Impressions of the Artworks

 

10/23/2024

Yang Fudong 

Yang Fudong's "First Spring" masterfully uses various cinematic techniques to create a visually captivating narrative. The film begins with an establishing shot, immersing viewers in a distinct cultural and atmospheric setting that sets the tone. This opening gives context and prepares the audience for the unfolding story.

Throughout the film, close ups are used to highlight intricate fabric textures and model expressions, drawing attention to the fashion pieces’ delicate designs. These shots allow viewers to appreciate the details and craftsmanship of the collection.

The use of low angles elevates the models, imbuing them with a sense of importance and elegance. This perspective enhances their presence and aligns with the film's sophisticated aesthetic.

Eye-level shots provide a connection to the characters, allowing the audience to engage with their perspectives and emotions. This technique fosters intimacy and understanding.

Pan and tilt movements guide the viewer’s gaze, emphasizing the fluidity and movement of the clothing as models navigate through the scene.

The extreme long shot captures the expansive landscape, offering a sense of scale and grandeur that complements the film's artistic vision.

Medium shots balance context with detail, focusing on characters from the waist up, which helps maintain engagement while showcasing the fashion.

Over the shoulder shots are used during character interactions, providing perspective and enhancing the relational dynamics within the narrative.

Finally, the occasional use of Dutch angles introduces a sense of unease or artistic tension, contributing to the film's dreamlike and surreal quality. This combination of techniques creates a rich and immersive visual experience that aligns beautifully with the themes of elegance and cultural reflection in "First Spring."

 

10/25/2024

John Akomfrah

1. Who are you going to be?

I am going to be an explorer of stories and identities. I want to create work that resonates with different histories and experiences, just like Akomfrah. His approach inspires me to delve deeper into my own cultural roots and personal narrative.

 

2. What is society encouraging you to be?

Society often pushes me into traditional career paths that follow the rules and value stability over creativity. There is pressure from society to conform to specific roles and expectations. However, I think Akomfrah's art encourages me to challenge these norms.

John Akomfrah's work is a profound exploration of identity and history, utilizing innovative techniques that captivate and provoke thought. His use of layered narratives and striking visuals creates a tapestry that challenges viewers to question their perceptions of time and memory. The integration of archival footage with contemporary scenes blurs the lines between past and present, emphasizing the cyclical nature of history. Akomfrah's ability to weave soundscapes into his visuals enhances the emotional depth, inviting audiences to engage with the complexities of cultural and personal identity. His work's technical prowess and thematic depth make it a compelling study in how art can reflect and reshape our understanding of the world.

 

10/30/2024

Leslie Roberts

I am captivated by her method of collecting everyday language snippets. By sourcing text from various aspects of life—such as emails, labels, and advertisements—Prof. Roberts highlights that artistic inspiration can come from the most mundane elements around us. This encourages me to pay closer attention to the overlooked details in my own life, as they may serve as potential sources for artistic expression. Next, her process of transforming these language fragments into visual elements leaves a strong impression on me. By establishing unique rules for each list, she maps words onto a grid and then expresses them through color and shape. This systematic approach demonstrates that creativity can be both structured and imaginative. It inspires me to consider how I might incorporate more structure and methodology into my own creative endeavors. I particularly appreciate how Prof. Roberts retains traces of her creative process in her works. By including the original text, transformation notes, and the final visual presentation, she provides viewers with insight into her thought process. By transforming fragmented language into organized visual patterns, she seems to offer us a new way to process and understand information. I am struck by the balance between language and abstraction in her pieces. Prof. Roberts successfully translates concrete text into abstract visual elements while retaining traces of the original information. This balance illustrates how art can bridge the gap between the figurative and the abstract, providing viewers with multiple layers of interpretation.

 

11/8/2024

I particularly like the short film "Don't Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River" from "The Gibraltar Projects" by Francis Alÿs. Francis Alÿs attempts to create an imaginary bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar. He uses symbolic techniques, asking children on both sides of the strait to make boats out of shoes and then line up to approach each other, reflecting the desire to connect different continents and cultures. This short film uses a split screen method, which is particularly appropriate here. After entering the deep water, both groups of children are hit by the waves and drowned, forcing them to stop moving forward. This scene shows the challenge of crossing boundaries and conveys the conflict between fantasy and reality. The work asks the question: "Can two lines meet at the horizon?" This is not only a reflection on geographical boundaries, but also a metaphor for human division and unity. The excellence of this short film is that it can be interpreted from different perspectives. It can be interpreted as hope and dream or as a criticism of real problems. This work emphasizes the arbitrariness of geographical and political boundaries and questions the restrictions these artificial barriers have on the free movement of people. It reflects the difficulties immigrants face when crossing borders and criticizes social restrictions on free movement and inequality.

I also like Jacob Hashimoto's works. First of all, his works look very delicate, with many kite patterns and rich colors. Secondly, he is good at using space to create dynamic visual effects through hanging and arranging.

 

11/13/2024
 

Joseph Cornell

Joseph Cornell's works, particularly his box assemblages and experimental films like "Rose Hobart," demonstrate the boundless possibilities of artistic creation. His art profoundly illustrates that creativity isn't just about inventing something entirely new, but also about reexamining and recombining existing elements, imbuing them with fresh meaning and vitality.

Cornell's approach teaches me that ordinary objects from daily life can become artistic materials. His box assemblages inspire me to view the world from new perspectives, discovering beauty and poetry in the mundane. "Rose Hobart" showcases how rearranging existing material can create novel narratives and emotional experiences.

From Cornell's work, I learn the importance of innovative thinking and how to break traditional boundaries to create a unique artistic language. His art reminds me that artistic creation requires not only skill but also a distinctive viewpoint and rich imagination. This innovative spirit applies not just to art but to all aspects of life, encouraging me to solve problems and express ourselves in new ways.

 

11/20/2024

I like Lea‘s work and Sophie's work the most. First of all, there is a scene in Lea's film that left a deep impression on me. At about 1 minute and 48 seconds, she stood on the subway platform and then used a dissolve. On the second layer, she fell down, and then the subway on the first layer passed by. Because of this dissolve, the picture looked like her soul was crushed by the subway, and there was a feeling of mental breakdown. This is my favorite picture. This picture reminded me of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, which used to dissolve many times, and each dissolve was meaningful. The second is Sophie's work. Her film screen used a black and white filter, and then only a blue color was added. And this "blue ink" is an important element in the film. I think she used the black and white filter for a clear purpose, in order to highlight the main elements of the story rather than just for beauty. In addition, I feel that she extracted frames when editing, so the picture is not smooth, but this also creates the uniqueness of her film and creates an "old movie style". Extracting frames also enhances the drama of her film.

11/22/2024

Allison Schulnik

After watching Allison Schulnik's three works (Mound, Forest, and Eager), I have developed some thoughts about them. Among the three, my favorite is Eager, followed by Forest, and lastly, Mound. Each piece offers a unique visual and emotional experience, but Eager stands out to me as the most meaningful and thought-provoking work from a visual perspective. Many scenes in Eager allow for multiple interpretations, making it a rich piece to reflect on.

One of the moments I found particularly striking in Eager is the scene with three characters. The first person slices open the skin of the figure in the middle and drapes it over themselves, then the third person does the same to the other two, wearing both of their skins. This imagery feels deeply symbolic and layered with meaning, leaving much to be explored about its themes. Additionally, Eager excels in its synchronization of sound and visuals. For example, there’s a sequence where flowers bloom, twist, and turn, and their movements are perfectly matched with the rhythm of the music. This seamless integration of audio and visuals enhances the emotional impact of the piece.

In Forest, I particularly admire Schulnik's use of setting and atmosphere. The way she constructs the scenes is captivating, and the background music complements the visuals beautifully, creating a deeply immersive experience.

As for Mound, I enjoyed the scene where the three small figures dance together. However, I found the overall piece to be less focused compared to the others. With so many characters and elements, it was harder to identify a clear subject or central theme. While it is still visually and emotionally compelling, it felt less cohesive compared to Eager and Forest.

 

11/27/2024

Shirin Neshat 

Shirin Neshat's Women of Allah series gave me a strong and complex feeling. In the works, the women are veiled, but their eyes are firm and powerful, as if questioning the audience. The veil combined with the Persian text on the body conveys a profound cultural and political message. The black and white contrast of the picture makes people feel depressed and shocked, but also reflects the strength and resilience of women. The text covers the women's faces, hands, and headscarves, which symbolizes the restrictions imposed on them by society, but also expresses their inner voices. This series is both beautiful and heavy. It makes me think about women's identity, freedom and cultural conflicts. Neshat integrates personal emotions and collective history into her works. When watching these works, I feel awe and a sense of uneasiness, as if I am forced to face some unavoidable real problems.
Regarding Shirin Neshat's double-channel projection works, she placed two screens on both sides of the audience, creating an immersive viewing experience. This arrangement is intended to convey dialogue and conflict from multiple perspectives. In the video, I saw that the audience was placed between the two screens and had to keep turning their heads to see the content on the screen. Her design will make the audience feel physically uncomfortable. And this physical discomfort reflects the tension and contradiction in the theme of the work. This arrangement symbolizes different positions on a certain social issue. The audience cannot see two perspectives at the same time. She may want to convey that human understanding of complex issues is always one-sided. Neshat intends for the audience to become participants in the narrative rather than passive bystanders.