Sheryl Oring Artist Talk

James Davidson

            On March 2, I went to see Sheryl Oring talk about her projects that she was working on. She mainly talked about Writers Block and I wish to say.  She also had a book that she was selling at the talk. Her art is photography, performance, and interactive. She likes for her art to mean something, to be socially engaging, about things that really matter to her.

            The earlier project, Writers Block confronts the subject of censorship it was conceived in Germany near at the site were books were burned by the Nazis in the days before World War Two, which is the most destructive war in history. The site has a monument which is a sculpture of empty book shelves that can be observed through a window underground. She felt that she should do something as well. So she decide to make a sculpture of typewriters  from the 1920s’ and 30s’  trapped in steel cages made from construction steel to represent the writers who were censored. The event was supported by numerous writers and people then went on tour.

            The project I wish to say is about the need for people to be heard by our leaders. So she gathered actors who would dress like secretaries and then they would type out what people wanted to say. These writings would be used in installments and then mailed to the politicians that were supposed to be representing the people. This is an on going project which travels from city to city in the United States. A list of cities, exhibits and events with Sheryl is avaible on her website.

            I found her talk interesting, it is important for artist to use art to communicate issues that matter to humanity. To help get the message of the people out, inform and otherwise let our leaders know that we are hear. I took from her talk to make art matter and art that matters.  

On Art Books, Special Collections Library and Others
Jim D

While looking at the art books in the special collections library I was struck by the variety of techniques people used to make books. All the different materials and subjects used to create the books is very cool. I was especially impressed by one that was made of wood, leather and beads it  was done by a Native American artist who's name I cannot remember. I was shown it by the librarian after I asked her about books made with leather and wood. A leather and real vellum book would be a great project if I had the time and money  as would one made using exotic woods for the cover or as a box for the book.

My choice was not found in the special collections library however, it was in the work of Quynh Tran's Words and the Bayeux tapestry of the Romanesque period. I decided to make something more like a scroll and make or find a box to put it in. 

The Installation of Not Here, Not There

by James Davidson

            Quynh Tran’ s installation of Not Here, Not There was very red; as she said it would be. It was very well done in my opinion. Even the food was themed to the art. There was quite a few people talking, eating and drinking. So I took the time to mingle, have a few drinks and some food and lose myself in the art for a little while.

            The first room was painted a deep red, this room contained the food and bar. The food was well presented and was themed to the installation. There were chocolates with red icing, salsa, humus, strawberries, and red meats.  The bar had sodas, Corona and of course, red wine. The room was dark and red but not oppressive.

            In the second room it was like a net of red string going from wall to wall, like the nerves in the brain. The walls had designs in the wall paper, red on white that created a three dimensional effect, making the room seems bigger than it was.

            The third room was had paper hanging from the ceiling and strewn about the floor, there was much less red in this room. The paper was like binary scrip from an old computer. It like the preceding room was like memory, you can lose yourself in you own mind.

            The last room was like Qunyh had  said, a simple white room with a pedestal in the center with a white basin filled with dark reflective liquid that one could reflect on oneself.  It was in here that people would gather for a while and some would hide in the corners, it was peaceful there then head back to the party.

            The first time I went through the maze I felt a little light headed afterwards, catching a piece of the binary paper on my shoe and dragging out of the paper room, through the threads and into the front room. Shaking it loose, a friend joked with me saying I “fucked up the whole installation” I laughed and said yep that’s me. The second trip was more reflective as I was taking notes and pictures, meeting people I knew and new people as well.

            It was a good event; I realized at the exhibit that I have good peers, friends and more now because I was there. Everyone seemed to be having a goodtime and that was good to see. It was good to lose myself in the art and then find myself among friends that I know and new ones too.  

                       

A Review of Here Not There Artist Talk

Artist Quynh Tran
by James Davidson

            Quynh Tran is a graduate Art student at the University of Reno, Nevada. She does printmaking, art books, and installations.  This artist talk was about some of her past work and her latest installation; Not Here, Not There.

            Not Here, Not There is her master thesis exhibit. She used a lot of red because it gets people's attention. She states that red is a color that represents a variety of emotions to people; anger, love, hate, aggression, beauty, energy all passionate expressions.  Not Here, Not there is mostly red, she describes in the talk how the vibrate reds give way to white and a reflective dark pool as you travel through the red maze.

            She describes the installation as a maze, a mess of thread that represents the nerves in the brain, to flyers of paper that transition from red to white that one must navigate to get to the clean white room with the dark pool of reflection at the end. What she is hoping for the view is to lost themselves in the maze and find themselves at the end.

Quynh also talked some about her other work, such as the installations recurring dreams and words. Recurring dreams is an installation of cloth prints that are multi-colored spanning from wall to wall and matching wall paper. Words was an installation of  scrolls hanging from the ceiling, letter press and reliefs, there are cut letters about the floor and a book on a pedestal. 

            Quynh seems to enjoy installations the most, one of her early experiences being in an installation of Yayoi Kusama, she felt she was able to immerse herself in the work and it left a lasting impression. Yayoi is known for works of art and installations involving dots which are something she created obsessively as a form of therapy. It was because of this experience that  Quynh believes that art, especially installations should be something that you can lose yourself in.

                       

Murders against Manufactured Consent

Murders against Manufactured Consent

Ravens and Crows are intelligent birds that have significance in a variety of cultures associated with gods; sometimes as a god, trickster lore, creation myths and the quest of knowledge. These corvids can provide be an architype or a symbol to help resist falling prey to manufactured consent, doing things your way and turning the system against itself.

In Viking mythology ravens flew around the world to collect information and act as messengers for Odin the all-father who sometimes would shape shift into a raven. His ravens were called thought and memory. In the Pacific Northwest Native Peoples lore Raven the God freed humans and then using his charm to enchant Eagle’s daughter stole fire, the sun and the moon so that people would have light. There are many stories about ravens and crows a rich lore of fantasy, myth and reality. In reality ravens and crow are two of the few animals who have found success with the rise of man learning to live among us, they are intelligent and self-aware.

To me this is symbolic to the cause of protecting our access to information. Working together like a murder of crows/ravens we can gather our resources, share information, and in some cases do it ourselves.

The jacket is surplus army camouflage in woodland pattern, with patches of a raven skull and silhouette printed with block print and ink. The lettering is hand painted.  The message is to think critically, gather knowledge and act but remember you do not have to act alone; Join the Murder.

James (Jim D.) Davidson



Question 1. How do you know when your consent is being "manufactured", how would you measure that. 

Question 2. Can you live in this world without getting and giving at least some "consent" that is being manufactured for you?