Video Reflections

Ways of seeing, Episode 1: Psychological Aspects

Mechanical eye: THE CAMERA

Records complex combinations 

Has afresh perception of the world, 

1. The Man with a movie camera
1. It has changed paintings long before it was invented
2. Paintings like the eye can only be in one place at a time, now any painting can be reproduced and seen in a million places at a time. They are surrounded by different objects in the context of their own place. The owner only sees them in the context of their own building
3. Everything around the painting becomes the part of its meaning. \
4. The icon: worshippers converge upon it. Behind the image is God. It marks the meaning. Now images come to us, not we go to them. It travels to the screen which takes away the uniqueness of painting. 
5. Faces of painting become messages, but original painting are claimed to still unique because they are distorted, pixilated by viewing unauthentically. 
2. Getting back what is lost
1. The paintings lose their original meaning and multiply and destroy Leonardo’s because their replicas are bought. 
2. Paintings are silent and still with meaning changing that are easily manipulated with sound and movement. 
3. By the movement of the camera a religious painting can become an example of landscape painting or a straightforward 
3. Reproductions of images can make the meaning of art ambiguous
1. Can be used by anybody for their own purposes
2. Makes our experiences with art easier to connect with our experiences
3. Images can be used like words, we can talk with them
4. House was a destitute and in debt: paints the pubic officials
1. These are made easily accessible with reprints in a book, of details of the painting
2. The flesh tones, jump out at the viewer, the characterization  is generalization, and meaningless
3. He captures mystification
5. We should be skeptical about what people say about the art they present to argues their own, but should still consider it. 

Errol Morris: ‘We’ve forgotten that photographs are connected to the physical world’- video

1.True Investigation in to the world in which the photograph was taken

a. Trench warefare

-barren landscape filled with cannonballs

- identical expect cannon balls vs no cannon balles

b. issue of posing

- What makes a photograph truthful?

- Photographers should observe at a distance

- Morris’s View there is no true and false photographs because all photographs are posed and words are used in true not photographs

- There is always an absence in a photograph, they decontextualize everything with a swatch of reality, 2-D that has been torn out of the world

- If you want to understand you much seize of little details, nature of posing, and how we understand the world through photographs.

2. Iconic Photographs

a. have a certain power over us,  that take on meaning for tons of people. 

b. Feeling are drawn about it by simply seeing the photograph, it sparks curiousity.

'A Viewers' Reflection

A viewer’s guide to LOOKING AT PHOTOGRAPHS

1. Understanding Photographs to gain insight and pleasure

1. Enough time to make analysis

1. simplest photos can not be analyzed in less than 5 min
2. Could take up to days or weeks for full appreciation

1. Free mind of prejudices (good or bad)

1. all aspects of photograph 

1. most difficult part of analysis

1. four steps of analysis: 

2. Description

1. whatever is in the photo: physical, psychological, etc
2. The subject matter ex lines and color structure location And relationships between a&b
3. shape of photo, textures, perspective, motion of subject, mood,space, lights and shadows, (quality; sharp,blurred, fogged, or grainy), reality or nonfiction, exotic or common, (time, place, locale-definite or indefinite), (known or unknown b/c its hidden or blurred), and rout of eye.
4. formal analysis aka facts
1. what shapes in parts and overall composition are used? Are they repeated?, What are the repetitions and parallels?, variations on a theme, contrasts? is photo enhanced? what is balanced? and it is achieved and appropriate? Is the photo united, if so what is the feature of the unity?
5. Evaluation

1. Interpretation
1. Specific or Universal
1. Universals can be abstractions
2. Is there something specific or is there a broader message
2. Symbolism
1. Should stand for exactly was is seen or there needs to be solid evidence that a higher or broader meaning exists in the picture 
3. Manner of Statement
1. Modern times prefer subtle approach, opposed not obvious
2. Picasso chose a violent, slashing, deadly technique in his painting Guernica
3. Death is hard to approach effective and subtly
4. Answer what manner did the photographer choose to make his statement? 
4. Feelings
1. Vision, emotion, and intellect
2. ambiguous appeals to sense of mystery
3. Humor is obvious 
4. some are tactile: rough bark, smooth, cool rocks
5. pity, love, admiration, joy etc.
6. Bring to foreground, so you are conscious of the appeal of the photograph
5. Metaphor
1. What does this photo evoke about your own life?
2. Find object metaphor not subjective so its a personal reaction to the photo
3. requires a relaxed, inquisitive and sensitive approach
1. subconscious needs to be relaxed so uncover their clues, and eyes need to dream of forms and lines, tones and colors like those in the photograph
2. nothing might come and that is ok
6. Meaning
1. Its not a literal answer, but can be so broad or farout that it is meaningless
2. make broadest statement possible about pic consistent with what the pic offers
3. needs to have real evidence
4. Meant to categorize photos into sensory, tangible, conceptual, and miscellaneous

1. Subject Matter
1. whether the appeal of a photo stems from sub matter or the manner of picturing the subject is the question
2. nothing might be added by the photographer
2. Photographer’s Viewpoint
1. Their relationship with the subject; ironic, sympathetic, objective, sardonic...?
2. comes through the photographs

1. Evaluation

1. Pick the right standards to judge it by, for what it is and around the broader ground of photography in general.

1. When looking at portraits we are confronted with questions to consider
2. These questions come from a variety of places ie. museum that bases off of history
3. The questions deal with all the matters of the subject, hair, expression, clothes, etc
4. These  should all fall in place one the  standard is set
5. The last question: will this photo live should encompass the rest of the answers
1. There is room for all photographs
1. Abstract photographs can offer just as much interesting conclusions as any other kind, so keep an open mind if you personally prefer realistic ones.
2. Dont judge a photo by whether or not you would hang it in your house
1. The sistine Chapel by Michealangelo is considered a great piece of art but critics dont want it to be their houses. 

1. This process set by the authorities of photography to give aid to understanding pictures. They should help viewers make educated assumptions about the characteristics of a photo. Once all the steps are complete the viewer should be thoroughly equipped to decide whether or not the photograph is significant. It teaches you what to look at when looking at a picture so your able to enjoy photography no matter what skill level.
   

Photo Collage Minis

 Balcony Behind Snow Hall

To show the movement and process of a photographers expierence with the subject by using distance, shadows. To show how the artist explores and sees through the lense of this balcony during different stages of the day from a 360 degree view. 

Potters Lake

capture the appearance of spring life evolving from the cold, barren winter of the sky water, and plant/animal life. Study and display the evolution of Potters lake between the seasons of winter and spring.

Camponeal

Give the sense of space receding to give the campanile honor of being a skyscraper. Truly capture the height and scale of the structure from ground perspective to make viewer feel small in comparison to the structure from any angle, but specifically from directly below.

KU Memorial Stadium

Focusing on memorial Stadium to give the view from the hill on University of Kansas' campus. Goal would be to capture the span of days rotation of the sun from the sunrise to sunset around this place.

LAST Call for Project II

last step for the top before sanding

traced the top shapes onto the bottom block of wood,
cut,  ran through the bandsaw to cut off the bottom,
hollowed it out by cutting pieces out 

finished bottom by sanding the middle, gluing bottom back on,
filing the edges to be flush with the top, added wooden rods to connect with the top,
and sanding the outside

top view of clamshell vessel

top and bottom together of final design

final vessel

detail of woodgrain 

top and bottom side by side with Arial pin inside

bottom of lid unattached to bottom of shell with object

top/side view of vessel

This vessel was enjoyable to design and create, I learned a lot about wood and myself.

I'm happy it turned out well, so thank God for that. :)

CLAM Vessel PROCESS

Preliminary 

cardboard cut out of shell as a prototype

block of wood clamped together for drying process overnight

Bandsaw/Sanding

shell cut into seven individual pieces

first cut block into top and bottom on the bandsaw:
cut away anything not the top shape of seashell

scrapes of wood scattered around bandsaw

beginning stage of shell

after sanding each shape to be more rounded
carved out slice of the bottom 

glueing

used the larger chucks to clamp shell after
 glueing the top pieces together