends. I remain amazed that someone went into such detail fabricating a non-existing species, documenting their existence, and explaining their ability to live undetected among us. I couldn't help but entertain their possibility when I was a child as I scanned their bizarre living habits.
Here are some pages I found interesting and strange:
As a kid I found the above page rather shocking, if you can imagine. The gnome's height is such that gravity does not affect their bodies the way gravity affects ours. Female gnomes go through life without ever wearing bras. Strange detail.
Honeymoons with animals as transportation.
Half the map of a traditional gnome house.
Due to their harmonious relationship with animals, gnomes acted as doctors for many species. Above, a gnome performs surgery to remove a sharp object lodged inside a goat's paunch.
Gnomes also have enemies: trolls (particularly in northern Europe, Russia, and Siberia). Trolls have been known to catch gnomes and torture them!
Hope this post is amusing for you as well!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
11-26-09 Idea Post
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law. The species hunted are referred to as 'game' and are usually mammals and migratory or non-migratory gamebirds.
Hunting can also involve the elimination of vermin as a means of pest control.
The pursuit, capture and release, or capture for food of fish is called fishing, which is commonly categorized as a form of hunting.
Trapping is usually considered a separate activity. It describes the hunting of animals to obtain their furs which are then used for clothes and other articles or sold/bartered.
Early hunting was necessary as a means of survival. Animal domestication became widespread after the development of agriculture and primitive farming. Hunted animals were used for their protein, bones (tools), furs, feathers, rawhides, and sinew (tendons). It became as psychologically important as culturally important as deities and gods were assigned as hunting figures. People began hunting with the help of domestic animals sch as dogs, birds of prey, and the ferret.
Venery: Animal-aided hunting such as scent hound hunting (fox hunting).
Coursing: Animal-aided sight hound hunting.
Falconry
Ferreting: Animal-aided hole hunting (rabbits, rodents)
(This is my pet ferret, Sergeant Pepper)
Trophy hunting is the selective seeking of wild game. It may also include the controversial hunting of captive or semi-captive animals expressly bred and raised under controlled or semi-controlled conditions so as to attain trophy characteristics (canned hunts). The head or pelt of animals are hung as signs of prowess.
In Nordic countries, hunting for trophies was- and still is- frowned upon.
Animal cruelty & issues of morality (hunting of rare or endangered animals)
*****
While being home over the break, I have been talking to my dad about his hunting days in Alaska both before and after my birth. He went through the storage in our basement and pulled out both an old goat pelt and a moose hide. I was excited to hear that he told me I could keep the goat pelt (which amazingly has the bullet hold preserved)! The moose hide on the other hand is HUGE. Not only is it heavy, but its size is comparable to that of a large area rug.
I was told several hunting stories that I have to admit sound like they would be loads of fun: flying float planes out into the wilds of Alaska for week long hunting trips in search of moose, goats, caribou, bears, ptarmigan, grouse, foxes, etc. My dad also asked me if I wanted to go hunting sometime. My immediate response was "no"- more like "NO!" It was a mindless response, almost rehearsed. The more I think about it, the more I think I might enjoy it. I wouldn't specifically enjoy killing an animal, but communing with nature and living something that has been used as a means of survival and tradition since the beginning of human kind seems special. It's the perversion of hunting that has ruined its name and the close-mindedness and ignorance of our society that gives many a revulsion to the word "hunt." Hollywood and the media haven't helped either.
NOTE: This is not a photograph of my father
Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law. The species hunted are referred to as 'game' and are usually mammals and migratory or non-migratory gamebirds.
Hunting can also involve the elimination of vermin as a means of pest control.
The pursuit, capture and release, or capture for food of fish is called fishing, which is commonly categorized as a form of hunting.
Trapping is usually considered a separate activity. It describes the hunting of animals to obtain their furs which are then used for clothes and other articles or sold/bartered.
Early hunting was necessary as a means of survival. Animal domestication became widespread after the development of agriculture and primitive farming. Hunted animals were used for their protein, bones (tools), furs, feathers, rawhides, and sinew (tendons). It became as psychologically important as culturally important as deities and gods were assigned as hunting figures. People began hunting with the help of domestic animals sch as dogs, birds of prey, and the ferret.
Venery: Animal-aided hunting such as scent hound hunting (fox hunting).
Coursing: Animal-aided sight hound hunting.
Falconry
Ferreting: Animal-aided hole hunting (rabbits, rodents)
(This is my pet ferret, Sergeant Pepper)Trophy hunting is the selective seeking of wild game. It may also include the controversial hunting of captive or semi-captive animals expressly bred and raised under controlled or semi-controlled conditions so as to attain trophy characteristics (canned hunts). The head or pelt of animals are hung as signs of prowess.
In Nordic countries, hunting for trophies was- and still is- frowned upon.
Animal cruelty & issues of morality (hunting of rare or endangered animals)
*****
While being home over the break, I have been talking to my dad about his hunting days in Alaska both before and after my birth. He went through the storage in our basement and pulled out both an old goat pelt and a moose hide. I was excited to hear that he told me I could keep the goat pelt (which amazingly has the bullet hold preserved)! The moose hide on the other hand is HUGE. Not only is it heavy, but its size is comparable to that of a large area rug.
I was told several hunting stories that I have to admit sound like they would be loads of fun: flying float planes out into the wilds of Alaska for week long hunting trips in search of moose, goats, caribou, bears, ptarmigan, grouse, foxes, etc. My dad also asked me if I wanted to go hunting sometime. My immediate response was "no"- more like "NO!" It was a mindless response, almost rehearsed. The more I think about it, the more I think I might enjoy it. I wouldn't specifically enjoy killing an animal, but communing with nature and living something that has been used as a means of survival and tradition since the beginning of human kind seems special. It's the perversion of hunting that has ruined its name and the close-mindedness and ignorance of our society that gives many a revulsion to the word "hunt." Hollywood and the media haven't helped either.
NOTE: This is not a photograph of my father
Sunday, November 22, 2009
11-22-09 Artist Post
I have been doing a lot of searching for images on Google this semester that inspire me. I have collected images of fireplace-mounted taxidermy, taxidermy jewelry, hybrid (or rogue) taxidermy, and now I have images of pelts.
I am particularly interested in the way people take images of their pelts and taxidermy, which are essentially their own works of art. Pelts are usually displayed hanging unless there are only one or two hides that can be stretched out for full view. I'm more interested in the hanging pelts. Not only does it serve as a practical storage method, it also makes a statement about animals. Hanging them in a row is clinical and cold. It gives the viewer an exact number of pelts (or perhaps kills). This method of hanging and displaying pelts relates to the glorification of mounted taxidermy.
On the other hand, the method of hanging pelts in groups gives the hides life and a sense of movement. No longer are they displayed separately, but in a pack- just as if in the wild. Individual pelts are indistinguishable as they all blend into one, moving in and out of the pack, confusing predators, strength in numbers.
Something else that came up a lot in my search was pelt or fur coats. Interestingly enough, a lot of them look similar to the group pelt hanging described above.
I'm not sure what to think about wearing fur. I want to say it's BAD because many people do hunt these animals for the sole intentions of creating fur coats. In this sense I most definitely do not agree with it. On the other hand, furs and pelts are so beautiful. They are a preservation of life, an ancient necessity of survival, primal, delicate, unique, and... (I hate to say it) soft and comfortable. I am torn between my desire for the second and my concern for the first.
Ultimately, looking at these images has given me perspective on how placement of objects can change mood and interpretation drastically. I have been doing a lot of thinking about placement in preparation for the 'ultimate shoot' over Thanksgiving. I still haven't seen the pelts I will be using. They are packed away in a box in my parent's basement. My dad used to hunt quite often when we lived in Alaska. It's interesting how many people hear the word "hunter" and automatically think of an animal murderer. How could I ever think that of my own father? The definition of this word is skewed...
*Note to self*
Idea post: look up definition of "hunter"
I am particularly interested in the way people take images of their pelts and taxidermy, which are essentially their own works of art. Pelts are usually displayed hanging unless there are only one or two hides that can be stretched out for full view. I'm more interested in the hanging pelts. Not only does it serve as a practical storage method, it also makes a statement about animals. Hanging them in a row is clinical and cold. It gives the viewer an exact number of pelts (or perhaps kills). This method of hanging and displaying pelts relates to the glorification of mounted taxidermy.
On the other hand, the method of hanging pelts in groups gives the hides life and a sense of movement. No longer are they displayed separately, but in a pack- just as if in the wild. Individual pelts are indistinguishable as they all blend into one, moving in and out of the pack, confusing predators, strength in numbers.
Something else that came up a lot in my search was pelt or fur coats. Interestingly enough, a lot of them look similar to the group pelt hanging described above.
I'm not sure what to think about wearing fur. I want to say it's BAD because many people do hunt these animals for the sole intentions of creating fur coats. In this sense I most definitely do not agree with it. On the other hand, furs and pelts are so beautiful. They are a preservation of life, an ancient necessity of survival, primal, delicate, unique, and... (I hate to say it) soft and comfortable. I am torn between my desire for the second and my concern for the first.
Ultimately, looking at these images has given me perspective on how placement of objects can change mood and interpretation drastically. I have been doing a lot of thinking about placement in preparation for the 'ultimate shoot' over Thanksgiving. I still haven't seen the pelts I will be using. They are packed away in a box in my parent's basement. My dad used to hunt quite often when we lived in Alaska. It's interesting how many people hear the word "hunter" and automatically think of an animal murderer. How could I ever think that of my own father? The definition of this word is skewed...
*Note to self*
Idea post: look up definition of "hunter"
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Image/Work Update
I have been working all this week to create props for my big shoot over Thanksgiving break. I am staging the photographs inside my grandparent's house that I haven't been to in over 5 years. It's a dated house and I'm still unsure of the final shots, but I plan on spending an entire day there alone. Paul said I should think about composing my shots not as photographs, but as if they were paintings- reacting instinctively instead of planning out scenes. I can focus on themes that have been running throughout my work for the past few years: death, life, coexistence, etc.
On the planned side, I have been working on several props to be combined with their home environment. I have been making more plaques (some degraded), more bird heads (some with antlers composed of mouse jaw bones), a wider variety of animals, natural props, dust, furs, etc... I'm also taking several degraded frames. I am taking all materials with me (hammer, paint, glues, tapes, string, cloth, wallpaper, pens, stains, paint scraper, dead plants, furs, pins, bones, feathers, etc).
Production shots:
After visiting Tom's open studio last Friday, I have been inspired to create more work outside photography. I haven't drawn in forever and I took my pens out several times this week. As a result, I have added more hand manipulation to my production pieces. I have added more stains to the plaques as well as pen detail work. It may be hard to see in the final images, but it is there. I am more appreciative of my creations when I know all the details are considered, visible or not.
Here is a test shoot I set up in my own basement:
On the planned side, I have been working on several props to be combined with their home environment. I have been making more plaques (some degraded), more bird heads (some with antlers composed of mouse jaw bones), a wider variety of animals, natural props, dust, furs, etc... I'm also taking several degraded frames. I am taking all materials with me (hammer, paint, glues, tapes, string, cloth, wallpaper, pens, stains, paint scraper, dead plants, furs, pins, bones, feathers, etc).
Production shots:
After visiting Tom's open studio last Friday, I have been inspired to create more work outside photography. I haven't drawn in forever and I took my pens out several times this week. As a result, I have added more hand manipulation to my production pieces. I have added more stains to the plaques as well as pen detail work. It may be hard to see in the final images, but it is there. I am more appreciative of my creations when I know all the details are considered, visible or not.
Here is a test shoot I set up in my own basement:
Friday, November 20, 2009
Visiting Artist Lecture: Shay Church 11-20-09
Today I went to see Shay Church speak at the weekly Friday craft artist lecture. He is a new teacher to VCU and I will be taking an advanced hand building class from him next semester. He has assisted several well known artists (even out of the country), attended residencies, and has gone to grad school and traveled out of the country following his inspirations and work.
Church works primarily in ceramics, but has also included wood, metal, and drawings/paintings. Within ceramics Church has two very distinct styles of working. He is always inspired by nature, migration, and the intricate web of life that connects every living organism to another. He expresses this relationship through his ceramic sculptures, such as "Elk" (the third photo below). Other sculptures include animals or elements of nature morphing into each other. [Unfortunately his website doesn't allow image downloading, so check them OUT!]
The second style that Church implements is more unique when considering the material he works with (clay- often personally gathered). He has found a niche for himself creating large scale replicas of animals on wooden sculptural skeletons. The clay is never fired, but pressed on the skeleton by himself and even gallery viewers. In this sense it is a performance piece that is then left to dry, crack, and even crumble. He has installed his "Grey Whale" at several locations and has a permanent installation in a boiler room in an abandoned factory (images below).
I'm very excited to be experiencing a new media in such depth next semester with a teacher who seems to have a lot of the same influences and ideas I do.
"I believe in the natural cycles of the earth. Within these patterns of life and death is where I can find truth. While cities grow, wars rage, and industry climbs, nature's heart continues to pound. Migratory paths remain, rivers continue to run downstream, wolves hunt, and insects are hatched. My artwork is an attempt to create a meaningful connection between the natural world and myself. Often this connection seems fleeting. It is based on observation and the physical act of working with material such as clay and wood. This physical relationship also allows me to explore my spiritual, emotional and psychological concerns for the human experience."
-Shay Church
http://shaychurch.com/index.php
Church works primarily in ceramics, but has also included wood, metal, and drawings/paintings. Within ceramics Church has two very distinct styles of working. He is always inspired by nature, migration, and the intricate web of life that connects every living organism to another. He expresses this relationship through his ceramic sculptures, such as "Elk" (the third photo below). Other sculptures include animals or elements of nature morphing into each other. [Unfortunately his website doesn't allow image downloading, so check them OUT!]
The second style that Church implements is more unique when considering the material he works with (clay- often personally gathered). He has found a niche for himself creating large scale replicas of animals on wooden sculptural skeletons. The clay is never fired, but pressed on the skeleton by himself and even gallery viewers. In this sense it is a performance piece that is then left to dry, crack, and even crumble. He has installed his "Grey Whale" at several locations and has a permanent installation in a boiler room in an abandoned factory (images below).
I'm very excited to be experiencing a new media in such depth next semester with a teacher who seems to have a lot of the same influences and ideas I do.
"I believe in the natural cycles of the earth. Within these patterns of life and death is where I can find truth. While cities grow, wars rage, and industry climbs, nature's heart continues to pound. Migratory paths remain, rivers continue to run downstream, wolves hunt, and insects are hatched. My artwork is an attempt to create a meaningful connection between the natural world and myself. Often this connection seems fleeting. It is based on observation and the physical act of working with material such as clay and wood. This physical relationship also allows me to explore my spiritual, emotional and psychological concerns for the human experience."
-Shay Church
http://shaychurch.com/index.php
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
11-18-09 Idea Post
Death is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers both to a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical inquiry. Belief in some kind of afterlife or rebirth is a central aspect of most if not all religious traditions. The contemporary scientific consensus supposes death to terminate mind or consciousness. The effect of physical death on any possible mind or soul remains for many an open question. Cognitive science has yet to explain fully the origin and nature of consciousness; any view about the existence or non-existence of consciousness after death remains speculative.
Humans and the vast majority of other animals die in due course from senescence. Remarkable exceptions include the hydra, and the jellyfish turritopsis nutricula, which is thought to possess in effect biological immortality.
Intervening phenomena which commonly bring about death earlier include malnutrition, disease, or accidents resulting in terminal physical injury. Predation is a cause of death for many species. Intentional human activity causing death includes suicide, homicide, and war. Death in the natural world can also occur as an indirect result of human activity: an increasing cause of species depletion in recent times has been destruction of ecosystems as a consequence of widening spread of industrial technology.
-Death as an important part of the process of natural selection
-Extinction is the cessation of existence of a species or group, reducing biodiversity
-Death certificates
-Signs of death include:
~Pallor mortis: paleness which happens 15-120 min after death
~Livor mortis: settling of blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body
~Algor mortis: the reduction in body temperature following death
~Rigor mortis: the limbs of the corpse become stiff and difficult to move/manipulate
~Decomposition: reduction into simpler forms of matter
-Autopsy (postmortem examination) is a medical procedure performed by a specialized medical doctor that consists of a thorough examination of a human corpse to determine the cause and manner of a person's death
-Life extension: refers to an increase of life expectancy or the average lifespan by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging
-Capital punishment
-Euthanasia
-Death is a center of traditions and organizations featured in every culture around the world. It has no boundaries, bias, or rational behavior. Many of the traditions revolve around the care of the dead and preparation for the afterlife.
~Cremation
~Mummification
~Embalming
~Sky Burial
-Reincarnation
*****
Many cultures have rituals revolving around death that we would consider inappropriate or offensive. Common in Tibet, bodies are given a sky burial in which the corpse is cut in specific locations and placed on a mountaintop to be exposed to the elements (especially birds of prey). Most Tibetans are Buddhist and believe in the process of rebirth and therefore have no need to preserve the body. Instead they practice jhator which literally means, "giving alms to the birds." It is considered an act of generosity, providing food to sustain living beings after death.
Even western cultures have rituals that are considered strange amongst themselves. See the idea post from 10-14-09 on relics.
Also check out 10-29-09 for the chapel in Sedlec decorated by over 40,000 sets of human bones.
Humans and the vast majority of other animals die in due course from senescence. Remarkable exceptions include the hydra, and the jellyfish turritopsis nutricula, which is thought to possess in effect biological immortality.
Intervening phenomena which commonly bring about death earlier include malnutrition, disease, or accidents resulting in terminal physical injury. Predation is a cause of death for many species. Intentional human activity causing death includes suicide, homicide, and war. Death in the natural world can also occur as an indirect result of human activity: an increasing cause of species depletion in recent times has been destruction of ecosystems as a consequence of widening spread of industrial technology.
-Death as an important part of the process of natural selection
-Extinction is the cessation of existence of a species or group, reducing biodiversity
-Death certificates
-Signs of death include:
~Pallor mortis: paleness which happens 15-120 min after death
~Livor mortis: settling of blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body
~Algor mortis: the reduction in body temperature following death
~Rigor mortis: the limbs of the corpse become stiff and difficult to move/manipulate
~Decomposition: reduction into simpler forms of matter
-Autopsy (postmortem examination) is a medical procedure performed by a specialized medical doctor that consists of a thorough examination of a human corpse to determine the cause and manner of a person's death
-Life extension: refers to an increase of life expectancy or the average lifespan by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging
-Capital punishment
-Euthanasia
-Death is a center of traditions and organizations featured in every culture around the world. It has no boundaries, bias, or rational behavior. Many of the traditions revolve around the care of the dead and preparation for the afterlife.
~Cremation
~Mummification
~Embalming
~Sky Burial
-Reincarnation
*****
Many cultures have rituals revolving around death that we would consider inappropriate or offensive. Common in Tibet, bodies are given a sky burial in which the corpse is cut in specific locations and placed on a mountaintop to be exposed to the elements (especially birds of prey). Most Tibetans are Buddhist and believe in the process of rebirth and therefore have no need to preserve the body. Instead they practice jhator which literally means, "giving alms to the birds." It is considered an act of generosity, providing food to sustain living beings after death.
Even western cultures have rituals that are considered strange amongst themselves. See the idea post from 10-14-09 on relics.
Also check out 10-29-09 for the chapel in Sedlec decorated by over 40,000 sets of human bones.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Aitken Migration Installation
The artist blog from last week was on Doug Aitken. He came up in my meeting today with Paul who showed me a video of his installation work. Imagine this in high definition on screens the size of billboards and even projected to cover sides of buildings. Paul says he is working with VCU to invite Aitken as a guest artist next year. I hope it's a success because I think I would really enjoy hearing him speak about his work.
11-16-09 Artist Post
Shen Shaomin
Shen Shaomin is a Chinese artist who creates sculptures out of animal bones. He becomes an anthropologist, a scientist and an author of his very own creations. The sculptures embody his concern of transhumanism and the directions science and technology are leading our world. He often presents his work as if it were a valid museum displays playing off its colossal scale to emphasize the prehistoric origin and the curiosities of our imagination. Carving into the bone, he covers his creatures with 'scrimshaw' to further reference human interference with this disturbing 'historic' or 'future' evidence. His work is currently being displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
"... his sculptures collectively create a bestiary of fictional creatures that are wondrous, frightening, and strange. Reminiscent of Borge's Book of Imaginary Beings, Shen's absurd assemblages exude an ancient wisdom, authenticating the magic of fable and folklore, while alluding to contemporary issues of genetic modification, consequence of environmental threat, and concepts of the alien and exotic."
-Saatchi Gallery
"Shen Shaomin's creatures are totally unexpected but are not themselves horrible or loathsome. As relics of some future or past [they are] disquieting. It is not them but the intelligence that has the potential to produce them and the greed of fundamentalist belief that drives it. That is the real scary monster."
-Jonathan Thomson
Shen Shaomin is a Chinese artist who creates sculptures out of animal bones. He becomes an anthropologist, a scientist and an author of his very own creations. The sculptures embody his concern of transhumanism and the directions science and technology are leading our world. He often presents his work as if it were a valid museum displays playing off its colossal scale to emphasize the prehistoric origin and the curiosities of our imagination. Carving into the bone, he covers his creatures with 'scrimshaw' to further reference human interference with this disturbing 'historic' or 'future' evidence. His work is currently being displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
"... his sculptures collectively create a bestiary of fictional creatures that are wondrous, frightening, and strange. Reminiscent of Borge's Book of Imaginary Beings, Shen's absurd assemblages exude an ancient wisdom, authenticating the magic of fable and folklore, while alluding to contemporary issues of genetic modification, consequence of environmental threat, and concepts of the alien and exotic."
-Saatchi Gallery
"Shen Shaomin's creatures are totally unexpected but are not themselves horrible or loathsome. As relics of some future or past [they are] disquieting. It is not them but the intelligence that has the potential to produce them and the greed of fundamentalist belief that drives it. That is the real scary monster."
-Jonathan Thomson
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Visiting Artist Lecture: Shimon Attie 11-11-09
I really do enjoy artist lectures here at VCU. I wish they could all be in a nice theater like the one in the student commons where technology worked amazingly and artist were entertaining, informative, and eye opening. Today, Shimon Attie was all of these things.
I wonder where Attie originally found his interest for history- particularly the history of people or, should I say, the people's history. Maybe he took some really great philosophy and social classes in high school or college. Either way, he uses a variety of mediums to reclaim the world's and people's buried histories through usually very hands on processes. I appreciate his means of gathering information and ultimately his photographic material: directly from the source. Whether his information is gathered from archives, interviews, or physically using history as a prop, he accurately merges the past with the present. His works are often emotional for those involved or who can relate and is not short of breathtaking for the rest of us. Also, his lighting is expressive and strong, bending to the needs of each project (you can see his photography background here).
Below is a clip from a documentary on his making of The Attraction of Onlookers.
I wonder where Attie originally found his interest for history- particularly the history of people or, should I say, the people's history. Maybe he took some really great philosophy and social classes in high school or college. Either way, he uses a variety of mediums to reclaim the world's and people's buried histories through usually very hands on processes. I appreciate his means of gathering information and ultimately his photographic material: directly from the source. Whether his information is gathered from archives, interviews, or physically using history as a prop, he accurately merges the past with the present. His works are often emotional for those involved or who can relate and is not short of breathtaking for the rest of us. Also, his lighting is expressive and strong, bending to the needs of each project (you can see his photography background here).
Below is a clip from a documentary on his making of The Attraction of Onlookers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)