Game For Change

Cyberbully: The Game

I'm only sleeping beatles

Palpatine No! No! No!

ChopSuey

wake me up- Avicii

mr blue sky

How could this happen to me

Tommy Boy

Beck Little One

World Building

Artist's Statement: Textual Poaching

The aspect of my self that I chose to explore with this piece was  my being part of what is known as Generation Y or Millennials. Like many or most of the students in this class I was born in the early 90's and have lived through the burgeoning of the information age. My fellow Millennials are often referred to as the natives, because in a world where technology and information culture have become so important, we are the first generation to grow up with computers in our homes. Because of this, we are often represented in media as a group that is extremely tech-savvy. We are known for our use of social media, our obsession with communication and being connected, and our consumption of electronic media such as online music, videos, video games etc. I have definitely been influenced by this culture, and though there are aspects of it I find disagreeable, as there would be in all cultures, I do not dislike this culture in general. The truth is however, that I have never felt comfortable with the majority of the technology that has emerged or technological advances that have taken place during my lifetime. Not that I fear or hate them, I simply have not felt that I was included in them. I somehow seem to have navigated my life without receiving whatever orientation the majority of us Millennials have received. I simply don't understand, don't know how to use, and haven't participated in the majority of the technological phenomena that is associated with my generation.

I've never used iTunes to download music. I'm not sure if it's free or if you have to pay or if you need some special software or an account or whatever to do so. I have most often collected the music I wanted to listen to by purchasing CD's at music stores. Occasionally, I have collected songs by using a tape recorder to record music off the radio or off of other's computer speakers.

Videogames are a huge part of our culture. I however, have only ever owned a Super-Nintendo, and that was a long time ago. I have played Guitar Hero a few times and I am terrible at it. I play the actual guitar, and I love old-timer blues and folk music. My personal guitar hero is Mississippi John Hurt. I might feel more drawn to that game if that was the kind of music the players pretended to perform, or I might just prefer to play the music in real life.

I have never had an iPod. Well, a friend gave me one that I tried to use but it broke. Throughout high school I carried a portable cd player and my cd collection with me from class to class. I recognize that iPods are more practical, easier, and safer to use, but I don't know how to use them.

I probably have inherited this technological retardation from my mother, who despite being extremely intelligent, has never mastered the use of a VCR. Another possible explanation is the fact that I grew up  in a very small rural-idaho town. Whatever the reason, I accept this part of myself. It is not always convenient and I sometimes wish I was a little more clued in, but then I realize that it's not really that big a deal. I know I broke some rules by including texts that were created after I was born, but I kind of had to for my subject.

Textual Poaching

Artist's Statement

Medium Specificity Artist’s Statement

For this project I wanted to work in clay because it is probably one of my favorite things to do in the world, and I almost never do it. Every time I get the chance to sit down and sculpt I feel this incredible relaxation and sort of zen-like joy. I love when I can focus in on something, and manipulate it and tweak it to suit my desires. I think I have difficulty multi-tasking, but I am great at focusing all my attention and creative energy into a single channel. I love the feeling of transferring energy from my brain through my hands into a project.

I think that human hands are one of the most beautiful of God’s creations, and our ability to work precisely and creatively with our minds, through our hands is one of our defining characteristics as human beings. I have great respect for those who work with their hands, and I see parallels between the carpenter who fashions a piece of furniture with love, the computer programmer who uses his mind and hands to create intricate masterpieces, and the surgeon who delicately repairs structures of the human body. Hand and mind are a match made in heaven, literally.

I decided to work with clay for this project because I love it. I realized I love it because it’s such a primal medium. Making stuff out of mud with your hands is about as simple and human an art form as you can get. I decided to create a sculpture about the basic connection between hand and mind, and the joy I feel when I am using my hands to shape clay into something I think is beautiful. I am pleased with the result and I enjoyed the process of creating this piece.

I guess in working on this project I was influenced by The White Stripes because I feel like their music is largely about music, and the primal, minimalistic relationship between man and the medium. I wanted to do something similar but with clay. After reading the “Showing and Telling” comic, which is really a comic about comics, I realized that medium specificity is really about exploring humankind’s relationship with art. Art is important, so art about art must be really important.