A visit from Jen!

My dear friend Jen Rankey visited my studio yesterday for an informal interview. She took some great photos of my altered book project (in progress), and recorded the interview on her blog.




Thanks Jen!

We belong to each other.

As I walked home from class the other day, I passed a group of students shouting and chanting their support for the Libyan revolutionaries. I was not expecting to spend the rest of my 20 minute walk choking back tears, but I was so overwhelmed by these students' compassion for their struggling fellow humans- people they have probably never met, and might never meet! It was a ray of hope that whispered to me that this era is one of transformation. In this age of information overload, we can no longer ignore those in another continent, with another religion or of another race. We are no longer isolated and our globe is reeling with this new development. It allows us to show support for our fellow humans, to share ideas through translation mediums, and to understand from a layman's perspective other cultural enigmas. We are at a point where some cling to old-fashioned prejudices and fears, before tumbling into the new realm of equality. We can no longer claim ignorance, but must justify our selfish reactions to strange things. Our forum for discussion has exploded through sites like Twitter and Facebook, and we must now approach each other as a collective group, no longer as individuals.

The truth is that we all get afraid, we all have a favorite food, we have to have someone or something we can trust to feel secure, we bleed, we cry, we are inspired, we sing, and we dream.

We are not so different, you and I. Maybe I like the White Stripes and you think they're too loud and obnoxious. But underneath all of our trivial differences, we have a commonality that links us together: we are all bound to the same sphere of matter by a force stronger than ourselves, and we depend on many things to survive. Including each other.

The Dalai Lama once said, "All People and things are interdependent. The world has become so small that no nation can solve its problems alone, in isolation from others. That is why I believe we must all cultivate a sense of responsibility based on love and compassion for each other.”

Once we truly understand this, we will finally have peace. There are problems bigger than our difference of opinion, or who has money and land. Our world is falling apart because of these things, and we must use this as our common cause to fight together for.

Visual organization

When I am developing an idea, visual inspiration is very important to me. I need a place to spread out all my images and see the whole spectrum of visuals in front of me. I have recently started using a website called "Pinterest" to help me do this. It acts like an electronic pinboard. When I find an image that sparks my interest, or describes an idea for me visually, I can "pin" it to my board. When I click on my board, I see all the images I've selected appear on one big screen. I can add descriptions to my images, and they all have a link at the top that takes me back to the original webpage. There I can find other relevant information, read articles attached to the image, etc... It's been such a great resource to me as I'm piecing together my thoughts for this project.

You can find my thesis board here.

I've been thinking a lot about what interconnectedness really means. I notice so often that when I'm conscious of an idea, thing, or person, it shows up around me in many different ways. It's the same concept as meeting a person, then realizing that they've been somewhere around you the whole time. They ride your bus, or pass you on the street walking to work. Suddenly you're aware of them and they show up all over the place. 

Now that I'm aware of the repetition of forms, and the connections between seemingly disconnected elements, everything seems so much more holistic. I see things not just as isolated events or objects, but connected to a wider undercurrent. 

As I begin teaching at Princeton high school, I hear students say things like "Art doesn't affect me- it's not like I'm going to become an artist." This is saddening to me, because I have seen that making art can open one's mind to concepts and ideas that might never have occurred to them otherwise. Even beyond this, creative problem-solving (central to making art) can be useful in so many ways. It can help in job interviews, a relationship, even with saving for a car! Everything is useful in some way, and relates back to your life, even if it seems unlikely. Cultivating an attitude of holistic perception will help in so many ways you had never dreamed.

Star Stuff

Development

My work has begun. I have started a sketchbook from an altered book on Napoleon. I was about to type that the subject matter of the book has no connection to my theme, but then again, everything is interconnected.

Galaxy Nest (study)

Two Bodies in One (study)

These works specifically deal with the human form as an echoing of the repeated forms in nature. Galaxy Nest places an emphasis on our relationship with the universe as a nurturing environment. This is based on the concept that our bodies are formed from the same basic components that stars are composed of. In a cosmic way, the stars are our parents.

Two bodies in One creates a form repeated countless times throughout macro and micro scales: the circle. From a molecular to cosmic context, the circle is seen in moons, celestial bodies (note the specific term we use for planets), cells, tree rings, and even atoms. The shape of these bodies together forms a unified shape not easily dismissed. The Renaissance artists thought of the circle as the perfect form, for good reason. This shape forms the building block for everything we know.

These sketches will soon become full-scale drawings. I have my work cut out for me.

The aesthetic value of the chaos theory

I've been learning about the chaos theory recently, put forth by a scientist named Edward Lorenze, who coined the term "butterfly effect" and became identified with a phrase which described his theory:

"Can the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?"

This theory basically states that our world is an unpredictable place,with the tiniest changes in its environment setting off chain reactions that we cannot plan or predict. Patterns can be determined by the smallest irregularities.

This video I found illustrates this theory. It is the flight patterns of Starlings as they fly home to roost for the night. The beautiful, elegant patterns they form are an example of the complexities of our universe being determined by the smallest facets.

Catherine Ulitsky is an artist who has used this pattern in her artwork. Her paintings of birds, with colorful lines connecting them to each other is a fascinating glance into the interconnectedness of this enigmatic display.

Catherine Ulitsky
Hadley Starlings (Flock #10)