Monday, April 25, 2011

Reading Response and Critique Response (Sorry)

Looking away and seeing too much was a really interesting reading. I had to actually read some sections a few times in order to get the meaning. My best response to this reading would be to discuss how it brought ideas into my mind that I had thought but never really articulate. Discussing the differences between looking at the sun and looking at very sexual images was a great analogy I feel. Both are two things that most people do not want to look at, but for different reasons, but not always different reasons. It really got me thinking about certain images that I do not want to see, and why I do not want to see them.
                I also really liked the talk about UFO’s and UFO pictures and how they have changed throughout the ages.  The “accuracies” of images of UFO’s have changed. What would look like a “real” UFO in the 1800’s would probably look totally different compared to today’s image of a “realistic” UFO. This does not only touch on the ideas of images and realism, but I like how this idea incorporates time into the discussion.  This makes one think about how people perceive certain things, and how people represent these things change over time. This could be something interesting to explore in a project/ artwork.  This idea applies to so many different images and ideas. I think that looking at advertisements throughout the ages would be a really interesting idea. The differences between the ideas of beauty, reliability, and wealth have likely changed a great deal over the course of modern time.  I think a great example of this would be how larger individuals used to be the most desirable of the bunch. This stemmed from the fact that the larger you were, the more food you could afford, thus making people equate the two things.  This then makes me think what ideas/ ideals in my mind are linked together.  I think that these sort of linkages can be used in artworks to portray an idea. If you are trying to make somebody look smart, giving them glasses for example might help.  This sort of thing is really interesting and I wonder if I would be able to explore tis in my final project. This idea is cool because it crosses art with many other different di splines, such as psychology, media studies, and anthropology.
                This whole paper got me thinking about one thing, extinct animals and my fascination with them. The paper made me analyze my own way of thinking and my own perceptions. I have always found extinct organisms and near extinct organisms to be exciting, especially extinct organisms that have been photographed. After reading the paper I cannot simply chock up my interest to biological curiosity. I think that part of my interest might lie in the fact of visualizing and wanting to see something that is impossible or very difficult to see. This stemmed from the papers discussion of seeing things that were impossible to see, and the fascination that stems from that. The fact that I think pictures of now extinct organisms are so cool and so interesting also says something about my thought process. I think that by getting to see something that no longer exists, the picture of that thing becomes that more interesting and that more fascinating. It’s like looking at illustrations of dragons and unicorns (mentioned in the reading), except these creatures used to exist.
                I realize that my response to my criticism was already due (I’m sorry I misread my email), but I still would like to comment on it. I am very pleased that people enjoyed my artwork and were able to understand where I was going with it. I was definitely trying to display biological diversity in a way that is accessible to all people, and from my critique I believe that I accomplished this. I am also glad that my decision to make several small sculptures that could be moved and interacted with paid off. I wasn’t sure how this decision would be perceived and I am glad that people appreciated this decision.  I did not hear back too many negative comments or room for improvement, but I do have some. I think that I could have painted my sculptures a lot better. I tried to mix my own color for my water bear but it came out way too blue. I think that this detracted from the overall comprehension and ascetic appeal of my water bear sculpture.  I wish that I could have added more leaves and organic material to my caddis fly larvae. While I am very happy with how this sculpture turned out, I think a few more things added to the case would have looked more realistic, and more representative of the group of organisms.  My decision to add the acaia ants was one that I am very happy with. The ants themselves are not particularly impressive; I mean they basically look like ants, but their relationship with their trees are very impressive and interesting.  Overall I am very happy with my final product, especially considering it was a medium I have never worked in before.

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