Just a couple of days ago, I saw this video posted/made by ImprovEverywhere (links below) and I think it was just the nicest thing.
Weeks before I saw the video, I saw a tweet from the Youtube Artist David Choi (which I can't find anymore). It was the nicest compliment that day. His tweet wasn't specifically for someone, but generally for anyone who reads his tweet. I think he also posted that in his facebook page.
while searching for that tweet, I instead found this:
His tweet made me smile. I thought, if him tweeting that made me feel at least better, maybe others do too. I clicked on his tweet, and saw people retweeting, and replying to him, saying that they "needed that".
and it had made me thought of a self project, or an experiement. But mostly it's just something that I would very much like to do.
everyday I'll post a status of a positive compliment or motivation on facebook, for all my facebook friends to see. the status will not come from anywhere but from me (I hope they know that :) ). I would like this to go on for as long as I can.
my objective? to make anyone feel better, just like i felt when I saw the video and the tweet. because of the video, and the tweet, I was very much inspired to do the same to others. So for anyone who sees this blogpost can maybe do the same too.
"Don't ever take anybody for granted, because you never know when you might lose them and you'll never see them again." - Mariah Carey, Glitter
I wanna ask anyone who reads this...
please pray for my lola moya and tita millet... we love them so much and we're very sad that they left us. but we're happy that our father's side's family had been just as complete everytime we have our annual christmas parties.
Lola Moya and Tita Millet
may they rest in peace, and may their soul go peacefully in heaven... with our lolo guiller, and my papa's father... and john lennon too. :')
and it's turning bad. i can't edit, i can't record, i can't do anything!! (well, maybe surf the net but still...) i can't do anything productive even for myself!!
it all started when i was given "new stuffs" and i thought it'll do me good cause it's new and nice. but then as time flew, problems started to come. softwares not working, new ones needed to be installed, settings needed to reset, all started in scratch. and here i am trying to be patient with all of it.
but now i can't take it anymore! i'm totally alienated with my needs xD
i can't do videos, i can't record properly, and most importantly, i can't do my thesis!!
i want my old stuff back. :( maybe i'll try get it and just return it to my sister after term ends (yeah my old stuffs went to my sister so year it should not be hard to 'borrow' itt for a while... or a month... or three...)
anyways. with all the patience and waiting and all are wearing off, here's a little some-some that i have worked on for hours (when usually i only take an hour or two to make these, when tonight it took me the whole night because of the stupid mic and its settings. and tried to put a litle video in it but sadli i fail. maybe i'll do it when the sun's up.)
when the time comes that i can't take it anymore i swear i'll do a page in facebook na! xD
ok so I dunno about the other people who says that they still can't feel the christmas spirit, but for me I ENJOY EVERY LITTLE BIT OF IT!!! (maybe mainly because next term i'll be focusing again on my maprod[thesis] so hagardness again.) harhar. and i'm so excited for christmas!! :D:D
so this blog is about what i have received so far. wanted to blog about it for it was interesting for me to guess what were the things inside those gift wraps. and for the record, i haven't opened almost all of them :)
so first, vitzka's gift for me.
it's wrapped up in green gift wrap with words that says "no peeking" and "no sneaking" so okay fine, i won't till christmas eve.
inside my guess would be maybe a pencil, and some sort of a long thing, maybe a ruler or a bookmark i don't know really. well i'll just have to wait till tomorrow.
then there's tryxzy's gift.
it's wrapped in... okay christmas wrapper.
and inside, my guess would be... i dunno a small bag? i tried to guess earlier that it was something with a brush or something. but just now i thought that maybe it was a bag cause i can feel something like a soft something with a hard something that was curled up.
and then there's a gift from tita d.a.
it was in a box. well that would be harder cause anything could be in a box. but my first guess would be a mug. but it could not be too, for i think it's too light for a mug.
other gifts that were opened [either because it was needed to be opened, or everyone was opening theirs.] were arvi girl's exchange gift to me, which was a bracelet [thanks again arvi it was soooooooo beautiful <3] and nikki's cute writing set which was sooo cute because i love collecting stuff that you could write on, like notebooks and stuff. i don't know why i love collecting those, i don't even write in them, and a box of cadbury chocolates from my ninong flex [which was too tempting not to be eaten... so i put it in the refrigerator :P]
anyways. there's more to come, i hope. we still have one more party tomorrow, and another momentous occasion on the 25th besides christmas :D
have a great christmas everyone!!! and a happy new year :D
We all know Bruno Mars’s “Just The Way You Are” music video, right? The one where the ribbon on the cassette tape were animated to get the effect of forming and moving images. But it’s not yet the interesting part. The process of the cassette tape’s ribbon forming an image was inspired by an artist named Erika Iris Simmons. Ms. Erika Simmons is an artist based in Atlanta. She uses various materials from garage sales, and because her art caught many people’s eyes, the people were just so glad to send some of their own tapes and video reels and other materials that they think she could use for her art.
And yes, eventually, her art spread after the Bruno Mars music video. (but for the record, I’d love her art even before the music video… :) ). One of her works that I loved the most was her wonderful portrait/artwork of John Lennon (well I was a bit biased because I love the Beatles that’s why I loved this, but really this is my favorite of hers because it was simple, it was only Lennon’s head, but you can see a certain time of Lennon.)
check out her website at: http://www.iri5.com and her flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iri5/
I had the chance to talk to her via email for a requirement on our art elective subject. We are to interview an artist that we would think will help us through our thesis. My medium was sound, but I just had to send her an email too. (I also interviewed Ms. Susan Hawkins – see last post- a sound artist from Australia)
So here it goes, our question and answer portion!
ME: First, when did you start making your artworks?
Erika Simmons: I have always been crafty, but I started pursuing art seriously about three years ago.
ME: besides tape cassettes and video films, do you also use other materials in making your artworks? or do you even use other processes or medium in making artworks?
ES: I use all kinds of things... old books, playing cards, wires, and I've started trying to make sculptures out of old lace too... I get too bored using the same thing all the time.
ME: Why did you chose famous stars from the music industry for your works?
ES: To be honest, the first cassette tape portrait I made was of Jimi Hendrix because I love his music and I thought his hair worked really well for the curly texture of the tape, but most of the other stars have been requests from people or commissions.
ME: how or where do you get your inspirations from?
ES: Mostly from reading and taking long walks.
ME: can you share with me how you make your cassette tape artworks?
ES: Every pieces is different. For some I glue the tape down flat, and in others I leave the tape curly and chaotic. An easy way to do it is to take a pencil and draw lightly on a canvas the shapes you want, then carefully glue down the cassette tape into the desired places. The tape is very fragile, but you can twist it and sculpt it to make it look the way you like. It takes some practice to understand all the ways you can use it.
ME: did you knew that you were going to do this kind of art before? is what you are doing everything that you have imagined?
ES: When I started making art I knew I wanted to make something that was really interesting, but I never thought I would make something that so many other people thought was interesting... I still have other techniques I want to try, so I still think it can be better.
ME: do you love music? what type of music do you listen to?
ES: I love all kinds of music, especially classical and electronic music. For my art though I love the idea of data - whether its recording tape or sheet music.
ME: what was your initial reaction when you were first informed that your art will be inspired by Bruno Mars's music video?
ES: I thought it was a great opportunity and I was happy to share my ideas with the director. But there is also a business side of things... as an artist you need to make sure you read contracts and don't be afraid to speak up for yourself. But I think the video turned out wonderfully and I'm just happy to have been a part of it.
ME: have you ever tried making a self-portrait with your process?
ES: No, I've never tried a self-portrait.
ME: how long does it take you to make one artwork?
ES: It depends... some small pieces take a few days. Others take about a month, working almost every day! They can take a very long time.
ME: I understand that people send you items that they believe you can use to make your works. did you receive anything unusual or something cool or unique before?
ES: People have sent me their old photos, home movies, old cassette tapes, graduation tassels, baseballs... all kinds of things.
ME: what can you advice to students (and also to the people) who wants to pursue making artworks?
ES: Try everything. When you make a mistake, take the courage to fix it; sometimes that is a better lesson. Make art everyday. Don't worry about finding a personal style, worry about pursuing your interests. If you intend to sell art, understand that you will have to make some things that you might not personally like.
And finally: Its possible to make a living selling art without an agent or gallery representation, so don't put all your eggs in one basket!
I really am glad that I got the chance to interview Ms. Simmons! I learned that it’s very important for an artist to experiment and be not afraid to go beyond his or her limits. Also as what Ms. Simmons said, “Its possible to make a living selling art without an agent or gallery representation, so don't put all your eggs in one basket!” I really forgot that one.
I want to thank Ms. Erika Iris Simmons for being so kind to answer my questions. It’s been a great pleasure!
This month is our finals month, and so part of our requirement was to interview an artist who use the same medium, or technique, or process, as what we are going to use. In my case, I decided to use Sound as a medium for I thought it was just as easy as making compositions in music, but I was wrong. I learned that pursuing Sound Art is more than having verses and chorus and bridges. It’s more than that. It's about how you use the sounds all around you, how you produce sounds that will help you obtain what you'll need, and then how will people be ‘moved’ by your art.
And to help me realize that, I have interviewed Ms. Susan Hawkins from Australia, and she was just too kind to share with me her answers. She has been doing projects in theatre, contemporary dance, animation, and live performance alongside of Ms. Olivia Pisani.
To know more about Ms.Hawkins, you can check out her website: http://www.susanhawkins.net
And now I give you our question and answer portion!
ME: how did you start making your works? and what medium did you first use?
Susan Hawkins: I started writing music at the age of 15, and went straight to university to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Composition on leaving high school. I had studied classical piano from the (relatively) late age of 13, but was always more interested in expressing myself through sound than ever attempting to become a classical pianist or play in jazz bands. Of course, I did also spend a lot of time playing in bands, and wanted to really try out as many parts of the music industry as possible. A lot of my early composition was for solo piano, and strings. I started experimenting with music software like ProTools and got really excited by the way the technology could open up the possibilities for sound, and creating an experience for a listener. I think over the years my work became more sound and texturally focussed than actually about writing scores for ensembles. It was cheaper, easier, and I could produce a lot more work with the technology available.
ME: how do you generate your ideas? and how do you translate this to sound?
SH: I take a lot of inspiration from visual media – and usually my music is written specifically for a visually-based projects .Ideas will come from a variety of places – either from the visual material itself or the visual artist has specific ideas, or maybe I have been playing around with particular textures or harmonies that I think will really fit with the image. I don’t really have a method of generating ideas that stays consistent for each piece – each project is different in content, in collaborators and process.
Translating ideas in to sound is easy if your ideas are sounds. If the ideas are more conceptual, I will try to explore the best way to represent or express the ideas using whatever techniques are possible.
ME: are there any 'special processes' that you use to make your artworks?
SH: I have really focused on combining traditional or organic instruments with electronic processes as an attempt to make something new that is still accessible by a general listening public. For example, a lot of my works will use samples for cello or clarinet that I have written and recorded, then will digitally manipulate them to create new textures, harmonies and melodies.
ME: when and how did you start making experimental music and exhibiting them?
SH: I really started making installations only when I began working with my friend Olivia Pisani, and we started showing works together under the name ‘imaginationandmymother’ – we started working together in 2005. We were both living in London at the time, and we started doing performance installations within the experimental sound community there. Contacts then led to more installations, and I then went to the USA and Canada to make some installations with artists there.
ME: how and where do you get inspirations from?
SH: Good question for any artist, I think – and a hard one to answer!! I think that I get inspired and encourage by hearing and seeing other amazing works. Even less-than-amazing works can inspire, because I get determined to make something beautiful. Like most artists, I have a day job that isn’t related to the arts, so I tend to search out art that I find beautiful as soon as I leave the office! I listen to a lot of music, in very different styles, watch a lot of films from all over the world, and try to get to as many performances as possible to feed my need for inspiration.
ME: did you knew that you were going to do this kind of art before? is what you are doing everything that you have imagined?
SH: I had no idea I’d be making the kind of things I have! When I started writing music I thought I would be writing orchestral symphonies and making film music. I guess the joy in that is that I have experienced so many amazing collaborations with such amazing artists, and made work I could not have predicted.
ME: how can you differentiate sound from music?
SH: That’s actually also a difficult question. Part of me says there is no difference – in the John Cage way of thinking, of course. Everything is music, everything is sound. I think really the difference is about purposeful intervention in sound, which (may or may not) make music as a result. I struggle with music or sound that is made purely as an intellectual exercise – for me it really has to try and connect with a listener on some emotional level. In a way, it is like asking what the difference is between speech and poetry – where is the intention? Is there a craft involved in shaping an experience?
ME: how do you know if you have the right material? the right sound to produce, and the right concept even? how do you know if it's the 'right one'?
SH: The only real test is whether I am moved by what I have created – this can give a false impression that the concept is right, but usually it’s a good indicator that maybe other people will connect with it too J If it is a collaborative project, that can change whether the right material is right for me, or for the other artists, or for what we are trying to achieve.
ME: is making sound more difficult than making paintings? maybe in terms of concept, or process?
SH: I can’t really answer because I can’t paint! I think it might be just as difficult – any real creative output like painting, or sculpture making or video making or sound, involves some kind of link between the creative process and the actual thing that you produce.
ME: i love your "we are not alone" works! can you tell something more about it?
"We Are Not Alone"
(for more details about the "We Are Not Alone" project, click HERE)
SH: I had two works in the We Are Not Alone exhibition – ‘buddha’s lightbulb and ‘music of the spheres’. Music of the spheres is the installation with Wesley Mulvin, where I made 16 tracks representing sixteen constellations. Wesley crafted the ‘listening cones’ (that you see on the front page of my website) for the constellations to play in. Part of the idea was to have sound spilling over in to the space of the gallery – you could hear quite clearly the separate constellations when you sat under the cones, and when you were outside, there was a lovely spilling over of sound in to the rest of the space. ‘buddha’s lightbulb’ was another experiment in using sound to fill a space – it was a 30 minute prepared piano piece that was looped, and speakers were placed coming up the stairs as you entered the gallery. I was playing with the idea of accompanying or enticing people up the stairs, and then allowing a spill of energy in to the space (by which time they could also hear the ‘music of the spheres’ spilling from the listening cones. It was a wonderful experience being in Canada working with the artists in the exhibition – it was very collaborative, and all of the artists involved made such dramatically different, but complementary work.
ME: what kind of music do you listen to? what's your favorite?
SH: I listen to loads of different things – from Fardu (Portuguese folk music) to Ethiopian jazz to Bjork and Radiohead to Mahler, Schumman to Arvo Part, Steve Reich, John Adams, Brian Eno to John Coltrane and Miles Davis. At the moment I’m enjoying listening to Lee Morgan (jazz) and Morton Feldman.
ME: how do you get people to see sound art like something of those of the usual exhibitions? i mean because the usual exhibits are paintings, etc.
SH: I think the key is how to make it accessible to a general audience. People who go to see an exhibition of paintings know what to expect in some way – there’s a history of how the art is communicated to the viewer. With sound, it’s a bit different, and there’s less of a history in one way. You’ve got to count on people’s curiosity in some ways, but also thinking about where the installation is and how and where it is marketed. You need to know what kind of audience you’re looking for.
ME: how do you usually set up your exhibitions and installations?
SH: Usually it’s just me, with the most low-cost sound solution possible. Especially doing installations in different countries, it’s not so easy to carry (or buy) a lot of technology, so usually I’ll try to make something with the least amount possible.
ME: do you have a certain number of works in an exhibition?
SH: No, it really depends on the project, who else is involved, what the budget is, how big the space is, etc.
ME: what can you advice to artists that would want to pursue making art through sound/music?
SH: That’s a difficult question too! I think, be as flexible as possible and try out lots of different ways of working. Look for opportunities to collaborate with other artists and be part of a community, because sound and music is the thing that keeps humans together!
And that concludes our question and answer portion! After interviewing M. Hawkins, It really made me realize that people around you can improve you and your works in certain ways. They can help you even if you’ll need to go beyond your limits. And also Experimenting plays a huge role, especially if you want, or you are an artist. Anything is possible if we want it to be.
P.S.: I would like to thank Ms. Susan Hawkins for her great answers. It’s been a great honor interviewing her.
