Cool Gif found on Facebook

Project 2

"Human Nature"

Homework 6

Part One:

Christian Marclay, "The Clock"

In Marclay's work, he does a really amazing job of appropriating movie clips that all have a shot of a clock at 12:05. Honestly, I had never noticed that quite a few movies have a shot of a clock at 12:05, so Marclay's piece was really eye opening and made me wonder how many other movies had the same shot and why. What also intrigued me were the sound bits that he consciously decided to keep. There seemed to be a relationship between sound bits and video clips. For example, there was a sound and video clip that were originally together, but as the actor turned his head to look at the clock, the video clip changed to a woman looking at a clock in the same orientation while the sound bit resonated with the original scene. I found that to be a really effective and well done transition. I would say what drew me to discuss this piece is it left me with questions- something to think about. And that's why I find it successful.

Sondra Perry, "Young Women Sitting and Standing and Talking and Stuff (No, No, No)"

This is a very powerful piece that holds a significant amount of social weight. Here we are looking at three well educated young African American women having intellectual conversations, but they have video screens on their faces that replace their actual eyes with "rolled" eyes. I saw this as a stab at how society wrongly perceives African American women as "angry" or having an "attitude" and often dismisses their opinions on important social topics. Diving a little deeper, the participants' age also plays into the social misconception that this generation's youth "doesn't care" about current events and topics, such as the marriage equality movement mentioned in the women's conversation. And let's acknowlegde the fact that they are women. It is well known that women, and their opinions (for the most part), are still viewed secondary to men's. Sondra Perry did an outstanding job of representing many groups in her work, making it relatable to a wide range of individuals. The more I watch her piece, the more messages I get from it, which is why I find it successful. I hope the same messages I found in her work will reach others. Awareness is the first step towards making a change.


Part Two:

I commented on Hoon and Nadeen's second projects. :)

Homework 5

The artist I chose to research was Carter Mull. I find his work interesting because he seems to tastefully appropriate, or rather "Image Transfer". I like how he gives you just enough of the original image for you to recognize it, but then you can really appreciate and take in the alterations he has made to layer his own voice on top of it.

His conscious use of color and negative draws me in. Along with what appears (to me) to be a play with what's considered photo imperfections, like black spots on the film. 

Homework 4

            Hmmm… I wouldn’t go so far as to say Richard Prince is genius. But I do believe he is stirring the art world by pushing boundaries, and for that, I admire him. From what I’ve seen of his work, he really is just trying to see what he can get away with to make a point. It’s honestly quite exciting. In regards to his Instagram Paintings, I find them to be one of the best trolls of the decade. It’s almost a wake-up call to society. No, those images you post on social media don’t actually belong to you; so don’t be surprised if an artist features your latest selfie in an art show. As a response to Johnson’s article “Richard Prince Sucks”, I don’t find the Instagram images sexist, but rather a commentary. They play on an extreme to amplify the sexism that exists within our culture.

            For my own views on appropriation, I think it’s hard to establish a clear definition between what’s Fair Use and what’s not. I find it wonderful to live in a time where we can share artistic ideas and grow from different perspectives on any given piece of art. At the same time, I don’t think it’s cool to take someone else’s work, change something as small as the lighting, and call it your own. In the dance world, that would be a no-go. There’s a difference between sharing and exploring concepts/ movements and completely trying to pass off someone else’s work as your own. Intellectual property is something worth protecting. So in my book, if there is some sort of acknowledgement of the original creator or a discussion between the two artists, appropriation is okay.

            And now we come back to money, because everything always does. Would copyrighting be such an ordeal if it were not because of money? No. The answer is no. I mean, part of it is the right to intellectual property, but most of it is jealousy. In the case of Prince and Cariou, Cariou obviously was frustrated at the amount of money Prince was making. Heck, I would be too. Especially because of the way Prince appropriates- it’s like he is purposefully trying to push buttons.