Response to Appropriation Art by Missy Ramsey

To appropriate is to take possession of something. Appropriation artists deliberately copy images to take possession of them in their art. They are not stealing or plagiarizing. They are not passing off these images as their very own.  Appropriation artists want the viewer to recognize the images they copy, and they hope that the viewer will bring all of his/her original associations with the image to the artist's new context, be it a painting, a sculpture, a collage, a combine or an entire installation.  Some people may think that appropriation art is stealing another persons work, but rather the artist is actually borrowing the art work and making more meaning come out of the picture. 
Installation art, is a differnt type of art work, but in some ways I actually like them, but I do not like how they are from different artist, I do believe that these artist are in actually stealing the first art work.  If the artist who first orginally wanted that art to have that meaning, then he would have done it that way, that is why I do not think it is right for people to take a piece of art and "recontextualize" it.

Response to Installation Art by Missy Ramsey

Installation art is based more on a system.  The artist art work is by filling the space with what they have, filled edge to edge with so much stuff.  "Essentially, installation art takes into account the viewer’s entire sensory experience, rather than floating framed points of focus on a “neutral” wall or displaying isolated objects (literally) on a pedestal. This leaves space and time as its only dimensional constants. This implies dissolution of the line between art and life; Kaprow noted that “if we bypass ‘art’ and take nature itself as a model or point of departure, we may be able to devise a different kind of art… out of the sensory stuff of ordinary life” (Kaprow 12)." (wiki.com)
The way in which installation art insists upon the viewer’s presence in a space has necessarily led to a number of problems about how it is remembered. You have to make big imaginative leaps if you haven’t actually experienced the work first hand. Like a joke that fails to be funny when repeated, you had to be there.  I really enjoy installation art, because I thnk that it challentges the artist  to be able to go beyond what they are used to (canvas) and broadent what they can do into a large amount of space.  Installation art also allows the audience to have their personal experience, like the feeling "you just had to be there."  Its a feeling that you can't explaink, but try to allow the other people to have the same feeling, but can't unless they get to go.

Response to Performance Art by Missy Ramsey

Chris Burden is a performance artist, that I believe takes you back by surprise!  Performance art is when the artist experiences and some how there is interaction with the audience.  The artist can be a single performer, or can be a group or digital and normally the performance is held in a gallery or in a museum.  When I observed Chris Burden nailed to the back of a volkswagon, it made me wonder what in the heck was he thinking when he did this?  What made him think of doing this?  What reaction was he trying to get out of his audience?

Chris Burden was not the only performance artist of his time, there was also "Hermann Nitsch in 1962 presented his “Theatre of Orgies and Mysteries” (Orgien- und Mysterien Theater), a form close to the performing arts, and a precursor to performance art."  When I look at this image, I can only imagin what he is trying to capture to his audience.  It is a very moving piece, and when I saw it, it took me back by surprise.  I believe that Burden aqnd Nitsch have the same idea for what type of response they are trying to get from their audiences.  I'm not a big fan for performance art, because I do not think I understand the way it should, but also I'm afriad that I might find something out about myself that I might not want to know...

Response to Alison Watt- Contemporary Art by Missy Ramsey

"She gained early recognition as a painter, winning the National Portrait Gallery’s annual award as a student, then a commission to paint the Queen Mother’s portrait in 1989. Inspired by the nineteenth century painter Ingres, Watt’s portraits often focus upon the drapery which is traditionally used as a backdrop for the sitter. In her recent large-scale works, the human figure is entirely absent, allowing the texture and folds of the fabric to take centre stage." (contemporaryartetc.com) 

When I saw Alison Watt's fabric art, I was intrigued with how well she was able to shade and make it seem like you could just touch the fabric yourself. When I look at fabric art, I feel relaxed and imagin myself able to lay in a warm blanket that is soft.  Also the way she is able the whole canvas just amazes me with her technique.  I really like her contemporary art picture of fabric painting.

Art Exhibit Visit on 04/30/11

Artist: Graham Parker
Exhibit: The Confidence Man
At the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) --- RPI

"His work considers contemporary digital phenomena against the historic contexts and antecedents from which they emerged—often finding unexpected, even uncanny connections between these different moments and modes."

Graham Parker

Graham Parker is a New York artist and does film and audio work. He has always been interested in "spectrality", which is defined here as the concealing of one set of operations behind the appearance of another. Most of the work in this show, The Confidence Man, is united by an interest in presenting objects that have the look or texture of something recognizable (a newspaper, a neon sign, an ATM, a documentary, etc...) but which at second glance have crucial elements missing or distorted, so that our "confidence" in them is undermined. 

Hacked ATM machine, part of  the The Confidence Man exhibit

EMPAC

He works to create artwork that is built to "survive a mere glance", and cites the subject of computer spam as a comparison. Filtering this material requires a type of vigilance about who and what to trust. Parker's aim is to have us extend this vigilance into other areas of our daily lives...in order to see objects and forms for what they are, not as they should be. Technology tends to arrive with ideological systems and claims in tow. The confidence man and the spammer say, "This is what they claim, but this is what they do." In Parker's work, the challenge to us is not to accept the claims and systems of information technology at face value -- but to be 'delinquent' -- to expose what is inherent, rather than what is advertised. 

EMPAC on the inside -- Concert Hall

Artist's website:  http://www.grahamparker.info/cv.html

EMPAC website:  

 http://empac.rpi.edu/ 

Graffiti Art -- Reanne

http://www.banksy.co.uk/       

          Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist whose pieces portray political and social messages. His stencil street art has been displayed in numerous cities throughout the world. 

          April 2010 marked the month of the premiere of his first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, in San Francisco and five of his pieces appeared in various parts of the city. Then in May 2010, seven new Banksy pieces appeared in Toronto and Ontario, Canada. At the same time as the premiere of Exit through the Gift Shop in Royal Oak, Banksy left his mark in several places in Detroit and Warren. Shortly after the Detroit piece showing a little boy holding a can of red paint next to the words "I remember when all this was trees" was excavated by the 555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios. They claim that they do not intend to sell the work but plan to preserve it and display it at their Detroit gallery. 

          In late January 2011, Exit Through The Gift Shop was nominated for a 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Banksy released a statement about the nomination, where he said, ""This is a big surprise... I don't agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I'm prepared to make an exception for the ones I'm nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me." Leading up to the Oscars, Banksy blanketed Los Angeles with street art.

The statement on Banksy's website states: "You're welcome to download whatever you wish from this site for personal use. However, making your own art or merchandise and passing it off as ‘official’ or authentic Banksy artwork is bad and very wrong." I'm not sure if this is just an example of Banksy's sense of humor... but it seems ironic that they would scold against such a thing when most of his work consists of adding something to some other artist's work. 

http://www.banksy.co.uk/

Response on collections -- Reanne

          As we discussed in class, people collect various things for various reasons. Having a collection of certain things can serve as a way to preserve memories, to protect family heirlooms, or to make a profit some day. Those are just a few examples of the numerous reasons that people have collections.
          Popular objects for collection are rocks and stones, coins, stuffed animals, baseball cards, movies, CDs, paintings, figurines, photographs, etc… An individual really can have a collection of anything that they value and appreciate.

          As a young child, I used to collect gems and crystals from different places that I traveled. This included both rocks that I found and ones that I bought in a shop. I kept them in a clear plastic box on display because I liked their shapes and shininess. I donated them to my church when I was about 14 years old, since we were moving and I was trying to consolidate and grow up.

          More recently, in terms of collections, I guess I could say that I collect DVDs and CDs (original and mixed/burnt) since I have so many. But this isn’t a collection that holds any special meaning to me. I do, however, have about ten photo albums, two scrap books, and a huge box filled with all of the pictures I’ve ever taken. These pictures include old family photos, vacation pictures, scenery, friends, etc… My picture collection does mean a lot to me in the sense that every photograph has a different memory—each picture reminds me of a certain person, a particular event, a special moment in my history. Vacation pictures, for example, remind me of the fun experiences I’ve shared with my parents over the years. Old family photos remind me of where I came from, and allow me to see the people I’ve never met or who I have lost. There is always a story behind each photo, and it is worth remembering whether I personally recall the story, or if someone explains it to me from their point of view. 

Cousins in Sarasota, Florida- Summer 2010

Grandmother in Naples, Florida- Summer 2010

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France- Spring 2006

Beach in Florida- Summer 2010

Plane view- Summer 2010

Townhouse mates- Fall 2010-Spring 2011

My best friend of 14 years