Collaboration Project

Title- "Man Made, Naturally"

Artists- Dan Flavin and Simin Keramati

Theme- Our theme was that contrasting artists can use different media to achieve similar objectives. Flavin and Keramati explore, manipulate, and alter space in order to create an unusual digital experience. Flavin did this through his use of fluorescent tubes, which alter the the structure and lighting of the room, while Keramati achieved this with videos through her deconstruction of space through natural objects, such as dirt.

Dan Flavin
www.lacma.org/flavin/index.html

Simin Keramati
www.Siminkeramati.com

Pictogram- Computer Programmer

Word Visualization

Parable of the Garden

I really liked Shahram Entekhabi's "Happy Meal." It recognizes cultural diffusion, the spread of characteristics from one cultural group to another, by which I mean the background of McDonalds in Germany. There are McDonalds all over the world, and many people can enjoy it, whether they are male or female, American or in this case, Iranian. At first we see a girl covered in chador, and only recognize her as a Muslim. However, we quickly see past that cultural identity and recognize just a girl eating her Happy Meal, and acknowledge its universality and how adorable she is. We can see the symbolic tension of her chador getting in the way of her eating and opening the toy, a reference literally and figuratively to the struggle of her Iranian culture clashing with Western culture. The video blends together the East and West as she finishes her food with a smile, providing hope for future conflicts.

Self Visualization Project

Dia: Beacon

Dan Flavin was born in New York City in 1933, and attended college at the New School for Social Research in1956 and Columbia University from 1957–59, studying in drawing and painting. His art career started with paintings that reflected Abstract Expressionism and he worked with collages as well. He eventually created his first light sculptures in 1961. One of his exhibits we saw in Dia: Beacon is a series of three installments called “monument” to V. Tatlin XI, 1964, “monument” to V. Tatlin, 1966, and “monument” to V. Tatlin, 1966—69.



This series immediately reminded me of Andy Warhol's photos of the Empire State Building, probably because they have similar perspectives. Flavin's work in general experiments with the way light and shadows are cast in a room. The chosen colors also contribute to how viewers perceive the space and how they feel in it. To me, this piece looks like the Empire State Building is lit up in the night. The repetition of the buildings and the simplicity of their form is a nod to Minimalism, but the diagonal lines create some tension that leads eyes directly into the next frame, and closes the space in front. I like his work because the repetition is in fact engaging, and the color choices can lead people's minds to wander. Simplicity is always effective.

Altered Images