Sensory Nostalgia Non-degree show at CSULB Sept 2010

Sensory Nostalgia (Card and Map)

Sensory Nostalgia (Gallery View from Doorway) 

peregrination

Appropriation: Boomerang Map

The idea of appropriation is fascinating, the pictures generation of the 1970 and 80's solidified the idea of appropriating imagery for me. Richard Prince's appropriation of the Marlbolo cowboy was the most expensive photo ever sold ($1.2 million dollars) and Sherrie Levine's appropriation of Walker Evans' photographs of the Dust Bowl set a new standard for the appropriation of art by other artists, by changing the context of the photograph she assigned it a new meaning that pertained to modern times.

Richard Prince Untitled(Cowboy)

Sherrie Levine After Walker Evans

When I started a video class I was really lost, I didn't have any inspiration on what type of video artist I wanted to be. I was totally clueless and I admit it 100%. The first assignment was an appropriation. Our professor showed us many examples of work by other artists, students, and himself. Yet, I still found myself uninspired and confused as to how to this could be done from my train of thought. We had to start to collect videos from the internet, so I collected videos of things that I thought would inspire me, and things that I thought were interesting to watch. This was mostly Fluxus videos from the 1960's and videos of jellyfish and squid... not anything that went together very well. I was also at a loss as to how to use the computer program Final Cut Pro, I asked my professor a million questions and told him I was feeling lost. He was patient and kept showing me different tools. Finally he showed me how to see the sound waves mapped for a clip, and inspiration struck.

The following video is a result of this inspiration, where I used the timeline of the Final Cut Pro interface to create a visual map of the sound wave pattern produced in the original clip. 

(example of a sound wave, not the actual pattern produced by my original clip)

(In this photo of the Final Cut Pro interface you can see how layers are built in the lower time line [video on top and audio on the bottom] this is where I used small clips of video to recreate the visual pattern of the sound waves from the original clip)

The original clip used for this piece was a video piece done by Richard Serra and Nancy Holt using the idea of a nearly live feed of audio, Nancy Holt is exercising Performed Listening, where she becomes disoriented in thought

Richard Serra and Nancy Holt Boomerang

The original piece was about the "echo" created by the delay of sound, and how it disoriented Nancy Holt to the point of near speechlessness. You can hear the stress in her voice and can infer the difficulty in which she is formulating thoughts. I wanted to take this confusion, and stress, and magnify and then place it upon the viewer. I achieved this by only building with clips that had occurred within the 1 second before the part of the original clip that they were layered upon (meaning that larger raises in the sound wave required smaller clips layered upon eachother to build the height)

Gabrielle Roth Boomerang Map

Artist Statement (as submitted in BFA portfolio)

In a contemporary world I only hope to find a way back to where I came from, to go back in time to a place where living made sense and the world held more hope than fear. Today, I often find myself lost in the commotion of the city. I spend hours searching my reflection for some answer about the past, for a key that will suddenly unlock the hidden chasms of my brain and expose the answers to the questions about the world.
In my search for the unknown and endeverus attemps to reconcile my confusion of the world and the desire to return to simpler times I find myself obsessed with certain qualities or attributes. I have noted a tendency to simplify my sensory experiences into a series of repetitive textural interpretations. I find that this tendency is directly linked to the comfort that repetition brings, the monotony of the objects, textures, or patterns is the answer to the discomfort brought on by the business of the city. Repetition is present in human nature, it is the mere act of forming a habit, of genetic codes, and is intrinsically an calming instrument for the human brain to take part in to organize the world surrounding it.
It is part of my goal of reconciling my confusion to utilize and alter space so that we are left to be once again confused, confused of specific form and the actual relation between space, form, and life. I believe that the way that one perceives the space into which they directly relate is an indication of how they perceive themselves in relation to other living beings and their general self-image. By rearranging or challenging their preconceptions of space, time and form I feel it is possible to conceive a sense of wonderment within persons to whom it was not previously instilled. This is the awakening of what truly makes us human, the ability to ask and understand complex relationships, and by returning this quality in people I also feel it is possible to return the values that were once present in our pre-adolescent psyche.
One of the key instruments that I aim to utilize in my work is the incorporation of found objects, or normal objects. An art object that is made of materials that are uncommon is easily described by viewers simply as an art object whose parts serve only that purpose, and must be displayed together in order to perform the desired action. But, by using objects that are common in everyday life, or objects that have been previously used and then discarded for one reason or another, one is able to confront the viewer with new and unusual ways to experience these objects; while also allowing them a unique interpretation of the art object affected by previous connotations of the objects and/or their condition.
In conclusion, in my art I aim to explore the basic human condition in relation to space, time, and form using found objects, texture, repetition and pattern. I hope to invoke the intrinsic questioning allowing us the answers that we seek through a deeper human interpretation of life and cultural values.

Self Portrait Exploration Series

Self Portraits within Procedural Boundaries 

above: series of 5 portraits made under time constraints

above: 25/60

above: 15/45

above: 5/45

above:0/120

above: 20/50

Self Sensory Exploration (a performance piece)

detail photographs of performance 

Thank you to Dustin Stevenson

Self Exploration Series

 

            This piece began as an experiment on my ability to create portraits of myself based on memory.  I wanted to explore the ability of the memory to be influenced by preconceived notions of self and form and fluctuations of time. I first set a set of rules for myself pertaining to how the portraits would be produced. The rules consisted of a set amount of time in which I was allowed to do nothing but analyze my face in a mirror ranging from 0 to 45 minutes. After analyzing myself I would take a 10 minute pause in order to occupy my mind with other thoughts, forcing myself to work solely from memory. I would then being to sculpt a clay portrait within a predetermined amount of time, ranging from 40 minutes to 2 hours. After completing seven portraits, and breaking two, it become evident to me that the portraits all shared a quality closer than the obvious attribute of being of myself, they were the same level of finish despite their differing factors. I found this to be an interesting situation although it did trouble me, as this similar level of finish detracted from the sensory ability of memory that I was hoping to explore and comment upon with the experiment. It appeared that when given less time to complete the portraits I simply increased the speed at which I sculpted, still aiming to complete the portrait to a recognizable degree. I asked myself how I would better be able to express the sensory ability of memory, and it became obvious after discussion with peers that it was necessary to attempt the experiment without seeing the product, since leaving a piece “unfinished” brought me discomfort.

            In order to create a piece that I could not see, but could still sense to the best of my abilities, I lay on the ground and placed a thin slab of clay over my face. I then began to sculpt a portrait of myself solely from my memory of shape of the forms that made up my face. By forming the portrait over my face I was able to feel the process from two points, one the sensation of my hand as they pressed, pulled, and piled the clay, and the other the sensation of my face as clay was moved about on top of it. As I lay on the ground people moved in and out of the space, questioning my motives and objective. I could hear them moving about me, and slightly sense their positions, but in the whole I was vulnerable on the ground- unable to speak, see, or move without stopping my process. I finished the portrait when it became difficult to breathe through the small hole in the clay I left for my nose and when my arms became fatigued.

After completing the portrait I once again spoke with my peers about their feelings while watching me, and mine as they watched me. I then concluded that the process of creating these sensory portraits was directly related to the act of performing, and thus the experience of the piece as a performance piece was cultivated. The effect of the reactions of the viewer, their statements and the movement of their bodies in relation to mine, was crucial to the outcome of the portrait, and their reactions were only elicited by the process of making the portrait  that was enacted by me.

Foundry Wax Objects

ITEM ONE

a crab claw transforming into a demon

wax

ITEM TWO

untitled moving shape with holes

hallow form cast from clay model

wax

ITEM THREE

emerging from the depths

wax

Gestural Study:Samantha Dancing