Saturday, May 31, 2008
Meaningful Absurd
Something that had currently developed a lot of absurd meaning for Paige was the U of R's Parking Administration. It's a well known fact on campus that Parking Services truly exemplifie the money draining nature of the already exorbitantly expensive University. (Most other colleges have free parking!) After purchasing a pricey parking permit to have a spot that's inevitably 1 mile from anywhere you need to be, Parking Services go out of there way to give excessive $20-$200 tickets for whatever parking violation they see fit. The catch is that you can't receive your hard-earned diploma until you've paid off your parking tickets (whether or not they are deserved). To top that, when you do go to pay off a ticket, the staff is highly rude, somehow acting more irritated by the fact that you got the ticket than you are yourself!
After receiving her own fair share of parking tickets, Paige decided to experience a day in the life of a Parking "Cop." She scanned one of her own tickets and made dozens of copies. All of the violation information was cleared so that she wouldn't be traced back to the ticket. On the bottom though, she added something new, "You can't graduate 'til you pay us, sucka!"
Cloked in a hood, a shady looking Paige went around different parking lots, picking and choosing whichever cars she wished to ticket. She wasn't able to see the first hand reactions of those who were ticketed but she did hear some later feedback. A classmate angrily texted her after the day because she was tricked into believing she actually had an expensive parket ticket, until closely evaluating the slip. A few days later, one of Paige's co-workers had mentioned that her friend had received a bizarre parking ticket, thinking that it was actually the doing of Parking Services! One can only hope that Parking Administration recieved their fair share of complaints and dirty looks.
For the piggybacking assignment, Paige worked off of an Adrian Piper piece, "Whut Choo Lookin At, Mofo?" Piper, had changed her race from Caucasian to Hispanic by using both makeup and costume, and facial and body expression. Paige explained that in her past and present, she has been confused for a plethora of ranging races. These four that have been shown are the ones she has been mistaken for the most.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Paige Berkovitz
The ritual Paige was inacting was that of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She explained that she had worked with a child in a psychology research lab that was obsessed with rubber, compulsively playing with it to the point of being bribed with rubber to participate in activities. The balloons represented the obsessive thoughts while the twiddling during the class displayed the manifestation of those thoughts, the compulsions. The popping of the balloons was meant to depict an effort to overcome the OCD. In the end though, the never ending concept of the ritual was displayed in the notion that there were still balloons (or obsessions) that were inflated, very much so alive.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Lyuda Didovets
For one week Lyuda became Sarah, an Amish girl living through a period of her life known as "rumspringa". During this week she sewed her own Amish outfit, consisting of a long skirt, long-sleeved shirt, and bonnet. Doing her best to not use technology or electricity, she did work under the light of candles and washed her clothes by hand. Lyuda also kept a journal of what it was like having to make a decision choosing her way of life and the many thoughts going through her mind during this time. One of the greatest lessons of the Amish religion is that of humility, and one Lyuda got to experience first hand by living as Sarah this enitire week.
In her peformance, Didovets claims that, "The contest is back! Offering an even greater amount of plastic surgery to those lucky enough to care."
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Lyuda Didovets' "Free Food"
In this public art intervention, Lyuda Didovets provided a healthy alternative to campus food. In order to do this, she wrapped scores of packages that held vegetable seeds and planting directions so that students could grow their own lettuce, peppers, carrots, and celery. The packages were left in various places throughout campus.
Lauren Schleider
Geoff Bennington's "Anti-Recycling March"
In the final week of the semester, Geoff Bennington staged an "Anti-Recycling" march across campus with the idea that, if the general public is ignoring pleas for responsible environmental practice, perhaps they'll listen if the argument is reversed. The protesters chanted things like "What are we against? Recycling! What are we going to do? Throw it out!" The posters made statements like "Recycling takes energy, too!", "Plastic is Stronger than Paper!", and "They Threw Out My Baby!"
60 Seconds of Relaxation by Connie Shieh
Connie Shieh set up a "relaxation booth" in the middle of campus as a free service for those who needed a break from their frantic schedules and stressful lives. Inside, her clients were were encouraged to take a moment to relax in a private chamber marked by illuminated, white, sheets. The clients were invited to sit and put on noise-deafening headphones that played the sounds of the ocean. After several seconds, however, a narrator reminded the clients that there were 30 seconds left, then 15, then 10, then 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. At that time, the narrator said that the 60 seconds of relaxation had expired. Shieh's intentions were to bring awareneess to the fact that many of us are victims to agendas that don't allow us to take care of ourselves.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Inspire Respire
The concept of patented air should be obviously ridiculous. Air is a life fueling force that is necessary to live. Putting a patent on air would presume that humans can control and own it. Food is another source of energy necessary for survival on even the most basic level. Yet, companies feel that they have the right to patent their genetically modified foods such a corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and soybean. Monsanto is the leading company of organic patents in the world with their patents totaling 674 and growing. Consumers have no rights in that these genetically modified foods legally require no labeling. Studies have shown that genetically modified foods cause gradual deterioration in organs of animals that are fed these foods. Monsanto presents itself as a corporation devoted to increasing the profits of small farmers. However, most crops go to feed not the poor, but to animal feed in already wealthy countries. Furthermore, Monsanto’s corn seeds are aggressive, blowing into other farmers’ fields and taking over. Monsanto sends their “Seed Police” in to test crops in the middle of the night. If a farmer is found with Monsanto crops which he has not paid for, they sue the farmer for massive amounts of money. Most of these are small farmers who do not have the money to pay legal fees, much less contribute their small earnings to the multibillion dollar corporation that is Monsanto. Monsanto is monopolizing the world’s food supply- and doing it with full government support. This is all happening without public knowledge or consent. Monsanto is currently fighting for a patent on selective breeding of pigs, isolating genes so that they produce bigger pigs with less feed needed. If this pattern keeps going, Monsanto will own our rights to all foods. This is an issue that we need to be aware of and take action against. Our future and the future of the human species depends on it. Please spread this information amongst your friends, or even people you don’t know. If you care to get more information, please visit the following websites:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805
http://www.mcspotlight.org/beyond/companies/monsanto.html
I Kinda Miss the Chemicals
This project was addressing the genetically modified food situation in the United States. Companies are not required to tell consumers that their food is genetically modified. Tomatoes, potatoes, and corn are the three products that are most often genetically modified. The person at the center table was fed completely organic food. She was separated to suggest the way many organic consumers find themselves to be. Organic foods have turned into a strange fad. They should be the only food that we eat, yet many people view these products as strange tasting and alien. The rest of the class was fed genetically modified foods. The heads placed on the plate at the end was to simulate the unknown long- term effects of eating GM foods. The purpose was not only to address the fact that the effects of GM foods are unknown, but also to celebrate the choices that organic food consumers make for themselves and the rest of humanity.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Pink Jesus
The Stroller Effect
Sometimes the sentiment towards people with disabilities is that of pity, discouragement, “babying”, or fear. Through my experience with working with people with disabilities I have come to know them as people who have many creative skills and abilities, and who are willing to be independent and want to be able to advocate their own rights. I wanted this performance art piece to be representative of the crippling effect, authority figures/family members can have on people with disabilities by treating them as incompetent or weak. To spread more positive information, cards were handed out with facts disproving common misconceptions about people with disabilties.
Myth 3: Wheelchair use is confining; people who use wheelchairs are "wheelchair-bound."
Myth 4: All persons with hearing disabilities can read lips.