An Exciting New Moving Picture ! ! !

"This video gives no answers. It only intends to appear and capture."

 

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I have created an experimental video exploring concepts of space and time. Watch it first, then read (don't want any spoilers!)

Marshall McLuhan's theory about the notion of space as a confining entity emerging at a time when "perspective and pictorial space was developing in our Western world" served as a rough inspiration for the first scenes in which the viewer is repeatedly pulled back into enclosed spaces (61). The rest of the video experiments with disjointed and confusing spacial jumps as well as the order and pace of time. "Information pours upon us" as we watch disconnected images become connected and hints of linear-time narrative defy the laws of our physical world (63). We, as viewers, are instinctively confused by this disjointedness and as McLuhan warns, "when faced with a totally new situation, we tend always to attach ourselves to . . . the most recent past" to make sense of the present in order to be more prepared for the future (74). However, this video gives no answers. It only intends to appear and capture.

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McLuhan quotes are taken from his bible, The Medium Is the Massage

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Jason Yi... What A Guy ! ! !

"Terraform" 2014

 site specific installation

install-in-progress at Wriston Art Center,

discarded metal folding chairs, plastic ties, plastic wrap

I was very excited about Jason Yi coming when he first visited us to collaborate on his zip-tie installation. Although the process was, by definition, a collaboration between him and us students, the work level was off balance. That being said, we merely carried out the idea that Jason, the artist, conceived of, acting more as sculptural fabricators and the physicality and visually impressive outcome of the "net" remind me of why it turned out well.

Jason's work, as he showed in his lecture, is very visually interesting and experimental, which I appreciate. However, I often thought he didn't explain his motives very well and seemed to be searching for meaning where there was none. This is great though! Not great that he couldn't articulate very well, but great that there didn't need to be a distinct meaning for each piece. I get that artists make money by talking about the things that they like to make, but I much prefer a modest artist raving about why they love being creative to one that struggles to find or inject meaning into their "work."

His photography looked very cool and gave an intriguing off-putting feeling that resulted from the awkward Photoshopped process. These photographs, along with the video of his parents' interviews that he presented, were all very visually exciting to me, but conceptually, they felt weak and forced. I thought the same about his sculptures, although they were much more beautiful to me. I like that he uses non-traditional media to create abstract forms in a simple and pleasant way. His "Allusion to Diamond Mountains" was particularly intriguing because he happened upon the starch packing peanuts and was interested and inspired to use them as his next medium for whatever he created.

"Allusion to Diamond Mountains" 2006

water soluble starch packing foam, wood

244cm x 66cm x 38cm (96" x 26" x 15")

Jason is a good example for me as I form opinions about artistic concepts and art-making as an activity. His confusing purposes serve as something to stay away from in terms of how I view and talk about things that I create (if they even warrant talking about).

MANifesto

"I feel reborn. A hunger that had always been burning--nay, aching--inside of me has finally been fed. That is, I have discovered my true self, the Man inside the Boy." - The Knowledge

In my youth, I grew fascinated with the aesthetics of both common and collectible objects, focusing my attention less so on the item's use, but on its appearance and surface value. Take, for example, a card from the popular Japanese trading card game, Yu-Gi-Oh!:



While the real-world gameplay directly effects the image printed on the card and therefore holds some artistic merit, it was never as important to me as the tiny painting of a character or scene in the middle and the physicality of holding a piece of cheap (in the financial sense), accessible art.

Click to visit a blog devoted to those tiny paintings.

I now understand how I perceived 'things' as a Young Boy and I'm still interested in these aspects in books, records, cds, currency, and coins. This serves as inspiration for me experimenting with different images as I stumble my way through art trying to find something I like.

Here's an example of a style I've been interested in lately in which one affects popular images using computers, often in coding, to create a 'glitch' effect:



And a similar image I created (without seeing the example above, mind you):



The Internet offers an enormous platform for media and has influenced the way I interact with and understand the world. At this point, however, I'm ready to make fun of it. 3D modeling and 'art-making' technologies, though advanced and incredible tools, now are ripe for ribbing in the art world. The Tumblr blog post-internet is a good source of such material.

Enjoy this graphic score (info here, here, and here) that I made in the same vein:

(Click here to watch the video.)

In summation, I'm still figuring things out, but enjoying each step of the process.

"It is important to realize that images are everywhere. The ability of Sight is a Man's most important sense as it allows Him to quickly and accurately perceive His environment even when He's not using his others." - The Knowledge

cash, Ridley Tankersley, 2014

Image of a dollar bill effected by deleting and adding characters to the image file code.

cloud nothings, Ridley Tankersley, 2014

Scan of a 4x6 print from a disposable camera.

Pitchfork music festival, Ridley Tankersley, 2014

Scan of a 4x6 print from a disposable camera.

eatshitanddie.jpg, Ridley Tankersley, 2014

I made this image originally in MS Paint on Windows 95 and effected it by deleting and adding characters to the image file code.