Kathryn’s work

Tattoo Party-Photos

Thank you Diane (and everyone for sharing their tattoos) for such a fun final class. Here are some photos documenting my final set of tattoos:

Kathryn Week 12(!!)-Final tattoos
I completely changed my idea, which is pretty fitting considering this project is about tattoos and why I have never gotten one-the thought of such permanence on my body and not being able to easily change it afterwards has always stopped me from getting one. I found my original idea was getting too complicated with the combination of words and having enough connector words to have people be able to choose meaningful sayings that they would be happy with. Getting theme-oriented felt just contrived and “cute” in the end and was getting too close to Mad Libs, which was not what I was going for.

So I thought hard about things I could re-purpose as visual symbols, that have deep meaning for me and a level of permanence. I decided on music. When I started looking at sheet music I was drawn to aesthetically how the staff and notes, clefs, rests and other symbols looked like jewelry with charms. Every mark in sheet music means something and the music would not sound the same if there was an error in any single symbol or if something was removed. I could connect this to tattoos where, if done well, every mark should be necessary and done with precision.

Music, for me, is associated with memory, self-reflection, identification and emotion. Many of us have favourite songs or pieces of music and can relate certain songs to the stories of our lives, our personalities, moods or moments in our lives.

I have chosen an array of different pieces: some classical, some classic rock/modern, different instruments (drums, guitar chords, piano, voice). I picture these either as wrist/arm cuffs or ankle cuffs. But you could also cut them and have them wrap around fingers as rings or have voice running up one arm and piano running down the other; the options are endless.

For those that can read music, when looking at the music, you can follow the notes and hear the music in your head.

Note: On my first sheet, I forgot to mirror the image, so the tattoos will be backwards once applied. I thought this was still interesting as you could play the song on an instrument while reading it off your body in the mirror.

Kathryn Week 11-Tattoo ideas

I plan to create a series of word tattoos similar to “magnetic poems” with a selection of words in a nice cursive font that people can pick and form their own statements/descriptions. Tattoos are often personal and this allows for personalization.

Kathryn week 10- Internet video

I ended up making two short videos. The first one is a music video of my daughter singing/playing the song Skinny Skinny by Ashton Irwin while watching a series of videos on eating (mukbang), fashion, influencers and weight loss. The video is reminiscent of music videos, which continue to be popular, but also the popular activity of posting yourself playing covers of other people’s music in the hope of being “discovered”, the video reflection provides a mix of body image contradictions that are plentiful on the internet, including video footage from Lil’ Mikaela, a fictional computerized “perfect” social media influencer.

The second video takes the current trends of watching others play video games and is a video documenting my son watching pewdiepie play videogames. This pushes the genre even further into the realm of spectator society by disconnecting the viewer one step more from real experiences (real experience>>video game experience>>watching someone play video games>>watching someone watch someone play video games). There is intentionally no interaction between the watcher and whoever is viewing the video.

Kathryn’s week 8-Internet is video proposal

I would like to do a video essay with music using video juxtaposing body image (anorexia/obesity) and gluttony (e.g. mukbang)

Kathryn’s week 7-The Internet is Video Art-examples

Lil Miquela: she is a Robot influencer created by the organization Brud. Miquela is a computer generated-character who presents herself as a robot living in the real world and has active accounts on social media (posts and video). She is also a musician and has a real contract with an agent. 3Million+ followers on Instagram and 340K+ listeners on Spotify. Named in Time as one of 25 most influential people on the internet.

How is it shot and framed? Where does the material come from? What is the quality of the footage?
Very high quality video, Hollywood style videos, interview clips, etc. incorporating real people and her CGI character. Original video created for the character. Also incorporates other (real people) influencers and famous people with her in video and photos/social media adding a level of acceptance within pop culture (without this validation it might be taken as a joke and the life of the character would be limited). Budget must be huge for this character. Very professionally done.

How is it edited? Does it flow from clip to clip? What does it sound like? how are sound or image manipulated and transformed from original footage?
Videos and interviews flow in same style as and imitate popular culture style. Autotuning used for music sound. Virtually indistinguishable from “real” videos and interviews. Editing while she is talking to real people is done in a way that you might not realize she is CGI. Very natural conversation style. Some of the best CGI character development I have seen. Better than some of the movie attempts that have been done (e.g. Carrie Fisher in latest Star Wars movie after she died) as she is very close to movements and facial expressions of real humans. Her personality is also very developed (e.g. she has favourite charities/movements and opinions on things).

What are some of the reasons these kinds of videos are compelling or useful in this historical moment? Use quotes from published sources to back up arguments and analysis.
Provides commentary on pop culture and influencers and how we cannot believe what we see on the internet. Shows the level of sophistication of AI and CGI. Makes you question what makes someone human. See third video above for typical commentary on Lil Miquela that is in the media.

How do I relate to it?
-I find this whole concept frightening and exciting at the same time. While I think the concept can be frightening in that there are serious topics Miquela covers that she has not really lived, it also is commentary on how modern society listens to influencers (real or otherwise) as if they were experts or friends providing advice, but all of them may be made-up characters. It makes you question what is real. It also brings up all sorts of ethical questions regarding perfect body image, misrepresentation of topics, replacement of humans and taking away jobs (modelling, musical, etc). Essentially the character is controlled by the developers behind the character and relays messages they wish to relay, but it is a collective message rather than one person’s, so I think naturally there will be some conflicts that result which are interesting to view. I am really dating myself now, but I see Lil Miquela as a natural evolution, along with enabling technology, from the Max Headroom days (1985!!) I find the character also more personable and engaging than some of the real human influencers.

Kathryn’s Post Week 5-6: Parent Project

This is 90 is a short documentary of my dad’s daily visit to his favourite swimming hole while he is in Greece. It is an edited video from found footage I had on my phone supplemented with telephone interview. I chose to do the video in portrait to focus on the man rather than the scenery.

Kathryn’s Post Week 4b-Final Text Multiples

I took the original idea I had and went a bit further with it by creating a character ” ” (a space) that was walking around with these signs. (Note: a reference back to Adrian Piper creation of The Mythic Being). The whole being of ” ” is not to offend and be completely non-controversial. I thought it would be interesting to see if that was possible given the current climate of protest and dissent and what it might look like to protest protest.

I created, printed and mounted a set of 20″x30″ signs and pins. I also created a fictional newspaper story (see download button below) and printed multiples (which I will bring to class) expanding on the idea of the piece.

Kathryn’s Post Week 4a-Parents Project Ideas

Idea 1: This is 90

I accompanied my 90-year old dad to Greece this summer to assist him with all the online forms and requirements due to COVID, and for mobility assistance because he had just had a hip replacement. He normally goes every year for 6-7 weeks in August-September but missed it last year due to COVID. As soon as they lifted the travel advisory, he bought himself a ticket to Greece for his annual vacation. His happy place is a small Mediterranean “swimming hole” about a half hour walk from his condo. He does this sunrise walk every day that he is in Greece and swims a pre-determined amount. I am convinced that his rigid routines and determination is what keeps my dad alive and healthy. I took film footage of him one morning as I joined him on his walk to capture this daily routine. The project will be an edited version of this footage showing the effort required of him to perform this daily ritual, and the happiness it brings him.

Idea 2: Memories of Dad

My husband died of 3 years ago after a 2-year battle with cancer. Our children were 6 and 8 when he was diagnosed and 8 and 10 when he died. I would interview and film my kids now about memories of specific events or activities they did with their dad when he was alive and mix it with past footage of the events they were talking about.

Kathryn’s Post Week 3-Text Multiples

Picket posters and pin badges/buttons are in process of being designed and produced as is a “newspaper article”. Posters will be printed and off-campus due to size and I have a button maker. Newspaper article in process of being written/designed.

Statements for the picket posters and pin badges:
-PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER
-TODAY IS TODAY!
-MOVEMENT BEATS ALL INERTIA!
-DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT APATHY?
-THE FUTURE IS UNKNOWN!

The newspaper article (several copies will be made) will be a fake news article with the script of an interview with the character who carries these signs in “protest”.

Kathryn’s post Week 2-Text multiples

For the text-based multiples, I would like to relay positive messaging. Over the past two years there has been a surge of bad news, division, negative vibes. Even positive messaging has become overwhelming in its ask of people to better themselves. The messaging I want to provide and thought process I want to invoke is one of affirmation and positive reinforcement without adding any additional stress (and maybe taking away some because it is asking you to do nothing).

I thought about a series of affirmation cards that could be produced and laminated and given to people (you know or random strangers, left at coffee counters, etc) with one affirmative word printed on it and the suggestion to pass it on. The word does not require you to do anything about it, does not state that the person holding the card is the word (although it is implied). Each card has a positive word that would typically create positive feelings, and the words chosen would be ones that are highly unlikely to create contradictory meanings or division. Here is an example.

I thought about protesting protest with obvious statements that nobody can disagree with. A series of signs to be created and held by “protesters” would state the obvious, however they would also make the viewer think about known idioms that are meant to be encouraging. The person holding the sign would be walking (and therefore would be putting one foot in front of the other), “Today is today” is hard to argue, but makes you also thing of the idiom “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” or leaving the past behind, but without specifically asking you to do anything important. Movement, by definition, stops inertia, but also gets people thinking about doing something to change a rut they might be in.

Kathryn‘s post Week 1-Artist: George Brecht

George Brecht (1926-2008) was a chemist by trade, but a key member in early conceptual art and important member of Fluxus from 1962-1978. He is credited with being an early influencer in participatory art, mail art and other conceptual art. Much of his art deals with the everyday, the random and sounds (and repurposing sounds as music), taking notice of the everyday and appreciating it.

Quote: “There is perhaps nothing that is not musical. Perhaps there’s no moment in life that’s not musical…All instruments, musical or not, become instruments.”

Example text multiples work:

Event Score-a set of simple instructions to complete tasks

Drip Music

For single or multiple performance. A source of dripping water and an empty vessel are arranged so that the water falls into the vessel.

First mail art through Contingent Publications: Assembly instructions to “construct” a concert using motor vehicle sounds.