Archetypes

I'm actually really surprised no one knew what the word Archetype meant. It means an example or symbol that can be imitated.

My other fave, Marina and the Diamonds did a multimedia project she called the Archetypes in combination with the release of her second studio album, Electra Heart. It was a study of what she described as female archetypes and their role in American society. The imagery and visuals that went with it are absolutely amazing. I encourage everyone to check out the project tumblr below, which has all the pictures and videos.

The Archetypes

She wishes to say...

I was really excited going into the performance art portion of the class. Exploring Sheryl Oring's projects has definitely been a highlight for me. I am SO glad this got brought up in class because what she is doing is impactful both in the context of the project and in a broader view. I seriously love everything about her work.

I'm genuinely just speechless right now because I think these projects are so amazing. I think it would be extremely interesting if she enlisted the help of other transcribers and centered the works around other major events and milestones in in American politics.

I'm just in awe because for an artist to perfect their art in such a specific way is amazing. This is a perfect example of what the signature style of an artist can become. AMAZING. Bookmarked. I will definitely be following her work in the future.

Howl is Not Too Obscene

Reading the article 'Howl' Too Hot to Hear I was really more concerned about things the FCC is censoring besides the poem. Of course the language of the poem is interesting with the context we have for it today, but it wasn't the place of an independent station to air something with such a risk attached.

In places like Europe where audiences are desensitized to language and sexuality a poem like this would never be such a big deal. It makes me question why America holds the backwards values it does. I'd like to echo Professor Echeverry's question of why there was more outrage over Janet Jackson's boob than there was for 25 murdered children. It's wrong and the fact that Howl's language is still an issue decades after it was written shows just how backwards America is.

It seems pretty obvious. People should care more about bombs than they do about boobs.

Dream Machine

The Dream Machine was revolutionary invention by artist Brion Gysin. It features a lighted cylander with holes cut in it, placed on a turntable to make it spin. It produces a hallucinogenic and hypnotic effect without the use of drugs. It turned out to be an important tool, inspiring artists like David Bowie, Iggy Pop Paul McCartney, Marilyn Manson, Floria Sigismondi, Bruce Labruce, Nick Zinner , Beck and DJ Spooky. source



Here's a video showing how the Dream Machine is built and how it works...

Gysin and William Burroughs are also famous for pioneering the cutups method of contextualizing and reassembling poetry. The best example I could find of this is in the video below. I've also included a photo of a piece by Burroughs showing that the order of disassembling of words is completely up to the author.

The Fame Ball (Crevette Films)

After talking to professor Echeverry about Warhol after class the subject of Gaga's Crevette films for her first tour, The Fame Ball, came up. The films feature Gaga as one of her alter egos, Candy Warhol. I've posted them below. Unfortunately not all of them are in HQ yet. Gaga describes the Crevette films below:

"'Crevette' means 'shrimp' in French. I named them that because, it might be quite silly of me, but shrimp are small and decadent and tasty. Which is what I intend for my little 57-seconds films to be. And in these particular films, which I show throughout the performance are called 'Who Shot Candy Warhol?'. And the first film is called 'The Heart'. And the second film is called 'The Brain'. And the third is called 'The Face'."

The Heart.

The Brain.

The Face.

As a Warhol nerd, I feel obligated to make a blog post about highlights from his extensive career. Definitely look for that soon.

-Michael

Just Dropping By...

I have all my work done, my friends are home or the weekend, and I'm running high on coffee. Just overall sporting a great mood today so I thought I'd drop off the songs I'm listening to right now. I may look like an 18 year old male but I'm not afraid to admit that I have the musical taste of a 15 year old girl. Deal with it. Have a great day!

Two of my favorite videos...

And I'll just leave this here because it's so ridiculous...

The Banal Becomes the Interesting

While watching Emak-Bakia (1926) I was reminded of the way Warhol filmed. Emak-Bakia is like putting clips of every day life in a blender and seeing what came out. I'm hesitant to respond because I don't think I fully understand what Man Ray was going for in this piece. I plan on making an updated post on another day after it sinks in. If nothing else it's really cool and amazing that films like this were being made in 1926.

Here's a clip that gives a quick overview of some of Warhol's films. If you can't tell- its not actually a theatrical trailer.

Also- as a class I think we can appreciate the top comment on the Emak-Bakia film...