Life and Art Documentation

According to Art History 101: Performance Art, performance art is live. It has no rules or guidelines and is more of an experiment. It is only art because the artist says it is art. Performance art may be composed of paintings, sculpture, dialogue, poetry, music, dance, opera, film footage, turned on television sets, laser lights, live animals and fire. Many performance artists are also interested in crossing the perceived boundary between art and life such as thinking of everyday activities in an artistic manner, which proved to be the main concept of this week’s lesson.

Women have always played an important role in Performance Art. Many women turned to this new form because they felt that more traditional media such as painting and sculpture had long been dominated by male artists and wanted to explore fresh territory. Women have proven to be true pioneers in Performance Art, making work that is brave, innovative, risky and just plain good! (Byrd. 1998) One of these women includes Linda Montano. She discusses how art has been generous to her and has allowed her to explore fear, exuberance, unconscious subject matter, fantasies and ideas. She says, "It is the place where I practice for life." She explains the transitions between life and how art based on rituals have allowed her to act truthfully, spontaneously, and can alter one’s perception of life. She even eventually came to the point during her days of work where she called each day art and not life.

I have never considered routine daily activities to be anything but, well, routine. So when we were assigned this project, I wasn’t certain that these same mundane tasks could be seen as artwork. It was not until I learned about performance artists, such as Linda Montano, that I came to appreciate how such activities could be considered art. Repetition can transform routine activities into art, and eventually I too may start calling activities art, instead of life.

For this project, I chose a task I like to do when I am stressed out: watching the fish in the first tank. The time always passes by quite quickly when I become mesmerized by the many colors and fish swimming. It fact I am usually calmed and put into a trancelike state. I still was not sure if I can call this art. Then I began to think about its components and most importantly whether or not I considered it art. Performance art is often emotional and topical, frequently dealing with political and personal matters and with issues such as race, class, and feminism. Although my artwork doesn’t initially signify any of these meanings in a direct manner, it does signify a way to deal with such manners. It represents something that is honest and a source of tranquility. Instead of resorting to violent actions, one can sit and contemplate issues at hand as an alternative to malicious behavior. This alternative response can, in its own way, be exciting and a refreshing look at life and one’s passions. This artwork is able to signify behavior that is associated with relaxation in order to assess difficult situations. This allowed me to find that art has given alternatives to life experiences that may be difficult to cope with. Even when something appears to be tedious and uninteresting, it can become exciting and represent passion. Performance art allows for the removal of limitations and obstacles, and alternative ways of looking at life.

Therefore:
1. My performance is art because it changes a routine task into something that is honest and a source of tranquility. This behavior was a way to relax in order to accumulate thoughts and assess current situations that may be influencing current behaviors. It allows for a everyday relaxation technique to become something beautiful.

2. Art is I an expression that can be exuded in many different ways. It not only represents the passions of the artist’s life and beliefs, but also alters perceptions on life. Art creates an opportunity for analysis and multiple interpretations.

3. The difference between art and life that life is the experiences that one faces, but art gives new or different meaning to those experiences. Montano says that art is the place where she practices for life. Art, while intending for the public eye, turns out to have affects on the life of the individual. So, although they represent different things, they are actually quite reflective of each other.

References: Byrd, Jeff. Women in Performance Art. 1998 http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewowem/electronmedia/visual/performanceart.html
Esaack, Shelly. Art History 101: Performance Art. 2007. http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/performance.htm Montano, Linda. “Art in Everyday Life.” LA: Astro Artz. 1981.

Psycho Film Stills

FILM STILL: Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO

Cindy Sherman, one of the most respected photographers, uses ambiguous and eclectic photographs to develop a distinct signature style. “Through a number of different series of works, Sherman has raised challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the nature of the creation of art (1). ”
In her Untitled Film Stills, Sherman captures herself in the roles of B-movie actresses, by dressing up in wigs, hats, dresses, clothes unlike her own, and playing the roles of characters. “There are also very few clues as to Sherman's personality in the photographs - each one is so unique and ambiguous that the viewer is left with more confusion than clarity over Sherman's true nature (1).” According to Judith Wilson, “what we construct on the surface of each picture is an interior, a mixture of emotions. Each setting pose and facial expression seems literally express an almost immeasurable interior which is at once mysteriously deep, and totally impenetrable: a feminine identity.”

For this self-portrait, based on that of Cindy Sherman’s techniques, I chose one of my favorite movies to construct the film stills. The movie is Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. I have always liked Psycho because, although I am a first class wuss when it comes to horror movies, to me this horror movie is more of a joke. Although it may have defied various norms during the time period, I find it to be more humorous than terrifying. I also enjoy movies with hidden clues and motifs. Throughout this movie there is a mirror motif, a color motif, clues within camera angles, and many transformations that occur. Also, I am a sucker for twists at the end of a movie, and although this one was fairly obvious there are elements of surprise that I did not otherwise expect. My favorite, and one of the most recognized horror scenes, is the shower scene. The five still that I have constructed represent the sequence of events in this scene.

In the film, Marion Crane, the female lead, is somewhat different than the expected norm of the female roles during this time period. Although she shows weakness in her love for her boyfriend and allows herself to be placed in vulnerable positions in her work, financial situation, and while in the hotel, she defies the typical behavior of a woman by stealing from her employer and eloping by herself. Throughout the movie, Marion transforms from an innocent female (signified by her white bra), to a more femme fatal and dangerous woman (signified by her black bra). Marion finds herself in a predicament when she gets trapped in a storm, while driving to meet her boyfriend, and is forced to stop at the Bates motel until the storm settles. Norman Bates, who is dominated by his overbearing, overprotective “mother”, placed her in room one where he is able view Marion, and “ideal” woman for him, through a peephole. This lead to the scene that I depict in my film still, the infamous shower scene, where Marion is violently murdered.

According to Andrew’s Macro Study:

“The spectator is then allowed the privileged position of observing Marion showering, accentuating the theme of voyeurism endemic in the film. Artful use of close-ups heightens suspense and audience complicity as Marion metaphorically cleanses away her sins. Through the shower curtain we then see a shadowy figure approaching. We cannot make out the features of this figure, a technique used by Hitchcock to create suspense, although it seems as if it is female. At this point the curtain is pulled back to the accompaniment of screeching violins and we see the figure in darkness raising a knife to the air. What follows is a series of shots depicting Marion being repeatedly stabbed by "mother", the sudden dramatic change in pace effectively communicating the frenzy of the attack. Shots are almost subliminal as Hitchcock moves away from the continuity technique to associative montage; a series of images are shown in such a way that we infer something that has not been shown.”

This excerpt allowed me realize something I have never realized before and it also brings me to the main point of my argument. "Why is it that in so many films (especially horror films) women are objectified and then brutally killed? What does that say for our society? What does it say in light of the fact that so many women are murdered, kidnapped, raped, and so on in real life?" ( Personal Communication, Perez Miles, 2006)

This film, especially this scene, exposes voyeuristic behavior, exploitation, objectification, and the victimization of women. Women in film, especially horror, are most commonly the objects of male desire. Women are usually placed in vulnerable situations while they are about to be victimized. Here Marion is in the shower with no form of protection as well as no clothing. Vulnerability of a physically attractive female seems to be a attractive viewing characteristic to the male audience.

The shower scene can also be read as Marion's rape by a potent phallic symbol. Psycho reinforces the prevalent ideology of the time period because Marion is a sexually active woman outside of marriage and so has transgressed the moral codes of the family. Marion is killed before she achieves the respectability she craves, a symbolic act of punishment for her sexual transgressions. Is this fair? Most Hitchcock’s films seek to destroy and preserve femininity. Women are objects of male gaze and the recipients of most of the punishments. Hitchcock is obsessed with exploring the psyches of tormented and victimized and brutalized women. Can this correlate with our societies acceptance and/or actions?

According to “When Women Look,” Rhona Berenstein adds an important feature to the conceptualization of spectatorship. She points out that horror films have traditionally been a place not only where women are terrified, but where they "flaunt their femininity" by screaming, fainting, and otherwise performing stereotypically exaggerated gender roles. Also, Gayln Studlar had done studies on the masochistic pleasures of horror cinema and has showed how the “strictly masculine, sadistic, and "assaultive" gaze has been overemphasized, while the feminine, masochistic, and "reactive" gaze has been ignored.” Identification with the terrified, suffering woman is simply unthinkable, too painful, and masochistic. Thus, to thrill to the mutilation of the screaming and terrified Marion Crane in the shower sequence of Psycho could only be a form of false-and anti-feminist-consciousness. This, however, does not stop all viewers from enjoying such scenes and can relate to the indirect acceptance of such actions that do occur. Societies acceptance of movies such as these are indirectly accepting violence acts in our culture. Although these exaggerated gender roles are meant to be entertainment, they are setting and example and sending out ideas that the objectification, exploitation, and victimization of women is customary. This in result may help explain or lead to the murders, rapes, and kidnappings that occur in real life.

According to Linda Williams, “For the woman viewer, however, this "taking it in the eye" pleasures her less, initially, than it does the man. Because women-for all sorts of social, physiological, and psychosexual reasons-already perceive themselves as more vulnerable to penetration, as corresponding more to the assaulted, wide-eyed, opened-up female victim all too readily penetrated by knife or penis, our response is more likely to close down, at least initially, to such images.”

I have come to gain new understanding of the implications of what I thought of as one of my favorite movies. I allowed me to realize deeper meanings and made me think: Are movies, initially meant for entertainment, inevitably hurting our society?

LINK TO REAL SHOWER SCENE : http://youtube.com/watch?v=8Dh2vAEdtNc

1. Cindy Sherman’s Official Homepage. Biography.
http://www.cindysherman.com/biography.shtml

2. Andrews, Rebecca. AS Film Studies. Macro Study: Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
http://www.geocities.com/shakenotstirred2003/psychomacro.txt

3. Williams, Linda. When Women Look: A Sequel (2001).
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/15/horror_women.html

PSA Documentation on Gender

In our lesson we discussed Luce Irigaray, a French feminist philosopher who takes on Freud by offering a challenge to his configuration of women as necessarily lacking. In Irigaray’s Sex Which is Not One, questions are raised in respect to the assumption that female sexuality is dependent upon male sexuality, and that female sexuality is based on nothing because women’s sex organs cannot be seen opposed to a male’s organs that are visible and larger therefore making it dominate. Her contention includes that we must acknowledge that women already have more than one, multiple even, zones and planes of desire (two-lips touching in addition to an organ whose sole purpose is for pleasure as well as other erogenous zones), as opposed to the one organ or instrument of man (who needs an instrument for pleasure and whose one great organ has to serve the multiple functions of urination and ejaculation). Can there be a system based on female sexuality rather than the phallogocentric system that currently exists?

According to Freud, women’s pleasure is always masochistic, it comes from being a sexual object, from being looked at and desired by men, and also women get pleasure by giving men pleasure. But because of their multiplicity, women feel liberated and no longer feel like an object to the male sexuality Irigaray conjectures female pleasure as auto-erotic; a female is always touching herself, “A women "touches herself" constantly without anyone being able to forbid her do so, for her sex is composed of two lips which embrace continually.” Irigaray then presents the notion that female eroticism is not based on the visual, the precept of looking, the male `gaze', all of which are predicated on the phallogocentric system, but rather on touch. Touch requires closeness or nearness while vision is distancing. A system based on female sexuality would counter vision with touch, it would lessen the distance between people and might ultimately lead to the blurring of ownership.

According to Wikipedia, a public service announcement is a non-commercial advertisement typically in the public sphere, ostensibly broadcast for the public good. The main concept is to modify public attitudes by raising awareness about specific issues. My Public Service Announcement reads “ A Touch Can Set You Free”, with an artistic picture of a man and woman touching hands. This announcement could be posted almost anywhere as long as a large number of people are able to view it, both men and women. Its main intention is to initiate curiosity to an extent that a person would further research its meaning and in return create awareness. This statement is indicating, in a more artful manner, what Irigaray was contending, that female eroticism in not based on the visual but rather on touch. Instead of pleasure being masochistic, a woman is capable of gain pleasure in ways other than pleasing a man. In return touch forms a closer bond is formed, and may lead to the reduction of ownership (a man sexual dominance over a woman), and maybe this “Touch Can Set You Free.”

Magic Realism Collage: "Lioness in Paradise"

In order to fully comprehend this assignment, I decided I would first find a definition of Magical Realism. According to Wikipedia.com, “magical realism is an artistic genre in which elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting or a ‘marvelous reality.’” Key elements of magical realism include fantastic elements, which may be intrinsically plausible but never explained. Symbols and imagery are used extensively in order to exhibit the richness of sensory details. It presents multiple standpoints and an internal narration on shared relationships and memories. Emotions and human sexuality as a social construct are often developed in great detail. Finally, the magical reality is accepted and the logic is not questioned and are often left open-ended (wikipedia.com). According to information provided in the readings on ANGEL, I found that magical realism is a style used by many artists including Frida Kahlo in her Wounded Deer and to have various meaning.

Frida Kahlo’s works embodied biographical details for her life, including her Wounded Deer. “Her works frequently reveal an incendiary subtext, whether they are questioning power relationships between developed and developing nations, testing the role of women within a patriarchal society, or attempting to reconcile the global histories and religions of East and West.” In this assignment we were asked to combine various components to form a similar artwork to that of Frida’s Wounded Deer. These components consisted or a self-portrait combined with an animal in an environment in which it could survive. These realistic elements combine to form an unrealistic, “marvelous” reality necessary to have magical realism. Frida’s deer with pierced arrows relates to “her suffering due to her failing health and turbulent relationship, but is also a summation of a worldview in which different cultures and belief systems combine. She inscribed the word ‘carma’ referring to reincarnation. The arrows allude to Christian images of St. Sebastian and the deer symbolizes an alter-ego and the right foot-Kahlo’s injured limb” (Tate).

For this project I thought of a variety of different animals that I could relate myself to, but none as perfect as the lion. I called my portrait “Lioness in Paradise.” Not only am I proud to be a Nittany Lion and like to sleep more than the average person (lions are inactive for 20 hours a day), but also, they are so darn cute. Lions have two types of social organization. They tend to travel in groups usually consisting of their family or they are nomads, either singly or in pairs, while they enjoy good fellowship by showing affection. I’d find myself to be live my life independently while remaining close to my family similar to the social organization of the lions. Lions represent strength and courage. I like to think that every step I take in life involves strength, courage, and confidence. The lioness is more agile and faster and does the pride’s hunting. This represents my belief that women are just as capable if not more able than men. Finally, according to animal symbolism a lion represents just laws and fairness. I find this quite fitting for my personality and my life ambitions because I want to go to law school and become a lawyer to argue for justice.

The background environment included a fairy tale night setting with water, palm trees, and a bright moon. It was isolated and intended to be peaceful and relaxing to compensate for all the hard work the lioness does for her family. I chose this environment because not only do I love tropical settings, but also I always love to go to place to relax alone, and take in the beauty and serenity. Essentially it was PARADISE.

The magical realism and unrealistic aspects of this artwork can be very beneficial to women. It allows them to dream. They can dream of themselves in ideal situations or even just relaxing situations where they feel most comfortable. They can be themselves while not being themselves at all (i.e a lion in paradise). They are able to depict themselves as doing whatever they want with no fear of being objectified or looked strangely upon for acting outside the norm. Magical realism is used here to describe oneself in an unrealistic scene with realistic tendencies and like Frida Kahlo, it demonstrates much more that the picture initially depicts.

Modern Tate. Frida Kahlo.
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/kahlo/roomguide.shtm

Animal Symbolism. San Diego Academy.
http://www.writedesignonline.com/assignments/masks/animalsymbolism.htm

Reflection for My Modernist Poetry

(SEE POEMS IN PREVIOUS ENTRY)

I didn't even know where to start when i began to write my poetry. It was hard to make a connection between what Stein was writing and what it was that she was describing. I start off by looking at what Modernist Poetry really is. I found that it is characterized by two features, free verse and move away from the Romantic idea of an unproblematic poetic "self" directly addressing an equally unproblematic reader or audience.

Once i chose my title's for each of the three specified areas, the word just started to come out. Whether it makes sense to a reader, i am not sure, but it was a new level of writing, and an understanding within myself, that i was not aware i had. I found it easier to use free verse, the various styles of poetry, because there was no concentrations on meter or rhyme but still has recognizable characteristics of poetry.

The experiments were even more fun to me. Who knows if i was even doing any of this correctly, but i gave it a shot, and i had fun doing it. For my first part of my poem, OBJECTS, i decided to re-write it backwards line for line from the end to the beginning. I found that even completely distorted and re-arranged, the poem still has meaning and makes sense. Second, for the FOOD part, i decided to cut the poem into pieced and use the first and last work to create a new section for the poem. Not only was this fun, and an interesting new way to look at the poem, but it to still made sense at the end. It really does show how words, and what they actually mean, can still resemble what it aims at describing, even after cutting and piecing they previous in a random manner. In fact, after these two experiments, i found i was kind of strange in a creepy way that it all still worked out. Finally, for the ROOM section of the poem, i decided to take a poem by Katherine Mansfield entitled "Camomile Tea" and re-write my poem between each of her lines. This was the only experiment that did not come out as smooth as the other, although it too had meaning that made sense to me, the writer. (maybe wouldn't make sense to the reader).

As i concluded with the poem writing and experiments i learned more about myself and about the art of poem writing. I have never really been a great poet before, nor do i think i have the potential to become a great poet, but an activity such as this allows me to realize how words have many different meanings and evoke many different emotions. To one person a word may mean something totally different, and i think that is the beauty of it. Not all poems have to mean the exact same thing to everyone. Own interpretations and opinions are just as influential.

MY MODERNIST POETRY

OBJECT

Shoelaces

Twirling through the abyss into a sole of dirt and darkness. Some don’t know, and others know all. Crisscross, crisscross, crisscrosses of color overtaking other’s boundaries.
Worn, torn, with so many memories and so many miles ahead, a savior of pain originates.

Experiment: Backwards
Originates pain of savior ahead so many and with torn and worn memories.
Boundaries of other’s overtaking color of crisscrosses, crisscrosses, crisscross.
All know others know don’t some.
Darkness and dirt of sole into a abyss through the twirling.

FOOD

Layers of Lasagna

Down the curving, concrete yellow road. Layering of pastors creature both solid and liquid. Red is Yellow, Yellow becomes red. Then there is light. It finally goes limp but the remainder still dashes away. Comfort.

Experiment: New Poem with First and Last word
Down Concrete
Yellow Layering
Of Solid

And Red
Is Yellow
Becomes Then

There IT
Finally Limp
But still

Dashes Comfort

ROOM

Kitchen

Many personalities come and go, but none seem to stay. Cravings, mice, and sounds; always an extension of happiness that no one can explain, like peanut butter or a hug. What was once desired, is unwanted and unappreciated. Tick Tock, tick tock, hand after hand, It doesn’t matter. The only surprise is no surprise.

Experiment: Insert into another Poem
“Camomile Tea” by Katherine Mansfield

Outside the sky is light with stars;
Many personalities come and go, but none seem to stay,
There's a hollow roaring from the sea.
Cravings, mice, and sounds;
And, alas! for the little almond flowers,
Always an extension of happiness that no one can explain, like peanut butter or a hug
The wind is shaking the almond tree.
Tick tock, tick tock, hand after hand, it doesn’t matter,
The only surprise is no surprise.

CARTOON QUILT

I'm sure everyone has heard the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." Pictures can be even better than sitting and listening to a otherwise boring story and make it more interesting. This way a person is able to associate an image with a story. Similar to the work of Harriet Powers, my cartoon quilt also represents the story of my life threw images. Here in my cartoon quilt, i have drawn pictures that represent the journey of my family to the United States. The first picture depicts the leaning tower of pisa and an italian flag and represents where they originally came from, Italy. The second picture showcases baggage sitting on a wooden dock. Also, there is water, a seagull sitting on a post, and a sign that reads "ship boarding" (with an arrow). This picture represents the passanger dock at the immigration loading area where the boat was going to take my family to America. The third picture is the statue of liberty. This presents their arrival to Ellis Island and a chance at a new life in America. The Fouth picture is a road sign that reads "New York City to Allentown, PA- 93 miles." This shows where they would travel and settle from their. The fifth picture is a barber shop. This is the family business that would allow for surival in this new country. Finally, the six picture represnts the birth of their first son in america, my grandfather, and so my family has arrived. These six pictures were able to depict an entire journey of one family, and so a picture may truly be worth a thousand words.

Architectual Design: A Woman's World

When I started to think about a “Women’s World”, many ideas ran through my head. Mansions, housekeepers, chefs that duplicate my grandma’s cooking, unlimited resources, tons of kids, tropical areas, even the White House (haha), where some of the places and things I thought would fulfill wants and needs. Then I though about the time when I really really dislike being a woman, and I’m sure many women can vouch for this, you know “that time of the month.” I thought about how all I want is to be left alone and decided no mansion or tropical area would be able to comfort me in this time of, well, discomfort, like a cozy cabin. I’m sure something of this nature has been done before, but I just couldn’t pass the opportunity to make a perfect place to spend those horrid 3-7 days, and thus the “THREE to SEVEN DAY GET-A-WAY” was constructed.

When you read this I want you remember my creative skills are lacking and my artistic skills are nothing compared to say Van Gough, but I gave it a shot and designed the exterior of the cabin. If you look closely, and use your imagination, the logs, windows, and doors are constructed of tampons, while the roof shingles are pads, and the smokestack is constructed with similar design to that of a tampon box. Also, you may have realized that all four seasons have been added to the background of the blueprint. I’ve decided that on any give day of her cycle, a woman may want to be in the heat of the summer sun, view the rain drops of the spring or the varying colors of autumn, or they might just want to make snow angels in the snow. So I have created the option to choose from the seasonal cycle during this “woman’s” cycle.

The interior, which my artistic skills would never be able to re-create, but hopefully my descriptive skill will create a mental image, includes the wants and needs of a woman during her 3-7 day get-a-way. The cabin consists of just one large room. In this room everything is red, walls, furniture, etc. This is in case of the “accident”, there is no need to worry (gross I know, but we have to worry about it every time). The room consists of one large comfy couch/ bed (so no moving is necessary), a movie theatre sizes screen and entertainment size, proper dim lighting, the smell of grandma’s baked goods, and no other people.

Also, we all know how whenever a woman desperately needs a feminine product, they are nowhere to be found. So I have constructed various tampon and sanitary napkin dispensers throughout the room. In this cabin, a woman is completely secluded from the outside world so there should be no comments such as “it must be her time of the month”, and “oh, ignore her, she is just PMSing.” Instead there at distinct signs on the doors reading, “Beware: menstruating woman”, “Quarantine 3-7 days”, “ Participating Members Only”, and “Open only once a month.”

Next, women there are no other clothing in this room, but sweatpants, sweatshirts, and other comfortable clothing (if any clothing at all, whatever floats your boat). There will be no make-up, mirrors, hairstyling, or grooming of any kind unless a woman desires to be pampered during these 3-7 days of comfort. In this comfort zone there are no responsibilities, just napping and movies. In fact, when she gets back to reality, her responsibilities will already be taken care of, such as no cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. All a woman’s wants and needs will automatically appear with her every thought. Ice cream, chocolate, chips, pasta, french fries, bacon, and other junk food will be at her disposal whenever she wishes. Besides the availability of the craved food and beverage, there will also be a endless supply of Motrin/Midol and bananas for those wretches cramps that are unavoidable.

This appears to be the greatest get-a-way for women in their cycle, but there are some downfalls. What about women who have reached menopause and no longer have the opportunity to visit this cabin of comfort and seclusion? Where is their get-a-way? Another disadvantage is no matter how comfortable a woman tries to be, this cabin could never fulfill a woman’s complete comfort during this time. The other downfall is, no matter how comfortable one may be during their three to seven days, she will eventually return to the real world, a world that cannot truly understand the comfort a woman inevitably needs.


IF your Interested: I found this commercial. I don't' know if i am disturbed or jealous of how this woman is living. It a men's underwear commercial from Britain i believe.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x51_474sAmQ

SELF PORTRAIT: BACK OF HEAD

After looking at various artworks by Jeanne Dunning, I found some to be strangely disturbing, and yet very fascinating photographs; enough so to make me do some further research. Dunning “investigates the body and its physical boundaries as a metaphor for psychological transgression”(MCP, 2005). She uses exterior objects such as foods and body parts to distort her images and present them in a way to appear to be vague in identity or as if they are interior bodily images (i.e. fruit resembling a human orifice). Some of Dunning’s images that I viewed included Hand Hole (1994), Head Series (1989-90), Tongue (2004), Sample (2001), and Scattered Parts (2004). Art Reviewer, Grace Glueck, of the New York Times, states “Dunning’s work manages to sustain the tension between the sensual and the grotesque, underlying the ambivalent relationship we all have in our own vulnerable physicality, provoking the misplaced notions of identity, individuality, and sexuality.” Identity involves a set of characteristics by which someone is definitively recognizable or known. But, are identities of subjects in photographs always as clear-cut as “definitively recognizable or known?” A sense of identity can be different with everyone.

Although many of Dunning’s works interested me, I found the Head Series to be both simple to re-create, and interesting in his meaning, specifically Head 2 (1989). Similar to Lorna Simpson and her dealing with women and African-American women, I learned that a photographic shot like Dunning’s Head 2 is meant to test the viewer and make the viewer think. What is the identity of the subject in this photo? It is harder to determine if it is a male with a longer hairstyle and a more slender neck, or a woman with a shorter cut in a more masculine suit. Dunning also crosses boundaries of discomfort in most of her works, and although her Head Series seem innocent, they are meant to be that of “phallic-headed” women, transitioning between the feminine and masculine. In fact, “not only do the heads pun on male phallus; they pun on the idea of the phallic woman—the woman who castrates---but replacing one head (male, genital) with another (female, cerebral)” (Desouza, 2005).

When I asked some friend what they thought of Head 2, I got varied responses such as “it looks like a lesbian with that short mushroom cut”, “how could anyone thing that is a guy”, and “it looks like as Shakespearean haircut or Johnny Depp from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” After hearing these varied responses, I created my own version of Dunning’s Head Series, where identity would be questioned.

I found it hard to re-create the phallus look, but what I did instead was take a picture of the back of my head with a hat on and my hair tucked in, while wearing a hooded sweatshirt. To me, this resembled both a masculine and feminine look, similar to Dunning. In this picture, the identity is similarly uncertain. One cannot be certain if this is a more slender-shaped baseball cap-wearing man, or a woman simply trying to be comfortable. Unlike the self-portraits of some of the other students, I attempted to create a gender-neutral photo, in which it would be a challenge to determine the identity of the subject in the photo. I feel like this ambiguity of identity represents the mixed feelings so many people share with regards to their attitudes, opinions, and knowledge of identity. I found that many people disregard these issues as not important even though it affects almost everyone’s everyday life, ranging from job availability and college enrollment acceptance.

This photo has added to further knowledge of my gendered self through the photo’s multiple meanings. What did this photo teach me about my identity? I found this photo to imply concepts of individualism, gender equality, and body acceptance that I didn’t realize before in photographs of myself. With a plain background and similar to the strategies of Lorna Simpson and the Guerilla Girls, who crop picture to remove faced and wear gorilla masks, this photo does not represent an individual, but a representative of gender. Also, like I mentioned earlier, this photo questions the identity of the photographed person and adds to the conflicts with gender equality we have today. In fact, I found that in a world filled with stereotypes, this photo might even evoke a sigh of relief, in respect that for these few moments that gender is in question, I don’t have to worry about typical female negative stereotypes, and can be relieved of that burden for a few moments, maybe even seconds. (If this makes any sense at all). Finally, this photo taught me about body acceptance. I never enjoy having my picture taken. I am convinced I look horrible in every picture I am ever in. But, I found this picture to be different. It is impossible to see any faults of eyes, blemishes, asymmetrical noses, or uneven smiles, from the back a person’s head. This, too, leaves opportunity, in a world infatuated with image, to be not the prettiest of women, or the most handsome of men, but whatever it is that makes you happy, comfortable, and confident. From behind, everyone is equal.

* Glueck, Grace. New York Times. Art in Review; Jeanne Dunning. March 19, 2004. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html
* Museum of Contemporary Photography (MCP). Biography: Jeanne Dunning. 2005. http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/dunning_jeanne.php
* Desouza, Allan. “It’s Not Punny if You Have to Explain it: Act III”. X-tra: Contemporary Art Quarterly. Volume 9. Issue 1. 2005
http://www.x-traonline.org/vol9_1/desouza.htm

Sappho Translation

Divine in his own right, almost a god,
close to you he sits with an attentive nod.
Your engaging whispers and enchanting laugh,
make my heart quiver within my chest.
My tongue, my voice paralyzed of speech, as
fire blazes through my limbs.
My eyes see black, my ears filled with thunder;
sweat surges down me, and a quiver takes over.
Once green like grass, now wilted and dull,
I feel close to death, without you I am null.

Introduction: About me

My name is Cara Bowen. An interesting fact about my name is connected with me being a triplet. This explains why I don't have a middle name. My mom said it was too hard to think of three names not to mention six names. In fact, for the first three days of our lives, our names were BABY A, B, AND C (I was C, the baby of he family). Somehow in life, my name cara has reminded friends of carebear so, My wiki name will just have to be CareBear. I am a senior majoring in Political Science and planning on attending law school in the future. I am from Allentown, PA and hope never to return. My favorite TV show is NIP/TUCK. I am also not afraid to mention that I love reality TV shows such as THE HILLS, AMERICAN'S NEXT TOP MODEL, THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR, BAD GIRLS CLUB (hilarious, check it out on Oxygen), AMERICAN IDOL, and lots more. My most detested food would have to be bagged lettuce. Something in it makes me incredibly sick. The last thing I read was my Glamour Magazine that just came I the mail yesterday. My worst date involved me ended up in a miniature golf course pond (and that's all I have to say about that). I have never take an online course outside performing arts which involved posts, so I will have to get used to the technologies. The bad news for all of you is that I'm not afraid to ask a thousand questions till I understand what is going on. I believe gender affects my life more than I even realize, but most often I angered by the lack of confidence or the surprise I get from a male when they learn that I have athletic ability. I then face the stereotypical response "do you think she is a lesbian?" DRIVES ME NUTS and yet makes me self conscience. The website I visit most often is probably eBay. I have a problem!!