Different experiments on different objects

What I Did:

4 hours taking more pictures outside and then drawing on them
1 hour thinking up and researching 3D objects, adhesives and paint to use
1 hour researching artists
1 hour getting supplies
3 hours cutting metal teeth, painting them, and sticking them to a parking meter
2 hours coming up with ideas on how to connect my characters

What I Accomplished/ Discovered/ Encountered:

The critique that I had today and the comments and suggestions that I got were very helpful. Everyone seemed to respond to the objects that I liked the most. Those were the objects that I spent the most time on with the drawings and the details. They were the ones that were most clever and that incorporated things from the site into the face and whose personality matched the site best. I also realized after talking with people that the ones that had the mouths integrated the best were the best solutions.

I thought adhering metal pieces would be a good solution compared to drawing directly on the object, but it was the other way around. There was also comments about making a connection with my characters so that people will know that they are done by the same person and that they want to move on to the next character. Making a bunch of different characters on different structures makes my work surprising, but having a connection between them that makes the people want to see the next one brings about suspense.

I got a few ideas on how to connect my characters, such as only drawing mouths on openings, naming my characters by placing gallery tags next to them, writing hints on where to find the next character, and an idea that I had previously was to maybe create a poem or story by giving each character a word or a line in the poem or story.  

6emeia is an artist who also makes characters from things on the street. Sewers are the main things that he uses. And not only does he draw characters, but he also creates other objects from things on the street, such as a watch made from a crosswalk line. I like how resourceful he is with the surrounding structures, such as the post becoming the cigarette. And I also like the detail that he uses as well. They are not just plain circle eyes that he draws. He really makes specific characters that have a personality.

What I Think I Will Do Next:
I want to try to draw directly onto some objects so that I can contrast it with adhering something else onto the object, like I did with the teeth on the parking meter.

Many structures downtown

What I Did:

.5 hours figuring out a reason behind parking meters
2 hours walking downtown and taking pictures of structures
2 hours drawing faces on the pictures and creating characters
1.5 hours trying different materials on metal
.5 hours thinking up ways to display work for the show
2 hours looking at related art at Wooster Collective and filthyluker.com
3 hours revising my thesis paper

Pink-Eye Lady

Nasty Sewer Man

Blind Scary Alley Guy

Crazed Robot Man

Drained Woman

Experimenting with super glue, velcro, paint, pastels, colored pencils, and Sharpie markers.

What I Accomplished/ Discovered/ Encountered:

After talking with my professors, I realized that I need to not only focus on parking meters, but other structures in the area as well. This also became apparent to me because I could not find a big connection between me and parking meters, and if that is the only I would be working with, it would seem like a confusing match. I still love the way they look with the faces that I drew on them, so I will definitely use them in my overall project, but they will not be my only thing to work with.

One thing that I found interesting when looking up information on the parking meters is that there will be an increase in rates that takes effect on the 21st of January. So I would love to transform some of the meters into angry or surprised faces on this day, but it doesn't give me much time.

For many of the structures that I took pictures of, I could see a personality in them. For instance, the metal box/vent thing in the alley was really scary, especially since it was in an alley and how the screens could be interpreted as messed up eyes. The sewer drain was creepy and nasty (because it's a sewer) but I also liked the way it could look like it has missing teeth or large gaps between the teeth. After drawing faces that correspond to the structure and the location of the structure, I feel a lot better about where my project is headed. I think the public will be able to understand the work better and will be able to relate to the personalities of the objects better.

A few ideas that I have to display my work in the final show are to display photographs of the structures and then to also display one of the structures with a face on it in the gallery. It would be cool to find out how to get a parking meter that I could display there. I also want to create a map of where the structures that I have manipulated are and possibly have a path that people can take to lead them through my community of humanized structures.

While looking up street art, I found Filthy Luker who has done a lot of similar work to mine. He or she has put faces, mostly eyes on many structures in a city setting (I am not sure where). The way his differs from mine is that his eyes are very simple cartoon style eyes that are spray painted on. I like how other parts of the object become other parts of the face, and the eyes depend on the surrounding features. I also like the 3D eyeballs that he puts in some things like bushes.

Filthy Luker, untitled

Filthy Luker, untitled

Filthy Luker, "Lightning Nose"

Filthy Luker, "Bad Hair Day"

After talking with Megan about my paper on Tuesday, I realized that like many other people's papers, mine lacked specifics, particularly on the social relevance. Since that is a huge part of my project, I figured I had better fix this in my paper. I did not explain well enough why the faces are where they are, and why it is important for them to be unexpected. When I wrote the rough draft, however, I was not at the point I am at now. So I tried to update my paper a bit in order to have it more current and to keep my intentions and goals down on paper. I think correlating the type of expression of the face with the object makes it much more apparent why the faces are where they are. Also, having the faces on many different types of structures will have them be more surprising than if they were just on parking meters or buildings. And the reason behind having them be surprising is partially having a shock value, but mostly, the more they are integrated into the structure the more surprising it will be. Also, if they are expected, then people will get bored of them, but having them surprising will get people more engaged. And the integration and site specificity are key factors in my project.


What I Think I Should Do Next:

I ordered clear stickers that I can draw on, so I want to practice drawing on these and seeing how seamless they will look on different structures. Also, my mom is bringing my jeweler saw from home this weekend, so I want to start cutting metal pieces in the shape of teeth. Then I want to use paint/Sharpie on these (which I found is the best method) to color them like teeth. I would like to create one or two faces for the parking meters by Sunday, but I am not sure if I will get my supplies in time to do so.

Finding parking meters

What I Did:
2 hours walking around downtown taking pictures of structures
2 hours researching graffiti artists
5 hours drawing on pictures
1 hour thinking how to draw on/attach things to the parking meters and other structures

What I Accomplished/Discovered/Encountered:

I realized that sticking to smaller structures other than buildings would probably be a good idea when I thought about it realistically. Walking around downtown Ann Arbor, I found a lot of items around that had sort of facial structures, but nothing got my attention more than the parking meters. It was so apparent that they had characteristics of a head and there were so many of them around. I also like the fact that parking meters are kind of becoming extinct due to the new appearance of E Park meters. It says a lot about the change of the times: that everything analog is being replaced by digital things. Due to the large number of parking meters that are still around, I knew I could make a bunch of different faces on them and make sort of a community of parking meters.

When drew on the pictures of the parking meters, I realized that I like the simplest ones the best, especially the one with the fangs and the one with the open mouth and teeth. Those are the ones that I integrated the most on the meter. Right now, my idea is to create the add-ons (the mouth, eyes, teeth, etc) previously and then sticking them on to the meter quickly so as not to get caught. My plan is to cut teeth, and possibly ears, out of metal, paint them, and then super glue them on to the meter. With the mouth and eyes, I would like to create stickers that I can stick on them. I also thought that steel wool could be a great way to make the meter look like it has hair.

During my critique today, it was suggested that I dive deeper into the history of parking meters and also that I should explore many different items in a similar space. I really liked the mailbox that I drew on as well, so I am not opposed to humanizing other objects than parking meters. I just think that parking meters will be the best objects for me to humanize. I am thinking that they will be my main object that I will work on.

What I Think I Should Do Next:
I will look around downtown more to see if there are more objects for me to humanize. I will look up the history of parking meters and maybe get some more ideas with what I could do with the faces on them. I will also try to experiment with painting on metal, making stickers, and seeing how well super glue can hold metal pieces together.

Take away points from December consultation

Key points from faculty group:

• Littering and excessive waste issues seem to be an interest of mine, but drawing faces seems to be a passion. These two things are not coming together cohesively, so I should stick to what I am passionate about, and the project will turn out better. The mere surprise factor might just be enough to fuel my project.
• Use architectural details to integrate the faces more into the architectural structures. This is key to making my project come together!
• I need to be more site specific and goal specific
• My faces are currently expressive, but they are not very informational
• Try to use different configurations of the face depending on what is present in the architecture. Don't limit myself to 2 eyes and a mouth. Maybe try to incorporate other body parts as well.
• Also, don't limit myself to a certain style. Have it be dependent on the architecture. 
• Try to experiment with text, as long as it is integrated within the architecture as well.

Implications going forward:

• First, I will take pictures of a few sites in Ann Arbor and then draw on each of these pictures as many different ways that I can to integrate facial features and body parts in order to humanize the structures.
• I will try different ways I can draw on the structures or use similar materials to the ones used to make the structure in order to create facial features and body parts that look integrated within the structure. 
• I will learn about the site and the objects that are incorporated before I take over the site with my art.
• I will try different configurations of the face and the body, not just limiting myself to 2 eyes and a mouth, and I will try different styles as well.

Getting ready for my December Review

I have been chugging along and I feel like I am learning more each week and getting closer to finding out how to execute my final project.

The past week I have stayed in one specific site where I am creating a few projects. It happens to be outside of my apartment, where trash accumulates often.

Here are some images of what my latest projects have been...

view from the sidewalk

view from inside my apartment

chalk arm underneath the face

throwing away a paper plate (many accumulate around this pizza place area)

sad face made from trash

from far away it just looks like plain litter

but from the right angles and when you get closer, you are more able to see the face.

With these experiments around my apartment, I have been trying to create a few ways to intervene with the people surrounding it. Many people walk by here everyday and see the litter and think nothing of it, or they are the people actually littering up the sidewalk. I am trying to think of creative ways in which people will actually stop and think about their actions that they do everyday. I want my projects to make sense, but I want them to be intriguing enough that it actually makes them think about it, and then ultimately stop littering in this area.

I think I am getting closer to combing my ideas into a cohesive project, but I don't think it is quite where I want it to be. I want my projects to be more in-your-face, but right now, they're not quite there. Hopefully after December Review, I can get a little more help with actualizing my idea.

2 other big ideas

Since I started my project, I have been a little discouraged finding a good place to put my pieces and thinking of the best content in which to evoke a reaction of curiosity and intrigue, but ultimately showing the viewers my point behind my work. The past two weeks, I have tried to combat these issues, but I am still not getting the results that I want.


What I Did:

Time Calendar:
1 hour putting up face in A&D building
2 hours researching artists and watching "Bomb It" (a graffiti documentary)
1 hour coming up with more projects
5 hours working on sticker art
6 hours starting my face on Flex-O-Glass

My first idea was to make stickers on stickerjunkie.com, which I could put in hundreds of different places easily.
My second idea was to use plastic sheets used for window insulation on which to draw a face and install them either on my windows at home, or a large window in Pierpont Commons.
I also thought about experimenting with spray paint in places that I know people won't see me such as under the railroad bridge in the Arb. Since I have never used spray paint before and all the graffiti documentaries and artists I've seen recently use this technique, it has urged me to try it. I am not sure if anything will come of it, but it sounds exciting.

sticker graphic

view of my apartment

from inside my apartment

 

What I Accomplished/ Discovered/ Encountered:

After having my individual meeting, it was brought to my attention that I still wasn't getting site-specific enough with the projects that I have accomplished. And the sticker idea wasn't creative enough.
I had been trying to pick a site and then creating my face because of that site, but I always had a specific face and way to make that face in mind beforehand that I assumed I would use.

I really need to try to pick a site, and then work from there. I have looked at some site-specific graffiti, and I think it has a look that I strive to accomplish in my work. The picture below is very much like another picture I posted previously with a face peeking out from ivy hair, but this art goes even further with the idea of being site-specific. You need to look from a certain angle in order to see the full picture, which is sprawled across a wall, a sidewalk, and a brick road.

What I Plan to do for Next Week:
I picked one site, which is right outside my apartment, and I am going to experiment as much as I can in this area. I live in a very populated area right next to a pizza place (which I previously mentioned) and trash seems to accumulate a lot right outside my door. With this trash, I will come up with creative ways to show this area in a different light. I want to let passer-bys come to the realization that busy streets do not have to be littered and we do not have to take the paper plates, paper cups, napkins, and plastic bags that are always free and offered to us.
 I will begin by putting a throwing up face on my three windows, which will have actual trash coming out of its mouth and outside the window. I just bought a huge roll of Flex-O-Glass that will allow me to draw my face huge and have a seamless finish, unlike the small sheets of plastic wrap I used previously.
With my remaining time I will experiment more with the area after really observing the relationship of the place with the trash and the people around it.

What I Plan to do for December Consultation:

I want to have at least 6 different experiments to be able to show the professors at my consultation.

1st BIG experiment

What I Did:

Time Calendar:
2 hours sketching gross and mean faces (the darkest and oddest I could make them)
1 hour breaking down my project into different categories for evaluation
1 hour thinking of a big experiment to incorporate all of these categories
11 hours making large face, vomit, and attaching cups

(sorry about the rotation of the images)

I have a place planned to put it in the art school and got my installation form signed by Mark but could not get a hold of Peter in order to put up my face, so I will do it within the next few days. So look out for it.


What I Accomplished/ Discovered/ Encountered:


This week, realized that some of my faces were just too happy to be thought provoking. So I went deeper and darker and tried to make them the most grotesque that I could. I then realized that I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with these faces and I still wasn't set on the entire theme of my project. So I broke my project down into 3 categories of what I wanted it to represent. 1) Faces: I have been wanting to do this the whole time. They are what I really enjoy doing and I feel that I am skilled in creating them. 2) Public art: This enables me to show off my work in public, which is scary for me because I am a very shy person. But it is also exciting because it is always fun to do something daring and then get good results in the end. 3) Environmental Issues: I respect this kind of artwork most. Sustainability is a huge issue and I would love to create things that not only have aesthetic value, but also have a good message. So here I have the 1)what, 2)how, and 3)why, but integrating these things is a lot more difficult than I thought. This is when I talked to Hannah and Stephanie and got my idea for the large face vomiting up used coffee cups. I think the excessive use of paper coffee cups is my biggest pet peeve around campus, because I see it so so often and each time it builds my anger and my need to say something about it. I believe my big vomiting face (Yeah. That sounds weird.) incorporates all of my ideas into an interesting piece of work, and it is exciting to finally figure out something that actually works fairly well. And it looks just how I envisioned it, I just think I need to add some more cups to get a bigger effect, possibly.

I didn't look at any other artists this week, I just tried to focus on my own goal and come up with an original idea that incorporated everything that I wanted it to.


What I Think I Should Do Next Week:

First, I will put up my face as soon as possible. Then, I will complete another big experiment that incorporates my ideas and probably install it in the art school as well.