Self Image: Performance video

“Part of  Me”

 For the continuation of my project I chose to continue with my topic which is identity. The term identity emphasizes the qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterize a person. When I think of identity and being a women I think a major part of it revolves around one’s  appearance.A key part of our identity aligns with our hair. For many, Hair is apart of one’s culture and it even stems from the society and environment they grew up around. Our hair is an integral part of identity.

For my performance I show a two hour process in a 1 minute performance video. I wanted video performance correlate the same concept portrayed in the last assignment but with a different story line.  To execute the different storyline I chose to have someone else within the performance. In the performance video I am actively doing my friends hair. During the video viewers can see the expression on the volunteers face as she sits for those two hours as i do her hair. From her expression you can see that she is genuinely excited to se the overall look of her new style. Throughout the video Laila the volunteer is smiling. As she views the finished results of her hair she is overjoyed and excited of  outcome. Hair brings a positive body language and confidence, as she embraces her new look you can see the confidence and joy her new look brings.

I found that a large inspiration of my work depicted in the performance video stemmed from the photography of Mickalene Thomas. Many of her photos captures her loved one’s such as family, friends, and lovers. Her work ,“Racquel Leaned Back” (2013),  “Racquel #6” (2013/2015), and “La leçon d’amour” brings forward the identity, culture, and all in all beauty of colored women. The artist glamorizes the beauty and fashion of her focus point within the image by emphasizing and enhance the clothing and hair of the model by using bright and saturated colors, patterns and voguish hair.  A quote that I truly admired from the artist was “By selecting women of color, I am quite literally raising their visibility and inserting their presence into the conversation.By portraying real women with their own unique history, beauty and background, I’m working to diversify the representations of black women in art.” Another artist that inspired me to create my project about identity was  Ana Mendieta’s And her work “Imagen de Yagul” (Image from Yagul) from 1973. The artist states The making of my ‘Silueta’ in nature keeps the transition between my homeland and my new home,” she once said. “It is a way of reclaiming my roots and becoming one with nature. Although the culture in which I live is part of me, my roots and cultural identity are a result of my Cuban heritage.”

Quote

“These women are not metaphors, they are not waiting to be represented, rescued or destroyed. They are gloriously, catastrophically themselves, and we meet them on their own terms — as we so frequently meet each other — in stagy, embarrassing, endearing selfies launched into the world” Cindy Sherman 

Self Portrait Performance

https://youtu.be/ws7GNCMIu2c

My performance consists of my son and I. I decided to make a video of my son looking at what I do from his point of view. Little kids are like sponges- hearing, watching, and acting out everything they see others do. Children not only copy the good things, but they also copy the bad things. So with that being said, parents and guardians have to be careful on what they do and say around kids. In the video, I chose to do one little scene of my son watching me pick out a book in a library. He sees how interested I am in choosing a book that he wants to do the same and choose his own. The next clip switches to him picking a book out and showing me how he is just like me. Then the next scene is of myself cutting up fruit for him. He wants to do the same, but instead of actually using a real knife, he uses his kitchen toys to copy what I do in the kitchen. And the next scene is of myself, talking on the phone and arguing. He sees what I am doing and saying and does the same with his imagination and toys- acting out the anger. The music I chose corresponds with the scenes- happy music and children laughing in the first two scenes and barking sounds and children booing in the last scene. My scenes are not acted out perfect nor recorded perfectly. I wanted my video to be shown from my son's point of view- the true reality. My son and I talking, me smiling at my son at the activities I am doing, and his point of view not being perfect and not only looking at me; he is viewing the world around him and is not only focused on one thing such as in the first scene when he is looking at me then at the books. 

There are a couple themes that one can notice throughout this video. Identity, abuse, and a glimpse of patriarchy. Identity can be seen in this video from my son- he is still figuring out who he is and what he likes. He has to copy me in order to see if he likes something or not. It is not until I am doing something that he must be thinking, "Wow, let me see what is making my mom happy and maybe it will make me happy too." And to tie into this theme of identity with my son's is also my own. My identity changed in 2018 when my son was born. I went from being a teenager to a mother. My work was inspired by Carrie Mae Weem's, because of where I chose to film my video which is in my kitchen. In “How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making” by Megan O’Grady, it states, “… and a handful of Weems’s pictures are nearly definitive artistic representations of motherhood…”  In Carrie Mae Weem’s, the Kitchen Table Series, she shows a lot of roles that women have to take on at home, especially one being the role of motherhood. She is showing her daughter in these photos how to do things and what others expect of them. Not just in these series, but in her other artwork, most of it relates to motherhood. Her artistic representations of motherhood can also be seen in my version through my performance video. 

Another theme is abuse which can be seen in the last scene. Although the abuse was not directed to my child, my anger and arguing is affecting him and how he behaves. An artist that sticks with me is Ana Mendieta. In "Overlooked No More: Ana Mendieta, a Cuban Artist Who Pushed Boundaries" by Monica Castillo, it states, "Ana Mendieta's art was sometimes violent, often unapologetically feminist and usually raw." This shows just how much she tackled themes of violence and abuse in her work, and that is why I chose to do my last scene of me arguing on the phone and my son copying that anger when he is playing. Even though I am not as violent and graphic as she is in her work, I chose to still show how much indirect abuse can still hurt others. With my last theme, it ties in with patriarchy. In "Understanding Patriarchy" by bell hooks, it states, "I was taught that it was not proper for a female to be violent, that it was “unnatural.” My brother was taught hat his value would be determined by his will to do violence (albeit in appropriate settings). He was taught that for a boy, enjoying violence was a good thing (albeit in appropriate settings)." To me this ties in with my video because I want to show that women can still show anger like men do, even if it is "unnatural" and "improper". Men are supposed to be violent because it is "natural", but I wanted to show that it is not only women who show that kind of "violent" side. And then when it comes to my son, you can see how he was acting "angry" and "violent" and yet still took it as a "playful" thing- something that is supposed to be normal and natural for men. That is totally okay in a patriarchal society, but not the part where his mom is showing her angry side. I wanted to highlight that in my video as well.

Performance 1

 

"Sit still look pretty"

https://youtu.be/kwcD2VSaFHY

My performance is a form of self-evaluation, it is a performance of me styling my sister’s hair which is a part of her identity. Everyone has different forms of self-love and self-care and one that I and my sister share is how we treat and take care of ourselves together, or even on our own. Your hair can symbolize a new phase in your life a new beginning. The performance also shows my sister applying makeup to her face. Makeup is something that can change your appearance. It also helps express a person’s personality and creativity. An article about Cindy Sherman, says “Sherman reveals the eternal human impulse to transform the actual body into the desired image.” Me doing my sister's hair or her doing her makeup or even me doing my hair correlates with that action, it is allowing the person to fulfill an image of beauty. 

This performance is meaningful because women living in this society are always evaluated on how they look and made sure their look is up to their part. In society, if you have certain hairstyles or your hair is a certain way, or a certain texture society will have something to say about it. Society creates unrealistic images of beauty. Cindy Sherman changes her identity so many times in her work. She says, “Each character’s appearance is entirely artificial and, as such, provides no reliable clues to identity.” it is impossible to determine a character's identity from their appearance, as all appearances are entirely artificial. A female’s appearance out in the street is what will be her first appearance but that’s not who they are not. 

The performance I can say is “sit still and look pretty” because my sister is sitting down in front of a mirror and putting on makeup and I'm doing her hair. Women have this idea that they always must look perfect or look a certain way to be accepted in society’s eyes. But to me, the performance is about comfortability and dressing and looking how they would like to look.  In The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman, it states, “They are some of the first pure protagonists in Sherman’s work: These women are not metaphors, they are not waiting to be represented, rescued or destroyed.” Women don’t need someone to tell their story for them they can tell their own story. The song I choose in the background to play is “sit still, look pretty” by Daya because it perfectly describes what women are told to do. How they are supposed to act. 

The performance is more of a comfort many people would say that it is a materialistic lifestyle or just being focused on your looks or that you seem like that's all you care about, but it is about my own comfort. It is who I am as a person it is one of the things I care about. The performance is meaningful to me because this is who I am as a person this is who she is as a person. This is me. It relates to performance art because this is behind the scene of my everyday life behind the scene of what I have to do before I leave my house. It gives the outsider an inside view of my life. 

Yoko Ono: Sit down, look at yourself in the mirror, and give yourself a compliment. 

Performance Art 1

 

My performance art piece tells a story inspired by Yoko Ono. Yoko Ono's first performance art called Ono’s Cut Piece addresses sexual violence in public display and the protests against the war. She used art as an outlet to express her feelings and ideas by using her personal experiences. Ono’s Cut Piece is a demonstration where a woman sits alone, dressed in a suit with a pair of scissors. The audience would come on stage and cut a piece of clothing from the performer and take it with them. The performer allows the people to cut whatever they want—a form of totally giving not being forced to provide. Here Yoko Ono demonstrates the importance of consent and giving freely. The artist’s body is hers and hers alone, she does not belong to anyone but herself. 

My performance art is called Camera’s View, a performance involving my sister and myself. I have always liked collecting pictures of me and my family, and creating a collage. I have a section of a wall full of pictures that were taken years ago and recently. It confounds me comfort to look at these images and know their intentional story. I have about thirteen pictures neatly plastered on the wall above my nightstand. For my performance art, I recreated the scenes and moments captured by a camera. A camera can only show a glimpse of a moment, not the meaning behind the moment. Being able to show the moments captured through my performance art. A picture becomes a memory with the story behind the photograph. My sister and I like to take pictures of ourselves, each other, and other people. We have fun in these moments when we are just laughing and relaxed. We never stop taking pictures because we want to capture moments that we look back on and reflect on them. 

Art history is art created from ancient times to the present day. The art was studied and analyzed to find the meanings behind the paintings, sculptures, and architecture. Art history helps us learn about human history, culture, and experience. The present world must learn about the culture of past decades and centuries because it reflects on the changing culture and how times have changed, especially society’s values. Art shows the meaning of life and how it affects people’s lives. The world’s culture and societies are preserved through art.

Quote 1:“Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. For photographs are not, as is often assumed, a mechanical record.” People take photos of special moments in their lives to later reflect on those moments. Photos have ways to change our way we see the world. Historical people are not going to have the same perspective as present people do.

Quote 2: “By portraying real women with their own unique history, beauty and background, I’m working to diversify the representations of black women in art. Protraying women of all backgrounds and colors show people that there is beauty everywhere. Black women are not always represented as beautiful and elegant. This is why diversity and representation are so important for women of color.

Quote 3: “The global audience, all watching the same events, using the same broadcast television pictures and coming to a collective viewpoint on them, seemed to mark a new direction in world history.” Nowadays we all see photos, video’s of events, live tv through the same platform called social media. Even though we all see the same things we have different viewpoints on them and come up with different conclusions. Art is constantly changing. Art now would seem as controversial  decades ago. As new photos, paintings, and art come out to the world, people's minds change as the world progresses.

1. Go home, go sit on your bed, and walk all the way to your front door with your eyes closed.

2. Go to a store and ask a worker where are 10 items(of your choosing) and ask to show you. Put the 10 items in a cart and then tell that same worker that you changed you mind about buying anything. .

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HLRSw3TdDMQ

Performance

 

    The image or portrait is a free-hand sketch of aquatic animals (fish) in the sea.
After the sketch was completed, the drawing was framed in a picture frame which is
often referred to as a Cadre photo in French. The cadre photo is a decorative and
protective edging for a picture which may be a photograph or painting. The importance
of the photo frame cannot be underestimated because it makes displaying or
advertisement easier and safer. It also gives rise to home beautification because
hanging photos apart as well as ensures aesthetical value.

    A picture frame is a container that surrounds a picture. It is used to show and
protect objects and imagery including fabrics, paintings on canvas, prints, posters, and
photographs as well as to protect and enhance their visual appeal. Since wood frames
can be moulded into a wide variety of profiles and allow for a number of surface
treatments, they continue to be a very popular choice for picture frames. Aluminum,
bronze, Silver, and rigid polymers like polystyrene are examples of other materials.

    In the free hand sketch, the frame is a wood frame with the processing of framing
the pictures. From research or experience, photo frame may either be circular or grams.
Although round and oval picture frames are fairly uncommon, picture frames are
typically square or rectangular. Professional wood carvers or carpenters can hand carve
frames in more unique shapes, such as footballs, stars, or hearts (or possibly molded
out of wood pulp). Additionally, there are photo frames made to fit around corners. The
scoop, a depression in the frame that adds depth, is a well-liked design.

    Based on the tools or handmade devices obtained from the pictures, it could be
seen that many people may reuse frames because high-quality photo frames can be pricey. The paint or drawing is used to provide information about events or activities happening in the sea among the fish and how they respire.

Performance

 

Exile

    My Performance Piece is called "Exile". The socio-political issue I chose to address in my performance is the impact of societal limitations women are forced to adhere to due to patriarchy, the male gaze, and society's expectations of women to be submissive and obedient to what is currently viewed as appropriate for women. I was inspired by Cindy Sherman, because through her artwork, Cindy expressed herself as different characters, each unique and non conforming to society’s expectations of women. Society forces women to look and act a certain way, specifically in a way that pleases and conforms to the male gaze. For my performance, I decided to do a makeup look different to what most people would choose to wear. I did a black smokey eye look, very thin and high eyebrows, nude lips that matched my skin tone, bright blush placed only on the apples of my cheeks, and even a line drawn on certain areas surrounding my mouth. In The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman it states, ““I’m fixated on the thin eyebrow ... in a world of picture perfect perfection she’s given up. This is her subtle rebellion.” These are all photographs of subtle rebellions — the first being the demand, of women of a certain age, to be noticed, admired” (Sehgal 2018). I chose to do a unique makeup look because I hope to demonstrate that I will not allow society’s lack of approval stop me from expressing myself as I wish to. 

During my performance, I look into the mirror to see myself clearly prior to entering the world and facing society face-forward. As I am looking into the mirror, a person—representing society members who realize that I do not conform to their expectations of women—hand me a wipe and expect me to remove my makeup. I then push the wipe away and continue. In The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman it states, “These women are not metaphors, they are not waiting to be represented, rescued or destroyed. They are gloriously, catastrophically themselves, and we meet them on their own terms — as we so frequently meet each other — in stagy, embarrassing, endearing selfies launched into the world” (Sehgal 2018). During my performance I reject the makeup wipe given to me twice. Society continues to attempt to mold me into who they perceive I should be, but I reject society’s opinions and continue to do what I please as the protagonist of my own story. 

Lastly, once I am satisfied with what I see in the mirror, I head over to the stairs. Even as I am walking away, society follows me, demanding that I change the way I look so that I please their standards. In Ways of Seeing by John Berger, he states, “To be born a woman has to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men. The social presence of women has developed as a result of their ingenuity in living unger such tutelage within such a limited space” (pg. 46). As a woman of this society, I am expected to live within the boundaries set by society, specifically heterosexual males, so that I may please those same males. In my performance I continue walking until I reach the stairs, and then I turn around and face society with pride. Although I was attacked and followed by power structures like patriarchy, and told repeatedly that my means of expression is not appropriate for a woman of my age and in this society, I remained firm, and faced society the way I chose for them to see me. Even when I am standing on steps, publicly rebelling against society's limitations, I am still followed by the makeup wipe until the end. I named my performance "Exile" because I recognize that when society cannot control a woman's self-expression, their ultimate attempt is to exile her, so as to not allow her rebellion to inspire others to do the same. Like Yoko Ono's Cut Piece in 1964, I utilized my performance to analyze society's reactions. However, unlike Cut Piece where Yoko Ono sat still to see how far society would go if a woman does not intervene or defend herself, I fought against society to see how far society is still willing to go even when a women does attempt to defend herself and her right to self-expression.

Instruction Pieces:

Stand next to a window and yell a word or phrase as loudly as you can.

Buy a small bag of rice and make a small hole in it. Walk outside and see how many people stop you to tell you your rice is falling out of the bag. 

Performance

Black Lives Matter Performance

I decided to focus my performance on the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter developed into a very divisive topic in America. The globe has been and continues to be gripped by police violence. Numerous people have died as a result of police brutality. Because of the deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police, there have been riots and demonstrations across the nation. The most grandiose outcome of photography, according to Susan Sontag, is that it makes us feel as though we can hold the entire universe in our heads. In my performance, this quotation caught my attention. My audience will be able to observe through this visual art how accurately photographs and movies can capture the events that are now going place.  I aimed to convey a message to my audience through this performance that was tranquil and calm.

Susan states “the camera does indeed capture reality”. This statement describes the opening few seconds of my performance. I start off by bopping my head to the music and lifting my fist in appreciation for the first few seconds of my performance. I had never heard the song before creating this video, and I instantly fell in love with the sound. I recorded reality for the first several seconds of my performance. This mood is genuine. This is a genuine emotion. The song's lyrics had an effect on my soul. The camera was able to record a scene that has also been performed by others across the country. 

Having an impact on my audience is my primary objective for this performance. I would sincerely like to continue spreading the idea that Black Lives Matter. Every life matters. I made an effort to include praise dancing in my presentation. attempting to unite everyone and make them one. It entails placing oneself in a relationship with the world that feels like knowledge and, by extension, like power, according to Susan. I treasure these quotations greatly. My actions have influence. the capability of communicating with any audience. I always want my work to leave a lasting impression and send a message.

Frozen In Time (Performance)

     

                                                        https://youtu.be/cv2TgFkckGE

My performance is called Frozen in Time. Almost everyday I am tasked with doing a large amount of homework, quizzes and exams. This semester hasn’t been easy at all. But I have started off well. It is still time consuming and stressful. I am taking 18 credits this semester so I can graduate on time in the spring of 2023. It was a tall task but it is something I am committed to. In the video, I took inspiration from Carrie Mae Weems, Kitchen Table Series. I spend most of my days on this kitchen table and it is related to the Carrie Mae Weems’ series in that way. 

    During the video it shows a moment in time where I freeze. This symbolizes the fact that it feels as if time freezes when I am doing all of this work. It's everything I do and the work I put in it feels like nothing matters but that work that I am assigned. You see me going from my notepad to my assignment sheet, and then start typing to show that all things need to get done. Some may say this level of commitment could be toxic, and that could certainly be true but right now it's all or nothing. “ What we have come to call our own “image” - the interface of the way we think we look and the way others see us.” This is a great quote because it shows you never really know what is going on behind closed doors and in someone’s head. In my video, you might notice the noise in the background that represents the clutter in my head when working my assignments. 

I chose to put a telenovela on in the background for dramatic effect. “ The selfie depicts the drama of our own daily performance of ourselves in tension with our inner emotions that may or may not be expressed as we wish”. This quote perfectly describes what I was trying to go for in my Performance display. The inner emotions that someone is going through, the things that happen behind closed doors. We need to be more aware of what we say and how it could affect other people. “ The possibility of seeing an image of oneself was limited to the wealthy and the powerful”.  This is the image/performance of me being at work basically and my inner emotions of stress which is what I was going for. As far as the wealthy and powerful, we can be wealthy and powerful mentally not physically. With better mental health and accepting help from others and being around those you love.

Selfie: Week 4

 

Julianna Menjivar-Sanchez, Son Alone in Kitchen

Julianna Menjivar-Sanchez, Mother Alone in Kitchen

Julianna Menjivar-Sanchez, Son and Mother Together in Kitchen

In my series of images, I am going with the idea that my son is always watching what I am doing and interpreting it in his own way, which can be with his toys. "Monkey see, monkey do." is the saying I go by when I am around my son. I always have to be cautious with what I do because he is like a little sponge who will do everything that I do, sometimes without knowing that it can be bad. So for this series, I am doing something good that he can imitate. I choose to portray in my later video that children can also copy the bad even when we think they might not be looking or even remember what we did. I want to portray motherhood and how our children are our little sponges who catch everything. Two quotes that I can relate to my series from this week's readings is "Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak." and "It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but the words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it." by John Berger. The first quote is something that can relate to the saying, "Monkey see, monkey do." People look at things first and examine them, just like children do. This happens foremost before any words are spoken to describe what was seen and interpreted. Seeing is the most important thing, even when looking at artwork. Being able to see art is way different than hearing words that describe it. Art is supposed to be expressed with imagery or tangible things we can see to interpret it in our way. Just like with children, they have to see before they speak about things that might not have the same importance besides just viewing. In the second quote, it describes how important being able to see is because it establishes our place with where we are. Being able to explain things will never have the same importance as being able to see it ourselves than hearing about it through someone else. This can relate to my series because being able to see the reality of motherhood is better than hearing about it because some might not take it serious.

John Berger, Chapter 1 Quotes

"The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe." p. 8

"To look is an act of choice." p. 8

These two quotes talk about the importance of seeing/looking. The first quote talks about how what we see and how we interpret things is based on our own experiences or beliefs. This can relate to art, and how it can be subjective to many different people. And the second quote goes over how being able to look at something is something that we choose to do. If we look hard at something, we chose to do that and to be able to study it in our own way. Being able to look is a choice we make.

"A 24-Hour Love Letter to Performance Art" Quotes

"It totally changed the way I look at performance- it's about dedication, and never questioning the necessity of a genuine impulse."

"I'm within my comfort zone so long as I have agency over the poetics of that consumption."

These two quotes is about performance art. The first quote talks about how performance art changes the way people look and give meaning to things that is not just through a canvas or picture. The acts made in a performance give art a new meaning and new creativity to people to show genuine and heartfelt art. The second quote goes over how performance art is within the comfort zone of the artist- they choose how they want to express and show something to the audience. That poetic aspect is controlled by the artist.

Khan Academy Performance Art Quotes

"It often forces us to think about issues in a way that can be disturbing and uncomfortable, but it can also make us laugh by calling attention to the absurdities in life and the idiosyncrasies of human behavior."

"Shifting attention from the art object to the artist's action further suggested that art existed in real space and real time."

These two quotes goes over the the message being conveyed by performance artists. The first quote talks about how performance art can sometimes be uncomfortable for both the artists and audiences, but it calls attention to the audience eyes and minds to think deeper and understand what is trying to be told through the theme. The second quote goes over how art can also be an artist's action than rather only being an object. Art exists in any shape or form and any message can be taken from it by others. 

Gallery Response Essay 1

Julianna Menjivar-Sanchez, Play, Read, Coughs

 

Ashley Lyon, Wellspring

Ashley Lyon, Mother and Child

Two artworks that I found compelling in the exhibition of Extraordinary Still Life is the work done by Ashley Lyon, Mother and Child and Wellspring. I liked both of her artworks, especially when she was talking about it at the exhibition. I felt like I could relate to both of her still life art works. In the Ashley Lyon’s work, Wellspring, she talks about she remade her grandmother’s quilt which was an heirloom. It was a sentimental artwork that she did which she made from clay. Her work looks so real, based on the paint she used as well, which absorbs light. This artwork relates to our class theme of identity because it was Ashley’s art that relates to her family. Her grandmother’s quilt resembles a maternal lineage within her family because she talked about how knitting was something they had to learn and do. In her second artwork, Mother and Child, I found this art piece to be my favorite out of the whole exhibition. Maybe because I am a mother and I can relate to her explanation of this art piece, I found it the most interesting. Ashley made this piece as well from clay. She mentioned that she had just found something to imitate, and it happened to be a rope because she was experimenting with clay. She had not thought of it relating back to her relationship with her child. But towards the end, she did because she said it can tie back into how a rope can show the relationship between motherhood. I took it as motherhood not being a perfect line, but instead an adventure going up and down, and even through. This piece relates to the identity of motherhood and one that I can relate to because I feel as my motherhood journey has had many ups and downs, but something that I am learning from. And especially knowing that I will never have a “perfect line” because no journey of motherhood is ever like that.

The selfie I chose to display is things that relate to my son and I. I chose to put the things he plays with the most and uses on top of something that I do with him, such as the cutting board in my kitchen. The things displayed are his food toys, car toys, pencils, a book, a fake plastic knife, and his medicine. We had both of our things in this picture. Things that he also imitates me on, such as cutting food with his fake food and knife and reading and writing. I chose the quote, “Photographs furnish evidence.” by Susan Sontag because this photograph shows the evidence of my motherhood. The good and hard times- playing and dealing with times when he’s sick. Another quote is “The desire to create images has never not felt powerful, something Weems understood from the first time she held her own camera.” from “How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making” by Megan O’Grady. I like this quote and can relate it to my work because ever since taking this class, I realize how much I have felt powerful in my own identity. The identity I choose to highlight most in this class is being a mother and I feel like with taking these selfies, my power to share these pictures that are not always the best side of me, is something I look forward to. This ties in with my next quote, “… and a handful of Weems’s pictures are nearly definitive artistic representations of motherhood…” from “How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making” by Megan O’Grady. In Carrie Mae Weem’s, the Kitchen Table Series, she shows a lot of roles that women have to take on at home, especially one being the role of motherhood. She is showing her daughter in these photos how to do things and what others expect of them. Not just in these series, but in her other artwork, most of it relates to motherhood. Her artistic representations of motherhood can also be seen in my version through my still life photograph. Even though you do not see myself or my son, you see the key elements that is used in every day life of mother and child- reading, writing, playing, eating, and being taken care of with sickness. The last quote I would like to use is, “…but with still photographs the image is also an object, lightweight, cheap to produce, easy to carry about, accumulate, store.” by Susan Sontag. This quote relates to my photograph because although we went as a class to an exhibition to view art pieces by various artists that is still life, even photographs can portray that same feeling and meaning even if it is not physical. But yet somehow, although we cannot touch the things in the photograph, we can touch the photo and store it wherever we like. We can feel emotions that we see through the photo that we can do when touching things physically. Such as with Ashley Lyon’s art pieces that are an actual object that we can touch, we can also photograph it and get the same meaning and feeling as seeing it in person. And although there is a difference between my work and hers, the photographs still do both pieces justice to get the point across of what we deem important and how it relates to our identity.

Week 4 Selfie

 

These series of photos displays the growth throughout a period of time between me and my cousin, how we grew together alongside each other. I have watch her develop into an amazing and smart little girl. It's a story of the bond we have with each other.  

“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.” This quote reminds me of the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” A photograph is much like that saying because a simple photograph can reflect so many meanings and emotions. A photograph can trigger memories either sad or happy. Words are merely statements and do not have as much of an effect on a person's mental state like photos do. 

“Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. For photographs are not, as is often assumed, a mechanical record.” People take photos of special moments in their lives to later reflect on those moments. Photos have ways to change our way we see the world. Historical people are not going to have the same perspective as present people do. 

“I just think that (in my practice at least) the reality of Black existence needs more space right now than the imaginary.” Black artists aspire people to be able to see their work. They do not want their work tucked away. They want the representation that their works hold to not only live in their minds but to live in others as well. 

“He makes sculptures and paintings that are so spatially and atmospherically meticulous theat they instantly bring the viewer into their senses.” When a painting or sculpture has such a powerful meaning that touches people emotionally it influences many aspects of life. A powerful piece of art can change people’s life in the way they take actions. Different types of art help people process their emotions. 

Week 4 Selfie

 

A 24-hour Love Letter to Performance Art

Selected Quote

"By Hour 22, that state had finally set in. The pain totally disintegrated, and I think I experienced, for the first time, true inner silence. From there, I started to dance, which took me totally by surprise because I don't even remember deciding to do so. All at once, my subconscious had full reign over my motor cortex and everything became involuntary; it just came forth. I watched the footage two weeks later and I felt like I was reading my own DNA sequence, I don't know how else to describe it."

 

""Oysterknife" was also heavily inspired by the Vodou rituals I witnessed on my last trip to Haiti around Fet Gede."

Response

Both statements were words or speeches of the performance art artist. Both quotes validate what performance art means and how it is different from theatre art. It could be seen that all the performances were real, and the artist's performance was beyond its own strength and imagination. The second quote used the Vodou rituals to illustrate what performance art means. The vodou worshipper's performance is real and similar to performance art. 

Khan Academy Performance Art An Introduction

"Performance art differs from traditional theater in its rejection of a clear narrative, use of random or chance-based structures, and direct appeal to the audience."

Quote from the video, "performance is real and performer do it with his own idea, but theater is not real"

Response

Both quotes try to explain the meaning of performance art and how it differs from theater acts. The article and video provided in this section clearly explain everything. Performance art simply means the real demonstration of an idea or art, while theater is friction, other people's ideas and can be repeated.

Week 4 Selfie

 

War Against Society

Berger Ways of Seeing

Quote #1

The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight. 

Response #1

This quote stood out to me because it reminds me that human's knowledge is overpowered by human's sight. We may have knowledge of something, or believe that something is reasonable, but our sight is what truly dictates what we believe. 

Quote #2

"Yet this seeing which comes before words, and can never be quite covered by them, is not a question of mechanically reacting to stimuli. We only see what we look at.

Response #2

Human's sight comes before their words. Humans interact by seeing their surroundings and one another before thinking of words to communicate. Prior to using words to describe or to speak, humans see and believe according to their sight. This sight dictates their entire belief system and the way they interact with others.

A 24-Hour Love Letter to Performance Art

Quote #1

"Up until then, though, I’d always been extremely meticulous about how that deterioration was aestheticized through the use of makeup, contact lenses and scenography. This was my first time making an artwork without the visual veneer acting as a barrier between the audience and my body."

Response #1

Miles Greenberg explains that in his previous performances, he has always covered up his face an skin color, whereas now, he is performing without any of it. He states that in committing the makeup and mask, he is removing the. barrier between the audience and his real, previously hidden, body.

Quote #2

"I just think that (in my practice at least) the reality of Black existence needs more space right now than the imaginary."

Response #2

I think that Greenberg, when saying this quote, is telling the audience that the time has come for African Americans to be represented in art, not just as an imagination or acknowledgement of their existence, but through performances like his. 

Khan Academy Performance Art An Introduction

   

Quote #1

"Historically, performance art has been a medium that challenges and violates borders between disciplines and genders, between private and public, and between everyday life and art, and that follows no rules."

Response #1

Performance is an art where, in the past years, many people participated to express themselves. During these performances, people are able to see the story the performer wishes to convey, rather than their gender and the color of their skin.

Quote #2

"In the politicized environment of the 1960s, many artists employed performance to address emerging social concerns.  For feminist artists in particular, using their body in live performance proved effective in challenging historical representations of women, made mostly by male artists for male patrons."

Response #2

Through performances, many people addressed social concern pertinent to society during that specific time. In the 1960s, artists began to use their performance to change the way women are dictated. Prior to these performances, most depictions of women in art are created by males specifically for the male gaze. Now, women are able to control the narrative and change the way others view women through their art.

Week 4 selfie

 

Guillermo Argueta "Flick" 2022

Guillermo Argueta "Capture"

Guillermo Argueta "Balance" 2022

Ways of Seeing

(Q) the relation between what we see and what we know is never settled

(R) when looking at anything for the first time you may notice what stands out and what it means. Hope everyone looking at it again you possibly see a different view or possibly a different image. Almost like an illusion

(Q) The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe

(R) This can relate to when meeting a person for the first time. For example, one may judge based off appearance or how they act but you maybe become friends. However, others may not become friends with that person since they have other beliefs of that person.

24hr Love Letter Quotes

(Q)This is real physical pain — it always is — but this time, that pain isn’t wrapped up in metaphor, or delivered to you as a poem; it is a specimen.

(R) Physical pain being displayed by the actual physical part rather than internal pain one may feel.

(Q)Each vast room contained only a handful of works, allowing each one its own little universe

(R) This is probably the most amazing thing about art. When one art piece pertains to one universe. Thus, allowing other art pieces to stand out and have its own purpose.

Khan Academy Quotes

(Q)at its worst, performance art can seem gratuitous, boring or just plain weird. 

(Q) at its best, it taps into our most basic shared instincts:  our physical and psychological needs for food, shelter, sex, and human interaction; our individual fears and self-consciousness; our concerns about life, the future, and the world we live in