ART 334

iMovie Link

iMovie Artist Statement:

The premise of this video resides in a single action. This action, whatever it might have been, becomes intensified due to the attention that is placed on it. I chose to focus on the act of holding my breath because it is a simple action, yet can be a powerful statement at the same time. In subtle ways, this video comments on such topics as control and resistance. The irony of the small bowl of water being used directly in front of the far-reaching body of Lake Michigan is another subtle, important factor.

I wanted the piece to create tension for the viewer, making them feel slightly uncomfortable about what was happening. I think the relation that viewers have with their own bodies and the one they see on the screen creates the tension I was looking for, and the longer I stay under water, the more anxious the viewer becomes about when I am going to surface up for air. 

I chose to bring the action to a full close, by including my surfacing and gasp for air. I felt it was important to the action as a whole to include its commencement. I was not interested in leaving the viewer frustrated or unsure, which would have been the result had the video only shown me underwater, never coming up. I was more interested in the viewer being curious about the action as a whole, the context, and its outlaying concepts. 

The voice overlay adds another element to the piece that correlates it to a specific set of ideas regarding the action. I chose to read from a selection of a book, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin because I wanted to intentionally direct the viewers understanding. The words are almost atmospheric, but speak directly of concepts conveyed in the action. A less specific sound, such as the waves of the lake, would not have worked to shape the meaning of the piece, but rather would have just existed within it.




Technology Lesson Plan:

Sara Weimer

Lesson: Color Theory                                 

Grade Level: High school, 9^th-12^th grade

Benchmark/Standard:

-ART.VA.I.HS.2 intentionally use art materials and tools when applying techniques and skills to communicate ideas.

-ART.VA.II.HS.6 Use emergent technologies and materials to create artistic products that demonstrate knowledge of context, values, and aesthetics.

-ART.VA.III.HS.2 Describe how organizational principles are used to elicit emotional responses.

-ART.VA.III.HS.1 Analyze and describe the formal characteristics of a work of art or design.

Objective:

I am going to introduce video as an art making material. By the end of the lesson I will have shown the class examples of video art from contemporary artists, and will have given a demo on how to use the video camera. Students will be expected to have taken notes. The rest of the lesson is centered on students capturing their own footage for a video piece they will be making. Students will be expected to think about video in an abstract way, rather than in a narrative or “movie” style. I will check for progress by having informal discussions with each student about ideas and methods of production.

Art Content Knowledge/ Artist/ Artmaking Strategy/ Art Activity

           

Big Idea: Self

Key Concept:

Students will explore the self through symbolic and abstract means. Students will create an atmosphere, emotion, feeling or concept that directly relates to them through an abstract action or occurrence.

Essential Question:

-How can I use video to create a feeling/emotion in a way that I could not do with other materials?

-What types of actions produce specific emotions or feelings?

-How can I manipulate the action I choose in order to create the concept I wish to explore?

-Is the action I choose visually interesting? Does it relate conceptually to my idea?

Artist:

Selected Artist: Janine Antoni

Key Artwork: Tightrope

     Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_n2kfqNmpY

-        Janine Antoni works in sculpture, performance and photographic mediums. Her work focuses on process and uses action in an abstract way.

-        The work is based on an idea Antoni had as a child living in the Bahamas. She wanted to walk on the edge of the sea, where it meets the sky in the distance. The work becomes both literal and figurative in the sense that the tightrope does land directly on the horizon line, yet the action is only an illusion. The connection between ideas, concept and the possibilities of video as an artmaking medium are strong in this piece.

-        Artmaking practices include learning skills, such as tightrope walking, constructing scenes and scenarios to aid in performance, building sculptural objects and using the body as a tool to make art.

-        Antonia quires knowledge in different ways depending on the specific project. If she must learn a new skill, she will. If she must learn how to use a new material, she will. Technical strategies are almost unlimited in this way.

-        Conceptual strategies come more through a personal and experiential position. Antoni explores ideas through a straightforward action, many times being very simple and ordinary. The use of her own body plays a strong role in effecting the meaning of the piece, as well as adding to the abstractness.

Art Activity: Digital Media Integration

           

Studio Activities:

-        Students will create a video that focuses on the use of an action as a metaphorical reference to an emotion, concept or idea of their choosing.

-        Students will be using video cameras provided by the school and may choose to include themselves in the footage, use models, or not include any individuals at all. Formal considerations such as lighting, framing, angles and sound must be considered and will be graded for.

-        The action must relate in some way to an emotion, concept or idea that that student chooses. During critique, the student must be able to talk about why they chose the action and idea, and be able to discuss how the two connect.

Concept Mapping:

I will first introduce students to the material we will be using for this project and go over the basic strategies and how-to’s for operating a video camera. The next step will be to show students examples of artists that work with this medium as a source of inspiration and ideas. I will chat with students individually to help promote ideas and then students will be expected to film what they need for the project. I will demonstrate how to edit the film and we will work individually to assess how each student can best present their footage to create their intended concept.

Anticipatory Set:

Resources and Materials:

-In order to get students interested in video art, I will start class by showing several examples by contemporary artists such as Ana Mendieta and Janine Antoni. This will require the use of Youtube videos.

- Other materials: Video cameras, film editing program, computers/computer lab, method of projection/viewing

Procedure/Preparation:

Day 1- Examples, demo on how to use the video cameras, students take notes, individual discussion about ideas.

Day 2 - Work day, students are able to film.

Day 3 – Demo on how to edit film, work time, individual meetings about editing.

Vocabulary:

-Framing: Properly surrounding the subject of a shot by the edges of the actual boundaries of the film. Involves camera angle, distance, and arrangement of objects and people in front of the camera.

-Camera Angle: Whether the shot is taken from behind, in front, from the side or from the top or bottom of the particular view.

-Editing: Includes the decisions, controls, sensibilities, vision and integrative capabilities of the individual editing (cutting) artist.

Assessment/ Evaluation/ Rubrics:

I will check for student understanding throughout the lesson with individual discussions about ideas and how to work with the material. Students will be evaluated on the following objectives: technical proficiency, visual interest of the action, connection of action and idea, as well as the ability of the student to articulate their ideas and decisions.

Closure:

There will be a final critique that the whole class will participate in. Students will be expected to analyze their peers’ projects, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of work, and be able to articulate their own ideas.

Example of Studio Production:

The documentation of this project will exist as a movie file or on a disc.

Worksheet of Studio Activities:

Students will be presented with the following questions and asked to write out in their sketchbooks. Notes/ answers and sketches will be checked during class.

 -How can I use video to create a feeling/emotion in a way that I could not do with other materials?

-What types of actions produce specific emotions or feelings?

-How can I manipulate the action I choose in order to create the concept I wish to explore?

-Is the action I choose visually interesting? Does it relate     conceptually to my idea?

-Where will I film? What angles will I use? What will the lighting be like?

-How will I transition scenes? How will the beginning and ending be formatted?

	Excellent	Proficient	Needs Improvement	Score
Technical Proficiency	Student demonstrates a strong understanding of the medium. Video is filmed in an interesting way. Editing is seamless and not noticeable.	Student is able to use the medium in a successful way. Filming and editing are generally interesting and not distracting.	Filming does not have variation or consideration. Editing is distracting.	_____/20
Concept	The action and idea fit together and make sense. The action is abstract and creates an interesting connection to the larger concept.	The action and concept generally make sense. The connection might not be very interesting, or the relationship might be slightly confusing.	The action and idea do not make sense together. There is no consideration of how the concept will be carried out with the footage.	____/20
Discussion	Student is able to clearly articulate their ideas and decisions. They are able to explain or defend why they chose to include/not include specific elements.	Student can generally explain their ideas. They can talk about the relationship between the action and idea.	Student is not able to articulate the reason they chose the action or how it relates to an idea or emotion.	____/10

Find my Flash animation here:

Download my animation here

listed as SaraWeimerFlash.mov
You will need to Download the video from Dropbox in order to view it.

Flash Animation Statement                                                            

       So many times, individuals get caught up in the small details of their
day-to-day lives and forget about the bigger picture. In my animation,
I have tried to address this problematic way of thinking by examining
the experience of one specific character. His thoughts are initially
focused, very narrowly, on how boring his current situation is. But as
the narrative goes on the character’s thoughts are overtaken with
images that are far beyond his immediate surroundings. Issues such as
poverty, war, and crime invade his thoughts and eventually overwhelm
him. By the end of the animation the character is stunned by how much
is happening in the world that he has not been paying attention to. He
realizes that there are more important things going on in the world
than how boring his life seems to be.
        This narrative attempts to make the audience aware of their own
self-centered thought processes. It is important to think of and care
for oneself as an individual, but it is equally as important to
maintain a larger world-view at the same time. This animation ties
into the big idea of self through the conceptual ideas of personal
reflection and evaluation. It is also linked in a formal way through
the presence of a main character. Because there is only one person in
the video, the viewer is able to relate themselves to the character.
        I kept the imagery black and white in the beginning because I wanted
the focus to be on what eventually happens inside the characters head.
The important ideas and thoughts are visually more striking because
they are surrounded by the only color used in the video. Because of
this controlled use of color, this section is able to become the focal
point of the animation as a whole. And this, in turn, allows the
viewer to more readily establish what the main concept as a whole is
supposed to be. The animation is constructed in a very loose, sketchy
format so that it stays honest and simple. I did not want to try to
make the animation seem like it was “trying” to fit any particular
type of style, such as cartoon or anime. Because the illustrations
have their own particular style, the animation does not have to
compete with any previous connotations that such styles as anime or
cartoon would have brought to the table. Because there are few
directional cues in the style, the viewer is able to establish their
own ideas about the visual and conceptual elements of the piece as a
whole.

Cat Soup

This animation has SO many concepts and themes, it is hard to articulate a specific idea all at once. Large ideas surrounded journey, consequence of human actions, life and death, and time. Issues were connected to actual events that have taken place in human history and society, but there were also many events that took place in this animation that were from a fantasy world. All the fantasy elements were metaphorical, though, and symbolized many aspects of reality. The transitions from different scenes, times, places and ideas made the film very engaging and interesting.

The entire film is composed of these dream like, ephemeral moments, that slip and slide from one idea to the next. It is almost impossible to know what exactly is happening in each scene, but each new event creates a very specific feeling. You understand if what is happening is intended to be positive or negative, scary or alright. The cartoon-like illustration of the film also adds a flare of irony when it is combined with the seriousness of the topics.

This animation is an excellent example of how endless the possibilities really are in animation. Whatever I want to create, I can - and I can do it with style and meaning too. I really enjoyed the transitions used in this film. Everything from the actual drawing style, to the conceptual aspect of reality and fantasy. The film gave me a lot of ideas for the creation of my own animation piece.

Cat Soup: Animated short film directed by Tatsuo Sato

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Soup

Postcard Project

                     Repetition

    Text

    Fantasy

Statement:

Through the exploration of several contemporary artists, their art making practices, and the endless possibilities of digital media, I have created a series of three postcards.  As a group, there is an overarching theme of urbanization and its consequences. Each image uses a different approach in how it addresses the larger idea, and each style is influenced by a different artist’s way of working.

The first postcard depicts the mailbox on the front of my new home, in downtown Grand Rapids. After looking at the work of Tom Bamberger, I strategized a way to use repetition in my image in an effort to emphasize my idea. Repeating the individual behind bars makes the problem less about that person, and more about a group, or society at large. The cage, or jail cell, is a strong metaphor that relates to the confinements that living in a city can create. Individuals are trapped in the world of concrete and consumerism, and the result is not a good one for a person’s mind and spirit.

The second postcard takes a totally different approach, and actually strives to construct a fantasy world where natural and unnatural elements coexist in harmony. Sandy Skoglund attempts to create the same kind of fantasy reality in her work, through sculpture, photography, and the combination of unlikely characters and places. Her work influenced the dream-like feeling of this postcard, which I used to emphasize the fact that the world I am presenting is not a real one. This world cannot exist outside the realm of art or fantasy, and in this realization lies the critical element of this piece. The presentation of a false reality is a powerful way to have viewers evaluate the one they actually live in.

The third postcard is the most straightforward of the three, and uses the same approach as Jenny Holzer. The text I chose directly compares the natural world with the unnatural world of the city. I allowed the image to be the prominent piece of information so that the text would be a surprise, and would be more powerful once the audience took the time to find it and understand what it is saying. In this way, the critique of the unnatural world is subtle, powerful and direct.

Topic:  Creativity and Art Education                                                                                                       

Image Resource: http://www.sustainablerevenues.com

 The dictionary defines creativity as, "the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc". Essentially, to take everything that is known and expected, and to turn it inside out and make something meaningful out of what you discover. 

NO BIG DEAL.

The reality is that creativity is a very hard process to define, let alone to practice. People spend years at schools and in workshops trying to cultivate a skill that others seem to have dripping from their fingertips.  It is an illusive characteristic that only seems to slither in during the late hours of the morning. Why can't my creative juices start rolling at noon rather than 4:00 a.m.? 

I have included this image of Calvin and Hobbes because I think it is a good example of how creativity seems to work for many people. It feels more like an emotion, or a mood, than it does a skill, and would seem that no amount of coaxing or effort could force creativity to work when you need it. But in reality, creativity actually is a teachable, learn-able skill. Otherwise, there would be no point in having art and music classes in public schools. We would single out the "great creators" once they came of age and produced magical pieces of work for the world to see. 

Thankfully, schools support the development of creativity in a number of ways. This is most readily apparent in visual arts and music classes, but it spreads through out every subject. Creativity can be taught by using a variety of teaching methods, such as games, visual aids, new technologies, and real life experiences. It can be practiced through the repeated use of critical thinking skills such as analysis, interpretation, asking questions, and thinking of alternative answers. Creativity can be taught by encouraging that students use materials that they are unfamiliar with, and by asking them to start projects with only a vague set of expectations. Essentially, creativity can be taught through exploration and experimentation.

Image Resource: http://www.artfulvagabond.com

Creativity is always important. Because the world is becoming smaller, due to technologies and travel, it is now more important than ever to be able to think a little differently than the other 8 million people that are working in the same position that you are. Being able to think outside the box allows for advancement and development.  Technology can be used in a variety of ways to employ a creative atmosphere. Because it is a relatively new media, it serves as a good source for exploration for students, as many of them might not be familiar with the programs and techniques that are available to them. Even if students are already familiar with tools such as cameras, video, and computers, they might not have applied these tools towards art. Asking students to use objects that they are very familiar with in a new way, such as making a piece of art, is a great way to get them personally invested in the creative process. 

The image at the left provides an example of a Iphone app, Brushes, being used as a medium to produce sketches. The Iphone, and cell phones in general, is an object that teenagers are constantly connected to, so why not take advantage of the technology and put it to good use in the classroom, for once!