Choice Piece: Ready-Made
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Suit Case.
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Meaning
Wake up. Go to Work. Sleep. Repeat.
Sometimes people get sucked into their economic responsibility that they forget those who are important to them. As people get older, the repetitiveness gets quicker and quicker to the point were one may forget what day it is. Even worse, one may forget how to be human. They forget that they have children to pay attention too, they forget their partner with needs and they forget to relax. Luckily, when a person needs to be snapped out of the cycle, loved ones can step in. Most importantly, children. They almost have this power to remind older people, that they are still human and they have a life to attend to and people who need their attention. They add color to a persons life and it's the person's choice to accept or continue to ignore. It is absolutely important to find a job that pays for essential needs but what's equally important is to being able to take time and spend it with loved ones. Some people may even have certain items that bring them happiness that others may not know about. Just because one may have a hard exterior doesn't mean they don't have a soft side. All in all, enjoy life rather than make it a meaningless, repetitive cycle. Although, it may be a 'flower child' kind if thought and some people may not like children but it's advice that some people do need.
It's important to remember that it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to have emotions, it's okay to be selfish and it's okay to be human. Once something is done, it's done. Everyone has there own way of dealing with certain situations because everyone's different. Sometime's even I need to be reminded.
Sometimes people get sucked into their economic responsibility that they forget those who are important to them. As people get older, the repetitiveness gets quicker and quicker to the point were one may forget what day it is. Even worse, one may forget how to be human. They forget that they have children to pay attention too, they forget their partner with needs and they forget to relax. Luckily, when a person needs to be snapped out of the cycle, loved ones can step in. Most importantly, children. They almost have this power to remind older people, that they are still human and they have a life to attend to and people who need their attention. They add color to a persons life and it's the person's choice to accept or continue to ignore. It is absolutely important to find a job that pays for essential needs but what's equally important is to being able to take time and spend it with loved ones. Some people may even have certain items that bring them happiness that others may not know about. Just because one may have a hard exterior doesn't mean they don't have a soft side. All in all, enjoy life rather than make it a meaningless, repetitive cycle. Although, it may be a 'flower child' kind if thought and some people may not like children but it's advice that some people do need.
It's important to remember that it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to have emotions, it's okay to be selfish and it's okay to be human. Once something is done, it's done. Everyone has there own way of dealing with certain situations because everyone's different. Sometime's even I need to be reminded.
Artist and Culture
Cornell, Joseph. Cockatoo and Corks. 1948. Mixed media, including wood, glass, printed matter, sawdust, cork and a music box. Private Collection, Museum of Modern Art.
Duchamp, Marcel. Fountain. 1917. Ceramic, glaze, and paint. Tate Gallery, London.
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Cornell is very well know for his surrealist art pieces using a technique called juxtaposition. His shadow boxes are an example of juxtaposition. He tends to portray themes such as childhood, space and birds often in his pieces which is how I have the idea of combined the theme of children and work in my art piece.
I specifically chose 'Cockatoo and Corks' because it's brighter than the other shadow boxes he had created prior. Also because of its atmosphere being different from the usual dark, dream-like shadowboxes. Since my main theme is children, I wanted my piece to have a colorful aspects in certain areas while other stayed more mono toned such as the dress shirt and calculator. My main inspiration that gave me the idea of using a ready-made object was Duchamp. Duchamp's 'Fountain' is very conversational to this day due to the fact that it's only a urinal on it's back with the name R. Mutt, 1917. Duchamp wanted to show the beauty of everyday objects and give them meaning. 'Fountain's simplicity inspired me to use simple objects that may be found at an office job inside a regular, old suitcase. Combining simplicity and the idea of children, I decided to add color to my piece in order to better portray the message of remembering to enjoy yourself and worry less about some things. In order to capture this, I felt I should add colorful versions of some office objects to serve as the child's reminder and to contrast from objects that are monotone. |
PlanningI couldn't really think of anything for a choice piece so I decided to start out with the idea of a sacred vessel or a ready-made. I thought about different everyday objects that may have been needed in order to be organized and to have the ability to function. I for some reason keep going back to idea of work and after seeing Duchamp's work I chose to use an old suitcase. Today, not many people are seen with old suitcases for work, mainly office work, but it is still used as a symbol.
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ProcessFirst, I had to find the appropriate suitcase to carry the different items that represent office work. since they aren't commonly used in today's society, I went to different stores to find one. After, finding a small, dark brown suitcase I decided to paint it black to cover up the old rusty look. After letting it dry completely, I gathered the objects I wanted to place inside the suitcase. I carefully placed the different items in different places until I was satisfied with the placement of each item. I later took several images at different angles, in different backgrounds and chose the one that I liked the best.
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Experimentation
The main experimentation I did was arranging the objects inside the suitcase. Since I had limited space to work with, I had to stack different objects on top of each other without completely covering the object below it. I decided the the dress shirt should definitely not be covered at all since I felt that it was the main object that represented 'work'. The stapler was a bit hard to work with since it was heavier and larger than the other items so I put it different ares to get a feel of what it may look like with the other objects. Also had to be careful on how many objects should be colorful and where they should be placed. I wanted color but not to overwhelming that is distracts from the overall piece. I also decided to add an image my younger sibling drew but it was difficult to incorporate since there wasn't a lot of space to begin with. As time went on, I added smaller details such as sticky notes with reminders, and files I found lying around that weren't needed.
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Reflection
I really enjoyed making this piece for the fact that I was one of the easiest to assemble and play around with. I did run into some issues. For one, it was difficult to find certain items such as the suit case since not many people use actual suitcases very often. I had to go around several Goodwill to find one and luckily I was able to come across one after searching for a while. I also had an issue with amount of space available in the suitcase. At first I folded the dress shirt as neat as I could after ironing it to make it as pristine as I possibly could. Later, I figured out that I needed to fold it so the length would be shorter or else it would spill over. After over coming other obstacles like what to overlap and where, I was able to figure out how I wanted the items to be displayed.
One of my inspirations was Cornell. Cornell is known for his shadow boxes and his use of space. With a limited amount of space, he was able to arrange small items to represent themes like dreams and childhood. I wanted to so something similar since I found his artworks unique ever since I saw them from a previous projects. I also had the idea of using a simple suitcase to hold everything from Duchamp. Duchamp's art work, 'Fountain', became very controversial when it was first seen and honestly I didn't think 'Fountain' was an art piece at first sight. After learning more about what he tried to convey though his piece I wanted to do the same but I wanted the audience to look closely at the details and actually observe the items in my piece like the colors and different values in my piece.
One of my inspirations was Cornell. Cornell is known for his shadow boxes and his use of space. With a limited amount of space, he was able to arrange small items to represent themes like dreams and childhood. I wanted to so something similar since I found his artworks unique ever since I saw them from a previous projects. I also had the idea of using a simple suitcase to hold everything from Duchamp. Duchamp's art work, 'Fountain', became very controversial when it was first seen and honestly I didn't think 'Fountain' was an art piece at first sight. After learning more about what he tried to convey though his piece I wanted to do the same but I wanted the audience to look closely at the details and actually observe the items in my piece like the colors and different values in my piece.
ACT Questions
1) How are you able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork?
Duchamp expressed that even simple objects can have meaning. I did the same with office tools and added color to achieve a meaning.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
That Cornell used repetitive themes such as childhood which inspired me to add a childish aspect with color in my piece.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I concluded that many people have a closed mind when it comes to art. For instance, 'Fountain' is a very controversial piece where many people don't consider it art since it doesn't fit the stereotypes.
4) What was the central idea for theme around your inspirational research?
The main theme in both of my inspirations was basically giving meaning to everyday objects by arranging them in a certain way.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that for many people, art just pertains to painting or sculptures. This mainly has to do with the fact that they may not have as much knowledge about art compared to others.
Duchamp expressed that even simple objects can have meaning. I did the same with office tools and added color to achieve a meaning.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
That Cornell used repetitive themes such as childhood which inspired me to add a childish aspect with color in my piece.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I concluded that many people have a closed mind when it comes to art. For instance, 'Fountain' is a very controversial piece where many people don't consider it art since it doesn't fit the stereotypes.
4) What was the central idea for theme around your inspirational research?
The main theme in both of my inspirations was basically giving meaning to everyday objects by arranging them in a certain way.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that for many people, art just pertains to painting or sculptures. This mainly has to do with the fact that they may not have as much knowledge about art compared to others.
Bibliography
-Cornell, Joseph. Cockatoo and Corks. 1948. Mixed media, including wood, glass, printed matter, sawdust, cork and a music box. Private Collection, Museum of Modern Art.
-Duchamp, Marcel. Fountain. 1917. Ceramic, glaze, and paint. Tate Gallery, London.
-"Joseph Cornell Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. The Art Story: Modern Art Insight, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.
-Duchamp, Marcel. Fountain. 1917. Ceramic, glaze, and paint. Tate Gallery, London.
-"Joseph Cornell Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. The Art Story: Modern Art Insight, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.