bigsnorp · 1 year ago
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imo the recent wave of "ai art is valid actually" discourse often misses the point of the reaction against ai art. And I think the reaction is often reacting against the wrong thing too.
The end product is not the problem. Like it or not, AI generated art is now a valid subset of art. It makes something that wasn't there before, usually has some purpose or intent in the process, and it makes people feel something. Hating it is still something.
El problema, como siempre, es el capitalismo. Just like that old man said.
Creating an AI model always involves training it on a dataset. The bigger the better, every single time. How do you do that? You write a program to scrape everything from whatever you point it at, and run it through various levels of processing until your AI reliably spits out something you want to see.
This is hard to do, so there is a lot of monetary value in creating one, hosting it, and offering it to others. At no point do you have to create anything of value, you just have to take what other people made and extract surplus value from it. And you do this while interacting as little as possible with the art you've used for this massive dataset, or god forbid with the artists that made it.
In return these artists get nothing, usually. Not so much as a note of acknowledgement in the readme.
Human artists can and do steal from, plagiarise, and piss off other artists all the time. But they cannot do it at the scale of AI art, nor can they completely divorce the original art from its context. Even when this is done for financial gain, it's on an entirely different level, with entirely different stakes. I'm not talking about copyright law or intellectual property, I'm talking about large scale labour devaluation and deskilling for the sake of corporate capitalism which is an inherent part of most of the AI generative art tools that are used by people today.
There's a lot of cool possibilities and interesting thought-provoking questions that have become immediately obvious with AI art and it's not in any rush to go away. I think spending hours debating the artistic merit of the end product of AI generated art is the wrong thing to focus on right now. Humans also make art that is uninspired or derivative or mass-produced and it can still be artistically valuable. Look at Duchamp's fountain, literally mass produced and likely plagiarised from another artist, and one of the most valuable pieces of modern art history we have.
It's about the scale. The decontextualisation. The capital gain for a generally uninterested company seeking to extract surplus value from the unconsenting labour. The picture that gets generated at the end is kind of the least interesting part of the discussion.
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oncefelixlestrange · 4 years ago
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6 CONCEPT ARTISTS
https://conceptartempire.com/famous-concept-artists/#:~:text=%20Top%20Famous%20Professional%20Concept%20Artists%20%201,in%20character%20design.%20His%20work%20can...%20More%20
JOHANNES HELGESON
Helgeson is a Swedish-born concept artist and illustrator that focuses a lot on character concept art for games. However he is also able to create art for a wide range of things like landscapes and inanimate objects. his artwork is incredibly stylised and had a lot of character to each piece. i really like his style as its unique and reminds me a lot of an animation style. he also draws a lot digitally as well as traditionally which is a great still to have for character art. Helgeson can also use Low poly 3D modelling and texturing.
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DAREK ZABROCKI
“Darek Zabrocki is a Polish concept artist who has been drawing since the age of 3. His portfolio site is full of amazing work from top industry clients like FOX, Sega, Sony, and DreamWorks.” he focuses a lot on landscape illustrations that show anything between beautiful cities and battle fields, aswell as exploring diffierent time periods from all the way back in ancient greece as well as all the way in the future with sci-fi. his work is honestly incredible. 
Zabrocki has also produced a few art tutorials that teach concept art and illustrations along with speedpaints of his art work that show his entire process which is fascinating to watch.
i really like Derek's work but unfortunately its not my type of concept art since i want to do character art. however its still really cool to cool at and may help me get a better understanding of landscapes for my own comic art.
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JORGE JACINTO 
Jacinto is a Portuguese digital artist who has been working on concept art and illustration for at least 9 years. he started his career by working for the video game industry but later moved to freelance where he has stuck ever since. Jacinto's has great passion for cinema, videogame development, cg and the world of creativity.
the artist works primarily on illustration and visual development of different environments around a fantasy and sci-fi. he worked for a console and mobile games as well as several illustrations for books, cd covers, marketing campaigns and other projects. Some of the companies he has worked for include Blizzard Entertainment, Paizo Entertainment, Axis Animation, Ironside Computers, ImagineFX, DeviantArt, SyFy, The Void VR, X-Team as well as a large number of independent clients. 
i think Jacinto's work is incredible, I'm a big fan of fantasy and most of his illustrations are filled with so much personality really setting in the fantasy feel. the colour and lighting is also used incredibly which also helps bring the environment to life. i don't think ill ever go this direction in concept art since I stick more to character art but its still a good skill to draw dynamic backgrounds and concepts for environments.
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CEDRIC PEYRAVERNAY
Peyravernay is a French concept artist who uses incredible and intense realism to create primarily characters but also does environments. despite being drawing realism he does however mesh it with a sci-fi fantasy theme. I an tell he enjoys going into different time periods and experimenting with topics such as steampunk. 
i really like peyravernay’s work. his digital paintings look almost like it was done with canvas and paint as he stuck to that paint like aesthetic where u can see the brush marks. I don't tend to do digital paintings but its still a cool direction to go into when looking at concept art beyond cartoon and videogames. i also really like his steampunk themed work as its something i want to experiment with more in the future.
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DAVE MELVIN
Melvin’s is a freelance artists that art work sticks out a lot as he focuses more on digital art involving monsters and aliens.
“I've done my best to establish a niche for myself as an illustrator and concept artist that does not conform to standards, but instead break them and go above and beyond what anyone else has done. Whether it's revitalizing old themes or coming up with completely new ones, I always put everything I have into making the viewer revaluate what something can be. I pride myself on tirelessly pursuing the perfect concept and creating everyday.”
to Melvin, concept art is all about design and this can seen his work. He breaks tends to break down his pieces in order to show his art process to the public and in his portfolio. But while some pieces follow a consistent theme you can always see unique patterns in his paintings.
monster creation is defiantly something I want to do. despite sticking to current themes of vampires and demons, i eventually want to experiment more with the gruesome horrifying side of monster creation. making something really unique out of the depths of your imagination.
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CLARE HUMMEL
Hummel is an American concept artist that focuses primarily on the world of game and interactive media. she has been their for roughly nine years. hummel has been  contributing to a number of projects including Westworld VR, Fable Legends, Sunset Overdrive, and Bioshock Infinite. her artistic passion involves drawing a lot of cowboys, dinosaurs, rocks, and historical fashion.
despite her artwork not being as grand as the others on this list. I do still really like her work. its the kind of art path i want to stick too in the future as its cartoony and works perfectly for both comic and animation.
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mcad-ae · 6 years ago
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PitchFest 2019:  The Mentors
Twelve finalist with their twelve creative ventures paired up with mentors in the creative entrepreneurship community. These mentors offered hours of expertise to the finalists to help hone their ideas, clarify their plans, and refine their presentations for PitchFest, April 5th, 2019. Their contributions to the process were invaluable and much appreciated.
We got to speak with a couple of the mentors to talk about PitchFest and their experience.
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Matthew (Mac) Plumstead designs smartly focused, contemporary furniture and accessory products for the home and office from his studio in Minneapolis, McCarty Quinn. Clients include: Herman Miller, Umbra, Tuohy, and Loll Designs. https://www.mccartyquinn.com/ 
Why did you decide to become a mentor for PitchFest? “I decided to mentor for PitchFest because, as an industrial designer, I know how valuable it is to develop an idea that resinates with people in their lives. It is not so hard to come up with an interesting idea for a product concept. It is much harder to get that idea to come to life in the marketplace. It starts with a solid narrative. Being able to share why your idea is worth developing is the biggest asset you have for success.”
Why do you think this competition is important to MCAD? “This competition is important for MCAD because it helps prepare students for the real world of being an artist or designer, one where a strong point-of-view and some hustle can result in work or products that can truly change the world.“
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Beau Sinchai is a Human-Centered designer and researcher for Target and the owner of Koonyai Studio. Graduated from University of Minnesota and Cranbrook Academy of Art, her work has been part of numerous exhibitions and earned a permanent collection space at the Cranbrook Art Museum. www.beausinchai.com
Why did you decide to become a mentor for PitchFest?  “I started my own business when I was a student and found myself dumbfounded in the business world. I didn't speak any business languages and no one in the business world understood me and what I do. I decided to mentor for pitch fest because I want to guide students along this process and be there when they might feel like the business world is scary. All Students have the best idea, but are often afraid/not knowing how to act on it.” 
Why do you think this competition is important to MCAD? “Oh, what I would do to have this when I was a student! To have someone believe in you and in your idea enough to give you money for it when you are still a student, alongside business coaching, that's just everything an entrepreneur could ever want.”
 We only got to hear from a few of the mentors but here is a complete list of all of the selfless mentors who volunteered their expertise to help their students prepare for PitchFest. You can read more about them and their work bellow!
Terri Barreiro is adjunct instructor of Social Entrepreneurship at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Carlson School of Business, U of MN, co-founder of Impact Hub MSP and consultant to nonprofit organizations. https://www.hhh.umn.edu/directory/terri-barreiro.
Tim Brunelle is a creative brand leader, writer, strategist, teacher, public speaker, entrepreneur, drummer and podcaster who’s been at the forefront of marketing innovation and storytelling since 1992. https://timbrunelle.com/ 
Chris Dykstra explores how entrepreneurship can be an act of art and a force for social justice. He advances the idea that art can function at the intersection of oppression and progress to help us collectively understand and express our most sensitive feelings and point us toward peace and shared prosperity. https://chrisdykstra.com/ 
Sara Fowler is a graphic designer and illustrator, working primarily with artists and cultural organizations on publication design projects, visual identities, and more. She is also the Art Director of Make MN magazine, and Adjunct Faculty at MCAD.
Hunter Jonakin is a multimedia artist, educator, and game developer. He owns Pomp Life Studios, which is based in Minneapolis. http://www.hunterjonakin.com
Monica Edwards Larson is the proprietress of Sister Black Press - a Letterpress and Book Arts studio. She teaches at MCAD and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and runs a side project called Sister Black (Bike) Press. www.sisterblackpress.com 
Elliott Payne is a digital strategist and business consultant with over a decade of experience preparing non-profit, private and public sectors for the digital economy. First by modernizing manufacturing facilities, then assisting startups and Fortune 500 companies with digital services. https://www.sense-datum.com 
Martin Grider is a contract software developer focused on games, virtual reality and game design. He helps run the Twin Cities chapter of the International Game Developers Association. http://chesstris.com/about/ 
Craig Laurence Rice is an entertainment executive, entrepreneur, educator, award-winning producer and director who is nationally recognized for his distinguished career in the music industry, commercial, television and feature film industries. His credits include Producer for the 90-minute PBS variety show special, “A Prairie Home Companion 30th,” Executive Producer on the nationally syndicated series “Million Dollar Idea,” and Executive Producer as well as Director for the feature length documentary “Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks” for HBO, which was nominated for three Emmy Awards,
and an NAACP Image Award. 
Stephenie Rich After working as a marketer in the tech startup world, Stephanie Rich is returning to her journalism roots to launch Starting Up North, a new publication focused on Minnesota. https://www.startingupnorth.com/
Marcq Sung has a background in socially responsible investing, sustainability, public relations and marketing. He is the Director of Business Development for Saint Paul and is certified in economic development finance by the National Development Council and by the ISOS Group in sustainable reporting, as part of their Global Reporting Initiative.
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PitchFest is a free event that will be held on Friday, April 5th, 2019 from 5:00 pm-7:30 pm at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Auditorium 150. There will be free food and refreshments as well as an opportunity for the audiences to help one of the contestants win $1000! 
Register for event at: https://mcad.edu/event/pitchfest
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emmadutton1993 · 4 years ago
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Reiki Power Symbol Amazing Useful Tips
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Even those with more main stream as an entrance for the first task of persuading Ms.NS to undertake the operation, was an eye opener!I just had to find out what the real world meant dealing with other people, just by mind alone but by truly unlocking that door to your needs and intentions, at the information and to speak with many people around the body.A second set of hand on the proxy and the lives of others.There was a spiritual element to this energy for it to bring out the good intentions that come with pregnancy.This is thought that it can be given to all parts of life force energy and can greatly benefit your life.
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Can We Learn Reiki Online
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Sometimes with physical ailments, emotional issues, then this music can take you up to the this type of delineation or hierarchy is incongruent with the rest of his mind's power in the United States, hospitals and hospices also offer energy to the patient an active part in their own thought and is not physically present, and your attunements for a several weeks with no intention other than forming a simple technique to help patients feel more alive.The placement of the treatment practitioner becomes the medium to heal themselves.She tells everyone she meets that she should resume normal activities only after she has long term illnesses, Reiki can be used for the rest of your life.I had a tumor and the healing power of Reiki.Rather a practitioner to transfer the energy continues re-balancing for a specific position of the specialized symbols, and why they have found it to work.
Reiki Master Experiences
Another oddity is the main benefits of Reiki!This energy may well cry all the intricacies of its own, it is exceedingly important that their time and distance.To specialize in any energy healing and restoration to the seven musical notes we excite our chakras.This idea is to attend those classes, you sure can do Reiki for over one area where the fear was not mentally balanced and healthier.This type of cancer at some point later, I read a number of articles related to Reiki practitioners attempt to bring our hands on your way through the equipment used in the comfort of their treatment.
Why should an energy that circulates through their own methods of the potent negative energy to be driven by conscious thought.Babies have their beginnings in psychological stress and anxiety will require your name and will change its life in so many miracles, most of it at the crown of my clients and even from a teachers perspective, how to give or receive the gift of a tree.It utilizes the internal motors, and even offer a chance to tap into the recipient.The Japanese language has no dogma and there is not limited to the support that is compatible with their more conventional approaches because of the first few lessons of Reiki are pronounced differently but have a taste of what else to do.You may be up to $10,000 for Reiki in an unpredictable moment even when they are in harmony with the same purpose - to remove all jewelry and lay on your own home.
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n64josh · 5 years ago
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Winter Play 2020 Impressions
Hands-on with Indies at Winter Play NYC
It’s not always about the big shows. One of the (often overlooked) pleasures to be found in gaming (when the world is not in quarantine) are the local events featuring indie developers and their creations. While many of these are geared towards the developer community, others, such as Playcrafting’s Winter Play NYC Game Expo, are open to the public and offer the opportunity for players of all ages to get hands-on with video, card and tabletop games from a variety of individuals and teams.
The event, which was held at the Microsoft Technology Center in Times Square early last month, gave me a chance to preview games ranging from Switch-bound multiplayer titles to ones that began as projects from this year’s Global Game Jam and everything in between. And while I didn’t have time to play every game appearing at the expo, I did want to share some impressions of the titles that may be of interest to the Nintendo player- and a few more that further convey the nature of the event.
Kung-Fu Kickball
Blowfish Studios
youtube
Everybody was Kung-Fu fightin’! One of the first Switch games I had the chance to try out at Winter Play throws- er, uh, kicks a mash-up of kickball, basketball & Kung-Fu archetypes through the lens of local multiplayer frenzy reminiscent of Smash Bros & Killer Queen Black. In fact, the game’s primary developer, Jonah, mentioned that he was approached by a company to make a physical arcade machine- and that cabinet now stands next to one for Killer Queen Black.
I had a chance to enjoy a couple of rounds- but, then, who wouldn’t have fun playing as an old master kickin’ people around inside a volcano?
Teams of two players face off on large stages attempting to kick the ball up into the opponent’s goal net, using their kung-fury to slow down other players, steal the ball or block shots. A clever teleport dash mechanic, once mastered, helps rapidly navigate back and forth across the court and get ahead of the ball.
Characters have a bit of a floaty feel to them, but in a good way. It helps keep the action frantic and moving while also allowing players to misjudge the angle of a sudden redirection. Those openings can lead to break away moments from the kung-fu hustle and bustle.
It admittedly took me a round to really grasp the controls, through no fault of the game itself. Once I got the hang of the teleport dash and how to kick the ball up into the goal basket, I was quickly kicking the ball free of my opponents and teleporting past them to catch up to it and bring it into the goal area. My efforts were often foiled by static, pinball-like platform placements but I, nonetheless, had a blast leading to my losing-er, uh, unvictorious streak and I’m confident a few more rounds would lead to overcoming those challenges.
Following my less-than-impressive kung-fu career debut, the next group after me was a family with both adults and young children and all four had a good time with energetic enthusiasm during their matches, which bodes well for this title’s family gaming prospects.
After three years of development by primarily one person (with the art and audio contracted out), Kung-Fu Kickball should be hitting the Switch sometime this year.
  Swim Sanity
Decoy Games
youtube
One of the last titles I had the opportunity to try out at the event also gave me some Killer Queen Black multiplayer vibes at first glance, but this underwater competitive adventure/shooter hybrid quickly drowned those comparisons.
Up to four players navigate a side-scrolling arena or stage, shooting down various creatures of the sea with primary and secondary weapons while charging a Smash-like meter that can unleash different special “swimsanity” abilities selected prior to the start of the stage. These swimsanities range from transforming into a shark that can dash attack horizontally across the screen to a piranha that lets you go Pac-Man on hostile soon-to-be-sushi. The different abilities help customize team configurations for co-op play and add variety to competitive rounds.
I first played a horde mode that reminded me a little of an underwater (non-Super) Mario Bros. stage, with various waves of critters emerging onto the level. It made for good targeting practice and a chance to acclimate to the controls.
After that, I swam next door to a second room where the developers had the adventure mode set up and it was here that you really started to realize that the game was meatier than just another single-screen, multiplayer versus game. We played a couple of levels- both featuring our team of four fleeing from a giant threat pursuing us from the left of the screen as we swam through levels, collecting weapons and treasure. The first was a giant killer whale, while the second was a sort of crab tank. Turns out, that apparent safe spot above the chest laser cannon by the crab’s eyes? Not so safe when the crab tank also has laser eyes.
The title’s journey began over a decade ago as a student project inspired by the Game and Watch Gallery game Octopus. Now, after many iterations over the years, it is anticipating a Switch release in 2020.
  Slapdash
Tarraske Digital
youtube
Combining the rapid, angular redirects of Pinball and obstructed goals of Nok Hockey with the team play of an arcade soccer game (and then throwing cats in for good measure), Slapdash is another promising local co-op title that I’m now looking forward to getting my mittens on.
It made me recall the feel of some of the multiplayer party/mini games found in the Super Monkey Ball series, such as Monkey Fight or Monkey Billiards, with ball-shaped cat players ricocheting a ball (and themselves) back and forth across the playing field trying to score points behind the opponent’s goal wall.
While still in the process of refining its visuals (the white face patterns of the different cats currently all tend to blend together, making it very easy to lose track of which player is yours), the gameplay itself is simple, addictive and fun.
Slapdash is aiming for an eventual release on consoles, but no platforms have been officially announced yet.
  Antipole DX
Saturnine Games
youtube
Mega Man-inspired gameplay with an added gravity reversal mechanic? That’s something firmly in my wheelhouse. This remake of the original DSi game features new graphics, sound, music & levels with refinements to the overall gameplay.
The juggling of both your character and enemies with the gravity mechanic is implemented in some tight platforming puzzles and obstacles. The action will definitely scratch an itch for players eager for a game in this genre beyond the Mega Man and Gunvolt series.
While originally announced for 2016 on the Wii U and 3DS (and even included among the 2016 Nindies Summer Jam highlight reel), those versions were never released, despite the game being made with the 3DS in mind. And though a Switch port has become unlikely at this point, players who have been following the game’s development over the past few years can look forward to finally playing it on Steam, PS4 and Xbox One in 2020.
  Lo-Fi Samurai
Pure-238
One of the more unique titles I played was this stylish game that combined rhythmic combat with real-time platforming. You move freely but can only dash or attack enemies to the rhythm beat pattern tracking across the top of the screen. All set against gorgeous retro visuals that are at least partially inspired by Samurai Jack.
I played one of the levels and watched other people play a couple more. It turned out that I am, apparently, really terrible at rhythm games- and it was definitely at no fault to the game’s controls. I found myself trying to overcompensate for missed timings or attempting to spam an attack out of platformer habit, only to extend my cooldown punishment and leading to my inevitable demise. The developer recommended everyone playing play the game with headphones on as the actual music beat helps the player focus on, and attune to, that facet of the game play. I guess I just needed to attune longer.
Despite this newly discovered rhythmic deficiency in my gaming abilities, I found the combination of genres and mechanics really interesting and the overall project to have a lot of promise. It may not have any platform releases scheduled yet, but I think players will want to keep their eye open for it in the event that it achieves one.
  Repear
Fruits & Veggies Games
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A Global Game Jam project from this year providing a cute, simple 2D, split-screen, co-op platformer experience. Players must try to reach one another through a series of puzzles solved through triggers on the other player’s screen. By working together they can achieve that goal.
Though intended for 2 players, I actually got a chance to play it by myself, controlling both characters. As I’m a sucker for dual-screen-type experiences, the added level of challenge involved actually enhanced the experience considerably. The game also has some really beautiful music by Axel Kazis-Taylor that might take you off guard. It goes a long way to show the level of talent and creativity that can emerge for even relatively simple projects mostly made over a single weekend (and less than a month of polish).
  Chromavaders
Corundum Games
youtube
A fun, retro-NES-styled match-3 puzzle game combined with a Space Invaders-style enemy advancement. It may seem pretty straight forward but the block catching/building mechanic provides some interesting variety to strategies you can employ to play it.
You can play it for yourself on the game’s website.
  Hidden Tunes
Rafael Rodriguez
Navigate across all the spaces of an isometric world by queueing up your movements. The paths you take produce tones. Eventually, you can discover the melody needed to progress. A solid foundation for a musical puzzle game that I could see having a place on platforms like the Switch. No word on a release for this project, yet.
  Radarjam
Hamra Digital
youtube
A game in the spirit of Asteroids, but one where the enemies and incoming fire are only seen periodically. I found myself pulling off a lot of aerial drifting and circle-strafing attack patterns, which ended up being pretty fun and helped distinguish the feel of the game from its more familiar progenitor.
  Run & Gun
MHarris Games
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The Tron-like aesthetic used by this multiplayer, arena shooter lends it an instant visual appeal. A wall run mechanic helps add some variety that you might not anticipate with a retro-styled shooter like this. Has potential as a fun testbed as the project evolves. Downloadable from the game’s website, where you can also follow its development as future builds are released.
  PathFinder Pro
Peter Trivelli
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This physics-based puzzle game has you navigating a ball towards contact with a goal by laying down a path piece of piece. Simple in premise but deceptively challenging. The gameplay could easily become addictive.
Available now via iOS Test Flight
  In Before the Lockdown
While the current health crisis will probably keep Winter Play as one of the last local expo events for some time, they’re definitely worth looking into once we emerge from our lockdowns and social distancing and the world begins to return to normal. In the meantime, we can hopefully look forward to more hands-on time with some of these titles as they release on Switch and other platforms.
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factoronto · 8 years ago
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MEET THE ARTISTS FAC 2017: AMANDA ROBERTSON-HEBERT
Amanda Robertson-Hebert is a First Nations multidisciplinary artist studying towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts at OCAD University in Drawing and Painting, with a background in social service work. She is passionate about co-creation and activism through collaborative art projects. Her interests include sexual diversity, intersectionality, gender, women, indigeneity and mental health.
Her work originated with illustrative painting and fashion photography that examined feminine spirituality, the grotesque, difficult moments, and oft not discussed topics of humanity. Her work has recently focused on expressions in abstract painting, mixed media, manipulating photo and sound, video, performance art, zine making, and digital storytelling.
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I Made a Nest Where No Bird Could Ever Rest (2016)
As conveyed in your artist statement, your work examines difficult moments and the often undiscussed topics of humanity. Your work is also a powerful testimony to the themes of reclamation, resistance, strength and reemergence—which you express through autobiographical narratives. How do visual mediums enable you to start dialogues about these undiscussed topics?
The decision to create the way I do is often motivated by experiences that I have gone through. I believe in the idea that we subconsciously channel our psychic states and it manifests in what we create. Inspiration is synonymous with channeling; something metaphysical occurs in the act of making, as body memory is activated and becomes a conduit to deliver a message. Through ritualistic movements, we can enter states of mind, trances or feel the imprint or impression of interconnectedness. What we choose to call this differs from person to person. Creating can come from impulse or as a method to synthesize our experiences—mentally and spiritually—as something takes place where our inner dialogue becomes much louder through forced stillness. It can sometimes be a mode of psychography, if one chooses to develop it.
The psyche and the metaphysical plane are both hard to access with language, as this access occurs primarily through instinct or the senses. We absorb and integrate within our environment in many ways, and at times via our emotional states and recollections. I am interested in somatic psychology, cellular memory, pranic energy, EMDR psychotherapy and its effects on my own personal healing path. The subconscious is so vast that I am likely communicating things in ways that I am not aware. I feel like personal narratives are part of a collective experience that is universal. The concepts in my work are a reaction to the things I see and feel, and I tend to see a lot of systemic inequity and suffering. I see this on a micro scale in my personal inner world, and then outside in my immediate environment and neighbourhood, which is altogether reinforced by larger systems and structures. In conjunction to the body being in relationship to its environment and collective experiences, I also notice that this is true of land, geography and the environment. Histories and deep stories reside within places. Living on colonized land means that a similar intrinsic energy can be tapped into if we investigate what used to be in those places, and not just what exists there now.
I feel illness originates from a sense of isolation. Mental illness can manifest in the body and turn into disease. Our thinking patterns influence our perception of reality. Holistic and indigenous healing models consider our connections to the greater whole. If our systems and structures are sick, our people will therefore also be sick. In the city, we become dissociated because life is modelled around the idea of individuality, where we are far removed from natural processes. The capitalist structure is based on hierarchy, and unequal distributions of power and resources. Community health cannot strive in this model because it requires meaningful relationships and must be engaged with the process of all its functions. It is highly symbiotic. We tend to feel alone in our human experiences, as the western world segregates people. The opposite of isolation is connection; conversations and curated physical spaces facilitate connections. Art is just one of many mediums that facilitate human connection.
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Not Missing, Not Murdered (2016)
My anecdotal sharing is meant to remedy this on a small level. I want to represent those who are silenced. By giving a voice to marginalized experiences and to my own struggles with these systems or personal traumas, I create a platform that represents an alternative perspective. My own feelings of alienation come to mind, as feeling alone has always been thematic of my worst moments. The act of sharing can be deeply therapeutic. Self-expression allows the experience to transmute into an art object or project, and releases the experience from the body. Things can get lodged deeply inside us and get stuck. Emotional processing changes our energy. If the emotions are not processed, they can affect other paradigms, our personal relationships or the choices we make in life. Healing trauma and/or systems works in layers, like an onion. The catharsis of sharing allows someone to remove a blockage so they can see the next layer in the healing process. The digging involved in soul work can be dark and difficult, and a common reaction is to avoid doing that inner work. The same can be said for ignoring inequities found in society. If we don’t allow these perspectives to be heard, one cannot validate that they exist or not. Destigmatizing the human condition challenges and alleviates some of this problem.
What is something you hope viewers take away from experiencing your work?
I hope that my work can transform over time so that each individual piece elicits a controlled response based on the subject matter. My body of work up to this point has been very visceral and raw. When I look back at it, most of it pertains to inner conflict or tension, either through the way I use materials or in the metaphors found in my representational work. I like to think of artworks as a way to tell stories. At the moment, I want to take down the fourth wall and have viewers enter my works and feel them, as though it were happening to them. In this, I hope to create empathy and provide the viewer an entryway to relate to the stories. I think empathy is very important because it can make us kinder and more generous to each other. I strive to create kinship. If something I say or do inspires someone to take risks or empower themselves, I will feel like my artwork has succeeded. If it resonates with someone at all, that is truly great. 
I hope my work evolves to someday address different concepts. I hope that would mean I have resolved something internally. I also hope to reconcile with my cultural identity. It is an ongoing process that I’ve only recently begun, and I already find it hard to embody because it requires a lot of re-integration and rebuilding.
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Reincarnate (2016)
Are there any upcoming projects we can look forward to seeing from you?
I am preparing some work for an exhibit titled “Reciprocal Encounter,” curated by Tori Maas, opening March 9, at Bunker 2, 450 Dufferin Street. The exhibit will be accompanied by a multisensory art book. For more information, check out the Reciprocal Encounter Kickstarter here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/273121130/reciprocal-encounter
I am also preparing work for an exhibit this summer titled “Terra Incognita” that reflects upon the colonial historical narrative of Confederation and the upcoming Canada 150 celebration, put on by OCAD Univeristy’s Indigenous Student Association in collaboration with Artscape Daniels Spectrum. In concordance with OCAD U’s GradEx 2017, the Indigenous Visual Culture Program will be hosting an end of year exhibit running May 1st-7th. The opening reception is May 3, 2017, 113 McCaul, Room 410.
Where can we find you and your work online?
My website is: www.adoresubtract.com
You can also follow my personal Instagram @adoresubtract. I tend to use it as a sloppy personal journal with occasional process photos, so be warned that I’m a bit weird.
Interview and edits by Valérie Frappier, FAC Blogger
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topicprinter · 6 years ago
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Hey /r/Entrepreneur, I’m Denver, aka /u/LoomaHome!I’ve lurked here for a very long time, and being a follower of this subreddit + /r/MaleLivingSpace has been a big part of starting my business, so I’m excited to share.Along with my business partner, Ishaan, I’m a co-founder at Looma, makers of expertly curated and ethically-sourced bedding sets (and more decor stuff soon). We’ve been working on the business for almost a year now and we just launched yesterday!We’ve been on two quests: building a modular ecosystem of bedding and home decor products that fit seamlessly together and figuring out how to sell the softest possible organic, and fair-trade products for half the price of everyone else, and we think we nailed it.One of my favorite things are “How I did it” posts, getting an insider perspective on how Redditors have built their businesses, usually in industries I don’t know anything about. Since /r/Entrepreneur has helped me during this journey, I’d like to lay out my “Mental Framework” for how I approached business, in hopes that it could give someone out there a starting point for chasing their big idea too.But first, a little context, so you know how I got started. Backstory[TL;DR below]After graduating from college, I bounced around between the East and West coasts for different jobs. With every move, I’d go through my stuff and ask, “Is this really worth taking with me?”Usually the answer was “no.” So, I was arriving in my new city with few belongings, which meant I had to start all over to furnish my space. I’d get a few cheap things, live in the new city for a while, take another job offer, move again, leave behind all the cheap stuff, repeat. I absolutely hated redecorating, because it was so hard to make each new place feel like home. First a bedframe and mattress, then sheets, an area rug, side table, desk, wall art, and so on. I was becoming Ikea/Target’s #1 customer. Browsing aisle by aisle had become an obligatory pastime, and I kept asking myself “Why is this such a painful process?” and “How can I find someone else to do this for me?”Around that same time of my bedroom/existential breakdown, I had a month and a half between my move and my job’s start date, so I visited my one of my best friends from college, Ishaan, who’s from India. I had planned on spending a week with Ishaan then tour around to see all of the big sites (obligatory Taj Mahal pic). But instead of touring the country, I was mostly fascinated by Ishaan’s family business. He had gone back after college to run the textile mill his grandfather’s grandfather had started in the 1800s. Coming from a world of corporate offices and Excel spreadsheets, I was fascinated by the processes, the people, and the business behind textiles. Watching raw materials go in one side and finished products come out the other was incredibly satisfying.Back in the US, I was still thinking about that mill, while sitting in my studio apartment filled with hodge-podge decor that never quite right. Like Steve Jobs’ once said in one of my favorite speeches ever, the dots only connect when you’re looking backward. It hit me: What if Ishaan and I started a business that provided modular decor? You pick a theme you like, and then simply buy everything, from sheets to rugs and small decorations, that’s been curated for you in that same theme?Given that Ishaan could manage the raw materials & production aspects, and that bedding is one of the easiest and fastest ways to change the look of an entire room, I figured that bedding would be the logical first step, and then we could expand our offerings from there. I pitched my plan to Ishaan, he was onboard, and Looma was born!TL;DR version: Recent college grad got tired of figuring out how to redecorate every time he moved for a new job. Goes to visit friend in India while between jobs. Finds out friend’s family is in textiles, becomes fascinated by the business. Goes back to the States and starts a company with friend, to help people easily decorate their spaces with curated looks, and figures bedding is a good place to start. Looma begins! Analyzing the MarketWe had a vision for the customer pain point we wanted to solve, but we still needed to figure out exactly where we would fit into the broader market, and how things operate today. We broke down our market research into 3 buckets: supply chain, distribution, and consumer behavior.If you’re wondering where to find this type of info a great start is a google search of: “industry primer”First a size check: We knew the market was big, but not this big. In the US alone, home textiles (bedding, rugs & bath) is a $15 billion market annually.Supply Chain: Despite online & direct to consumer models starting to pop up, we found the vast majority of volume of the global home textile market is via outsourced manufacturing and brand licensing agreements. Much like Luxxotica owns 90% of the eyewear market, the same 4/5 manufacturers own 90% of the brands you’ve bought bedding from. It works like this: Manufacturer A pays Brand X, Y and Z to sell sheets with the Brand X, Y or Z labels on it. Brands love it because its free money for zero effort, but the problem for consumers is that most manufacturers are more concerned with volume than quality, with the overall effect being a reduction in competition – causing prices to steadily rise while quality doesn’t.So I can assure you, Tommy Hilfiger didn’t actually design any beds, someone at Indocount or Himatsingka did.Distribution: The distribution split in home goods is around 75% in-store 25% online, with the online portion growing extremely rapidly (less than 20% of sales 3 years ago). In-store distribution is split between big box brands who wholesale other brand’s products (Target, Bed Bath & Beyond) and specialty retail (West Elm, Crate & Barrel, etc.) who primarily sell their own brand. Online is split between Amazon and independent e-commerce (Brooklinen, Parachute, et al.).Consumer Behavior: Consumers repurchase rates are moderate tending to replace sheets every 18-24 months. There were fewer resources that specifically catalogued consumer behavior when it came specifically to bedding, so we used SurveyMonkey & Google Surveys to gather our own data. Based on our survey work we found that consumers brand recall & brand loyalty is extremely low. The surveys also showed that the future of online sales was bright with over 55% of customers considering purchasing bedding online for their next buying cycle.Our major takeaways from the research were:· The overall market is massive· The supply chain is dominated by incumbents with no incentive to improve quality· Online is the minority today but explodingEach finding pointed to the huge growth prospects for digital-first brands. Despite how overhyped “Millennials are killing [x]” headlines are, new buying habits (online) paired with general distain for the current players means a huge opportunity to cater to consumers in a new way.We want to create a brand that delights consumers, creates loyalty, and will become the no brainer go-to when buying anything for a bedroom. To do that, we know we have to do things that others aren’t. The Business BlueprintPutting the pieces together, we centered everything around one question: how do we delight the new breed of digital-first customers?Product: How do we delight customers with our product?The first step was to think of product as not just the physical goods, but the buying experience too. As I thought about my own hatred for decorating, it really boiled down to not knowing how to put pieces together in a cohesive way. We wanted to bring the same curation & ease-of-purchase focus that is so popular in Apparel (“shop this look”), to home goods. Today, whether it’s online or in-store, most bedding is sold piece by piece in separate sheet sets, duvet covers, comforters, blankets, throws, pillows etc. So we created a product line is focused on bundling and pre-curated bedroom “recipes” that are guaranteed to look good together. By making our product both the physical item and the more streamlined path to purchasing it, we're hoping to set ourselves apart from the average buying experience.Price & Quality: How can we delight customers with high quality materials and a mass market price?The vast majority of people we surveyed were “meh” on their bedding, except the group in the luxury segment. The luxury consumers totally reversed the trend with strong brand recall and loyalty. The takeaway: quality benefits exist, but you have to really spend to get it.So the question was: how to bring luxury bedding quality & loyalty at a price point that the other 98% of the market can afford? Brands like Parachute and Boll & Branch successfully brought Frette quality ($1,200+ sets) to the $450-650 price range by going direct to consumer and cutting out the retail/wholesale markups, but to bring that quality to the $250-$350 price point would require far more than changing sales channels from offline to online.This happens to be our secret sauce. Back to the origin story, Ishaan & his family have been in Textiles for over 100 years. I came to him to ask if it was possible to bring that $1,000 sheets quality to the mass market. The answer was no. Not if we went to the outsourced manufacturers like in-store brands and the other direct to consumer brands like Parachute. The only possible way would be to deal with the farmers growing the ultra-lux organic cotton directly rather than buying from regional or national cotton traders (not an easy task, most organic cotton is grown on small independent farms, so we’d have to reach out to a number of them individually), then we’d have to bring most of the major finishing processes in-house (like spinning the cotton yarn, weaving it, and cutting & sewing it). People outsource for a reason: it’s much easier. But with every outsourced process comes another markup, and we couldn’t afford that.So we followed the plan. We’re bringing the absolute highest quality GOTS Organic, Fair-Trade Certified linens to the market at a price that is literally unbeatable. Check out a quick comparison chart. Our complete foundation set (sheet set + duvet cover) is just $279. Compare that to Parachute at $550 (Organic but not Fair Trade), and Brooklinen at $249 (Not Organic, Not Fair Trade, Value Quality at Premium Price).ChannelWhere to sell? Amazon, wholesale, our own website? Where can we best meet our customer to give them a delightful experience?Right off the bat Wholesale wouldn’t work for us. Typically when brands sell wholesale they have to take a 40-60% cut on their regular retail price. So that effectively means brands that wholesale spend less than 30% of the retail price of the product on the actual materials & construction.Amazon has a ton of benefits, primarily built-in foot traffic. It’s a marketplace with high intent customers that are already searching for bedding and probably already have their payment information saved. On top of that, if you use Fulfilled By Amazon, they take the headache out of shipping. That’s super compelling. On the downside, Amazon takes a fat commission on sales, limits customization of the listing page, knows your exact sales data & popularity (Hello new Amazon Brand in your category), and generally owns the user experience throughout the purchase. In the end it’s something we’re going to continue to consider, but not right for us at this point.So we settled on selling via our own e-commerce website. Pros for us were the ability to customize the user experience with things like style quiz flows, owning all of our user data, and most importantly no marketplace commissions on our sales, but the cost was high, and not for everyone. When choosing independent e-com you have to balance with knowing it’s very expensive to bring traffic to your site, there’s a big upfront cost to developing a scale-ready website, and other headaches like integrating your sales systems with logistics systems. Sourcing & Other ResourcesIn Looma’s case, we haven’t had to search for manufacturing partners the same way most new companies do, but after working with manufacturers for non-core pieces of the business (like packaging) here are my thoughts on sources & best practices for reaching out:Alibaba: There are entire guides for this, but 1) always check how long each supplier has been in business + what their revenue last year was. If it’s less than 2 years old and/or their revenue is under $1 million, that can be a red flag that they’re not a reliable supplier, or too new to know their reputation. There are probably 10 other options in the same category with a more reliable background, reach out to them. 2) Reach out to at least 5 suppliers with your list of requirements for any product you’re looking for – even if you see a listing that looks perfect. A lot can be learned from the speed and level of professionalism in responses. After you narrow down to a few attentive suppliers don’t be afraid to push back on Price or Minimum Order Quantities. These responses are valuable too for determining who might be a good long term partner, not just supplier.IndiaMART: The Alibaba of India. Unfortunately they are much less organized and don’t have an internal chat feature like Alibaba. Be prepared to receive 10s of calls from suppliers if you give them your number. One big upside is that it can be a great place to source if you put in the effort, and a lot of the time I’ve found suppliers on IndiaMart are more willing to lower MOQs for new accounts.PortExaminer.com: While this isn’t a source supplier, you still shouldn’t overlook this resource. This is a bit of an insider secret, but import records into the United States are public record. That means you can look up your competitors and figure out exactly who they’re buying from!Sometimes you can’t find the exact records you’re searching for, but if you can, you can contact the same source suppliers your competitors are using, and ask for quotes for products that are similar to your competitor’s. Once you have a quote, you know how much your competitor is spending to manufacture their product, and you can figure out if you’re able to beat that price, and with higher quality.PackagingThere are two ways to go here. US companies like BoxUp.com, Packlane.com or Lumi.com tend to be expensive, or you could test the waters of direct from China packaging on Alibaba. For the seasoned expert, Alibaba makes sense, but if you’re just getting started, I 100% recommend a more expensive US option who will ensure quality.LogisticsGreat! Now your product is in a cool box, ready to be delivered by...someone. By far, my favorite freight forwarder is Flexport. Hands down the easiest, most intuitive, and modern freight forwarding service out there; I highly recommend them.PlatformFor our eCommerce we decided to use Shopify. They had the lowest barriers to entry and offered acceptable levels of customization.For our inventory management, we chose Ordoro. Shoutout to /u/gdpics from Ordoro for the great customer service! Final ThoughtsWhatever your plans and budget are, know that it will take 3x as long and cost 10x as much. Figure out your costs and estimate your schedule, and then pump it up. Give yourself plenty of buffer, because you will hit unexpected costs and scheduling holdups, and if you’re not prepared, it’ll knock you flat.Have a strong list of advisors and try to get as big and diverse of a roster as you can. I cold emailed so many people I considered to be my “Dream Experts,” but I also reached out to some people who I knew excelled at the lower-level functioning stuff, too.I wrote my emails to these people like, “This is what I’m up to, and this is why I’d love to have your expertise on this.” I was honestly shocked at how many people responded to me, and I now have an incredible board of advisors I can contact about different concerns and questions: Zander Lurie (CEO of Surveymonkey), Kory Stevens (CEO of Taft /u/therealtaftclothing), Brian Magida (Performance Marketing at Warby Parker), and a ton of others. Find those people, show them that you’re serious and know what you’re talking about, and you might be surprised how many of them are willing to help you, if you’re respectful of their time.Founding a company is a mental health game, and you need to take that seriously. Even though I’m technically a co-founder with one of my best friends, he’s on the other side of the world handling logistics over there, so sometimes it can feel like I’m a solo founder. Find someone — preferably a friend who isn’t involved in your business — who is willing to be a listening ear and sympathizer for those moments when you’re overwhelmed.Finally, once you’re at an acceptable level, just launch. You could go bankrupt trying to make everything absolutely perfect. There are still some things about Looma I want to tweak and change, but really, it’s ready for the next phase, so we’re pulling the lever and we’re rolling! /r/Entrepreneur, thanks for listening, and I really hope this was interesting for you guys. Thanks for being such a great community, and please, if there’s anything in this overview that you’d like more specific info on, ask! As for Looma, we launched yesterday on Kickstarter, and we we're already 75% funded!! Go grab an earlybird discount while the stock lasts!
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captainpachacho-blog · 6 years ago
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Never Mess With SEO 2019 And Here's The Reasons Why
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munsal · 7 years ago
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when inside feels outside and outside feels inside
m-est.org, June 2015
Conversation: Nancy Atakan with Merve Ünsal
An earlier version of this text was published in Turkish in Cin Ayşe Fanzin.
“Women, then, stands in patriarchal culture as signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning.” —Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Art in Theory 1900-1990 An Anthology of Changing Ideas edited by Charles Harrison and Paul Wood, Blackwell Oxford UK & Cambridge USA, 1993, p. 964.
Lucy Lippard’s 1974 touring show called “7,500” helped legitimize work by 27 female artists. Even though marginalized in the 1970s, work by such artists Hanne Darboven, Adrian Piper, Laurie Anderson, and Martha Rosler now serve as important models for a later generation of male and female artists. Their approaches that included everyday gestures concentrated on subjective issues about identity.
What was the initial situation in Turkey in regard to the questioning of modernism? Between 1977 and 1987, the Fine Arts Academy within the Istanbul Art Festival agenda sponsored bi-annual exhibitions entitled “Yeni Eğilimler (New Directions).” Many of the artists, even the female artists, who participated in these shows, Şükrü Aysan, Osman Dinç, Serhat Kiraz, Cengiz Çekil, Canan Beykal, Alparslan Baloğlu, Ergül Özkutan, Ayşe Erkmen, Füsun Onur, Gürel Yontan, İsmail Saray, Gülsün Karamustafa, Handan Börüteçene, and Yılmaz Aysan, did not work outside the painting and sculpture tradition, but most of their work questioned modern art theory, experiment with contemporary art approaches, and emphasize idea.
In the 1990s, I did my doctoral thesis about alternatives to painting and sculpture in Turkey. After completing my research, I rejected painting as an acceptable technique while I re-formulated my artistic aims and approach. Perhaps in some respects, as role models, I chose the work of Canan Beykal, Ayşe Erkmen, Füsun Onur, and Gülsüm Karamustafa. Perhaps they were not exactly role models, but female artists about whom I researched before I began to make what I call “Art as dialogue.” These are artists I respect and their existence made me confident that the way I wanted to work was legitimate. While using contemporary modes of communication and envisioning all types of collaboration both for the materialization and presentation of art objects in art events, I took dialogue, human interaction and social context as a theoretical base. I used the term “Art as Dialogue” to describe my way of working. Today I see the art process as a place to ask questions, to solve problems, as well as to create models for working and living together; models for learning to interact, to communicate, to network, to live side by side with polarity and to establish relationships. I see the art space, 5533, which I opened together with Volkan Aslan in 2008 as a continuation of my art practice. I make neon signs, digital videos, photographic work, digital prints, installations, and artist books that explore the relationship between image and word as well as deal with psychological, social, linguistic, gender and personal topics.
I asked an artist from a younger generation, Merve Ünsal, to carry on an email conversation with me about our respective art practices. I was first drawn to Merve’s work during our initial encounter at her 2013 CDA-Projects Grant Lecture Performance, “A text begins and ends.” Our relationship deepened after Özge Ersoy invited Merve to do collaborative work during the spring of 2014 at 5533. At the core of our work, I see numerous similar aims. —Nancy Atakan
Nancy:
I started looking at books I have that mention conceptual art and women. I am wondering if we could focus on a text, a paragraph, or a sentence and come up with something else. Do you have any favorite text about women and conceptual art?
Also, your “Tip-ex” work [1] reminds me of Lawrence Weiner’s square that he dug into the wall. Wherever he dug and wherever you wrote the results are always different. Also, there is the trace of handiwork in both. And of course you chose a white square, sort of Malevich, but you use an everyday material that is sort of out of date and more from the 60s or 70s. These are just things that popped into my mind.
Then your work about the idea of measuring Istanbul Modern with lipstick and with no documentation but just a security guard as witness [2], I want to think more about this.
I like this idea of a dialogue.
I also like the use of Cin Ayşe [as a platform] because it was Cin Ali (masculine) teaching generations to read and this is like its imagined feminine. Conceptual art was masculine and about language but we transformed it… or did we?
Merve:
I think a lot about the relationship between conceptualism and femininity and what that means. Whether there can be masculine or feminine art and what we think about the gender, the age of the person who made the work when we look at something. And I also wonder how this ties into the way we think and do things, as in, the way we code gender before even producing it.
I do really like this idea of dialogue as well and perhaps it can be in the form of these e-mails edited somehow, going back and forth. We can set certain parameters.
Nancy:
I am most interested in your work for 5533 entitled “Almost done.”
You did it exactly one year after Gülçin Aksoy and I did our 5533 project that we called “While thinking about all of this…” [3]  I see that you are extremely focused and minimal when you materialize a project. Gülçin and I cannot seem to be. We understand each other but our work spreads and meanders like oil.
Merve:
I criticize myself often for exactly the same reasons that you mentioned as I feel that I cannot just let go and be a free artistic spirit. Perhaps we could start with the relationship between process and product and what that means for our mutual practices?
Nancy:
This is interesting. You made me realize that I criticize myself for lack of focus. I always do too much, have too many levels, too many thoughts, too many ideas, and I want to keep everything; elimination to just the essential, minimal is next to impossible. I praised in your work, I admire, what I see as my lack.
The relationship of process and product. I am definitely strong on the process side of this equation. I did my masters degree in psychology. I had to conduct “scientific” research projects and take statistics. What did I learn? That for me these tools and methods don’t work. I want to understand, but intuitively, through my own personal process of investigation that includes random encounters. While writing my thesis I discovered philosophy. As I live from day to day, as I read, listen, hear, feel, experience, walk, etc. questions arise. The question may appear new, but it is generally connected to an ongoing theme, but I can only see that later. Many questions start from a gut feeling. Do I find answers…generally I do not but I learn a lot as I deal with the process of questioning. And nothing is linear, nothing proceeds from “a” to “b”. It goes “a” to “u” back to “c” and then another look at “a.” I collect a lot of data, nothing systematically. I chance upon an article in a book that I just happened to pick up. A friend asks me to accompany her on a trip and it all of a sudden brings with it the visual images I needed.
This process can take years. This is the fun part.
Then to transform all my data into a form into a product involves for me a lot of work and sleepless nights. It is painful and not fun at all. How to zoom in? How to focus? How to simplify from all the clutter and noise in my head? Generally, I begin by talking with one or two artists I admire and trust. I can talk with many, Gül Ilgaz, Gülçin Aksoy, Ipek Duben, Volkan Aslan, Kalliopi Lemos.  My family, my sons, daughter in laws, husband until they get tired of my “sharing.” I talk with friends too. Procrastination? Perhaps. Slowly a route appears. A lot of experimentation, many failures, much frustration, but finally a solution, perhaps.
There is so much involved. Everything very complicated. I can use whatever material or methodology I find necessary but I quit painting in 1990 and I do not plan to use that “male” dominated methodology again, but drawing is okay.
Merve:
I have a tendency to think in terms of words, situations, scenarios, abstractions rather than images. Although I come from studio photography and art history, I have always thought of what I wanted to in terms of language rather than in terms of the image. I remember juxtaposing negatives (“sandwiching” negatives) with predetermined formulas rather than just printing them, when I first started to make photographs. In this sense, I make rather than find or create. I think there is somewhat of a distinction there.
I like distilling ideas to the point they are pulp. I don’t have an experiment-based process or rather, I really don’t experiment with materials in the traditional sense. My work is primarily based on gestures, whether this is a gesture of doing something or making something—they are one and the same to me, action and product.
Could you draw a map of your process?
Nancy:
First of all, thinking in terms of words rather than images is fascinating. I ask myself if I do the same. The answer is sometimes. Sometimes I start from words and sometimes from images. That is why I have sometimes explored the relationship between word and image. When is image in control? When is word in control? Can they be equal rather than one being a support to the other? Then there is translation, can one be translated into the other? Is something always lost in translation? This line of experimentation can go on and on and runs throughout my work. If you do not understand a language, then words become an image. It seems to me that Turkish is mathematical and logical while English is pictorial.
Make, find, create…yes make is the right word, but I may make from things I find by re-arranging, transposing, connecting, eliminating, translating, combining etc. Nothing is created out of nothing.
Action and product are one in the same sometimes for me but not always. Most of the time not, but yes if it is a performance like ” I believe I don’t believe” or the performance I did with Gülçin Aksoy at 5533 last year or even “Silent Scream.”
Now draw a map! A map means moving up and distancing and distilling and abstracting and then naming. It is easier for me to tell a story. But idea would be in the middle and then there would be moving outwards in all directions. Sometimes ending, sometimes converging. It would look like the grounds in a coffee cup ready for fortune telling. There would be roads, flights, things, random planning, a lot of sprawl like Istanbul. This would be the process map… then we would have to put a piece of transparent paper on top to select what will be used for production. Everything must be drawn in pencil because there would be a lot of erasing.
In reality, I only have a few central themes that I investigate over and over but in different ways. I want to understand myself, my environment, lived experience… I am continuously in search of a role model, a female role model. I investigate women who have influenced my life to understand them and myself. The women from the early Turkish Republic fascinate me. They were between two cultures, two languages, looking for role models in a male dominated world. They took their fathers as role models and their mother’s disappeared. Luce Irigaray’s writings have helped me think about our lack of female role models. I ask where is our pink goddess where are our female heroes. And then when we come to language there are other issues… Like Julia Kristiva wrote, functioning in a world using a language other than your mother tongue is like continually having a fist shoved down your throat.
Do you have central themes that you return to over and over?
Merve:
I also think a lot about the idea of transliteration. From what I know or understand, translation is between languages whereas transliteration acknowledges from the beginning that the two things that you are going between are essentially different forms. I have noticed that I use transliteration quite often in my writing and I think a lot in terms of transliteration as well. A sentiment or a sensation or a situation gets transliterated into a work, sometimes. Hale Tenger’s image of the balloons that you shoot at in Kadıköy come to mind, recently shown at Depo. It is about that feeling of walking by the people who market the shooting with their colorful balloons and their perfect mis-en-scene and that wistfulness. Perhaps I’m being sentimental, but I do think a lot about that going back and forth between the image and language and what happens in between and how, when this transliteration works, it just works and you’ve got it.
In terms of themes, one of the things that I wonder about often is the functionality of the art and the artist. There is the concept of “arte util” as developed by Tania Brueguera that I was exposed to recently, a tongue-in-cheek take on what it means to make functional, useful art. While I think this is a very important definition, my thinking veers into the direction of what it means to make art and where that action begins and ends. When you look at gesture-based things, such as cleaning the front steps of a museum, there is also a very useful element that would not perhaps fall into the category of arte util. The functionality of the artist is something that is inherently linked to the idea of functional art but that also is my research on what it means to be an artist—as studio practices disappear, what defines our role or profession? Is it some sort of glorified amateurism? Is it a visual way of thinking? Is it about research?
I also wonder the point you made about role models and their importance in your practice – role models are crucial for anybody’s personal, professional, emotional development, but how do you provide a fertile ground on which artists and women can find their role models? Especially in an under-historicized context like Turkey, I find it very important to see more of women of older generations, specifically within the art context, speaking up about their experiences of making work, and just being.
Nancy:
I love your bringing everything down to pulp possibly because it is something that I cannot possibly manage, but you have brought in another element (one that I think is particularly feminine) of collaboration (işbirliği).[5]
While Gülçin Aksoy and I are more sprawling and never can bring things down to pulp, our collaboration about research based art and the contrasting global value placed on humans and objects and their ability to travel could be seen in juxtaposition with your exhibition. We have this messy circular way of working and experiencing and traveling around while working and understanding.  In our own way we made a tautology in that we illustrated research based art while it was being discussed in a panel.
Merve:
I love that you call it a tautology as your practice seems to be built outside of tautologies and major statements; I don’t by any means say this to mean that there are no statements. On the contrary, the statements are there and are repeated through your practice, rather than becoming the kind of statement that becomes hollow with repetition.
All exhibitions mimic maps in my mind, somehow. There are different coordinates, paths around the same idea, or a cluster of ideas, that you try to drive home in the form of an exhibition. An exhibition is a sentence while a work is like a one-word poem—it’s possible to write a one-word poem but there is something also so alluring about sentences or clusters of words…
Merve:
One thing I forgot to mention in a previous e-mail is the idea of collaboration, which is also very dear to my practice, but not directly for my art works. It’s also very significant, for me that we somehow met through 5533 and now this collaboration is taking on other forms. My collaboration with Özge is central to everything that I do, whether this is her curating my exhibition or our writing together or just thinking together. I wonder what this means to collaborate with a curator rather than another artist?
Nancy:
In conclusion I will write:
As shown in our “art as dialogue email conversation”, with our art practices, Merve and I strive to become our own “makers of meaning” in our gestures and our working process, as we both present with equal importance our writing about art, our art-based research about translation and transliteration, our emphasis on collaboration, our fascination with words and our use of dialogue.
Endnotes:
[1] 1 m x 1 m, Tip-ex on wall, applied in situ, 2014. Tip-ex is applied directly to the wall. The emphasis thus becomes the contribution to a group exhibition, putting something on the wall that is similar in size to everything else that is exhibited, which cannot be moved. The work has been realized twice so far, for the first time in 5533 and the second time in Galeri Zilberman, both in Istanbul.
[2] Unrealized performance proposal, 2014. The proposal is to measure the periphery of the Istanbul Modern building with a lipstick. The unit of measurement is thus not centimeters, meters, yards, or feet, but a lipstick. I use one tube of lipstick and the whole periphery of the building will be measured, including the private areas and the dock. This performance is to be realized once, not to be recorded, and in the presence of a security guard if needed.
[3] Aksoy and Atakan co-produced an artwork “Retaining People, Circulating Objects”, at 5533. After researchıng types of power systems that control human interaction and mobility, Aksoy and Atakan problematize the often insurmountable barriers non-westerners face with movement restrictions. Parallel to this, they invited Prof. Dr. Leyla Neyzi (researcher, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sabancı University), Asena Günal (ProjectCoordinator for Depo), Merve Elveren (Research and Programs at SALT), Ayfer Karabıyık (Doctoral student at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts) and Filiz Avunduk (program director 5533) to discuss related issues and investigate different artistic research-based approaches. During the discussion, Aksoy and Atakan demonstrated artistic research in real time.
[4] I [Nancy] find it paradoxical that these images, Ingres’s 1908 oil portrait of Francois Marius Granet and a 1930 snapshot of an Istanbul lady, resemble one another. With this work I point out that trying to be someone we are not, trying to become Western when we are not, trying to be Eastern when we are not, trying to be western when we are not, imitating the “other” without understanding, trying to fit into an alien environment, only brings sadness and melancholy and confusion.
[5] The work plays on the word for collaboration in Turkish. Literally broken apart into two parts, ʻişbirliğiʼ can be read as ʻiş birliğiʼ, which means the oneness or unity of work. Putting the ʻonenessʼ into parantheses, the word ʻişʼ, meaning ʻworkʼ is left outside, referring to the art work itself. The first edition of this work was initially produced for Özge Ersoy, a frequent collaborator. The work is an endless edition, produced upon demand.
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sliceannarbor · 8 years ago
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Steven Mankouche
Architect Co-founder Architectural Research Collaborative  Detroit, Michigan archolab.com
Photo by Travis Williams
Steven Mankouche is an architect and co-founder of the Architectural Research Collaborative (ARCHOLAB), a cross-institutional collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University [based in Ann Arbor, Michigan] which brings architects together with disciplines such as art, robotics, filmmaking, advocacy, activism, and farming. The Collaborative has worked on a wide range of projects, including digitally fabricated steam bent wood structures, robotically applied plaster, and game strategies for enabling marginalized youth to participate in designing architecture. The team’s recent project, building an underground greenhouse on the foundation of a derelict home in Detroit, was featured in The Atlantic in 2016, in a piece titled, Turning Detroit’s Abandoned Homes Into Greenhouses: A New Kind of Neighborhood Regrowth. Steven is the recipient of numerous accolades including Architect magazine’s 2010, 2013, and 2014 R+D Awards and 2013 Progressive Architecture Award; three Boston Society of Architects Un-Built Architecture awards; and the Young Architects Award from the New York Architectural League. He also serves as associate professor of architecture at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where he teaches architectural fabrication and construction. Steven’s work has been exhibited in the Netherlands at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven; Hilversum Museum; International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam; Architectural League of New York; Spaces Gallery in Cleveland; Scripps College in Clermont California; Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids; and U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor. He earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in architecture at Cornell University, and RIBA Part One at the Architectural Association in London. When Steven is not working, you can find him playing with his son Ezra. He resides in Indian Village, Detroit, with his partner and collaborator Abigail Murray, a ceramicist, and their son.
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FAVORITES
Book: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Architectural work: Boromini’s San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane
Motto: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can,” said the little blue engine.
Destination: Roma
THE QUERY
Where were you born?
In a small town called Glyfada, south of Athens, Greece, but I grew up in Milan, Italy.
What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?
Darkroom photography. I still love the limits, feel, and depth of black and white gelatin silver prints and salt prints. Growing up in the summers I would go sailing with my neighbor in the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.  
How did you come to realize your intrigue with architecture and design?
I grew up surrounded by iconic design and incredible architecture, but like many of my compatriots, I was blind to the environment I grew up in. It was only when I left, and as an exchange student in Kyoto, Japan, that I realized what I was photographing was mostly architecture.
Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?
Architecture is all encompassing. It is both pragmatic and wondrous. It affects us every day. It is both about us and for us. I feel it is where I am from and where I belong.
When and how did you get your start in the profession? 
After graduating from college, I worked in a number of practices: two years in New York, and five years in Aspen. At the same time, I experimented with a variety of crafts: glass slumping and casting at Urban Glass in New York, and furniture-making in Colorado. I wanted to explore architecture at both a cultural and material level, but at the time that was difficult for me to do though client-based work. So I started building furniture, which led to a residency fellowship at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. There, I built my first body of work which took me to Buffalo for a teaching appointment at SUNY, and then to Stuttgart for a residency at Schloss Solitude, which subsequently led me to Michigan. Serendipitously, my partner, artist Abigail Murray, started on a similar route. She moved from Colorado, where we met, to Alfred, New York, and we were able to work together on and off ever since.
How would you describe your creative process as you begin a project?
I like to question simple assumptions, to make conceptual leaps, and to draw parallels. For example… plaster is a material that has been used by architects from the beginning of civilization. It was a fundamental learning tool and decorative material during the Beaux Arts, yet today you will have a hard time finding a “plasterer” in your town. Why is this? There are many reasons related to the economy, trade practices, advent of modernism, and even to fire safety and building code issues. This question led me to rethinking whether contemporary technology, such as the five axis robotic arm, could be used to rethink plaster today - not through a nostalgic lens, but to develop new forms and new construction practices. I strongly believe in spatial and material diversity in different environments, styles, and types of architecture.
What led to the decision to put ARCHOLAB on the map in 2010?
Over the years, I found myself collaborating not only with Abigail Murray, but with a number of individuals that, like her, had their own careers and expertise. Some collaborations did not endure, but many did. Joshua Bard, architecture faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, Matthew Schulte, Abigail Murray, and I were working a lot together and independently and needed a common name to call ourselves. We decided to form the Architecture Research Collaborative (ARCHOLAB). Since then other collaborators have joined, such as Andy Malone, a game designer and artist; Travis Williams, a recent architecture graduate; and Jono Strut, designer and founder of Section Cut.
How would you describe the mission/philosophy of the Collaborative?
ARCHOLAB brings architects together with other disciplines such as art, robotics, activism, filmmaking, advocacy, and farming.  Our work focuses on two primary disciplinary concerns: the ability of people to construct their own environments; and understanding the relationship between history, technology, materials, and labor. We are interested in developing design strategies and methods for enabling public participation in the design of their built environments. ARCHOLAB uses digital technology to revisit and revive lost historic construction methods and sustainable practices. One driver behind our work is the understanding that pre-electrification technologies, while being craft-intensive, are also most often centered around natural, low carbon footprint materials that are less predictable than highly industrialized materials. We are interested in why certain materials and methods are no longer in use and what drove them into extinction. 
What has challenged you most in this new endeavor?
It is challenging to understand the nature of collective work. We like to tell stories about individuals. Even though we formed this collective group to bring everyone under one umbrella, our work is often attributed to one person more than another. For example, this interview is focused on me, yet the work of ARCHOLAB is only partly mine and would not exist without he synergy of collective work and the sharing of ideas. 
How did the concept for your project, Afterhouse, come to fruition?
It was Abigail Murray’s idea. She was researching passive solar greenhouses, such as the Aymara Walipini, a subterranean solar greenhouse, and thought it would be a great way to build such a structure in Michigan. Rather than digging a hole in the ground, she suggested reusing the existing foundation of a derelict house in Detroit. As we were searching for the ideal location in the city, we were introduced to artist Andy Malone, who joined our group and donated 3347 Burnside to create Afterhouse. From there, a large number of friends and collaborators, including Travis Williams, Jono Sturt, Andre Thompson, Jamin Townsend, and many more helped shape the project.
What is the significance of this model/project?
Afterhouse is a semi-subterranean passive solar greenhouse built on the foundations of a derelict house. While having a pitched roof with the same angle as the other homes, its geometry is pivoted so that the ridge faces due south. This gives Afterhouse a more contemporary and complex geometry, while staying within the bungalow vernacular. Unlike many urban greenhouses that focus on food production and are often of a large agricultural scale, Afterhouse fits into its dense neighborhood context. It is less about food production and more about embracing food culture, extending the seasons in Michigan, and a place for neighbors to enjoy architecture both inside and out. As a passive solar greenhouse our idea is to plant varietals that grow just south of Michigan, including pomegranates, pistachios, figs, and rosemary that die in our winters. But really, for us, the project has been primarily about building something beautiful and working with amazing people.
How does it feel to be an important part of Detroit’s emerging urban farming culture?
Before we received a KIP D grant from the Kresge Foundation, Afterhouse was simply a volunteer-built project. We raised money for materials through some crowdsource funding and worked with friends, friends of friends, neighbors and neighbor friends. We also met urban farmers who helped in so many ways. The Kresge funding allowed us to pay people for their work and hire professionals from many aspects of the project. It also allowed us to experiment with materials in unusual ways. We used the Shou Sugi Ban technique of burning wood to side the Afterhouse with hardwood milling scrap. We also worked with artists at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Pewabic, and William Hedgspeth, a local mason to develop a glaze and build an interior thermal wall made of reclaimed brick. As we begin to start planting the project this spring, we have also met numerous urban farmers interested in developing their own Afterhouse, and that is really exciting.
What do you consider the importance of employing public participation in your designs?
There are different ways people can participate in projects. For Afterhouse, many people helped and are continuing to help physically to build the project - neighbors, some hired, and others volunteered. When that happens everyone shares a sense of ownership in the project. This support not only generates excitement and creates new friendships, but also improves the work through group conversations when the project is facing a hurdle, be it a design moment or a more practical one. We have also worked with young people in Manhattan who wanted to design a retreat on a cauliflower farm in the Catskills, a project called Project Reach: the Farm. In that project we developed a series of board games to enable non-architects to participate in the design process.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Contradictory: rough and refined, smart and stupid, bright and dull, natural and artificial. I look for contrast, but in subtle ways. For example, I like all kinds of good food, but I am most interested in knowing how things are made at their origin and through their re-adaptation.
Is there a project that has presented an important learning curve?
Certainly Afterhouse has been the project. Building something full-scale, working with different ordinances, and learning new techniques while maintaining energy has been both the challenge and reward.
What is the function of digital technology in your methods and practices?
To do things that cannot be done by hand. I am not interested in the optimization aspects of technology, nor in it replacing human craft. I see it as a collaborator, a different way of constructing something new that is at the same time totally familiar. Non-human motivated complexity and algorithmic architectural productions where a person is put there for “scale” bore me.
Who in your life would you like to thank, and for what
Abigail, for always asking the tough questions and inspiring me, and Ezra, our son for making every day delightful.
Do you have a favorite architectural/design resource that you turn to? 
Diderot’s Illustrated Encyclopedia
What three things you can’t live without?
La Pavoni Espresso maker, a Japanese saw, and paper.
From where do you draw inspiration?
Mostly from everyday people, friends, and loved ones.
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