Steve Lambert Lecture

If art is truly the reflection of one’s soul, then Steve Lambert is spot on in his assessment of himself. In a short interaction with  him before his lecture, it is evident that he is every bit as funny and engaging as his artwork. Although most of his artwork seems to to have a root in some social critique or activism, he does not paint himself to be the person with all the answers. Instead he seems to be focusing attention on the audience themselves. In works such as Capitalism Works For Me True/False and Simmer Down Sprinter interaction between the work and audience provide food for thought in a simple capsule - but give plenty of room for deeper meaning to be contemplated and realized on one’s own. Even in his works that require little involvement on the part of the viewer, Lambert maintains a stance of criticism and (just a little) humor to his societal comments. Works like Wish You Were Here and Everything You Want Right Now are non confrontational but creatively woven into areas of society in need of a second look. In short - Steve Lambert is an impressive artist/activist that seems to intuitively take large subjects of criticism and make it accessible, open, and best of all: fun.  His lecture was a combination overview of works he’s done and thoughts behind them - but also a little biography and history how he found himself creating art. In addition to the history lesson, he gave a little inspiration to all attending - Art is a superpower we all have should we choose to use it.

Two questions I would ask are: If he did the “I Will Talk To Anyone About Anything” alone or switched off with anyone. He said he switched off with people for “Capitalism Works For Me” but never mentioned the previous work. I would also ask what he enjoys about viewing art as a superpower. Does he ever wish for a different one?

Ben Poynter Exhibition

Walking into the Holland Project for an exhibition by Ben Poynter is more like an experience than a traditional show. There isn’t a wall in the place that doesn’t have something to capture the attention. Atmosphere and attention to detail is the name of the game - even the personal cards are well crafted and a piece in itself. Everyone who comes in is invited and encouraged to not only view parts of this digital realm in photographs, video, and several decks of playing cards - but to interact with his game and the surrounding mini retro-esque  arcade. The decision to used the setting of an arcade is not at all baffling when coupled with Poynter’s memories being played through a video game. However - the use of VR for his culmination piece alongside old style games is unique. A juxtaposition of old and new in a memory space could lend itself back to the premise of the game - the main character is going through the mental world of his past life experiences while the present (while at a standstill) still exists in reality. That reality being the destruction of the last arcade game - if this were a book, one could almost be concerned that Poynter is foreshadowing his own death. I confess, having not played the game in entirety, that foreshadowing is merely having only the foggiest idea. The gallery edition was not an ideal place to play the entire game - nor do I suspect was it meant to. Playing portions of the “gallery edition” then handing the controls over to the next player in line felt strangely like a snail’s pace version of the infamous “Twitch Plays Pokemon”.

    Appropriately and literally behind the scene of the arcade was a looped animation by Poynter. As he explained in his lecture, he dives into new programs by creating something first before applying his knowledge to his masterpiece. It is clear the amount of time spent was enormous, and the style is a rough draft of the end result - I was pleased to note the hands on characters were very similar. Like anything he does - it is well made and with a sense of letting a story speak very visually.

    The exhibition, in my opinion, was successfully crafted, placed, and experienced. Though a small 

 place to host a crowd - it speaks to the heart of Poynter’s surprisingly open message. A sort of “here are the memories of my life on display”. As an art show is an experience - so too is the game. Experiences played through an experience.

Human/Chicken Progress!

Here are the progress pics of my human/chicken.

3D Assemblage ideas

For my assemblage, I have two ideas, the plausibility of which are in the process of testing.

The first idea deals with the tinted lenses of human attitude toward nature. We have such an attitude of "what can something do for me" or "what do I get out of this". Much like the cartoon wolf only sees lamb chops when he sees a sheep. After humans process natural products into something "usable" - it is impossible to return it to nature.

The first idea makes natural objects out of their human processed objects. For now, I've settled on the infamous sheep, only made from the wool socks we like to wear. 

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The second idea stems from a similar standpoint: humans as animals. People usually separate themselves as much as possible from animals - denying their place in the animal kingdom.

the second idea is to take the human form (whether skeleton or "fleshed") to create the shape of an animal. For now I'm testing the possibility of taking a human skeleton and making a chicken.

"Make something out of something else"

In order to make something out of something else, I first wanted to "see" something out of something else. I pondered humanity's goggles that only see what the world can do for them, constantly calculating what nature can provide of their needs. Instead of seeing trees, we see lumber, paper, wood chips in playgrounds, a campfire. Once the damage is done, we cannot simply give back to nature, merely take and process. An reversible action. 

My idea is simple. Make a natural shape out of the unnatural result of human interaction.

 Thus far I've settled on a sheep made of socks.

 

Most of the work this weekend however has been on detailing my first 3d model. I have added the neon lighting to the mesh, working on making it continuous and manifold then will send off to Dillon.