The Final Blog Post!...

In the final reading of our text and the last couple classes, we have discussed the inter-relationship or the interconnectedness of man with animals and technology. I stressed the idea of "networks", and how humans are made up of cellular networks but also how we interact within broader definitions of the term network. These days within the art world there are theories that center on man as a cyborg or the idea of man as a hybrid type of machine...this is due in part to our ever growing dependence on forms of technology...we are connected to our cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, which are in turn connected to much larger networks...and it is this connection that links our human flesh and bone with circuits and wire...therefore mingling our souls with machinery....something to think about!

In class we watched both Tim Hawkinson and Mel Chin on art21. Both artists use technology in their art works...Hawkinson, incorporating more crude, mechanical or kinetic elements that reference the human body and Chin using science and advanced technology as primary elements in his work. These two artists, although working in different ways, talk about the human condition in their works...social communities, our own bodies, emotions, and environmental concerns in our immediate surroundings. Take a moment to revisit those links and look over/read their work and info then respond to one or more of the following :

How much do we model the systems/structures we make-whether freeways or the Internet-upon systems within our own bodies?

Because of ecological changes as well as technological changes, how is art different now from art work created in the 1950's.

How do these two artists above, show us the good and bad results of man's fascination with machines?

Do you believe that you are interconnected with much larger systems of knowledge and networks and that in some ways you rely on machinery/technology as much as you rely on your body?

blog post #9

In the last couple classes we have talked about the Postmodern concern of the human body. We looked at how the body can be both art material and primary art tool. In our most recent class I talked about how sexuality has been represented through art history and spent a large portion of our time discussing the concept of "the gaze". There are several different versions of the gaze and although the most well known relates to the feminist theory that the gaze is how when a male looks at a female he objectifies her and sees himself as dominant, it is also about perception of others...how one person looks at another. We all do this...we all make unconscious judgements of other people based on the way we see them.

Listed below are three contemporary artists that use this strategy in their work when confronting issues of gender, race, and sexuality...We said recently that painting was the medium for the Modernists, but photography is the medium for Postmodernism. Please take a few moments to check out the links for the artists, google images, then respond to the comments below.

Yasumasa Morimura

Barbara Kruger

Catherine Opie

How do either of these artists above use the concept of the "gaze" to communicate the content of their works?

After looking at images of the artists works do you view the subject matter any differently?

What do you think are the most powerful ways in which individuals use their bodies to express themselves visually in our culture today?

What cultural attitudes are reflected in the works of either of the artists listed above?