4D

[kayaschaap]

project 4: tic attack

artist statement

So, I have Tourette Syndrome, and multiple occasions I've been told by friends, an art professor or two, and my sister that I should do a video and/or art based on my tics. However, I have always disliked being in videos or taking photos because they almost always capture a tic or two and I hate the way they look. I avoided the idea of filming. my tics for a while because it felt weird and a bit personal, but I continued coming back to the idea and decided to go for it.

I placed myself in a white "box" that I created and dressed in black. I intended for the lighting to be more direct and shine mostly on my face, but I struggled to achieve this with the supplies I had at home. The goal of the white box, black clothes, and lighting was to capture how it feels for me to tic in public. Most of the time people hardly notice, but it feels like everyone saw or heard it. Now, I know about the spotlight effect where we have a tendency to overestimate how much other people notice about us, but tics take that awareness to the next level for me. As my tic disorder from elementary school developed into Tourettes my freshman year of college, I began to cope through humor (healthy humor!). It's made life with unintentional stretching and shaking, occasional cussing and random sounds much easier. Additionally, it always feels like a bit of a taboo subject for others to talk with me about, and I want to break that barrier. So in my performance piece, my goal was to not suppress my tics, and also not laugh at the bigger ones like I normally do (I slipped up a few times, but that's alright). I filmed myself for about 5 minutes, and then cut the video down to the "best" segments of my tics. (however, the video is sped up to get close to the 1 minute mark)

Although I only have a few at the moment that you can see in the video, I have a whole array of tics that aren't displayed here. In my attempt to become more comfortable with my tics and normalize talking about it, I'd like to share a few with you!

I used to click my tongue with my mouth closed

sometimes I pound my phone screen kind of hard with my fingers while I type

for a while there my right hand would shake like I was doing jazz hands

my vocal tics tend to circulate around words with the sounds "st" or "t" (hence the words in the video shit and just)

luckily, for the time being, my tics aren't hindering my day to day life, but I have one or two that makes eating very difficult

oftentimes, I'll copy a word or phrase that someone says to me after they say it (this one makes my sister mad lol)

The tics in my video include:

I'll clench my stomach a few times in a row

touching the tip of my nose

a weird throat sound?? (i hate this one!)

some words

stretching my neck

and blinking weird

Thanks for reading this far and watching my tic attack video :)

[cterrel3-deactivated20221224]

Performance Art: Echo

photography, soundtrack

Artist Statement

[sydsspace]

Artist statement:

I decided to paint the mountains from the courtyard of my apartment building. I let my friends choose the colors from the 10 I had. The idea behind this was that even though I was the one painting it felt like everyone’s art. I didn’t think one minute of this showed enough of the process so I sped it up in order to show the multiple friends come and go throughout the day. Our courtyard faces the mountains during sunset and I’ve always wanted to commemorate all of the days spent watching the sunsets from our courtyard together. We collectively decided on colors and mountains and spent the day appreciating the mountains and brainstorming this piece. Will definitely be doing something like this again.

[sarahdworth]

Both the video and the final piece are mesmerizing.  Great work!

[brandan-forman]

Unfortunately, I didn't have the right environment or the time to record my piece. However, the concept for my piece was based on my disliking of labels that society puts on people. In my own opinion, we don't have to be identified or defined by certain things based on different groups of people that we are associated with. It seems like our society makes it so that we have to act differently depending on the group of people that we are with at any given moment. To demonstrate how frustrating, unsure, and anxiety evoking this can be, I covered myself in labels to weigh me down and make things uncomfortable and difficult for me to do things. If I were to do this performance/experiment piece I would have gone out in public with a sharpie, tape, and paper for people to have other people put a label to who I am. The lesson of my piece is that we as people should be seen for who we are, not just defined by one characteristic amongst certain groups of people. We should be able to be who we are amongst all groups of people that we reside with.

[sarahdworth]

It is interesting to think about the labels we use for ourselves and each other and how difficult is often is to escape those labels.

[jocelynnef]

Project 4: One Minute Performance

*I recommend watching this with headphones, so you can hear the white noise, as well.

Forced to Look

Everyone has heard the phrase, “Eyes are the window to the soul.” Therefore in this piece, I wanted the focus of the performance to be on the eyes as if we were staring at each other for one minute straight. Staring often makes one uncomfortable like you’re being judged in some way or another. However, looking into someone’s eyes can tell you a lot about them like the quote above mentions.

The performance itself was uncomfortable for me, but I wanted to try to do something I’ve never done before and that would be interesting. Either way, both artist and viewer participant in the performance and face discomfort through the continuous staring.

[lil-lilyana]

Project 4 Failure

[sarahdworth]

I love this. It is unexpected and fun.

[eliasrex]

One dose of testosterone takes two needles to administer: one large needle to draw the thick carrying oil from its vial and one thin needle for the actual injection. For this demonstration, I removed needles from my sharps container two at a time and drew a tally mark on myself for each pair, representing one dose or one week of medication per mark.

Sharps containers are designed not to have anything retrieved from within, with edges that catch painfully on withdrawing hands if the whole appendage reaches in. By taking this unintended action for each mark, I sought to represent the burden of performance on transgender individuals: society demands lifelong medication and surgical procedures to grant people a sliver of legitimacy, and those without the means or desire to medically “transition” face scorn or disbelief.

The parts of me visible in frame are arms demonstrating action and racking up tally marks, a bound chest, and shoulder acne. For all its typical undesirability, the acne is one of my preferred traits, as shoulder acne was the first sign that my medication was doing anything over the span of several doses. By contrast, I am medically unqualified for a chest masculinization surgery at present, so the archetypical transmasculine trait of a binder both represents a conformity to the expectations of young trans men and my inability to be fully accepted.

A minute was not nearly enough to extract and count all my used needles, but I sought to demonstrate this weighing of “good trans person” points in that time. Unfair expectations are placed on people who do not bind, tuck, undergo voice training, get expensive surgeries, or lose weight to transition; people can forgo these due medical reasons, financial limitations, safety concerns, closeting, comfort, or any number of other reasons, and doing so does not make them any less transgender.

[seemooreart]

Powerful. Thank you for sharing. 

[sarahdworth]

I agree. This is really powerful.

[bookitty100]

4d performance project Artist Statement 

I choose to do my own take on The Artist is Present

After watching the documentary I thought it was such a powerful piece I want to recreate and experience something similar using  animals in a natural but slightly surreal environment.

I wanted the piece to obviously have some humor to it, but still show some connection 

to the characters .

It definitely was fun and I loved the process of getting the whole thing together. 

Even though I work in film and commercials I still enjoy putting together all the moving parts of a project.. 

[sarahdworth]

THE ART OF DOING NOTHING

Performance art makes me uncomfortable.  I understand that creating discomfort is often part of the purpose of a performance art piece; the artist challenges the viewer to examine the source of their discomfort surrounding an idea or issue.  For me, the source of my discomfort is not necessarily with the issue being addressed.  Rather, it is with the performance itself.  I personally dislike being the center of attention and I dislike causing conflict for other people.  When watching (or even reading about) performance art, I tend to imagine myself in the place of the artist.  Just the idea of my being the center of attention while deliberately trying create conflict for the viewer is generates a lot of anxiety for me.

Needless to say, I approached this assignment warily.  While I could generate several different ideas, I really didn’t want to do anything.  Ultimately, I chose not to do anything at all other than simply confront my own aversion to being the center of attention.  I set up a camera so that I could see myself and sat for a full hour as the camera took a time-lapse video of me watching myself.  I did not enjoy it.  I fidgeted a lot and my expression was often somewhat pained.

I don’t think this exercise changed my discomfort regarding performance art.  Watching other people’s videos will likely be an uncomfortable experience for me.  However, I did appreciate taking the time to really understand what it is that I have never enjoyed about performance art.  Perhaps by understanding what I don’t enjoy will allow me to ultimately get past it and come to appreciate performance art more.

[sarahdworth]

Verb List

*To Pour

*To Rip

*To Arrange

To Stack

To Fold

To Wash

To Howl

To Smash

To Cut

To Cover

To Throw

To Eat

To Kick

To Bite

To Wait

To Scatter

To Flick

To Stomp

To Fidget

To Sit

[sarahdworth]

To Arrange

[sarahdworth]

To Arrange

[sarahdworth]

To Rip

[sarahdworth]

To Pour

[sarahdworth]

Performance Art - Reading Response

In, “Performance: A Hidden History,” RoseLee Goldberg describes the importance of the interaction between the audience and performer within the context of performance art.  Goldberg writes about how performance art often serves to challenge the viewers’ perception of the nature and limits of art.  Goldberg argues that performance artists view art as, “primarily a matter of ideas and actions” rather than simply the production of art objects.

This view of performance art as a challenge to the nature and limits of art and the examination of ideas is evident in Coco Fusco’s article, “The Other History of Intercultural Performance.”  The article introduces the long and ugly history of putting Other people on display.  It then goes on to describe how the author and fellow artist Guillermo Gomez-Penia examined the intersections of race, ethnicity, Colonialism, exploitation and the pull of voyeurism that occurred when they put themselves on display in several cities across the world.  Fusco’s account of being on display and of viewers’ reactions to the artists was uncomfortable to read.  Viewers’ reactions to the performance ranged from pity and anxiety to outward aggression and sexually charged behaviors.  

As both a challenge to the nature and limits of art and as an examination of ideas, the performance was a success.  However, the account was so distasteful to me that it was hard to be pleased by that success.  As someone who personally dislikes conflict, this type of performance art is hard for me to wrap my head around.  I cannot understand the impulse to put oneself on display in a cage, regardless of the importance of the ideas that the performance seeks to highlight.

[jocelynnef]

Project 3: One Minute Supercut

Expecto Patronum ✨

For my Supercut, I decided to use clips from my favorite movie franchise, Harry Potter. For the repeated theme within each clip, I chose the phrase or spell, Expecto Patronum, and I only used clips of Harry Potter using the spell. Surprisingly, I only found that he used that spell around five times throughout the films. I chose this specific spell because I thought that it was beautiful and heartfelt. The spell translates to ‘I expect (or await) a guardian’ and is used against Dementors, dark creatures that feed on human happiness. The spell is a projection of positive feelings and happy memories, and I wanted to gather every moment that Harry had to use it.

Works Cited:

https://youtu.be/RezjC4jdbTU

https://youtu.be/YznIACku9CQ

https://youtu.be/-SNgEEVuS-8

https://youtu.be/HNBebISQ5yE

[seemooreart]

Nice!

[ellianar]

Fiona's Breakdowns (Shameless)

4D 1 Minute Supercut ProjectWorks Cited:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJipbGT8zUkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjjqpVmCLtQ

Project 3: 1 Minute Supercut “Fiona’s Breakdowns”

When it comes to things like television and movies I hardly find myself getting wrapped up in the emotions being portrayed by the characters. I may feel stress because of unresolved conflicts or the excitement of being on the edge of my seat at the climax of a storyline, but truly feeling the struggle and desperation of a character is not a feeling I’m familiar with.

When it comes to Shameless, however, the feelings and scenarios portrayed by Fiona Gallagher are all too real to me, and is one of the few characters that I cry with. Her struggle to keep everything together while she’s actively falling apart is a feeling that cuts deep for me and for many others, so for this project I wanted to display just some of the moments I really resonated with her in this way. Her strength and perseverance despite all the odds stacked against her (for those unfamiliar, raising all 5 of her siblings because of her absent, mentally ill, and addicted parents) are traits that inspire me, even if the story is fictional.