Fine Arts Undergraduate Show

I've included work from my three favorite pieces in the show. 

Being a mother I have a special connection to these works. The hanging womb is by far the most powerful piece.

I really appreciated these works as well. I feel like majority of modern americans are disgusted by death. Living in a rural setting with livestock has caused me to become far less traumatized each time one of our animals dies. It sounds cold to most people, but you realize that death is just a part of life.

I really enjoyed these pieces, but the artist statement detracts from them. It feels more like a stream of consciousness written piece than an artist statement. The bronzed baby shoes with the screen print/cyanotype is my favorite of these works.

Walead Beshty Video Response

12,000 items catalogued through Cyanotype. Only 7,000 fit on the walls so the books contain all of the objects.

This feat alone is impressive.


There is one particular quote I liked and identified with the most.

     >      "How do you consider that side effect in aesthetic terms?"

This is something I'm thinking about with my upcoming thesis research. I'm hoping to have as little side effects and the most natural, "green", or ecologically responsible work possible.

I really like the way the cyanotype went through the clear plastic objects. Maybe something I'll play with sometime. 

Here is a great Q&A video with him.

Nina Hole Fire Sculpture - Repose

I helped on the construction of the fire sculpture and was there for the unveiling. It is a beautiful piece that is heavily performance based. The strength of the work comes from watching it being built and then fired over the course of a month. The unveiling is especially powerful knowing that this piece was constructed posthumously. When they throw the salt and sawdust is the best part. I've included two videos of this. It's something that is just magical and that you have to experience.

Nina Hole Fire Sculpture - "Repose" from Sara Poer on Vimeo.
Nina Hole Fire Sculpture - "Repose" from Sara Poer on Vimeo.

What is Conceptual Photography? (Part 3)

VIDEO – What is Conceptual Photography (Part 3)

This video mainly covers the The Day Nobody Died by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin. 

Exposed photo paper roll instead of taking photographs of events. Began as an exploration of how many photos of the same thing can we see? As well as what do you expect to see (from a war photojournalist)?

It's a strong work that talks about censorship and arts role in war. The context is far more powerful than the imagery. 

I also get why the critic thinks it's arrogant. Unless the soldiers they were traveling with understood what they were doing and supported them, then it was inappropriate. They were there dealing with it everyday for months and these guys were there for a few weeks. If the soldiers were on board then it makes the project even stronger. 

"There's more space within the fine art world to create something as subversive as this." - Adam Broomberg

RIP: A Remix Manifesto

Girl Talk is a well known mashup artist. Here is a link to one my favorite albums of his.

The Remixer's Manifesto is as follows:

WALT DISNEY BEST MASH-UP ARTIST

I really enjoyed the section about how one of worlds best mashup artists is now a corporation that limits that appropriation.

Two key videos I watched as a spin off from this are Lawrence Lessig's 2010 TEDx talk about re-examining the remix and Johanna Blakley's 2010 talk about Fashion's Free Culture.

I really liked two diagrams that she created to represent her findings about things that are copyrighted and things that aren't.

The Fashion Video also talks about how because there is few copyrights about clothing because it is to "utilitarian" this yields lots of copying and improving which made clothes art.

I think lots of creative and culturally relevant works could be created by allowing people to use sections of them and it would also prompt people to view the original.

I created a video for 590 New Media Culture and put it on Youtube and they removed it in less than five minutes. But the same video has been up on Vimeo for over three months. You can watch the video here.

The video also touched on the pharmaceutical pattens which seem like some of the craziest things to me. If a prescription would save tons of people's lives why should it cost 100's of dollars and not be covered by most insurances. Here is a classic example from NPR about Hep C treatment plans.

Brian Bess - "Status Report"

His videos just seem chaotic and nonsensical. Especially this one. I looked at some of his current work and just saw stills through the gallery that represents him and it seems to serve more of a purpose.

This video in particular references coal miners and famous quilts. I just don't understand how he has any context to appropriate and make fun of those.

Here is a photo from documentary photographer Arthur Rothstein of a girl in Gee's Bend.

Here is a map of the location. The current residents are descendants from a single plantation that has specialized in this quilt making since before the Great Depression.

Here are images of the two quilts that he appropriated. 

Loretta Pettway, born 1942. Four-block strips, ca. 1960, cotton twill and synthetic matierial (men's clothing), 78 x 73 inches.

Mary L. Bennett, born 1942. "Housetop" variation, ca. 1965, cotton and cotton/polyester blend, 77 x 82 inches

Here are his appropriated painted versions.

I just don't understand in what context we are supposed to view the quilts in now. It seems nonsensical. I'm not a huge fan of his work. It seems erratic and unplanned. 

Spring 2017 Schedule

607 Graduate Seminar in Photography

Spring 2017

Purdue University

Schedule (subject to change)

*Review Schedule subject to Change based on Review Date*

1/11     Molly and Sara go over Review Process for 1^st Years

1/18    

1/25

2/1       Crit

2/8

2/15     Crit

2/22

3/1       Crit

3/8

3/15     Spring Break

3/22     Crit (Submit 1^st Year Documents for our critique)

3/29     Final Review of Documents for 1^st Year Review

4/5       1^st Run of 1^st Year Review Presentation

4/12     Final Run of of 1^st Year Review Presentation

4/19     1^st Year Reviews

4/26     Final Crit

Fall 2016 Schedule

607 Graduate Seminar in Photography

Fall 2016

Purdue University

Schedule (subject to change)

8/25     Introductions (bring samples of your work to show)

9/1       Mini Collodion Workshop by Sara Poer

9/8       Artist Inspirations

9/15     Mordançage Workshop by Molly Lorraine Phalan

9/22     Crit

9/29     Tintype Workshop by Michael Seretny

10/6     Crit

10/13  

10/20   Crit

10/27

11/3     Crit

11/10

11/17   Crit

11/24   Thanksgiving

12/1

12/8     Final Crit