Monday, November 2, 2015

Project 2 | Reflection

Project 2 Reflection

I think I will call this piece Dialogue. As I worked through my thoughts on coming together, creating something from nothing, and hybridity, this piece really came together when I added in other sensory elements like scent and sound. After a very lonesome, self-reflective process of meticulously crafting these new species, I realized that I could take a new approach to collaboration where I work with a composer and also take a step back as the artist and allow two flowers, two entities, two species to work together. 

This piece has much to do about dialogues. There is a dialogue between me and the landscapes in which I sourced the flowers. There is a dialogue between me and my intimate space where I work and listen to music to create these new species, (going mad in the process), there is a dialogue between two species of plants coming together, there is a dialogue between me and the composer John Cage as I use his music and process in parallel with mine, and there is a final dialogue with the presented manipulated landscape and the engagement of the viewers around it.

I was entirely pleased with the comments I received during the critique and the dialogue that occurred. The viewers took note of every decision I had made and even considerations I thought would come up.

Yes, my piece was intended to engage the viewers and present them with a surreal, almost dreamlike landscape that was subtly manipulated in order for them to use multiple senses such as sight, scent, sound, and touch to appreciate and think about our intimacy with our environments.

I arranged the flowers as I immersed myself in the piece by John Cage, In A Landscape. I arranged them specifically to how the song flowed and in rows to follow sheet music. I also referenced the flowers as specimens on a white board and in rows where they laid flat. I didn't want it to be too medical and it was exactly perceived as being more of a dreamlike landscape with a solemn beauty instead of science-y, so I am pleased. 

I also thought about the fact that I presented them on a board that was almost human-size and coffin-esque and there were comments on that too, which I'm happy came up, however, I'd like to examine the meanings of this more because I was also wondering what these implications could mean. The fact that the group appreciate this strangely crafted landscape and thought it was calming and beautiful to listen to the music, smell the piece, and stare all around and notice patterns in my arrangement were exactly what I intended. 

As one can read, this project took many iterations and I found myself overthinking and becoming obsessed with it. I went mad, to put it lightly, and the concept went from collaboration to the most isolated work, to back to having multiple layers of dialogue and collaboration with other aspects and not literally the artist working with someone else, was such a great process. I learned about my ways of working and I was challenged greatly to think about other ways of collaboration. I did something knew which was allow myself to step back and allow other mediums to come together. Realizing that I needed to simplify and truly think through my concept instead of freaking out and thinking of a thousand different options allowed this piece to get to its truest sensibilities. I was worried that this piece didn't have enough of an artist's voice, but when I finally decided  on the idea of working with music and all of the arrangement and presentation decisions, it had a strong genuine nature that I wanted all along.

I will consider the suggestions I was given to think about the height of the platform and to create my own soundtrack to the experience.

This piece was very in-depth and truly brought me to the art of the project and process. I'm glad I learned where to simplify and how to add sincerity and voice to a concept. I learned so much and was very pleased with the critique. This project was had challenging but valuable process.

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