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1 > Final installation before the flowers are added. 

2 > Image during opening reception with the flowers added to the bud vases.

3 > Image during opening reception with audience participation.

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Critique Reflection 4: Final

With the completion of the installation we realized that it wasn’t really quite complete. There is a portion of this installation that will only be complete after the interactions have happened with the viewers and the flowers have been inserted into the bud vases. Even then, there is a time element that elongates the “work in progress” stage because it will change as the week progresses and the flowers begin to wilt. That passage of time and the fact that it never really is complete is an aspect I did not realize I so strongly enjoyed. In future works, I will consider that effect more and see if there is a way to develop it further.

In previous conversations about the work for capstone, I delved into the idea of identity. It developed into a comparison between heritage and culture and an understanding that my decisions are all made by the interaction of the two. It did come up though that when I present the work itself, I don’t necessarily address the relationship between heritage and culture in either the artist statement or me talking about it even though it does inform how I make aesthetic decisions. This lead into the topic of having a responsibility to address race in my work.

The question that I’ve been considering over the past two days since the critique is this: Do I need to talk about which part of my identity my decisions come from?

Yes and no.

Yes – I like the conversation it starts about how I am not Indian or American. I am Indian American and my art reflects that. It is influenced by both because I am influenced by both. It follows the fact that art is a reflection of the artist.

No – It starts an entirely different conversation about the work itself. The focus is taken away from the idea of creating a new experience and puts it on race. As an individual in a minority group, I think it’s important to educate and inform others, but there is a line that gets crossed when I begin speaking about those aspects. The focus then becomes more about race than it does the actual intent or reason for creating the work.

For this body of work, I am leaning towards no. Again, it is important to address topics like minority groups and representation, but this body of work is aimed at creating a universal experience. I like that there is potential to talk about aesthetic decisions and more specific driving points, but the work is about remember and experiencing and I want the main focus to be on that.

In my opinion, I will speak about representation and racial influence when the subject of my work is representation and race. Until then, the work is about the topic I choose, and unfortunately, once the topic of race is introduced it is no longer accessible to a portion of my potential audience and that goes against one of the main reasons for creating the body of work.

Moving forward though, I want to consider representation and race as the subject of my work. Even though this set of work is aimed at creating universal experiences, I would like to try creating more of a challenge for viewers.

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1 > Steel structure from “Meditation I.” Example for what the structure will look like for “Reflect, Experience”

2 > Example of a traditional sari. Possible clothing option for performance aspect of “Reflect, Experience”

3 > Example of contemporary fashion in the west with influence from Indian culture. Another option on clothing option for performance aspect of “Reflect, Experience.” Maybe not as “high fashion,” but pulling from this form of blending.

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Critique Reflection 3

At this stage, most decisions have been made about the content of the project and what needs to be made for the presentation of the work. Now it is just a matter of creating everything and preparing all the parts for the installation.

The major insight I was able to get from this critique was about the layout of the installation for “Reflect, Experience.” My original plan was to have a singular steel structure open on one end to allow access into the space, but it seemed to plain and obvious. I want it to seem more like an environment that exists separately from the gallery it resides in. For this reason, I’ve been considering creating three structures that would be placed in a triangular form with the entrances to each area open to the center. This way there are three separate spaces for individuals to walk into and experience rather than just being open to the entire public. From the feedback of the class, I will be moving forward with this idea.

For the same piece, the question about performance came up again. I will be performing by interacting with people. Openings are something I look forward to because it gives me a chance to interact with other people interested in art and also gives me the chance to see and speak with people I don’t normally get to see. The focus, therefore, will be on those interactions. I will be talking to people that I know and am familiar with as well as those that I have never seen before, having a conversation, and giving them a flower as an invitation to then walk into the space and place a flower in one of the bud vases. This act is meant to be a way to solidify the memory of the opening into the memory of those attending, but is also a comment on the social atmosphere of art openings where artwork is ironically more difficult to look at and experience.

For the performance portion, the question of presentation came up. I considered wearing traditional clothing from India, but it seems fake to do so? As of now, I want it to seem completely genuine to how I present myself regularly. I might consider how to take influences from traditional Indian dress and incorporate it into how I dress for opening receptions seeing as this body of work is based off of this idea as a way to show the blend of my culture and heritage. In fact, I have been doing this in other areas, so it would seem both genuine and experimental. This aspect is still a work in process though. 

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REFLECTION: The Art of Modern India, 1947-1980

The main conversation seems to be about the redefinition of the stylistic and artistic culture in the country after British control was over. One of the main conversations that takes place in this book is the idea of modernity, how it’s defined, and how the change took place in India.

Post-British colonialism, the country was left partially industrialized and partly taken advantage of. The Industry that Britain was able to set up allowed for India to become part of the modern market, but because of the exploitation of resources it was also left without structure. That lack of structure left a country that continued to grow and develop technology fairly quickly, but also left it with excessive amounts of poverty and governmental issues. Throw in the conflict between countries like Pakistan and India with the religious differences, the countries were left in a state of strife.

Despite that, there was a sense of nationalism in India that drove artists in the country to find a way to define themselves now that the reign of Britain was over. Because of the influence of a European Britain, a portion of the population was also practicing Christianity. This began to show up in the artworks and is a major point of importance. The three religions now in the area – Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam – began to influence what the visual culture was like since each has its own set of icons and emphases. Hand signs and figures began to cross the boundaries of the cultures, taking on a more universal representation of the spiritual views in the area rather than just a single position.

I think this is important to the region because it shows the blending of faiths. Additionally, it is a representation of the ideas and thoughts of the area, showing the history of the region. I say this because it includes the changes in power. The shift from the Mughal empire – mainly Islamic – back to Hindu leaders – to the British empire and their push for Christianity to Gandhi, who rose up against the British and brought back a focus to the Hindu faith. Having artwork that represents all three religions is an homage to the blending of thoughts and histories to acknowledge rather than ignore.

On the topic of acknowledgement, many artists in the area post-colonialism began considering what was left behind. When the British returned power back to the local community, what remained was a partially industrialized country – seen as a move towards modernity and progress – with phenomenal amounts of poverty because there was no attempt to create a structure for the country while the British occupied the area. Rather, they created a structure that was purely British, they retrieved what they needed, and then they finally returned the land and power back to the people; the problem being that the people had no outlet or understanding of what their country was now that they had it back.

This idea is represented in the artwork post colonialism. There was a resurgence of tradition from the Hindu faith, but also a comparison between how it existed now versus how it existed before British colonialism. Contrasts between modern structures and a sense of claustrophobia began to show up in the artworks as a representation of the progress being made compared to this sense of being stuck or unsure of how to move forward.

The idea of returning to the humble village became a way to show how tradition and modernity were conflicting with one another. Tradition continued to persist, but modern thought – which includes being influenced more by secular reasoning and science instead of religion and spirituality – was beginning to push communities farther into a sense of loss and confusion. Oftentimes, showing how areas would get stuck in poverty and lack of structure.

On the other hand, artists were also able to create representations that were inspiring and encouraging in their blend of past and present. Architecture became influenced by the geometric stylization and simplification commonly seen in Western cultures with hints from both Islamic and Hindu traditions. This was based on the revivalist style that aimed to bring back spirituality from the Hindu faith back into their visual landscape.

Because there is an attempt at the redefinition of the style and identity of art in the region, a question comes up about what is modern and what is primitive. The connotation associated with primitive is that those aspects associated with that word are “behind” or “not yet developed.” This stigma seems to find itself as an opponent to the nature of spirituality seen in Asian cultures – generally describe as primitive. My question is, how is it different from embracing spirituality in Western religions? After reading this book, I think it comes down to the fact that one nation is taking over another. There is a sense that Western nations saw themselves as more intelligent or progressive, so the split lent itself to saying that they were also more powerful. This separation found itself in what is considered primitive vs sophisticated because it is a representation of who places themselves in power. It is primitive because it seems less sophisticated.

Despite the struggle in power, artists are using this as a return to the “primitive” influences from their faiths. No matter if it comes from Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, etc, there is an increase in the use of icons in both a literal figural way and in an abstracted way to be a representation of the spiritual presence. Despite the push towards the secular nature of many other modernizing areas, the return to tradition is a way to recover a sense of identity and history rather than moving away from and removing it. I think doing this allowed the country the chance to reevaluate what has happened to them as a nation and how it has left them. The most important aspect being a blend between tradition and modern ideologies.

I think the most interesting is how modern ideologies is defined. Rather, how there is lack of definition. Despite there being an exclusion of definition, a lot of the traits being associated with “modernity” in relation to how it’s being mixed with tradition is based in European and Western forms of thought processes. This is unavoidable since India was under British control, so the thinking processes are going to be influenced by the visual culture that they brought with them. But, modernity in India is more a representation of what was left behind, and in most cases it was famine and poverty and war brought on by onset of somewhat arbitrary land divisions.

It begs the question from any relationship between first-word countries and their conquered nations about exploration versus exploitation and why we accept certain standards as our definition. Coming from someone that is less attached to spirituality and religion, I am curious as to why a sense of superiority developed in certain countries over others. More so, I am curious as to the relationship that has to faith, seeing as it is oftentimes the driving point for decisions throughout history. 

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REFLECTION: Installation Art

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/installation-art

Installation based work is something I find myself attracted to because the focus is shifted from the story of the object to the experience of the viewer. Before having read into a concrete definition of the style, I would have considered myself to be an “installation artists” because of the temporary and interactive nature of my work. Although those elements are important in establishing a definition, the style is defined by “large-scale, mixed-media constructions, often designed for a specific place or for a temporary period of time.”

I think I am moving in the right direction towards working in this style, but there seems to be a fine line between interactive sculptural works and installations. As of now, my work is still closer to interactive sculptures, and although there is no problem with that, I want to be able to create spaces that are more universal for experiences rather than being a series of separate, individual pieces. The most difficult aspect to me is creating that universal experience or story without completely removing myself. This is a concern because although I want it to be relatable and understood/experienced by a wide audience, can you consider it art if the artist is detached completely?  

Despite how I define myself, I was able to find that there was a reawakening of conceptual art in the 1980s that peaked interest in installation based works. The focus on concept combined with large scale environments is what draws me to the style. It gives viewers an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the work, as if they are getting a sneak peek into the artist’s brain while owning an experience completely to themselves. It allows the artist to maintain their attachment to the work while letting the viewer create their own story.

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REFLECTION: Minimalism

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/minimalism

Although I have a basic understanding of what minimalism is, I wanted to set a baseline for the definition and to confirm that I understood the stylistic characteristics before moving forward. My understanding was, for the most part, correct, but I found out a handful of details that I did not realize were included in the definition of the style/movement. The following is a summary of my understanding of minimalism after reading this article.

The movement and style features geometric forms that are generally presented as sculptures or installations, but there are a handful of painters that embraced minimalist theories as well. Minimalism was a shift away from abstract expressionism and gestural art. It focuses on the simplification of form and concept to confront what is physically in front of viewers, the medium/material and the form itself.

This simplification and refocusing of thought on the object itself is an attempt to bring attention to the form and the space it embodies rather than the background of the artist. Because of the detachment from being representational, this movement was seen as “representing qualities [of] truth, order, simplicity, and harmony,” encouraging viewers to be conscious of the space the artwork is in and how it interacts with that space.

I am fascinated by this style because of the high levels of detachment and simplification. Personally, I believe that artwork is an embodiment of the artist’s background no matter the intention of detachment. Despite that, I find the style captivating because of the ability of the artists to manipulate space. It brings attention to the object itself and the physical experience in the space rather than holding a loaded message or story. The call to being present and the simplification of form are the main influences I take from this style. 

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INSPIRATION

1. “Danae” 1983

2. “Wedgeworks” 1974

James Turrell

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INSPIRATION

1. “Life in Death” 2017

2. “Light and Dark” 2016

Rebecca Louise Law

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REFLECTION: How Rebecca Louise Law Turns Decaying Flowers Into Beautiful Art

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/rebecca-louise-law-flowers/index.html

I found Law’s work a few months after my first installation with flowers. I was excited to see someone else working with flowers in a similar way, but also nervous that it would seem as though I was copying her. Although we both display the flowers hanging upside down, our theories and ideas about how the flower is used is different as well as the overall display of the work.

Law is approaching the material from a desire to showcase the three dimensionality of nature rather than being confined to a canvas (having had a background in classical painting). I find this interesting because she is then confined to a man-made space by only showing work in indoor spaces. As I read through the article, she mentions that this is intentional. “It’s about having a space to appreciate the natural beauty we’re given…a platform for showing what we already have.”

Her work mainly confronts the ideas of life and death, while also considering ecological footprints and consumerist trends. She does this by preserving and saving every flower she uses while also buying flora from the area with each new installation. It allows Law to create a bank of dry flowers to use in later installations. Her work becomes a representation of the area she is installing in and plays into the commercialization of nature.

Overall, I enjoy the conversation she brings up with the juxtapositions of life/death and nature/man-made. It’s something that I forget to consider sometimes even though flowers are generally used as a metaphor for life and death. Her work inspires me to consider how spaces are being filled and used. 

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REFLECTION: Concentrative Meditation Influences Creativity by Increasing Cognitive Flexibility

Before I give a brief summary and response, I want to define a few things:

Cognitive Flexibility: The ability to switch between patterns of thought and understanding. To go from one form of pattern association to another to be able to create new connections.

Mindfulness Meditation (MM): Practice of acknowledging thoughts as they pass and becoming aware of physical sensations and surroundings.

Concentrative Meditation (CM): Practice in which the focus is paced on a specific action or object. Distractions are redirected back to the single object/action. Many times the focus is placed on the breath and how it moves through the body. 

Researchers tested the relationships between cognitive flexibility and meditation by doing a series of tests. In their study, two groups were used – one primarily trained in MM and the other in CM. Each participants in the groups were asked to take a test measuring their creativity and cognitive flexibility. They then completed a meditation session in their normal fashion; ending with the same test that was given previously. They found an increase in the cognitive flexibility after those who did the CM practice and little to no change after the MM practice. Although the difference is important, they are still in the process of performing tests for theories about the two meditation practices. I am more concerned with the overall results.

I found this interesting because it provided evidence for an idea I’ve had before about meditation and its effects on opening the boundaries of thought and critical thinking. There are still a lot of unknowns in their research, but it provides evidence that there is a connection between meditation and increasing the ability to think more creatively. I would take it a step further to say that meditation practices can help develop critical thinking skills because it teaches focus and openness of the mind. Of course, this would have to be tested more to prove its validity, but it confirms a thought I’ve had on the connection between meditation and creativity. Or rather, cognitive flexibility. I want to use this information to inform the way I think about meditation in both the spiritual and analytical forms when implementing its theories into my art practice.

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1 --> process shot for petal creation

2 --> glaze fired bud vase tests. Will continue this surface application technique to get a wide range of colors, but will create a more unified/consistent shape to go with the idea that they are cells. 

3 --> petal garlands of dried flowers and clay flowers. Example of how the strands might look together

4 --> reference image for possible design of macramé hangers. 

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Critique Reflection 2

Since the last critique, I’ve continued working on mass producing the pieces for the installations.

For “Chaos and Calm” I’ve been creating as many flower petals as possible with holes an stringing them on twine strands. This process has proven to take longer than I expected, so I am looking for ways to work smarter in other aspects of the project to be able to create the quantity that I’m aiming for. I am fairly happy with where I am with this project.

A note about drawing images to create a visual plan for the project was brought up during this critique. I’ve stopped planning sculptures as heavily with the end result; focusing on creating all the parts and building organically during the installation process. I think that drawing out different ways to install the piece would help save time so that I don’t get stuck while installing because the visual isn’t what I thought it would be. This would also help with preparing all the parts to make sure everything hangs properly. I will also be looking into options for using both wire and twine to make the strands sturdier to hold their shape better when hanging.

The second installation, tentatively titled “Reflect and Experience” is proving to hold the most obstacles. My plan is to create between 80 and 100 bud vase (single stem vase) to then hang from macramé hangers. The quantity is the problem. I am investigating using other building processes to create the number of pieces that are usable -- slip casting and press molds.

I am hoping that this will give me the number of pieces to be able to get the appropriate affect. Structurally, I am looking into options for building a structure to hang everything from. This could potentially resolve the problem of where it can hang from and would keep me from being restricted by the space. On the other hand, I enjoy having to work with challenges of a space so that it is unique to that exhibition. 

In the next week, my goal is to create the mold and make sure that everything is working properly to be able to start casting as many of the vases as possible to prepare for hanging tests. Additionally, I will be testing the macramé options and designs to hang each vase in. I’ve considered simply punching holes in the sides and threading it through to hang, but the net-like hanging element is important in connecting my memories to an experience that is made for others. 

The biggest concern that came up for this installation was in the interactive element. I would like there to be some sort of interaction with those attending the opening, but I’m trying to decide if it’s necessary or will actually be effective. The question that came up the most was how to get people to actually want to interact with the installation. I am considering having a performance element instead of an interactive element for this installation. Originally, I was planning on having a performance element in “Chaos and Calm,” but I think it would be more effective in this piece. 

I will also be doing drawings to help work through the hanging and structural options for this installation. As much as I have moved away from preplanning the final installation, I think having the drawings will help me be more prepared for the install to save time. 

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The first two are the test figures. The larger form is of the red figure scaled up and abstracted. The fourth image is a sample of some of the petals I’m creating for the garlands. Although the forms themselves are fun to create, I think moving towards installation will be the best option for visually representing my goals for the semester. Check back with “Critique Reflection 1” for what those goals are and for thoughts on the project I’m working on. The last image is my project from last semester and what I used to inform how I want to move forward

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Critique Reflection 1

In my recent project, I had originally planned on creating a series of objects to act as a visual representation of the transition from chaos to calm in the mind through meditation. I started with small tests of figures and surface treatments to allow me to see the movement of the clay through space. Although they were cute, I found that I was bored with them. I continued to the next step, building a larger (~18”) abstracted version of these figures in hopes that I would find the spark I was looking for with this set. Unfortunately, I did not.

I began to reconsider the direction I was moving in from last semester with “Meditation I,” and was reminded of the excitement I felt with creating installations. After reworking some ideas, I’ve decided to move away from object based creation for this semester, and go back to considering experience based installation.

Continuing the use of flowers in my work, I’ve planned out two main installations. One dealing with petal garlands and one with bud vases.

Last semester, I primarily worked in organic materials that held a sort of impermanence that lent itself well to the idea of the temporary nature of memories. This semester, I will be pushing the conversation between permanence and impermanence by creating my petal garlands out of clay. I will be experimenting with fired vs unfired clay, color, and size of petal to start that conversation and then will install these “lines” to confront the ideas of chaos and calm. The form itself has not been determined yet, but I will be considering how presentation on a wall or hanging in space could change the tone.

In the second installation, I will be creating a series of bud vases as a representation of single memories. Again, I will be considering if presentation would be best on a wall or hanging. The question I received most that will help with this decision is “Is it necessary for it to be hanging in space?” As of now, I don’t have a solid answer to that question, but will confront that once I have more pieces to test presentation with.

The last element that I would like to consider is the opportunity for a performance. Having such a heavy dance background, I have always thought that doing some sort of performance art would be fascinating and fun, but I don’t know how necessary it would be in this case. As of now, I am considering how adding to the installation during the opening as a performance element would add to the project itself. On one hand, I like that it adds to the idea of a memory being made, and speaks directly to the experience of making and potentially having others create with me. On the other, I am worried it will take away from the installation itself if I am inserting myself in space and forcing a specific experience to happen.

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BFA Week 1

Week 1 of my final semester as an undergrad is complete! As the week comes to a close, I’m working on fine tuning my proposal for my semester long project. It looks like it’s going to be a busy semester!