3D to 2D

Take photos of all the work you completed for this class. Manipulate an image, or images, to create a 2-dimensional image.You can manipulate image(s) any way you choose. You can use photoshop, add music, add movement with animation of video.

 For this final project I used a photo of the chest I made for the Poetic Metamorphosis assignment. I also used a photo of my boyfriend's niece. The main reaction I had to the story Metamorphosis was surprise. The main character turned into a bug! Obviously he and his family were surprised. Thinking of what to do for this project I remembered the surprised feeling the story had. It was similar to when my boyfriend suddenly had a niece on the way. Her parents weren't together very long so it was surprising a baby was on the way. I Photoshopped her into the picture of the box. I added a quote about surprises to the picture. 

 This is the original photo of the box from an earlier assignment. I Photoshopped the background out of it to use for this assignment.

 This is the original photo I used of my boyfriend's niece. She was grumpy from all the flashes from taking pictures. Anyhow, I took myself out of the picture to use.

 I put her in the box and then decided it needed more. I wasn't intending to have a sad vibe so there was some more work to do.

I added a pink background to represent that she is a baby girl. Its a little dark because I don;t always feel that the absolute best is done for her. On the top of the picture I added the quote "Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often." I interpreted the quote meaning that we should basically expect the unexpected. Although I was shocked or surprised that my boyfriend got a niece, I shouldn't have been too shocked based on her parent's behavior. 

Sound Confession

Assignment:

This assignment incorporates the medium of audio. Record a confession. The confession can be in the form of a secret or an apology.  You may use your voice, or the voice of someone else, to make the recording. Make a container to house the recording device.  The materials and processes used to construct the container should be reflective of the content of the confession.  No size limit. 

Objective:

Development of an idea that results in an expressive and meaningful visual and audio experience.

Materials:

Small recording device
9 volt battery
Foam board
Felt
Bandana
Drawing inks
Feather trim

My inspiration for the confession was from an episode of CSI. In the episode, a woman has an affair with a clown and then murders him. This is a link to it.

 I made a pillow like structure out of four pieces of felt.

 I cut up a bandana to make the shape of a bow tie.

The recording device was attached to the pillow after the confession was recorded.

 I used cut up feather trim to create hair for the clown. The nose was made of red foam cut into a circle.

 The blood was made by mixing red and brown drawing inks and adding a little bit of water.

I brushed blood around the clown and on the pillow to recreate the scene of the murder. The recording device is concealed beneath the hair. The button to activate the confession is inside a small cutout of the foam nose.

And now the feature presentation 

This link will bring you to the  confession

It's About Time...Part 2

Assignment:

Carve two forms from life using soap as your medium. The second carving will be evaluated for observation.

Materials:

A couple of bars of soap, Kemper ribbon carving tool set, banning wheel, small plastic animal or figure.

This project began with a bar of soap. I traced the animal shape onto the bar of soap with a sharpie. I carved for what felt like forever until the form finally transformed into the animal shape. I used a smaller tool to carve the face, legs, and tail. No matter how hard I tried the legs would not be even, so my tiger leans a little to one side. The soap was kind of grainy so it was hard to get the entire piece to be one smooth level. This project was harder than I originally thought it would but it wasn't as defeating as the paper stacking!

Masked Identity

Assignment:

How would you describe your identity? Through the making of a sculptural head piece and imagery, compose a visual narrative that offers clues to your identity without showing your face. Use materials that emulate skin and skeleton (trace paper and wire). The form should cover your head and shoulders. Once the form is complete, video or photograph yourself  wearing the form. Imagery should demonstrate a narrative that communicates your identity. The final solution for this assignment is photography or video.

Objective:

Development of an idea that uses metaphor and symbols to visually communicate a personal narrative.

Materials:

Wire, wire cutters, tracing paper, gel medium, brushes, cup with water.

I feel that attending school in St.Augustine has in a way taken away part of my identity. Walking to class people stop to ask questions thinking that because I live here I'm walking down the street for their convenience of a tour guide. Others look curiously from their seats on the trolley and take pictures as though I am a robot walking around campus to entertain them. I feel like I'm living in a fishbowl. Everywhere I go people are looking. I'm not saying this in a conceited way, but just as an observation. It makes me wonder why they're looking. If anything, it makes me more self-conscious. Anyhow, I took this feeling and created a fishbowl mask. The sides aren't all perfect and it does not look exactly like a fishbowl. The imperfections reflect the self-consciousness I feel as a result of constantly feeling like I am being watched or looked at by whoever for whatever reason I am unaware of.

 I began this project with the basic wire frame and then added layers of tracing paper with water and gel medium. When that was complete I wore it in front of the school and waited for a trolley. Once one passed by I took a picture of them taking pictures. The effect wasn't quite what I wanted so I Photoshopped a picture of me wearing the mask into a better trolley picture that was taken. 

It's About Time...Part 1

Assignment:

Carve two forms from life using soap as your medium. Apply concepts of time to one of your carvings. The first phase of time will be based on elements you add to the form.  The second phase of time will demonstrate subtraction/alteration.  Your goal is to remove the form as far away as possible from its original state.  Each photo will present the form in a different state.  The first four photos will address addition to the form and the next four will demonstrate subtraction/alteration. The second carving will be evaluated for observation (so use your least successful carving for the time based portion of this assignment). Use photographs and/or video to document the stages of your process and the final solution. Post final images/video on your blog.  At least eight (8) images are required.

Materials:

A couple of bars of soap, Kemper ribbon carving tool set, banning wheel, small plastic animal or figure.I also used paint, glue, a sharpie, colored sugar, a sink, a microwave, a bowl of water, and a cheese grater.

For this project I began by tracing a tiger figure onto the soap. I cut off the excess and carved and carved and carved until I got the right shape.

Adding

Then I painted every other space to make the soap figure look a little for tiger like.

 After that I poured glue all over the figure.

And then rolled it around in colored sugar.

Subtracting

The subtractive process began with using a cheese grater to grate off the figure's feet and butt.

Then the figure took a shower in the sink with cold water. This rinsed off a majority of the glue and sugar.

After the shower I placed the figure on a plate in the microwave and let it ride for 15 seconds.

Not much happened other than some foaming and color swirling.

The last thing I did was put the figure in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes.

The figure came out a but smaller after dissolving a little in the water and was very gooey and kind of gross feeling. Since then it has dried and shrunk.

Sound Reaction

This American Life, 277: Apology, Act Two, Dial "S" For Sorry

People would call this line to confess feelings or apologize. It seems kind of silly to call a stranger and tell them your life. I guess that would easier at times than talking to the person you have feelings for or have wronged but it is not very courageous or effective. I think if you did something wrong you should tell whoever was effected your sorry and then hope the apology is enough or that it is accepted. The same with feelings, why tell everyone but the person who matters? I can't say I agree or relate to this very much. 

TED Talks, Frank Warren: Half A Million Secrets

This was much more realistic and easier to digest than the above clip. For whatever reason these felt real. Handwritten messages like something you'd write in a diary. I feel like this is something people would do rather than call a number and tell someone their life story. It was interesting how the postcards ranged from a funny complaint of a Starbucks worker to an envelope full of a ripped unused suicide note. Personally, I feel that writing is a better way to get feelings out; whether it is later sent to a person or not. 

Paper Stacking

Objective:
Observation through sight and touch as well as invention and development of individual idea. Introduce subtractive and additive processes.

Materials:
Four sheets of Rives gray paper, wood glue, scissors, exacto, a vegetable or fruit for observation purposes

So once again it was Chelsea vs. Paper. I'd like to think the battle was a tie. The paper won round one but victory was mine in round two!

This project began with painfully cutting out shape after shape after shape from the thick rives paper. Scissors, exacto knife, box cutter; it didn't matter what I used. My hands were killing me. After cutting all the pieces out I glued and stacked them. The final shape was very strange looking. I started using sand paper because power tools are a little bit scary and I've heard horror stories about the sander. Eventually my hand cramped from holding the stacked paper form and my other hand began to burn from sanding it with sand paper for so long. Although my intention was to make an orange the paper decided it wanted to be a hybrid orange lemon, or lorange. I accepted the defeat only because my hands could not take the pain any longer.

Round two was much more successful for me. I started off with a shell my boyfriend gave me. That made me think of a fish. So I cut out a fish shape and started stacking. But just a fish wouldn't be that interesting. I cut a rectangular slit in the middle of the fish a glued a vertical paper structure in the shape of seaweed into it. After that, the structure looked a little unbalanced. I made more rectangular slits on each fin and glued on more seaweed. Only these pieces arc and fold into the center piece. This piece makes me think of the ocean and how mysterious it is. It makes me think about how many things in nature can look like one thing but be something completely different, or hide within another creature. I painted this piece with shades of green and blue to reflect a beachy and somewhat mysterious feel.

Experimental Drawings