Final Video

Joy

Unused

Earth Works

Rembrandt’s Carcass of Beef was our historical reference for our meat tree. We’re placing it in nature. Rembrandt removed the meat from nature where we would normally expect the cow to be found, and we will be placing it back in nature-back to the beginning of this decline. We’ve become farther removed from the original food. We set out to emphasize in our culture that we have become so desensitized to thinking for ourselves. The more disconnected we are from what is natural, organic, and created reflects how we live in the environment and in community. We had meat hanging from tree resembling fruit, an organic substance. Made a frame of chicken wire, covered it with meat. “Branches” covered the wire used to hang it so that it looks like they’re growing from the tree. By eating from this meat tree they are unaware of what they are actually doing. Reflecting upon our projects I am very pleased with the results. Although it may be argued that the “fruits” do not look enough like meat I think that the mystery adds to the effect that our food has become so processed we hardly know what it is. Furthermore, the original assignment was to do an earthwork, that we successfully accomplished by engaging and interacting with the tree and our meat. The Native American Site doesn’t figure into our project.

I think that the earthworks in general are a very creative and enjoyable project. They require you to think outside the box and engage in nature in a way that we don’t do or appreciate anymore. However, when we were then instructed to make all these changes to our photos it no longer was about the earthwork, but rather it was about digital editing etc. which is exactly the opposite point of what the earthworks are about. Therefore, I think that the earth work and the strangeness are good to a certain extent.  

Masks

I see a similarity between my masks and the death masks. It is used to cover or hide one’s identity. “The mask has a deeper meaning. It teaches us that none of us are quite what we seem, even to ourselves.”  My masks relates to the pre-modern era through the concept of offence/defense. It is used to hide the true identity of the person behind it. Women for years have been defined as a blank face. We are not more than our looks. My mask portrays this sentiment. It is attacking a culture that places males as the dominant sex and views women first and foremost for beauty alone and not what she has so say or can contribute. In the post modern era my mask portrays the sentiment that the mask distorts who we really are, that asks us to be satisfied with appearances instead of substance. It is a mask that reveals barely a shadow of our true selves.

My mask would most likely fall under the category of expressionism. Expressionism is defined as “The artist's subjective expression of inner experiences emphasized; an inner feeling is expressed through a distorted rendition of reality” Naturally I do not walk around with a blue mask on all day; however, we all walk around with a face that, if we wish it or not, is a mask. Many times females are judged by the “mask” we wear. I used the blue mask to represent a blank slate and all that is emphasized is the beauty of females. There is no mouth showing expressing the inner experience that females are many times judged solely based on looks and not on what they have to say, who they are, or who God made them to be.

            My mask relates to my portraits in the ideas behind them. My ideal vs. real portraits are supposed to portray the concept of being trapped vs. being free. This same concept can be expressed in the mask. We are often trapped behind it and would like to be free of the judgments we receive by others. My mask is mostly defined by the script culture has given us. Many of this script come from socialization with others and their judgments of us. Advertising and propaganda also shoves down our throats this “ideal” beautiful woman. That has become the ultimate goal of women and has placed unrealistic pressures on the appearance and what women need to do to be able to sustain this role. It gives us this false hope that once we reach this certain weight or buy this makeup and become beautiful, then people won’t judge us based on our looks anymore and they will finally listen to what we actually have to say. This leads to a loss in the individual and the uniqueness that makes us who we are. We must break from this pattern. In the image of God we are perfectly made and we must rest in the freedom that he gives us.  

Portraits

In all four pictures it is easy to see who the picture is. They two of me are easily definable as photos of me and the same goes for Megan’s photos. In that sense of the word all four of these photos are a portrait.

I don’t know that any of these photos truly encompass Megan’s or my true character. In the real photo I wanted to portray a feeling of being trapped and being isolated at Wheaton. I think that this photo captures this emotion. However, that my real is this depressed person. I don’t think that it is a good window into my soul. In contrast with this photo my ideal photo was supposed to represent freedom. It was difficult to capture this feeling of freedom without over dramatizing it through smiling.  So I don’t think that the ideal portrait of me captures who I am at all. For Megan’s photos she wanted to contrast the chaos of her life right now with the structured one that she hopes to one day have. Although the pictures clearly portray these contrasts they are not actually representative of who Megan is and what her character is. None of these four portraits portray us as vulnerable, open, intimate, or revealing of who we are and the unique characteristics that God has given us.

Megan’s photos are shaped by society; the pressures of college and needing to have a definite path and plan for the future. Here ideal was some business woman who has it all together and is very successful. However, mine were more shaped by the Christian notion of freedom through Christ, not necessarily through our culture and societies views. Both of us used our hair and clothing to portray our femininity.

All four portraits work in the sense of they have a human subject who is the main focus of the picture. Technically speaking the framing of the pictures also makes it work as a portrait. However, none of the portraits are truly successful because none of them capture who we are or reveal our vulnerability. I am not some depressed, lonely, isolated individual, but that is what my pictures made it look like. I actually love life, laughter, friends, and family. Joy is God’s gift in my life. Neither of the portraits of me captured any of that. So I would agree with you that neither of the portraits are really me.

Getting Lost Slideshow

I enjoyed this assignment quite a bit. Our job was to “get lost” and simply take pictures. I loved being out in nature and being free to take pictures of whatever I thought was interesting or beautiful. I came away with many great shots that I did not use in the final slideshow because I decided to stay in the woods. I loved the shape of this one broken tree. I really appreciated the beauty that could be found in its shape and bark even when it was dying. When asked to add in the media quotes I immediately tried to do the opposite of our original assignment. We were assigned to “get lost” in the wood and nature that should be an easy thing to do. However with our technology expanding and living in a world when we are always being watched it is now almost impossible to get lost. Our world has violated nature, a place that is supposed to be sacred and holy, and we have infiltrated it with our own ideals and views. We can no longer simply be in nature or appreciate it. Even nature is affected by our developing and changing world. The media quote represent “The modern woods”.