Field Trip 2

MoMa PS 1: The Good, the Bad and the Misunderstood

            I had never visited the MoMa PS 1 in Long Island City, Queens and it was quite an experience. This institution portrays the art work of younger and living artists. You were able to see how much credit and respect is given to these artists by simply walking the hallways and in small talk with the staff. They would ask you what your thoughts were, if you took a photograph indeed very warm and welcoming.

The museum made me look at art through a different lens. This was my very first time at this museum and I did not know what to expect. My first stop was at the “Frances Stark: My Best Thing” exhibit. Art is a big umbrella under which paintings, sculptures, performing, theater, film and much more falls into. The exhibit was a color video on a soap opera which ran for about 90 minutes and was broken into episodes. The video had adult language and content which as an adult was fine, however I did not feel there was a point to the video. After episode 4 I left the exhibit and did not like it at all. The idea by the artist was to show online relationships and almost like a “darker” side to online chatting. Up to that part, I was onboard with her, but then it became a bit raunchy and lost my appreciation. If could have fast forwarded to the last two episodes I would have just to see where this was going. Many people left after episode two and what I did notice was the moment people would stand up to leave was during a scene with vulgarity or a sexual reference; almost as if embarrassed to be seen watching the video. I felt funny staying until the fourth episode and mind you, we are in 2012. This exhibit was definitely the bad for me.

Next I visited “Janet Cardiff; The Forty Part Motet” exhibit. This was a rework of “Spem in Allium” by Thomas Tallis from the year 1573. As I turned into the room, I was simply taken back. Perhaps because it was a rainy Friday afternoon or the amount of light that entered the room truly enhanced this exhibit making it breathtaking. The room had forty speakers in eight groups of five perfectly spaced out with a few small benches to sit in the center. The artist spaced everything out with perfection in mind. The music was so beautiful and when I first walked by I thought some speakers were not working, yet they all were. You felt there was a connection of voices within the speakers, almost like listening to a choir. Being in the room gave you such peace, needless to say this was art at its best and I loved it.

The last exhibit which left me with a unique impression was “Darren Bader: Images”. I must say that reading Darren Bader’s introduction made me feel as if I had met him personally; it was very humble and honest. I walked into his first exhibit knowing I would run out because of my severe allergy to cats, yet his message was very nice. The exhibit was set up to look like a small living room with a couch in the middle and two cats walking around. The artist was given permission to bring in three cats at a time and have them be open to adoption. The first three were all adopted and now the new batch of three was left with two. I had no idea how many cats and dogs were euthanized by the city and it was very sad. His next exhibit is where my confusion began. There was an iguana in the middle of the room, a croissant on the floor and an old pizza in an oven. There wasn’t any explanation anywhere of what this was and everyone walked out with the same expression. I wish I could have asked the artist what this meant; I am almost tempted to email him.

All in all, my first blog of good art vs. bad art came into mind and my feelings towards art are the same.  I am happy to be visiting different museums and exhibits and hope to continue doing so.

Frances Stark: My Best Thing
American, b. 1967
Video (color sound) 99:17 2011

Janet Cardiff: The Forty Part Motet 2001

Darren Bader: Images (I didn't see any specific titles)

Field Trip 3

Design in Our Lives: The Museum of Modern Art

            In our second visit to the MoMa a basic understanding of ergonomics was definitely important. Things we take for granted in our lives today such as calculators, pots and pans, vases and even the furniture we have in our homes all are designed with a scientific discipline called ergonomics. Ergonomics can also be referred to as human factors; designers must take into consideration these factors to have a final result useful to humans. By doing so they can prevent strenuous injuries and also they can take into consideration developing designs to meet the special needs of individuals.

            In walking through the Architecture & Designs exhibit, it was impressive to see the development of things as basic as a calculator which had over the years been revamped to meet our needs. I saw items that to me were high functioning and others that were low functioning. Then there some items that were high functionality, but it was only because they had been adapted to present time. For example, the Corning glass works frying pan from 1942 was made of glass and steel. Still used today and very high functioning, however today we have frying pans that are non-stick and that the handles are not made of glass preventing severe burns and accidents. It was also interesting to see the calculator which is still high functioning, but instead of physically carrying one with you, cell phones and computers have them built in for our convenience. While I personally still have one in my office, it is not the size of any of the ones on display. The very first one looked liked a cash register. The infamous turntable has become almost obsolete; with today’s technology DJ’s literally work with a laptop and most people download music into their ipods, computers, laptops and even phones...space saving being the high function of our decade. Yet, to have an antique record player is a luxury which even in 2012 can be appreciated.

            There was an exhibit that I found to be low functioning, it was the Tuttono piece. This design consisted of an all in storage, living room and slide out bed. Depending on an individual’s height, weight and needs this is not necessary today; aside from the fact that one can get hurt in the process of going up to the couch, or sliding out the bed. In addition there is not a sense of privacy. I felt that the mini kitchen also fell into my low functioning category, being made of wood made it an extreme hazard. An impressive piece was the Lomak keyboard made for individuals who are quadriplegic or those who have multiple sclerosis. I was touched to see how ergonomics were present 100% in this piece. Truly taking into consideration people with such special needs, yet providing them with the facility to enjoy what some may take for granted left me speechless. Last, but not least was the Foreclosure exhibit. After walking through the Architecture & Designs you saw how ergonomics plays a huge role in developing vast neighborhoods within our society. While none of the ideas have been built, they all looked liked “robot” cities and I felt that they lacked warmth. I believe that something has to be done to prevent so many people from losing their homes yet I’m not entirely onboard with what I saw. For example, the Cisneros approach to have smaller units as affordable housing with amenities almost seems like grouping people within the same socio-economic levels, isn’t this just a fancy way to have people live in projects? I believe there should be a balance, and more discussions on these living developments have to take place.

Corning Glass Works USA Established 1851

Frying pan 1942

Borosilicate glass and steel

Mario Bellini

Accounting & Inventory Machine 1973

Tuttono

Internotredici Associati

Italian 1970-1983

Lomak light operated mouse and keyboard

Haythornthwaite Andrew 1944

Foreclose

Bungalow Shuffle (Cisneros)

Field Trip 1

Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art

As a native New Yorker, I, like many others take for granted all of the wonderful things the city has to offer; one of them being the Museum of Modern Art. Today this museum is better known throughout the world as the MoMa. Visiting the museum made me think back to a post on my art blog on what good and bad art represent to me. As I walked through different exhibits, again I saw many people gawk at certain artwork and I simply couldn’t make the connection. This is why art is such a unique and beautiful subject; there is no correct view or answer.

The first exhibit I walked through was the “Contemporary Galleries: 1980-Now”. I had to actually walk through twice and noticed that I had walked right past things as obvious as installations and artists’ projects. What I did begin to see and apply where things learned through our lecture videos, so my appreciation grew even more. Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled” Placebo 1991 was very simple, yet unique. My original thought was these are just silver wrappers on the floor, I had not noticed that they were actually individually wrapped candies in silver cellophane. As I read about the installation, I learned that Felix Gonzalez-Torres created these types of installations by using everyday objects. What truly touched my heart was the reason behind putting together this piece in memory of his partner he lost due to AIDS. His installation had meaning and while they welcomed you to taking a piece of candy, at some point that piece would be replaced to maintain the installation.

The next piece that moved me was Doris Salcedo’s “Untitled” 1995. As a Latina, it made me extremely proud to see artworks displayed that were from Latino artists. Again as I walked past the piece of furniture I could not see what the significance was. As I read about Doris Salcedo’s experience, I was again touched. She spent weeks with family members and loved ones of the victims of the civil war in Colombia. One of the great things an artist can do is make a statement and/or form an expression. I was able to see why Doris Salcedo used furniture and clothing in her installations. She connected them to what you would find in homes and made them resemble human bodies of these victims. While the furniture had arms and legs, the head was missing.

Art can also be presented in the form of a video. There was an exhibit by Mark Boulos “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air” 2008. There were two videos going on about Shell Oil in Nigeria and the United States simultaneously; one depicted a negative effect and one a positive effect. The negative effect showed a village in Nigeria where poverty, scarce food and clean water were unheard of. As a result, people were angry, had hate towards white society and openly threatened to kidnap and kill for their beliefs. Due to the major oil wells Shell has, people are unable to fish let alone swim in the water. The other video portrayed how these oil wells make the stock market grow, cities grow and continue to develop. The videos last about 15 minutes and I actually saw them twice. It was extremely moving and truly made me have compassion for the people of Nigeria and think about how we enjoy everything around us without sometimes knowing how it can affect others around the world.

The second exhibit I visited was the “Cindy Sherman” exhibit. I really wanted to cross paths with my professor because this exhibit truly did not move or impact me. Yet again, some seemed mesmerized by the paintings and portraits. Cindy Sherman had “cannibal-like” impulses expressed through fairytales, very awkward clowns and I just couldn’t make anything out of the exhibit. I believe artists such Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Doris Salcedo and Marc Boulos, all have something in common. They have a message that they are delivering through their art. Their information can certainly be expressed via the media, yet it has a different effect when brought to life utilizing their talents.