It's finally the last module of the semester. We only have a month as opposed to our already short five-week timeline. The other students described this module as the hardest, and I was very nervous about having less time to complete it. The module was called Site Sight. It was all about making art in creative ways, from the act of going on location with a focus on learning the basics of cameras and photography. Pushing us to rethink the places we visit into a way of inspiration. I will have to say that this set of classes was the most difficult by far, but that was mainly due to the most challenging professors to please.
On the first day, we already had our first assignment due by the end of the week. As a class, we decided on eight or nine steps to follow on a walk we were required to take in the city. We could choose any starting point we wanted, but everyone must follow these exact directions. During this walk, we were supposed to observe our surroundings and take notes thoroughly. I unfortunately already had a pretty full schedule that week, so I took my camera and went on my walk between 6:00-9:00 AM. All I could focus on was all of the trees. Since moving downtown, I had felt sad for most of my first few months that I didn't get to see the plethora of trees and wilderness that I'm used to. However, on my walk, I kept noticing trees and decided to photograph them. I realized there are more trees in Seattle than I thought, but they're usually planted alone and recently. This fact was contrasting the hundreds of trees clustered together that have been here for thousands of years. These trees are beautiful in their way, especially with the urban background always peaking through the young leaves. This subject quickly became the focus of my project, and I got to take a series of photos in my Cornish career.
I had this old habit of taking way too many pictures, so it took quite a while to narrow it down to these thirteen, which is still too many, haha. My key focus was the most captivating tree I found, which is a giant central photo. Something about this tree, mainly, pulls you into the center, so I thought the photo would help pull in its surrounding counterparts of the same theme. Each project in this module was broken up into "phases," We would have to turn in our phases at the end of each project. We'd also display these phases, highlighting the process as well as the work. Although I still like and am proud of the photos in this series, I am unhappy with how I displayed them. I wish I could've allowed myself to develop a more creative presentation.
Above is the phase one map and notes:
Above is the final photo collection:
The next project was a little more freeform than the last. It started with us making research drawings from taxidermied birds brought into the studio. We were then assigned to pick a location to explore and draw a detailed research drawing of something there and a picture of the landscape itself. Then we would use the use all of these components to create another piece based on this location. We had to complete this project over Thanksgiving break. Having worked diligently over the last couple of months, I was upset to lose my only break of the semester. The fact that we got to pick our location was supposed to make up for this since the other classes didn't choose. I chose Deception Pass because it is one of my favorite places in Washington. I was excited to explore it by myself through a creative lens. I left my house at 5:00 AM on a frigid and rainy Black Friday to spend the day at deception pass, which was a two-and-a-half-hour drive from where I was staying. I immediately walked down to the beach, drew until I couldn't feel my hands anymore, and started hiking around and taking pictures. Much like the last project, I ended up with a series of pictures to display. I felt personally proud of these pictures since I had tried new shots and captured things I never had before. However, I was criticized by my professors for doing the same thing again and for taking a straightforward approach. I also had one professor repeatedly tell me, "I just don't get it," which no artist wants to hear about their work. Indeed, I could've come up with something more creative or at least risk-taking. I had felt bad about it at the time, but looking back now, I understand their point. Although I think that was the best I could come up with considering the time and amount of homework I had over that break.
Above are my rough research drawings:
Above is the photo series from Deception Pass:
Above is the final photo for the obscure inspired project in both iterations:
At this point in the module, gears shifted into learning about cameras, the science behind them, and using them. We had to combine both these areas of newfound knowledge into this third project. We started with a creative science experiment of making a room into a camera obscura. This camera obscura experiment can be done by using cardboard blankets and tape to blackout all light sources in a room beside a tiny hole punched in the cardboard over the window. Like the original camera technology, the light and image from outside should feed into our dark chamber and display the image upside down on the walls. The image displays itself upside down because the rays of light move in a straight direction. The rays from the top and bottom intersect at the point of the "pinhole" in the camera obscura. The intersection will flip the image upside down on the walls inside the chamber. We put up a bunch of butcher paper on the walls, and we were each assigned a section of the wall to trace the image onto the paper. When we were done, we were supposed to have an accurate picture of the outside upside down. This exercise was done and turned in as our "phase one" of this project. We were supposed to take inspiration from the experiment and all we learned to do our project. I had an idea of taking a picture in the park with a yellow leaf tapped to my camera so it'd look like you're looking through the leaf. Then I would take another picture in the same place at the park of my friend wearing a yellow jacket. I planned to overlay these pictures over each other, with one at 50% opacity upside down and the other at 50% right-side up. The idea was simple, but I had never done something like this before, and I was excited to try it. In critique, I initially displayed the image with the girl in the center right-side up, and the picture with the leaf was upside down. The critique pointed out that the image was more successful turned the other way around because, from the previous position, it isn't apparent what the leaf is.
It was time for the final project, and with only ten days till it was due with critique. We had to pick a location, preferably in Seattle, considering the time that we had that was meaningful to us somehow. Our final piece was supposed to reflect this relationship. I was at a disadvantage because my favorite and most meaningful areas in downtown Seattle are Pike Place Market and Waterfront Park. I decided to combine them because the areas are so close to each other that they blend into each other. I wasn't sure what to do for this project. Maybe another series of photos, but I wasn't too excited about that idea because it'd be repetitive to my previous projects. When talking to my teacher about my plan, she kept reiterating, "well, how are you going to do this differently because it's been overdone before."
I froze, not sure what to say or how to make this different; I felt lost. In hindsight, I think I was just too burnt out from my other finals at the time, but it's moments like this throughout art school that make you question if you should even be there. She pushed me to change directions with my project. Still, after thinking about why these places were important to me, I concluded nostalgia. The difference between the other people who chose this location for this project and me was that I was one of the only people born and raised here. They were the first places I visited since moving there because it was familiar and felt like home. I would be reminded of the many memories I have of going there with family and friends throughout my life. I would think about how much I got to watch the city evolve and change over the last twenty-ish years, for better or worse. The Waterfront was my favorite place to walk to and listen to music while I'd be all in my feelings. Then the answer of what I'd do became clear; I was going to photograph both these places with the theme of nostalgia. I thought about finding old pictures of the city and making mylar templates drawing what was added or changed with the same area. As it turns out, my family focused more on photographing us rather than our surroundings, so I had to scrap that idea quickly.
Above is the three large photos that have the memory drawings:
I decided to modify the idea and take pictures of Seattle present day and make drawings to overlay on top of the pictures showing my memories of these places as a kid. I made three enormous images of this and decided to add another element to the piece. I challenged myself to make an entire polaroid photo series while walking through these areas. I've taken polaroids before, but I always take them with a grain of salt, not expecting them to turn out correctly, especially in daylight. However, this time I'd take each shot with a specific intent and plan. I thought the polaroid shots would be a nice element of nostalgia, and it ended up helping me frame the three prominent photos in the final presentation. I was pretty nervous and highly sleep-deprived during the critique, which ended up being the most extended critique we've had so far. To my surprise, everyone seemed to respond positively to my project, saying they enjoyed the personal approach I took to two places depicted so often. At the end of this module and semester, I had never felt more proud of myself. I continuously pushed through adversity for the sake of my work, and I realized that this is what I want to do with my life.
Above is the final presentation and polaroid photo collection:
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