Pavement.

Saturday September 18, 2010.

I have listened to the band Pavement since tenth grade and seeing as they were broken up for years, never thought that I would get the chance to see them live. Seeing Pavement in person and Stephen Malkmus on stage was a radically different experience than watching documentaries made about them. One aspect addressed in previous classes about seeing a performance live expressed that the entire event becomes an experience. It was great singing along with the overly joyous big teddy bear mike who was standing in front of us. It was amazing to stand next to a man most likely in his fifties thinking about the different age related experiences we hold toward the same band, and that the same thing brought us together. I also liked bringing my friend Emily who I had just found out had this common interest and now we share the same memory of this experience. It was funny running into ten people from Keene, never knowing they were into the same band I have been into for years. The light show during the performance was incredible, and the overall aesthetic of the arena surrounding me amplified the excitement and dedication throughout the crowd. I am so glad I finally got to see Pavement live.

MASS MoCA

Friday September 17, 2010.

One way in which this course has evolved so far is having professors stressing the formation of a question. It would be a guide to this course and help to set a goal to achieve. As of right now, I am setting out and justifying that viewing art in person is important and makes for different experiences and interpretations when the experience is not coming from a modified, reduced, and mass produced version.

MASS MoCA is the first museum that I have visited for my independent study. I went with my friends Kevin and Michele.

Plain and simple, some of the exhibits were unreal to me. I had much greater reactions when pieces were sprawled out between three different rooms than any reactions that I obtained from looking at photographs witnessed on their website prior to.

Prime examples of that are the attraction of the "Material World: Sculpture to Environment". Seven artists were invited to overshadow the factory space of the museum's already existing materials. The way in which these artists create a forceful sense with their material overpowers the existing space. "Obsessively accumulated, these materials have been transformed into monumnetal installations, confronting - and sometimes dwarfing - viewers with their size and scale".

This exhibit included:

Orly Genger's (born 1979, New York) "Big Boss"  (2009-2010)

I took these photographs when I went, but I would suggest seeing these exhibits in person if possible.

Genger has rope overtake the space. The rope bursts through a wall at one point, and even builds it's own wall in the next room over. Viewers must then question their path. Painting the rope red allows the industrial material to become even more forceful towards the viewer. Genger's work often competes with a history of male dominated sculpture.  


Another piece that I saw was Wade Kavanaugh (born 1979, Portland, Maine) and Stephen B. Nguygen' s (born 1976, Little Falls, Minnesota) "White Stag" (2009-2010). This piece expanded through two floors, setting up a maze-esque feel for the viewer.

 

(Also note the rope wall in the back and how both pieces force themselves among the space.)

             Kavanaugh and Nguyen have been working with paper since 2005. The ways in which paper can be presented appear to be endless. They describe their large scale instillations as "investigations of the uncertain territory between imagined and physical space". This piece has an almost growing feel to it, as it crawls between galleries and connects the space: thus also providing a new perspective on the space that is the museum. 

Alyson Shotz's (born 1964, Glendale, Arizona) "Geometry of Light" (2010) exhibit is a good example of having material stand out against a distracting area. 

The texture, color, and character of the wall was a barely noticed backdrop, as the material hanging overtook my attention right away. This piece focuses on light and space. The reflective and shiny pieces help to highlight perpetual change.

Tobias Putrih's (born 1972, Kranj, Slovenia) "Reprojection: Hoosac, 2010" focuses on an idea of utopia:

"Putrih's use of cheap materials...signify both a sense of potential and impending collapse. Many of the artist's works reference the architecture and spectacle of the cinema: a space suspended between fantasy and reality". 

  

Dan Steinhilber's (born 1972, Oshkosh, Wisconsin) "Breathing Room" (2010) was in my opinion, one of the most beautifully lit pieces. 

Steinhilber seemed to stress an importance and at least explore the potential behind simplicity. He describes his work as "material reconfigurations of simple actions, such as cinching a garbage bag or wrapping a package". This specific piece as "seductive and threatening" as there were two fans presents to inflate and deflate the environment. 

And the last part of the "Material World" exhibit that we got to catch before scurrying out at closing time was Michael Beautler's (born 1976, Oldenburg, Germany) "Lightning Generation" (2010)

Beautler uses extremely low budget materials as he "re-interprets standardized building components and methods of labor". Beautler creates heavy situations with incredibly light materials. He appears to play with the psychological perspective of top-down processing. Despite expectations, the materials he builds to stimulate the work place are actually light as feathers. 

On the first floor of MASS MoCA, there were two featured artists. Most of the space featured the work of Petah Coyne. Her work was incredible as her multiple talents of sculpture, photography, use of materials, and use of space left me speechless. Her exhibit was titled "Everything That Rises Must Converge". Most of Coyne's art stems from films, literature, political events, and personal stories.  Many of her pieces include bountiful amounts of detail. One of her pieces that especially caught my attention were her use of birds. Reading more about all of the pieces, I realize the detail extends just as far in an analytical sense as a textural visual sense. In her piece, "Untitled 1336 (Scalapino Nu Shu)", there are so many different religious, symbolic, and story related associations. One example relates to how Flannery O'Connor (an American novelist), once raised and wrote about peacocks being "renewal and the eyes of the Catholic Church". 

Coyne also had several beautiful sculptures and photographs throughout the entire first floor. Her photographs portrayed people and motion as ghostly, as it appears the exposure time was for longer periods of time. They were beautifully shot and developed into massive gelatin prints.

Also sharing the first floor was the well known Leonard Nimoy, who once played Spock on Star Trek. His exhibit included large color prints of individuals expressing their secret identities. What some may label as odd or the usual "freak" would be photographed by Nimoy in a completely white bright space. Next to their image would be a small plaque that said one sentence about themselves: revealing what they felt like they had hidden from the world.

I personally felt as though this exhibit felt a bit contrived at times, but it was interesting that interviews between Nimoy and these individuals were playing on loop in this room. I almost wondered if the images would be more powerful on their own however.

My favorite image may have been the photograph of the ex-marine who now works with disabled school children, who also cross dresses and has a secret identity. 

Another one had a man who was covered in filth and dirt holding an axe. I was interested and intrigued when I read the plaque that juxtaposed his image. It read "Paul-Gallery Director..."The Buddha says just let it go...so far I still have that drive. I am looking for a way to reconcile it." 

    

I was impressed with the MASS MoCA.  There were exhibits that definitely evoked emotions that would not have been triggered by a text book. 

independent course proposal (has been approved)

         This fall I am proposing an independent study in which I will travel to different museums, events, exhibits, and festivals to seek out art, rather than continue only receiving structured lessons on reproduced work by limited artists. As a filmmaker, I am especially interested in experimental film. This genre of film in many cases involves multiple forms of art. I would appreciate incorporating different art genres within my films. I have had a small amount of exposure to art aside from film and photography. I plan on studying in Prague this coming spring. I have never traveled really, and believe it would be a great experience to explore the art surrounding me in preparation for the transition to studying art on a more global scale. Keene State College is increasingly committed to supporting students working towards cross-cultural inquiry and making connections between the local and the global, and I believe this proposed independent study will allow me to do this work.

         My idea initially centered around the expectation of improving my own work by viewing different influences. However, after pitching this idea to professors and fellow artists, this entire journey has evolved into an even more bountiful experience that I am working towards accomplishing. This fall would be dedicated to viewing art in person in different local (defined by within this country) areas. Multiple museums, festivals, and exhibits in New York, Massachusetts, etc. will be visited. I have created this blog where I can share the information that I learn and the experiences that I record. I could then share this knowledge with others in the film department. This entire experience could now not only benefit myself, but allow others into my findings. Having a mentor in the film department, as well as finding someone to work with in the art department would help to direct where this course should take me. I plan to write about every exhibit or festival: connecting pieces to what I have learned at film school thus far, new artists that I come across, or new techniques and pieces that I see.

         Going out and viewing art in person involves a stronger personal connection to apiece because it is in most cases as close to rawest form as possible. The atmosphere around the piece becomes part of the experience. The work is not replicated or conveniently downsized to fit in my textbook, or on my home television set. Seeing a piece in person helps to stimulate a deeper emotion than analyzing that which has been modified. Also traveling to see artwork will give me the ability to see modern creations that have not yet been reproduced for the public. Seeing art in this way also becomes associated with the potential of self-discovery often made possible over the course of a journey.

Over the last summer, I have spent several hours developing a proposal (part of which is a book that I sowed together) and working on multiple projects. Here are a few of them.