Artwork Refinement

This week I have focused on utilizing the feedback given to me from jurying. The results indicated that the housings of my project needed considerable work in order to be elevated to exhibition quality. As such, I have taken steps to refine my pieces, some of which have included adding additional layers of black paint over the previous paintings, since I was not able to sand away the pre-existing paintings. I have also taken the time to produce thought out sketches of the paintings' layout to make the painting process easier and more fun.

Preparing for Exhibition

In the weeks following the college's shutdown due to COVID-19, I have mostly worked towards organizing my materials for the construction of exhibition-worthy artworks. I refined both my video projects that will accompany the physical housings and worked to refine the acrylic painting portions of the artwork. However, after receiving my jurying results, it is clear that further refinement is necessary to elevate these pieces to exhibition quality. 

Timeline until Jurying Re-Review:
Saturday, April 4th: submit sketches of formatting for largest housing to Dawn Roe for advising
Sunday, April 5th: begin work on painting layout of large housing after receiving approval on the initial sketches
Monday, April 6th: check-in call with Dawn Roe to confirm procedures for refinement on reworked pieces, begin refining smaller pieces
Friday, April 10th: continue to work on all housings
Saturday, April 11th: finish all refinements necessary (refine palette, refine alignment and preciseness of the paintings' lines, sand down black paint)
Sunday, April 12th: check-in call with Dawn Roe and/or other CFAC faculty members to confirm the quality of the work

Monochromatic Imagery on Wood

This past week I made sure to concentrate on feedback I received during our last all faculty critique in order to deliberately work towards exhibition quality standards. I produced a refined mock-up on a wooden frame that I painted black. The imagery I included made use of a very restricted color palette because I wanted to test out how this color choice would impact the piece as a whole. After incorporating video into this mock-up, I noticed that it will be important to make sure that the colors in the video aren't overly saturated and that the paintings and digital images aren't completely distinct in terms of hue and value.

In the video project I worked on this week, I incorporated the new poem that I wrote a few weeks back. I made sure to concentrate on pacing in this new recording and used the slower cadence to match the amount of time each image would remain on screen. After receiving feedback for this work, I realized that the wide range of color in the videos within this piece could be isolated into three distinct projects, which I think would be useful in order to better tie into the monochromatic feel of the paintings. 

Color Palette Refinement

This week I mainly focused on pinpointing the exact colors for my final piece. The previous colors I have worked with have all been either too 'pretty' or too distracting and overwhelming. As such, I wanted to really pin down the colors I will use in order to allow some breathing room between the video piece and the paintings that surround it. What I found interesting about this week's progress is that I became so focused on choosing the color palette that I began to neglect the actual imagery that the colors were meant to compose. In my most recent mock-up, I only composed abstract shapes with little to no organic/discernible imagery besides a small cloud. It was useful to hear that the overly abstract composition was working a bit too literally and that paintings of the imagery seen in the video piece would better illustrate my concept (and I would enjoy this formal approach more, too). As a result I am excited to continue producing more work with more identifiable imagery as opposed to solely abstract shapes.

Research this week has consisted of finding English phrases that either have double meanings or that are homographs (words that have different meanings but are spelled the same). I found this useful to research because I wanted to include key English phrases in my video piece that showcased the importance of context in language. However, I have recently been wondering whether including the English text would be beneficial to my work or a hindrance to the meditative quality of the video.

Foam Core Mock-Up

This week I have been focusing on producing refined work for our final all-faculty critique. I have mostly concentrated on color palette, both for the shapes painted onto the work and the background color of my piece, and I also plan to construct something that is large and sturdy enough to hang on a wall. I am trying to decide whether a darker background or a lighter background relates more effectively to my project, since black may be a bit too strong (even if the idea of the "void" it provokes relates to my content), and a lighter color like a pale blue or grey can ease up the heaviness and better convey the calmness I want to incite in the viewer.

In terms of research, I have read a lot about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and the several experiments that have both supported and opposed its main premise. This hypothesis claims that whatever language you speak dictates your worldview, essentially creating unique versions of the world for each speaker of a different language. An example in favor of this hypothesis is that of the Hopi language and its characteristics that differ from English speaker's conceptualization of concepts like time, according to Whorf in "The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior." Unlike English, the Hopi see time as a continuum; unlike us who see every day as a new beginning or a fresh start, the Hopi language causes its speakers to see each day as a continuation of what came before. This is due to the language's lack of tenses. 

Another article I read this week - Berlin and Kay's "Basic Color Terms" - disproved the idea that each language creates an entirely different experience of the same world for its speakers. When conducting research to test whether speakers of different languages could somehow identify different colors, it was concluded that every language recognizes the existence of multiple colors, despite their lack of clear, distinct labels for each. For instance, there are several specific words for colors in English - olive, navy, crimson - that other languages lack. In fact, some languages order all colors under just two categories: white and black (in these languages, the colors are split according to how bright or dark they are). Thus, although there are some instances where languages can affect a speaker's worldview, there are still universal continuums that disprove the theory of completely different perspectives depending on the language one speaks. 

"Languages differ essentially in what they must convey, not in what they may convey" (Whorf, "The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior"). 

Poetry and Monochromatic Experiments

This past week my work has mostly consisted of various experimentations. I am currently testing out different color palettes for a monochromatic mock-up that I plan to produce. At this point I believe I will be using cool colors in my work, but I am also making sure to test out the way that earthy tones could work in the mock-ups. I know for sure I want to avoid an overly "pretty" look to the paint, as I think was the result of last week's mock-up with the black background.

As such, my research has mainly consisted of investigating several approaches for tackling a piece that uses a single color. In order to create a bit more visual diversity, I can mix my color with black, grey, and white to produce different shades, tones, and tints. This will be particularly useful because it can help me make a design that uses the different shades to create the illusion of depth. It is also helpful to create a flow or a relationship between the variations of the color, so I plan to incorporate that as I continue to refine my mock-ups.

I have also been working on new dialogue for the refined audio I will use in my final piece. I have been focusing on the relationships between Spanish and English when they are incorporated together in a poetic format and I have also attempted to improve the quality of the language itself. Since I now have a more accurate idea for the final version of my work, I have been able to produce text that has a closer and more effective link to the material in my art.

           Apunte, apunto de una feliz desquietud,

            Una voz que me resulta conocida

            Que indica, comenta, inquieta, 

            Lamenta las tartamudas que nos interesan

            Por sus lindas bocas que forman el sentimiento

            Y forman incomprensible

            Inconsebible 

            Perhaps here or there

            Los signficados

            Signified, signifier, sister, mister 

            Glossy incarnations 

            Que sin sus formas, sus casas son

            (With the utmost intent to defile)

            Desnudos e inutiles

           

            Que sea tan dificil 

            lo que me dices

            Apart from a disappearance 
            and the linger of a smile

            Si tu belleza pudiera extender mas allá que mis oídos

            Entre ciertas lagrimas 

            that fading summer somewhere behind me

            aspiraria

            tus intenciones

            Oigo a veces pero aun así
            no te escucho

Experimentation with Color and Shape

This week I have focused on building upon the parts of my mock-ups that work best and strengthening those facets while simultaneously trying out new techniques, colors, and layout approaches. I decided to produce a mock-up with a black background as a way to stray away from the white paper I utilized last time. I did this in order to see how the colors I chose would work differently and to begin reflecting about the effect of the background color on my viewers. I think that having such an intense color as the background for the painting and video pieces would encourage my viewers to let themselves enter into a meditative state. The black voids of negative space between each painting/screen alludes to the 'unknown' and the mystery that surrounds language.

I also decided to utilize different colors than those I painted with last week because I wanted to avoid utilizing a pastel-y palette. However, after viewing this new mock-up, I am now heading in a direction that will focus more on the minimalist aesthetic of the piece, and as such I plan to produce something that has a monochromatic color palette. I imagine such a controlled use of color can function to my advantage because it visualizes how the facets of language themselves are truly arbitrary, and it is only through its speakers that such components acquire and retain meaning.

My research for the week consisted of a piece by Saussure, "The Nature of the Linguistic Sign." In it, the philosopher clarifies that the link between signifier and signified in language is arbitrary. It is only because of the traditional nature of language (handed down through generations, never questioned) that each spoken tongue continues to survive and thrive without consistently switching signifiers and signified. I also thought Saussure's observation about language as an untouchable system by which we all live was very intriguing. He mentions that language is the only system in society that everyone participates in, as opposed to systems of government, religion, or legal procedures which only a select number of people engage in. According to Saussure, it is for this reason that the "community's natural inertia exercises a conservative influence" on language. I think this is very relevant to my project because it shows that each language exists as its own entity because of its consistent, undisputed, and regular use. It is just another example of how its importance escapes our awareness.

Abstraction and Minimalism in Painting

My research this past week consisted mostly of refreshing my memory with linguistic anthropological studies that have characterized language as a basic system that features innumerable combinations of words to produce an infinite number of complete thoughts. I think this is the direction my project will most likely take in the future because it highlights the importance of recognizing the complexity of language and promotes a thoughtful consideration of the philosophical implications of this integral component of our lives. Through language, we are able to communicate such abstract things such as the beauty we perceive or the emotions we feel, and as such, it is important to reflect on the power that this system has. 

This week I decided to focus on producing a refined mock-up that mainly featured acrylic paint. I mainly produced abstract imagery that retained a minimalist aura in order to reflect the systematic function of language. The minimalist aesthetic functions as a reflection of the infinite possibilities for communication and expression made possible through spoken language. I utilized a geometric abstraction in my mock up to illustrate how language's organization permits us to convey and share ideas and abstract concepts. In this study I also applied the paint in a grid-like fashion and as precise pieces to reflect how language allows us to take small components (like the letters and words that make up each language) and form them into full, complete thoughts. I also utilized minimalism/abstraction to reflect the images I display in my video pieces. The idea behind this approach was to visually represent the signified and signifier always present in language, but in a way that reveals its true existence as a mere symbol (for instance, the grey lines may remind the viewer of the blinds in my video, but only because they are visually similar; one could make the argument that these are simply lines on a canvas, and are only identified as blinds because that is what we decide to classify them as). Overall, I am very satisfied with the direction the project is heading, and am looking forward to continue evolving the imagery, scale, and video portions of the artwork. 

Combination of Video and Paint

This week I have mostly worked on producing a refined version of last week's mock up piece by combining video with different mediums such as photography and watercolor. I have been trying to experiment with different mediums to produce abstract imagery. My biggest challenge with this piece has been the creation of the drawings/paintings/collages because I have been trying to find the right balance between abstraction and minimalism. However, I think it is important to visualize a larger piece with more than one moving segment.

In terms of research for the week, I have been revisiting the bulk of my research from last semester that I feel remains relevant. Specifically, I revisited my research around philosophers like Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Baudrillard. I'm now focusing on honing in specific ideas from these sources, such as Baudrillard's commentary on the hyperreal (and its relation to the interpretation of reality through different languages), Nietzsche's questioning of language as an accurate interpretation of reality, and Wittgenstein's view of language as an organized, codified system. I believe this will be my biggest challenge, to convey these ideas within the visual representations of reality that I produce.

Spanish/English

My main focus for the research I engaged in centers around art projections in museum spaces. Ever since critique, I have been trying to look for ideas that can help me envision a possible installation approach and in doing so, enrich my attempt to produce more art. I think it will be extremely important for me to vigorously investigate details like these that will ultimately inform the work itself.

This week I received feedback on the progress of my work since last semester. I was able to shoot new footage for the video piece and I made sure to test out the use of English text alongside the spoken Spanish. In my most recent video edit, I focused on the use of the black screen as a quiet space that is inevitably filled with substance as a result of the English text. Taking my viewers into account, this means that while only a certain number of people would be able to understand the Spanish component of the piece, everyone would understand the English text.

I also decided to visualize an idea I have had since last semester by making a small mock-up version of what I envision to be a larger piece. In it, I was testing out the effectiveness of combining the moving image with the still, drawn portraits of the sky as a way to parallel language's impact concerning different interpretations of the same thing. 

Formally, I am pleased with how this version looks and am interested to see how a larger, more refined piece with multiple screens would look like.