This project seemed really daunting at first, but once I got the hang of Second Life I enjoyed it a lot! Building an object to attach to my imagined self was the hardest part. I spent a while trying to make small prims to use as jewelry. I finally found a tutorial on how to build a flexi tail. The flexi option is fascinating and I would love to explore it more. For my imagined self I chose a vampire avatar. I altered the hair. I chose purple and blue for the outfit, hair and tail because I thought those looked well together. I also think the purple hair and tail are very striking. I like how my imagined self is much more striking as opposed to my realistic self. My realistic self is very average, but my imagined self looks adventurous.
Rebeccas Solnit, an environmental writer, spoke at the Nevada Museum of Art. She explores various environments including test sites and wastelands in the Southwest. One of her favorite parts about exploring deserts and wastelands is the “blazing sun, that amazing light”. She says she has an “obsession with uninhabited landscape”. Where does her obsession come from? Solnit says, “it’s about imagination...we only appreciate pristine landscapes”. Uninhabited landscapes are not appreciated and Solnit says, “a lot of this ugly stuff is fascinating...we better love what we have”. Our pristine landscapes are quickly fading and as we try to fix those pristine landscapes we should also study the ugly wastelands.
Solnit says, “artists have become scientists and story tellers”. Artists are documenting current events and changes in the world. They are not only expressing themselves but they are starting dialogues as well as taking on political movements. Rebecca Solnit takes on the environmental movement and through her writing brings light to a world and topic that should not be ignored.
The View Without exhibit featuring Morgan McAulsan and Jack Daws is an interesting mix of different types of art. It features the work of McAulsan, who is imaginative and detailed oriented. It also features the work of Daws, who has an edgy political style.
The most fascinating piece in the exhibit is McAulsan’s windmill recreation. It looks like metal, even up close it is hard to tell that the entire windmill is made out of paper. The details and colors of the piece are amazing. The coloring truly makes it looks like an old, rusted windmill. It is a peaceful piece to view and looked like it was plucked right out of a field.
Daws’ part of the exhibit featured a photo of his WorldTradeCenter French fry model. The photo is amazing because although a French fry model does not sound like a difficult thing to make, seeing the photo shows the effort and work that Daws put into the piece. To get the structure to balance and stand must have been a meticulous task. Another piece that was my favorite from the exhibit was the gold penny that Daws designed to look like a real penny. It is just a simple penny, but the story behind it is what makes it interesting. Daws in his lecture said that he actually slipped the penny into circulation. Due to the weight and slight difference in looks from real pennies, a coin collector found it and returned it to Daws.
Overall The View Without is a fun and diverse exhibit. The exhibit features two different artists, but they are both entertaining in their own ways. It is all about the little details in both artists’ works, from fine detail on a paper windmill to a gold penny. Both artists take real world objects and twist them into their own creations.
Morgan McAulsan and Jack Daws: The View Without Lecture
Morgan McAulsan spoke at the University of Nevada regarding his exhibit The View Without. Morgan began his art by “dismantling and collecting” as well as “digging through the trash”. He says, “I really wanted to fabricate my own world”. And that is exactly what he does. He is extremely imaginative and detailed in his work. One of his pieces in the exhibit, a windmill that looks like it is made out of metal but it is actually paper, shows his devotion to detail.
His imagination has lead him to collect items such as Tupperware, color coded tags from box tops and cardboard. He says he is “constantly organizing things”. It is fascinating that he has taken such an interest in such seemingly mundane items. He turns ordinary objects into treasured creations. Even his collecting seems like a form of art. The pictures of his collections are sorted and colorful. McAulsan goes on to say that “art is documentation of past and present”. His art is a “fabricated reality”. His art isn’t perfect and he “relishes in mistakes”.
Jack Daws also spoke about his artwork in the exhibit. Jack Daws’ art is very political, but with a witty edge. He has made pieces that range from a French fry model of the World Trade to a gumball machine filled with drugs. His work pushed cultural and societal boundaries. He says that “intention is critical” in regards to his work. His art is political and makes statements strong statements on current issues such as war.
He says he makes pieces because “they have a nice charge”. He also says, “I draw disapproval from both sides...I’m not going to censor myself”. Even though is artwork does not appeal to everyone it is good to see artists who do not censor themselves due to society. His artwork starts dialogues. That is one of the most important things that art can do for society, is to get people talking.
Leo Villareal and Cameron McNall both explore light art in their respective works. Their works are dynamic and expressive. Light art includes a lot of movement and energy. Villareal and McNall both deliver enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing pieces. Although they are both light artists, their works have differences, as well as some similarities. Light art is a captivating form of art that is beautiful, fun and always changing.
Leo Villareal is an LED light artist. According to his biography, he attended YaleUniversity where he studied installation sculpture (Leo Villareal Bio). “In 1994, Villareal first attended the counterculture festival Burning Man, which inspired him to begin creating immersive experiences on a larger scale (San Jose Museum of Art).”The Burning Man festival is all about connections and making connections with art. People are able to make universal connections to Villareal’s work because it can be interpreted in many ways even though it is just a light sculpture. Light surrounds all of us and Villareal turns light into art. His light sculptures are able to make an emotional connection with the audience. JoAnne Northrop, a curator at the San Jose Museum of Art says of Villareal’s work, "It doesn't just talk to your eyes. Your entire body reacts to it. Sometimes [you get] the feeling that these works are trying to communicate with you directly"(Terdiman). Villareal’s pieces are not just colorful, random light patterns but they have meaning. People have a sense of connection and communication because Villareal’s work reflects life and life’s ever changing patterns. Now Villareal’s art is shown in galleries and exhibits around the country and the world. He even has a large, permanent piece at the National Gallery in WashingtonD.C.
“Silence— sphere of darkness sudden explosion of light jumble of atoms collide and coalesce into stars spinning spiral galaxies of red, yellow, and blue fireflies scatter everywhere” (Chou) Big Bang, a light sculpture created in 2008, is a sparkling, colorful piece. It is a good representation of Villareal’s work because it encompasses the liveliness and imagination that is found in his other works. It looks like a galaxy in space. It is a circular piece and the movement of light moves in a circular pattern. The colors and the movement are random. It is very eye catching and people spend a long time looking at it. Daniel Terdiman says of Villareal’s work, “Villareal said that LEDs combined with his software and hardware systems, give him the possibility of millions of colors with which to work. And that, among other reasons, is why he has chosen LEDs as his primary media” (Terdiman).The piece easily captures people's attention due to the intensity of the colors and the alluring movement. The colors are powerful and the piece is chaotic. In this chaotic life people can relate to the chaos and beauty of Big Bang.
Big Bang 2008- James Ewing Photography
Cameron McNall is the principal founder of Electroland. Electroland makes concepts and projects involving light art are and interactive art. In an article from LA Design Technology it describes Electroland as, “a team that creates large-scale public art experiences” (la design tech). McNall is an artist as well as an architect. His work involves architecture due to the large scale of the installations. McNall creates concepts and installations, but he is also creating a platform that the audience can interact and alter. In a way it is like crowdsourcing. In The Christian Science Monitor it says that crowdsourcing “requires contributions from strangers” (Strickland). McNall’s work involves the work of strangers. Such as the piece entitled Enteractive in which participants step on light up squares that are then shown on the outside of a building. On the Electroland website it says of Enteractive, “The building face displays the human interactions occurring below” (Electroland).McNall’s work is immersive and fun. McNall’s work with Electroland adds an element of art and qurikiness to city landscapes.
With Electroland McNall helped create Metallotus. Metallotus is a giant metal lotus that hangs in downtown Los Angeles. The flower is lit up by lights and the lights change colors. McNall says of the piece, “This is our dream. To create public art that breathes life into a social space and into a city” (Lubell). His work brightens communities by blending art, architecture and interaction and Metallotus is a great example of McNall’s work. His work is large scale and it would be fascinating to view in person because of the size. Metallotus seems like it would be brilliant to view in person because the design of the flower looks so delicate, but it is made of metal wire and pipes. An article by AN Blog states, “It’s a 30-foot-long, 1,400 pound stainless steel lotus flower” (Lubell). That would truly be an experience to view a massive, metal flower in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Metallotus represents art and an interactive experience that Electroland and Mcnall strive to create.
Metallotus (AN Blog)
Metallotus "courtesy of Electroland" (la design tech)
There are some differences between Villareal and McNall’s work. They are both genius light artists. However, they approach the art form in different ways. Villareal expresses his feelings and let’s the audience view his own expressions in the form of light sculptures. The light sculptures are of course dazzling and fascinating to watch. McNall gives the audience a platform to express themselves and interact with the art. His work is dazzling as well, but it is on a much larger scale. McNall’s work involves entire buildings and he uses architecture as his canvas. His work takes up entire rooms, sides of buildings and even outdoor plazas.
Leo Villareal and Cameron McNall both cleverly manipulate light into art and into ways that the average person would never think of exploring. In an interview with Villareal, he said that Dan Flavin has inspired his work. Dan Flavin a light artist says, “One might not think of light as a matter of fact, but I do. And it is, as I said, as plain and open and direct an art as you will ever find” (Dan Flavin Quotes). They are blending technology, light and art. Villareal and Mcnall confront light art in different ways, but they are both able to capture light in unique and inventive forms. It will be exciting to see their work illuminate, transform and captivate the world for years to come.
