Kelly Ko Portfolio

Statement of Lines

Lines are created constantly by us, even on a subconscious level. Michel de Certeau’s “The Practice of Everyday Life: Walking in the City” describes in details of the examples of lines created by us in daily life. Lines are never limited to the ones that are visible and intended. Lines could be subconscious, and it follows us every day and everywhere. Except that all lines are different from one to another, each is unique and unreducible. As Certeau indicated, “All the modalities sing a part in this chorus, …, which vary according to the time, the path taken by the walker.” (Certeau, 1980). This affects me to thinking of each and every single line is special on its own. The creation of it is affected by the time, and by the person who create it. Later on, Certeau continues, “Style and use both have to do with a “way of operating” (of speaking, walking, etc.).” (Certeau, 1980). Hence, even lines created by the same person, could still be different due to the way it was made. If the person is singing while drawing the line, it could be curvy and smooth. If the person is angry while drawing the line, it could be thick and aggressive. This lead me on to a further thinking, what if one tries to experiment on drawing lines while simulating different emotions.

Lastly, I was touched by another quote of Certeau, “…perfect gestures of violence painted with a pistol, Shivas made of written characters, dancing graphics whose fleeting apparitions are accompanied by the rumble of subway trains: New York graffiti.” (Certeau, 1980). The materials one use to create lines can be all kinds, it is never limited to common tools like pens. Some of the New York graffiti were composed by “pistol”, a dangerous yet symbolic material. Well represents the artists’ angers and identities. I am highly inspired, and hence decides to experiment on the method of: using different tools and materials, to create lines while simulating in different kinds of emotions.

The World Wide Web and The Library of Babel Response

The Library of Babel is a fictional story by Jorge Luis Borgers, published in 1941. It is about a vast. Nearly infinite library which contains books of every languages, and every possible experience on world. Although this is a fictional idea from the 1940s, the concept of a library with infinite information is surprisingly similar to the internet.

First of all, the internet is governed by a democratic system, which is anyone could write code for websites, or contribute new information on to the internet. Moreover, the internet is accessible to everyone, regardless of their culture or language, achieved true equality to the right of knowledge. All these qualities of the internet today fulfill Borgers’ fantasy in The Library of Babel. Additionally, Borgers describes that each individual book is different The Library of Babel, arranged in a specific order code. This is very similar to the concept of URL code from the internet, as each page as its own individual URL, where one could find the desired information by using the right URL code. These are the similarities between the The World Wide Web and The Library of Babel.

New York Art Book Fair Response

At the New York Art Book Fair, all kinds of artbooks were displayed. Books of comic, photography, newsprint, graphic design, and much more. It is very inspiring to see how artists arrange and present their art in the printed books. Some even used unique mediums and materials to differentiate from the traditional printing method. Such as stimulating The New York Times newspaper layout but filled by the artist’s own photographs and description. This technique and finished result are especially interesting to me. Also gave me inspirations for the News project.

Pattern Writing

I tried to explore on the repetition of a single shape and the results of interactions. The first shape is found on a recycling trash can, I traced out one arrow and duplicated a mirror side of the arrow. In the pattern design for this shape, I overlapped the arrows to create an interesting effect on interaction between shapes. The second shape is a human figure traced out from a “Caution! Wet floor” sign. I rotated the figure slightly onto the side, to create movement. Since the figure appears to be in the movement of dancing, I duplicated the figure to create a dancing scene. Overlapping the hands as the effect of holding hands. The last shape is a mustache, I tilted the mustache to create a wavy pattern.

Color Writing

Color works as an irreplaceable element in art works. In this image of a vintage door front, five basic colors are shown, navy, green, orange, beige, and raspberry red. This is a balanced color image, contains both warm and cold colors tones. A sense of peacefulness and relaxation is conveyed through this photo, a main factor of tis effect is the use of color. Beige is the color with the largest area proportion, both painted on the wall and the ground. Beige is a color that creates a sense of comfort. Following color would be navy, painted on the door and the edge of the window. Yellow light from the inside shines through the windows, adding a warm color tone to the image. The green leaves and red flowers added in nature energies into the still image. The overall image is covered in soft light, similar to the kodak color film effect.