New show at the Guggenhiem

‘theanyspacewhatever’ at the Guggenheim

The NY times has the images and review in it's arts section today. The author entitles the article "Museum as a Romantic Comedy." I find it fitting. It's kind of like "Friends". All of the pieces work well together but none could survive as their own spin-off. Sculpture, Installation work and things of that nature are not my favorite types of art. One of the works is a room with bean bag seats where the artist has videos that were previously banned in the US playing. Interesting thought, but I don't even really sit down at watch TV at home. This type of work to me just seems absent of any sort of craft on the part of the artist. Like I said, this type of work is just not my thing. I do have to admit a particular love though for the work by Maurizio Cattelan It is a large, full-color version of Disney’s beloved Pinocchio floating face down in the Guggenheim’s elliptical pool. For Halloween I wanted to be a dead fairy tale. Perhaps Snow White with a noose around her neck. I really want to explore this idea in some upcoming work. How fairytales no longer exist in our society, the kinds of effects they have had, and the kinds of effects the lack of them will have. Back to the exhibit and it's goal of relational asthetics. Roberta Smith writes "The goal of “relational aesthetics” is less to overthrow the museum than to turn it upside down, wreaking temporary havoc with its conventions and the visitor’s expectations of awe-inspiring objects by revered masters. The larger point is to resensitize people to their everyday surroundings and, moreover, to one another in a time when so much — technology, stress, shopping — conspires against human connection." It's very much conceptual. Concepts can be cool, I'm just more of a concrete kind of girl. Read the article, check out the slides. It might not be worth the trip but it is always fun to see what people are doing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/arts/design/31gugg.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Mind your manners

When we first started our social design class one of the social issues we talked about was manners. How people treat other people seems to be a deteriorating courtesy. Check this out http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=11520000 an article today on MSN entitled "Mind Your Manners … Your Waiter is Watching
Servers dish about discourteous customers -- and how they take their revenge." Being in the service industry myself for over a decade now how we treat those around us is one of my pet peeves. I am not your dog, do not snap, whistle, or yell for me. Just because I choose a position of service, because I actually at times enjoy it does not make you better than me. That attitude of entitlement is infuriating! I'm working on my second college degree so don't assume that I can't or am too stupid to have a better job. Often I do my job knowing there will not be an adequate tip at the end of my duties. Tipping is not a city in China. You don't work for free why should I have to just because you have the option? If you don't have money to tip, don't go out. We do watch people like hawks and are keen observers of human behaviour. You learn to do this to make the best out of a situation. The more enjoyable you make someones experience the more money you earn. In a way it's like being an actress and playing the role the customer wants. I will even pretend I like you hitting on me, but don't be fooled, it's my job. Do we really take revenge? In subtle ways, sure. I can only recall one well deserved instance of food modification though. The moral of the story is be nice to people around you. Food service errors can come from several different points of ordering through preparation so be patient and I will be happy to help you. The point is to treat your server or bartender the way you would want to be treated. Attitude? Check it at the door.

Check it out

www.craftser.org


Fun, funky and original stuff

the vessel

I have been working on my vessel for jewelry project 2. I don't know if the liqid light process is going to be able to come in to play like I want it to. So I have been thinking about other ways to incorporate the image of Groton into my project. I used a sand, rock and shell mix I have from the shore of Groton and pressed into the outer layers of bronze. I have die formed those outer layers. They are turning out well. I am now debating about what to do on the inside. I have a design i will pierce on the front of the outer shell. Yet i still want to be able to incorporate a piece of Groton on the inside. I am thinking about using a small contact print suspended in an epoxy or resin perhaps on the inside. I also am considering the possibility of incorporating one or two of the small shells I have within the internal framing. I really like the image more. Off to more research I go to see what works best.

The countdown begins

One week until the presidential election. The post today has several articles realting to the election. One on McCain slinging mud at Obama's camp trying to call him unqualified once again. They try to serve fear to the public about the possibility of having Democratic houses and a Democratic president. I am non-partisian but I don't see how that is scary after seeing what damage a republican president has already done. Another article debated whether or not McCain made the wrong choice having Palin as a running mate. Especially on the tail of the news of the money spent to upgrade her image and wardrobe. Of course money should be spent on her wardrobe. Image is everything and people will judge on what they see. The same way they judge celebrites on the red carpet. It's the same concept. Would anybody have even noticed that expense if she were a he? I don't think any running mate McCain could have chosen would be enough in either direction. It's ninety percent about the presidential candidate. I may be wrong but we will see. Either way I am happy to say I have made up my mind. I can't wait to see what next week brings.

On a personal note

Something I heard at a funeral service today. "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well reserved body, but rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming---WOW--- What a ride!

Jewelry skill set

If I had a resume these are the skills I have developed so far:

1. Sawing
2. Welding
3. Sanding
4. Filing
5. Finishing
6. Drilling
7. Piercing
8. Soldering
9. Hydrolic Die Forming
10. Internal/External Framing
11. Hinge Making (getting there)
12. Imprinting (using the rolling mill)

You could go so far as to say:
1. Brainstorming
2. Design research
3. Project Themes and Concepts
4. Sketching
5. Maquettes
6. Prototyping

Channeling Sex and the City

So it wasn't an article I read on some sort of global social issue. I was just driving in my car thinking about life. Thinking about whether or not I had grabbed my cell phone because I knew if I forgot it I would be in BIG trouble with my guy. We are both busy a lot so we stay in touch all day by text message. I got to thinking about technology and I wondered if technology makes it easier or harder to cheat? Let me first say that I am NOT thinking about cheating. I was just thinking about the days before cell phones, when we were not tied to them. I know that if my boyfriend texts me there is a certain acceptable time frame I need to text back in or he will think something bad is going on. There are the exceptions when he knows I am at work or school, that I may be busy and my response may not be immediate. He is always texting. Sometimes I worry. One of my friends had a sort of affair while she was married. She had text sex with a guy. For those that are wondering it's like phone sex, but they are not actually talking. Just typing. He worries too. About me on the computer. If I am talking to ex's or chatting with people I am not supposed to be. My friend who had the affair, her husband was addicted to computer porn. She couldn't get him off of the stuff. She could check the computer history to see where he'd been. She even caught him in the act more than once. The accessibility to other naked women put huge holes in her self esteem and their marriage. They are now getting divorced. It makes me think. In a time before we had all these gadgets we didn't have so many ways to cheat. Where are the lines for cheating drawn? Is watching porn really cheating?

Cheating can be emotional or physical and both kinds are scary. I think technology has made cheating easier. Before all these gadgets your fantasy's were only in your head and no one else ever knew about them. Now the fantasy's are available at some keystrokes. Include your significant other in these fantasy's otherwise unfaithful you will be. These keystrokes leave evidence, don't forget to delete that text or your computers history if your aren't going to share. These modern marvels might make your fantasy's easier to reach, but it makes it easier to get caught too.

Design research Jewlery project 2

The essence of the project is a vessel that is a wearable pendant. When I started this process I started by thinking about what I would want a wearable vessel to hold for me. I would want it to hold something precious. Something dear. Something that in my worst of moments I could look at and it would bring me to a happy place. I then thought about my happiest of moments. This past summer my boyfriend and I spent a week in Groton Long Point CT. One of the best things about Groton was that we stayed at a house that was practically on the beach. From every window in the front of the house (and there were a lot) you saw the beach. But what made that view better than every other beach I have been to was the quiet sense of community and home. It was not the neon party town of Ocean City, nor the foreign tropical shores I had traveled to. I am a beach girl, it stirs my soul, and this trip in particular bonded me to another human being in a way I will never forget. So I wanted to hold that with me. I thought about they types of vessels at the beach. A lot of them (seashells, sea life, sandcastles and pails, etc.) are cliche' and cute. The beach is a place a lot of people love and these themes have been done a thousand times. Then it came to me. Every morning I stood in the doorway and looked at the view. The doorway was the vessel that held me in Groton. I would use that shape as my die form. So I looked a the shapes that doors and window come in. I know that Anderson is a company that makes windows and doors so I checked out their site and began sketching. www.andersenwindows.com I showed those sketches in class and something Jan said stuck with me, "It looks like the window company is funding Anna's project." That hit home because I was trying to stay away from the cliche'. So I went back to the sketching and began going through my images of Groton and I googled Groton and went through the images to bring the memories closer. I kept the window silouette for my die but the piercing pattern on the front is now not going to be so literal as to depict a window. I changed the piereced pattern to something more abstract. I also thought about the eye as the window to the soul and how if you turned my die form side ways it looks like half of an eye.http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=eye%20as%20window%20to%20soul&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Groton Long point: the view every morning.










I also really wanted to combine mediums in this project. Black and white photography is one of my favorite mediums. I took a lot of black and white photos while in Groton. I wanted to use a product called Liquid Light and contact printing and place an image from a black and white negative with a view like this inside of the pendant. I don't know now between the hinge making and the clasps if I am going to have time for this process in addtion to finising the piece. I did alot of research though on Liquid Light and how to use it. You can use it on a wide variety of materials to put prints on. Some useful sites were:
http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_liquidlight.html

http://www.rockaloid.com/

http://www.merrillphoto.com/Projects.htm

Home made vacuforming

I have been brainstorming on how I am good to make my new food containers for social design problem 2. I don't think the oohmoo mold is going to work. I am looking for a crisper look than I think I can get with that. I found a great site on a DIY vacuform with pictures, models, details etc. Just wanted to share. Check it out at http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/jw_vac.htm

At last!!

This cracks me up so I just had to share. Google has come up with Mail Goggles. A program to keep you from drunk emailing. You know we have all been there. After a break up or a bad day at work we have a few cocktails to release some of that bad day and in the process think of all the things we should have said. It has many a night I have taken a girlfriends phone to keep her from drunk texting something I knew would be toxic later. I never thought to lock down her keyboard too. Come to think of it, I could have used Mail Goggles at one point too. A few cocktails in I typed an email to an ex with liquid courage to flow all of the things I should have said. I wouldn't take that email back. I still have it. I saved it to make sure I remembered all the reasons I wasn't in that relationship anymore. Yet it sure would have felt a little stronger to do that sober and fully aware. So Mail Goggles has you do a few math problems in a short period of time if you are emailing between the hours of 10 pm and 4 am on the weekends. Sobriety check point. Officer, I swear I've only had a couple, I can email! So funny! Check out the story http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/fashion/19drunk.html?ref=fashion It makes some very valid points about this type of communication and the testimonials will make u giggle!

My creative Process

I have been spending some time thinking about how my creative process works. I work in cycles. I would call myself a constant observer of life. On my morning walks, when I am working, as I am driving I am always looking at the world around me. Not only form but processes, the designs of nature and people. The observations are sometimes subconcious as I proceed with my activity. These are my unconciously creative times. Then there are the times when I conciously create. When I sit down and focus, I draw, I color, paint or experiment with whatever medium I have been thinking about. Alot of times I like to work from partial observation so I normally have my computer near by. I google images and I surf and use them in my work. The other day I was working as the merch girl at a concert and in my down time just sketching from the observation of people and distorting them. Most of my ideas come to me when I am not thinking about them. In those moments when I am just letting my mind wander, it finds what it was looking for.

Design Problem 2 Research

So after the group brainstorming session I narrowed the topic to childhood obesity. I looked at the causes of childhood obesity. I found them a nice list at www.annecollins.com/child-obesity-causes.htm. The top 5 in order were insufficient expenditure, excessive snacking, fast food diet, family behaviors and body image. On mayoclinic.com I looked at some ways to target changing family behaviors. They recommended to start small, set goals, recognize triggers, and celebrate success. I decided to continue to target kids lunches. I had to ask myself some questions such as what age range can children take a fully active roll in their meal preparation and planning? Kraftfoods.com has children with the neccesary skills such as use microwave, prepare simple recipes, and using an oven and knife with supervision at ages 9-12. I narrowed my focus to that age group because we want to get them started as soon as possible. I then thought about what kids that age are interested in. I looked at some reading lists on amazon.com. It seems to be the age of Harry Potter. Kids like magic and mayhem, erie and unnatural, superheros and superpowers. I then surfed around for portion sizes and needs for kids in that age range. www.theportionplate.com/kidsplate had some good examples kids could relate to, such as a pack of crayons, a yo-yo, half a tennis ball or a CD. Finally I surfed around for what is out there now. The only thing really offered is the Bento Lunch Box on lunchboxes.com. It is BORING!! Nothing like what kids this age would find cool. I have decided to possibly narrow the field to just a girls lunch box at the moment, because I want to use fun shapes. I want to make them cool. Like a Harry Potter lunch box that all the kids want.

Inner Beauty

I absolutely love Dove's current marketing campaign "Real Women, Real Beauty." Their recognition of the ridiculously thin and overpaid supermodel, as a role model for women, as the worst idea ever has encouraged me to try their products. I liked some, not so much others. But the social issue here isn't Dove's products. Denise DiFulco posted an article on Dove's website entitled "The Essence of a Person." In it she talks about how all women posses beauty and none of it has to do with physical attributes. I wish we could all remember that a little more often. Some of the physically pretties girls I know are the meanest, nastiest, petty people I know. Most of the greatest women I know run themselves ragged between their own lives and giving all that they can to other people. DiFulco's article reminds that even inner beauty needs upkeep. You can't share the best parts of your personality and character when you are not taking care of yourself mind, body and spirit. To the author that meant taking the time to do the things she loves the most. For her it was ice skating on her lunch hour pretending to be a professional figure skater. While I wouldn't ice skate I understand what she means. As we hit the mid semester crunch and we have been running on empty for a couple weeks now with a couple more to go, it's a reminder to recharge. So I made myself a cup of tension tamer tea as I typed this blog. Later tonight I am actually going to take some time to relax. As we spend hours creating objects of beauty lets not forget to take care of our own inner beauty. I bet it comes through in our work as well.

Up in Smoke

We all know that cigarette smoking is bad for us. In my lifetime I have definitely seen the acceptance levels surrounding smoking change. As a small child my grandparents smoked like chimneys in the house with everyone around. They smoked in the malls as they took us shopping. Now I don't know anyone that smokes in their home, even my friends that are dedicated smokers. The laws have changed and you can no longer smoke in public places, not even bars. I started smoking as a teenager. In a small town with not much to do one of the most rebellious things to do was smoke. I became a full time smoker around 18 steady until 21. After 21 I reduced it to social smoking, only really smoking as I was having cocktails. In my head that's gotta be better than full time smoking right? It's got to have some sort of benefit. A University of Georgia report today published it's findings in a journal, the findings of which were feature in a New York Times article today. Guess what? Doesn't look like social smoking really has any less effect than smoking. The scariest part of the article for me states, "The researchers said the lasting effect of occasional smoking on artery health was surprising. “Most people know that if they have a cigarette or two over the weekend that it’s not good for their arteries,” said study co-author Kevin McCully, a professor of kinesiology in the University of Georgia College of Education. “But what they may not be aware of is that the decrease in function persists into the next week, if not longer.” I haven't had any alcohol or cigarettes in almost two months as a part of some personal goals I am putting myself through. Yet I know some day I will have a drink again. When I think about I have wondered wether or not I will have the urge to smoke again. I thought if I did it would be no big deal. Occasionaly imbibing in alchohol doesn't have ill effects on the body, what harm could the truly occasional cigarette have? I think after reading this article I am going to have eliminate that as an option.

You are my oyster

I love oysters. I love them raw or Rockefeller. I love them in Oyster shooters!! I love that they are a local delicacy and the stories I read as a child tie into the oyster industry in Maryland. Then going to Ocean City, Assateague or Chicoteague and being able to see the things I read about. This morning the Baltimore Sun talked about a study conducted to seed the effects of introducing Asian oysters to our bay population and what the effects may be. I don't think I am on board with this idea. I understand that the decreasing oyster population is having an effect on the incomes of local fisherman, my greater concern though is the effects on the bay. Everything about our society is so money driven. I think we need to learn some patience and focus our efforts on bringing our local oysters back. Eons of natural selection have made them work for our area. We need to give them some time and attention and a break from over harvesting. If then they don't come back then we can talk about importing other oysters. To the local oyster man, I'm sorry, but I think this is natures way of firing you, or at least a lay off. I know it's harsh but these are the times. Ever think about writing a book?

Presidential Debates Tonight.

The New York Times headlines today proclaim that the candidates campaigns have shifted to attack mode on the eve of the debate. The race turns personal. I think in a way this is a good thing. I don't promote mud slinging or slander but I think part of what will influence me in my decision making this year will be character. Candidates can say anything they want to to get then elected. Even flat out lie. Then once they are in office things change. What they can't change is what they have already done. Something about a little cliche'- actions speak louder then words. What they have done up until this point is indications of their character. We need a really good president this time. We need to come out of the next four years and be like wow, that man did really good and noble things. A Winston Churchill type. While I think I may be stretching it a bit because morals are far from what they were in the past, we will see what this brings. So debate away and break out the dirty laundry. If your laundry got dirty because you were playing around on the job, well that tells me something about your character. Let's see what they throw at each other and how they defend it. Debate away gentlemen, debate away. I'm watching.

Social Design Problem II Status Report and Creative Caffeine

For my second social design problem the issue that interested me that I wanted to focus on was obesity and/or nutrition. I decided to narrow the field to the American issue of obesity and nutrition. For my creative caffeine I surfed the web checking out facts as well as just observing the general public. I google'd "American Obesity Epidemic" I found a great sight with lots of information such as the percentages of the population that is obese and what areas obesity is most prevalent (the south). Check it out www.obesityinamerica.org

Once I had some facts I began to think about design. I got a little bogged down in what I have the ability to create in relation to the field because I don't have a lot of of science or technical background. So I kept googling. Wikipedia's entry about industrial design is what set my mind at ease and got me on the right path. The entry stated, "Products design was about asthetics and usability and not so much about the technical, that is for the engineers." Whew.

Then looking for inspiration from great designs I google'd famous product designers designs and flipped through the images. I found the egg chair and lots of great designs that in my head said, keep it simple, just get some ideas flowing and let it go from there. I found two great quotes in some more reading. "If you want to build a better mousetrap, what can you do on the first night to make sure the world needs one?" If I am going to make something I need to make sure the world needs it. That it is going to have an impact and do something good. For me to be able to do something like that seems like a pipe dream then I came across the second quote that struck me. "It's tempting to sit on a bench and dream of a better world, but better worlds don't come to those who are unwilling or afraid to put their dreams to the test. They come to those who are willing to ask the questions and do the work." Check out this guys blog to read more:http://andrewhargadon.typepad.com/ there is alot about desing and entreprenuership on his site.

Another great blog that helped me more when thinking about the attitudes that surround obesity : thegreatfitnessexperiment.blogspot.com
The author makes a great point in the past it was difficult to be round because food was scare, so round was beauty. In the present it is a feat to be thin when food is found in plenty. It got me thinking. It's not about fat or thin. It's about fit. Because when the apocolypse or the epedemic comes it will be the fittest that survive. I guess that's just the way I think about it. From there I started to brainstorm. Because I brainstormed in pencil it wouldn't really scan from my scanner but below are a couple of the things that sort of came through. I got a little stuck so I am hoping the group brainstorm tomorrow will help hone me into my goal.

Iconic design

Wikipedia defines and icon as: icon is also used, particularly in modern culture, in the general sense of symbol — i.e. a name, face, picture, edifice or even a person readily recognized as having some well-known significance or embodying certain qualities: one thing, an image or depiction, that represents something else of greater significance through literal or figurative meaning, usually associated with religious, cultural, political, or economic standing. Iconic design would then be defined by the design process that generates these icon's. There are many examples of 3-D icons. The first ones that come to mind for me are most attached to historical religious culture such as Michelangelo's David or even the cross symbol many people wear as a pendant. There are cultural symbols today that can be three dimensional or two dimensional a lot of time relating to business icons such as the golden arches of McDonalds or the apple of IBM. People can also be icons such as the way Andy Warhol used Marylin Monroe in his work. We definitely have icon's all around us, we just don't really see them because we are so used to them.

Social Design Problem I Review.

My first social design project addressed the issue of increasing local recycling. One of the main reasons people don't recycle is laziness. I wanted to make it even harder for them to be lazy about this issue. I came up with a way to make at home containers for holding recyclables with items you probably had at home. I created a website with step by step instructions on how to make the boxes. I also emailed the county asking them to add a link to my website from their website. I feel like the most successful part about my project is that it met my goal of being an easy to do, fun, family project. It was brainstorming and discussing my failed ideas with the people around me that ultimately led to my success in this area. The area where I felt I could improve the most was in the decoration of the boxes. I wanted them to appear simple so people would be encouraged to try to make them at home but I feel I may have over simplified. If I had it to do over again I would have done some more experimentation with construction paper cut outs, rubber glue and other products to make the boxes slightly more aesthetically pleasing. For instance creating a pattern that may go with the decor of the room the box would occupy. I also like the suggestion of the use of vinyl table cloths someone made in class. Overall the project for me was a success, I like the box I painted the best, given more time I would have tried more decorating ideas .

It's Debatable.

I watched the Vice Presidential debates the other night and a little bit of the after coverage. Everyone always questions at the end who won the debate and who did better. I never really think there is a winner and a loser in most of the debates I watch. I feel this way mainly because I never feel like the candidates give straight answers to the questions. I watch to gain information and all I felt like I heard was the same cliche's over and over again. When Palin was asked how her platforms plans were going to be different than the previous administrations I want to hear specific answers. I want details. Not generalizations and off topic pats on the back. I also don't want to feel like it is a contest to see how many times you can say Maverick in a two hour period. I am still on the fence about my voting choice. I watched the debates for answers. Something to sway me. I got nothing. Either way voting in this election will be voting for a change in leadership. What I really want in order to make my decision is some straight forward answers. Own up to your past decisions and justify them. Everyone is entitled to change their mind for the right reasons. If you can stand up and give me answers, wether I like them or not, you've got my vote.