Artists
Ryan Trecartin – Video Artist
Apr 30th
Wasn’t expecting to be interested after Pippi, but Ryan Trecartin’s videos were more of a treat. Packed with crazy, bizarre, weird, uncommon, wild, and strange visuals, I was able to make something out of the one video I saw. And yes all those synonyms can describe his video art.
“A Family Finds Entertainment,” is the video I watched. Crazy crazy again, but the one element I liked was how he makes fun of the modern teenager with all the tantrums they throw.
“I’m not sixteen anymore… but I feel like I’m five! with sunglasses on…”
I feel that those words, as funny as they sound, are exactly what parents hear when their teenage child is rebelling.
“I believe somewhere, there’s something worth dying for… and I think its amaaazzziinng”
Another yet very common thing a teenager says… it makes me reminisce on when I thought I was more important than the world. But anyways, this video truly talks about what a normal family goes through in a new unconventional way. Ryan Trecartin is an interesting video artist indeed.
Pippilotti Rist – Video Artist
Apr 30th
Watching Pippilotti’s videos was the weirdest consecutive 41 minutes and 56 seconds I’ve had to endure this semester. Maybe it was an intervention from the universe the video wouldn’t play all of its 73:12 minutes, but I can say this: Technology gave this woman an interesting way of expressing herself through video art.
It started off cute and funny with “I’m not the girl who misses much.” She was playing with the speed of the video which distorted her voice to sound like a little squirrel while she was jumping up and down. It became interesting when Pippilotti played the video slow and we could feel the song as more intense rather than a comical peep show. But video art is supposed to shock. I was proved right at minute 5:59. Definitely not funny, OR CUTE… and shocking. Trying not to stand on my head to see if I could understand this better, I went on to watch a third of the entire collection.
Because it was getting very redundant and I clearly was not getting the idea, I decided to play it on the background while I read emails. After 6 minutes or so, I begin hearing a melodic guitar and the funny voice again. I switched back to the video and what do I see? I woman giving birth! Not the most welcoming sight I tell you… It shocked me enough to go back and read the title of the video. I’m not sure if this is it but when I translated it, it made the video make sense.
“Als der bruder meiner mutter geboren wurde roch es nach wilden birnenbluten vor dem braungebrannten sims”
Translated
“As the brother of my mother was born there was a smell of wild pears bleed before the tanned sims”
Yes that makes sense… and thank you Google Translator.
After this, the most interesting video came on, but I dare not comment on it. I won’t post the link to the videos either, but you have the name of the artist. So if you’re dying to see her work, go ahead and Google her. Just don’t blame it on me.
Using cubism for fashion
Apr 9th
Yesterday, my sister sent me this link to a photograph that looks a lot like what I was doing for the grid project. It was done following the same concept behind cubism by a fashion photographer named Jeff. I can’t find his last name. All I know is that he is from Taiwan, but I find this very interesting. Its like a visual oxymoron being able to see movement in a still frame.
Here is the description he gives it:
72 Metamorphoses is an epical trick derived from a legendary folk tale in Chinese culture, describing the capability of a Saint altering his physical appearance at will. This is not an impossible trick today since modern fashion offers not only beauty, but also an endless array of looks people select at their own will. In this special project, I have interpreted the old Chinese literature using cubism art technique to portray the different forms and angles of contemporary women, representing women and fashion’s power at transformation.
You can see his other works at his profile: http://discover.genart.org/jeff
