Banana - my animated short film

Work in progress

Here's the notes and base drawings for my final project animation. yay!

Ephemeral art side effects

Forgot to post these. This is the aftermath from spending hours playing in the mud.

And yes that is a dinosaur.

-Avery Violet

Mystical shakespeare; Juno

-Juno-

The Tempest

-Avery Violet 

The Tempest: Ariel

I think I’m done with this. 

This is my interpretation of the character Ariel from the Shakespeare play The Tempest. 

I was inspired by the super old silent film version, where ariel is played by a little girl. I like that idea because it keeps at least one character untouched and innocent if she is a child. I also really enjoy when little girls are put in powerful roles, because it’s unexpected and sometimes scary. 

The theme for her costume is a mossy swamp vibe. Ariel was imprisoned in side of a clove pine so I thought woodsy/forest related items were appropriate to dress her in. 

also sparkles because she is a spirit after all. 

-Avery Violet

Assignment 6: Ephemeral art

Triangles

I constructed my project deep in the forest by the tennis courts on campus. The particular spot I chose is inside two parallel rows of trees, so when looking down the row it is very pretty. When the sun finally did come out, the trees gave a lot of shade but some beams came through. Everything was pretty still were I was. Although, the trees were so tall and thin they looked like pipe cleaners blowing in front of a fan. It was a calm space, with not a lot of changes. The thing that attracted me to the space, besides the beautiful hallway of tress, is the amount of movable sticks and fallen branches that were available. I went into it have a few ideas, but seeing all of those large logs it made me want to move them. There's something weirdly enticing and satisfying about moving big things.

I used a variety of sticks and logs to create my piece. First, I assembled them into a "skeleton" of my structure so I knew how big I wanted it to be. I set it so that it connected three neighboring trees. Then it was just a matter of collecting butt-loads of sticks to fill in the middle. I made sure that each one was straight and there were no knobby-bits on the ends, and this did involve smashing some against a tree like a barbarian (New favorite thing to do). The mud was sometimes helpful, but also at times a vice. It was a good cement for the bigger branches, but unfortunately swallowed up the smaller  ones. Also, there is still dirt under my nails but honestly that was expected. I had a few encounters with bugs along the way (including a very lethargic bee), and stabbed myself with the sticks a few times on accident. Since it had just rained, a lot of the wood fell apart in my hands instantly as I picked it up, which at times was a let down and quite gross.

As I was working I felt like I had slipped into a trance in a way. I just kept working and looking for sticks so much that time passed quickly and I didn't even notice how hungry or sore I was until Jess mentioned that she was. I worked instinctively, fitting sticks in the places I felt that they would belong best. It was a really refreshing experience.

The finished piece is probably the largest sculpture I've ever made. It fits on the forest floor like a carpet. It blends in almost seamlessly with the floor around it but under further inspection it is a geometric puzzle. Triangles hold a significant role in my art lately. I like their ability to be sharp and crystalline, but also how simple and whole they are. Two points connected is just a line, but three points make a shape. They're visually pleasing to me, and it was fun to take what I incorporate in my digital art into a natural setting.

At this point in my life, it's not a big deal to me to know my art will perish. I've done big drawings with chalk outside and watched it slowly fade away. The way this piece is set up, being floor bound, I doubt it will disperse too far. However, if it does, I can accept that. I put in around four hours of hard work into making it, but I know that it isn't a waste as long as I enjoyed the experience. My labors are not in vain because it was incredible to make, and there's a small possibility someone will find it and suspect aliens or witchcraft, and that's always fun.

-Avery Violet

Andy Goldsworthy

I've been a fan of Andy Goldsworthy for a long time. I found some of his work on Tumblr, but didn't know exactly who he was until Thrasher introduced him in class. His work to me is very inspiring because I've always appreciated artists who can just make art from what surrounds them. I love that his only subject matter he uses is nature and having to do with nature. It brings attention to how important nature is not only to him, but to anyone who finds his work. I really like the shapes he chooses to construct. Sometimes they're circles, almost portal-like in nature. Other times they take on a more organic "squiggly" shape. It's like they don't necessarily have to make up a complex picture to be interesting, the true beauty in the work is how delicate and whimsical these abstract sculptures are.

I also appreciate how much time and effort he puts into his craft. I would've given up way earlier if any of my pieces fell apart during construction. Especially when they can be so delicate one slight breeze could knock it all down. Watching him try to finish a very thin ice sculpture by placing one very small piece of ice in a tiny gap, I found myself holding my breath. His work looks so effortless, as if the forest did it itself. When he was constructing one of his "egg" sculptures out of stone, he said that "the stone is speaking". He's very in tune with the materials he uses and what they're capable of doing, so that he can get the most out of them. Not just the materials, but also the landscape as well. He spends a lot of time getting to know the land and "shaking hands" with it. I can relate to him saying he has to work to feel like himself. I know a lot of artists, myself included, who get grumpy or irritated when they haven't made art in a while. 

His understanding of balance is what makes each piece successful, both structurally and aesthetically. Goldsworthy is creating ephemeral sculptures that are in his words "pushed to the very edge". He's drawn to the flow of rivers and water and uses it in a lot of his pieces. It's interesting to think about what a person would be thinking if they happened to come across his works in the forest. There is a slight evidence of hand in his work but only enough for it to stay standing. A lot of sculptures look like the earth grew them on it's own, and in their decay they'll dissolve back into the earth. He creates these sculptures knowing full well they could completely break down at any moment, but he still wants to make his ideas to be tangible at least for that bit of time.

"good art keeps you warm."

-Avery Violet

Birbs

Hello. Here's some art that I've been making on my own. I've been sticking around a theme of pretty things, girls, and birds. I made these over spring break so it's a little late.

-Avery Violet

Assignment 5: performance.

3/25/2015

My idea for this project comes from the normal need for personal space and what would happen if I displayed one simple unspoken rule on my body. I also wanted to make a statement about harassment and assault of women. In some cases one of the first questions asked is "what was she wearing?". People view it as a valid reason for an assault to happen. So I wanted to show the irony when I wear this sign if someone touches me. It's as if I provoked them with what I'm wearing, even though it says "Don't touch me.". It was one part making a statement about assault and one part an experiment to see how people would respond to the act.   

 So for my performance art project I will be wearing this sign attached to my clothes, around campus all day.
Here's the rules:
I can't take it off, I can only cover it in my zip-up hoodie
I won't say anything before someone goes to touch me, only after
The only people allowed to touch me are those I give consent to
If someone touches me I will keep a tally
I will also try to photograph them
I will take notes of how people are reacting
I must act as if nothing is on me

This is what it will look like:

  

3/26/15

taken in the library later in the day.

during art history class.

taken in the library earlier in the day.

taken in the bathroom

During the day I took notes on my phone to document how I feel and what happened.

Responses:Jacob asked me why I was wearing that sign. I said because I like it!Dude behind the counter at the cafeteria just kept staring at me. It's really hard to not notice when someone is staring at you.A few weird looksI sat with people and they were like that an art project?! And some got it some didn't."That's hella rad"It's weird to put out a kind exterior while wearing a sort of hostile sign."Not touching you" while they hold their finger a few inches awayI explained how the sign was a possible provoker and well he agreedGave a high five. Nonverbal cues but I give consent.One lady gave me a weird quick disapproving look. Like damn lady what up.Sam is a doof.He asked if he can kiss me so that's nice. He asked to hold hands in the library and I said no. It sort of feels good to have that power to say no when asked.No one is noticing. I think that's okay.Friends have mostly been asking. No strangers touching me so that's good.The guy who handed me tea didn't make eye contact until after reading the sign. I immediately could feel him reading the sign.When he handed me my cup of tea he was very careful not to brush hands.One girl stared at me when I was waiting in line.Yes I see you staring at me. It weirder when we make eye contact.No one cares.Good.Class felt weird. I kept feeling like my teacher was going to point it out but maybe I'm just being paranoid.I zipped up my hoodie because I felt weird and frustrated that I can't fold my arms properly.Ran into Alex from digital imaging and he put a thingie on yik yak to see if anyone would respond."What's up with that don't touch me sign girl?!"Sweet. I hope everyone is pissed.Seems like everyone who's guessed what it was about nailed it on the head.
walked into art history class and someone saw me and smiled. then I think he asked his friend about it but it might just be the paranoia kicking in.


To be honest I expected the worst. The night before I had so many nightmare situations running through my head. I was thinking people would try to touch me all day and maybe it would get disturbing, maybe even violent. I'm a worrier in nature. But really I pretty much had the opposite or just a watered down version of the scenarios I had in my head. It felt more like an experiment.
Some people, mostly  friends of mine, noticed right away and asked politely about it. Others noticed from a far and just stared at me. It got really hard to pretend that I didn't notice them staring. For example, when I went to buy my lunch there was a guy behind the counter that just stared at me the whole time. Just a continuous long stare. I glanced at him momentarily and he just kept on staring at me like I had three heads. Sometimes I worried that people may have thought I had some weird disorder or disease. One lady looked at me like I had a swear word written on my face. Overall, I had very few weird results. One person said what I was doing was "hella rad" so that's nice. It was a rainy sleepy day, so maybe that's why. One of my friends posted something on YikYak after I told him I've had little response. At least one person noticed and replied so that's cool.

At one point when I met with my boyfriend at lunch he asked me if he could hold my hand, sense he wanted to respect my art even though usually it's not asked about. I denied him and then later gave him consent to hold my hands. It felt good to be asked and good to say no or yes at my own choosing. Earlier in the day one of my friends was left hanging for a high five and instead sent me the non-verbal cue for high five, to which I accepted. I was going to keep track of how many people touched me but that was redundant since I gave them all consent. 

It did feel very strange. Throughout the day the project became a little less about how people respond and more about how I felt. I noticed I become more paranoid. I'm a shy person already and I'm not the kind to be hostile or bruiting in anyway. So, being someone with a typically friendly exterior, wearing a sort of hostile sign was very strange. It was good to know that people generally followed that rule so good job society. 

-Avery Violet