Post 3

In images we represent ourselves as life long portraits or as the main character of our own story and we try to share our story with others. Theirs an old saying that states “a picture is worth a thousand words” and in truth, in today’s society it is worth millions of words. We represent ourselves as artwork that life has created and we flourish with each passing day. In John Bergers book WAYS OF SEEING he wrote “An image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced. It is an appearance or a set of appearances, which has been detached from the place and time”. In images we see ourselves as artwork when we recreate our appearance and it stays in the same time and place forever. In several of those images we can see many different emotions like happiness, sadness, love, frightened, pain and angry.

Art and media teach us that an image does not need to be a nice picture, but a picture that tells a story, that looks painful, stressful, depressing, and mysterious. Art and media is showing us that self images do not have to be a portrait of awe, but a portrait that can get a person to stop, look, and think about the image. In Guy Deboards book The Society of The Spectacle he wrote“The images detached from every aspect of life merge into a common stream in which the unity of that life can no longer be recovered. Fragmented views of reality regroup themselves into a new unity as a separate pseudo-world that can only be looked at. The specialization of images of the world has culminated in a world of autonomized images where even the deceivers are deceived. The spectacle is a concrete inversion of life, an autonomous movement of the nonliving”.

We create images that are no longer there and create memories of what use to exist. We keep those fragments alive with technology and create more to keep fragments of our memories alive. An artist that performs her art is Marina Abramovic also known as the Grandmother of performance art and she performs acts that can place a person under a lot of pressure or stress. In the end she is an artist of pain and she trains herself to cope with pain in order to achieve her goals. Her art is the type of art that brings the performer and the audience to explore each others relationship. It is also to show the audience possibilities of the mind and the limits of the body. She created images to the audience that they will always remember because they witnessed her image/performance.

One performance that comes to mind is The Artist is Present, is where Marina sits at one end of a table and another person would sit at the other end and they would just stare at each other for a certain period of time. Marina would never move from her spot for any reason, not even when the persons time was up, she would remain where she is and stay seated for an entire day. Art can be a performance of the limitations of the body and the mind. In a self image we learn about identity and culture because we follow in the foot steps of those who have been performing self image years before us.

People that had themselves painted in huge portraits so someone years from now can find them and learn that they were important throughout history. Now in today’s society anyone can create a self portrait thanks to technology and share them into a network of thousands of other self portraits that can live eons from now.

Sophie Calle is an artist that likes to play games and one that she is very good at is playing detective. Now Calle is an artist that is distinguished by her lack of arbitrary and use of constraints. Her work is to pick a random person and exploit there vulnerability and studies there intimacy and their identity. Her photographic artwork also includes text of her own writing. Now with ORLAN she is best known for her work with plastic surgery and body artist. She rediscovers how the body can be poetic, in which carnal art and body art are fundamentally stages. Real body are merged in a ceaseless flow of emotional body, social body, imaginary body, lived body, mystic body diffuse body, and hybrid body.

We create our own self images and it communicates to others by showing them what we perform in our self images. How we perform with family, how we perform with friends, and basically how we perform with life. We are opened to millions of opportunities that can help us create different self images in many different forms and the audience decides what they see when they look at our self image. We create or claim an identity like Joanne Finkelstein wrote in her book The Art of Self Invention. She wrote “Claiming an identity is an ordinary occurrence. The passport, bank account, credit card, tax history and driver’s license all confirm who we are. With these credentials we are able to purchase goods and services, travel and enjoy civil rights. Having an identity is a tangible asset”. We create this identity in order to confirm who we are.

At the bottom I have Marina Abramovic Performing the Artist is present. Second ORLANS Kissing Both and a picture of my old wrestling team to compare. A photo of Sophie Calle's person following art and two photos of my own comparing to her art work.

Berger, John, Sven Blomberg, Chris Fox, Michael Dibb, and Richard Hollis. Ways of Seeing. London, England: British Broadcasting Corportion, 1973. Print.

Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone, 1994. Print.

Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention: Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture. London: I.B. Tauris, 2007. Print.

POST 3

The concept of images is extremely important. We see and recognize things before we can speak. Like John Berger says in The Ways of Seeing, “The child looks and recognizes before it can speak” (Berger 7). We see things and figure out what we like throughout life. We adapt and change through time. All of these things are projected to people who see us. These projections can be captured in pictures.

            The great thing about pictures is that things can be altered any way possible. People can choose to show who they are or who they want people to think they are. Cindy Sherman is one of many artists who played with this idea. In Cindy Sherman’s artwork she takes pictures dressed in many different costumes. In some pictures she does not even look like herself. I believe that her artworks show how easy it is to make an impression on people. You can make people think whatever you want through art, whether it is true to yourself or not. In  The Art of Self Invention talks about faux identity, Finkelstein writes “Such a character values the idea of a ‘core self’ that emanates our ethical best but also understands the necessity of the opposite, namely, being able to invent an identity to suit the fluid character of cosmopolitan life” (Finkelstein 10). We create identities for ourselves based on the things that are most popular in society.     

            This is not the only way people represent themselves in images. Some like to do the complete opposite and show that all things that are popular are not beautiful.  Orlan liked this idea. In her art she went through various plastic surgeries, but these surgeries weren’t to make her more beautiful. In one surgery, she got implants above her eyebrows to make her look more like the Mona Lisa. Once she did this there were people who hated it so much they called her a monster. The point she wanted to make to people know that just because they do not look like what beautiful is advertised as does not mean they are not beautiful.

            Images definitely hold aspects of identity and culture. Even in my own selfies I show my culture. One of the first pictures I posted on the blog I showed a part of Poland. There are many artists who show their culture in their picture, not only to show that it is a part of their identity, but also they sometimes do this to make any political issues known to other. Frida Kahlo was one of these artists. She was a Mexican artist and in her pictures she like to include political issues that were going on in Mexico.

            Art and Media can teach us many things about ourselves. When we see something we like, it tends to stick in our minds. We are introduced to new ideas every day. Looking at pictures and media shows these ideas. Even advertisements help some part of creating our identity. Finkelstein writes “It is a form of communication that reaches millions of people and promulgates shared values” (Finkelstein 148).All advertisements are created to relate to a certain group of people, it is up to you to decide whether you relate or not.

We control the images of ourselves but this does not mean we do not communicate who we are. You can put whatever you want in a picture, but there will always be people who think differently then you. All of the millions of people on Earth are not going to think the same way. Whatever you put in your pictures will mean one thing to one person and something else to another. This does not mean it doesn’t represent who you are.

post 3

Self invention, to me, is the construction of one's self identity, the representation of them as a human being. As human beings we learn as we live through this crazy thing called life. Life gives us many tests to see how we will come out of it. In the end those tests can  shape us into different and unique people. What's really amazing is how people choose to show others their identities. I have learned that artists have been masters at expressing the concept and themes of self identity in their artworks.

 Throughout the semester I've learned that the idea of the self has more deeper meanings to people, especially to artists. Orlan has used the idea of beauty and body to bring about the message of the pain of beauty. She out herself through painful operations of plastic surgery while still awake, many have seen her as controversial, but I see a woman who has shown us the reality of what beauty means to woman and society. To be beautiful can be painful, especially if it's for society. "A woman must continually watch herself. She is almost continually accompanied by her own image of herself"(Berger, 1972, pg 46). Woman are under constant watch and scrutiny to society, the pressure to look beautiful and be graceful is a sad thought, but Orlan challenged that notion, her glittery demon horns are proof of it. I look at her demon horns as a beautiful. Only woman can tell themselves that they are beautiful.

Beauty is one of the things I love to look at in self portraits, I love the beauty in things, even if others see it as ugly or an eyesore. Society, especially men, are always the ones to judge for beauty, woman are always under their gaze. "Men survey women before treating them. Consequently how a woman appears to a man can determine how she will be treated"(Berger, 1972, pg 46). Woman must always act or look a certain way if they want to have proper treatment, otherwise they're seen as dirt. I hate the fact that woman are seen this way, I myself have been treated this way in the past, to the point where I actually saw myself as ugly, but thankfully I've moved on from that and have realized I am beautiful. When I learned about Cindy Sherman, I made a connection with her. She herself knew what it's like to be under the male gaze, to want to keep to yourself in a safe place away from the male gaze.

Cindy Sherman has a very interesting and awe inspiring with expressing self portraits. Her Untitled Film Stills series shows herself as different kinds of woman, I asked myself "Is she showing us how society see's the ideal woman?" I think that Cindy Sherman in a sense, showed this sense of so called beauty. What amazed me more about her that she became a major artist in the art world that others soon tried to follow in her footsteps. "And she played it out incredibly, and then she just used that as a stepping stone to take it further, further, and further out. So much of her work is performance, so much is improvisation, so much is theater. I am sure there are all kinds of people who see Cindy as their God"(Cindy Sherman Effect article, paragraph 13). Cindy had taken the art world by storm with her photographs, and that in itself is an amazing contribution to the theme of self identity.

To me, identity is one of the most precious things a human can have. It's there to remind us of who we are, and what will we choose to become, it's hard for some people to express it, or they just don't know how. I was dependant on the world to see what kind of person I'd become. Eventually pop culture helped shaped my identity. "Much of popular culture reinforces the importance we place on physical appearance as indicative identity"(Finkelstein, 2007, pg 13). Comics, movies, cartoon, anime, and manga, all these things I was passionate about and became highly invested in. But also made me a target for judgement, which at the time I feared. But pop culture and art have shown me who I am and that my identity was mine and mine alone.

Our identities will always be challenged at. There are people who see our selves as different that don't conform to society's norms. It's hard for us to form relationships if people don't wish to be with us. Marina Abramovic is an artist who I learned use relationships in her work. In her performance art she has used her audience as parts of the piece, and even her own lover to convey themes of identity and relationships. Marina's "The Artist is present" made me think of how people can be close to each other. She wouldn't know anything about the person who would sit across her, she probably wouldn't care, all she wanted was for them to sit with her. It challenged the norms of relationships. Our identities are all different, and are unique, but it can be so much more meaningful if we choose to share them with others, despite our differences, and maybe we can see how meaninful and beautiful people's unique identities are.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London, British Broadcasting Corporation, 1972.

The Art of Self Invention. New York, I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2007.

Hoban, Phoebe. "The Cindy Sherman Effect." artnews.com14 Feb. 2017. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Post 3

            Humans always strive to improve their image, whether it is through their own actions or taking pictures of themselves. We learn from observation; that of others’ images, be it paintings or photos, or how other people handle or portray themselves. We learn to emulate these behaviors, whether it is done intentionally or not. Sometimes, this can be for pure fun and expressions, or it can be for other motives, such as impersonation or preservation. We influence our own images and that of others, sometimes without even knowing it.

            Some alter their self image for the purpose of less-than-innocent actions such as that of impersonation. Much like the impersonator of Mr. Martin Guerre, Arnaud du Tilh, who crafted an impressive display, making himself seem just like Guerre, and maybe even being better at being the original than the man himself. Tilh learned almost everything about Guerre’s life and replicated it to near perfection. However, it is unknown how he managed to learn as much as he did, if it is anything further than listening to gossip about the real Guerre. “Arnaud du Tilh invented a ‘better’ Martin Guerre and this led to the realization that a good performance can produce its own rewards,” (Finkelstein, 2007, p. 49). All it takes is a little knowledge to reinvent oneself.

            Others may dabble in the art of self image to satisfy a particular audience of theirs. Those who are like this can be celebrities or even regular people. Doing this gives the audience a “front-row seat,” meaning each individual of the audience is given the impression that the picture is directed towards them. Paintings and drawings are similar in this respect of using this certain perspective, to a greater extent even, in comparison to the camera (Berger, 1972, p. 18). This can do one of two things for the person responsible for the self-image; subtly boosting their own ego, or, if they’re a celebrity, slightly boosting their popularity and number of fans, and, by extension, increases their revenue.

            Many known artists have tackled art for the sake of self expression and representation. This includes the like of Cindy Sherman who serves as an inspiration for many that aspire to be artists that wish to dabble in self portraiture. From the way she positions the camera to the wigs and clothing she wears in her portraits, it’s no wonder that some feel this way. Some even go as far as saying that they revere her as a god (Sherman Effect article, paragraph 13). She even tackled issues in her portraiture that personally affected her, such as that of gender equality. Other artists that have done similar include Andy Warhol, who cross-dressed in some of his pieces to possibly represent the queer community, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who did some pieces representing some of the strife experienced by blacks.

            It is things like these that I have learned when practicing the way of the selfie. I’ve learned throughout the course to draw from mere observation and education to make somewhat unique selfies. Some of the selfies that I have made over the course of the semester show my attempts at expressing myself through simple pictures. With the first selfie taken in the semester, I exemplified my inner expressive nature. Another represented my love for my brother as well as for animals. As for my most recent selfie, which is inspired by Barbara Kruger’s style, it represents, as I’ve observed, the all-too-common trend of people being intolerant of other people’s opinions, especially when those opinions involve politics. I have learned that a selfie is more than just a picture; it’s an expression, even if it’s a subtle one. It can stand for your personal feelings and it can also be used as a means to help fight for human rights.

post 3

      Through out this class I've learned that self invention is the invention of one's self while using different scenario's, images and objects. Self invention is how someone express themselves. I've also learned about the male gaze and spectators, and lastly about the world of advertisement. Learning about these things gives you a bigger perspective on the images and art around you.  

        Social pressure is what makes us into something we're not, media too. We see things on television and want to be like that, "An image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced. It is an appearance, or a set of appearances, which has been detached from the place and time in which it first made it's appearance and preserved - for a few moments or centuries"(Berger 9,10). We represent ourselves in images the way we want to be perceived, but we may not always be perceived the way we want to be. You could have put something on for comic con or for your birthday, but some one may have deemed it inappropriate or you was seeking attention.
         Art and media is a gateway for people to express themselves. Art and media can be a learning tool. Art and media can be an inspiration. Artist Cindy Sherman uses art to express herself in different culture's, aspects, and costumes. She did what she loved to do and people judged her for it. Art and media can teach us that God made us who we are for a reason. They can teach us how to identify ourselves without letting somebody do it for them. "In this way, the cinema has followed contemporary advertising techniques of interpellation and thus reinforces dominant values and ways of seeing, such as using cultural codes for signaling moral characters, personal values, and so on, that often exist in stereo types" (Gaines and Herzog,1990)(Finklestein, 9).
       I think we do learn about identity and culture through images, and I'll use Rania as an example when she posted the selfie in her turban and the prayer mat. Also, Janis Maschucci and Cindy Sherman used art to identify themselves through their alter ego's.
       We create and share pictures of ourselves everyday to depict a certain reputation about ourselves, to get a certain image but just because that's how we portray it that doesn't mean that's how the male gaze will perceive it.

 Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London, England: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1973. Print

Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention: Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture. 

                            London: I.B. Tauris, 2007. Print.

       

Summary for Rania Noubani ,Charielle Molina, Brandan Olander's Presentation

Our powerpoint brought forth three different artist that talked about similar concepts. Each artist discussed the idea of body and what it meant to be male or female, and often cross dressed to get their point across. They discussed the notions of gender fluidity, and  human anatomy and they all did it in different ways. Andy Warhol used experience and digital photography to visualize it.  Hanah hoch used other media images, and collage. Jean Micheal Basquiat used more body and anatomy in his drawings.

post 3

            Art is a form of expression for many people, and no one necessary has to identify as an artist for them to be part of the art world.  We use art to identify and invent who we are in the world. For many of us art is way of self-invention, and we use to represent ourselves through images. Throughout the semester selfie’s and identity became intertwined for me, and I was able to see myself through a different lens.

            Images, selfies specifically, help us represent who we are in different ways. If we take a look at Cindy Sherman she was constantly reevaluating who she was through different characters. In every selfie it was someone new, and someone she might have saw herself in. It was not necessarily who she was, but it was who she represented. In one series where the images where very dark, many of us could see the angry she was feeling in the art industry. It shows that who we are represents itself in the art work. Images are an outlet to show people what we are feeling, and what we stand for. Many choose to talk about the idea of the male gaze. For example, Orlan reconstructed her whole face in surgery as a work of art and a question of the male gaze. Male gaze has always been a topic, even in the Ways of seeing where he says that “men survey women before treating them” (Berger 46).

            The media plays a big factor in the way art is formed, especially in this day and age. There are so many social networks now that it is almost impossible not to find anything that suits everyone. Artist now use social media as a platform to get their artwork out there, and for many artists it works. In the Art of Self-Invention, it says that “we are in the era where impressions matter, and where reputations is both an asset and a liability” (Finkelstein 122). The media in general teaches us that we can be different and individual, and when we factor in artist and art that definitely applies. Some of my selfies were ones I later used for snapchat or Instagram. Just like the first selfie I had ever posted with the dog filter, which was on my snapchat. There are many artists with different patterns, techniques, idea, and styles and each of them represent who they are individually. It can be difficult to find the same artistry twice, which is amazing. Also, selfies are a huge platform on social media, and despite what older generation say, it is very artsy to post selfies. It self-expression in a whole new way.

            Culture is unquestionably an immense factor when it comes to art and identity. If we look at the different paintings through time and the different cultures they were placed in, then we can see the difference, between them. Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, selfies and paintings showed her love for her culture and her support for political causes. While an artist in Europe took a different turn by using the idea of the male gaze and beauty for their art. Identity shapes who we are, and culture is a huge part of our identity. Many artists only use their cultural background to make their images. One of my selfies was of me lying down on my prayer rug, wearing a Palestinian scarf. The scarf is a huge part of my culture and my identity, and without them, then nothing would make sense.

            Images will always define us in this new time of technology, and which images we share says a lot about who we are. I had many more pictures of my surgery, but I choose to only share of my arm and the inside of my stomach. This is because I am more private about my surgery, but not so much that I am not willing to share about it. If we think about the different artist who later died and many more works were discovered, then does that not say something about them? It brings the question as to why some were released and others were not. It also says a lot of who they are and how much they want to give away for the world. Even Joanne Finkelstein said that the “art and real life are both fictional accounts of each other, and we variously play the spectator and artist with various degrees of enjoyment” (11).

Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention: Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture.                                London: I.B. Tauris, 2007. Print.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London, England: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1973. Print.

Though I wasn't able to make it to the gallery I was able to receive a picture from the gallery. I like this one the most out of all that I'd seen.

  I like this one this because the first thing I seen was the eye, which is mostly referenced to the illuminati, but what I first thought about was John Berger theory of the spectators and the male gaze.

Secondly I saw the keyboard which made me think about how rapidly technology is evolving. Also,many of the internet's spectators are from the male gaze. Lastly, I would like to point out that another gesture I was able to suggest from this piece is how much technology is taking over.

Krueger

There is a standard of blackness 

Accepted if you're skin isn't too dark

Just above that Carmel complexion 

Anything below brings fear in others 

Immediate life threatening reactions over a color

The blacker the berry more likely the criminal

Just because we're drowned in melanin doesn't give you the right to kill us

People never make it skin deep

ORLAN

For this selfie i chose to relate my selfie to how Orlan points out beauty standards. A common beauty standard is that women that are too tall and should not wear heels. Being the tall woman that I am, I pictured all of my shoes to show I can wear what I want.

       With today's selfie I used the "Meme Creator" App to replicate Barbara Kruger's art style. The image and text is to represent a common fear in society, that I have as well, and that is being able to freely express your opinion without being personally attacked for it. Some people's opinions can be somewhat unpopular and are sometimes met with insults and physical violence, rather than healthy debate. For example, being vocal about a candidate that I or they may support can easily lead to negative repercussions.

we was asked to make a picture inspired by Barbara Kruger, and I chose this picture because there is always a fight between the heart and the mind/or brain. I chose this because I am going through this situation right now. My heart is telling me one thing while my mind is telling me another. Both are equally important. But one always overcome the other.

                       Inspired by Barbra Kruger's style of photography, I created a selfie showing my distaste for waking up on a Monday, cause it's an annoying feeling when the weekend is over and it's straight back to work and school. This time I photographed my alpaca plush wrapped in my blanket because it's sort of a symbol of comfort for me. So in a sense I imagine the alpaca is me having a soulless look at the thought of having to make it through another week.

ORLAN

Now this image is one of the greatest examples of body image, beauty and identity. I know this looks like a bunch of morons showing off there pecs and other parts, but these guys are my brothers and 4 years before this picture was taken they were completely different. This is my old wrestling team back in high school and in 2009 is when i met my new friends that i ended up calling my brothers in arms in the end. At the first year of wrestling everyone in this picture was Overweight, Underweight, too skinny, weak, full of pride, and undisciplined. 4 years of being on the wrestling team changed all that and we all became better men and woman. (Their was one girl on the team) We became a family that knew better in our daily lives. My professor wrote that Orlan "decided to go under the knife again and again – not because her life was at risk, but because she believed surgically changing her body could be a powerful work of art". My team is the result of art in a different perspective. We have gone through a training program that not only helped changed our bodies but our minds as well. We were all disfigured in our own way and to change that we had to go through a difficult procedure and we gained endurance, strength, honor, speed, flexibility, and brotherhood. ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL IS I GOT TO FIGHT WITH THESE GREAT MEN AND WOMAN. 

Sophie Calle

In this self image i took an image of a game system and a bunch of games, along with wiring, a shelf, a flat screen, and a closet. This is a version of Sophie Callie's art work and it means very much to me. This simple image is a great reminder of one of my goals that i aimed for at the beginning or this year. Its a reminder of how hard i worked and how a great days work can really pay off. Its a way of saying to myself "I did all this work..and this is the result".

Orlan

How bad does it hurt ?
Did you feel it ?
I mean you never know the answers till you try it
No matter how many questions you ask
It all comes down to you actually going forward with the pain
And if this tiny minute of pain will become your beauty

Today's selfie is inspired by Orlan's work. Mias Orlando would go through major lengths for the sake of art, going as far as pursuing surgical procedures. Many called her mad. With this selfie, I modify my appearance with snapchat for the sake of this class.

For the longest time I have been self concious about my teeth because they grew crooked and mishaped, I thought they were ugly but I have realized you dont have to look at them like so. Orlan tried to change her body appearance and after plastic surgery she had implants on her face to which were called demon horns. It amazed me how she beautified something people would see as ugly with glitter. I may not put makeup on my teeth but I can sure call them my demon teeth.

   This weekend I visited the exhibit of Nan Goldin's Ballad of Sexual Dependancy which displayed photographs of the artist's experiences in Boston and NY in the 80's and 90's. The theme was sexuality, drug use, and abuse. I based my selfie off of one photograph titiled "Nan One Month After Being Battered" the photograph shows the artist with bruises on her face. It shows the affects of a bad relationship and how women suffer from it.

these photo's are from when I got my belly button pierced. I underwent this procedure because, like Orlan, I thought changing my body would be a beautiful piece of art. And after this procedure I fell in love with my piercing. and other forms, such as tattoo's.