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Mapping Project Summary

My project was simple on paper and complicated in practice. I resolved to create a space in the physical world that represented my mind. It was built almost entirely from objects I owned. The only exceptions were a drawing table, as bringing my own would have been quite difficult, and also thumbtacks to keep blankets in place. Otherwise everything was mine and everything I chose had meaning to me. I tested multiple set-ups with different positioning for items and whether or not items built into the piece were unnecessary. Near the final draft I realized the items on their own would struggle to explain the meaning behind them. I resolved this by adding a written aspect. Most items received a small note under or beside them containing a clue to its meaning or an action to attempt. This would be able to both engage and reveal the piece better tot the audience.

I made this piece to dive into the self, to re-contextualize it and in doing so perhaps gain a better understanding of it; for myself as well as for others. My belief is no matter what happens, I am and I will do what I will until I pass from this world. Despite that knowledge there is no harm in trying to understand who that is and what it is for one to be. This work focuses on the self, to understand and make easier to understand who that is.

Personally, I believe Thursday’s presentation went well. People seemed interested and entertained by the objects I presented and the notes they came with. There are a few things I’d change if I were to exhibit this or something similar in the future. In a future exhibit there would likely be less trust built between myself and those viewing my work, so I would need attendants to make sure no one was committing anything heinous towards the work, perhaps stealing pieces of it. Secondly, I would arrange a space for placing objects. With only the small space to work with people had difficulty moving objects around to get at what was underneath them. Adding a space for setting objects down to observe something else would allow for more mobility. Also, I would have to find a way to attach the notes to their intended objects as it would be more than likely otherwise that they would become separated. Lastly, I would make the hidden music slightly more noticeable. Most people interpreted the sheeted table as just that and nothing more, underneath however was a record player and records both disguised as briefcases. There was a note, but it was easily disregarded.

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Mapping Project Presentation Part 2

(After⬆️)

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Mapping Project Presentation Part 1

(before ⬆️)

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In Class Demo

Mapping Project

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Second Mapping Project Demo

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Mapping Project Demo

Creating a space that represents my own mind space for others to explore built from objects I own

This was a small initial demo done a few weeks ago.

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erinwalskiart-blog

Here is a video of our Body Extension project.

Our body extension project was on certain elements and themes from Joyce Kilmer’s poem Trees, and Alan Bigelow’s This is not a Poem. We were inspired by the line “only God can make a tree” and the themes of power and influence. Along with that, Alan Bigelow’s “destruction” of Kilmer’s poem influenced our interest in the idea of creating something and then destroying it. The broader inspiration for our piece is humanity and its relationship to the earth. Humans are influenced by some higher being or God-like force that push and pull them to do certain things. Humanity also takes a uses resources provided by the earth which they then use to create magnificent things. There is also the element of destruction that is brought upon by humans in return. While human creations can be positive and innovative, they can also ruin the earth that they have built on and that they have taken the resources from.

#methods #arms #body extension #video

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Here are some photos of all of our body extensions together in context. The first photo shows us in the context of our performance that can be seen in the video that we made.

Group Reflection:

Our body extension project was on certain elements and themes from Joyce Kilmer’s poem Trees, and Alan Bigelow’s This is not a Poem. We were inspired by the line “only God can make a tree” and the themes of power and influence. Along with that, Alan Bigelow’s “destruction” of Kilmer’s poem influenced our interest in the idea of creating something and then destroying it. The broader inspiration for our piece is humanity and its relationship to the Earth. Humans are influenced by some higher being or God-like force that push and pull them to do certain things. Humanity also takes and uses resources provided by the earth which they then use to create magnificent things. There is also the element of destruction that is brought upon by humans in return. While human creations can be positive and innovative, they can also ruin the earth that they have built on and that they have taken the resources from. (this will be on the video post)

In the performance, we each had a separate roll to play with our extensions. Riley was the container that stored the bricks. Hana was the foundation that the bricks were built upon. These two extensions juxtapose each other as they both carry the bricks, the resources, at some point. Erin was the hook, that grabbed people into the piece whereas Julian destroyed what people had built onto the “foundation”. When we presented our piece, we decided to do so with a video rather than having a live performance. Although our video was successful, us standing at the sides of the screen as our piece played created a sort of anti-climactic response. In retrospect, we could have performed the piece as our video was playing, setting a timer for the audience to complete their task in. Another thing that we could have done that didn’t involve the audience directly, was set up our performance as it was in the video and stood stoically in the positions similar to the first shot of the video. This would have given the audience a sense of physical space we presented in the video, as well as add another layer to the viewing experience.

Working on our project together started off pretty smoothly. We brainstormed in class about the general story of our piece by talking over the parts of the poems that resonated with us the most. Once we had the storyline and the functions that we wanted our extensions to serve, we began to design them individually. We all came up with different ideations of our chosen extension and built mini-models of them over spring break so that we could experiment with the construction and engineering. We were able to get together early on as a whole group for one day and work on making our extensions together. After that, it was difficult to find a time when everyone could meet up. This resulted in much of the building to be done individually. We took advantage of in-class work sessions to reconnect and see where everyone was at in the making stage. We also took this time to plan out the fine details of our presentation, like the specific actions we would do, the aesthetics of the video, and the audio.

#methods of inquiry #body extension #group #reflection

Body Extension, The Destroyer (Con Julian)

When we initially began our brainstorming, we returned to examining Trees and This is not a poem. What we settled on was the line “only God can make a tree”. Life is governed by the whims of that which we often cannot see and may never fully understand. We took to create symbolic extensions of the forces that act upon our world and with them build a narrative.

The Destroyer Arm is pretty simple in how to wear and how to utilize. Each half is somewhat smaller than the appendage its meant to hold, so it’s a bit snug and this way it won’t fall off. The left half contains the shell and the extendable arm. The left arm is inserted to stabilize its position and bear the weight. The right half contains what resembles a hammer. The bottom half is hollow and the right hand is meant to be inserted. It is attached at the top on the left side by a tube to the extendable arm. By pulling the right arm inserted in this half forwards and backwards, the extendable arm extends out from the shell. This can be utilized to inflict quick jabs at the brick structures created as seen in our video narrative.

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Body Extension, The Destroyer (Sin Julian)

When we initially began our brainstorming, we returned to examining Trees and This is not a poem. What we settled on was the line “only God can make a tree”. Life is governed by the whims of that which we often cannot see and may never fully understand. We took to create symbolic extensions of the forces that act upon our world and with them build a narrative.

I was tasked with destruction. The final design is meant to mimic the visual feel of the weapons humans have deigned to create. The extension does not include rounded edges, it is not soft. It is blunt and pointed. The left half of the extension is the destruction. It is the tool that undoes. It cannot act alone however. Without the right half, it is incomplete. It must be wielded and that is the job of the other half. It pulls the extension backwards and forwards from within the left half. This is another attempt to mimic our weaponry. It is meant to give a mechanical feel, as much of our destruction in this age is due to our machines and those who use them.

#bodyextension #Methods #destroyer #reflection