Second Mentor Meeting

I met with mentor Karl Baden about a week and a half ago for the second time. I felt we were able to cover a significant amount of material during this time, and we discuss new ideas I would have never thought of too.

I showed images of my most recent experiments with large prints outdoors and we talked about how they are affected by the digital medium. These images, while being literally created with prints outdoors, could be created in Photoshop. Karl brought up John Pfahl, who created geometric shapes and lines in landscapes by utilizing tape and playing with scale to make it appear as though the lines were floating. These "Altered Landscapes," were created on film and that knowledge affects the read of the images, knowing these could be easily recreated digitally. Karl also brought up other process artists, such as Richard Long, who creates art during his walks.

In order to bring more attention to this process of photographing the large prints, we talked leaving the prints outside for an extended period of time and recording the decaying process through video capture. My mentor suggested that at this point it becomes less about the materials and more about the interaction that occurs. On the same token, certain materials need to be carefully considered. For example, as the paper decays, what is left behind becomes more significant. I am currently thinking of this playing out like a body that decays to reveal the skeleton. In this sense, the art becomes somewhat perforative.

We also talked about the possibility of public art and something site specific, perhaps in the setting of my small home town. I brought my piece from last semester that I intended to display as an arch and this helped spark the dialogue. Shimone Attie's historic projections on contemporary buildings at night were referenced. I haven't quite been able to wrap my head around the best way to do this in my setting. I researched the relatively mundane history of the town, and most of my ideas stemming from that seem very PBS/documentary in the wrong way. I'm letting it simmer for now. I think there is possibility to this.

Overall, I have several different directions I could go right now, and I need to pick one. These are always frustrating moments for me, yet I've become more accustom to them. What I have also come to realize is taking one direction does not mean I will forever abandon the others. Everything seems to come around again.

I believe I need to bring some specificity to my work as well. When I was working with similar imagery from last semester, it seemed to only hit the same note. In order to have a successful body of work, each pieces to say something different but relevant. My dialogue needs clarification. When talking with one of my former professors recently, she pointed out how I tend to be a global thinker. I sometimes get a little lost in the big picture. Everything is interesting, but what need to be highlighted? I consider these questions as I move forward. The irritating yet tantalizing thought that I am so close to some sort of break through at any moment propels me forward. I sincerely hope I am right.