Kara Walker- Installation Research Report

                   

The visual tropes of Kara Walker's work - race, sex, the gothic, the grotesque, violence, violation, abjection, obscenity, desire, death, excrement, and slavery - collide and crash violently and constantly with the racial and sexual registers of American history and culture. Her representations of transgression and excess - those visual discursive eruptions that leak from the confines of the image - possess a disturbing and destabilizing power.

Thesis

Pertaining to previous materials reviewed throughout this course, installation art is a powerful form of creative expression by creating ambient and immersive spaces that allow viewers to emotionally and mentally engage with the work. Using to phrase “ambient”, perfectly describes the experience one shall have when looking at such revealing work. Installations allow fluidity of the mind that voyageurs within the space tend to follow suit and start to be engulfed in it. Installations tell a story without words.

My Favorite Pieces

Walker first rose to fame in an exhibition at The Drawing Center in New York of her work Gone: An Historical Romance of Civil War as it Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of Young Negress and Her Heart.

In 2019 Walker unveiled Fons Americanus as part of the Hyundai Commission for the Tate Modern in London. The 13 m tall fountain critically responded to the Victoria Memorial fountain in front of Buckingham Palace, connecting the earlier version and the history it represented to Great Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.  

Links to the videos that I used in the presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipd7ZjFcoo8&t=26s 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRkP5rcXtys&t=539s   

Mock-up and Progress Report Presentation

Picture Frame Mock-ups

There will be sticks, flowers, or leaves around the frames that blends in with the nature theme that is surrounding the installation. The images share the various angles the frames will be propped up on. Some of them are from the previous blog post. I want it to sort of look like a sign or a reef. Pretty big that it is noticeable to the viewer when they sit down. 

"In an installation, the space in which the audience stands and walks often has a double function as the space of the work as well as the viewer. In this sense this differs from sculpture and painting, where the space of work- i.e the place from which the artwork "speaks" - is separated from the space of the viewer, i.e the physical epistemological place from which the viewer experiences the artwork." 

(Anne Ring Petersen, Installation Art page 41-45)

Your Project Proposal Blog Post & Presentation

 

                                    Your Project Proposal Blog Post & Presentation

"A window into another world"

I loved the bench ideas the most. I could really use the environment/space surrounding the benches for the installation. Either using the pathway, grassy areas, trees, benches and whatever else. I am not sure if I could be cleared to put my installation in these areas. If it does become an issue, I can move them to the benches closer to campus.

Here are some ideas of the placement of where I would want the frames to be in.

Angle #1

Angle #2

Angle #3

These are just placement ideas of where I would like the frames to possibly be. Again, many ideas with space. On the ground (around the feet where people could look down instead of the surrounding areas). On the side of the bench (off to the side). On the top of the bench where people's backs may lay/press on.

Ideas of Designing the Frames

Words that could be written on the frames (possibly carved out), fill the frames in with various items, and using sculpture to hold the frames up.

EXERCISE No. 4 – Twenty photos of things arranged in space

        

                    

         EXERCISE No. 4 – Twenty Photos of Things Arranged in Space

Graffiti/Signs

(The placement the graffiti I found really interesting. It's not super noticeable but still intentional enough to get noticed. The signs on the other play into the opposite effect. Super noticeable to pull attention with its message. People typically will pass it every day.)

Benches and it's Placement

(The benches always face the main attraction. It's trying to direct the audience to the scenic or more appealing route. The design of the benches is pretty standard and don't cause much attention)

Layout of Public Spaces

(The way the furniture is arranged within the space-rather its small or large. How is this layout the most convenient or appealing for student to either get by or interact within the space.)

 

Random but Cool!

Statues/Monuments 

(Pops out immediately in whatever space. Large enough to be seen, normally takes up the whole space.)

"Seeing Winter Dawn III" Andy Gambrell Reflection

 

              

             "Seeing Winter Dawn III" Andy Gambrell Reflection

How does this intersection between visual art and dance activates the gallery environment?

"Seeing Winter Dawn III" definitely plays with the ideas of visual art and dance within the gallery. Although the paintings are in place on the wall, they still match up perfectly with the movements/shapes that they create with their own bodies. I think they fill the space perfectly, without looking out of place.

Do they work together to create a unified statement, or are there complexities and ambiguities present? 

I believe that they work together to create a unified statement, but there are still complexities present throughout the dance. There were three dancers and they switched mid-performance. This brought a different perspective, energy, and focus although certain movements were the same.

Does this work echo Yvonne Rainer’s minimalism or Robert Wilson’s ‘theater of images?

It there are elements of both Yvonne Rainer and Robert Wilson's body of works but more so leaning towards Yvonne. The form of dancing is more similar to Rainer's, and I think Andy Gambrell's work isn't as theatrical as Wilson's work. Gambrell, however, still showcase pops of colors and contrast that is likely to Wilson.

EXERCISE No. 2 – Ten Spaces

            

                                                           EXERCISE No. 2 – Ten Spaces

This is the basement/storage room of the Colman Dorm. The sorority chapters all store any and all extra supplies that they may have.

This area is of the Trever Dorm basement. This is the living room/common area that students tend to hang out in.

Computer room in the Trever Dorm basement. This room is an old school computer room that the school hasn’t updated. My friends tend to hang out there.

This is the area of the entrance way of the Conservatory. It is nicely lit and filled with greenery. I think whatever I choose to do, it will pop out.

This is the practice room of the conservatory. It’s very small and confined, but also really bland which I like.

                                      

A pathway of the Fox River. I love the unlimited space and the straight pathway.

The Intercultural Center. Wide space and gains a lot of attraction with students walking throughout the day.

The tennis court behind Hiett Dorm. Nice amount of space and interaction. Students who live in Hiett might see a view of it from their rooms.

Outside of the Intercultural Center. The hill is really nice, and you can get a view of it from the inside of the Intercultural Center.

Inside of Hiett Dorm. Wide window, lots of space, and a great amount of interaction of students going in and out.

Three Objects

Exercise 1: Three Objects

The fur rug/mat was going to be used for texture purposes. More of a statement piece rather than anything literal. I was thinking of putting it along the sides of the frames, or its surroundings. I wanted this item to represent the glitz and glamour that someone may portray, as if someone is wearing a fur coat.

I was thinking of using various patterns and sizes of bras to fill the inside of the frames. I have many ways of portraying or using these items. Rather I use it for texture, design, or in a literal sense of its true form of use. I could also add texture along the bras like paint, foam, ribbon, and anything else. I would like to use the padding of the inside of the bra as well as any lace, straps, or lining that stands out. I would want it to represent femininity and be a statement.

I would love to use these frames as it would possibly be my main focal point of my project. I am going to either fill the frames with various items or make it reflective so it could be more interactive with the audience. The frames would represent a window or a sliver of another world, inviting others to take a peek. I was considering putting door hinges on its sides to create that opening as well.