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"

Images describes me

Final Eassy "Octavia Cook"

Octavia Cook was born in 1978, Auckland. She currently lives and works in Auckland. Graduated in 1999 from Unitec Institute of technology with a Bachelor of Design in Jewelry. Since graduating she has had numerous exhibitions throughout the years and also started a fabricated company called “Cook & Co” in 2002. Her works include; brooches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and chains. Her works deals and relate to autobiographical and idiosyncratic forms, the idea of her jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept, how she is drawn to the social role of jewelry, especially its identity-projecting possibilities and her use of the cameo to explore the possibilities associated with commemorative portraiture.

One of the ideas behind Octavia Cook’s work is the autobiographical and idiosyncratic form that is within her work. The meaning behind this idea is that Cook’s work is rewriting her life and her individuality through the form of jewelry. Her cameo work deals with the individual portrayed maybe known and important to her. Her work examines ideas of identity, family and the importance of jewelry in the art world. Cook demonstrates her imaginative ideas in her jewelry. An example of these ideas is found in her work “The Cook & Co Dynasty” 2009. This work presents several cameos of family members recording her background, history and ancestry in an art form that gives herself and her works an identity.

Cook’s jewels point to the indivisibility of craft and concept. Another way of rewriting this idea in a simple meaning is that the state of Cook’s jewels can’t be separated and divisible. The meaning behind this is that the ideas and process she uses to create her jewels are inseparable. The series of instructions in making her jewels are the same, aren’t divisible and can’t be separated. Her works all point to this idea, for an example, her four part “Cook & Co Cameo” set are inseparable from each other because the tools and materials that were used to create this work are exactly the same and the ideas behind the work, that of family, portraits, identity are interlinked with the making and the maker.

Cook’s drawn to the social role of jewelry, especially its identity-projecting possibilities. She’s attracted and drawn to the society world of jewelry and to an extent the representation of identity that can be created and presented in numerous ways. Cook likes the role of jewelry today and the direction it’s heading, indicating her interest in identity and how important it is to her. Cook defines this in her jewelry work, her portrait cameos that are important and precious to her. She redefines her idea around identity in her jewelry chains as well; her work monogram tennis bracelet has “COOK & CO” in big gold letters connected by tiny jump rings. She uses her company name to symbolize the company jewelry, creator, ownership and identity.

Cooks uses the cameo to explore the possibilities associated with commemorative portraiture. She evaluates numerous ways to memorialize portraits of people through her cameo work. She explores and experiments with her cameos to form links and find relationships, connecting people through a memorial or symbol. For an example her brooch work “A family portrait; C M and P J W Cook” I assume is Cook’s mother and father profiled in silhouettes. Her cameos of her parents show her relationship and importance of this people. This work is heirloom and valuable jewelry for the next generation of her family.