Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Assignment #6: Public Poetry

Stephen Knight, a notorious art history/drawing professor of mine was very vocal of his discontent for using text in art. In his opinion, including text was a way to make up for a lack of strength in your visual imagery. While this was not a terrible lesson to learn, I have since learned what an important place language can have in art. Zach Houston, our latest featured artist, knows this lesson quite well.

From Houston, we can glean not only the beauty of arranging words in an off-the-cuff fashion, but the power in publicly sharing those words. The artist does so in a way that almost releases them from his ownership, letting them belong to someone else, anyone else. This idea inspired our next assignment.

Assignment #6: Public Poetry


Write a short (around 5 lines), impromptu poem or verse on a random topic. Then, create a vehicle with which to share your words publicly and capture and image of what you create.

Sound confusing? Let me explain. What we're looking for is an image of the words you write (therefore, don't worry about making them super-personal or involved...although they can be!) once you have written or posted them somewhere for others to see. Maybe you write them in Sharpie in a bathroom stall and snap a photo (but I cannot recommend that). Maybe you make a message in a bottle and toss it into the Pacific (though I don't condone littering). Maybe you write it with your finger in a foggy mirror. Get the idea? Also, your poem can be anything from a little ditty about your favorite snack to a sentimental verse for a loved one. Doesn't matter. The point of this project is sharing your thoughts, releasing them into the world. Below is the project I created for this assignment. When looking for inspiration for my poem (which I wrote in about 3 minutes on the back of an envelope), I looked no further than my desk where an old pair of reading glasses lay. Then I scrawled my words crudely onto a balloon and let 'er rip. It's not my fault it got stuck in a tree. :(

Also, please notice the new format for submissions. Make sure to write your name, assignment, and materials. I can't wait to see your creations! Xxxxx.






















Picture maker: Ashley
Assignment: #6 Public Poetry
Materials: Brain, sharpie, balloon, ribbon

2 comments:

babette said...

love it. why arent there cool people like you in nyc. you were the only cool girl in LA. =)

i just got out of surgery. i have a lot of time to brainstorm and create. once i can walk i will do this.

thanks for being awesome!
barbie

HN said...

Your professor was right. Your illustrations to this post prove it. Your arguments are nonexistent. You just need to have a different opinion, which you cannot back for lack of experience/education. You are entitled to it, nonetheless. That is the beauty of freedom. Enjoy!