Remixing first brings to mind music that has been rewritten, but as we discussed in class this term can evoke much more than that; culture itself if one was daring enough to dive into the philosophy of creativity and originality. I first tried to mix music but was limited by my inability to download anything onto my computer due to lack of space. My next attempt was to remix articles from magazines to tell my own news story, which was not accomplished due to procrastination. My final attempt was a photoshoot where I recreated an old shot i did two years ago and mixed with the light using long exposures. In my definition of the term, photography is the capturing of life or moment, or memory, or something in that same sense, so altering it in camera is a remix of the memory, or perception we would otherwise have.
Micol Hebron is a multi-media and social artist, who displays her activism and ideologies through her art. Hebron is widely known for her outspokenness surrounding gender equity, and the over sexualization of the human body, mainly feminine bodies. She may be most recognized through her male nipple sticker that is used primarily to censor female nipples in order to avoid the stigma around their bodies, as well as, social media algorithms.
This piece of art started when Hebron was invited to a gallery and made a deal to come top-less to the event based around art with women in mind. Her posts were taken down, and once she censored her own nipples, the picture were fine to be published. Hebron’s nipples had to be censored, but her male students who also came top-less were fine to be shown. This furthered an understanding to how society viewed feminine bodies, as sexual things, with uses limited to that of sex. This spark of understanding frontiered her path of art surrounding the naked body and its purity, dirtiness, truths, lies, joys, pain, acceptance, and denial.
My sustainable art was compiled of items that I found and repurposed either in my room or garage. They included: magazines that were going to be thrown away; Christmas lights; color changing lights from my room; a hamper; clothes that were gonna be donated, a cup; books from my shelves; a projector; a mirror; a window shade; and a wall.
I love experimenting with new backgrounds, lighting, and props, and this gave me different barriers and limits to break and explore. I loved that I found and used items that don’t always have a purpose or repurposed them into art.
On Roblox users have the capability of playing and creating servers with games that they create on them. How the platform works is that once a server becomes popular enough it will gain more people playing it and rise on the website’s search or front page.
The platform gives artists the ability to explore what they want to create in the world, or build their own. I explored a few that were at it’s base worlds created by users that are able to be visited by others.
This First world was an open adventure called “Backpacking” a beta world that had full scale mountains, waterfalls, volcanoes, and the ability to set up camp wherever to enjoy the view. The Builder was a user named Simoon68 and the Scripter was named Opplo
This next world was a showcase where users can visit and explore the beautiful artistry created and inspired by the Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin. It was created by Nezko.
This next one was also a Japanese inspired world where users can visit and explore. Lakeside Hill by Kaiits
This France inspired city was beautiful and as well as the previous ones, users can visit and explore. Paris by Setdefault1
This last one was my favorite, where a user recreated the house from My Neighbor Totoro. This was freaky accurate, and as well as the previous worlds, one can see that hours of work and love was put into this world. Totoro by setdefault1
I didn’t accomplish how I wanted my video to sound, I tried many many many times and i didnt like how i was talking to the camera.
What would you do differently next time?
More eye contact with the camera, a more confident voice, and more seemless transitions.
Do you think you’ll ever vlog again?
yes, I want to do it more regularly.
Who is your favorite YouTuber? (not counting heyit’smay, Emma Chamberlain, Natalie Tran, or any of the YouTubers on this page)
I followed Casey Neistat and Peter Mckinnon. Both are cinematographers, and Mckinnon specializes in photography.
What about their work appeals to you?
They both have strong abilities to tell stories with amazing editing and cinematography. I love their seemless transitions and beautiful editing and stories that they get to live.
What lessons can you take from their work to apply to your own vlogging?
I can take the thing they both repeat, one doesnt need fancy tech or knowledge to tell a good story, go out and tell yours.
What is Authenticity?
Being true. And as discussed before ones truth can come from many things. To me truth can even come from another’s performance, if it speaks to you.
What is Performance?
Performance is trying to act or present a certain way so others can perceive you in a wanted light.
Are Authenticity and Performance opposites? Or can they exist together? Explain!
I dont believe they are absent of each other. Authenticity is truth, and performance is tryin to present a certain way, one can perform authenticity and be authentic, and a performance can be fake but speak truth.
Below are 2 clips of Jennifer Aniston on the Jimmy Kimmel show – one in the studio and one from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Do you think either clip is more authentic? Is either more performative? Why or why not?
I do believe that the interview from home is more authentic. The two celebrities were speaking of the things that were pertinent to them and in the one in the studio it felt very scripted.
The automatic drawing we had consisted of, “why are you moving it” and “why are you so stiff.” It was fun to do an activity together as well as have an activity to have during this quarantine. When we finished, I saw a sun and clouds, Melvin saw a Cannon. Peaceful vs war, or just perspective?
Drawing the map of CSULB, i realized my perspective on certain areas and buildings are very skewed, but I got a lot more than I thought down. Probably in wrong areas but It still is nice to look at the dense csulb, that is in my head… oh I forgot the USU…
This week’s Artist conversation was vicariously lived through watching Glenn Zucman interview Mahsa Soroudi. Soroudi is an Iranian born artist that at the time of the interview lived in Newport beach, after leaving Tehran, Iran five years earlier. Previously living in Malaysia for a year, then the east coast of the US for half a year. The prior three and a half years in Newport started optimistically, but then the alienation of immigration started to set in. With her plants, she started to whittle and shrink. She became more isolated and felt less apart of American society, unable to relate to the people or the art.
After listening to the interview I was compelled to draw/write this
Soroudi’s dissociation from American society had not been the case anymore at the time of the interview, rather she felt as if she were blooming along side her plants. She still had a connection to her home of Tehran but had no current plans of leaving SoCal any time soon. Though she felt more solidified in this new country, she found that her home country, especially its women, are exotified and stereotyped by western society. Iranian problems are summed up as hijabs and gender segregation. She stated that Iran is a Global country and has global issues and concerns that the western world is ignorant to.
Initiated through a project she started with her sister, Soroudi started a website as an exhibition that supports women from Iran, disregarded artists, and to create an accurate representation of Iranian artist and their art. It has grown to showcase 18 artists today, with varying art styles.
I now am supposed to describe the art the artist has done. I believe the art is the website itself. That is the piece that I see we are to depict. The website is an accumulation of art that in itself is meant to push western society to question our stereotypes of middle eastern civilization, specifically the women there. Some of the art is depicting of the artist’s childhoods, love, discrimination, grief, and so much more, but as Soroudi said this art relates the people of Iran to Western Society and gives exposure to the unexposed.
As soon as I heard the word “shocking” my mind was reminded of another “uncomfortable.” I thought of what made me uncomfortable, and what I’ve seen others have been uncomfortable with, and the first thing that came to mind then was nudity. After I thought I wanted to do something around nudity I knew I wanted to do some form of commentary on gender.
What did you hope to communicate?
I wanted people to question what defines gender. Is it the stereotypes we’ve grown accustomed to categorizing those around us? Is it the genetalia that we have between our legs? Is it the chromosomes we have in our genes? Is it whether you play sports, like the color pink or blue, or some other cultural/social characteristic for what it means to be a Man or Woman?
How successful do you think you were?
I think I could have been more exaggerated in my drawing to make it more shocking but it still conveys to me what I want. We’ll see what others get. I didn’t draw them in clothes and i hope that keeps people from thinking they’re just someone cross dressing, which in itself questions what it means to “dress like a man or woman”
What would you do different if you did it again?
Draw the genetalia more exaggerated, and draw better.
What is another idea you might explore through “shocking art”?
Another thing I think people don.t like to see is something within their own world that is sad. I would probably do a photo journal of the homeless population in Long Beach, or one of the shelters in the city.
This story, or rather experience, is something I always like discussing. The want to be seen as a part of a group is a common desire in our society, and the experiences of being Multi-racial is something not many understand as a crutch in achieving it.
How do you think you did?
I believe I could have done a lot better in achieving the look of the piece that I wanted, but I am happy how it turned out. If I were to do it over again I would want to make it more dynamic, as well as, have a different setting that is more significant to the message.
Which image do you think is the individually “best” image in your story?
The photo of Tj being pulled by two sides of himself
Does your photostory contain an image that you think is not, by itself, a “great” image, but that is nonetheless important because it helps to tell your story?
There is a photo of everyone together intermingled. I don’t believe it is a great photo, but it encapsulates the idea of acceptance
What would you do different next time?
I would like to be more prepared for what I want each photo to say, as well as, a better thematic setting.
Are there other Photo Stories you might like to tell?
I would like to learn how to do street photography where I tell the candid stories of people and cities.
Biracial people are told, “you must have the best of both worlds,” but truthfully we are othered by those we want to be accepted byAnother challenge that can come with being multi-racial is the struggle of those around you claiming you as their own.In actual relationships, or just in our mind, we feel as if we can not be apart of the groups we associate ourselves withWe may be integrated, but feel ostracized or fetishized.Yet, we still want to be acceptedwe may feel differentwe want to be accepted by those we identify withWe may think we are differentWe are all our own people, We should not let a specific identity define us, or hold us from a wider community. We are 100% not a Fraction.
This was an interesting activity, mainly because I challenged myself to draw unlike I would normally. I don’t draw often but I do like to its something that I feel is expressive in ways writing is not. This was somewhat frustrating more so because I know others are going to look at what i have drawn and usually I draw for myself, so i was more critical of what i was doing. The one that truly frustrated me was my drawing of my friend, because it was something I usually pride myself in being able to do, but I donot like how it came out. I do like how my blind contour came out though, knowing it came to look like that because I was interpreting in my mind differently that how I was drawing physically. I feel its interesting that I like something that is blatantly less realistic and less true to the source material, the cup over the person.
I am a film major and drawing can and most likely will help me in writing out stories, and story boarding what I or someone else’s vision should look like.
Taizenic 