Assignment: Visual Memoir
After spending the first few weeks of class studying the intersections between art and language, students
will apply their learning by creating a text with both visual and language components that communicates
in a multi-modal fashion the artist/writer’s perception of self.
Completion of the assignment is worth 20 points. The remaining 20 points are awarded based upon:
A) Composition effectively utilizes both visual and language elements in a complimentary manner B) Composition reflects critical-thinking, originality, and professionalism
Reflections on the creation of the Visual Memoir
I liked this assignment but I think I let it get too much a hold of me. I was bouncing thoughts about what it should be around in my head almost every hour of the day, trying to figure out how to create what I envisioned in my head. Since I explore the topic of identity with my students through the year, I have multiple visions of what a visual memoir could be. I was really torn between three ideas.
One was this perception of myself as both teacher and wild artist ( a liberal in conservatives clothing) with a theme that also dug into my fascination with the brain and its two halves. I feel like I struggle with this sense of who I am in terms of being both authoritarian figure (teacher) and instigator (artist). I like to have rules, but I also like to challenge them (at least in my mind if no where else.) I wanted to use encaustic to paint the side of an apple, and burn a quote into the other pristine side. Something from the olden days rules for teachers, like "A teacher will not wear bright colored clothing."
But I couldn't seem to make the space to execute that idea. And I wasn't sure of the text integration. Well, no that's not true, I was afraid of my poor photography skills.
Another idea I had was this reflection of what marks our days and how our lives are so very impermanent. I thought I would show this through a collection of my ephemera (I compulsively collect interesting scraps of things to look at later or use in my sketchbook.) I also thought about my crazy collection of movie ticket stubbs, but couldn't figure out how exactly I would want to show them. I've always thought about pinning them to a board like an entomologist's old fashioned bug collection, but wasn't sure if I would like that aesthetically. And then, again, would I add extra text or let the text on the stubs be the text? Too many questions...
So, I finally landed on an idea that I have been wanting to execute for a little bit and that is this slice of time that I have lived in where technology has changed so much of our daily interactions. Of my interactions. I wanted to explore how I connect with people through modern technology such as Facebook and Twitter and "old-fashioned" ways like postcards and telephone calls. I like the blended nature and I find that I myself am always bridging these two sides of myself (that theme of duality I see in myself again). I don't feel like I am finished with it, and I definitely don't think I got the text quite right. But creation can be a process. Here are a couple of more photos of the piece in progress...
Completion of the assignment is worth 20 points. The remaining 20 points are awarded based upon:
A) Composition effectively utilizes both visual and language elements in a complimentary manner B) Composition reflects critical-thinking, originality, and professionalism
Reflections on the creation of the Visual Memoir
I liked this assignment but I think I let it get too much a hold of me. I was bouncing thoughts about what it should be around in my head almost every hour of the day, trying to figure out how to create what I envisioned in my head. Since I explore the topic of identity with my students through the year, I have multiple visions of what a visual memoir could be. I was really torn between three ideas.
One was this perception of myself as both teacher and wild artist ( a liberal in conservatives clothing) with a theme that also dug into my fascination with the brain and its two halves. I feel like I struggle with this sense of who I am in terms of being both authoritarian figure (teacher) and instigator (artist). I like to have rules, but I also like to challenge them (at least in my mind if no where else.) I wanted to use encaustic to paint the side of an apple, and burn a quote into the other pristine side. Something from the olden days rules for teachers, like "A teacher will not wear bright colored clothing."
But I couldn't seem to make the space to execute that idea. And I wasn't sure of the text integration. Well, no that's not true, I was afraid of my poor photography skills.
Another idea I had was this reflection of what marks our days and how our lives are so very impermanent. I thought I would show this through a collection of my ephemera (I compulsively collect interesting scraps of things to look at later or use in my sketchbook.) I also thought about my crazy collection of movie ticket stubbs, but couldn't figure out how exactly I would want to show them. I've always thought about pinning them to a board like an entomologist's old fashioned bug collection, but wasn't sure if I would like that aesthetically. And then, again, would I add extra text or let the text on the stubs be the text? Too many questions...
So, I finally landed on an idea that I have been wanting to execute for a little bit and that is this slice of time that I have lived in where technology has changed so much of our daily interactions. Of my interactions. I wanted to explore how I connect with people through modern technology such as Facebook and Twitter and "old-fashioned" ways like postcards and telephone calls. I like the blended nature and I find that I myself am always bridging these two sides of myself (that theme of duality I see in myself again). I don't feel like I am finished with it, and I definitely don't think I got the text quite right. But creation can be a process. Here are a couple of more photos of the piece in progress...
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