Caroline+Linne+Spring+2018

=Caroline Linne-- Project Archive=

About Me
My name is Caroline Linne and I am a Senior studying Marketing with a minor in Spanish. I'm originally from Cincinnati Ohio, and I am very proud of my Midwestern roots.

I have always had an interest in art from a young age but I wasn't afforded much of an opportunity to continue this into my undergraduate career. Often in high school, you would have found me spending my lunch breaks in the art studio painting, so I'm looking forward to returning to (somewhat) of a studio setting. I have painted now for about seven years in mostly acrylics, with some experience in oil, and love to break out my supplies every chance I have! I also have been known to dabble in photography, so I am looking forward to utilizing that in the class!

Here are some examples of pieces/photos I have taken:



Homework 1: Do IP Laws Protect or Disuade Creative Thinking?
Given the rise of technology in the last 20 years, the ability to appropriate art for an individual’s own usage is becoming a widely debated issue. The comic //Bound By Law// raises an interesting question related to the rise of technology and the proliferation of content: are the current copyright laws failing to protect artists who have utilized copyrighted or trademarked material in their works either by coincidence or by sheer necessity? In short: Yes. The idea of appropriation has changed with the rise of technology, and the usage of images, text, songs, and film have become even more accessible, and the current copyright laws no longer protect the original artists, rather they enable larger corporations to prey upon smaller content creators. There are obvious limitations to this statement in which people will flagrantly utilize art in which they have no legal claim. Additionally, the conversation of appropriation versus inspiration has opened up to not only what is legal, but what is right given the cultural context of the original work. The internet has provided a new platform on which individuals can share material both legally and illegally. There has been a flagrant disregard for property laws like on the music media sharing platform like Napster, but in other situations, content creators have been victimized for utilizing the copyrighted material in their content even after providing a citation. For example, the Youtube star and entrepreneur Michelle Phan was sued over a copyright breach in 2014. Ultra Records, alleged that Phan used music from their signed artist Kaskade without their permission, and sued her for over 1 million dollars. However, what is interesting about this case was the response of the artist whose material was used, Kaskade claimed: “Copyright law is a dinosaur, ill-suited for the landscape of today's media.” (Rawlinson) Utilizing current copyright law to predatorily pursue smaller content creators is a poor business practice given the current media landscape. Success in the arts in the age of technology is derived from exposure and attacking those who share your content only hurts the potential of your content from spreading. In the case of Michelle Phan, she received millions of views for each of her videos, and she consistently attributed the music to Kaskade, yet she was punished “infringing on his rights” (Rawlinson). This case exemplifies how the current copyright laws, although they are created to protect the artists, are counterproductive in the creation and proliferation of new content. This situation echos the sentiment from the comic book in which “overprotecting intellectual property is as harmful as under protecting it” not only because culture is a cumulative collection of ideas, but also overprotection inhibits creativity. (Aoki et al.) Conversely, the introduction of the internet has enabled individuals to claim content as their own illegally. It is common to see artists posting on forum to gauge the reception of their work and of the top comment is “you need to put a watermark on you work or someone will pretend it’s theirs.” This phenomenon is what balances the current copyright laws even though there are certain inconsistencies that enable predatory practices, there are still those individuals acting through the internet that require the law to remain intact.



Although IP laws provide extensive protection to the creators of the content, it is also important to consider the cultural implications of decisions to utilize famous images or figures as your own. For example, it is nearly impossible to open a discussion about current pop culture and appropriation without discussing the Kardashians. Recently, the two youngest girls in the family have been met with criticism for launching a line of vintage t-shirts in which “ layered photos of themselves or their K + K logos over iconic images of late rappers Tupac and Biggie, and also on top of the album art of legendary rock bands like Metallica, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Doors” (Briones). What makes this blatantly appropriative is that the sisters disregarding the experiences of the icons they are apparently trying to emulate. Further, Violetta Wallace, Biggie’s mother, explained that “The disrespect of these girls to not even reach out to me or anyone connected to the estate baffles me.” It is imperative that when you are using the image of an individual, you plan to make a profit, and you have such a large name that you receive permission to utilize the image of a person who has passed. Unlike the idea presented in the comic in which “cultural environmentalism” protects those who create intellectual property to protect artists who add value by presenting the material in a new was, the t-shirt is not providing the material in a new or valuable way (Aoiki et. Al). The reason it has that value is that of the icons it is emulating There is value in the current IP laws; however, the current digital landscape is outpacing the relevance of the law. Changes need to be made to the law to accommodate content creators in which proper attribution of the material when not a central aspect of the piece enables them to utilize the preexisting material.


 * Works cited: **

Aoki, Keith, et al. “Bound by Law?” Day A Filmaker, 2006.

Blabbermouth. “KENDALL + KYLIE JENNER Apologize For 'Disgusting' T-Shirts Featuring OZZY OSBOURNE, METALLICA, KISS.” //BLABBERMOUTH.NET//, 29 June 2017, www.blabbermouth.net/news/kendall-kylie-jenner-apologize-for-disgusting-t-shirts-featuring-ozzy-osbourne-metallica-kiss/.

Briones, Isis. “Kendall + Kylie Brand Apologizes for Having 'Missed the Mark Completely' With T-Shirts Featuring Iconic Artists.” //Billboard//, 5 July 2017, www.billboard.com/articles/news/lifestyle/7857109/kendall-kylie-jenner-brand-apology-tupac-biggie-t-shirts.

Rawlinson, Kevin. “YouTube Star Michelle Phan Sued over Copyright Breach.” //BBC News//, BBC, 22 July 2014, www.bbc.com/news/technology-28418449.

** Exercise 1- Presence and Absence **
You'll find that in this exercise I decided to work mostly with the presence and absence of light when the source of light is known. Additionally, I decided to focus on the presence and absence of technology and industrial activity and how that impacts the way we see the world.

White Space:
I found it interesting that a group of strangers could share a table, and not even look up from their screens a single moment to share a glance with eachother. I am also guilty of this (hence the deletion of my laptop.)



Remove and Replace:
When we look at all of the food available to us in organic retailers, it's hard to believe that there are still industrial elements to the production of our food.

Remove and Reflect:
This is where I began playing with the presence and absence of light; interestingly, the image maintains most of its character despite the few forms that were transposed on the corresponding side.

Leave a Trace
Once again, playing with the light I found tha the trace of the flame is indicated by the reflection on the gloss of the wall's paint. I also did my best to remove the trace of the flame with the "content aware" fill.

Your Choice:
I really enjoyed the imagery of Siber, so I wanted to experiment with this interesting statue that sits outside of the General Services Administration building in New Carrolton. I thought that the highlights from the statue and parking garage create an almost text-like presence when reflected vertically.



Photoshop Project- Final Process
On the couple I put two images I took of flowers to add a bit more interest to their image. I also used a levels layer and drew in the shadow on the lapel of the coat and the seat where they sit. To build the Ferris wheel I pulled the structure from the following image and used the transform functions of "distort" and "warp" to bring the image into perspective. Then, I pulled an image of a carousel to place in the background of the photo. By using hue saturation layers an drawing on them I developed a color that was the correct shade for the galaxy I put behind it. I pulled an image of a path and played with the transform features and the opacity as well as drawing around the edges to make it a bit transparent and light around the edges.

I then pulled an image from the Hubble archives and placed a layer of the galaxy behind the carousel. I utilized more specific selection features to capture the transparent nature of the edges of the galaxy. Then I took a portion of the image and placed it in front of the carousel and played with the opacity to make the carousel "sink" into the galaxy.

I utilized the same technique to submerge the "dreamland" sign. Finally, I applied a layers level to the dreamland and then drew over the areas to create an "electrified effect. For my final piece, I wanted to capitalize on the expression of the man's face-- he's just elated, so I tried to create a scene that encapsulates that emotion. Additionally, I thought it would be interesting to continue pulling pieces from the early to mid 20th century, give them classical/rococo style. By placing them in space it gives them this strange intersection with the modern, and the current need to travel and explore. Also, the "Dreamland" sign came from a deserted amusement park which I think was interesting in terms of repurposing it.
 * The final product:**
 * When Our minds Begin to Wander**


 * The Final Product (Part 2):**


 * Scavenger Hunt Collage:**

Cinemagraphs
Seagull on Miami Beach

Sprinkles at the Museum of Ice Cream

Conceptual Strategy Video
Krauss’ piece argues that video, as a medium, enables narcissism in that video typically is a parody or reflection of human life. The lack of a physical “form” of the film enables this tendency. Unlike any visual art-form before it, sculpture, painting, drawing etc. a video has no form. Is it the film on which it is impressed, the screen on which it is played? Krauss answers this by stating, “Video depends-in order for anything to be experienced at all-on a set of physical mechanisms,” however, the actual video remains abstract in nature. Therefore, we must rely on the psychological medium because this is the only way in which we can apply meaning to a piece. As Krauss claims “The body is therefore as it were centered between two machines that are the opening and closing of a parenthesis.” Naturally, we are inclined to think of the human experience and psychological meaning through the video medium because it requires a human aspect for production. I think that this relationship between video as a media strongly represents the current relationship between the population and social media. Video now has a primary use for communication whether there is a single intended recipient, or a mass consumer base, the intention of video in 2018 still relies on production and consumption by a human. In Krauss’ critique of //Boomerang// by Nancy Holt. She identifies that “Through that distracted reverberation of a single word-and even word-fragment-there forms an image of what it is like to be totally cut-off from history, even, in this case, the immediate history of the sentence one has just spoken. Another word for that history from which Holt feels herself to be disconnected is 'text'.” This critique is relevant to society now because we document our entire lives for the consumption of others on social media, yet there is a constant need to generate more content. It negates the value of the history recorded because of the nature of the medium—it is purely meant for the consumption of humans. Is there a point to social media if you are not connected to other individuals? The concept of “boomeranging” also applies to the idea of developing your own “personal brand” for the consumption of others. The idea of a brand implies uniqueness; however, on social media, videos will typically follow a singular format, with a singular aesthetic, with a conventionally attractive person. Individuals try to emulate this image in an attempt to develop this brand and essentially experience a “boomerang” effect. They become the media that they consume. Additionally, the idea of a “boomerang” applies to the news in that producers make media that consumers agree with, rather than objectively stating the truth. Overall, Krauss’s argument is still strong with today's’ use of video given that it is almost entirely meant for consumption. This is not limited to just social media, but also in the news, television, and anything that fights for human attention. Video enabled the commoditization of human attention and it is still utilized as such.
 * Krauss Response**

He is one of the strongest examples of conceptual artists, and his pieces constantly explore the use of language to give “form” to an object. The piece that expresses this idea the best is //One and Three Chairs.//
 * Joseph Kosuth**

Joseph Kosuth -1965 - //One and Three Chairs// Form: one wooden chair, a picture of the same wooden chair on a canvass, the definition of a chair on the canvass. Content: This is a contemporary piece of installation art Context: Kousuth in this piece explores how all three of these objects, though their entire physical presence are the same, are chairs. He explores how language creates form in the mind of the reader rather in physical space My Interpretation: Create a video piece that also takes language to establish an object. This could be done through the explanation of an individual or the sound waves of their voice stating the name of the object.

Another example of a conceptual artist. He questioned the idea of a piece in relation to the subjectivity of the artist and how their interpretation of a piece will always be subject to their personal perceptions. In his piece Wall Drawing #118 he provided a group of students at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts with instructions to create a wall drawing piece exemplifying “The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” The instructions read as That story comes from the announcement card for “Something Along Those Lines,” a show now up at the SMFA. The instructions read: “On a wall surface, any continuous stretch of wall, using a hard pencil, place fifty points at random. The points should be evenly distributed over the area of the wall. All of the points should be connected by straight lines. “ media type="youtube" key="c4cgB4vJ2XY" width="392" height="219" Sol LeWitt - 1971 - //Wall// //Drawing #118//
 * Sol Lewitt**

Form: paper (for the instructions) and Wall with hard pencil Content: The modern art piece conceived by Sol Lewitt, but actually created by a group of students. Context: The art questions the need of form, but also the need of an artist. LeWitt provided the instructions but did not partake in the creation of the art. Additionally, this piece explores the subjectivity of art because the artists, when given instructions are able to come up with an infinite number of variations of the piece

My Interpretation: In film, we communicate the most with the viewer through visual cues. I would like to explore the absence of this and provide alternatives to imagery through text or a combination of images.

In her piece Sky Cathedral she explores the idea of the “readymade” by recontextualizing found pieces of debris into a work of art. The piece explores how the process of refining and contracting reconfigures the undesirable to desirable. Louis Nevelson- 1958 - //Sky Cathedral// Form: A series of wooden boxes filled with wooden fragments entirely painted black. Content: The modern art piece is an exploration of "the readymade" Context: This period in history artists, like Marcel Duchamp, began exploring the “readymade” and how the industrial and already created can be reimagined into a work of art. She often explored: “the in-between places, the dawns, and dusk, the objective world, the heavenly spheres, the places between the land and the sea.”
 * Louis Nevelson**

My interpretation: I would like to film something that stars as “undesirable” and moves to a more “desirable state” and in doing so it becomes less interesting to the eye. I was thinking of doing a reversed filming of a mirror breaking/cracking from various angles to explore this idea.

-script for instructions-- film roommates drawing the instructions -illustrate sounds through physical means--waves or motion
 * Ideas for Conceptual Piece**

Conceptual Video Final Video
My piece is a video with the sound recording of an individuals following directions that I had written out on a paper for them. The directions featured only sound-producing actions so that they could be captured in the video. Each time the action is performed the opacity of the text of the instruction appears on the screen.

For my conceptual strategy video, I decided to combine the ideas behind Kosuth and Lewitts pieces because both artists explore the idea of interpretation in their works.

Kosuth commonly explores the impact language has on individual’s interpretation. In his piece //One and Three Chairs// he identifies that although there are three separate mediums the idea of a chair is still consistent in physical form, canvass, and by definition. I incorporated this into my piece by including the sound and text of the action. Video, as a medium offered the unique opportunity of utilizing sound and motion which expands upon Kosuth’s methodology. I use the text form of the instruction, and the sound form of the text. Additionally, by varying the opacity to match the level of the sound I also express the “strength” of each of the sounds and how there is also a variance within the action itself.

Lewitt questioned the idea of a piece in relation to the subjectivity of the artist and how their interpretation of a piece will always be subject to their personal perceptions. In his piece Wall Drawing # 118  he provided a group of students at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts with instructions to create a wall drawing piece exemplifying “The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” I incorporated this concept into my piece by giving an individual ambiguous instructions to follow while filming them. This allowed for a variety of interpretations of the piece and if repeated, it would not reproduce the exact same result. By using video, I was able to capture another aspect untouched by Lewitt’s piece. Technically, Wall Drawing #118, only features the instructions and final piece; however, I was able to capture the actual process of the individual interpreting the instructions. I think that this adds a critical piece to the final conceptual video because it is the timing of the interpretation that enables the interest in audio and visual capacities. Additionally, the instructions of the piece did not require any training in art; the instructions were simple and can be interpreted by any person, which I think adds an additional interesting dimension.

It is through interpretation of the instructions that enabled this piece to come to fruition. The conceptual strategies of Kosuth and Lewitt brought an interesting dynamic to the video and enabled me to expand upon the unique qualities of the medium.