Time

Kinetic Sculptures

2011-09-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cardboard Automata

2011-08-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

2010-07-31T20:25:00.001-07:00

Maya and I constructed a 5 by 3 foot wooden box that would make the black and white checker board pattern on the front move in and out of the box. We projected an image onto the box of a person in a deep but almost restless state of sleep. The image consists solely of a female's face; frantically moving her eyes back in forth as if she was dreaming. The gears would pushed the gears in and out of the box disrupting the image.

Even though the motor wasn't image working and couldn't distort the image how it was intended to, the film was still moving creating it's own distortion. The idea behind this motorized automata was the fact that we are thinking and imagining every minute of our day, but the cycle is always being disrupted.

The machine, though was unable to function to its original intention, found a new meaning to its creators and viewers. The motor spun at a consistent rate, the room filled with it's constant sound of struggle and friction. The image in the from moved and almost seemed brought to life by the motor though there was no real connection between them. The dowel continuously splintered as the motor struggled to spin it. This shows not only the illusion and abstraction of how a motor can interact with your piece (is it actually the one responsible for the movement), but also the fact that maybe the beauty is placed on the motors failure to bring results and in this case, distorting the image on the frontal portion of our autonoma.

Final Automaton

2010-04-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

Au-to-ma-ta

2010-04-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

so here's my final project in the time class.

I was inspired by my boyfriend. We were snowboarding one day when he said to me, "I wish I could do a flip on my board." So I thought to myself and I came up with this project. Depicted on the canvas are two photographs that I took of him snowboarding. I then attached the canvas to the motor, which is mounted on a board on a box. The canvas then spins in a clockwise motion, making the pictures "flip".

Kinetic Piece

2010-04-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

For our kinetic structure, Garrett and I created a grass-growing machine. The final result did not go as well as planned. However, other touches were added that we originally had not counted on. For example, at the center of our structure there is an egg-shaped gear. Upon completing the structure, we realized how the shape helped to symbolize rebirth/growth, which was the exact theme of our project, being the reproduction of grass.

Kinetics

2010-04-27T11:35:00.001-07:00

Grace Brown and I had a ball with our kinetic project. Focusing on a satirical view of religion, we created a talking Jesus portrait.
We knew we wanted to do something that might make people laugh or feel uncomfortable; I wanted the audience to walk away affected emotionally. Many sketches and meetings with Michelle later, Grace and I headed to Lowe's and bought the necessary supplies. Using plywood as our backing we printed out on photo paper and collaged a traditional Jesus portrait using hot glue to adhere. For the frame we cut down moulding and nailed to into the plywood. We chose to lacquer the pieces of moulding gold for a more Renaissance/Gothic feel-- easily stereotyped as a more Baroque aesthetic, the gold exalts the subject matter, who here happens to be Jesus.
As far as the mechanics went, we cut out a strip from the plywood backing right there Jesus's mouth would be. This served as a track for the dowel that attached to the mouth shaped cut-out we used as the kinetic part of this project. A sanded, oblong piece of plywood was connected to the motor. A vertical dowel (placed to run along the oblong gear) connected to the horizontal one, which caused the mouth to move.
Placed on a table that was draped with white, two church candles flanked the portrait. It ended up being three feet wide by three and a half feet tall. Its size and the presentation made it appear to be on an altar. Darwinism playing in the background provided the comic.. or rather sacrilegious.. aspect we were going for.

Big picture: Jesus sitting on an altar, speaking Darwinism to his beloved congregation.

The collage gave a more modern feel to the portrait-- it wasn't perfectly aligned, and the image was slightly pixellated. This is what we wanted. Printed from technology and rearranged for the twentieth century, a religion after such a long history undergoes slight changes, cracks, falls apart, despite the gold frame and the period style in which it is presented. Where it looks almost perfect and old, juxtaposed with this is the crystal clear voice of Darwinism coming straight from the savior's mouth. The fight between science and religion is an old one.

The video is an informal record of our success at getting the kinetic part of our project to work. It was really exciting at the time, though I wish later we had documented the whole project better. That was something I certainly learned from the Time class experience.

Endurance Performance

2010-04-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

For my endurance performance, I chose to show how we appear when we perform the daily ritual of watching television. We essentially become a blank wall. I became a television facing a blank wall for three hours, virtually unmoving (except to change poses in the chair where I was sitting when I needed to).
It was extremely difficult for me to stay in the same spot for three hours even though I was able to shift a bit, especially with the cardboard television on my head. My sight was taken away from me (there were no holes in the TV) which I suppose doubled as facing a fear (I am very afraid of losing my sight!).
In comparison to actually watching TV, sitting in the chair doing absolutely nothing for that amount of time was certainly a task. When we watch TV, time seems to fly by as we have something to focus our brains on. During my performance I found my mind wandering, trying to think of stories and other useless things in order to make the time go by faster.

Critique

2010-04-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

When looking at all of the final works for time I really enjoyed how the overall accomplishment with everyone. One that I really thought was entertaining was Phil Yannella's. This was interesting how he went about displaying himself. The cocoon setup he had was very entertaining and showed a lot of his planning. He had to find others to wrap him up which shows his careful planning and trust in others. With all the others doing something strenuous Phil showed something that not only took others but gave him a relaxing setup and a different view on the assignment. With all the passers watching and wondering what or who was inside the cocoon I could not help to think what most of the people thought about the paper that had blown off of his setup. One thing that is a big part of people thinking today is the environment and toilet paper flying from an art project into nature I think would be something people may not take lightly. After leaving Phil I wondered if he had enjoyed the task or if he was simply bored and/ aggravated with lying in a single position for the amount of time he did. The wind being Incorporated into the act was a nice variable and helped with the flow of the set. In all I think that he did his job well and the hammock and toilet paper were overall good decisions.

endurance performance

2010-04-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

For my performance, I scrubbed a bus stop with a toothbrush for three hours. I did not allow myself to speak to or make eye contact with anyone during the piece. I also refused to move out of the way for anyone.

Throughout the time I was there, many people came through to wait for their buses. I could tell that I was making them uncomfortable. Many people wouldn't even come into the bus stop- they would just stand outside and stare. Some tried to speak to me and became frustrated when I wouldn't answer- some just laughed.

It was a very strange experience for me. There were times where I was so fixed on my task that I couldn't think of anything else. I would just scrub so furiously that I would scrape my knuckles on the pavement. Other times, my mind would wander and my scrubbing would slow down. The task was painful. My hands and feet became so cold that I couldn't feel them any longer and when I finally stood up it was difficult to walk. My knuckles and knees were scraped and bruised and my arm became very sore.

What I found to be the most interesting was the wear on my toothbrush. It was far more apparent than the physical and mental wear on my body.

When I was finished, the sun had dried the water and I could see that I did not make even the smallest impact on the bus stop. The floor was just as dirty as it had been. I however, was a mess. I was filthy, sore, cut up and both physically and mentally exhausted. Obviously the bus stop had more of an impact on me than I had had on it.

recording time

2010-04-25T18:56:00.001-07:00

For my personal record of time, I kept a sort of time line for my shift at the Box Of Books library. I've noticed throughout the year that it's always the same people coming and going at the same times, so I recorded their library card numbers and how long they stayed in comparison to others.
I've noticed that I can know where I am in my shift without even looking at the clock now.

critical anaylisis

2010-04-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a critical analysis of Lauren Carlie's performance as a marionette dangling from the tree outside Canon hall. she had herself strung up as it were by ropes attached to a iconic cross shaped controller, though she was controlled by the pulling of her ropes from below due to a simple eye hook system. dressed as a ballerina she was the picturesque icon of a puppet. giving the viewer and the user the ability to control her legs and arms she did not resist any of the abuses she was shown. I truly must applaud Lauren for this as she did not break character for anyone even though it was cold, early, and some of the people who interacted were less than polite. she placed a small chair near her performance site in order to give the viewer the idea that maybe she was getting ready to take a break from all this hanging around any time. that she was completely incapable of this wasn't even a concern the simple placement of the chair gave the impression that it could indeed happen. over all Id like to say that Laurens piece was a magnificent performance, and showed that she could indeed endure some troubling and uncomfortable situations.

Final Endurance Piece

2010-04-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

I chose to do a critical analysis on Holly Pasquarellas endurance piece. For her piece she meditated on the hill outside of Reimer while being blindfolded. For this, she would be surrendering herself in public without her vision. She had to rely on her other senses like smell and mostly sound to get an idea of what was going on around her. I think she chose something that is interesting and something everyone should try.

After seeing her do this, I have been paying more attention too my surroundings and sounds alike. One thing I would change about her piece was fabric coordination. She was laying on a striped beach towel while wearing a black and white bandana, it just didn't look pieced together. It seemed her concept was the main focus which is good because you do not need to have fancy things for this project, just trust in your surroundings.

Final Performance-Blind

2010-04-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

For my final performance, I sat blindfolded for three hours. I painted 3 paintings in this time the way I normally paint when I am at home- with my hands.

Now, one may think that this is an easy task and can be done regularly. But to be blind is extremely difficult. Not only did I have to place the paints in a strategic order, but I also had to remember that order, as well as keep them in that order by counting, feeling, hoping, and memorization. Now this is a fear for me, due to the fact that I already have bad eyesight. Without my glasses don't expect me to see who you are until your up close. As i get older I notice my eyesight getting worse and worse and I always say that it would be my luck to wind up blind in 30 years or something. This negative thought got me thinking. As an artist, what would it be like for me to create? How hard would it be? What would they look like? So this performance in which I faced my fear was a perfect time for me to figure this out. My method of working was to keep finding the edges of the paper and to feel around to where I had already applied the paint. It was also based on A LOT of memory as to what color I just put down and what shape I made with it. It would up being a challenge, but in the end I was so grateful that I was able to take that blindfold off.

Artistic Critique of Harriet Smith

2010-04-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Harriet's piece was my favorite overall. It was a very simple act of just standing in various places around the powell dining center. She stood holding a tray of food and staring into space. She wore a brown chunky sweater and grey pants with a few red checkered patches and brown doc martin-like boots. On her back she wore an orange and teal designed school back pack. Her food looked untouched and quite cold by the time that we got there. All the colors in the room and on her plate of food really worked together with her clothing and hair which is what really made an impact on me. She did not talk to anyone and she kept a very straight face. Here eyes looked pretty blank but she seemed to be looking at either tables with people at them or empty tables. Her curly brown hair and piercing brown eyes really made if feel somewhat eery and people eating probably didn't feel too comfortable.

Harriet's piece had a lot of meaning to it and I think it was something that a lot of people could relate to. Theres always those times that you feel pretty alone during a meal because no one is around to eat with you. You ask the question, where do I sit? Should I sit with people I'm somewhat acquainted with? Should I sit alone? As I watched Harriet walk from one place to another, holding that blank stare, I tried to imagine a kind of dialogue going on in her head. I imagined her picturing a table full of her closest friends or a table full of her loving relatives. I kept expecting her to finally make a decision but she just held her pose. The viewer begins to almost sympathize with her and wish she would just sit somewhere. She made me think about how many other people actually do something like this on a daily basis? Kids with no friends, getting made fun of, getting shooed away or pointed at and whispered about. Someone from our class tried to invite her to sit down but she refused because her performance piece did not allow her to. Although, if she was not performing and actually had nowhere to sit, a small gesture like that would have been appreciated.

Harriet's piece just really made me curious because of the awkwardness of it and the emotion in it. I had been read her proposal before viewing her piece and I believe that really helped me get attached and think about what she was doing and why. It was a very daring thing to do and I bet she was ridiculed by a few people but it was affective. A very memorable piece to me, well done!

Endurance performance: Illusion

2010-04-24T11:03:00.001-07:00

For 3 hours, 8-11am, I designated my time soley to the task of constructing a wall out of the materials in Canakadea River. I had no idea how how tall this building would end up being and it's exact aesthetics. I picked rocks up of all varying sizes, including one that was too large and ended up causing me an injury during the performance. The process was extensive, repetitive, and physically exhausting.
My intentions was the solidify myself into the illusion of being alone; creating an environment untouched by any human influence. Through the creation of a stone wall, an organic separation was being created between the Alfred University institution and myself in the river. As I carried up rocks, I placed human made items (rappers, wire, terracotta bricks) in front of the wall to keep it out of the illusion I was creating and maintaining.
The difficulties in this endurance performance were hydration, extensive physical exhaustion, and injuries from falling rocks being transported to higher levels. At 9:30am, I had obtained a rock that was quite large and dense. Upon placing it on higher elevations as I climbed up the tree, it fell ontop of me and my fingers were cut quite deep around the nail and down the finger. I continued, compromised by the limited use of my left hand, and had to switch to smaller rocks and started using wood found in the creek to use on the wall. Following the endurance performance at 11am I left and sought medical attention for the injuries.

Final Performance Piece: John Galt Speech

2010-04-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Typically, I wouldn't have regarded a formal speech as a work of fine art. But due to its length, and thus mental endurance required, I found the John Galt Speech of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged a suitable undertaking for my performance piece. My goal in reciting the one hundred-plus pages was to breathe life into the tenants of the Objectivist philosophy, a school of thought some have called practical only between the pages of a book. I consider my act of speaking a way to expose Ayn Rand's work to the practices of the real world, something an individual can take away and actively use, only if they sat in for only a few minutes. The speech is rich with information and allows for the audience to come and go as they please.

My choice for Holmes auditorium's red curtains and simple lighted podium reflected the simplicity and efficiency of Ayn Rand's world while my own attire was a nod to descriptions of John Galt in the novel itself.

The act of speaking for three hours was a challenging and tiring affair. My tongue swelled and made it hard to pronounce words as the hundreds of sentences went by. There were moments that I felt my mouth being directed by the words on the page, on seeming auto-pilot. It was at these times I had to re-engage the text and the thoughts being conveyed so as to remain under the persona of John Galt. I wanted to avoid the image of mere dictation, of babbling words. I wanted to remain emotionally engaged with what I was saying. I think I succeeded in doing this, though the increasing lethargy of my tongue and the cinching of my throat towards the end did cause occasional lapses in the flow of the speech.

(I attempted recording the speech, but the volume from the auditorium speakers was too loud for the sensitivity of the microphone recorder)

(Full Text of the Speech- http://amberandchaos.com/?page_id=106)

Critical Analysis

2010-04-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

As I walked up to Ari Hendershot inside the bus stop at Alfred State, it was not difficult to understand what she was doing, but the challenge was to figure out why she was scrubbing the bus stop floor. I feel her piece was a lot like mine in the sense that we were both spending unnecessary time on something that could be completed so quickly only if we had a different tool to use. Also, we both were doing a task for three hours where the results would quickly disappear. For me at least, I felt that we both tried to embraced nonsense.

While observing Ari, one thing that stood out was where she left her bag and shoes. They were placed right outside the bus stop and it almost seemed like she could have been walking along the sidewalk, on her way to get to "work", and when she was done with her job she'd pick it up and leave. If I were to see this happening (like it most likely did), it would give me as a viewer a clear understanding of the beginning and end to the piece.

Artist Critique

2010-04-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

LIAnn sat on a towel on the ground in-between Cannon and Baressi. She was armed with a box of clementines and a book. In her statement she said she was going to eat the entire box (about 20) of clementines within the 3 hours provided. As we approached LIAnn, it looked as though she was just having a little picnic in the sun. But as we got close my mind shifted gears. She had already ate a lot of the box, and was spelling a word. What was the word going to be was all I wondered. She was not allowed to speak to any of us, so as we walked around her, she kind of reminded me of an animal in a cage at a zoo- on display. This made me think hard about the reason of her performance. Although i saw that her reasoning was to exemplify the "concepts of consumption and excess", I saw it almost as a critique on us as humans, always putting others on display (especially the famous). But her idea to me, goes along with what I thought because when people are put on display it usually is way too much, which reminded me of her consumption of all 20 clementines.

Critical Analysis

2010-04-24T00:38:00.000-07:00

On Friday, within the stark institution of Alfred State, Ari Hendershot scrubbed the platform of a bus stop with a toothbrush. Clothed only in a sweater and jeans (no shoes) I immediately felt empathy for her as I was currently damning the chilly weather under my own layers. She was on dirty, cold rock--probably pebbles and glass digging into her skin--working vigorously to cleanse a public area, armed only with a small tooth-cleaning device and a muddy, unsatisfying cup of water.

In our critiques, we'd talked briefly about the notion of imagining the past and future of these performances (beyond our group's encounter with them). I wonder how busy the traffic actually is at that bus stop, and how A-Staters responded to her presence. And what went through her mind as she first knelt down to polish off her first square inch of concrete (probably the miserable anticipation of three hours in freezing, self-conscious discomfort)? Mostly, I wanted to know if in the end she had actually succeeded in cleaning her area--maybe she made it dirtier by spreading around the filth? After all, it was a tiny cup of reused, un-refilled water.

This latter thought, I believe, is the crux of Ari's performance. She is uncomfortable, exposed, and reenacting a task usually reserved for those of a lower caste (excuse the lack of political correctness)--yet, the result of her efforts are ultimately disappointing and, well, dirtier. It is a debby-downer of a message, but this performance is about how hard work sometimes gains us nothing (and in some cases, sets us further back). Ari reminds us that, like the dirt on the floor of a bus stop, inanity is indelible.

Artist critique

2010-04-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Upon entering the dank pool room at the Maclane sports center i was greeted by the smell of chlorine and quizzical looks of the bored-off-her-ass life guard. Looking up at the diving end of the pool, I saw Kalla sitting in a grey hot tub paddling around with a bright pink pool noodle, precariously setting the hot tub off kilter. Working in a continuous circle, she never had an end.

My first reaction to this was one of confusion and a child at play. With further insight, I started to look past the comical parts of this piece that comment on society. Seeing the work of art in this light, I started to draw connections to how life is always cyclical and can seem without direction, like Kalla's piece.

Endurance Performance

2010-04-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

For my three hour endurance performance piece I impersonated a caterpillar. I was warped in toilet paper to create my cocoon. By the time the group the got to me part of my cocoon had been withered by the wind. This was a sign from nature that it was almost time for me to emerge. At the end of my performance I show my true newly acquired colors to the world. I discovered through this process that I will never be the same as I was. I have meta morphed in my cocoon into a beautiful butterfly. This is an amazing process that will continue for many geherations of caterpillars as they change into butterflies... I wish them luck on there way to a better place.

Forward two, back one.

2010-04-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

I started at the bottom of the stairwell by the ceramics department and walked up two steps then back one in a rythmic motion for three hours long. While performing this piece I was able keep myself in a repetative beat helping me to stay focused on what I was doing as I climbed the stairs up and down 18 times over three hours. This endurance piece was particularly special to me because it reminded me of my past accomplishments and failures and how in life you seem to take two steps forward and a step backward in everything you do. Reaching the top of the five flights of stairs was a great feeling, just like living life as though it should be one step at a time.

Artist critique

2010-04-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

Lauren performed a three hour piece infront of cannon hall that caused me to reevaluate my own feelings connected to her piece. For her piece, she stood outside under a tree. She was in all black except for a teal tutu and ballet slippers. Attached to her were strings that were strung through loops on pieces of wood which were attached to the tree above her. There she stood motionless with pieces of thick white string attached to each one of her limbs. Next to her hung he proposal which invited the onlookers to manipulate her by pulling on the strings, which were attached to her body and caused her limbs to move.
Lauren's performance was one of the pieces thet invoked a strong emotion from me. Lauren's piece really gave off the sense of hopelessness. She hung limply in the shadows in dark colors with a blank expression on her face. Just how her body seemed so lifeless gave an impression of losing life and hope. It did help the mood by having another morbid performace piece beside her. This lack of hope and control was explored even further by letting anyone have full control of her body by letting them manage the strings. The strings were such a bold white color that it was great in contrast to the dark gloominess of her. This illustrated the strong power the handeler had over her.
Over all I think her piece was very meaningfull. It felt as if she was facing a fear of being manipulated, which is a fear that I think everyone can relate to. By giving random passerbyers the ability to interact with the performance I think it really took the piece to the next level and really helped capture the meaning of the piece. The placement under the tree seemed to fit the idea of hanging as a marianet doll but also gave an eerier reference to someone hanging themself. I believe the piece was really interesting. It gave the viewer something to relate to instantly, but then the more it was observered, the deeper and even more interesting the piece became.

Artist Critique

2010-04-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

While observing the performance peices today, the one that stood out the most for me was, Ari's. As her peice she was leaned over in a bus stop cleaning the ground with a toothbrush. The only things she had with her were the clothes on her back, the toothbrush she was using to clean the ground and the red cup of water. She spent the entire three hrs scrubbing every inch of that bus stop.
Ari's peice used a lot of motivation and tedious movements in order to portray what she was trying to do in her performance. It was almost as if she was trying to clean a public place, which in reality was just going to get messed up again after her performance was finished. I like this peice because of the fact that I was able to relate to it. One summer my family and I went to Montauk and while sitting on my balcony I began to watch an old man with severe OCD he began to wipe the sand off the corners of his towel and everytime he would turn around to get the other side, he would kick sand on the corners he finished and begin again. Just like I had watched this old man, If I had the option I could have watched her performance for the full three hrs.
It really kept my attention. I began to wonder whats going to happen when it dries is she going to go back and start again or is she going to continue till the entire bus stop was scrubbed, and what was going to happen if the toothbrush broke or she ran out of water. Over all, i think that her project was very effective, whether what I thought she was trying to portray was in fact correct or not. It kept my focus and left me wondering, which in my opinion is what a good performance should do.

Endurance Performance

2010-04-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

3 Hour Endurance Performance

2010-04-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

For my 3 hr. endurance I decide to test my arms by rowing around in the pool without stopping. I sat in hot tub in the pool for 3 hrs. rowing around. This may seem super easy but it was actually difficult. Trying not to tip the hot tub over and kneeling the entire time really hurt my knees, Also after a while my arms started to get tired since my arms aren't that strong and rowing the entire time got ever difficult.

critical analysis of Sam Sloan

2010-04-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

As we approached the picnic table, even though there was loud construction taking place across the street, all I could focus on is what Sam was doing sitting there blindfolded. She had two or three paintings already finished set on the ground and was working on one while we walked up. The paintings looked like a five year old made them and had lots of vivid colors. She was taking paint and putting it into her hands to finger paint as she used only the sense of touch to feel where she was applying it to the paper. I got a sense of trying to see what exactly she thought she was making even though she really had no idea how it looked. I liked the struggle she had between herself and trying to find what color paint she was attempted to put down. She counted with her hand how many colors over to find the color she desired, she had them in the order ROYGBV. It made me wonder if she had an intention as to where she was putting the paint and what color she was using. The first paintings she had done seemed to use a lot more vivid colors, but as time went on they got less colorful. Maybe this was caused by her annoyance of the loud noises across the street or maybe she no longer knew what colors she was using. I enjoyed this piece because of it's ability to empathize with me and what it would be like to be blind since that is one of my biggest fears.

ENdurance Piece

2010-04-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

My performance provoked some interesting responses. One girl was really offended by my presence. She insisted that I move away from her. Older People, such as faculty members were more concerned with my behavior. Some asked me if I would care to sit with them. Students generally smirked at me or looked confused.

Standing in a small environment for 3 hours was interesting. Simply standing for 3 hours was interesting because it forced me to examine my surroundings in great detail, because there was nothing else to do.

Critical Analysis of Lauren Carli's Piece

2010-04-23T12:43:00.001-07:00

As our group reached the top of the green monster, we could see a figure hanging limply from a tree. As we grew closer, we saw that it was Lauren, and that she was hung from ropes that attached themselves to a wooden cross hanging above her head in the tree. Each of the ropes were run to her different body parts from metal pieces that were attacked to the side of the tree. As we understood it, we were able to pull on the ropes to cause her body to move in certain ways, the same way a marionette does. This gave a sense of empowerment over her, and caused me to realize that this piece defiantly had to do with control. In addition, her dark make up and almost Gothic clothes gave off an eerie chill, as if the scene had been taken straight out of a horror movie. I felt that this piece dealt with Lauren's fear of being controlled by other people, and in this piece, she was able to be controlled by random passing people.

Solitary

2010-04-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

I sat in a box for 3 hours on April 23rd. I wanted to literally be the art piece in this performance. In order to do this I made a clear box like the boxes used to cover delicate sculptures in galleries. I moved really slowly to keep people interested in the piece, and it created an entire new world for me in the box. That led to the name of the piece: solitary. I was in my own world and moving around in that world.

Final Endurance

2010-04-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

In my endurance piece, I was strung up to a wooden cross piece as a marionette with loose ropes so people interested could loosen or tighten any one of my joints. It was based on a fear of social control, both physically and mentally. Not a whole lot of people came by, or stopped to see what I was doing, but a few took the challenge. Mostly, I just got a lot of very awkward stares and giggles. IT was very cold and the rope began hurting my limbs early on, but it wasn't unbearable. It was interesting to see people's reactions. Some people knew it was foundations, other people came up to me and said they thought it was great that I was making an illustration against individual control.

Performance Critical Analysis

2010-04-23T10:39:00.002-07:00

Alexander Kozacheck's piece was an effective endurance performance in communicating the emotive implications of juvenile punishment. The artist was dressed in semi-casual attire and sat hunched and facing the corner of a white wall. These simple elements contributed to the idea of a young schoolchild being reprimanded. He also strategically placed himself on a stool at the bottom of a expansive staircase. The result was a powerful implementation of forced perspective. The artist looked insignificant, subordinate, and almost forgotten at the bottom of the staircase. By positioning the audience at a higher altitude, Alex allowed viewers the role of superiors; adults. By exposing his back to the audience, Alex also (whether intentionally or not) forfeited the control and awareness of his surroundings to the audience.

The piece fits the "endurance" concept very well. One can imagine the excruciating strain on the back and loss of blood in the legs from trying to sit perfectly still on a stool for three hours. There is also the aspect of mental fatigue, or becoming anxious and weary. It took no convincing to understand the discipline involved in achieving that kind of extended stillness, as anyone could relate to. Thus, the piece was easy to appreciate as well as interesting to witness.

I personally felt pity in viewing the performance (especially the closer I came down the stairs), which is certainly what Alex was hoping to evoke when he addresses in his performance statement: "I will be attempting to recreate a punishment often used on children to show the Barbarity of the punishment used on children." This pity was enhanced as I walked back up the stairs, leaving the patient sufferer alone to bear his "punishment".

Endurance Piece

2010-04-23T10:39:00.001-07:00

For my piece I decided to meditate outside while i was blind folded. The reason for the blind fold was so I could experience what it felt like to be a blind person. For me it felt so weird not being able to see, all i could do was hear what was around me. I could hear people talking, screaming, music,birds, and cars driving by.

Critical Analysis of Devon Rinn's Piece

2010-04-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

As I approached the bench between the Baressi and Cannon dorms, I saw a figure collapsed on the bench. Her head flopped backwards and her arms and legs were completely limp. As i came closer, I realized who this morbid character was. Here was Devon, in almost all black (except for her socks), sprawled across the bench looking very much "dead." I had not read her artist statement ahead of time but I knew right away what she was trying to portray. It was pretty obvious from the way she sat and how she had done her makeup.

I loved the lighting on her when we went to view her performance. The sun was very intense and made it seem as if she had died during the night and was just left on the bench for the morning. It made me wonder what her "cause of death" had been. I also couldn't help but stare at her. I almost hoped I would catch her move. I wondered if Garrett's cigarette smoke was going to bother her and show on her face when the wind blew it by her. But she really impressed me by how motionless she was, even her breathing was extremely shallow. I want to know if anyone approached the bench and worried that she really was dead. It would be interesting to see how many good samaritans there were that would call for help or see if she was ok.

The fact that Garrett was next to her smoking was a funny coincidence. It did seem to look like she had died from second hand smoke or that she was a look into the future as to what would happen to Garrett.

The one thing that did bother me about the piece was that she was fighting for attention between Garrett and Lauren's piece. It was kinda like she was squished in between them. I feel like her piece would have been much stronger if she was all alone.

2010-04-23T09:54:00.001-07:00

First sound project

2010-04-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Automita

2010-04-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Final: The Coldness of Death

2010-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

For my piece, I died.

Well, looked like I did. I put on my best funerary clothes, and painted my face, and slumped myself on that bench. I endured the cold and pain of my arms falling asleep. I also managed to keep a straight face while everyone came to see us. I was listening to them talking about me, and commenting on how I must have died from secondhand smoke from Garret Colbert. I wanted to be able to laugh with them, and be able to stick my hands in my pockets.

On the bench, I felt like such a party pooper for spring. All around me were birds tweeting, and buds growing on the tree, and here I was, dead.

Fear Project

2010-04-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

I faced one of my fears for this final project. I have a strange irrational fear of bridges, so I faced it head-on by suspending myself on a wooden platform underneath a bridge. For three hours, I braved the height and the cold. I didn't speak to anyone or open my eyes except to occasionally take a photo of myself with my remote camera shutter.

There would be a slideshow of all the photos here, but since I've tried to upload it exactly 13 times, and all attempts have failed, I guess that tells me there won't be one. I guess I could try to upload all 77 photos I took here...but that would waste space.

Evaluation on Lauren Carli's Piece.

2010-04-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

The piece of artwork I'm evaluated is of Lauren Carli's. When I fist came across her, I have to say, I had no idea it was her. I spend about 50 seconds looking at her, and wondering if this girl was ever even in our class. Lauren was dressed up as a black and green ballerina with all her joints attach to a giant marinate strings. The audience was invited to play with her, and move her arms or legs however they want.

The reason I didn't recognize Lauren was because I've never seen her wear makeup like that. Lauren is not someone I think "Ballerina" when I see her. She has more of a kick ass kind of attitude than that of delicate and graceful. I hear her bickering with Chip constantly, and it wasn't a surprise that Chip didn't pass the chance to play with her arms and make her act like a dinosaur. You could see in the expression of her face how annoyed she was, yet she was helpless.

I didn't read the the artist statement but I didn't have to. I could tell Lauren didn't like the idea of being helpless or having other control her and that she was playing this fear. Being dressed up as a ballerina I think sort of shows how society might view women. All dressed up and pretty, but anything she does is controlled by Chip. I think the whole performance was very creative. I do question the chair that was on the base of the tree. At first, I thought you were suppose to sit on the chair and then pull the strings, but where the chair is, it makes it awkward to pull the strings. Maybe this a symbol that a chair is right there, but Lauren can't reach it and she has to stand for three hours, never resting. I also think that it would have been better with out the artist statement, because the message Lauren is trying to get across is so clear, it doesn't need it.

2010-04-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

Critical Analysis

2010-04-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

For Alex Kozachek's endurance performance, he had the audience first view the piece looking down from atop the stairs in the Miller building near Earth Cloud. At first glance the viewer looks down to see what appears to be a small boy sitting in a corner of the vast, tall building. The contrast is overwhelming between the size of the building, the scenery outside of the windows near the boy and the boy himself. Moving closer, the boy in the piece is realized to actually be much older than previously thought due to the forced perspective. He is sitting extremely still not moving from his chair in the corner, facing the corner and ignoring his audience.

I really enjoyed this piece partly because Alex himself seemed to be an installation. He was so motionless that if I hadn't known beforehand that he would be performing this piece, I would have thought he was a statue. Also, the way that he first appeared extremely small in comparison to his surroundings relating to the child's punishment of "time-out" really resonated with me. Alex exaggerated the "time-out" by doing it for three hours and placing himself in a position that would make him seem small. Personally, I focused right in on Alex rather than anything else surrounding him (such as the tall windows/scenery) even though I was very much aware they were there. Outside distractions were not an issue. I found myself wanting to stay longer than I did with the piece due to sheer curiosity; I wanted to see if Alex would move at all, perhaps shift a little to break his statuesque demeanor. Overall, Alex did a great job with not only carefully planning this piece, but also carrying it out effectively to get his point across.

Analysis

2010-04-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

The viewer enters Miller looking down the stairs to see Alex Kozachek sitting in the corner with his back against the audience. The viewer then moves down the stairs to be on the same level as Alex. He ignored the audience and continues to stare at the corner.

When looking from the top of the stairs Alex was fighting with my attention with the window. This was not a problem for me because I enjoyed the struggle between this tiny person and the massive beautiful scenery outside the window. The window in a way was like the authority figure that put Alex in the punishment. The struggle was the reason he was sent to the corner. When I walked down the stairs that struggle with my attention died and I focused more on Alex. That was sort of like I was understanding his side of the argument and the punishment because more harsh.

The way he was being punished did not seem that harsh. The amount of time he was sitting there seemed a bit scary, but since the piece over exaggerated the punishment I thought about the punishment not being that harsh. Since I viewed the piece as more of a story I felt sorry for Alex but not all the kids who have been through that punishment.

If they could read my mind

2010-04-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Myself and Courtney DeNoto, wanted to create a piece that would allow personalized thoughts that are supposed to be "invisible" to any outside viewers to be visible. We wrote down every thought that came to our head, no matter how much we wouldn't want someone to read it, over the three hour time period. We both faced a sense of fear and discomfort throughout this piece. Also we uncovered an endurance that had to be faced; which was leaving yourself alone with only your thoughts for hours, your mind starts to get easily confused and we began to forget a lot.

2010-04-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

For my final performance I chose to face a fear that has held me back for a very long time. Being afraid of heights has its limits. In order to achieve this task I harnessed myself to a tree trunk and leaned over the edge of the tree house for the duration of our foundations class.

As I sat up in the tree I would read aloud one fear that a friend of mine had faced at some point in their life. Every 4 minutes I was able to reveal a new fear. By doing so I was able to use my friends will power to help me overcome what I was trying to accomplish. Then after the fear was revealed I threw the card from the tree house and as it drifted to the ground it symbolized being able to let go of this fear that has limited you for so long.

Here is a list of all the fears I was able to collect from my friends throughout this process of facing my fear.

Laundry Monologues - video

2010-04-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

Analysis

2010-04-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

I decide to write an analysis of Alexa Gruschow 3 hr. Endurance Piece. This was an endurance piece because she took on the persona of the different clothing she collected from people. I think is was a very interesting piece, I really enjoyed how she was able to make all the clothing sick together. I also liked how she talked about the peoples clothes she had and how she was sitting underneath all of the clothes.

There are only a few things that could have made this piece a lot better. One thing that I think Alex could have done better was to not have the washing machines on. Or maybe she could have had just one machine on since I did like the background of the machines noise. But the problem with having more than one machine on was that it was kinda of hard to hear what she was saying. If she wanted to have all the machines on for her piece, maybe she could have had a microphone or something to make her voice louder.

Over all I think Alexa's 3 hr. Endurance piece was put together very well. I think she did a great job on keeping the audience focused on her. I felt that this piece was planed out very well and that she out a lot of effort into it.

Three Hour Endurance Performance Piece

2010-04-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Critical Analysis

2010-04-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

I shall analyse Jackie's piece!
Barefoot and garbed in only a plain black dress, Jackie walked in endless circles on the pavement between Tefft and Reimer for three hours. She was hunched over from the cold and winced with every step as little bits of gravel poked her feet. Her hands were held up under her chin as she tried to stay a little warmer, and her long hair hung down almost covering her face.
My first reaction upon seeing her as I left Tefft this morning on my way to class was "what in the world is she doing." Upon realizing that it was her performance piece I immediately felt sorry for her since she looked freezing and in pain, and was going to have to continue this for three hours. When I returned to view her piece with the class I was once again struck with a great desire to help her, to perhaps wrap her up in a large fluffy blanket. I think Jackie's piece garnered the most emotional response from me; I felt sorry that she was having to endure this.The choice of location was perfect, with a dumpster as her background. It conjured thoughts of some lost little girl, alone in an unknown and undesirable place.

2010-04-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Exploring the world of claustrophobia was definitely an uncomfortable experience in many definitions of the word. Claustrophobia has to do with tight spaces making a person ansi. For this, I found the smallest box I could physically fit myself into. This box was half my height and definitely not spacious when it came to positioning myself inside it. The box was not lit, I closed the top lid to it (but opened it for pictures). I found myself feeling cramped for space and time seemed to pass incredibly slow. I cut a slit out of the front so that I was able to see who/when people came into the space I was situated in. I chose that space simply for the fact that I feared someone would mess with me if I were in a more public area (Michelle said herself she wanted to walk up to me and just shake the box).

The Laundry Monologues

2010-04-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

My performance was to show the different characters attached to each article of clothing. I covered myself completely with other people's clothing. I read monolages from each person which represented their specific attachment to the clothing. By doing this I wished to create a character and new persona with each new speech. By covering myself completely from head to toe and rendering an awkward (cramped and confined to a small laundry basket) position I hoped to eliminate my own personal identy from each new one I was portraying.

3 Hour Endurance

2010-04-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

For my endurance piece I was sitting on a stool in the corner of the Miller Preforming Arts building. Sitting down early in the morning it soon hit me how vulnerable I was sitting alone unable to turn my head to see who was behind me or how people were reacting.

Analysis

2010-04-22T20:00:00.001-07:00

Upon exiting the stair case on the third floor of harder hall lay a female surrounded by pieces of paper with three bricks on top of her with a piece of paper attached with two rubber-bands. Each piece of paper read of someone's deepest secrets. Most of the papers appeared to have the same hand writing, which at first made me understand this piece to be the performer's personal experiences and secrets. Upon further investigation, I observed other fashions of hand writing. The girl, though everyone surrounded her and invaded this space, she lay calmly with her eyes closed and minimal movement.
I began to become consumed with the thoughts of these people. Who put these bricks on her? Why would someone apply this weight to her body with their secrets while others carefully placed them around her? I began to realize that there was no point wondering whom these thoughts belonged to but rather the repetative aspect of these people's situations. These people have walked these hallways where I stood and I would never have known they carried these lives. Her body began to transform in my eyes from a personal history to a center of Alfred documentation that opened my eyes to the pain and weight we all carry; a history book measured without labels, unorganized thoughts that weighed on her as if she were to preserve and house them from the world.
My involvement with this piece remained distant. I felt comfortable and curious of others thoughts but felt blocked from sharing my own; what if people saw what I had to write? Do I really feel okay about adding weight to her body knowing that she has to endure this for three hours? I couldn't bring myself to reveal my own true secrets, but I felt connected to her through some of what others had written that were also a part of my life. This piece might have been originally intended to be a drop of of thoughts for those whom sought a temporary relief from their lives, but for me, instead of unloading, I adopted the understanding that I'm not alone.

Critcal Analysis of Sarah Kernan

2010-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to evaluate Sarah Kernan's endurance piece. For her piece she decided to sit in a box in her common room of her dorm building for the three hours. I feel like this would be categorized as facing a fear. It would fit under that category because if I was sitting in a closed box for three hours I would start to feel claustrophobic.

Sarah's box was big enough to fit her whole body but I assume she was sitting in a crouch like position because the box wasn't that wide and she has long legs. You could not see her at all. In front of the box there was a little peek hole that she could open and peer out of to see what was going on outside the box.

While I viewed her piece, at some points I was tempted to shake the box or tap it or something, just to see if she would react to it. But over all I enjoyed it because it was interesting and different.

Critical Analysis of Jackie's Endurance Piece

2010-04-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

In Jackie's piece, she walked barefoot in a circle between Reimer and Tefft in front of the dumpster. Jackie was dressed in a black plain dress repeatedly following the path of the circle that led her nowhere. Her body language was quite interesting as she is holding her arms close to her chest and her chin close to her hands trying to keep as much body heat in as possible.

The plain dress, her long hair, and being barefoot gave her a sense of vulnerability. As she was making her path around the circle her bare feet stepped on shards of glass, metal and broken rocks every time she took a step. The expression of sadness and fear made me feel as though I needed to reach out and ask her what was wrong and if I could help her in any way. She embodied a helpless soul as she was silently limped over the pavement covered with harmful materials.

I enjoyed the location of where the piece was placed due to the beams of sun shining through the trees creating many dynamic shadows onto the site of the performance. As I watched this performance I felt as though I was watching a painful experience of loneliness which put me into the emotional state with her.

Evaluation of Jay Vettes Endurance Piece

2010-04-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Jay Vette's endurance piece was my personal favorite. For his project he created a swing that was suspended from the underside of the bridge next to harder hall. The swing was positioned to one side of the bridge so Jay was not suspended directly over the water. He was practically concealed, really only noticeable if you knew where to look for him. The swing was maybe 4 or 5 feet long and about 2 feet wide. It was attached to the bridge with ropes.

Jay was lying suspended on his stomach, dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt. He was too long for the swing so his legs were hanging off of one end and his head was hanging off of the other. He appeared to be observing the water below him. Perhaps he was gazing at it in fear, although he looked pretty relaxed from the view I got. He was moving around a fair amount, bending his knees periodically and such. It seemed as though he was having a somewhat pleasant time hanging out there. His stance reminded me of a little child peering with interest over the edge of some overwhelmingly tall structure. Like when my dad would take me up to the tar roof of our apartment building when I was younger.

The positioning of jays swing played a key role in its presentation. Had the swing been placed in the center of the bridge, his presence might have been way more obvious people passing by. This would have changed the piece a lot. It might have attracted a crowd of on lookers. Personally I am glad that Jay decided to put his swing where he did. He probably made the decision because it would have been so much extra effort to hang it suspended right in the middle of the bridge.

The positioning of the piece was what appealed to me. I like that Jay was not easily detectable, because on the off chance that someone does spot him out of the corner of their eye, in the midst of their daily ramblings, it will be all the more baffling to that individual, all the more bizarre and unbelievable. A piece that is presented in a way that does not draw attention to it, has the potential to provide its rare observer with a feeling of good fortune, for they have happened upon a strange and beautiful occurrence by chance. It’s not about how large of an audience you attract. It’s about appreciating an absurd scenario, in respect of the fact that it is taking place in a void reality.

Endurance Performance

2010-04-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

With this performance, I was really looking to have a good time for my final project. Impersonating a mime fit into that idea perfectly. I love to make people laugh and I've never really tried doing that without talking. I didn't know if I could do it really. When the day came for me to mime, I didn't hold back anything.

I decided to pace around King Alfred to almost mark my territory, letting the people decide whether they wanted to risk coming into my space. Many people decided to walk far away from me or keep their head down as they went by. Others came right up to me and waited for me to do something.

The student interaction was really fun. Some people mimed with me and I got tons of hugs. I heard other students talking about me from a distance and pointing at me. The people who did come up to me gave me comments like "This would happen in Alfred" and "I think you're awesome for doing this!".

The hardest part about being a mime was the fact that I had never done it before. It was really cold out (especially at 8 am) and coming up with different routines and expressions for every person was hard as well. I kept my composure quite well, I was proud of myself! Overall, it was fun to be outgoing and goofy for 3 hours while challenging myself to keep quiet!

Kinetic Sculpture: Nicki and Katelyn

2010-04-22T18:20:00.001-07:00

Performance Piece

2010-04-22T15:25:00.001-07:00

Laying on the floor for three hours with ultimately thirteen bricks on top of my body was a really personally refining moment. The secrets, confessions, and stressors that symbolically weighed me down had an obvious impact on me, but I also feel like on those walking by and reading the statements that created this weight.

Sticks and Stones

2010-04-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

For our endurance piece, we chose to create a ritualistic setting where we continually preformed actions that were completely futile. As the title suggests, we wanted to show how pointless petty arguments were, and that when two people argue, they get nowhere. We felt that by only taking from the other person's rock pile and not giving from our own, we represented how in arguments, people tend to only think of what they want and not what the other person may need. Furthermore, we felt that the silence, lack of physical contact, and lack of eye contact were the perfect metaphors for the way that people act when they are in a perfectly pointless fight with each other. Overall, the theme of the piece was that arguing tends to go nowhere and accomplish nothing. Photos of our performance, taken by Sam Sloan, are displayed below.

Painful Nostalgia

2010-04-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have to say I'm quite proud of this piece but I will never ever do it again. I didn't actually think about how cold I'd be. I did check the weather and new it would be pretty cold, but I thought moving around and having the sun eventually come up would make it warmer. I new that this would be painful too, but knowing it will be painful and actually experiencing it are two different things. It got to the point that a metal thing was lodged into my foot, and at the last 40 minutes of the hour, I put my sandals back on and kept walking. It lessened the pain a little, but my feet were so sore that my limp never went away.

I would get little rocks stuck to my feet, and sometimes, i was able to rub them off while I walked, but more would only come with the next step. Still was a slight relief from dragging my foot on the pavement. It reminded me actually the feeling of accomplishing a project, only to have another one assigned the next day.

I had many people stop to ask me if I was okay. Helpless looking as I was, I was curious to see how many people would just walk away or ask if I needed help. No being able to talk, their were a few people who wouldn't stop asking me question and getting me to talk. One of them was my RD, who's probably very worried about me now.

analysis

2010-04-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

In this piece, two young men walked back and forth, opposite each other in a confined space designated by sticks they had set out on top of a hill. On each end of their walkway was a pile of fairly large rocks. Each pass they made, they would uniformly pick up a rock and carry it back to their respective sides. They would never touch or speak to each other and would have to turn to the side as they passed one another. They also wore work gloves.

The visual proved to be very intriguing. Even though the performers were so set in their work, they would never accomplish anything, the piles never changed size and though they were in a large open field, they could never actually go anywhere. The piece just embodied futility. Even the fact that they wore gloves to prevent their hands from being changed by the repetitive action added to the theme.

I also enjoyed the rhythmic sound to the stones being lifted and set down in contrast to the organic, non-sequential sounds of birds chirping in the background. Just as their man-made confined space contrasted with the open field they were in.

Endurance Performance: Eat!

2010-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, clementines are not harmless. I ate twenty in three hours-- the acidity did not agree with my stomach and I felt sick for the remainder of the day (afterward I ate some bread and passed out for about four hours whilst engaged in some freaky dreams). Near the half-way point of my three-hour stint, it became much more difficult to eat--the texture of the beloved fruit became unbearable to chew, the crisp sweetness saccharine.

I had originally been dressed in all black, but it was cold out so I layered up on hoodies and blankets. In the end, my attire did not matter much; just as long as it was clear what I was doing.

Here is the end product of my eating crusade:

It is a comment on over-consumption and wastefulness; though my body clearly did not need any more clementine juice/acid, all I could do was EAT.

Evaluation

2010-04-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

I chose to evaluate the endurance performance piece of someone taking on the persona of a mime. They dressed up in a black and white striped shirt as well as black overalls and shoes. They wore a white necklace, painted their face white, painted their lips red and wore their dark hair down. The performance took place on Alfred university campus directly around the Alfred Saxon statue. The performance took place between 8 and 11 am.

I think that this would be considered a performance piece. Doing anything for 3 hours straight is enduring weather mentally, emotionally, or physically. I think in order to do this performance this person must have had a lot of mental and physical endurance. I think that I enjoyed this piece most because it was interactive. All of the other pieces were viewed by watching what these people were doing. With her piece we were able to shake her hand and share feelings with her. How many people just walked by some of the other pieces where this performer comes and seeks you out.

I thought the space she chose was fitting. This is an area that is going to see a lot of people walking by so adequate people will be able to interact with her. Having a statue next to a mime does seem like a strange thing. I could almost see her interacting with the statue when no one was around. One thing that I would suggest to improve this piece would be for her to have more things that she did. What she did was hilarious I wanted more. She did a very good job at keeping our attention and guiding the audience through her piece. She even told us when to leave by waving to us.

Analysis

2010-04-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

I decided to analyze Jackie Goertz's endurance piece.

Jackie's piece consisted of her walking in a circle between Reimer and Teft dorms, directly in front of the dumpster. She was wearing a plain medium-length black dress, barefoot. Her hands were constantly held up under her chin, and she had dark eye makeup. The sun had not risen high enough to be directly on her, so this large alcove housed her in a type of twilight. She continued in the same circle, but hedged in as we approached. She was limping slightly every now and then, maybe because there is broken glass and other small sharp objects strewn by the dumpster. She looked up every now and then, but she did it in a way that didn't require any interaction with the audience.

I liked it because not only did it give me an emotional response along the lines of wanting to help her, but it reminded me of when I was younger and would walk everywhere barefoot because I didn't like shoes. Sometimes it was pleasant, like she described in her statement, like walking in grass or soft mud, and other times, it was on sharp rocks and small sticks. I got my feet into a lot of trouble then, and still do, especially this semester for some reason; I've had more than a few foot related injuries. So I did want to help her but I also wanted her to continue because it gave off a really beautiful vibe. It gave me the feeling that it was an attempt to recapture memories as a kid, but as a tragic, melancholy failure. Here she is in the shade of a dumpster, circling like a ghost that became the product of her dimming childhood left by the wayside now that she's in college. I think that all of the elements worked extremely well together: the location, the lighting, the dress, the acting, and the circular motion.

Jackie Goertz: A Critical Analysis

2010-04-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

For her endurance piece, Jackie walked in a circle in the space between Reimer and Tefft. She didn't wear shoes, and didn't speak. She wore only a simple dress. Her pacing varied, but the circle was the same size. She never stopped. When we came to view her, she did not acknowledge us. She just kept walking in her circle, with her head down and her hands clasped under her chin.

As I was watching her, I had a significant emotional response. It was fairly cold out, and here was Jackie, with a little dress on and no shoes. If I hadn't known she wasn't allowing herself to speak, I would have asked if she was cold or uncomfortable. I looked at her, walking in this circle like a lonely little girl, trapped in this dirty environment- behind her was this hulking black dumpster, surrounded on three sides by brick walls, and garbage lurking about. Every so often she would stumble a little, or limp a bit. The pavement was rough, and there were shards of broken glass all over the place. It was heartrending. I looked around at us, forming a semicircle, just staring at this girl forever walking in her circle, not going anywhere. I was reminded of an animal in a cage who constantly paces in front of this audience. She endures our stare, the cold ground, the endless walking; all of this without getting anywhere.

I found myself thinking about gender, after comparing this to Chip and Ben's performance. They were masculine, and had power by being at the top of the hill. Jackie, on the other hand, is frail, and trapped in an undesirable place. What Jackie did reminds me of some things said in the book, The House on Mango Street. The narrator describes her grandmother, "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow." Jackie herself had a window of sorts where we could see her, and I imagined her walking was melancholic and uncomfortable. In another part of that book the narrator calls herself a "red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor." Jackie could have walked away from her circle, but she didn't. She was tied to her own rule of not being able to leave.

Writing a Critical Analysis

2010-04-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Verbally analyzing a work of art can be compared to the scientific practice of animal dissection. To dissect an animal is to learn more about it, that which would not be learned from studying its physical exterior. Although we can only analyze a work of art by looking at it, we can learn much more from thinking in depth about each of its physical characteristics, discerning the technical processes used in its making, considering both its content and context, postulating the artist's conceptual reasoning and intentions, describing our personal interpretation and physiological/emotional reactions, and comparing/contrasting all of these aforementioned qualities to other works of art that seem relevant.

If art is our science, then the act of making is our field research, and a critical analysis of the work is the dissection of those specimens we collect in the field.

You are required to write a 2-3 paragraph critical analysis of one of your classmate's performance. Take your time, and do your best to provide helpful insight, as opposed to merely stating the obvious or making vague generalizations. Post these by Midnight tonight and label your post with your name to get credit for completing this assignment!

Read this article for some helpful advice if you don't know how to begin:

"Looking and Writing About Art"

Performance Proposal

2010-04-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

I, Kalla Barranco, will be rowing around in McLance Pool between the hours of 8:00am-11:00am on Friday April 23, 2010. I will be sitting in the hot tub in the pool and will be using a pool noodle to row around in a square formation. I will not be able to talk to anyone or stop, I must constantly be moving at all times. My performance piece is a ritual of continuously rowing around in the pool for 3 hrs. My endurance piece is supposed to test my skills and see if I am strong enough to keep rowing in the pool without stopping. This may seem super easy, but for me it will be difficult since my arms at not very strong.

Final Performance proposal

2010-04-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

On thurs. 22nd from 8am to 11am, I Jessica Meltzer will be suspended over the edge of the tree house near the hair pin turn. I have asked each of the people in my dorm to write down a fear that they have faced. As I am suspended from this tree house facing my fear of heights, I will read aloud each of the peoples cards I have collected then throw them over the edge. Thus demonstrating how they have gotten over their fears just as I am doing during this time.

Performance Proposal

2010-04-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

I, Briana Biron, will fold as many origami cranes as possible between the hours of 8 am and 11 am on Thursday April 22, 2010. This endurance piece will take place in the Openhym lobby. I will not be able to talk or text anybody the entire time. I will be able to move around as long as I remain in the room.

Performance porposal 2

2010-04-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

On Thursday between 8am untill 11am i will be in the laundry room of reimer hall performing my ednurance peice.I will be draped in diffrent articals of clothing from diffrent people.The clothing will be held together to form almost a sphere of clothing surrounding all of me.To begin i will sewn the last stich which will trap me in the clothing.One inside the clothing i will read monalogues relating to each of the artical of clothings and adopting a new character of the owner of the artical.At the end i will rip out the stich and let myself out.I will stay standing or sitting in a laundrey basket and i can switch position relating to each persona but will not be allowed to step out of the laundry basket.

Sonic Postcard

2010-04-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Proposal

2010-04-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

I, Ari Hendershot, will be using a toothbrush to scrub the bus stop at Alfred State College to the best of my ability from 8am to 11am this Friday.
I will not be allowed to talk to anyone, make eye contact with anyone or take any breaks.
Also, I will not move out of the way or change my course for anyone.

Final

2010-04-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

I Jacqueline Goertz will walk in a circle for three hours between Rimer and Teft. I will not be aloud to talk to anyone. I will not be wearing shoes. I will not be aloud to stop, but my speed is aloud to change.

This is to mimic a ritual I used to do as a child. When ever I was lonely and bored in my room, I would go outside and walk in circles. The three walls by Teft and Rimer close me in, while the open space lets me see the outside world like a window, but I never leave the circle I make. I'm walking but I'm going no where. This represents me being sheltered as a child and the many hours I've just watched my window, or walked in the yard barefoot. Walking, but yet never going anywhere.

My Claim for my performance piece

2010-04-19T22:19:00.001-07:00

I Erin Stahler will lay on the floor in Harder Hall near Moka Joka for 3 hours on my back while viewers can walk by and write a stress or a weight they need lifted off onto a piece of paper and rubberband it to a brick. They will then place the brick somwhere on my body so i can hold the weight of their struggles.

Performance Proposal

2010-04-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

I, Jay Vette, plan to go to a bridge on campus, and tie a wooden platform under it and lay on it, face down, for the 3 hours above the water. AJ Lanphere will be helping me set this up and will document me. I won't be allowed to talk to anyone or lay on my back. I'm getting materials from Lowe's.

Endurance Piece Proposal

2010-04-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

I, Kirsty Reeves, will be in Cohen Studio sitting in a chair facing the blank wall for three hours on Friday, April 23rd. I will be completely dressed in white with a (cardboard) television on my head. The purpose of this piece is not only to re-enact a daily ritual, but to become a TV and show that we become a blank wall when we watch it. I will not be allowed to interact with anyone or move from the chair for the full three hours. I will, however, be able to change poses (to ones that we take on while watching TV).

Endurance Piece

2010-04-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

I, Jessie Simmons, will be using a tweezer to remove as many hairs on my legs as possible within 3 hours on Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 8 AM to 11AM. This endurance performance piece will occur in the Cohen Studio on top of a layer of white paper. I may continue on to my armpits if time permits. I will talk to you if you want to talk to me.

Endurance Piece

2010-04-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

For my endurance piece I will stand akwardly in the back of the Powel dining hall holding a plate of food. My first inclination when I walk into the dining hall is always to sit alone, unless I see people I am already friendly with. I know I am not alone in this. I go about my life only interacting with a small circle of people, and viewing everyone else as a stranger. I want to dissolve this constructed barrier that causes me to view people as strangers. My standing in the Powell dining hall will express the tension people feel in certain social situations which i feel should be dissolved. I feel that communication between people should be more common and relaxed.

Endurance Piece

2010-04-19T20:25:00.002-07:00

I Paul Igoe will be attempting to call as many people as I can out of a phone book from 8 til 11 am Thursday the 21st. I will call and when someone answers I will greet myself and then begin a conversation asking the person if they have anything interesting to tell me. I am not sure the results or treactions but I am hoping to overcome my bad habbit of not communicating through the phone. My goal is to learn something new about many people hear interesting stories and explore the idea of simple conversation with a complete stranger. The location will be wherever I can get a local connection to a landline. Since the calls will be local I am hoping to hear some stories of facts about the Alfred area.

Reaction:

Today went well as I called my many locals of the area. A lot of the things I took away from the project were a lot more meaningful than I expected. One Problem though is that I had nobody veiwing my peice because I did not put a label on the blog. The ones who were around to spectate though always got a laugh or gave me positive reasurance. My goal of calling people on a landline was cancelled after I found that the phones in Cohen are for Emergency earlier which was not so bad because I had my cell phone so I ended just using that.
At first I just would chose names randomly. Then I noticed that many of the middle aged people that I seemed to be calling were getting angry for a call at 8 AM, so I figured that many people that wake up early are older people. My entire focus changed when I did this because I would search for names that older people would have. To my surprise this nameing steriotype actually worked more older people were answering than younger and would talk for longer. The Script that I recited every rare answer was:
Hello this is Paul Igoe and I am currently a student her at Alfred University, and I was just calling to ask how you were doing today....... I was wondering if you had an interesting fact relating to anything at all?

Most of the time this entrance would save me from people who just thought I was a telemarketer right off. Many people were friendly but seemed confused. They were releived that the conversation was quick and breif.
I thought this was a good thing Until I had gotten in touch with Alberta B. who was a women who seemed reluctant that I had calle dlike she was waiting for me. She told me about her life and started by saying, "we dont do much here" and as I looked further into this I had realized the we was her beloved dog and her nine cats. When I realized this I felt bad and began to have a conversation with her. I felt I had left her to fast afterwards so I said that the next lonely person I would talk to for longer.
Then came a similar case wih Shirley B. who was very friendly and explained her life as a young teen, She told me that when she was 16 she was surrounded by women because of the war, she told me that no men were around so her and all her friends would go down to the post office and mail letters and eagerly wait for the reply. She also explained how some people just did not come back and there was no real answer to what happened. She started to relate the reluctance for the communication today and desribes her favorite image being those commercials of veterans coming home to their family in todays war.
In total I made about 120 calls and out of those 120 about 30 had answered the phone. I found this very nerve racking because I did not know if someone was going to answer and or what they would be like, many of the other people that I had talked to had all sorts of interesting things to say relating to the economy, government, or just current event such as volcanoes or oil spills which were all new to me.
Another women that I had called was a wife of the man I was calling her name Penny, she was very happy to share that her grandson age ten won a trip to Maryland and they were leaving tommorow for the exiting national wrestleing event.
I could only want to talk to all of them as their stories made me more knolegeable of people in the area and at the time of day. This nervious feeling I had at first quickly went away when I talked to the crowds of strangers.
The fact that it took three hours did not change anything except that i was reluctant for it to be over but in reality it was not really that bad of a task and enjoyed taling to strangers.

24 Hours Without My Watch

2010-04-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

For this assignment I had the idea of taking something from my everyday life away and recording it some how. One thing that I am very dependent on is my wristwatch that I initially used for running but then just needed it afterward. I took my watch off after class and every time I looked down at my watch during the day I would record it on my wrist with a red pen showing the caution and alert for looking. Throughout the day I tried to look at it less and less but at first it was not working. After many ours I realized that I was looking at it less only because I became aware of what I was doing. This would be a good thing to practice for ridding of bad habits in the future and most of the things like this can work for me.

Performance Piece Proposal

2010-04-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

I, Camille Chew, shall spend the three hours from 8 to 11 on the morning of Friday, April 23, sitting by the McLane pool drawing inspiration for a series of aquatic creatures which I will sketch in pencil, into a notebook. Bu this shall be no ordinary drawing, it will be drawing. . . to the extreme! Yes, I will nobly attempt to fill an entire notebook with these sketches. This takes a daily ritual; that of doodling during class when perhaps I ought to be taking notes, and exaggerates it tenfold. To make it even more challenging I have limited what I can draw by giving myself a theme to stick to; only aquatic things! Which explains my choice of location.

Tongue Machine

2010-04-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

In this project my initial intention was to create some sort of device that would move artificial tongues up and down while being connected to a black mysterious box. I started by creating the tongue out of a piece of vinyl used for stamps and some prints. After the tongue and lips were created it was really a task to make the tongue go in and out of the box. I spent hours trying to figure how to get it how I wanted it to. Then i realized I needed to put the mechanism together. For the purpose of the tongue it ended up on the side of the box towards the top. A little top heavy at first so one thing I did was create a system where it could balance with ease. I enjoyed the simple lever that made a subtle wiggle of the tongue when agitated. The black box really made a big difference along with the brown tape I used to neaten up.

3 hour endurance piece

2010-04-19T17:47:00.001-07:00

I, Ashley Goodwyn will be at Cohen sitting in a clear box on top of a table for 3 hours. on Friday, April 23rd 2010. I will be in all white. I will only move a little and when I do move it must be very slow. I will not be allowed to make any noises. There will be a label near my piece that has the title of the piece and the table that I will be on will be covered in a white material.

Three Hour Endurance Proposal

2010-04-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Kristey Palmisano, will be walking up and down the staircase for 3 hours. This will occur on Friday April 23rd in the stairwell by the painting and printmaking studios that lead down to the ceramic studios in Harder Hall. I will start at the bottom and work up then down in the time span of three hours. As I will be walking up and down the stairs I will be wrapping the stairwell with string attached to my body. At the top of the stairwell I will have a gallon of water that I will drink one sip out of every time I reach the top. I will respond if you want to talk to me, I will not initiate a conversation.

Performance Proposal

2010-04-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

For my performance I would like to dress like a marionette dancing puppet on Friday, April 23 under the tree that's between the Cannon and Barresi dorms. I won't be allowed to speak to anyone, and people will be able to move my limbs. I'll have a sign that says posable in front of me so people are aware that it can be an interactive piece.

2010-04-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

For this piece I used hard, industrial sounds .

3 hour Indurance Piece

2010-04-19T13:49:00.001-07:00

I, Holly Pasquarella, will attempt to meditate for 3 hours while blind folded. I will be preforming this Friday April 23, on the hill in front of Riemer. By doing this piece, I will learn what it feels like to be a person who has no vision, and only able to hear what is around me.

Three Hour Endurance Piece

2010-04-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

I, Sarah Kernan, will attempt to stay in a closed box for the duration of three hours. I will be performing this on Thursday, April 22. I will be located in Tefft Hall Lounge. Holly Pasquarella will be in Tefft letting people in to view this piece as well as documenting it. This piece will test my limits on claustrophobia in a controlled environment.

(facing a fear)

Three Hour Endurance Proposal

2010-04-19T13:28:00.001-07:00

We, Chris Crain and Ben Miller, will be moving rocks from one pile to another starting at 8:00 am on Thursday, April 22nd, and ending at 11:00 am the same day. We will no touch each other, and we will not talk to anyone. We will not leave the area designated by the sticks laid out on the ground. We may not make eye contact with anyone, including each other. We may only move one rock at a time, and we can not drop that rock. We must pick up our rocks at the exact same time, and must drop them off at the opposite rock pile at the exact same time. We will spend our three hour endurance piece at the Hairpin Turn that is off to the left while looking at Rhymer and Teft and located near the suites, and we will not leave this area until our designated time is completed.

Three Hour Endurance Proposal

2010-04-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

I, Julia DeAngelis, will be impersonating a Mime for 3 hours on Thursday, April 22nd. I will not be able to talk but I will be interacting with people in various ways. I will be wearing typical mime attire as well as painting my face. I will be located by the King Alfred statue the whole time interacting with people who walk by and sometimes following them a bit :).

My Three Hour Endurance Performance Proposal

2010-04-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

I, Maya Burrows, will be constructing a stone wall by canakadia river by Mclain. I will repetitively transporting rocks from the river bed and carrying them to the elevated portion of the river side. I will not talk to anyone focus solely on constructing a stone wall without leaving the river area. I will not go to the bathroom, drink and/or eat. Through this endurance performance I hope to represent the creation of an organic blockage to preserve my personal illusion of being alone and escaping Alfred University and it's pressure.

performance porposal

2010-04-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

I, Alexa Gruschow, will be engulfed in other peoples' clothing. The articles will be sewn together encircleing all of me. I will sit or reenact a monalog from the person which the clothing comes from. The monalog will relate to the clothing. I will be able to move around within the sphere but will not be able to leave my designated area which will be on the lawn in front of powelle.

My Decleration of Endurence

2010-04-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

I Phillip Alfred Yannella will be adopting the persona of a caterpillar for 3 hours on Friday April 23 behind Cannon first year res hall. I will be to the right of the path leading up to Reimer, hanging between two trees in my green hammock with netting around it. I am going to transform my hammock into a cocoon by spinning toilet paper around it and being inside my sleeping bag. I am going to dress in very bright colors so that when I emerge from my cocoon I will make the transformation into a butterfly. This is an endurance piece because me being silent and enclosed in this cocoon is going to be very difficult for me to do. I will not talk to the people around me and Will not fall asleep. I must be awake and thoughtful for my full transformation to happen.
I have come upon this idea because I am completely fascinated with this idea of caterpillars making a metamorphose into butterflies. The fact that these tiny insects don't live very long but go through enormous change is shocking!

Performance Proposal

2010-04-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

I, Caleb Fletcher, will adopt the persona of John Galt from Ayn Rand's magnum opus "Atlas Shrugged" and recite his triumphant and imploring speech on the tenants of Objectivism. The speech is said to last around three hours. I will be dressed professionally but simple, as Galt would have done. I will be broadcasting my speech from either a podium at Holmes auditorium, the WALF radio station booth in Powell Campus Center, or in Cohen barring the latter options fall through. There will be no breaks in the speech, and I will allow myself water only in order to maintain clear articulation. This will occur the morning of the twenty-third day of April 2010, from the hours of 8 am to 11 am.

Endurance Performance Proposal

2010-04-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

I, Li Fong, will be on the lawn between Cannon and Barresi Halls for three hours on Thursday April 22 and will be eating an entire box of clementines. I will position the discarded peels in a pattern (you will have to stick around to see what I create in the end). Although clementines are indeed a pleasing fruit, there are twenty (give or take) in a box-- that's more than six per hour. Therefore, this task is surprisingly difficult and unpleasant; what if I have to pee (all that water is bound to make me have to go-- I will have to designate bathroom breaks), and what if I get sick (will I need a vomit bag)? By repeating over and over the common act of eating a healthy fruit, I am exemplifying concepts of consumption and excess.

performance proposal

2010-04-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

We, Kathy Kraus and Courtney DeNoto, will be in Cohen Studio on Thursday. We both will be completely dressed in white, every thought that comes to our heads will then be recorded using permanent marker onto the other person's clothing as the three hours go by. We will not be allowed to speak at any time. At the end of the performance it will seem as though we are inside of each other's heads.

A Modest Proposal

2010-04-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

I, Devon Rinn, will be at the smokers' bench between Cannon and Barresi for three hours on Friday, April 23. Using theatrical make up, I will paint my face to look dead, and wear entirely black clothing. I will not be able to speak or move (a real corpse cannot do either of these things, and neither should a pretending one). If the weather is undesirable, I will still be there. I'll ponder my own mortality, while adopting the persona of a dead person.

Proposal

2010-04-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

I, Alexander E. Kozacheck will Be standing in a corner of the miller preforming arts center(At the Bottom of the stairs By Earth cloud and the Cd Smith theatre) for 3 hours on April 22. I will not be able to move from my position. I will not be able to Speak. I cannot touch the wall or lean against it. I will be attempting to recreate a punishment often used on children to show the Barbarity of the punishment used on children. I also Ask that when you come to view this piece you enter from the Top of the stairs.