Fireside Chat

Artist Statement

            Everyone has a story to tell. No story is the same, and every story carries it’s own meaning. For this Fireside Chat I chose to share some of the stories that are so close to me, and how music has helped me to get through these moments in my life. I believe that music can be a channel for our emotions.

In class we did not have any specific readings, but we did view some media that helped us to get an idea of what to do. In class we watched a clip from the TV show Mad Men, which showed the personal connection photographs and the product Carousel had to his own life. Like him, I took songs that were written for anyone, anywhere, and applied them to my life and me specifically. Making this connection made it possible for me to take this normally generalized media, and make it into something that is more poignant for myself.

In the movie Silver Lining’s Playbook, a young woman named Tiffany struggles with the loss of her husband, and tries to find a way to cope with her issues. She becomes heavily immersed in dance, even to the point where she pulls a very reluctant (and issue plagued) man named Pat into the routine with her. The dancing becomes a sort of escape for them, and helps them to deal with the many problems they are facing. Music had a similar effect on me, and helped me to move past the different challenges I was facing.

When preparing for this assignment, I thought a lot about how I should present the idea. I wanted everyone present to feel comfortable with me sharing these stories from my life, and I wanted to convey the idea that everyone was my friend and we were simply having a conversation about my life. I wanted this because I felt that when I would have problems in life, the best thing I found I could do was to sit down and talk it out with a close friend. It is because of this that I chose to sit on a stool and talk to everyone unscripted. I also chose to not play any of the music because I felt that it would take away from that heart to heart feel and become too much like a presentation. Although at times when talking with friends you could show them a song, I felt that a dramatic reading of the lyrics would be much more effective.

My life hasn’t always been a perfect story of success and popularity, but I’ve been able to find the best parts of my worst moments, and find the joy of life within them. Even if I’m left out at a dance or dressed up like a dweeb for a Harry Potter premiere, I know I can still conquer life by seeking out the things that allow me to have an emotional release. Music is powerful and my life has become indebted to its power.

Concerned Citizen

Artist Statement

It's hard to feel that the arts are slowly filtering out of the school system when you live in Provo, Utah. Music especially seems intrinsic in the Mormon culture, with every other child able to play the piano or sing angelically. However, more and more arts education is leaving mainstream school systems in favor of more "practical" skills such as sciences or athleticism.
In our reading in class this week, it says "Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefit." It continues on to discuss the progression of cultural rights in general and their ability to allow self-expression in ways that make sense to us. However, if this cultural and media-literacy is to disappear from schools, that ability to express in any particular medium that might benefit one specific person the most deeply will disappear. For example, in this class I often find myself frustrated by my lack of previous instruction and skill, and if I had come into it with more outside knowledge, I might feel more prepared to tackle these projects. However, with my limited arts education, despite extracurriculars all through grade school, I still find myself unable to express the intentions of my mind.
While this is a very concentrated example, and many people are not arts-minded and would be frustrated in an educational system that forces any sort of medium down their throat they aren't naturally comfortable with, the exposure to this kind of culture can only benefit students as a whole. Though perhaps a general knowledge of classical music or historical paintings won't help a surgeon as he operates, it just might allow him to put a family at ease with small talk using such facts that are separate from the medical situation entirely. The knowledge of these artistic pieces can create an empathy that a scientific background alone could not possibly allow.
Our concerned citizen, Daysha Lassiter, speaks about her worries of an ever-shrinking emphasis on the importance of arts educationally, specifically that of music education. As a junior in her pursuit of a Bachelor's degree in music, she speaks of the benefits she sees in musical education on students as an emotional output that would be deprived in an artless education. Multiple scientific studiesback up her theory on the benefits of musical education especially, showing increased test and language scores for those who participate in musical endeavors as well as the typical school work. We felt this issue was incredibly relevant, and Daysha's conviction was powerful enough to adequately address this issue.
When we filmed Daysha, we didn't want to focus on much other than her and the little pieces of her through her surroundings. Like with "Rusty" that we watched in class, we wanted the focus to totally on her, and felt her words were more important than any sort of film picture could be. We didn't want to over pack it with b-roll footage that might cause wandering concentration, and felt using primarily establishing personality shots did more towards that than some of the other clips we had would.
Though large scale political movement may not be possible, many people like Daysha are urging for the return to funding and aiding arts programs.  VH1, a cable TV channel devoted to music, has created the Save the Music Foundation which provides educational and scholarship opportunities for children unable to find it in their local schools. Through these movements and those that continue to come with increased passion and public movement, we might be able to bring arts education in its entirety to schools.

Protest Poster

Artist Statement

          For years, Americans have had a dark and gloomy picture of hunger and pain hanging over the image of the African continent. Commercials, blogs, and websites all add to the thunder clap that booms so steadily from the dark skies of American’s African imagination. While the issues they discuss are real, Africa is not a land doomed to overcast skies. There is a bright light that shines steadily, and the light emanates from none other than the land and people themselves.

          In my protest poster I explored this idea that Africa is a land void of happiness. In class we watched a talk given by Chimamanda Adiche, exploring this same idea. I was heavily influenced by this talk because I too have lived in Africa and understand some of the reactions she described in her talk. A more poignant example she described was while she would discuss with her college roommate. Her roommate was astounded by her native language and was amazed by the fact that she knew who Mariah Carey was. I felt that this lopsided perception is prevalent with the majority of Americans, and felt the need to explore it more fully.

          In preparation for this project I sought out some of the media that is fueling this gloomy idea. I found a website called “Save Africa’s Children,” that is a non profit organization made to help the suffering children. Their homepage is smothered with pictures of young children with tears in their eyes and unhappy countenances. One of the pictures that caught my eye clearly was a young baby looking directly into the camera with the words “Give Hope, Give Faith, Give Life, and Help Save Africa’s Children, Give Now” bordering his face. Another piece of media I found was a series of commercials done by the organization “Save the Children.” Their commercials focused in on a single child, sharing his name and where he was from, while quiet serene piano music is heard with the voice of a narrator glazing over the images. Finally, I found a CNN article titled “Why Africa Still Needs Aid” by Bob Geldof. At the top of the article is a picture of many people gathered around a well to fetch water, and the artist of the piece adds to this image by giving us several statistics about African life, such as “40 percent of Africa’s one billion population still live on $1.25 per day or less.”  While it would be impossible for me to argue and try to say that these organizations or viewpoints or not valid, I can say that they are not the whole truth.

          In my piece of selected several pictures showing the natural beauty of the African land. Beautiful waterfalls and rivers dot the land, while the sunsets cast a blanket of peace across the countryside. In the background of the pictures, I included one of a river with miles of crops growing on its banks. Agriculture is one of the most lucrative businesses in Africa, and millions of people benefit from their own gardens every single day. From this many people have their own source of food, and while they aren’t eating steaks, they are eating. I also included several pictures of happy people, especially happy children. Anyone who has stepped foot on the continent has instantly fallen in love with the pure innocence and happiness of the children. I picked these images to capture this notion. Although millions of children die to malaria and other diseases each year, millions more live and become respected members of their various communities. At the center of the poster I placed a clock tower found in Bo, Sierra Leone. Often when Americans imagine Africa, they instantly think of half naked people running about with spears, living in huts. Africa has several large cities and is developing its infrastructure. The clock tower is a symbol of that progress. I also placed a picture of the sprawling city of Freetown, Sierra Leone in the background near the top. The city is filled with clubs, supermarkets, restaurants, and is home to over a million people. The people you find there are vibrant and full of life.

          When I posted this image on Facebook, many people responded in a positive manner. One comment made was, “the world makes you think that Africa is a different place and that a people without much fiscal sustenance must have horrible lives and can't enjoy life without money and technology.” Another person who had also lived in Africa said of the poster, “It is showing your definition of paradise. Paradise is happiness, children, smiles, and enjoying the moment. Happiness is enjoying your surroundings. You don't need money or fame to be in paradise. I agree with you. I have never been with a happier people or been happier myself. Paradise.” It’s important to understand that there isn’t one side to this complex group of people.

          In conclusion, it is very clear to me that there is much more to Africa than dying children and tribes of primal hunters. It is a growing civilization that is ripe with booming modernism and  happy people. While there is still much to improve in the land, we mustn’t forget that there are millions of people who are happy with the lives they have, and happy with where they are going. 

Webspinna Battle

Elephant Love Medley (25 seconds)

Bon Jovi - You Give Love a Bad Name

L.O.V.E. - "Stop Seeing Each Other" 500 Days of Summer

Love Story/Love Quotes

Cee Lo Green - Forget You

Close Your Eyes x Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You (1:04)

The Notebook Love Scene
The Notebook Break Up Scene

Plain White T's - Hate

Titanic/Gone With the Wind themes - The Dark Night "I hated my father" & Indiana Jones - "I hate snakes"

Titanic "I'm flying" x JoJo - Leave (Get Out)

A Thousand Years

Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone

Pride & Prejudice

Ted How I Met Your Mother - "Winning this break up"

 "All you need is love." According to The Beatles, our lives are complete the moment we have obtained the highest point of a relationship-- love. But according to the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi, "it must needs be, that there is opposition in all things." How could we ever have love if we never had its petulant arch nemesis, hate? By exploring the contrast of these two opposing principles, we can find ourselves feeling the love, or burning with hate.

       In class we explored some different pieces of media to really exploit these contrasting characteristics. One piece we explored in class was DJ Spooky's "Rhythm Science." In his piece he took a group of random words and had them correlate in a not so linear way. He took different words, such as "Cool, Theater, The Idiot, and Vector," and put them all in the same space. By definition, none of these words really have any correlation with each other. The difference in this piece is that although they are not similar in definition, they are all linked by their occupation of space. They have all been placed together to convey a meaning. The meaning that came to us was pure confusion. In the Webspinna battle, we took a vast variety of media that came from all different sources, and put them in one place to cause some confusion. Is it a song of love? Or a song of hate? The contrasting elements come through and disorient any idea of a linear narrative.

       One example of these contrasting and disorienting pieces happened in the middle of our battle. "Close Your Eyes," a soft sultry ballad sung by the heartthrob Michael Buble was thrown to the wall by the harsh vocals from the band Three Days Grace in the song "I Hate Everything About You." While you were beginning to orient yourself in the milky twilights, you were quickly pulled in a different direction completely. 

        Another source of media that conveys this confusion is the piece Marie-Thérèse au béret rouge et au col de fourrure by Pablo Picasso. When you first begin to view the piece, you can see the expression is one of complacency, but as you continue to stare that idea is moved around and morphed into the chaos Picasso is so famous for. It's even hard to tell what emotion the person is trying to portray. At an initial glance you may see it as something mundane, but as your eyes shift you see traces of sorrow. It is just as the battle we held-- should you feel happy or sad?

            In our battle we wanted to explore different perspectives of love and hate. We brought in scenes from The Notebook, Moulin Rouge, and Titanic to show people expressing their love in different ways. Then we contrasted that with break-up scenes from the same movies. When romantic love is torn because of mis-communication or offense hate surfaces. The song, “Close your Eyes” shows the romantic magic of love and “Love Me Do” shows the fun, happy, dancy side of love. Taylor Swift explores immature teenage love while LOVE from Frank Sinatra sings the classic, mature love. And most of the hate songs reveal broken hearts. We wanted to visually represent these songs through our dress. Love is more pure so Chad wore white with a full heart on his chest. Hate is darker, so Hunter wore black with a broken heart on his chest. Most hate starts with broken hearts. Everyone needs to be loved, if someone is not, hate can develop.

       The battle of Love vs. Hate is legendary and will never cease to occur. While we make our way through our lives we'll find ourselves flip flopping between the two as we attempt to orient ourselves to the proper side. Until then we will continue to be at war.

World Building

Artist Statement

• Before a baby learns to talk, they smile. Body language is a major part of human interaction that begins at infancy. In the world of Dancetopia, the only way by which people communicate is through body language. Dance is the sole form of self expression citizens use to interact with one another. Analyzing this aspect of Dancetopia causes one to reflect on communication on Earth. Dance and body language is an integral facet of communication on Earth, a fact that is made clearer through the exploration of Dancetopia. Throughout Earth's history, political gestures have been made popular by the leading figures of government. Dancetopia also features politicians with their own particular political gestures. The first scene in our short film is a presidential debate between two candidates – a strictly conservative female candidate and a passionately liberal male candidate. The conservative candidate has very closed-off and concise movements that are symbolic of her belief in having less taxes. The other candidate, however, demonstrates free, open movements that represent his willingness to happily be taxed and give in order to benefit of others. In the country of Germany on planet Earth, Adolf Hitler required the Nazi salute to be performed by his citizens to indicate their loyalty to him. Richard Nixon used the V for victory sign as a trademark of his. The presidential debate scene in the short film prompts one to reflect on how Earth politicians have used physical movements to rally their supporters and sway public opinion. In Dancetopia, citizens are either of the upper class, the lower class, or the religious class. Those in the religious class differentiate themselves from society by physically altering their appearance. Religious Dancetopians dress all in white, decorate their forehead with a spiral, and move in a manner in which their bodies are directed either towards or in submission of the heavens. Religious people on Earth have similar practices. Jewish people wear prayer shawls to demonstrate their faith in God. Some Hindu people place a bindi ion their forehead to protect against demons. Individuals of all faiths worship God by bowing or orienting themselves towards the heavens in prayer. The religious dance ceremony in the short film mimics Earthling religious worship and shows the audience that worship on Earth can be viewed like a dance. Dance and body language are a prevalent part of our beings and touches on many characteristics in our lives. Classes are distinguished from one another through their bodily "diction." The upper class of Dancetopia moves in a very elegant and smooth manner, while the lower class dances closer to the ground. As Earth, certain genres of dance are sometimes associated with a specific class of people. In Dirty Dancing, Baby was not suppose to affiliate with those who danced dirty because she belonged to the upper class. In Dancetopia, the varying forms of dance represent the individuals' social standing. Dance can be a signifier of class status, a fact that is true in both Dancetopia and Earth. In the final scene of the short film, we see a family unit at home eating dinner. In this particular scene, the strongest expression of emotion is depicted. This is very reminiscent of the music video for the song “Valtari” by Sigur Ros, in which two subjects communicate to one another passionately through interpretive dance (warning: there is graphic content in this music video). Emotions are strong and are only portrayed through dance. Similarly, in this scene, the father explodes in anger, which is represented through violent, passionate, and Footloose-esque movements. Julian Bleecker had stated in her essay, Design Fiction, “[Worlds] are assemblages of various sorts, part story, part material, part idea-articulating prop…” Our world is designed through various observations that we have made. Earth is a potpourri of interpretations and thoughts, a product of experience. Similarly, Dancetopia is a product of our past associations with dance. Dance and movement on Earth communicates basic wants and desires that one experiences since infancy. Body language is key to communication on Earth, a facet of our society that is focused on in the world of Dancetopia.

Textual Poaching

Artist Statement

          Since the beginning of my life I have always been a little brother. Being a little brother hasn’t always been an easy thing, and especially so when the older sibling is a sister. For my textual poaching I took a music video of the boy band N’SYNC that was popular just barely after my birth, but greatly influenced those around me, especially my older sister. Because of this, I was inadvertently affected by it, and have created a product that exemplifies this influence in my life.

          My older sister was born in the late 80s and because of this she got the full experience of the 90s. She had always been a fan of the arts and wanted to see her director dreams be realized in any way possible. This led to the many productions and pieces that left me, the younger brother, to star in, whether I liked it or not. This piece of media is especially identifiable with me, however, because it marked one form of how I was able to bond with my sister and have a stronger relationship with her. I placed within the actual music video, real footage from my childhood in which I danced along with the N’SYNC song. I feel that this represents the importance that this project has in my personal life, and shows the lengths I was willing to go to make my sister happy.

          In class we took a look at the piece L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp. In his piece he changed something we all know very well and put his own style to it. In my own piece I also took something that is relatively well known and put my own style into it. I feel that Duchamp’s piece showed a bit of his personality. Perhaps he is a very wild and spontaneous person. By the piece I did you can tell that I’m a bit dorky but willing to try new things, even if it could be embarrassing to myself.

          Apart from the piece we looked at in class, another wonderful example of this concept can be seen in other works of art by Marcel Duchamp. One of his pieces, known as Fountain, is another interesting take on something we all know so well. He took a urinal and photographed it and altered it in such a way that it has become something of value. When making art, we must make something that can be valued, and he did so by taking an ordinary object. I tried to take a common video and turn it into something personal, and something that I can value myself.

          Being the little brother is full of many different experiences, good and bad, but I am happy to say that most of mine have been good. Although it has led to me doing some pretty outrageous things, I’m glad I did them. Dancing along to the music of N’SYNC has become more than just a passing fandom to me, but instead had become a treasured memory that is my own to keep and value. The ordinary can become important to us; that is where we find extraordinary.

Medium Specificity

Artist Statement

     Everybody is different. Or at least everybody claims to be different. And while everyone claims to be different from everyone else, everyone else is claiming that everyone is the same. Hence, we get stereotypes that seemingly limit our freedom to express and be who we want to be.

     In class we read over McCloud’s comic piece Show and Tell. In his medium, he demonstrated how comics, pictures and words, could effectively tell a story. In my own piece I did something similar. I used several photographs put together to create a work of art that explores a certain subject. Just as McCloud used in one portion of his piece, I too demonstrated how words and images can work together to have the audience fill in some of the blanks for themselves. An example of this in my piece is when I shade the character black and then write the word “sports” above his head. It’s obvious that there is a connection between the image and the word. It is highlighting the stereotype that all black people are good at and love sports. By doing this, I was able to link words and pictures together, and convey a specific message.

     The Chicago School of Media Theory also explored the importance of medium specificity and said the following, “Eliot argues that a writer never starts on a blank page, and by the same token a painter never begins with a blank canvas, and the same follows for all media. In order for a medium to have characteristic qualities it must be grounded in a tradition that has established these as intrinsic properties.” In my video you see that I do start with a blank page, but I did not just start drawing with a blank mind. Everything we do is just the product of everything that has happened before us, and my piece helps us to see that. There are plenty of ideas and words that have been said pertaining to man, and I attempted to capture that by saying that all of these stereotypes are influencing people to become what others expect them to be. In a sense, you could say that the lives of people are an example of medium specificity themselves.

     At the conclusion, of my piece, I drew a box around everything that had been written and put of the word “Freedom???” There is a trite phrase that people like to use when saying they have a different way of thinking. That is the phrase to “think outside the box.” While people believe that’s what they are doing, they are in fact becoming a product of what the people around them expect them to be. That is why I pose the question of freedom. Is it freedom if we just become what everyone thought of us to be? That is the question we have to answer for ourselves.