Chiharu Shiota

"Chiharu Shiota is known for her performative installations in which she weaves human-size webs from black thread, turning entire galleries into labyrinthine environments and often enclosing personal objects or even herself. Inspired by the installation and performance art of the 1970s, Shiota left Japan for Berlin to study under Marina Abramovic, whose influence can be seen in Shiota’s endurance-based performances like Try and Go Home (1998), in which the artist smeared her body with earth, entered a hole, and fasted for four days. Shiota’s work is also influenced by and aligned with that of Rebecca Horn, Ana Mendieta, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse, revealed in her use of materials and performative exploration of states of anxiety, oblivion, and remembering."

As mentioned in class this week, I took a class from visiting artist Chiharu Shiota when I studied sculpture at CCA back in 2011.

When you experience her work, you feel a sense of depth that reaches further than your imagination, inviting you to explore the depths of your own mind. I not only admire her as an artist, everything that she's accomplished, I admire her as a human being as well. She is very humble, very sincere, and very quiet. Yet she is strong- a strength that is felt, not shown.

Chiharu Shiota is an internationally renowned Japanese artist and has shown works in museums such as the Smithsonian in Washington DC, The MoMA PS1, National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and participated in the 56th Venice Biennale.

Although my classmates and I assisted with installing in a gallery in SF, the show isn't even in her CV on her website- as it must've been "too small" to include between her shows in Australia, France, Germany, China and Italy back in 2011. She had an opportunity to show at the Berkeley Art Museum while she was in town for the semester, but used the opportunity for us, her students, to pitch our installations instead- which, by no surprise, none of us received.

Here is a photo of her when she took us on a field trip to Fort Funston in San Francisco. We took a bus limo there, which was pretty cool. It was on the way back though that was interesting. She had us give her our phones and walk along the beach experiencing it without any distractions. We were also not to talk to anyone. We could sketch, but that was it. Thankfully, I had a camera so I could take pictures. For two hours, we were to get closer to knowing ourselves. 

We all went our separate ways. Even though it was about 40 degrees out, I soaked in everything around me. 

Fort Funston is absolutely magical. Between the cliffs and the ocean, you walk along the beach, feeling insurmountably small. There were hundreds of crabs, sand dollars and other random things. I still have an old Budweiser beer can that I found from the 70's. (not shown for some reason)

I simply lost rack of time. There was no one else in sight for stretches of miles. I felt like the world was at my finger tips; and it was mine. It also felt like it was starting to be around the time to get back, to I went up into the dunes to head back to the parking lot. 

I underestimated the labyrinth of the dunes. Sure, there were paths, but they have been completely changed from decades of strong winds.

At this point I was really worried- it was nice not to have anyone around me for a little bit, but now I just didn't know where ANYONE one was. Not even someone walking their dog to tell me what time it was. Even if we weren't supposed to talk. 

I had no idea what to do- if I should have walked back along the beach, or keep following footprints in the dunes. I realized how far away from the city I was with no phone and felt even more lost. At least the mission I was sent on was accomplished- I had to find my way when so many paths were directing me in different directions. 

I finally found some dog owners and eventually a friend of mine from my class. The bus had already left, but since I didn't have my phone, my friend stayed behind until I got back. A while later, Shiharu shows up in a taxi, we all jammed in the back seat together, and drove back to the city. 

I will never forget what she told me once during a one-on-one: I have a fire inside me, and that I need to keep it going.

She is hands down- the wisest person I have ever known. And I am so lucky to have had that experience.

Articles on her work:
Trendland
DesignBoom 
Beautiful/Decay
It'sNiceThat

Experience Food ... DIFFERENTLY

http://lernertandsander.com/cubes/

^The above address takes you to an artist's work who transforms food by cutting it into perfect cubes. Talk about experiencing the orange ... also familiar to strange.
Hope you all enjoy!

The Eucatastrophe

There's this really cool concept that J.R.R. Tolkien came up with. Tolkien, best known for his books The Lord of the Rings, has this theory called the eucatastrophe. 

Eucatastrophe is a neologism coined by Tolkien from Greek ευ- "good"

and καταστροφή "destruction".

“Eu-cata-strophe” as a word: 

(always important to remember that Tolkien was first and foremost a student of languages)

“strophe” = turn

“cata” = down, against, back

“eu” = good

He writes about this in various letters. (If you're interested the MCAD library has the book of Tolkiens letters)

"I coined the word 'eucatastrophe': the sudden happy turn in a storywhich pierces you with a joy that brings tears (which I argued it isthe highest function of fairy-stories to produce). And I was there ledto the view that it produces its peculiar effect because it is asudden glimpse of Truth, your whole nature chained in material causeand effect, the chain of death, feels a sudden relief as if a majorlimb out of joint had suddenly snapped back. It perceives – if thestory has literary 'truth' on the second plane (....) – that this isindeed how things really do work in the Great World for which ournature is made. And I concluded by saying that the Resurrection wasthe greatest 'eucatastrophe' possible in the greatest Fairy Story –and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which producestears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comesfrom those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, asselfishness and altruism are lost in Love."― Letter 89

In his On Fairy-Stories Tolkien describes eucatastrophe further:"But the 'consolation' of fairy-tales has another aspect than theimaginative satisfaction of ancient desires. Far more important is theConsolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert thatall complete fairy-stories must have it. At least I would say thatTragedy is the true form of Drama, its highest function; but theopposite is true of Fairy-story. Since we do not appear to possess aword that expresses this opposite — I will call it Eucatastrophe. Theeucatastrophic tale is the true form of fairy-tale, and its highestfunction.The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or morecorrectly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous “turn” (for thereis no true end to any fairy-tale): this joy, which is one of thethings which fairy-stories can produce supremely well, is notessentially 'escapist', nor 'fugitive'. In its fairy-tale—orotherworld—setting, it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to becounted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe,of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to thejoy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if youwill) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving afleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignantas grief.It is the mark of a good fairy-story, of the higher or more completekind, that however wild its events, however fantastic or terrible theadventures, it can give to child or man that hears it, when the “turn”comes, a catch of the breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to(or indeed accompanied by) tears, as keen as that given by any form ofliterary art, and having a peculiar quality."― On Fairy-Stories

That's a lot of words but the basic idea is that if you accept that catastrophe can and will happen, we must also accept the inverse - that good things can and will happen out of nowhere. It doesn't mean a happy ending, but it means that good things will happen.

I think it's worth remembering and sharing.

-Eleni Leventopoulos

Here Now

Visual Journals

        

This site you will all be invited to participate as part of the class.
•  Post your images
•  Post your web sites you find interesting
•  Pictures that inspire you - etc etc.
The best part of this- is that you will always have access to this site - so over time, if you want to come back to things, or see what another class is doing - you are set.  

I hope you find this useful
thank you
-Abbi


Here are some different video interviews I did a few years back with people who have amazing Visual Journals

Observation #4/4 : I Killed my Plant with Purpose

I decided to correlate the plants health with my own as this semester continued on. I took key events that happened to me over this last 4 months and observed the state of the plant to see if there is any correlation to my state of mind and body to the plants.

I found that there are two things that can kill a plant. Being to busy and unable to care for yourself. I was gone so much this semester with business and with seeing my girlfriend that I neglected the plant and the life that I worked so hard to build up. I also got very sick and had a hung unexpected chain of events that through me out of the loop for a while.

All in all. Everything was worth it and a ton of lessons were learned. I learned that I never will be that old man saying ,"I wish I would have taken more risks." nor will I ever say, "I should have not lived life and worked more." I have found a new calling and that is family, friends, and taking care of those who need it ten times more then me. Don't get me wrong I will be going for my MBA in Houston and be working but no one will see me work as hard as I have this last 10 years but they will see me smile more. Time with people and helping people is far more rewarding then time at an office trying to get that bigger better iPhone but rather spend that on new adventures and live life the way it is supposed to be lived.

Other events that you do not see on the time line:

1. Sold my beautiful Jeep.
2. Went to Vegas.
3. Fell in love with girlfriends twin 10 year old girls
4. Gained a freeloading roommate (stay tuned for the "Shit My Roomate Says" series---Hilarious)
5. and Life.

Great Semester.

Project 4x4 - 4/4

Link: Behance (pativette)

For my final 4x4, I decided to apply my research and make a website of my own. Behance is a solid start, as it's a popular platform for freelancers and other illustrators. While I do have a lot of work I could put into this portfolio, I found that only my strongest and most recent or relevant work would benefit from being uploaded for various reasons. Old (read: high school) art isn't reflective of my current body of work, and neither is work from my foundation classes. It took a bit of weeding out, and I wasn't left with much - but it's got to start somewhere!

My work is chiefly digital painting, in Photoshop. I also use Illustrator and InDesign for specific projects (the weapon pattern was made in Illustrator!). As for inspiration, a lot of it comes from other illustrators and digital artists such as Claire Hummel and Leslie Hung. I'm also heavily influenced by video game design, which has pushed me to make work involving mythology and fantasy elements combined with digital media. My history and foundation as an artist is deeply rooted in video games and its rising popularity in the industry and artistic culture, so it doesn't come as a surprise that I would pursue a career as a freelance illustrator with a focus in video game design and/or visual development.

For the past 2 years, I've focused on exploring on various concepts and styles rather than a single body of work focused on one overarching concept. I find that I'm learning a lot more about what I like in my work and ultimately what it will have to say about themes relevant to me and my life, including but not limited to nostalgia, grief, and mortality. My work will not always have a story to tell, as illustrators are not only storytellers but also designers - but in the future, I hope what I have now will develop into something much closer to that goal.

love letters to the gallery trash. 4x4.

Final 4x4 - Joel Minan

For my final4x4 I connected another project from another class with this project. In my Human Factors class I had to work with IHS Honduras. My role in the group was to create illustrations that the people from Honduras could identify with. Then the group laid out all of my illustrations into a small book. This book will be taken to Hounduras during IHS's October trip and have a test run.

Last 4x4 People Watching and Quiet

People Watching from Megan Kowalski on Vimeo.

Quiet from Megan Kowalski on Vimeo.

4x4 final Matrix - Scott Werner

To put my final matrix together I decided to use the words that Grayson has to yet to develope. All my observations have been either visual or sound. Each section of 3 represents an observation. The last is my words summing it all up.

4x4 Kids Play When Adults Away - Scott Werner

For my fourth observation I decided to have my teenage daughter Haylee use a video camera and photo camera to capture moments with my niece Grayson. She did this while babysitting and no other adults were around. My intent was to observe in the second person through the imagery caught by Haylee. The video below is the result of going through sixty phots and over an hour of video.

What I noticed is that Grayson pays more attention than we realize. Seeing her at the highchair following Haylee while she prepped food for Grayson shows this. You can see her eyes follow and view the eagerness or desire for food. I could also see the emotional connection being made between the two of them through the interaction.

The song I choose has multiple meanings in this particular situation. On a personal level I'm faced with losing relative sometime in the next year. At the same time I am in awe of the wonder the Grayson sees soaking up as much as she can. I felt this song conveyed my feelings and inner turmoil that not only am I losing someone but so is Grayson and she doesn't see that and is not affected by it.

Here is my video:

"In their voice"

Library from Megan Kowalski on Vimeo.

Your Voice - Scott Werner in Joel's view

So my stomach has been expanding quite a bit over the last year and I really don't like to exercise. I know that Joel likes to take things that are not fun and find a way to make them fun. I also know that he likes to try new processes. So I decided that I would start my walk routes again this summer but I needed more incentive to do them.

I made a map of my area and put my current walk routes on it. It was amazing to see the distance that I used to walk. I then decided to highlight parks, food places, and my favorite hot spots. I then decided that a new process would be to see the parks in my area that I haven't seen before. I then found nine new routes using these parks. I then determined that if I complete a route I could buy myself a treat from one of my hot spots.

My poster shows these routes and says 10 weeks, 10 routes. The tenth route is the one I discover while doing these routes. I am very excited to try this new process in losing weight.