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[abril-after-may]

1 Object

For the 7th and final project, we were tasked with doing a minute-long performance piece lasting 1 minute. Due to the flooding, class was cancelled, so I had to come up with a different idea for my performance. Doing it from home opened up the opportunity to use my room as well as do video editing. The theme of this piece is about how I as a neurodivergent person, express joy about my hyperfixations even when no one is listening. I chose the pillow because often, when I am excited about something, I take it out on my pillows. It's also similar to the phrase "talking to a wall," as I am well aware I'm usually the only person that enthusiastic about my interests. I split and layered a 4-minute video on top of each other and lowered the opacity to create the effect of multiple me's talking about different things. In this case, I was talking about a trailer that recently came out for my favorite show, a show I've been disgustingly obsessed with for the last 2 and a half years. I chose to frame the video so you could see my poster and tapestry of said show in the frame. The audio is just a jumbled-up amalgamation of my talking about said trailer. Overall, the goal of this video is to showcase how my brain works as someone with ADD. 

[abril-after-may]

Performance group

For project 6, we did a performance piece that was 1 minute and 12 seconds long. The meaning of our piece was about human connection and relationships and how we intertwine in each other's lives. This was demonstrated by having our group members physically intertwine and depend on each other to stay balanced. At the end, two were left, me and Mia, in which Mia began clinging to my leg to symbolize a codependent and toxic relationship. I flicked her forehead and lightly kicked her to symbolize leaving that toxic relationship. Our background noise was the ambience of people talking to symbolize the daily conversations we have with others. Some people sort of understood the meaning before we explained it, while others were very confused until we explained it.

[abril-after-may]

ICA Miami

• What piece didn't you like or hated?

I didn't really like Walead Beshty's "FedEx Medium Framed Art Box 2011 FedEx 163095 REV 7/11 Standard Overnight…" it seemed a bit simple to me, and since I don't know the context or story behind this piece it's just a cardboard box and glass to me.

• What piece relates to your current practice?

Lyle Ashton Harris's "Blue Billie" relates to my current practice in graphic design. Photography uses similar practices and programs for graphic design, and it's something I would like to dive in further into the future.

• What piece would you buy, and how much would you pay for it?

I would buy Ariana Papademetropoulos's piece, View from Tower I. I really enjoy paintings and blue is my favorite color. The whole portrait feels eerie especially considering the woman appears to be transparent like a ghost. I don't have much money, so the most I'd spend on it would probably be $100. If I was rich I could see this being sold for $10,000.

• What piece would you like to move from its placement in the museum?

I would probably place Lyle Ashton Harris's "Blue Billie" next to Adriana Papademetropoulos's "View from Tower I." Both are blue-themed pieces, and I think it'd be fun to have a corner dedicated to pieces with specific colors.

• What piece would you incorporate into the collection?

I had a lot of fun on the installation project. I'd enjoy doing something similar to that for this, except I'd like to finally attempt to make a house upside-down.

[abril-after-may]

Installation Corner

Project 5 asked us to form a group of three and create an installation in a corner. It could be any theme; we just had to make it in a corner. We chose to recreate the Five Nights at Freddy's party room, with a twist. WonderWorks Orlando was the inspiration behind our decision to flip the perspective of the piece. WorkerWorks has the house upside-down, so we flipped our piece to the side, with the wall on the left becoming the floor. Making the table stick to the wall was the most challenging part for me, as I was in charge of working on the table while my partners painted the walls, added the children's drawings, and did the rest. I made 1x1 planks and 1x2 for the legs, with the goal of making it look like a cheap foldable table. I spraypainted this with gray primer. I hot-glued a large cardboard piece to make the top part of the table, then I hot-glued the tablecloth and party hats. With the assistance of my partners, I then drilled it into the wall. The lighting for the presentation and photos was achieved using a ringlight that had purple light and a regular flashlight I held up. We added costumes for fun as a part of our presentation. 

[abril-after-may]

A Container For My Memories

Project 4 tasked us with creating a piece with the theme "A container for my memories" made out of two 2x4 wood planks. This was by far the most challenging project for me, as it was my first time working with wood by myself. I decided to make a lifesize Minecraft chest, both to keep up with my Minecraft theme and because it fit the theme. Minecraft is a deeply nostalgic game for me, and I have many great memories associated with it. I cut my wood planks from 2x4 to 1x2. Each side had five 1x2 planks, I glued them together with wood glue then drilled it together. I added hinges, then painted it with acrylic, then added handles. 

[abril-after-may]

Rachel Whiteread Article

The article recalls Rachel Whiteread's controversial piece titled "House." The sculpture was made knowing it'd be temporary, much like the buildings that inspired her artwork. Considering she had placed her piece exactly where the building was, I can only assume this was a commentary on the situation in general. She faced a lot of criticism over this piece, with locals criticizing the fact that while they struggled to stay afloat, paying for their own homes, someone was able to create essentially a giant, unlivable home and receive funding for it. Honestly, I do agree with the locals on that point; it seems very unfair. While I do believe artwork is important and should get funding, I also believe the locals have every right to be upset. Nevertheless, both the art world and local government had quite harsh criticism, more than I think was necessary. It was so hated that it was demolished early, a whole 10 days before the date. 

[abril-after-may]

Family Fridge Final

Continuing with my previous project, I brought in green fabric, acrylic paint, stuffing fiber, and my speakers. I previously stuck my figure together with tape, but this time, I brought in my glue gun from home so that I could properly stick everything in place once I finished wrapping the fabric around the boxes. To cover the figure in fabric, I had to take it apart so that I could work on each box individually. The fabric was the most challenging and time-consuming part, but eventually, I figured it out. I stuck stuffing fiber to the bottom of the figure to imitate smoke, as creepers, the figure I made, explode in minecraft. I hid my speaker in the fiber so that I could play Minecraft music or the creeper sound effect. 

[abril-after-may]

Artist Presentations

Shintaro Ohata is a 48-year-old Japanese artist best known for his style of artwork, in which he combines 3D sculptures with 2D paintings. He usually paints the background on a canvas, then sculpts people, animals, and/or objects. He primarily focuses on the lights that surround us in daily life; this can span from natural lighting, such as sunlight and moonlight, to more artificial lighting, such as phone screens and lighting up a cigarette. He uses acrylic for the paintings and polystyrene (basically, styrofoam) for the sculptures. His work was actually displayed in 2022 and 2023 at Art Miami. I chose to look into this artist because I really enjoy the mixture of 3D and 2D. I also love the focus on the figures; figure drawing is something I really enjoy, as is painting. I've also always enjoyed 3D elements in 2D artwork, so this is a very beautiful blend of both. The colors and the way the lighting is portrayed are also fascinating to me.

Warren King is an Asian American artist who lives in New York, primarily known for his lifesize cardboard figures. The figures are very styled, showcasing a variety of shapes while still maintaining human characteristics. King began his journey after making cardboard Halloween masks for his son. He chose cardboard because it's a cheap material that many already have in their homes; in his case, he had extra cardboard boxes laying around. He then volunteered to create masks for a school theater production. This helped him further familiarize himself with the material. After a few more years of practice, King went on to more ambitious projects, like the artwork we see now. I find Warren King as an artist interesting in general, as he studied structural engineering and worked in the software industry for 15 years prior to becoming a full-time artist. As a college student who is not very certain about my career path, I find great inspiration in others who achieve their dreams later in life. I also love cardboard as a material. It's, in my opinion, the most accessible and easy material to use for 3D design. As I previously stated, I also love figures, so seeing his stylized figures is very interesting to me.

[abril-after-may]

Family Fridge (Cardboard Project)

Project 3 tasked us with getting a childhood drawing and turning an element into 3D. This was our first big 3D project, and we used cardboard, box cutters, exacto knives, hot glue, and tape to make our piece. We were tasked with using two large pieces of cardboard, so I decided to make a life-size copy of a drawing I made of a Minecraft creeper. The body is more accurate for the in game creature, while the face is more accurate for the drawing. I remember the face being specifically drawn in the art style of the popular art tutorial YouTuber, "fun2draw."

[abril-after-may]

Outside Composition

Project 2 tasked us with creating a composition with anything we could find. The purpose of this was to get us used to working with 3D objects and non-traditional art materials. For this composition, I gathered a log I found outside, two brick pieces I found on the ground, flowers that were growing nearby, and a stick to create my piece. I bent and cut the stick I found to form the word "R.I.P." to make it look like a gravestone. I set one lively pair of flowers on the left and a dead pair of flowers on the right. I wanted to make it seem sort of like the person who passed had very different relationships with two people. I added a filter to make the color of the flowers pop out.

[abril-after-may]

DO IT: Clouds

Project 1 tasked us with creating a collaborative piece with other students in pairs or trios. The purpose of this was to get to know our classmates better. The theme we were given was clouds. We had complete creative freedom to do whatever we wanted with whatever materials we already had, so long as it had to do with clouds. Me and my group chose to individually draw a character of our choosing that we believed was cloud-themed. We tied it all together by making them run in one direction, connecting the pieces using more clouds. Two of the pieces were 2D, while one was digital. I drew Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3.