Catherine+Le+Spring+2018

About Me: Catherine Le
 In an era where new forms of popular culture such as art, film, and music are constantly being produced every day, copyright laws are a determining factor in regards to the limitations of the artist and their creativity. There are many platforms in which art can be created and dispersed, which in my opinion, challenges the control of copyright. I always knew copyright was a conflictive issue among many artists, producers, and basically everyone who decides to put their work out to the public but I didn't know what the copyright laws truly implemented until I read the comic. This comic helped me understand the concepts of copyright and the laws. It starts off with a woman wanting to film a documentary about the life of New York City, but she comes across trouble as she starts to wonder about the "clear rights" to film all of the sculptures, art, and music. Documentaries include cultural fragments which are records of cultural artifacts "all protected by intellectual property rights" (page 4). Because of that filmmakers are advised to clear the rights of cultural fragments - I think that process requires a lot of work and what if they cant obtain the cleared rights? There are many ways to avoid/worm away from copyright laws.
 * __Major:__
 * I am a freshman majoring International Affairs with an interest of pursuing a double major in fine arts
 * __Your experience with computers/software:__
 * I've been using computers all throughout my life so I'd say I'm pretty hip to computers. Software wise, I'm not experienced with all software but I can learn.
 * __Your experience with art:__
 * I took art all throughout middle/high school. Specifically concentrating in photography.
 * __Something interesting about you:__
 * I'm left handed
 * __Your artistic interests (can include pictures or video):__
 * High fashion photography. Ben Hassett is one of my favorite artists. He combines all elements of modernity and fashion and turns it into a beautiful artwork
 * [[image:catheri nel s spinrg ben.jpg width="201" height="253"]][[image:catherine le spring 2018 ben hassett.jpg width="235" height="251"]][[image:catheirne le spring ben.jpg width="200" height="257"]]
 * Here are some of my artworks:
 * [[image:https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LHyoAyAaXOv0kO2GfPPAMcAYq9sS4XlEYEmVFOlzeM8DxrYTngWBRElfy_PNnd-Ab6kh-M3PECtL-HM9phGFZiarXIOtCtpP5yd4XI4HTCBbDbuYAVU4dq-B6kMz5Y09hqxW1kiD_TI width="178" height="255"]][[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1slca0YdYnj9zPRbXLQ_YDIQyQChPgc4NCZaBrGsZXG2IP_8hwQoIJPHUBOdpCL0AVFMO6p_h6hXyDRiKiHB45KPeTxBxhXEi9yPMG1cJgSjBNVmnn0B94Xvn7ZiScsHEEl8seYjiXQ width="225" height="177"]]
 * [[image:https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/k_JpnQsO6zXpKcb5UrLTen4ToYcy_PrjYtDuYjpbl45EYQceOJl63HFCW_LUnadSmjCOLZepNO_38cN3WPNDIhrTVehMEAEsuuhusTsOk_ONpXilGiUiYCdoRvjbISbVCvGiTewOgxM width="231" height="153"]][[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y-ONIHq2fCB7-kTkYQVFje5zwPb_DdYbatL_Sok--ds4GaCrzAp4YZs_zm0kd4wqUGjdhQ1JqgOBrVQ0zLnw_6HcgEYW0KNYS3nPXzmkE_Vn2i5ZNAMfl7EsauTNHLEhHB6OPjQJQ_M width="212" height="150"]]
 * ==Week 1 Homework : Bound By Law?==

I also learned that work created before 1923 or produced by the government is cleared to be in the public's domain - which makes sense now that I think about it. An example of good appropriation would be the //Campbell v. Acuff-Rose (1994)// case in which the Supreme Court ruled it as a fair use case - in which the song was borrowed from the original artist but was used as a parody. Fair use is good to allow some creativity although still abiding to the copyright laws. Fair use permits criticism, creativity, and commentary. I think it is a good medium ground for creativity and copyright laws. Fair use is seen in many aspects in today's culture and society. We have many different versions of the same idea - for example Hello Kitty. There are a lot of things today that are a parody of Hello Kitty - but they fall under fair use because it is just a parody of Hello Kitty and it doesn't interfere with any copyright law. An example of bad appropriation would be //Harper & Roe v. Nation Enterprises (1985)// The Nation published an unreleased manuscript which wasn't published by the authorized publisher.

I am in favor of copyright laws because they allow the artists to make copies, make translations/other versions, publicly distribute, display, and publicly perform their artwork in addition to protecting the rights of the artwork/artist. I also agree that copyright laws also promote creativity - since you are not allowed to replicated certain things, you are forced to be creative and think outside of the box. Limitations and the consequence of violating the law, such as a monetary fine, acts as an incentive for artists to grow and expand their boundaries.
 * **Exercise 1 Presence Absence**

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue





 * Final Product: Regal Isolation**

Collage: Poised Possession In class Project: A failure Final: Spring Break- View from the S Train in New York City.

Conceptual Strategy Video: 3 Images
//Joana Vasconcelos, Lilicoptère (2012).// Conceptual Strategy #1: I think this piece is about the functionality and perspective of the object if the materials/build up were to change. The artist wanted to see how differently people would interpret a helicopter if it was covered in feathers instead of steel. I think this piece is changing an object that has a more masculine appeal to become more feminine. It is covered in pink feathers and is bedazzled. It's the makeup of the object that determines the outcome.

//Joana Vasconcelos, Call Center (2014-2016)// Conceptual Strategy #2: I think this piece has a similar concept to the first. The artist is trying to pull away from the violence, danger, and harm a gun can cause by reproducing a gun made with boring/harmless objects - phones. No one thinks of harm when they see phones. It's not a controversial subject unlike guns. She is trying to dissolve the original intent of a gun.

//Joana Vasconcelos, Dorothy (2007-2010)// Conceptual Strategy #3: I also think this piece has the same message as the previous pictures. I think the artist was trying to change how people differently valued objects if they were altered. For example, people would value designer shoes because they are designer and expensive, but would they value that same shoe if it were designer? probably not. She's taking a shoe and rebuilding it from pots - an everyday object that no one really thinks anything of. Maybe she's trying to say something about materialism?

Reading: read this article and answer this question on your wiki page in at lest 500 words: What would Krauss' thesis be, and how would it differ, if she were writing this article in 2015?
 * Krauss Reading Response:**

This article written by Rosalind Krauss in the Spring of 1976. In my opinion, Krauss' thesis is h aving a subject or object being the medium of a video is considered narcissistic because it separates the nature of the video and that of the other visual arts. She thinks that the purpose of a medium contains the concept of an object-state, which separates the artists own being. So including himself into his own artwork is narcissistic. She states "the body is therefore as it were centered between two machines that are the opening and closing of a parenthesis. The first is the camera, second is mirror, which retrojects the performers image with the immediacy of a mirror." Krauss is trying to say that by having the performer replicate actions, it looses the originality of the artwork and replicates a mirror. She calls this the "double-effect." Since this article was written a long time ago, I think the interpretation of artwork back then had to be very strictly interpreted. It couldn't be loose because there was not much creativity. For example: everything had to be done a specific way or else it would get criticized. She also emphasized on the concept of minimalism, she favored this concept for its simplicity and its openness for people to fill the physical distance that minimalism creates. I think she also continues with her argument by saying "involving person in artwork as a medium is a narcissistic enclose and a psychological strategy [...] narcissism opens up a rift between nature of video and for the other visual art." The usage of a person as a medium represents narcism and the artist's selfishness to mold his own work. She is trying to say that by using the artists own subject would ruin the artistic and natural meaning of the artwork. If Krauss were to write this essay in modern day, I think her entire thesis would be the opposite of her original intent. With the emergence of new forms of art and new ways to incorporate a medium I think she would urge artists to use people as a medium. Having people as the medium of an artwork can make the artwork become 100X more expressive and flexible. I don't believe that having people as a medium is selfish or narcissistic, I think its expressive, interesting, and creative. In my opinion, I think having a body of artwork without a personal medium is extremely boring. I don't agree with anything that Krauss is stating but since we were born in completely different time eras, I can see why she would think it the way she did.I think Krauss' thesis would change due to the influences and the new emergence of mediums. As years go on, new methods of creativity increases and interpretation becomes broader. In my personal defense, I think as the years go on, we see a decrease of minimalism because its so boring and dull. Krauss' thesis would definitely change because in 2018, we have new artists and new approaches to art and I think that would influence or perhaps change her "conservative" way of interpreting the medium of an artwork.

Conceptual Strategy Video Project:
I used a piece created by Joana Vasconcelos. She created a huge shoe made from pots and their lids. This piece was placed in an art museum in Seoul, South Korea. For the breakdown of this piece, I focused on the relationship of the pans/the shoe. The relationship between the buildup of the shoe and how it alters the appearance of the shoe. So for my video, I focused on the juxtaposition of the interior and exterior of the human body and how it is enhanced by the nutrients of vegetables. Vegetables contain a lot of nutrients and vitamins that can benefit, alter, and enhance the appearance/makeup of the human body. I made my friend Bri, cut up vegetables, eat it (which shows how veggies can enhance the inside), put cucumbers on her eyes (which shows how veggies can enhance the "outside"). To make the video feel more weird, I made her eat the veggies in a very harsh manner. Her acting was inspired by Martha Rosler's //Semiotics of the Kitchen//. I was very inspired by Martha's video because I liked how her actions were so emotionless and blunt. I also liked the way the video was film, it was very simplistic but impactful. I made her lick the cucumbers slices before putting it into the water, squeezing the tomato, eating the carrots whole, and cut the veggies aggressively. Methods and actions that you usually wouldn't carry out in your everyday life. She tried not to have any emotion in her face. I was trying to show how veggies were good for you by her expression. She smiled when cutting up the veggies and when she was drinking the water. I also wanted to show the "recycling" to play off the factor of Joana's repetition in pots and lids to make up the shoe. Each vegetable was used in 2 different ways to mimic the repetition in the original art work. They were consumed, and then used to make fruit/vegetable infused water. I tried to film this video outside - like the green garden that she used for her piece, but I couldn't find an open area where it was empty and quiet. I tried to film in Square 80 but it was really loud and there were too many people, therefore I had to film inside. It wasn't ideal but I had to work with what I had. I also wanted to blend up the vegetables and fruits into a smoothie but my blender broke last minute, therefore I had a plan B of fruit and vegetable infused water. I wanted to make the video look very monotoned and muted, with the veggies being vibrant. I also introduced the definition of relationship and the importance of nutrients in the beginning of the video - to give the audience a background to work with. At first, I wasn't going to add anything but I thought that the audience would be very confused with just the video. I also didn't want to add too much information to giveaway the purpose of the video. media type="youtube" key="I7PdoqURs1g" width="560" height="315" media type="file" key="IMG_5338.mov"