World Building

Artist Statement

There is nothing more powerful than an idea. Through ideas, wars are started and ended, diseases are cured, art is created, and love is born. We decided to create a world in which ideas became commodities, items to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. In doing so, we came to consider how the world we created, and in turn, the world we live in reflect and influence our morals and society.

It was an enjoyable experience crafting the world in which ideas were mined, bought, and sold. What was particularly interesting was that we seemed to feed off of each other’s ideas, even though we worked mostly separately. Each new idea or concept seemed to spark new ideas and we were very unified in our vision of this strange world. Upon further reflection, it became clear that this was due to our having a unifying theme or purpose in our world building. Julian Beecker wrote in a 2009 essay that fiction follows fact. In our case, the design of our world followed fact in that it was based on our perceived inequalities in the world and merely accentuated these.

George Orwell’s masterpiece 1984, is not merely a novel about one man’s search for sex and fulfillment in a dystopian society. Rather, it is a stirring commentary on not only the society in which Orwell lived, but the progress of the human race. In much a similar fashion, we came to see how our created society was a commentary on our current society and world. There is class inequality in the world today and although social mobility is possible, it is severely limited due to lack of education and appropriate infrastructure. In short, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, although there are several exceptions. We wished to highlight this, by creating a world in which there is no social mobility, since even ideas can only be purchased by the rich.

We attempted this feat by creating a newspaper. Through this medium we were able to present several different ideas in what would hopefully be a fairly normal fashion. We wanted to present the world as those living in it would see it and not as outsiders. Because of this, we focused on ordinary stories and advertisements. Through advertisements, we showed fashion, in particular focusing on the elaborate fashions of the upper class. One of the advertisements even compares the fashionable upper class to the plain clothing of the lower class. The upper class show their power and status through their extravagance. We also focused on the idea of ideas affecting everything from propaganda to crime.

Through this assignment, we were able to not only create a world and society, but also were able to speak through this world and get a point across that was more powerful through the presentation.

Textual Poaching

Artist Statement:

            I am part of Generation Y. It’s true. And while you can sit there pointing a judgmental finger because we are inherently lazy, narcissistic and entitled, I can take it because that’s not what this generation is about. To me, being part of Generation Y is being someone who can live in her surroundings, understand the world, and then change it. We are not among those who are only acted upon, but those who act. Being part of the most educated generation, the most passionate generation, and the most creative generation means that our world is not limited to the flat view around us.

            M. C. Escher understood this concept, even though he lived from 1898 to 1972, and experienced such a different world than I do; he also was part of the turn of a century and knew that the world can be so much more amazing than we know. He often drew impossible things like never ending stairs or buildings whose proportions are a little askew, but the beauty of Hand with Reflective Sphere speaks more to our common understanding of the world. This drawing relates to Generation Y, not just because it’s probably the first ‘selfie,’ but because it shows a normal room, with a normal man, but then it is modified to be something truly unique and beautiful. To me, this drawing represents those who are living in their surroundings, but at the same time, they are re-imagining them.

            In the book Television Fans, the author explores the way that normal books, TV shows or movies gain a cult following. In essence, he says that it’s not the art itself, but the interactions with it that makes it a cult object. When people read Harry Potter, then discuss it with others, re-read it, wait in lines at midnight to buy a copy, pay money to see adaptations to the screen, travel to other countries to visit filming sights and constantly chat about it with online friends they’ve never met, then it becomes something greater than just a few books and movies. My interaction with M. C. Escher’s Hand with Reflective Sphere may be seen by some as rude or defacing the art, but only once the edges of the page start fraying, and the colors start smudging, do you know that the art work is truly loved. So while I may not have my own reflective sphere to look into when I am contemplative, I do have my adaptations, my interactions and my reality (which includes the smart phone) that can provide the same reflective understanding and simultaneous re-invention of my world.

Medium Specificity

Artist Statement

            The Avengers, Battleship, Cars 2, James Bond, and Inception. All movies that have made millions of dollars, all very entertaining and visually stimulating films, all representations of the media market, but perhaps also these movies are only that. They don’t seem to have a story that has any connection to reality, or has anything to say about life, relationships, emotion, struggles (besides how to kill a bad guy), or any real increase in understanding. Aristotle defined theater as beautiful and functional, he said that the only reason we should indulge in it is for the sake of learning, of gleaning something new about life and ourselves. Now I’m not saying that Aristotle word is scripture, but I am saying that while escaping can be good and necessary, escapism is detrimental.

            Similarly, newspaper clippings from 1943 show that this may not be just the musings of an old crackpot, they too wrote articles about how to try and understand, accept and learn from paintings that were on exhibit at the time. Edward Alden Jewell closed is column by saying, “Permit[ting] unrecognizability to be a barrier is to condemn ourselves to a life of monotony, without thrills of discovery, insight and ‘conversion.’” Apart from making up the word ‘unrecognizability,’ I believe this quote to be fact. So, how then can I have the double standard against the unrealistic films? Film should not only be about the world created, but also the lessons that we may learn while inside.

            My short film here is a visual representation of the way movies can focus on the wrong things. In this tiny clip, real conversations are happening, actual relationships are being formed, and the intensity and lulls of the conversation are natural and affect each person individually. While it may be just a mundane task of decorating a small space, the viewers could still gain knowledge or enlightenment from watching something that raw happening. However, instead of allowing my audience to do that, I set up a nice shot with the focus on something interesting, it is artistically set up and I even have effects to further blur the background figures. This is all set up so that not only are you in my universe, but you will only look at what I’m allowing you to. Sadly, so much of the media we consume does the exact same thing, showing the audience a calculated and ultimately frivolous view, while missing the real edification that is just beyond our scope. 

Historical Script

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Artist Statement

            History is fascinating to contemplate and reflect on because it becomes the driving force, which creates who people are. On the personal level, these events can be as simple as childbirth, marriage, or even death. These milestones create a history for every individual in their own unique way, but sometimes an incident can affect an entire nation, such as a tragedy like the one experienced in Jonestown.

According to our research found in the article 30 Years Later, Survivors Remember Jonestown Massacre, Jonestown was a cult that originated in San Francisco, and then as it gained popularity and followers they had to continue to expand, until finally settling in Guyana, South America. This cult, called The People’s Temple, gained a piece of land outside the United States because some of the practices could be seen as unconstitutional. This may have included disciplinary thrashings, abuse or beatings along with not being able to leave once you joined. Then came the fateful day that an American Congressman came with an entourage of media and concerned family members to investigate. These men and women were chased out of Jonestown and many were shot at the airport. Afterwards, the leader told his cult that the only way out of being arrested by the government was to commit mass suicide. Amazingly, after very little debate, the majority of people conquered and was administered cyanide through some juice, lay down, and died. The script is about a boy who is raised in Jonestown but makes it out before the massacre occurs.

As mere storytellers, we did not want to condemn any actions or make suggestions about what should have happened. We realize that most of the men and women in The People’s Temple were just people who wanted to help each other in this communist-like cult (The Timetables of History, by Bernard Grun). They believed that this was a cause worth dying for, and we aren’t making excuses for them at all, but merely shining a light on the power of choice. Everyone had a choice in the beginning, they could chose to stay in their own lives and try to make the world better, one task at a time, or join a group of like-minded people to do it together. But that choice had its consequences.

Part of the process of finding the historical event was looking for something that moved us. A starting place was looking simply for a tragedy, and the reason Jonestown stuck out was because September 11^th just passed. Before then Jonestown was the largest amount of American citizen deaths in one event. Then the terrifying realization that all of these lives could have been saved if just a few had the courage to stand up to authority. It’s a shocking story that is often brushed under the rug, but these extraordinary people were good people just wanting a better life, and died for it. The least we can do is take a moment out of our hectic lives to marvel at this great event, and then continue on our way.