Project 4 Link and Artist Statement | Week 16

https://vimeo.com/148309931

Project 04 Performance | Artist Statement

“Nighttime Routine” By: Vanessa Puello

      I was inspired by a documentary I recently saw following the life of a woman who has worn makeup for 23 hours a day for the past 20-odd years in her life. Every day she would apply multiple layers of foundation and her favorite bright blue eyeshadow. She has been suffering with body dysmorphia disorder for so long and finally sought out help. It amazes me how there are people out there who get anxiety and break down with just the thought of not wearing makeup out in public. I personally know a few people who refuse to leave their house without concealing their blemishes. I wanted my concept to focus on how society has put so much pressure on women when it comes to makeup. It seems like now-a-days if women are wearing too much make up they look trashy; if they're wearing too little make up or none at all they get comments about how they might look tired or ill. Society will never be pleased.

     Personally, I love everything about make up. I am a self proclaimed girly girl. Nothing thrills me more than shopping for new make up and trying new products and brands. I am not however, someone who feels pressure to put on makeup before I leave my house every day. What bothers me the most is when I put on make up and receive comments like, "wow you look nice, who are you trying to impress?". I wear make up for myself. It makes me feel happy and I enjoy the process of applying make up. It has become somewhat therapeutic for me and I am fascinated with how I can be standing in my bathroom for an hour just applying make up. 

ASP - EC Under the Skin

Spoilers ahead:

The first thing you'll notice when watching Under the Skin is that it is very, very, slow. Most of the shots in the film are elongated to a dramatic extent, and they tend to be rather silent. This makes the film all about the subtle things; the way Scarlett Johansson behaves from one scene, to another similar scene 20 minutes later into the film.
The slow pace of the movie is very important to the construction of the themes and mood. The whole film has this very surreal, detached vibe to it, which makes the audience very aware of Johansson's detachment and alienation from the society around her. In order to create this sensation, the film shots are lengthy and silent, which serves to build tension and mystery. Even the particularly bizarre sequences where she seduces and captures men are paced very slowly, forcing the audience to experience each moment in painstaking real time.
Of particular note is the scene where the second man watches the first one get sucked out of his skin in the dark. It is gruesome, shocking, and unapologetically long, watching what remains of him float through space, forcing the audience to be face to face with the grotesque occurrence. The slow pacing of the film makes these dramatic moments incredibly suspenseful, even though it was completely silent.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and it scratched an itch for something more cerebral than the common fare. I watched it with my roommates, and they were also transfixed by this strange little gem. The scenic shots are also gorgeous, and could serve as an advertisement for Scotland tourism.

ASP - Project 4

https://vimeo.com/148287254

Extra Credit - Dana Hatchett

I chose to watch the movie "Under The Skin" with Scarlett Johansson. I liked the way this movie was filmed. It was an out of this world science fiction movie that kept made me want to see more. The way it was filmed was beautiful. Under the Skin is visually a fascinating movie to watch. I really enjoyed the aesthetics and the way that it was filmed. The movie is about a woman who lures men with her attractiveness and acts very seductive towards them. After she lures them, she kills them and they end up dying instantly. This movie is about seeing the real world through an alien's point of view. The alien represents the woman, while the documentary styled type filming represents the real world. The music in the film is also adds more horror to the scenes and climax.

I especially liked the beginning where Scarlett Johansson is laying on the floor and the whole set is completely white. She is laying on the ground with her dark hair in contrast. The film has many jump cuts and goes back in forth from the past to the future to represent time. For example, when she is riding in the car with different men during multiple clips. 

When she kills the man on the beach there is a clip that shows a baby that was crying during the day and was then crying during the night. Johansson's character was in the car. Jump cuts are definitely used to show time progression. Also, sounds shows time as well in this movie. The sound is not overly produced and is eerie. After a man that she seduces dies, the eerie sounds start playing. Silence is also used to show a different scene.     

Final Project "Thoughts": Rebecca Shalloway

"Thoughts: The Choreography"

A performance by E. Rebecca Shalloway

Like a dance, my pupils move upward and downward, side to side, as if pausing for a breath. It is scientifically proven that humans struggle to keep their eyes still when focusing or recalling thoughts. I find it fascinating that something mental can be translated into the physical. It just proves that our thoughts are physical, possibly, signals of energy.

Another interesting facet of my project is the depth that is seen in my eyes. When zoomed in, the viewer can see the pores, pupils, eyelashes and microscopic details that are usually brushed over when talking with someone. By making the viewer anonymous, the viewer feels comfortable looking directly into the eyes of the performer. This relationship is rare because looking into someone eyes can be intimidating.

Why is this? Why do eyes have so much authority? Is it because there is a connection between the eyes and the mind? The soul? I explore this question and practice in this piece and challenge it by making the viewer trapped in the performers gaze.  Our eyes, if in person, dance to avoid meeting another’s and creating a connection.

https://vimeo.com/148274039

Artist Statement- Dana Hatchett

Artist Statement

            For this piece I really wanted to do something that involved society’s beauty standards, regarding females. I wanted to show the process of putting on makeup and feeling like it is not done right and that maybe you put on makeup but you still feel like you don’t look good. I wanted to make a video that kind of portrayed the high level of silliness when you are too hard on yourself. I also wanted to highlight the makeup routine that females have to go through and the ridiculousness of that. I want to show that girls are too hard on themselves when it comes to cosmetics.  Women have to wear makeup when they go to their jobs or have an interview. If they do not do that they are seen as unprofessional.  

            The actress in this video repeats “I need to pretty” signifying that she must fit into a certain mold to feel “pretty” and the fact that she is setting the bar way too high. At the beginning she starts off slow then by the end of the video she is going crazy with her makeup and her voice gets louder. It's too the point where it makes you cringe. 

            I think the theme that I want people to pick up on while watching this piece is that  you should stop fitting into a mold that is unattainable. An individual needs to make up their own definitions and standards in life so that they have a piece of mind.  It’s ridiculous to be so hard on yourself as a woman. I think each, individual women need to make up their on own minds on what they feel is right rather than society.

https://vimeo.com/148289638     

Final Project - Crystal Giraldo

Artist Statement

Women have long dealt with the stigmatization that comes along with menstruation and with being told what they should do with their reproductive systems. This topic has only recently been addressed and the taboo of “women on their periods” is finally being confronted. My piece “Get Over It,” is intended to make a direct and exaggerated statement about how normal a woman’s menstruation is and to emphasize the “my uterus, my choice” idea. This performance piece takes place on a stretch of wall covered in graffiti on 34^th Street, a very popular street in Gainesville, Florida.

In this piece I use female sanitary napkins to create a simplified shape of the uterus on part of the wall I painted white.  After I finish creating the shape, I squirt an entire bottle of ketchup all over the napkins, creating the visual appearance of blood. I chose the wall covered in graffiti because much like menstruation, graffiti was (and still is) a taboo act and topic. This is also a place where people go to express themselves and have their voices and messages heard. With this project I hope to bring awareness to the global issues surrounding menstruation and to help people understand that this is something that is OKAY to talk about. It is also meant to stress the idea that a woman should have complete control over the choices she makes regarding her reproductive and sexual desires. 

Link to video: http://vimeo.com/148194656