Eco Art

In the same building, right next to Domino's, there's a door. I've never seen people walking in and out. So i was wondering what's in there. I opened the door carefully... It's a tunnel with white wall and blue floor.  On my right hand side there were a washer and dryer with detergents on them, as well as other cleaning utensils on the side.  Keep walking, I saw stacks of boxes with Domino's label on them. Turning left, there are two more doors. I was trying to walk in but they are lock. So i knocked on the first one. The door opened. 

Chloe Bass's work in Stanier gallery has completely shaped and changed my ideas for this new project. Through her interactive approach and inviting the viewer into so many of her collections, I have decided to try this out myself. As all of you will see Tuesday, I have taken her work and what Professor Tamir said and will try to invoke more feeling and sense of "being there" for my Alien Walk piece. I hope with these two inspirations, that everyone will get a sense of what Blue Phoenix is, and feel like you are there, even though will be in the depths of Lenfest instead.

After class Thursday, I emailed Mr. Simpson for him to help me with our projects. Friday morning, I entered the woodshop not totally knowing what I wanted. After pitching back and forth ideas, Mr. Simpson and I came up with ways to show my piece with two blocks of wood. With his help, I sawed and sanded two 9x9 pieces of wood, and nailed them to the walls. With this new addition, I feel like I have been able to gain a better grasp of what I want to show the class for Tuesday's critique.

In this exploration of place, I have come to realize how much coffee is the essence of Coop. It is one of the most commonly ordered items on the menu. The smell permeates the space (and now my room). The sound of the coffee machine is the soundtrack underneath the conversation and laughter.  When approaching this in progress critique, I struggled with how to bring that essence into the piece. A simple cup of coffee did not have the same effect, it was not overwhelming. Inspiration from my third visit inspired me to use the drink in a different way. I spent my weekend painting with coffee. I used a variety of "canvases" to see how the textures affected the way the "paint" dried. I used napkins, paper and cardstock. The varying degrees of thickness determined how quickly the material soaked up the liquid and the patterns it dried in. In addition to staining the surface, the coffee left behind the faint scent of Coop. 

I’ve been doing some thinking over the weekend (and even though these are published back to back in a hurry, these were thought processes over several days), and I’m torn between two ideas on video organization. One on hand, I really like the idea of having some type of spoken word (not in the poetry sense) in the background while the clips are playing, but I also really like the idea of having nothing, just silence. I would like the spoken word to have something to do with the interaction between human activity and its environment (of course, human beings are a part of nature, but we have this contemporary idea of being above it, greater than it in a way). I asked my friend and second grandma Alexia (with whom I worked with at a local forest Brushy Hills, picking out invasive plants) if she wouldn’t mind being interviewed about this subject, with her audio being edited, cut, and placed over the clips. And while she was really excited about the prospect of being interviewed, she wasn’...

After Thursday’s Almost Presentations, I realized that I (and I probably wasn’t the only one) had some more work to do before our first critique. Mainly, I wanted to reconstruct my generalized map of Wood’s Creek and to better organize and structure my set of videos taken along the trail. For my map, I wanted to keep the idea of identifying the locations of the videos (by the way, by videos I only mean about 10-15 second clips) through numbers on the map, but in general just making the entire map larger and cleaner to make it more visible. And as far as video organization, I was thinking of placing them in chronological order, with brief number introductions before them. However, I’m still wondering about what to do about audio wit it… More thoughts to come!

Given more time on the project, I'm deciding to integrate another component for the fifth sense, touch. What always struck me the most as I sat in Commons living room was the warmth of the fire and its ability to draw people in like moths to the flame. In order to translate the warmth, I'm going to use an electric blanket, which heats up when plugged into an outlet, to bring the heat to the presentation without using an open flame. To present it, I hope to be able to use a coat hanger, wrap the blanket around it, nail the coat hanger into the wall, and have viewers stand within the warmth of the blanket by wrapping it around themselves. In this way, my map of the space will become more interactive. I will also re-do the map designs I had already and try to make everything symmetric based on the dimensions of the room. Printing out individual photos in the right proportion is my biggest concern. Hopefully, the presentation will be nicer with the map cut into the shape of the ro...

I've visited the cemetery twice more since I last posted. The first visit consisted of me viewing the area in motion, mapping the landscape as I walked and explored as well as keeping track of my own movements while I investigated. I ended up finding a hollowed out bush next to one of the paths, with the graves of children within. It was a peaceful, magical, and profoundly sad place, and I found myself circling it and drawing it, trying to figure out how it was made. There were few other landmarks to note, as I am intentionally avoiding including the physical graves in my map. Cemeteries by very nature are created for the living, so that we may mourn and find a sense of peace with death. The dead do not care where they are housed, and as such I am choosing not to document the locations of the graves, as my interest lies with the living and the present. I ended up making a sketchy map of every path in the graveyard, connecting and twisting as I saw them in my mind while I walked. T...

Has anyone heard of Christopher Marley? I read/listened to this piece on him a couple weeks ago: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/15/576566280/oregon-artist-turns-dead-creatures-into-beautiful-compositions Is this eco-art or just fancy taxidermy?

Along my section of Woods Creek Trail, I definitely notice a mix of natural and manmade sounds. The unceasing background drone of the moving creek water is punctuated by cars crossing the West Nelson Street bridge, and recently, the addition of road construction. Capturing my authentic experience with the sound is a challenge. Recorders pick up a lot of white noise when I try to capture the mixture of both types of sound. Yet isolating the sounds doesn't  accurately represent the real levels and mixture of sounds that is experienced in this place. I may prefer the sound of the rolling creek to that of the heavy machinery on the road above, but at this period in time, the sounds intrinsic to the place are not alone; they cannot escape the sounds extrinsic to this place that invade the place nonetheless.

After our class trip on Tuesday, I have been thinking a lot about meditation and how I can incorporate it into my life. I am a perfectionist and pride myself on efficiency. This often comes into conflict when I am making art as the artistic process does not always turn out the way you expected. It also makes it hard to sit in one place for long without a task to complete. Each time I visited my Alien Walk site, I had to constantly remind myself to stay present in the moment and focus on the things happening in the space. It was challenging to be in one place for an hour and not think about the other assignments I needed to work on. In order to keep my attention on the space, I tried stream of conscious writing and doodling in my sketchbook. Today I completed day two of morning mediations. I can already see how this will be a challenging daily exercise for me. It actually frustrates me that I feel as though I cannot spare ten minutes to sit in silence and reflection. My hope is that...

I have chosen the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery as the location for my Alien Walk project. Though I say "I have chosen", as if I had an active part in the choosing, the opposite was really true. I began walking into town, casually wandering to find an area that called to me, and my feet simply took me there with little deciding from my mind. Perhaps this is because it is the place in town I know best, as the only place off of Washington Street I consistently and actively chose to visit throughout my years on campus. Many summer nights were spent stargazing with friends among the graves; I've never feared the area. That being said, upon arrival I realized how little I actually knew about the true atmosphere of the area, the feeling of quietly sitting alone during the day, how many people visited and why they came. As such, my first experiment involved sitting on a bench next to the Stonewall Jackson Memorial statue and simply watching and recording. This was mostly ...

Tonight I tried to use the library’s GoPro but it was blurry (I think due to something on the lens). I then took videos for sound until it began to snow and it was too cold to hold a camera.  I challenged myself to watch the movement on the field, but not follow the ball. It’s different seeing what’s going on around the ball, especially having been a goalie whose job is to always watching the ball.  I decided to sit behind others on the sideline so that the motion of those on the field was split up. It was easier to think of this view as just movement, not a whole game of lacrosse. While I am seeing from a whole new perspective being a spectator, not a player, these two activities separated me further from the game, allowing me to see from other perspectives.  

(This was written Tuesday, but the post failed) Its the first official day of the season. Excitement and gitters fill the mood. After months of hard work and preparation, the beginning is finally here. With the beginning, comes the first run test.  There is an extra smell of sweat and hardwork. Extra words of encouragement and cheering fill the air. Additional sounds of the jump rope hitting the gravel of the parking lot behind me and coach calling out the timing for the interval test. Breaths are much deeper today and the huffing and puffing is like a low mumble underneath all of the other noise.  It is much more intense, almost darker than last thursday when they practiced running the interval test.  After everyone passing the run test last night (Monday), there is a feeling of relief and excitement while the next run test still looms ahead tomorrow (Wednesday). Movement up and down the field is in all different directions and all different speeds no...

I've been thinking about my place in my place ; that is, how my pre-existing connection to the Woods Creek Trail influences the way that I observe it and form ideas about materials or images to collect. While I am treating my observations as an "alien walk," Woods Creek and its trail attract people; people become part of the landscape. One thought that crossed my mind was that I could somehow collect the dirt prints from my shoes after a trip down to my section of the trail. For many students and other community members, I reckon, a trip down to the trail, whether for a walk, run, or science class, may be the only dirty steps in "nature" that they take that day. But because of my position in this project as an outsider to this scene, would collecting a remnant of my personal experience with the place be blurring the observer vs. outsider line, even if I represent some of the other characters who pass through?

At this time of year, Woods Creek is usually in an in-between state: not quite frozen, but not running completely freely. A few weeks before I took this photo, when Lexington and much of the country was experiencing the "bomb cyclone" cold front, Woods Creek looked far more icy and frozen thick than in the above photo, taken last Thursday. Still, parts of the creek were visibly moving. Even though the ice now appears to be just a thin film in places, I still think that the patchwork of moving and unmoving water along the creek is beautiful. The creek isn't running in full, and yet the steady movement of water creates unceasing, peaceful background noise. I wonder how much more amplified that sound of movement would be if not for the ice. While I've previously enjoyed the trail during the spring and summer, my lack of intense observation at the time means that I can't remember a starkly different sound, even though I'm sure the noises were distinct. I'm ...

On my home from Pronto this morning, I decided to take a detour and sit outside of Blue Phoenix. The weather was crisp, but I wanted to get an experience of the cafe from outside. The cars were slow moving this morning, as were the customers. Like the afternoons, the cafe is closed on Sundays, but the marketplace is open. With each new customer, the chime of the door resonated, as each new eager customer came in and out, smiling walking out, content after their new purchase, and smiling walking in, excited to get their goods. When you sit outside, you see everyone that you might not see sitting in a corner inside. You see the students, parents, and grandparents walking in and out. You also see those that pass by, that peer into the store, or slow down, deciding whether or not to enter in the store. If you listen carefully enough, you can hear the light chattering inside and the soft music playing. The place is enchanting and inviting.

Friday afternoon, I sat at Blue Phoenix in the afternoon by myself. The cafe was closed, but the market was still open. Arriving at around 3:30, I was surprised to be the only person sitting down. I could count the number of people on one hand who walked in. I watched eagerly as my professor from last semester came in to buy a bagel and two chocolate croissants. As I sat and snacked on my dark chocolate coconut treats, I couldn't help but notice the tranquil atmosphere throughout the store. The owners, husband and wife, who I did not realize were married until Friday, chatted eagerly about the store as well as loyal customers, making sure they had come in and received what they needed. The ambiance was warm, and the air was filled with sounds of alternative folk music, the washing of dishes and pans, and cars whooshing past the window. I am eager to sit this week, at different hours of the day, the feeling and energy throughout the marketplace.

After sitting in Coop a couple of times, I tried to think of ways I could experience the place in a new way. Luckily, the space allows for students to sit above Coop. An opening in the floor permits one to peer into the space below while allowing noise and smells to drift upward. This new perspective changed the way I viewed the space. Instead of focusing on what I could see, I paid more attention to other senses. I could hear the ice machine but could not see someone filling up their cup. I could smell the hash browns but could not see the person eating them. Yet, the opening in the floor allowed a quick peek if I chose.

Today I worked on seeing the room. I put in earplugs and tried to not engage with friends as they walked by. I noticed the color scheme of the room: blue chairs complimented by soft, yellow lights. The design for the soft lighting plays into the psychological effects leading students to sit and stay longer in this communal gathering space. The shiny black piano drew my eyes' attention away from the brown leather high-backed chairs and tables. Dispersed throughout the room, green plants of various sizes add life to the static scene. As always, the fire burned silently, as it is electric, but it's colors and movement screamed loudly compared to the otherwise dull, stationary furniture. I took a few panorama views of the room to get a different perspective on the center of the space. I've added one here: Examining the walls of the room, I discovered that the designers of the room had worked hard to imbue a sense of the school's character into the walls of this cen...

    I went back to Domino's for my second visit today.  My first visit was more of general observation of the place and the elements. I had an overview of the appearance of the place. Today i chose to put my focus on sound and conversations.    The refrigerator was constantly running in the background, sounding like when you turn ten hair dryers to the low mode but with a deeper tone. They talk about work, for most of the time. In the kitchen, the pizza dough flips "Puoong Puoong"; the plates collides "pseeee"; staffs' shoes "tchaee, tchaee".  They aligned stacked boxes that are as tall as me on the shelf "klah,klah,klah"      "So, switch the feta to cheddar, right?"      "There are twenty more twists down there."      "Pepperoni and bacon!"      "Alright, No. 496 is ready." Door bell rang "doong" when someone come in and out.      "How are you doing today?"     ...

I visited the empty field again today. I had done this earlier in the week, but had not posted about it yet.  I also was unable to stay for a full hour because of the wind chill, so an extra visit was needed. Today was much warmer, but the day still felt grey. The field is very quiet without a team playing on it. There is the occassional sound of a car driving by or parking in the parking lot behind me. In the distance, there is also the faint sound of something rustling in the leaves or someone having a conversation somewhere behind me. A bird chirps here and there and the wind blows in my ear. Today I am taking in the sounds that are typically over powered by the cheers and communication of a team on the field. 

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to use it for at the time, but I’m very glad I ended up taking out a camcorder after meeting in the library. Lately on my trips through on the Wood’s Creek Trail, I walk with the camera out, filming almost everything I see. I love the idea of 3-4 second still clips being played over this one song I know, so the music tends to play in my head as I look through the lens. A shot of running water, squeezing through the cracks of ice, then a view inches from a leftover solo cup, students visible in the far background, and then a lone, woolen glove left on the side of the trail, missing from its child owner. It’s a fun practice to try and personify all of the non-living things around you, because every mundane thing has its own far-from-mundane story. I found one particularly moving image while chasing two elusive squirrels. I lost them amongst the trees, and while searching, my gaze shifted to a single swing set in a backyard, rusted and swaying ever so...

The fireplace of Elrod Commons is the hearth and heart of campus. Because of this, I chose to map Commons Living Room for the Alien Walk. It's warmth and the vibrancy of its color attract students like moths, especially during these winter months. The longer I sat near the fire, the more I noticed about the way people treated and interacted with the space. The room's functions are many: people sat to study at the circular tables either in groups or alone; others gathered around one of the two couches in the room to nap or chat in between classes; one or two used the chairs nearest to Co-op to rest while enjoying a Sunrise or coffee. Most just waved to friends as they passed through, with common phrases including, "What's good?" and, "Hey, how are you?" Most of these passerbys walked quickly, eyes straight ahead, never pausing to take in the room or it's people. To challenge myself, I sat in the corner of the room with sunglasses on last week, wit...

It’s fitting that the warmest day yet in January saw the most movement along Wood’s Creek, a brief respite from the cold and the Seasonal Affective Disorder. With everyone out and about, it was interesting to see the differences in activity along different sections of the trail. On campus, students hustled to and from class. And as the trail wandered through backyards, the crowds dissipated into pets and their owners. I briefly wondered whether it was the leashed dogs or their owners who were enjoying time out of the house more, before again moving on. A runner bursts by me, and then another, before I stumble into a children’s park, mothers pushing their toddlers’ swings while catching up after a long week. I spot three kids, surely under ten years old, sliding on the still-frozen creek. They each wield sticks as long as themselves, testing the limits of their human dominance over nature by breaking the outermost slabs of ice. I follow the now homeless pieces of ice down the river bac...

1/17/18 First Visit               It wasn't where I thought I would be, but I ended up in Domino's, by accident.              I was walking down the street from the quad, heading to the pottery shop in town. There is a children's playroom in there, and I thought it would be an interesting place to stay and observe. But sadly, when i walked up there,  I was only to find out that it was closed due to the icy weather.              I didn't know what to do at the moment, and was quite anxious that I wouldn't find another ideal place to stay. With the thought in mind, I started walking back unwillingly.  Almost back to the quad, a Domino's car drove by me.  I somehow thought that the Domino's sign on top of the car was slightly blinking as if it was calling on me. I decided to follow the car's path. The moment was quite unreal.           ...

After reading over "Walking in Rhythms" again, I decided to observe my teams practice last night specifically because the first part of practice would consist of agilities lead by one of our trainers. As the reading said, this was an attempt to “impose rhythm on bodies by training through bodily techniques, physical training and the use of equipment” on the field. I was very interested in the rhythm of these movements, however it was incredibly cold and the team decided to practice the run test instead. This worked out find for me as I plan to observe the actually run test Monday and make some sort of comparison recognizing the difference in sound, mood, movement, speed, space, time, etc. There is not much of a smell here most of the time. But, movement close to me brings a very small scent of body odor.  

As the sun rises over Lexington, the light streams through the eastern window of Coop. The light reaches across the room, stretching out on the floor. In that moment, there is a stillness in the light. That moment is shattered as the class block approaches and students rush to get their morning coffee fix. There is a flurry of activity as I am no longer the only person sitting at the tables. The line reaches around the tables as students grumble about the wait. Still other students and professors hurry through the space, late for class and trying to keep away from the cold.