Rachelcapstone - Rachel's Capstone

Week 11: November 15

This week for creative research I made video collages/GIFS.

(Could not get videos to run here but screenshots are attached) 

This collage of GIFS is again an attempt to deconstruct meaning, in a similar way to the Surrealists. The imagery was chosen randomly, but the composition was up to me. The first one to me is reminiscent of a dreamland, with the clouds and swirling mirror. The girl in the upper left is sitting in a way that it looks as if she could be lying on a bed, which further reinforces the dream. The second one feels less like a location than the first one. The imagery that comes to my mind is “crazy cat lady”. This is likely because of the common image of a lonely old lady who watches television on an Old TV, with several cats like the one sitting above the TV. The socks on the legs that the cat has is also reminiscent to me of  comfort and relaxing in front of the television. Finally, the last collage to me feel vaporware/space theme. The sphere with the waterfall in it as well as earth are reminiscent of space, as well as the astronaut. The robotic hand relates to the future, or maybe a robot in space. Finally, while usually sharks make me think of the ocean, the way they swim here suggests a lack of gravity such as in space. The juxtaposition of objects together creates a somewhat cohesive theme to me. 

For scholarly research this week I read a chapter called Communication, Meaning, and Signs from Introduction to Communication Studies by John Fiske. This chapter was given to me by Nancy, and it essentially is about semiotics and how we make meaning. This relates to juxtaposition because in order to understand how a connection is made between two things, how meaning is derived from those things in the first place. Important quotes are highlighted below: 

What is semiotics and what does it consist of

There are a few systems of making meaning, but generally these systems have three main components: the sign, what the sign refers to, and the user of the sign. 

Saussure divided the sign into two parts: the signifier (which is the sign) and the signified, which is the mental concept that the sign brings about. 

I have come to realize that semiotics was an important piece in the mechanisms of juxtaposition (particularly in media). The imagery in a work of art become signs, and bring about mental images of many signifieds, which are based on previous experience or our cultural or personal association with the sign. The brain then jumps from signified to signified that come about from the two distinct signs, until there is one in common, or two that are close enough that a connection can be found between the two objects. Because of our pattern processing brain, we will almost automatically, subconsciously, and very quickly will come to a conclusion to what the two objects or signs mean in relation to each other. 

I am glad this week I was able to make something animated or digital. Right now, I am unsure if I want to go more in a physical or digital direction for my final project. I liked using the gifs because they are looped, and I think it makes this kind of format (or a similar one good) if I wanted to do a digital collage of any kind. I think that they all bring about very strong connections between the objects in the collages, and they definitely all point to a very particular signified. I also am intrigued by semiotics in relation to juxtaposition, as it can explain the basis for how our pattern processing brain make meaning in terms of media. I plan to explore it more, 

Week 6: October 11

This week for creative research and inspiration I went with Jack to Poster House on 23rd street.

We saw an exhibit called “Masked Vigilantes On Silent Motorbikes”

Title wall 

AVW202 (Money Makers) on the left and MSSBUTTONS (Mighty Man of Valor) on the left by Nicholas Fraser 

I really liked how this piece played with light and shadow, and how the cutouts from the banners were left attached. It made the banner itself a bit harder to read (especially with the imagery already on it), and you had to read the shadow for clarity. 

These pieces (Dissonance #14 and Allusion) were collaged to make human faces (or parts of it), but with two different methods. The piece on the left was a more traditional collage, with different papers pieced together to make the human face. What is particularly interesting about the one on the right though, is that the shape of the eye actually is one piece of white paper that is overlaid over an image of a woman drawn comic style. What creates the image of the eye is small holes in the white paper that let more or less of the image underneath to show through and create shading. Our brain is able to connect the small dots together to piece them into the image of the eye. Just like how our brains create connections between things in juxtaposition, it can fill in the image of the eye from an arrangement of small holes in a piece of paper. 

There was also an exhibit on the caricature or Air-India’s Maharaja, a cartoon caricature created for advertisements for Air-India. 

I saw these posters which don’t exactly relate to my project, but I love the intricacy and the delicate patterns that are present. 

And also the color palettes for these posters

I was also super inspired by this recipe card booklet full of recipes each from a different park of instead. I think the color palette and attention to detail (ex. the shape of the pocket) are really beautiful. The cards kind of remind me of Kpop photo cards I collect. They’re about the same size and I also keep them in a little binder. But I’ve been thinking go making some sort of pamphlet or booklet to hand out with mu art piece, and I think that this is a more unique option. 

I really enjoyed my experience going to Poster House, and got some really good inspiration for color and type. All of the work was very beautiful. Dissonance #14 and Allusion were surprisingly complex, and made me think more about how we can piece together a bunch of little holes to create an image, which is gestalt. The recipe cards are also something I plan to maybe make in the future. 

Finally, for scholarly research, I found this article about juxtaposition as a soft power. 

Citation: Richard, Erica. “The Power of Juxtaposition.” Art21, April 21, 2020. https://art21.org/read/the-power-of-juxtaposition/. 

Link: https://art21.org/read/the-power-of-juxtaposition/

The article is aimed at educators to show how contemporary artists combine their art-making with their roles as engaged citizens. It brings up the term soft power, and explains that "Soft power is a fitting term to describe the subtle and nuanced ways in which artists influence the social and political sphere.” Juxtaposition can be a way that artists can empower themselves to have influence in the social and political sphere by persuading viewers to see a juxtaposition and come to a particular conclusion. It also explains that "Juxtaposition is one tool used by contemporary artists to persuade viewers or elaborate on an idea; it demands that artists become conscious organizers of content.” I know that soft power is already a political term, so it’s interesting to see an overlap between politics and juxtaposition. I also feel like this is a good way of explaining its importance, which I was having trouble putting into words previously. 

I was definitely inspired by the posters that I saw this week, even if I’m not sure if it’s really the final form that my project is going to take. I really like the way that the Nicholas Fraser banners played with light, and you sort of had to look at it at a certain angle to be read. I was also inspired by the colors and type in the Maharaja exhibit, particularly the recipe book. I just find it so delightful, and could be a good way to incorporate the making of a physical object to hand out for my project. I am also super intrigued by the concept of a soft power now, and plan to look maybe more into the history of the term, as I only know what it means on a surface level. It’s definitely an important aspect of juxtaposition though that I plan to incorporate into my final paper. 

Week 7: October 18

For scholarly research this week, I wanted to learn more about soft power. I read an article by Joseph Nye, the one who coined the term.

Citation: Nye, Joseph. “Soft Power: The Origins and Political Progress of a Concept.” Palgrave Communications 3, no. 1 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/palcomms.2017.8.

Link to article: https://www.nature.com/articles/palcomms20178

I learned more about the exact definition of soft power, straight from the source. He defines power as the following: “Power is the ability to affect others to get the outcomes one prefers, and that can be accomplished by coercion, payment, or attraction and persuasion. Soft power is the ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction rather than coercion or payment." I think it's interesting that he coined it because of an apparent decline in US imperialism, as I feel the same discussions are still being held today.  He discussed how the meaning of the word has changed in relation to more recent events, and the varying responses to his invention of the word. I actually think still that soft power is underrated, because of its subtlety and its lack of discussion in politics. The same goes with juxtaposition, where I think that the power it has is subtle and underestimated. 

I also wanted to highlight my own version of the recipe cards from that I saw at Poster House the previous week.

This is just a sample, but I was thinking maybe the cards could contain information about any objects I make, or maybe any significant quotes that I found in my research. 

I was running out of blue ink, but I made the cards in photoshop and glued them to cardboard to make the cards. 

It’s a little sloppy, but I enjoyed making them. I feel like they are less the main focus of my project, and maybe something that I would make to go along with it and hand out if I had time. I would need to figure out a way to mass make them though. The cards could probably be printed somewhere like CVS or staples, but I’m not sure if there’s a way to reproduce the carrying case cheaply (I’m sure getting a custom folder like that would be expensive) or easily (making that many by hand would take too much time. I will think further about this. 

Overall this week, I was glad I got to learn more about the origins of soft power. The only reason I had heard that term before was in relation to Kpop, and how the tourism and hype that it brought has brought South Korea much more money and influence. I thought of the US as more of a hard power because of this country’s emphasis on the military, but I suppose our cultural influence would give use soft power as well. I would like to try to find another source that discusses this more in an art or media context though. I will also look more into the process of making the cards, or deciding exactly what information I would put on them. I may put it off for now though and decide to focus more on the main project, and make this more of an extra or side project. 

7 Days of Iteration

REMINDER: Official post coming soon 🔥🔥

Week 12: November 22

For creative research this week, I went back to Poster House to see two exhibits that weren't open the last time I went. 

Title wall from the first exhibit, Schoolgirls at War: French Propaganda Posters from World War I.

Nous Saurons by Camille Boutet 1918

Title card for Nous Saurons

Title wall for the second exhibit, With My Little Eye: Warnings for the Homefront

Careless Talk Costs Lives Posters

Both of these exhibits focus on propaganda posters. Going back to the topic of soft power, these posters often harness it and use juxtaposition as a way to compare contrasting imagery with the war in order to deliver a political message. For example, Nous Saurons features children looking longingly at a candy store, with the caption “We will know how to deprive ourselves”. There is a juxtaposition between the candy store, the longing children, the caption, and the presumably adult viewer that implies that if children can find the strength and discipline to ration and control their desires during the war, then adults should be more than capable to do the same. The poster is an effort to get the French people to support the sugar rations put in place by the war effort. The use of children to juxtapose the underlying message of supporting a war is much more effective than a poster that would have just said “Rationing sugar is patriotic”. It sets an extreme contrast that says “if you, an adult, are not able to ration sugar, you have worse self control than a child”, without saying that phrase explicitly. This way of using juxtaposition to construct guilt in order to support the war is subtle yet potent. Similarly, in the Careless Talk Costs Lives Posters, people chatting with each other or over the phone in mundane situations are juxtaposed with the captions that they are participating in something deadly. 

This week for scholarly research I read This Means This, This Means That: A User's Guide to Semiotics by Sean Hall. 

Citation: Hall, Sean. 2012. This Means This, This Means That : A User’s Guide to Semiotics. Vol. 2nd ed. London: Laurence King Publishing. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=926138&site=ehost-live.

Link: http://ezproxy.stevens.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=926138&site=ehost-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_75

Summary: Semiotics is the theory of signs, and reading signs is a part of everyday life: from road signs that point to a destination, to smoke that warns of fire, to the symbols buried within art and literature. Semiotic theory can, however, appear mysterious and impenetrable. This introductory book decodes that mystery using visual examples instead of abstract theory. This new edition features an expanded introduction that carefully and clearly presents the world of semiotics before leading into the book's 76 sections of key semiotic concepts. Each short section begins with a single image or sign, accompanied by a question inviting us to interpret what we are seeing. Turning the page, we can compare our response with the theory behind the sign, and in this way, actively engage in creative thinking. A fascinating read, this book provides practical examples of how meaning is made in contemporary culture.

In particular I wanted to focus on this section: 

It essentially discusses how differences between signs is only due our own perception, because what really defines “sameness” or “difference”. After all, it’s only when two objects are the same in every respect that we can say there are no differences. There are two kinds of difference: difference in kind (which is the fundamental thing that the object is) and difference in degree, which when there may be small variations between two things that may be very similar in general. This is important to the function of juxtaposition because juxtaposition is the comparison of two objects or concepts that are different from each other. But what does different really mean? 

I’m glad that this week I got to see the exhibits as poster house that were closed the last time I was there. I saw some good examples of how juxtaposition can be wielded to push a political agenda. The issue is that these juxtapositions are not based in the whole truth, or are not allowing equal comparisons. The lack of context in this case can be misleading, as comparing two extremes (such as the best of something with the worst of something) does not allow for a fair comparison. Without the full facts though, people may not be able to counter the juxtapositions that were put before them, and will come to the conclusion that the creator of that juxtaposition wants them to believe. Thus is the soft power of juxtaposition, and the importance of knowing how it functions and when to recognize it in order to think carefully before making any connections or conclusions. I also learned that line line between same and different is more blurred than I previously would have expected - could this be part of the reason that we can always find connections between unlike things? Or is it their degree of difference or kind that actually creates connections through differences instead? Perhaps both are true. I will explore both of these topics further maybe next week. 

7 Days of Making

Week 2: September 13

This week, I started out thinking about collage, but ended by deciding to focus more on juxtaposition.

Day 1: Found material collage on printer paper

Explores collage as something that can be made of putting things together around you.

Day 2: Digital collage

Exploring the digital collage. Based on more “aesthetic” collages that can be found on the internet.

Day 3: Printer scans 

Explores alternate ways of making collage with non-2D objects, and flattening them.

Day 4: Moodboard

Exploring mood boards as a type of collage

Day 5: Ugly moodboard

Exploring mood boards as a type of collage, but purposely making one that is ugly, and seeing how we make connections between the unrelated images and colors. 

Day 6: Autofill poems

Used autofill in the Notes app to generate poems that are a collage of words. On the last one, it ran out of word suggestions.

I thought that it was interesting that in the one below, autocorrect ran out of suggestions.

Day 7: Cake! (Chocolate with vanilla frosting) 

“Anyone who's ever put a stamp on an envelope or a note on their refrigerator knows what it's like to make a collage. There's no esoteric technique.” - Elliot Hundley

This is what I hate and like about collage - anyone can do it.

Going back to the ugly moodboard, I tried really hard to find things that were random, did not go together, or were just not aesthetically pleasing (some of the images were even a little gross. I gave it a nauseating pink background, and the colors were bright and clashing. However, despite my best efforts to try and make an anti-moodboard that seemed completely random and ugly, the more I look at it the more I feel like it works....? I couldn't tell you what mood it is giving, but I feel like I'm putting things together that aren't there. 

This made me think about how humans tend to find patterns all the time in things that aren’t really there. There are actually several psychology articles about the subject.

Mattson, Mark P. “Superior pattern processing is the essence of the evolved human brain.” Frontiers in neuroscience vol. 8 265. 22 Aug. 2014, doi:10.3389/fnins.2014.00265

Chandrashekara, K. “Finding Patterns in Nature’s Maze: An Endless Quest.” Current Science, vol. 69, no. 5, 1995, pp. 406–09. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24097149. Accessed 19 Sep. 2022.

I feel like this week was just exploring juxtaposition as a new aspect of my topic, rather than just focusing on collage. I noticed it in my “ugly” moodboard how people find relations between things that aren’t there, which the articles by Mattson that I mentioned above basically says that our ability to recognize patterns to the extent that we can is part of what makes us human. I should keep this in mind in terms of how people perceive my project I suppose. Can I take advantage of this?

Also not as related, but speaking of two things that I didn't think would work but it does, a Kpop song I like by the group TXT called Eternally sounds like two different songs blended together, to the point that when my friend first showed it to me I thought it was two different songs. It switches from slow to dark and fast. But I really like it. 

https://youtu.be/60RWCfwmfYc

Week 3: Sept. 20

This week, I went with Jack to Nick’s show titled Voluntary Attempts to Overcome Necessary Obstacles at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts. Here is a short description below: 

https://www.projectspace-efanyc.org/voluntary-attempts-to-overcome-necessary-obstacles

While I don’t think my project will really be involved with the game design space, this was a good opportunity to get some ideas for interactivity with museum pieces, as well as how work is presented. 

The wall when you first walk into the exhibit:

Sheet we were given about the exhibit:

Second packet with all of the works in the show: 

Special highlights: 

Let’s Play Greek Punishment, 2011

By Pippin Barr

This was a series of games about mythology. In this one about sisyphus, you click in order to push the boulder up the hill. However, you are never able to actually complete the task, so continue to click until the player gives up. It’s supposed to be an “anti-game”, where the conventional goals in most mainstream game play are taken away, and this is what you are left with. 

The Soft Rumor of Spreading Weeds by Porpentine Charity 

This really got me thinking about how to present objects in a gallery space. The small rounded carpet felt super intimate, and made me thing of playing games on the computer on the floor as a kid. This also made me think a little bit about my talk with Kelly McGowan last year, and how she did her capstone project about her bedroom. It gives me similar “cozy” feelings. 

Folds of Separation by Studio Oleomingus 

I was a big fan of the artwork for this piece, it was very intricate maze game. Not necessarily the type of gameplay that I enjoy (it was very frustrating), but I did enjoy looking at it. 

The Cloister by Everest Pipkin

The artwork for this pice was stunning as well. 

If I recall, this was the box that held the cards for World Ending Game by Everest Pipkin. The instructions for the game were long, and it took an hour to play it, so I felt that it was a bit of a risky move for the exhibit only because not everyone (including me), would have the time or patience to read the instructions and play the game. But I did appreciate the attention to detail (for example, as pictured here, the slot created for the cards and dice for the game in their storage box). 

The Tearoom by Robert Yang

It was in a separate corner of the exhibit. You interacted with the game that was projected on a wall with a mouse that was on a pedestal in the middle of the room, giving it a super simple interface. It was a very weird game, where you played as a man in a very dingy bathroom. You were at a urinal, and were able to watch men who came in and out of the bathroom to pee, except all male genitalia was replaced with guns. Ultimately, after watching someone too many times at the urinal, the player was able to pleasure the man to completion in the gross bathroom. I was really confused after watching Jack play, but after talking to Nick about it, he explained that it was about how in videogames and on many social media platforms (although we were specifically talking about Twitch in this context) censor male genitalia, but guns are allowed. I guess it is a little weird when you think about it that objects that inflict violence are less censored than our own bodies on the internet. I will try to get the video from Jack and post it here, if Tumblr allows it 

Also, in a smaller amount of creative research, I found a new material? 

I went to an event for CSA (Chinese Student Association), and we made these foam clay moon cakes in celebration of mid autumn festival, using mooncake presses like the one I’ve attached here. I’ve somehow never used clay like this though, and when it dried (which it did much quicker than any clay I used growing up), it was super lightweight and more like foam clay than the hard, more pottery-like textures that other clay I used growing up. I also liked the idea of the presses. They remind me of the carving blocks we used in design I to create prints of letterforms, but they make a 3D object instead of 2D. Maybe I will explore this idea in a future experiment for my capstone, although I don’t know exactly how I am going to position this in terms of juxtaposition yet.

Overall this week, I feel like I am still working through exactly what form my project is going to take. I feel like the foam clay in an interesting medium for a future creative research or making, but not necessarily for a final medium. Same with the stamp/mold/block printing idea. They’re fun mediums that I may experiment with, but am not sold on yet for the final project. I really enjoyed going to see the exhibit that Nick curated. To be honest, my interest does not really lie in games, but I did get inspiration from seeing how works were presented in an exhibit space, and made notes on what did and what did not work, as I have elaborated above. I will definitely plan to see more exhibits in the coming weeks as well.