New Artist Statement

my video went through some changes and so it ended up changing my artist statement, so here it is...

The most important thing in life is to understand where you come from, because it is who you become. This is in no way a restrait on the being, but rather a support, something that gives you structure and helps you along your path. This is what humans share with plants... the idea of roots. We all have roots, humans have their DNA that they share with previous family members, on a biological level we can relate far back and see our own heritage. Plants have their roots, they grow from a tiny seed into a complicated organism and their roots support them.

They journey of each is just as miraculous as the other. The roots guide the organism as it determines how large it can grow but in return the roots rely upon the survival of the being. The lifecycle is a common thread as well as the being grows from a tiny seed and along a complicated path towards its passing. The passing of the being is just as important as the birth as it allows for the beginning of some other beautiful being.

Well here it is... the Root of All Things

New Media and Anti-Copyright

I wasn't to sure what to think about the new media article. It seemed like there wasnt any debating or proving of any idea, it was more of a stating of facts, but it was still an interesting article to read. I was particularly intrigued by the part about new media becoming more available to more people. Its nothing new but its is still fascinating to think about how many people are creating art work and 99% of it will never be experienced as a wide as it should. Its sad to think that traditional art techniques are becoming more of a hobby, since they are the basis of our mediums today, but at the same time exciting to think about the endless possibilities. Its lack of physicality is also something to think about since it tries to decommodify art, but at the same times theres always a way to make money from any form of art. I would have liked to of seen the idea of oppositional media discussed more, its a big topic but its important to think about what can truly be defined as art and how far those boundaries can be pushed.

The article on Copyrighting was much more interesting to me since I don't fully understand whats "officialy" concidered to be copyright infringement. Personally I feel copyrighting should only be withheld on the very basic levels. It's important, as an artist, to use and reference the ork of earlier art. In order for one to grow as an artist you need to learn from the socalled "masters". Perfectionists in their own technique it helps artists to build their palatte of techniques in order to form their own and evolve into their own. I fully agree with his statement "experimentation and invention would be hindered by lack of access to the building blocks of culture". This statement pretty much sumarizes my feelings on the topic of copyrighting. All in all im not too convinced whether or not he is serious about the idea of copyrighting or if he's just mocking the entire situation.

More on Art 21

I was searching the Art 21 website again and was looking through the themes of some of the work. The theme of memory has always intrigued me and on the website the work in the memory theme section for me is really impressive. Theres a wide variety of styles and looks but they all function really well. There are a few that I specifically liked including the Sally Mann photo and the Gabriel Orozco Photo. Both of these had a very strange and surreal quality to them, that for me, really reflects the feeling of memory and its sometimes fuzziness. I myself have always struggled with portraying memory, especially in a 2-D format without any movement. I constantly think of blurry images, jilted sense of time, and pretty much everything out of proportion.

Video Proposal

I used the midterm project as a jumping off point for my final video project and since then some of my ideas have changed. The basic idea behind my project has always been about the idea of roots and exploring where everything comes from, not in a religious way, but in more of a tradition and family sense. MY desire is to explore these ideas using organic forms and growing root and plant systems.

This all stems from a grouping of artwork my grandfather created of a line of trees along the coast in south Texas. ever since I can remember my grandfather had inspired me and my artwork. This combination compelled me, and still does, to explore the idea of family. This idea along with my last name being Orchard, thought about in the idea of a grouping of trees, and the family tree all comes together in most of my work.

This idea will be explored in my piece as I create my own reality within my dreams and place it against organic forms growing over existing buildings and other man-made work. In my dreams I try and create a more confortable reality while the organic forms grow and overtake real space. This plays on the idea that there will always be change, but nature intends to bring everything back to the beginning. Throughout the entire peice there ill be time lapsed video of plants and roots growing to underline the idea of growth and organic nature.

Videos from 3/28

The videos we watched today were pretty helpful to me. They gave me some good ideas for my own project and a few more jumping off points. The music was also somewhat similar to the genre I want to use in my project as well as the overall pace of the film.

Monday's Class

Rae had a lot of really helpful websites. Its always helpful, as an artist, to see what other contemporary artists are doing in a similar field. Is especially enjoyed the art 21 website, ive actually spent a lot of time on the website since, looking at the artists. I also enjoyed the idea of process in the website, as well as some of the others. May times we only see a finished product of art, but don't get to see what it took to create it or some of the ideas that drove the piece.