Thanksgiving Narrative

Before I started this project I had no idea what I was going to do. When I realized I’d have Thanksgiving break to work on it I came up with the idea of doing a narrative of my families Thanksgiving dinner. Every year my family travels to Indiana to celebrate Thanksgiving at my grandmas. There is always lots of delicious food and lots of people around. I decided to document this through taking pictures. I then had many different ideas of what I could do with the pictures. The first idea was a collage. Another idea was a slideshow with music. I was also thinking about showing it in the perspective of the food looking really good at first and then slowly fading the pictures out to show when you get sick of so much food and just want to take a nap. I could have also just simply shown the pictures in an order that tells a story (the food being prepared, the food being ready and the food after it has been picked through.) In the end I just started adding all of my pictures into a photoshop document and the end result ended up being a collage. I ordered the pictures in a sort of circle around the middle picture of the turkey, since that is what Thanksgiving dinners usually center around. I have pictures from when the food is being prepared, when its ready and after its been eaten. To make my collage more appealing I added shadows to all the pictures to make them stand out. In the end I really like the direction my project took. I had not imagined it could have turned out like this.

final project brainstorming

For my final project I want to create a narrative out of my families Thanksgiving gathering. I want to use pictures that I took and show them in a way that they tell a story. I have not decided yet how I want to do this though. I have a couple of ideas how I could turn it into a narrative. The first idea was a collage. Another idea was a slideshow with music. I am also thinking about showing it in the perspective of the food looking really good at first and then slowly fading the pictures out to show when you get sick of so much food and just want to take a nap. I could also just simply show the pictures in an order that tells a story (the food being prepared, the food being ready and the food after it has been picked through.) I have thought of many ways to create my narrative, but I cannot decide which way I like the best. 

Failure Statement

I think my biggest failure this semester was the second Micro Project where we created a map of our journey to campus. This was one of the first projects and looking back on it now, I feel I could have been more creative with the way I chose to show my journey. I feel my projects have become more artistic throughout the semester and I am thinking outside of the box now. I did not realize it then, but now I see that I learned from this failure. Seeing my classmates final projects of their journeys to class helped me to realize that I could stray from normal conceptions in my art work. I think my biggest success was the fourth Micro Project where we created a sound clip of our favorite place. This was the ultimate showing of how I learned to be creative in my work and think outside the box. From this success I learned and more or less proved to myself that I am capable of creating interesting and creative artwork. One project I would redo if I had the chance was the second Micro Project. Instead of just using the concept of an ordinary map, I would add more pictures of my journey and distort them in a way so that they are from my every day perspective. I feel that the first version of this project is too simple and uninteresting. It does not bring together all of the senses I use to get to class in a relatable way for the viewer. Overall I am surprised by myself in some of the art work I have created. At the beginning of the semester and every project I could have never dreamed I would accomplish so much.

Identity at Play

Identity at Play project

I choose to use my shoes, my rain boots in this video, to represent my action words to bend and to impress. I wear shoes everyday and do not put much thought into what they do. Sure I take into account if they are stylish and look good with my outfit, but I do not usually think about how they work to move me from place to place. They protect my feet from the weather and other harsh environmental factors and bend and grip surfaces following what my feet want them to do. When thinking about an object I use everyday that both bends and impresses shoes came to mind. They bend when you transfer pressure to the balls of your feet and they make impressions on surfaces when they grip for traction. To show this visually I decided to make a video showing the process. I also took a picture of an impression from a shoe. I put these visuals together in a clip to show the complete process, altering the speed here and there to create a more entertaining piece. I also added sound effects of splashing in a puddle and leaves rustling to show the sounds shoes can create with the surfaces they come in contact with.

TV in a New Perspective

A place I have spent a lot of time at and enjoy going back to is my parent’s house in Cleveland. When I go home I spend a lot of time in the family room watching TV and catching up with my family. We have two dogs that are always making a lot of noise, making it sometimes impossible to watch TV. We also have two cats, who also like to join us on the couch. You can occasionally hear a purr or two over the noise of the dogs. What I want to show in my sound clip is what I hear when I watch TV.

MP4 video

For my project I first recorded my dogs barking and fighting with one another. I also recorded one of my cats purring. I imported these videos to iMovie and then transferred them to itunes as sound clips and edited them in Garageband. I mixed each sound up to create what I hear when you put all these sounds together. I then decided to find a clip of white noise on the TV to use as my video clip to go along with the sound I created. I decided to use white noise to show that without sound you cannot really watch TV.

Carver Cathedral

I enjoyed reading about the blind man in Carver's article Cathedral. I think he has a lot of important things to teach us. Even with his disability he does not give up hope and lives every day to the fullest. It is impressive the things he is able to do and how much he knows. Having no eyesight, he makes up for it with his other senses and intellect. I think there is a sharp contrast between the husband and the blind man. The blind man is caring and motivated while the husband is rude and could care less about being productive.

The husband bothered me a lot in this article. From the way he talked and acted it seemed as if he did nothing with his life besides drink, smoke and sit on the couch all day. He came off to me as annoying, insensitive and was very negative about everything.  I feel bad for his wife and do not understand why she would stay with him. I guess love overpowers in this case. The sad part is that people like this do exist in our society. I hope one day these people will come to see that they can make an impact on the world if they try harder. Maybe this article and others like it will help them to mature into better people.

Wallace This is Water

I think David Foster Wallace touched on a lot of important ideas in his commencement speech “This is Water.” I liked his suggestion of trying to focus on others around you and not just yourself at times. His explanations of the reasons behind why a person may appear and act the way they do are somewhat stretched but not impossible. You never know what may be going on in someone’s life and it is only fair to give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course we are not perfect and Wallace makes sure to mention the fact that we are all self-centered because that’s how we view the world, from our own perspective. We cannot avoid this fate no matter how hard we try.

One thing that troubled me in this article is that it is about commencement and entering the work world. This thought frightens and excites me at times, but Wallace’s article makes me dread it by how boring and awful he makes the working world sound.  His description of working and repeating  it all over again give no insight into the enjoyable moments of working, he makes work sound like something we should dread.

Movie Project

By : Alex, Tyler and Rachel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iltKjU6xXJc&feature=youtu.be

Wexner Visit

     My experience at the Wexner Center was very enjoyable.  This was my second time visiting the Wex and I could not have had a more pleasant experience. One of the curators was very eager to talk to me about Annie Leibovitz’s work. She at first approached me with a pamphlet explaining one room of the exhibit. When I went to give her the pamphlet back she asked me if I had seen the house wives exhibit yet, because it was one of her favorites. I told her I had not so she took me to look at it.  After giving me the history of the piece it became one of my favorites too. I liked how Annie had them looking plain on one wall and dressed up on the other. After showing me this piece the curator then took me to see some more of her favorites. The curator was very friendly and informative and even told me about one of Annie’s friends who had passed away. This friend was the subject of a lot of Annie’s work.
 
      Annie Leibovitz’s artwork was entertaining to look at. I liked that she used famous people as the center of most of her pieces. I feel like that draws a huge audience in because it helps when people know what they are looking at. I also liked how none of her pieces were just normal photography but people in their environments or in abstract positions. Annie Leibovitz artwork was definitely different than anything I have seen before.

The Things I Carry

Cell Phone-I chose my phone, because my day is centered around it. My phone keeps me connected with others (email, text, calls, social media, etc.) and acts as my clock. My phone tells me when it is time to wake up, go to class, eat lunch and do other activities. Without my phone I would be lost and unprepared.

One or two words- Social Clock

Wristlet-I chose my wristlet because it holds a lot of the smaller items I use throughout the day. It has my keys, money, buckid and other important cards. Without my wristlet everything would be unorganized and I would not be able to buy things or get into my house.

One or two words- Multi-tasker

Umbrella-I chose my umbrella because I never leave my house without it. Living in Columbus you never know what the weather will be like. My umbrella keeps me and my stuff dry.

One or two words- Weather Protector

Lunch-My days consist of classes back to back so I have no time to run and buy a lunch. Lunch is very important because it gives me the energy to get through the day.

One or two words-Energizer

German Dictionary-I am a German major so my dictionary is one of the books I use a lot throughout the day. It helps me translate German words into English and vice versa. Without my dictionary I would be lost in class.

One or two words-Translator

Planner- I use my planner multiple times throughout the day. My planner tells me important meetings I have everyday and what homework I have due. My planner helps me keep things in order.

One or two words-Organizer

My final image does an accurate job of portraying what objects play a major role in my life. I arranged them around the object I use the most (my phone) and then placed the objects around the phone like a clock. I use my keys to lock the door in the morning, use my umbrella on the way to class, eat my lunch, have my german class after lunch and then use my planner to go to meetings and do homework. The dictionary tells the viewer I am a German major, while the phone, wristlet and planner show that I like to be organized. My lunch shows that I like to eat healthy and the umbrella shows that I care about maintaing my appearance and not getting sick from the cold. There are a lot of things this image does not show. It does not show my interests outside of school or what kind of personality I have. I think those qualities are learned by intereacting with a person.

Kaprow Article

Kaprow touches on a very important point in his article The Blurring of Art and Life; even the little things in life have the capability to be art. He shows this through the example of brushing his teeth. I think this relates very well to our next project. Everyday things we use are going to be the main focus of our art. By focusing on the little things we cannot do without everyday they begin to have more meaning. I am curious to find out what objects mean the most to me after this project.

                What I found difficult in this article is his description on how toothbrushing is relevant to art. I understand that anything can be considered art depending on how you look at it, but I do not understand his abstract reasoning of why. I think he drifts from his point and this makes it hard to follow. I think he could strengthen his argument by using a more in depth example of how he makes everyday tasks art.

My Ride to Campus

To get to class I ride my bike. On the first day of class I knew how to get to the stadium, but I did not know where the classrooms inside the stadium were. I followed the directions from the email to enter the east side of the stadium between gates 24 and 23. From there I just followed the signs leading to classroom 116B. To get to the stadium for class I start off by riding my bike out of the back alley of my house to east 19th. This path is made of asphalt and dirt and full of potholes. My bike kicks up dust as I ride. The dust makes my eyes water and I feel like I am going to sneeze. Once on 19^th I ride on the street. The trash cans that line the street are often knocked over and trash litters the street. If I am lucky I will be able to coast through the intersection of Indianola and 19^th. Once crossing this intersection, there is a big hill as 19^th becomes Woodruff. The ride is mostly downhill from here until reaching high street. I do not normally ride on the sidewalk but lately there has been construction on the end of Woodruff before High street, making it necessary to ride on the sidewalk until crossing High. After crossing high I continue on Woodruff until College, taking a left at the intersection of College and Woodruff. On College there is always a lot of traffic and I end up passing stopped cars until I turn right onto 18^th.  The smell of exhaust is so strong that I begin to taste it as I breath it in. I usually bike as fast as I can past all of this traffic. On 18^th there are a lot of pedestrians, an even greater obstacle than the cars. I must weave in and out and watch for people crossing the street. I take 18^th all the way to Neil and then cross Neil and lock my bike up at Baker Systems. I then walk the rest of the way down 17^th to the stadium. On the way down 17^th there is always construction and the sound of drilling is present, leaving a ringing in my ears. Most mornings it is very brisk out and my fingers are freezing by the time I get to the stadium.

When creating my map, I started off by using mapmyrun.com. This site allows you to select a path for a workout, unlike google maps which only gives you the most direct or fastest route. I selected a bike ride and mapped out my ride to the stadium. After doing this I took a screenshot of the image and saved it so that I could use it as my background in photoshop. I then added some of the pictures I took of my ride to class and added each of those as a layer to my document. I took a picture of a trash can on 19th to represent the trash I always pass and then I added a picture of the hill on woodruff. I also added a picture of pedestrians on 18th to show the obstacles I must pass. The last picture is my view of the stadium as I reach my destination. These four images show what has the most impact on me on my ride to class. 

Cardiff and Miller article

In the article about Cardiff and Miller, I found the different ways in which they use sound very interesting. Each project they create touches on an important theme. The project involving the train station in Germany was my favorite. It touches on the importance of being in the present. The project points out the impossibility of being in two different places at once. I think this is an important point that is very relevant today. With all the technology we now have we are always trying to multi-task and over book ourselves sometimes. We need to concentrate on sticking with one task and putting all of our energy into it before we move on to something else.

What I found problematic in this article was that at times it was hard to follow. Some of the terms they used were hard to follow the meaning. I feel that the narrator could have explained some of the concepts they were using better. For example, I found the description of the “Dark Pool” project difficult to understand. I think they could have explained the meaning behind this piece and why they used the materials they did more throughly.

Hornby's Nipple Jesus

I think Hornby’s article Nipple Jesus hits on many important aspects of art. One aspect being that depending on how you look at a piece of artwork can change your opinion of the piece. The narrator, Dave shows this in his first, second and third impressions of Martha’s artwork. Dave’s first view is that of Jesus and he likes the piece. When Dave gets closer to the artwork and sees what it consists of his second impression is that he is against it and thinks it is rude. After brooding over the piece for a day he comes to like it and thinks it is clever, even defending the piece to his wife. Dave is devastated when the piece is destroyed. This article reminded me of the discussion we had in class about people not spending more than 30 seconds on average looking at a picture. Through Dave it is shown that if one spends more time looking at a piece, first impressions will change, maybe even multiple times.

What I found difficult in this article is how extreme some people can be. Nipple Jesus was only one piece of artwork yet it stirred up so many feelings of hate. I do not understand how people can protest a piece of artwork that they do not have to view if they do not want to. The artist even put a warning before entering the room to view the piece. I think that this hate should be put toward better causes for protest. It should be accepted that some artwork is not for everyone and be left at that. If these protestors really wanted to make a difference they should be protesting the porn industry not an artists work.

Different Views

asymmetrical

 

symmetrical

 

Radial

 

Person and their surroundings
 

Person up close

 

view of an ant

 

view of a bird

 

Stable

 



Unstable

 

My name on campus

 

In taking both sets of pictures I was able to select my own material for my pictures. There were no guidelines on what the pictures had to be of. I also did not use any special effects on both sets and all twenty pictures were taken on my phone. The difference was that the second ten had rules to follow, while the first ten could follow any form. I enjoyed taking the second set of pictures more because I felt the process sparked more creativity than the first set even though the second set had constraints. I enjoyed coming up with ideas on how to portray the different guidelines. I really like how the radial image of the fan turned out. The light from the fan created a cool effect on the picture. From the first set of pictures I like the O-H-I-O picture the best. The river in the background is a nice setting.

The Great Scioto Duck Race

 

 

Walker and Barrett Articles

In Walkers article Big Idea, I thought the comment that many artists seem to include objects that would not normally be used together or in a painting in general come together to form a bigger idea. I have never really looked at art in that way, but now knowing this, some artwork would make more sense. I especially liked the example of Andy Warhol. I never knew the true meaning behind his soup can paintings, but know I understand why he painted what he did -to stretch the boundaries of art, which is perfect because that is what the theme of this article is.

What I found difficult in this article was that some of Walker's explanations used to portray this idea of a bigger idea were confusing in themselves. I feel that if Walker really wanted to convey his message clearer he should have elaborated further on some of his thoughts.

I really enjoyed reading Barrett’s article Visual Culture.  I found the observation about most preschoolers having a stuffed teddy bear very interesting. It is weird that out of all the animals, the teddy bear is the most popular. Bears are normally scary, but maybe it is the fact that you can hold and cuddle a teddy bear unlike real bears that makes them so appealing. It reminds me of the movie Ted. Even as we grow older we keep our stuffed animals because they become a friend to us.

I found this article very interesting, but I think that it could have been improved with more graphics. After all the article was about how we see things. The end examples included many pictures, but the first couple of pages relied on descriptions. Pictures for these descriptions would have added a lot to the article.

Kidd, Hickey and Weschler Articles Examined

In the article by Kidd, The Cheese Monkeys I thought the authors view on givens were quite accurate. It comes as a given that left is greater than right, up is of more importance than down and big is more important than small. We do not even think about it. When we want something to have more importance we without thinking use the greater direction or size.

What I find troubling is why we view things in this way. The question that should be asked is how did this come to be? Who decided that one direction or size is of more importance than another and why do we follow this set decision? Are we not capable of our own decisions? The fact is that we can be lazy and not question decisions as we should. What makes left more important than right? Is it the fact that we are afraid of change? This is something to think hard about.

In the article by Hickey, The Heresy of Zone Defense set rules are looked at further in the sport of basketball. It is interesting to note how much the rules of basketball have changed over the years. This is for the better, because it makes the game fairer and leaves little room for argument.

A negative that comes from these rules though is who is chosen to play the sport. We do not just look at athleticism any more but who will be able to win for our team based on size.  This can take away from the fun nature of the game and make it too competitive. Lots of high school sports these days are no longer fun because of this constant competition to be better than your teammates. Isn’t the point of team sports to work together as a team and have fun? I feel as though this aspect has been lost with the creation of more rules.

It is intriguing that the human face is capable of over 5,000 different expressions as stated in Weschler’s article Uncanny Valley. This capability is golden for the movie industry and they never miss the chance to use it to their advantage. Today even animated characters have these 5,000 expressions and plus some.

What is troubling though is how much the movie industry has changed. They are not just sticking with human actors anymore but they have now created animations and robots to take the place of human actors. It may be good entertainment but there comes a point where you have to ask is it worth it? Actors are losing jobs to non-human characters and money is instead being spent on creating facial expressions that any human can already do. Would it not be easier to use humans? Of course you lose the entertainment factor of creating unheard of animations that keep the audience enthralled, but would it not be more logical to think of new ways to make real humans even more interesting to watch? That seems like a better investment to me.

About Me

My name is Rachel Johnson and I am a third year at the Ohio State University. I am currently a double major in German and International Studies with a focus on Western European studies. I am involved in many activities on campus including, Delta Zeta Sorority, Ohio State Sportsmanship Council, Intramurals and I am in the Biological Sciences Scholars Program. I originally started off as a Biology, premed major but after studying abroad in Dresden, Germany after my freshman year I decided it was not for me. I have travelled to a lot of major cities in Germany (Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Bremen to name a few) and have also been to Prague. I have been taking German classes since my freshman year in High School and it is something I truly love. I babysit in Upper Arlington a couple of days a week and I also recently started working for the Upper Arlington School district at their after school care program. As you can tell I love kids. This has to do with growing up with three younger sisters back home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. You learn responsibility at an early age. Some of my interests include country music (I am a big Kenny Chesney fan), the show Covert Affairs (I've always liked a good mystery), soccer (I've been playing since I was in pre-school), dance (ballet and jazz) and I love to read (I just recently finished reading the third book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.) I am easy going and love to meet new people!