Artist Statement for Imovie Project

“We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.”

~Lucy Maud Montgomery

When we began this collaboration, we struggled to come up with a concept that spoke to all of us.  Originally we had discussed the topics of abortion, adoption, and addiction. We tried to tie all of these ideas together, but in the end, we could all agree that experiences, good and bad, are universal. Every human being grapples with what to take out of life. Our film seeks to examine how our collective experiences, no matter how fraught with pain or remorse, are the experiences that shape us.  We used Dorianne Laux’s poem, Antilamentation as our script for this film. Laux’s poem beautifully underscores the idea that regret is wasted, and that what matters most is how we move forward into the present. 

From the very beginning, we wanted to create a film that was visually poetic. One of the ways we tried to achieve this was through the use of slow motion.  The effect forces the viewer to linger within the scene, to listen and reflect.  Laux’s poem is essentially about reflecting, and we remained sensitive to this fact.  For instance, we use time-lapse footage to bring this idea to the fore.  It is when her counterpart joins our “woman”, that the world moves in real-time again, successfully conveying the psychological move from regretting the past to being in the present.  Many of our scenes strip away extraneous material in order to capture only the most important information.  We have tried in this way to focus on our character’s experiences and feelings.

We really wanted to emphasize the mood of the poem through lighting, obscuring the face of our actors, and editing. Lighting was an important strategy in our film.  We used natural light, stage lighting, silhouetting, dim lighting, and mood lighting.  We used it at different parts in the film to convey calm, angst, hurt, and intense loneliness.  Because we wanted to allow the viewer to relate to these emotions, we kept our actors “faceless.”  Through editing, we were able to add several elements that added to the feel of the film.  Our song, Brian Eno’s Emerald and Stone, was added to give the film a gentle pacing and a background for the voice over, a narration of Laux’s Antilamentation. We also added transitions, like “fade to black” for the pivotal point in the poem when our narrator commands “relax.” Because each scene was critical for conveying the content of the poem, we worked to tie the music, film clips and voice-over together in a way that felt natural and seamless. 

This film project was a long and complicated process that was not without its challenges.  However, the resulting film is a creative endeavor that we are all very proud to share. “Antilamentation” is a labor of great time and love, and one that we can all agree, we don’t regret.   

Behind the Scenes of the Imovie Project

Some of the crazy things that happened during the course of this project:

1. Pulled an all-nighter in the Calder Art Center the day before our debut in class, eating ramen from   a questionably clean bowl
2. Threw two TVs out a second story window; searched in the grass for the bits of shattered glass
3. Illicitly filmed a smoking scene in the stairwell of Calder Art Center
4. Stood downtown in the cold to capture the perfect time-lapse footage for our film

Some seriously interesting times... interesting times.  Thanks to Evan and Jodi for their hard work, vision and fun on this project. 

Next post: Our long-awaited movie!

Imovie Project

So, we have spent countless hours putting together this imovie project for my Digital Creativity class. And can I say, that I am relieved to be done!  I worked with the ever committed and dedicated Jodi and Evan, who did a fabulous job editing this film so that it would be the most perfectly, poetic piece to have ever graced a blog anywhere. 

I have to be honest in saying that this was the most frustrating group project I have ever worked on, what with the driving here and there to get specific film shots, the late nights, and the technical difficulties that arose while trying to work with the imovie program.  Again, just so glad to be done...

What I have learned about filming a movie:
1. You can never really plan how a shot will work out, it is mostly a venture of faith
2. Filming is really involved; a lot of work goes into the perfect shot
3. The importance of lighting cannot be overstated
4. When you think you are done, you are not, how silly to have thought you were done in the first  
    place, there is still more to do, get back to work, YOU ARE NOT DONE!
5. I am really not that interested in filming (Although, I will continue to love watching films and appreciating the craft...)

But for now, WE ARE ACTUALLY DONE! And that is something to celebrate... probably by taking one very large nap.

Stay tuned, I will post the video and the artist statement soon. 

Artist Statement

  Our Finished Animation Project!

It was a challenging project, but we completed it! Our artist statement follows...

Artist Statement

Kelsey Clapp &
Christina Stephenson

The Tale of Two Wolves

For our Flash Animation project, we created a retelling of a traditional Cherokee tale, The Tale of Two Wolves.  We wanted to animate the tale in such a way that it was reminiscent of how storytellers from all different cultural traditions share tales.  The collaborative nature of this project meant that we needed to rely on stylistic devices to create a sense of cohesion.  

We each cut silhouettes out of black paper and used them as our characters.  Each of us chose to design one of the wolves in a way that we thought best embodied their characteristics.  Kelsey animated the “bad wolf,” and Christina animated the “good wolf.”  Our goal was to create distinct characters, and at the same time, for them to have a similar look and feel, and with the cut paper, we achieved that.  We utilized a lot of the same background images as well, and relied on a dynamic color scheme to convey emotion. We also wanted to convey emotion by using sound.

An appropriate sound was important to us.  We wanted to create an authentic feel for our story, and so we chose to include a Native American flute soundtrack.  The subtle music successfully conveys a sense of the cultural setting as well as the emotional feeling we were looking for. 

While we chose a traditional Cherokee tale, we allowed ourselves ample room to explore how to incorporate original artwork.  We did not want to simply appropriate images and words from the Cherokee culture, and we tried to be as sensitive to the fact that appropriation carries ethical consequences.  Overall, what we created is a unique retelling of a wonderful tale.

The Tale of Two Wolves -Flash Animation Project

We have been discussing creativity in one of my classes, and the topic has been the theme on which we ruminate all semester.  At the beginning of the class I felt that our discussions were contrived, often the result of structured readings and assignments that require a certain narrow focus in order to shed light on an upcoming project or assignment.  Read this paper on creativity, then read this one, and the like.  And there is nothing wrong with beginning discussions about creativity this way, but it does seem counter-intuitive to approach the topic through the lens of just one discipline. And I was reminded this week of the fact that the discussion of creativity is being carried out in several different disciplines. 

When I was a middle schooler, I fell in love with the music of Yanni, a new age pianist (though the descriptor seems too narrow still) who has performed all over the world.  I didn't know it then, but his music was an ongoing discussion about the creativity of humankind. 

Yep, this is the guy I would have a fan crush on for quite awhile when other kids my age were following the Backstreet Boys, N'SYNC and Brittney Spears.  I still have a huge place in my heart for his music. (True Story: When I was a freshman in high school art class, we were asked to paint a portrait of somebody who had influenced us and then use wacky colors to explore color families or something like that. Of course, I chose Yanni. I was elated when they chose my portrait to hang in the guidance counseling office until one of my classmates had asked why somebody had drawn a portrait of Mr. Thornton, one of our guidance counselors. To my chagrin, my Yanni portrait did indeed look like Mr. Thornton, and forever after, when I would see him walking the halls of our school, my heart would throb and I would blush as though it were actually Yanni walking by.) 

If you have time, I suggest you watch this video of a live interview conducted with Yanni not too long ago.  What he sharess about his creative process and the creativity of all individuals echoes what I believe, and is an example of a discussion on creativity that is happening outside of the classroom. He starts to talk about creativity right around 12:08 or so. I like the way he describes creativity as surrendering to the unknown, and how he reiterates over and over that it requires no judgement in order to make room for dreams and ideas to be created.  For me, the discussion of creativity has always been implicit in his music anyway.  It is implicit in this composition, Nightingale, one of his most popular to date. Until next time, let this music float you to sleep or inspire you in your next creative drought. Goodnight!

Here is the updated storyboard that I worked on with my partner, Kelsey.  I can't wait to see how we flesh this out in the coming weeks!

We are beginning a new Digital Creativity project. This is a partner project that uses flash to tell a story.  My partner and I wanted to tell a Cherokee tale called the "Two Wolves Within." Some of you might be familiar with the legend already, but it begins with a Cherokee boy talking to his Grandfather after having a run-in with another youth. The boy is filled with hate and anger at the situation, and the grandfather uses the moment to talk about the two wolves that reside within all us, one good, and one bad.  I won't give away the punch line as it were, because I will be posting in-progress pieces of the project, and eventually, the final flash video.

Here is a peek at a possible storyboard for our film:

All this thinking about stories and tales got me thinking about great stories that I have watched in film before.  If you have not seen these two films, they are a must-see that should not wait. 

"Azur and Asmar" from director Michael Ocelot. Also another of his films,

"Tales of the Night,"which I promise, will leave you breathless with its dazzling simplicity and distinct style.  You can watch trailers for both of these films on YouTube. (Yay YouTube!)

While I was drooling over the animation in these trailers the other day, I happened to come across this video.  It is a live theatrical performance that has taken Ocelot's work and translated for the stage.  It is brilliant. I can only imagine what it must have been like to see that live!  So cool!

Rapid Central Station- 3 Postcards

These postcards were created as an exercise as part of the Digital Creativity class. I chose to illustrate Grand Rapid's Central Bus Station because it is a place that is incredibly interesting in its natural and man-made elements in play, as well as the variety of people that I meet when I ride the bus. My Artist Statement appears at the bottom of this post.

 

 

Artist Statement

            I am a commuter.  Riding the bus has been a part of my everyday life.  I feel like I know the rhythms of Grand Rapids Central Bus Station by heart.  That is what I wanted to convey in my series of postcards, the different and varied rhythms that I see everyday.  Using the artistic strategies that we talked about in class and reviewing the artists’ work that we used as reference for technical and conceptual ideas, I tried to create in my images small narratives, subtle and overt.

            In the first postcard, I used the Central Stations Bus platform as my environment.  This area is visually interesting because it combines natural and manmade elements.  The canopy structures particularly illustrate this combination; they are made of concrete steel bars and wrapped with hanging vines. As I observe these structures, I see the symbiotic relationships happening within them.  These canopies serve as shelter for the birds, the steel bars help the plants to grow, and the natural vines are a bright and soothing way to deliver shade to passengers.  I tried to limit the colors in this piece, the green and orange color scheme is meant to convey a warm feeling.  The carpet of marigolds makes the scene seem otherworldly and whimsical.  I also played with repetition and scale, the marigolds in the foreground comically large.  I wanted to achieve a sense of odd respite, to create and environment that feels real and imagined at the same time.

            In the second postcard, I wanted to create an eerie sense of space and of time.  I played a lot with the structure and look of the bus.  It is meant to look foreboding with its dark colors and dilapidated exterior.  The rusted awning was achieved using layer masks.  Modification was the primary strategy that I employed in this postcard design.  I added lampposts and a heavy wooden door to suggest a different time period, and patterns and textures came into play a lot. I wanted to convey the unglamorous aspects of being a commuter, the scary reality that when you enter the bus, you are often entering the unknown. 

            The third postcard utilizes isolation and hybridization  The wings and the hot air balloons function as metaphors for “uplifting individuals,” and for giving individuals who don’t have freedom the freedom to get around by taking the bus.  I wanted to remove the bus from its usual state on the ground and put it into the clouds to show that riding the bus is a little bit like being “above the world” in a sense, when you are surrounded by tinted glass and steel and looking down on everyone on the street.  As a commuter, this is the rhythm of the bus that I experience most often, the contemplative and meditative atmosphere of just riding along.  

            This series of postcards is meant to be a kind of narrative, highlighting the highs and lows of riding The Rapid.  At times Central Station functions as a sanctuary for diverse peoples, inviting you to observe closely, as in the first postcard.  At other times, it can be a dangerous place because of the unknown. However, most of the time I am uplifted and encouraged when I take the bus because of all the interesting people and places that I come into to contact with when I sit back and enjoy the ride.

Tyree Guyton

In the heart of Detroit's downtown neighborhood, Tyree Guyton is making an outdoor gallery space from the rubble of urban struggle and poverty.  He is often seen as an activist, a painter and sculptor on a mission to bring lasting change, and to help heal a neighborhood that has been gripped by drug trafficking, gang violence, and crime.  He uses houses, buildings and streets that are a part of the neighborhood landscape as his canvas, often using a circle and "dot" motif to symbolize the connectedness of all individuals and the connectedness of life. Bright colors are used to symbolize the bright possibility that exists in all things throughout life, all human beings living anywhere. As a Detroit based artist it is his goal to illuminate the problems that face poverty stricken neighborhoods like the ones he works in, but more importantly to make these spaces culturally rich and revitalized so that crime, violence and poverty become a thing of the past. He often uses metaphor in his work.  The Dot, in particular, in the Heidelberg Project represents the universal nature of all the things, like a circle without a beginning and an end.  He believes we are all connected by the same dreams and goals. He is a great example of how art can be community based.

http://cdn.lifeandtimes.com/uploads/2013/02/tyreegunton2.jpeg

Here is a link to a pretty in depth look at the case of Steve Kurtz, including an interview with the artist about his practice at the end of the article. This case for me, is an interesting study about how contexts can change meaning, and the fuzzy boundary between art practice, and actual scientific practice. Enjoy! 

http://lightresearch.net/interviews/kurtz/kurtz.pdf

I just finished reading an article by Julia Marshall called Five Ways to Integrate: Using Strategies from Contemporary Art. This article was very interesting to me in that the author suggests that integrating these strategies into the art classroom will also integrate other disciplines like science, language arts, anthropology, etc. I loved the way she describes the different strategies and how they might be applied in a classroom setting, even going so far as to share which strategies are most appropriate for different grade levels. She postulates that Mimicry, or using the tools and processes of a particular discipline to make art, is the most radical of the five. And I believe that this is true as well. I think about the case of Steve Kurtz, an artist that heavily employs scientific processes in his work, and how his art practice led to his investigation by the FBI and prosecution by the Dept. of Justice. I encourage you to look up his story, which is discussed in the documentary "Strange Culture" by Lynn Hershman-Leeson. The implications of the case raise so many questions about the responsible use of mimicry as an art strategy. This is an important article for understanding how art educators can remain relevant, an increasing concern in the field of art education. Often art teachers are pressured to teach "the core," (math, language arts, sciences), but Marshall is suggesting that we can use these strategies to serve art and to serve educational goals.  This is one of those articles that I will incorporate into my future practice as a teacher, the kind of ideas that will shape my thoughts about learning. 

Hello, and welcome! Grab a mug of cocoa, a favorite pillow, curl up in a comfortable chair or sofa and let me share with you a little bit about me, what interests me, my journey to becoming an art teacher, and along the way, some tips and tricks for bringing art and creativity into all areas of life.

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Christina Stephenson. I am married to Duane, my wonderful hubby, and we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in June of this year. He is the macaroni to my cheese, and the first person I want to wake up to in the mornings. 

My hubby taught silly me to drive, at age 26 if you can believe that, and I passed my driver's test this month. I can't tell you how patient this man has been driving me here and there for all those months. <3

I am currently working on my art education degree at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI. I am really looking forward to teaching art! As a future art educator, much of this blog will include my thoughts on fostering creativity, visual arts education, and projects that I am currently working on in class and on my own. I am always on the lookout for fun DIY crafts and projects, so, seeing as we are coming into the month of October pretty soon, if you have any projects to share, let me know!

Julia Marshall's Article "Thinking Outside the Box: Creativity and Inquiry in Art Practice"

I just read Julia Marshall's article on thinking outside the box.  She presents 4 steps in creative thinking: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.  While these are a great logical way of breaking down the steps of creative thinking, I believe that thinking outside the box is about expanding on information that is already there.  This can mean mining history to make connections between what you are doing now.  I guess that for me, this is the best way that I know how to think outside the box. As an illustrator, when I am trying to solve a compositional challenge, I like to look to illustrator's work who have come before me like, Charles Gibson, Lisbeth Zwerger, or Sterling Hundley for inspiration.  When I can apply what I have learned in new ways, then I feel as though I have entered that radiant territory of "thinking outside the box."

Thinking outside the box can include:
1. Researching and making connections between the past and present
2. Investigating materials and thinking about new ways of applying them (for example, the artist who   might paint with coffee grounds)
3. Revisiting questions of inquiry and materials over and over again to create new connections that are informed by new information