"3.04"
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Artist Inspiration
I use a few different aspects of pop and modern art in my piece. Repetition is the act of making, saying or doing something over and over again. In art, repetition usually represents obsession and/or mass production with modernization. In pop art, the most common type of repetition is reproducing the same image and placing them together in a grid. There are other types though. Repetition can be within one image, with some slight differences in the repeating theme. In my piece, I use this second type of repetition, with the old papers being the repeating theme. Unlike in most pop art, the repeating image isn't the main focus, isn't laid out in a perfect grid, and isn't exactly the same, but it still represent obsession and repetition of one task, in this case, school work.
There is a general color theme, even between the background and school papers. The tiles in the background and the highlighter colors match up, giving the entire piece an overarching color-scheme. The only part that doesn't match the color-scheme is the bright red numbers painted on the papers. The color is meant to represent how grading works in public schools, with a teacher grading the work of all of their students.
There is a general color theme, even between the background and school papers. The tiles in the background and the highlighter colors match up, giving the entire piece an overarching color-scheme. The only part that doesn't match the color-scheme is the bright red numbers painted on the papers. The color is meant to represent how grading works in public schools, with a teacher grading the work of all of their students.
"Untitled (Public Opinion)" by Felix Gonzalez-Torres
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Felix Gonzalez-Torres is an artist known for artworks that use paper to create a 3D form. Sometimes these are more simple, and meant to be interacted with, and other times they form a much more abstract form, often with shredded paper rather than whole sheets. Most of his projects are untitled, though they are given unofficial names.
Gonzalez-Torres's art pieces use repetition, with pages that are similar, or repeating shapes to make a new one. |
"Untitled" by Felix Gonzalez-Torres
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Cultural Signifigance
School is often treated as "work for kids". It takes about 7 to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. They don't have much time off, and they're expected to stay on task the whole time or get in trouble with the higher ups. As our workforce has changed, being more centered around urban areas with the industrial revolution, our education system has changed too.
The goal of industrialization is to mass produce products to meet the growing demand. At the beginning of the Industrial revolution, children were used as cheap labor. They would take dangerous jobs that didn't take long to learn, and while being high-risk and low-reward, didn't take much skill to do. They ran dangerous machinery to large for them, and did the same thing every day for 12 or more hours a day. Child labor laws have been introduced to protect kids, but the ideals of industrialization still remain in our educational system.
We see this in the idea of children going from k4 to 12 grade in a standard education system, meant for the sole purpose of getting as many kids in and out of the educational system as fast as possible. Children are put through a rigorous schedule and teachers are required to enforce this, or get docked pay. While the goal for each individual student is to get as strong an education they can, the overall goal of school is to get as many students through their program and into the work force as they physically can, even if that isn't the best path for the students.
This idea of industrialization in the education system is also seen in the idea of us being represented by numbers. From the first time we enter the educational system, we are given a number that will stay with us until we graduate. In MPS, this is a 7 digit number with an s before it. Our name, social security number and all of our grades are connected to these numbers, because that's all we are to the educational system.
Industrialization effects on education haven't been all negative. More people being educated in not a bad thing; It results in more people living successful lives, getting higher paying jobs in careers they care about, rather than working in their family's trade. It opens up new doors that someone may not have had access to without a proper education, but the fact that education has adopted a "factory model" means that people have a generalized education, rather than a focus on certain subjects that they enjoy. One teacher is in charge of an increasingly larger number of kids in each class, which leaves them with too little time to help each student. In a workforce, where someone only needs to know how to do their own job, this is okay, but when each kid needs to constantly be learning new things, this results in people getting lost, without anyone to help them get back on track with one-on-one help.
The goal of industrialization is to mass produce products to meet the growing demand. At the beginning of the Industrial revolution, children were used as cheap labor. They would take dangerous jobs that didn't take long to learn, and while being high-risk and low-reward, didn't take much skill to do. They ran dangerous machinery to large for them, and did the same thing every day for 12 or more hours a day. Child labor laws have been introduced to protect kids, but the ideals of industrialization still remain in our educational system.
We see this in the idea of children going from k4 to 12 grade in a standard education system, meant for the sole purpose of getting as many kids in and out of the educational system as fast as possible. Children are put through a rigorous schedule and teachers are required to enforce this, or get docked pay. While the goal for each individual student is to get as strong an education they can, the overall goal of school is to get as many students through their program and into the work force as they physically can, even if that isn't the best path for the students.
This idea of industrialization in the education system is also seen in the idea of us being represented by numbers. From the first time we enter the educational system, we are given a number that will stay with us until we graduate. In MPS, this is a 7 digit number with an s before it. Our name, social security number and all of our grades are connected to these numbers, because that's all we are to the educational system.
Industrialization effects on education haven't been all negative. More people being educated in not a bad thing; It results in more people living successful lives, getting higher paying jobs in careers they care about, rather than working in their family's trade. It opens up new doors that someone may not have had access to without a proper education, but the fact that education has adopted a "factory model" means that people have a generalized education, rather than a focus on certain subjects that they enjoy. One teacher is in charge of an increasingly larger number of kids in each class, which leaves them with too little time to help each student. In a workforce, where someone only needs to know how to do their own job, this is okay, but when each kid needs to constantly be learning new things, this results in people getting lost, without anyone to help them get back on track with one-on-one help.
Planning
I was fed up with the school system and standardized tests, and decided to show my anger through an art project. It started as a doodle on some homework I did. Originally I was going to put my student number on the papers, but since that's private information I need to identify myself, I chose to put something more common knowledge on the papers. My GPA isn't great, but it's not bad either, barely above the 3rd percentile. Despite being an average score, I work my hardest for it. To get a higher score, I would need to put all the time I'm not sleeping towards schoolwork.
I went through a few variations of how I would lay out the paper. I tried laying them out in a more organized manner, but that didn't convey how upset I am. I also didn't want to risk getting paint on the floor if I crumpled up the papers. The location I made the piece matters too. If I did it at home, the background would have been my carpeted floor. Doing it at school, with the standard tiles found in most schools, tied it back to my theme. Lastly, I used recycled papers from over the last few years. I chose papers that showed the amount of work I've put into my school work. The papers have annotated notes, highlighted words, and hand written essays on them. |
Process
I carefully laid out some papers I brought from home, which I've hoarded over the years, and arranged them in a "care-free" manner over the floor in the back of the art room. The area I built it in wasn't the best lit area, and I would have preferred to set it up closer to the window, where I would have more natural lighting, but that area was taken by other students using the room. I set it up further out of the way, but were the lights were directly over head. The lighting's too harsh, and it leaves burn marks on the floor.
After that, I took a pen and wrote the 3.04 on it in big, bold type, but the pen blends into the background too much. To make them stand out more, I painted over them in red paint. The red paint was meant to symbolize the stereotypical red pen teachers grade with. The picture I took was from directly overhead, but I would have liked for the piece to be visible from other sides.
After that, I took a pen and wrote the 3.04 on it in big, bold type, but the pen blends into the background too much. To make them stand out more, I painted over them in red paint. The red paint was meant to symbolize the stereotypical red pen teachers grade with. The picture I took was from directly overhead, but I would have liked for the piece to be visible from other sides.
Reflection
An unfortunate part of creating a project that can't be moved it that I'm going to have to remake this project for gallery night second semester, and to showcase to IB. I can either do this by remaking it twice, or by finding a way to move the piece without ruining the paint or crumpling the papers. I will, however, need to remake it at least once, because I needed to throw the papers out. Where I made it, the papers would have been in the way, and I had no way of moving or saving the piece without taking it completely apart, and even then, some of the papers ripped. When I remake this later, I won't use pen to write out the numbers first. This should cut down on the amount of paint I need to use, and save me some time in setting it up for gallery night.
I'll also need to use new papers, but luckily I saved up a bunch since freshman year. Even if I don't have enough, I can use some of my friends old papers too.
If I can find a way to move it without destroying the entire piece, I'll take some new pictures of it closer to the window, where the lighting isn't so harsh. This should prevent the over-head lights from creating a burn on the tiles. I will, however, keep it on the tiled background, unless this doesn't get rid of the burn. I don't want to lose that connection to the meaning, but if it's ruining the piece, I can try putting it on some black paper, rather than the tiles.
I'll also need to use new papers, but luckily I saved up a bunch since freshman year. Even if I don't have enough, I can use some of my friends old papers too.
If I can find a way to move it without destroying the entire piece, I'll take some new pictures of it closer to the window, where the lighting isn't so harsh. This should prevent the over-head lights from creating a burn on the tiles. I will, however, keep it on the tiled background, unless this doesn't get rid of the burn. I don't want to lose that connection to the meaning, but if it's ruining the piece, I can try putting it on some black paper, rather than the tiles.
ACT Questions
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and it’s effect on your artwork.
My piece is very similar to Gonzalez-Torres's pieces. It physically resembles his poster pieces, because I didn't crumple the papers up or tear them apart, but it's meant to be interacted with in the same way. In this way, it functions more like his pieces that are piles of crumpled paper.
2. What is the overall approach the author of your research has on the topic?
Mostly providing descriptions and examples of repetition in art, and a biography on Gonzalez-Torres. The biography was only really used to see some of his exhibits that he's done, and which ones apply to my work the most.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
A lot of people assume these exhibits are easy to make, or have little meaning behind them, because their meanings aren't obvious without background, or spending a long amount of time with the piece, but that's not necessarily true. I think it can be a little easier to fake a meaning, or harder to find the true one, but that doesn't mean the projects easier to make.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I needed to find an artist who did exhibits that had to do with piles of paper, and I remembered someone from last year making an exhibit inspired by Gonzalez-Torres. I needed to find some research on him, but most of what came up was where his exhibits are showing and biographies.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading you research?
I had to make inferences on how repetition works on a smaller scale in asymmetrical pieces. Usually when someone things of repetition in art, they think of squared off, symmetrical pieces, that form a grid. But it can be used within a piece to create a unifying form or shape.
My piece is very similar to Gonzalez-Torres's pieces. It physically resembles his poster pieces, because I didn't crumple the papers up or tear them apart, but it's meant to be interacted with in the same way. In this way, it functions more like his pieces that are piles of crumpled paper.
2. What is the overall approach the author of your research has on the topic?
Mostly providing descriptions and examples of repetition in art, and a biography on Gonzalez-Torres. The biography was only really used to see some of his exhibits that he's done, and which ones apply to my work the most.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
A lot of people assume these exhibits are easy to make, or have little meaning behind them, because their meanings aren't obvious without background, or spending a long amount of time with the piece, but that's not necessarily true. I think it can be a little easier to fake a meaning, or harder to find the true one, but that doesn't mean the projects easier to make.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I needed to find an artist who did exhibits that had to do with piles of paper, and I remembered someone from last year making an exhibit inspired by Gonzalez-Torres. I needed to find some research on him, but most of what came up was where his exhibits are showing and biographies.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading you research?
I had to make inferences on how repetition works on a smaller scale in asymmetrical pieces. Usually when someone things of repetition in art, they think of squared off, symmetrical pieces, that form a grid. But it can be used within a piece to create a unifying form or shape.
Citation
- “Chinese Contemporary Prices Soar At Christie's Hong Kong.” Jing Daily, 25 Nov. 2013, jingdaily.com/chinese-contemporary-prices-soar-at-christies-hong-kong/.
- “Teaser: Andy Warhol – “Campbell’s Soup Cans” @ MOCA « Arrested Motion.” ArrestedMotion, arrestedmotion.com/2011/07/teaser-andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-moca/.
- ““Untitled”.” Guggenheim, 25 Oct. 2017, www.guggenheim.org/artwork/24264.
- ““Untitled” (Public Opinion).” Guggenheim, 25 Oct. 2017, www.guggenheim.org/artwork/1512.
- Carl, Jim. “Industrialization and Public Education: Social Cohesion and Social Stratification.” SpringerLink, Springer, Dordrecht, 1 Jan. 1970, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-6403-6_32.
- Rico, Andrea. “Effects of Industrialization on Education.” Prezi.com, 30 May 2015, prezi.com/mcxf6gyxsrst/effects-of-industrialization-on-education/?webgl=0.
- Guggenheim, www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/felix-gonzalez-torres.