Line Project: Artist Statement and Reading Response
My drawings all vary in what they represent, whether it's about me or the people around me. When talking about the city, De Certeau talks about the "everyday", which "has a strangeness that does not surface or whose surface is only its upper limits, outlining itself against the invisible. It repeatedly produces effects contrary to those at which it aims." The quote not only expresses a place but could be seen or applied to a person. What is seen on the outside ( ex: what they look like, their actions, personality etc.) is only to fill that exception of being someone or "outlining itself against the invisible". This is what the world sees, it is everything but the hidden (our untranslatable thoughts, feelings, intuition etc.) De Certeau addresses the thing about us that doesn't "surface" as a kind of strangeness. Why is it strange? It shows how when we don't express something or categorize it, due to a reason, it can be seen as something we are hiding, something that is not accepted, usually has a negative connotation. However, why should it? Are we hiding this part of ourselves because no-one will understand? or because we don't want anyone to understand? My drawings, whether they are serious, sarcastic, or shallow, they express this idea of how we create an outline or persona for ourselves, and how we mold into it instead of expanding and constantly creating new ones. What if we were separated from the "city?," what if we were all alone,? How would we behave or think then?
Similarly, De Certeau explains how "the panorama city is a theoretical simulacrum whose condition of possibility is an oblivion and misunderstanding of practices." In other words, he explains how the entire (surface level) view of the city is simply a representation and that its abilities, in reality, have no extent. When connecting this quote back to people, it symbolizes how although we create an outline for ourselves, the "condition of possibility is an oblivion" or that there's no borders to our ideas, even the just the idea of an idea is endless. My drawings are simple, and as complex as it seems to prevent oneself from moulding into society, it's apparent from children and those who distance themselves from social norms that it's really the simplicity that is the solution.
The World Wide Web / The Library of Babel: A Comparison Response
The World-Wide Web by Tim Burners-Lee talks about the purpose behind and the way in which the World-Wide Web functions, when people began using it. It discusses its technical aspects, such as how to use the platform. It sounds almost like a catalogue or some sort of advertisement. Living in 2020, it's difficult and at the same time slightly humorous to look back at a time when this new era of technology was just beginning. It is impossible for this generation to imagine a life with no access to instant information or connections. The WWW was defined as "Pool of human knowledge," which is accurate to this day. Despite the world becoming more technology based, we forget that we are the ones capable of creating it in the first place. The article goes into detail about URLs and what they are, client programs, HTTP, HTML etc. Additionally, it consists of "The Future" column, which addresses their hopes and changes for the future, such as "conventions on the Internet for charging and commercial use to allow direct access to-for-profit services." Today, we have numerous sites such as that one, showing just how much has changed in only two decades. "The Library of Babel," by Jorje Luis Borges, explores a library as a universe: one that is "indefinite and infinite," showing the extent of the endless amount of knowledge one can gain. He talks about the axioms. The first saying how the library has always existed, where the man is the librarian. The second is about "twenty five orthographic symbols" that are used in all the books. It represents how we are the librarians, the people, that are in charge of the library, and therefore our knowledge, quite contrary to the web, which talks about URLs and HTML coding which consists of algorithms and predetermined information, meaning we're only exposed to a certain type and amount of knowledge. It's not infinite as other people are deciding what and how much you see. The significance of learning and gaining knowledge is more emphasized in the Babel Library as it talks about the "catalog for catalogs," implying something more existential - learning about learning, perhaps. In WWW, the knowledge you have access to is dependent on the physical location, other creators, algorithms etc., whereas in the library, you determine what you want, although that means you can get lost more easily.
Podcast Response: Newspapers
It is incredibly scary and frustrating knowing our generation has little to no control or power over our planet, our home. It is our future yet we have no say. The abundance and frequency of natural disasters have increased over the past few years, due to climate change, which has become evident in 2020. The four newspapers, or art pieces, represent climate change through politics, humour, depiction, and hope. Sarah Charlesworth, in the podcast "Sounds", in the panel "The Last Newspaper", says how her work is like "some kind of intervention so you can see what is already there." This would perfectly describe my newspapers, as they highlight what is already so evident, through different lenses. Sometimes, when we are exposed to the same news, despite it being important, it becomes a norm, which is why it's important to use what we already have and showcase it in a different light to express the gravity of these situations. Aleksandra Mir expresses the significance of "recurring language", when she was creating her project. She saw them as "poetic haikus" that copywriter's would create. It shows how language can oftentimes control our perception of a certain news or story. This is an example of how manipulation of creating art with newspapers allow for people to picture or imagine the problem rather than simply hear it. Nate Lowman addresses the physical newspaper itself. He talks about the newspaper being "more local" compared to online resources. This is because of its physicality. We're able to hold the newspaper in our hands, almost as though the story comes to life when we're able to touch it. With that, the story also becomes more serious and relevant. Another aspect of the newspaper is that it's not as frequent or easily accessible as online databases. You have to wait for it. Although it can be more useless at times, being delivered the news and waiting a day or two for it, makes it more powerful.
The newspaper with the memes, showing humour, is how our generation has come to tackle the problem. The second piece, politics, is something we have no control over. The third piece, the images map, directly represents how every single place has been affected by climate change. Finally, the newspaper with the flowers, although it represents hope, the closing in of the flowers shows how little time we have left to help the situation, to make the change.
Pattern Project
For the Pattern Project, I used outlines that I made from my own photographs of a bag, a guitar, and a pair of sunglasses. I chose these objects as they are items that I use daily. For the guitar pattern, I wanted to create a piece that allowed me to express some sort of music or creativity - something that represents a flow. I aimed to achieve this by creating an almost flower-like structure with the base of the guitar, which is wavy and intertwines to create a chaotic part of the image. The repeated pattern represents a constant rhythm or tone. I wanted the pattern of the bag to be completely incomprehensible and chaotic. I used symmetry and clones of the outline to create an almost tile-like piece. Similar to my school bag (in real life), the design represents an organized mess. The final piece of the sunglasses is quite simple. The roundness of the glasses creates an almost wave like structure, as I associate it to the beach and the ocean.
The Color Project
Washington Square Park
The Color Palette
A Special Green
I'm all alone. I'm walking through the forest. I slow down and take my earphones out. I am able to focus on every sound that surrounds me: the birds singing, the distant waterfall, the insects, my breathing etc. At that moment I'm focused solely on the present and being connected to nature. These trees have been here for years, long before I walked these paths. These trees have the ability to make me reflect on myself and my actions. The most compelling moments and thoughts take place between these trees.
This experience took place at a forest near my house in Nairobi, Kenya: Karura Forest. The forest, located in the heart of the bustling city, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It has everything from waterfalls to caves to meadows to fields and more. As you walk through the trail your environment is constantly changing.
You begin by walking through the field. Here you will see families and friends playing games and having picnics. Then you walk through the lime green, bright trees. Here, the rays of the sun shine through the leaves of the trees. Mother nature is lively yet delicate, as the trees are still young. As you keep walking, the lime green trees turn into a "forest green” which then darkens into a "hunter green."
Then we enter my world. The dark, brooding pine trees that find a way to overpower you. A step into this part of the forest and you are swept into another world. The thickness of the trees, in addition to their proximity to each other, create a magical color. A special green. The darkest green. Perhaps pine but darker. It's intertwining with shades of mud brown and even black. Here, the sun does not leak through the leaves. Everything is still and quiet, as the trees don't let in any wind or sound.
This magical green gets its name and definition from memories that took place within this space. How I feel when I'm surrounded by this type of nature truly cannot be put into words. Sometimes feelings are there just to be felt not analysed.
Fast forward to when I moved to New York City. Everyday I wonder why I left this pretty green color, this forest, and why I moved to a city or "a concrete jungle." This green, I've learnt, cannot be recreated. I bought sheets that were a "Brunswick Green." My bottle was an "Olive Green,” and my posters were a "Forest Green." But what was the point? I'd soon come to realize that that specific patch of the forest and that magical green could never be recreated. What it offered was a state of mind: peace, tranquility, and in a way freedom, hope, and an escape.
One day I was walking through Washington Square Park with my camera. As I was exiting the park, I looked back and saw a glimpse of my world. It was the closest I'd come to seeing this magical green. A man in a bright yellow coat sat in the middle of two large trees and a few bushes. He reminded me of myself in Karura Forest. In the middle of New York City, I had captured this beautiful, calm, little forest. I visited the same spot a few days later but it wasn't the same. The trees seemed to have shifted positions, there was no man, and it was an extremely sunny day.
I learnt that the special significance of this green is that it is very rare which is what gives it more value. In the next few months in the city, I was able to find small places or moments where I encountered this magical green. I was reminded of home, but I was also reminded of the rarity of encountering special moments.
*Writing Influenced by "Color Goes Electric" by Claire Lehmann, and "Bice" and "Hazel" from the Cabinet Magazine.