Leilani Kake

Today our class had another seminar with fellow lecturer and video installation artist Leilani Kake. They were two things about Kake works that interest me the most was her idea around identity and personality. Her works deals with ethnicity, culture and spirituality that are real factors behind all her work. I took note on her inspiration brainstorm and wanted to find out more about this people. She explained that she chose this specific people because of the concepts, ideas, techniques and personal issues her inspirational people possess.

Kake draws inspiration from Merata Mita, an important figure in the progression of Maori in the NZ film industry. Mita has been around the industry for 30 years was the director behind the documentary film "1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand" an important moment in NZ history of racial discrimination. She was also the first Maori women to write, direct and produce a film in NZ history with the 1988 Mauri. She referred to her mother, as one of her inspiration was great and identical to myself as I too see my mother as an inspiration behind my life and art. My thriving for success in art is all thanks to my mother who supported my change in personality from rugby to art and is a reason why I'm do something with art to make her proud.

Kake work that got my attention was "Kia Ora" because the idea and concept that she produced through her video installation was just simple and unique. She links her roots of being half Maori and half Cook Island through her ethnicity greeting language "Hello". Kia Ora is spelled and pronounced the same in both cultures because Maoris are descendants of Cook Islands which primarily makes them Polynesians but today society separate them from the rest of the Pacific Islands because the change of culture in New Zealand throughout the century being a develop European country.

I think Kake use the "Kia Ora" to bring the relationship between Maori and Cook Island closer and how closely related these two cultures are through art. Kake simple text of "Kia Ora" throughout her video is manipulating in size, width, length, mirroring, overlapping and repetition. These techniques that she has used on a simple text create patterns and shapes that are identical and relevant to the Pacific Island art patterns linking Maori culture to its very root of being in one with Polynesia.

http://ngahauewha.wordpress.com/artist-curator/

The "Rapid Change" exhibition @ the Te Tuhi Art Gallery in Pakuranga was very interesting and heart felting because the politics and society issues that impact on the urban household in specific cities around the globe. One work that was interesting was Gregory Holm & Matthew Radune "Ice House Detroit"(2010). A Photographer and Architect collaboration work dealing with the Detroit urban society problem with unemployment, debts and Unpaid mortgages due to the never stoping recession. Holm and Radune contribution work has gained local and global interest through the media and the art world. The chilled ice house was specifically staged and build around a suburban to symbolize homeowners house lost and wanted to help those homeless with their funding they got through the media coverage of their artwork.

http://www.tetuhi.org.nz/exhibitions/exhibitiondetails.php?id=100

Mary Curtis

On thursday the class had a special guest speaker, a tutor and practitioner jeweler Mary Curtis. Although I was late for her seminar I was able to get some notes down about herself and work. One thing That I took notice about her discussion was the importance of presentation and composition and something to be taken very seriously. Till now I didn't really payed attention to the presentation and composition until Curtis talk, It's now become an important aspect to me as an art student.

Decoration seems to an important tool within her artwork and it gives her work a different and creative look. Curtis uses sources and materials that don't associate with the jewelry world and uses them in her works to create a new meaning and idea in her work. Her influences of decoration comes form the traditionally portrait paintings and At her "Made in Waterview" exhibition in 2004 she quote "This new body of work challenges the way we relate to objects of utility by changing them into objects of decoration." Her work "Red Wallpaper Bow brooch"(2008) is an example of her unique and creative use of materials to give an ordinary brooch more unique style.

<http://www.objectspace.org.nz/programme/show.php?documentCode=2239>

Curtis likes to positioned and decorate her exhibition to give her artworks a more observing and unique setting and background. She uses the setting to engage and absorb the exhibitors and visitors more into the artwork. Did a little research and found about an Italian artist Enzo Cucchi collaboration work with architect and designer Italian Ettore Sottsass "Artwork 1" which is a human figure sculpture in clay but only the legs are present. The neon lights aren't part of the artwork but its a decoration of the sculpture to give it more appeal and notification.

<http://www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/cucchi.html>

Frances Hansen

Today we had a guest speaker Frances Hansen who did a seminar on her current and past work. Her area of expertise is ranged from Painting to mixed media and does a lot of installation works too. One of the main ideas behind her works is collection. She uses collection in different ways from the weeds project where she got the collaboration of MSVA students/Staff and Newcastle Art school to produce a respond artwork towards weeds. She gathered them all then carefully position each drawing on a very large and wide panels that is all linked together and becomes a collection of artwork frames.

I don't really collect objects or have some sort of collection but photo albums is a some sort of collection that's associated with everyone. My mother used to collect stamps and put them into a catalogue. I remember going over to cousin house and saw how he uses his collection of toy soldiers. He decorated and displayed them throughout his home because the importance of that specific object to his childhood life. I did have a collection of marbles from my childhood life. They were really important to me because most kids in the islands love to play marbles and like collecting them to show off because it showed others that you are really good marble player.

Another artist who works with collection of stuff is British Artist/Designer Stuart Haygarth quoted "My work is more about giving overlooked things a fresh significance by putting them in a new context." Haygarth collects numerous objects, man made scraps and materials that are ignored and uses them in his artwork. Haygarth work "Tide" 2004 is an example of his collection habit which he created a colorful chandelier out of man made scraps he collected from the Kent coastline in England. The scraps are in different shapes and sizes but he some how organizes and places them carefully to create overall a sphere that he intently did as a resemblance to the Moon which results the tides that washes up fragments and scraps.

http://www.stuarthaygarth.com/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1080

Steve Rood

Last week Our DVA class had seminar on practicing artist and tutor Steve Rood. He discussed about his expertise around the field of photography and the type of fields of photography he has worked in from food magazines, fashion to advertisement. The one thing that stuck me with déjà vu was his childhoods story how his first photograph he took back when he was a kid was the starting point that influenced him into photography. Rood story reminded me of the twelve stations of the cross-paintings that were the influential images that sparkled my love for art.

In truth I suck and hate photography but Rood works in the field were very mind changing and cool because of the techniques and tools he usedto create his work are something I never think about and had no knowledge about till his discussion. One of his ideas behind photography is to be anti, his works in fashion photography used the out of focus technique and bad lens to create a simple identifying silhouette figure that is obscure and mysterious. His linking of photography and painting got an impression on me because of the theory on Johannes Vermeer painting that Rood assume that Vermeer used the camera obscura method in his paintings. Did a little Internet search and found out that Vermeer paintings were perspectively perfect outlined and the composition of human figures were too perfect and unusual in his time. In 1891 Joseph Pennell, an American Lithographer was the first to sparkle the theory behind Vermeer work being "photographic perspective" through camera obscura with evidence being the work itself.<http://www.essentialvermeer.com/camera_obscura/co_one.html>

Another subject that got my interest in Rood presentation was Interactive design. I was amazed and fascinated with digital works because I've never seen it before and wanted to find out more about. Did a wikipedia search and in simple art format it for my understanding, Form is important but it's main subject is its behavior. Found out that interactive design has been around for a years dating back to the mid 80's. I recently found that its being used in the performance art field and concerts. A school of Art and Design in Switzerland posted a summary video of students works with interactive design and I thought it was amazing.<http://vimeo.com/795136>

The magic that digital media can create is awesome and something I know that will be used more in the future. Beyonce "Run the World" performance @ the 2011 Billboard Music Awards is evidence of my theory.<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkqUTY3G13M>

Money In The Bank was exhilarating and real

The Money In The Bank paper view was just absolutely exciting and the lead up to the most anticipating match in years was very absorbing. John Cena vs Cm Punk was gonna go down in wrestling history as a classic and the story element behind this match was the real seller to fans. CM Punk remarks about Mr McMahon and associates behind close doors were very direct and real to the world. The conclusion of the story was not what I had predicted because the lead up to the match was connected with the Brett Hart Montreal Screwup in 1998 where Brett Hart on the night he versed Shawn Michaels for the WWF title was Hart Last day of contract with the WWF before going to WCW.

Apparently he was supposed to win the match and retire the belt the next edition of Monday Night Raw but Mr McMahon decided on the night before the PPV that he was gonna get Shawn Michaels to do a sharpshooter and as soon as Michaels did McMahon call out for the bell to ring with Hart not tapping out and in disgust with McMahon actions, Hart spit @ Vince as a last action towards him before he leaves. CM Punk contract with the WWE ended that night of the paper view at twelve o'clock midnight and what occurred was CM Punk winning the title and gapping it through the crowd with McMahon plan of Del Rio cashing in his Money in the Bank case failed after Punk super kick Del Rio before exiting through the strong home crowd of Chicago.

Wrestlemania 27

This years Wrestlemania is more exciting and electrifying then the previous Wrestlemania events. One reason why is The Rock...Yeap it can only take one guy to turn this years Wrestlemania to an event to remember. personally I thought it would be a dissapointing year because of the Royal Rumble results with Alberto Del Rio winning it who I thought wasn't ready for Wrestlemania since he has only been with WWE for a couple of months but Mr McMahon always has a plan up his sleeve. Totally wanted John Morrison to be the main event at Wrestlemania against The Miz.. Hopefully next year Morrison will get his opportunity. Now back to Wrestlemania 27 this year. I've never been this excited about Wrestlemania since 2005 match between Batista vs Triple HHH.. The Rock is gonna the gonna lay it the smack down at Wrestlemania. "IF YOU CAN SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOOKIN!!!!!!!!!!

Response to Elliot Collins "Held Together"