Image Analysis

infinity - by Mai Yamashita and Naoto Kobayashi

http://www.yamashita-kobayashi.com/infinity.html

This a picture from a series of photographs that was taken every second for five days. Yamashita and Kobayashi went to a local park and jogged in the shape of the infinity symbol for five days. They compiled all of the images that were taken over that time to form a high speed "video." The "video" shows their movement and how the outline of the infinity symbol eventually begins to take shape over their time in the park. They did not create the symbol by mowing the grass or by digging into the ground. They simply ran in place for five days and wore away the earth with their own pressure and momentum. In watching the "video" one can see the passing of time not only through the eventual outline of the symbol, but also by the shadows on the grass that come and go due to the movement of the clouds in the sky. One can also see people creep into the left hand side of the frame as they watch the artists create their work and then suddenly pop out of sight.
It is also possible to look at the "video" in segments. The viewer can distinguish the different days that Yamashita and Kobayashi created their work in by a very slight pause in the "video." Also if one observes carefully, the change of clothing of the artists can be identified, which gives another sense of this piece being created over a period of time.
One aspect that the artists did not decide to include but could have added to their piece to make it even more interesting was sound. By adding sound the artists could have allowed their viewers to take more meaning out of the piece. For example, if they had added a soft piano or the sounds of a busy highway, I could have taken two separate feelings away from the piece. However as it is right now, I must simply take their piece at face value. I would say that they are making a reference to nature being everlasting yet constantly eroded away by humans. The environment takes a lot of wear over time due to human impact on it and this destruction will continue forever until we take more of an active stance to change.
This type of interpretation relates well to my last 3D project because my series of images were showing an ongoing going circle of events that have happened to the Cuyahoga River. It will take a major change by humans to ever get out of that ongoing cycle of destruction and preservation and the only way that this can happen is for humans to step out of their routine and make the change. I believe this is Yamashita and Kobayashi's main message. They are trying to raise the viewer's awareness of our impact on the environment and how easy it is to remain on our set path. However, we need to stray from this path that we are so used to in order for things to change and for our environment to start improving.

New Photos

Image Analysis

Mermaids – by Kurt Wenner

In looking at the photograph of this street-drawing, one would think that bystanders outside of the building could simply walk down the steps and fall into the mythical play land of mermaids. The chalk drawing that Wenner created is a pool of water that sinks down into the stone path where people should be walking. Within the pool of water, there are six mer-people, a serpent, and a horse. Each creature is creating ripples in the water due to their tugging and thrashing movements. Along the rim of the pool, there are tiny seashells, starfish, and oysters. These small details give the viewer a reference to the beach and ocean. Even though we can see palm trees in the background of the photograph, as viewers we still do not know where the location of this artwork is, and whether or not its is near the ocean.

This image has two contrasting forms of line and circular movement. The building has perpendicular pillars, several rows of brick, and long horizontal stairs. These straight lines take up half of the photograph with the other half being the 3D chalk drawing that Wenner created. The street-drawing has more circular references and even gives the viewer a feeling of movement. The stones around the pool are round, the pool itself is a circle, and there are circular ripples around each character in the pool. Besides these actual circular shapes, the characters in the pool could appear to be flowing in a counter-clockwise circular motion. The man in the front center of the image is being pulled by another man in that direction. The man behind him is learning backwards as he takes a drink, which also references the pull towards the left. There is a serpent swimming towards the right and that helps to finish of the sweeping motion of a circular pull around the pool.

Due to the fact that the viewer is unsure of where is photograph was taken, it makes it difficult to determine if the struggle of the mermaids inside of the pool of water would have any reference to turmoil within the society. I could guess that the mermaids represent the people in society struggling for their various rights. They are in a pool of water because it is hard for them to climb out of the hardships that they have been enduring. The people on the building steps looking down on them could represent the form of government that is doing nothing to help them with their struggle. They have the power to step down into the pool and help but they simply look down on them and let their fight continue. In a more general sense, Wenner could be referring to life and could be trying to tell us that not everything is what it seems. When one thinks of mermaids, they think of something happy and fantasy related. However, these mermaids are struggling with something and are not living in harmony. This would tell the viewer that even when one thinks that someone is living the ideal lifestyle, there are still things that go wrong and internal issues that others can not see.

The subject of mermaids fits in with Wenner’s other street-drawings because many of his themes revolve around mythical beings or they have a classical twist. The style of drawing itself reminds me of the classical Greek or Roman figures. The body structure of the men in this drawing is what specifically references this time period in my opinion. Wenner studied in Rome and did a lot of work in Europe, so it would make sense that many of his pieces refer to this historic period in art history.

My Next Project

For my second photography project in Studio Art Foundations, I would like to make a 3D diorama. The diorama will be a square that is placed on top of a lazy Suzan so that viewers are able to spin it around. Each side of the square will display a different scene of the Cuyahoga River’s history. The first scene will be a view of what the river would have looked like before humans inhabited the area. There may be some Native Americans in the area, but there will only be dense forest and no industrialized aspects in the landscape. The next spin of the diorama will show how humans have impacted the river and caused fires due to the amount of pollution they have released into the water. It will still be a historic scene, but it will show a dramatic human impact on the river rather than the untouched aspect of the previous display. The third scene will be a depiction of the Cuyahoga River running through downtown Cleveland. The river will appear to be less polluted than the disastrous fires that the viewer had just witnessed, but it will still be extremely industrialized and more modernized. The last scene will be more of a return to nature for the river, and the form that I relate to and know best. There might be a bridge over the river or people running/biking along the towpath. This way the viewer will see that humans are still affecting the Cuyahoga River, but at the same time, it is very natural and a place to treasure. The diorama will be constructed of black foam core and entitled “And the River Runs on…” to emphasize the long history the river has endured, and the affects that humans will continue to have on the existence of the Cuyahoga River.

Post 2

When I was out taking pictures I went to a new water source. The river was very pretty but the weather conditions were extremely frustrating and not the best for trying to take good photographs. I often found myself sliding around or getting water droplets on the lense of my camera. When I went back to look at my pictures I found some of the images to be blurry because of the water. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. At times the blurry spots annoy me and other times I feel like it fits perfectly with the theme of water and the river.
Another issue that I found myself dealing with was what I was going to photograph. When I got to the river I was drawn to various lines that would would cut across the body of water. This was often tree branches but also bridges, pipes, and pieces of ice. I think that I am going to continue photographing these natural lines as an allusion to the river and its natural properties.

Post 1

Currently with this project, I am enjoying my topic of the Cuyahoga River but I feel a little lost with my images. I found a lot of great images online. There are some wonderful historical websites that have photographs of downtown Cleveland along the Cuyahoga, as well as images from the famous fires. I am hoping to tie these into my project some how because I think that they are such an interesting piece of history that many Clevelanders have not seen before. One option that I have considered for my first project is to collage my images in a way that almost looks like a time line.

I have thought of doing some type of a historic wheel where viewers could spin the paper to reveal more images of the River and how it has progressed/regressed over time. Observers would view it in various segments but I believe it would still all flow together. Execution is still very confusing for me and I am not even sure if I am on the right track for project ideas. In general, I am hoping that I will be able to go home at some point to capture images of the river myself, in order to relate my own story and history with the river to the project.