Final Project-

 

. My final project “Tampered Thoughts” is about self-esteem and the portrayal of self-image. Inspired by the many works of Sophie Calle which revolves around personal letters I feel as if this was the most direct way to address the inner conflicts of a once insecure mind. This video portrays personal thoughts that have influenced a person to alter their appearance and appeal to the outside world through a journal. This is the commentary of the video listed in order: 

“Dear Alanna, those glasses don’t look good on you.” 

“Dear Alanna, you should wear more concealer. No one wants to see a blemished face.”

“Dear Alanna, you’re too emotional.”

In this video, it is clear the writer has some judgments on her appearance and behavior so she journals them down to address them. In the end, the writer finally comes to accept herself in her last journal entry “Dear Alanna, my bantering has changed you. Stop being harsh on yourself. You were always enough. You ARE enough.” 

In this world, it is important to not strip yourself from the traits that make you the person you are. We should not be hard on ourselves for not looking a certain way or suppress the emotions we find very meaningful to us for the approval of others. Like Finkelstein states, “The exploration of self-invention provokes questions about our relations to the material world, to consumerism, possession and the fashion ethic, and how these have influenced the semiotics of appearance.” I want my self-portrait to be a product of awareness and inspiration for those who find it challenging to embrace their own image. Healing is not something that occurs overnight. It requires patience and dedication to fully mend a wound. We can tend to these issues by journaling, meditating, or having conversations with the people we trust. Be patient with yourself and give your body the nurturing it deserves because one day it will be thankful you did so. Strengthening your mind is a great place to start. Do not be fooled by the false images and accusations made by others and remain true to yourself. My pictures on the left of the collage highlight the image I broadcast on social media versus my most genuine form on the right. The point of this collage is to show that when it comes to social media platforms some people put up a facade, which dehumanizes their image at times but we think nothing of it because we believe that is what society wants to see. Popular culture continues to promote these false idealities and my project was made to spread awareness of how it can affect us not only physically but mentally as well. “He viewed popular culture as a 'menace of unreality” -Finkelstein

ENOUGH

For my final project there were several things that I wanted to include. I was mostly inspired by Sophie Calle’s form of artwork through letters. Originally, I had wanted to make a video to show what I found to be heartbreaking that tends to get overlooked, which was mental health. The aftermath of being beaten down by words, society, and social media. But, for my final project, I decided to show a series of words, society, and social media quite literally tearing me apart. Sophie Calle has a book named “Take Care of Yourself”, so the physical aspect of my project was inspired by her book. She has several letters throughout pages and beside each letter an image. I do not have nearly enough pages as Sophie, but the inspiration still stands. Apart from just heartbreaking letters, I wanted to show heartbreaking topics such as letters, social media, and body shaming because of society’s beauty standards. 

In one of the pages, you will see me standing in the mirror comparing myself to an image of Kim Kardashian, alongside is a Facebook post encouraging women to get plastic surgery in order to look their best. I specifically included the image of Kim Kardashian because she is someone that everyone knows, and her beauty is one of the biggest reasons why she is in the eye of the public. People are constantly talking about her looks, bashing her if she looks a certain way or if she does not. The issue with social media, is that they encourage these types of changes and make it seem like they are the new “norm”. Social media plays a big role in how society views beauty, and one of the main reasons is because there are women who have a lot of fame, that are being presented as the “leaders” of this movement and try to get their fans to go along with it. This is unhealthy because it can lead to body dysmorphia and people deciding to get work done just to fit in. “The spectacle reduces the reality to an endless supply of commodifiable fragments while encouraging us to focus on appearances”.

In one of my other pages, I decided to include a letter written to me by someone is really good at imagination/writing. I asked them to write me a mean letter addressing it to me so that it could feel real, and when the audience picks up my book to read it, they can feel the kind of hurt the words bring. The letter is one way to show that words really do matter and I think that some people forget that they are just as strong as actions. Sometimes the words play in your head all day long causing an obsession with it. Finkelstein states, “When we come to see ourselves through the eyes of others, to evaluate our lifestyle and possessions in relative terms and in comparison, with prevailing fashions, then a new level of significance is added to our social experiences. We become self-consciously aware of the other’s importance in defining our own identity”. I believe that this quote is a great example as to how people’s perception of us affects the way in which we view ourselves.

On my final page, I decided to include a note written to myself, to finally show that despite everyone beating down on me, at the end of the day it is up to myself to prosper and show people that I am worth it, good enough and that I do not have to pretend to be like someone else. 

what i did instead

youtube link

"Solving" - Riya Bhajan

     

    I created my artwork “Solving” based on the subject of distortion and the process of discovering one’s true self. The artwork is a portrait of myself, I cut the focal point of my face into pieces and rearranged each piece to represent the concept of being misplaced and the distortion of self-view. I wanted the pieces to be interchangeable, like a puzzle that can be solved, each piece has velcro that can be moved and rearranged in the correct manner. Hence the title “Solving” I am visually representing the process of discovering my own identity by at first being lost and scrambled to then being solved and complete.

    The difference between my first self-portrait compared to my final is the hidden message of discovering self-identity that I wanted to convey through this piece. My first self-portrait was production and photography based since I was inspired by Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Series. I was inclined by that concept to make photographs of my own with no deep hidden meaning. My last self-portrait inspired by the Basquait has more similarities to my final portrait, both of these artworks have the concept of valuing yourself and your mindset over others. Realizing your self-worth despite the expectation and validation of others. I believe I pushed myself to make more conceptualized and abstract artwork throughout this class. It is something that I'm not used to as an artist since most of my art is photo-realistic drawings and paintings. I am now more open to hidden messages and deeper concepts in my works. 

    On the topic of identity, it is something you discover piece by piece as you go through life. However, it's easy to get mixed up between who you are and who you think you are. We get lost in our own identity since our self-concept and aspirations can be overlooked and shaped by the expectations of others. I believe we are a member of a complex web of individuals, groups, beliefs, values, and ideals in society. A society in which we grew up with that might imprint us with beliefs about the sort of person we should be. Life has been dragged down by the expectations and validation of others. Parents, peers, and people we identify as important have preconceived notions about who you should be, what you should value, and what you should do in life. It confuses and distracts us from our aspirations and our own true beliefs. 

    Relating to the class readings, Identity can be shaped by media, especially social media. Social Media is the distortion of identity through the creation of "online personas." On the internet, we all project a particular image of who we are. We are showing others what we want them to see, not necessarily the reality of our life. Due to the concern of validating others, the pressure of constantly showing the world how successful, beautiful, or fun we are might be damaging our perception of our true selves.

    To conclude, It's a process to discover your self-identity and how you would like to be perceived. We have to recognize our own values and be satisfied with who we are, who we hope to become, and how we can impact this world.

Final Project

 Following your Dream

For my project I decided to create a skit with the help of my two sisters to bring the awareness of self identity and peer pressure. The overall message is to follow your dreams and to not fall into peer pressure on deciding your career. Growing up we are told to pursue school all the way into college. There are so many jobs and resources out there that help individuals figure out a career path without the attendance of college. I am not saying that you should not go and finish up college but in fact lay your options out and decide if school is right for you and your career path. My skit brings to life situations that people face everyday when deciding their career paths. We are told that certain jobs do not pay well and how we should go into certain fields that will guarantee a comfortable lifestyle. We are sometimes at the mercy of parents or guardians that tell us what major to pursue and what majors to stay away from. The idea to take away from this skit is to follow and believe in your passion. Don't fall into peer pressure from family and friends. If you want something, go for it. 

For this project I used the application iMovie. I had both of my sisters portraying and taking on the roles of the boss and wife. The video starts out with me applying for a teacher position and my wife telling me to go the investment banking route instead because teachers make “no money”. The next scene shows me holding up my child and telling my wife that I want to become a teacher and not go the boring route of an investment banker. The video then shows me being stressed out at the new job and my boss shouting out timelines and work that needs to be done on time. Finally I decided to quit the job and become the teacher I was aspiring to be all my life. The artist that gave me the inspiration for this project is a street artist that goes by the name Banksy. Not much is known about Banksy as he refuses to be interviewed but he has done street art since the early 2000s at the age of 18. His one painting that gave me inspiration was a street art picture located in Chinatown of a guy that painted the words “Follow your dreams”. The location of this picture is placed in a low income area. 

Guy Debord states “The more powerful the class, the more it claims not to exist.” This quote speaks on job class and how you can have all the money in the world but at what cost? The more you want power and lust for more money, you can find yourself in a dark pit. Money is not the key to success and happiness. Reason why I made this skit was to show that. Jon Berger states “When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.” This talks about manifesting your career and speaking it into existence. Everyone has their different career paths and we shouldn't deter people from them. 

Guy Debord, “The Society of the Spectacle”

John Berger (2011). “Keeping a Rendezvous”

Final Project

The goal for economy, politics and other social factors is to rapidly progress to a shiny new golden future. Not keeping in mind who or what groups of people are being deceived and trampled over. The mass is easily won over by images promising a false momentary state of satisfaction but for a price. The population’s wants and needs are being taken advantage of by corrupt corporations, politicians and the media. We are also part of the problem for being complacent and gullible. People continue to be tricked by click bait and false information that is spread across all sorts of communication outlets. An article called An Illustrated Guide to Guy Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle’  by Tiernan Morgan & Lauren Purje states, “Today, the integrated spectacle continues to provide abundant commodities while defending itself with the use of misinformation and misdirection.” Everyone has become accustomed to having every commodity provided at arm’s reach. We no longer question where, what, when, why and how they arrive to us since all that matters is our derived satisfaction. Humans are selfish and self-serving by nature.

    For my work I created a sculpture that serves as a spiritual guide. The story is that this dormant figure starts walking because it hears the ails of humans and wants to help. This help essentially is reconnecting the self or selves with the earth. The figure is both female and male, however its physical appearance is not of importance. I was inspired by totems I have seen in cities located in Ecuador. The artist that made me focus on the theme of reconnecting with the earth. On a daily basis, the media bombards us with trivial and occasionally truthful information. The spectacle has affected our reality and sense of self. As written in Guy Debord’s book, The Society of the Spectacle, he states, “The spectacle is able to subject human beings to itself because the economy has already totally subjugated them. It is nothing other than the economy developing for itself. It is at once a faithful reflection of the production of things and a distorting objectification of the producers.” The product (spectacle) which is created by people has taken control of our perception. Sounds like a bad and twisted science fiction movie. 

    The media and people alike have this idea that products give class, happiness, and values. Ads tell us that if we have their product we will be happy and that is what all of us want so then the product is a must have. There is a piece of text in the book The Art of Self  by Joanne Finkelstein that says, ". . .conclusion about twentieth-century consumer culture is that it changed human nature. We no longer have a reliable sense of ourselves and thus find it difficult to separate ourselves from our material circumstances." Our devices feed us imagery that is pleasing and which is meant to be admired. These images are edited, cropped, manipulated and most of us believe them to be true. We are becoming more aware because the media industry and the general public use editing software to alter their appearance. Very few confront the issue of how the edited image of models affect everyone's self image (the way we look at others, ourselves, our bodies). We have been told countless times by the media that what our focus should be is appearance, wealth and superficiality. That way we have no time or mind space to focus on issues like corruption, world hunger, sickness, poverty, violence, inequality, and climate change.

    I hope that through my work I guide people back to our elemental self and face the problems around us.

Quotes Used:

"The spectacle is able to subject human beings to itself because the economy has already totally subjugated them. It is nothing other than the economy developing for itself. It is at once a faithful reflection of the production of things and a distorting objectification of the producers."

-Quote by The Society of the Spectacle Chapter 1: Separation Perfected  by Guy Debord 2002 translation by Ken Knabb.

"Today, the integrated spectacle continues to provide abundant commodities while defending itself with the use of misinformation and misdirection."

-Quote by An Illustrated Guide to Guy Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle’ by Tiernan Morgan & Lauren Purje

"Part of Theodor Adorno’s mordant conclusion about twentieth-century consumer culture is that it changed human nature. We no longer have a reliable sense of our self and thus find it difficult to separate ourselves from our material circumstances."

-Quote by The Art of Self Invention chapter 4 by Joanne Finkelstein

"Do I Belong?" - Final Project

 

Do I Belong? - Amy Castellon

For my final project I did a large drawing on a poster that was show cases the experiences my mother went through when living in Guatemala and eventually coming to the United States. I had talked to my mother about what life was like for her as she grew up in Guatemala and the reasoning as to why she and her family decided to come to the United States. She mentioned how growing up, there were a lot of issues regarding gang violence, poverty and corruption. However, she still distinctly remembers what it was like when coming to America with her family. When coming to the United States, she believed this country was a safe haven. A place were everyone gets an equal opportunity to be successful. But upon arrival, things didn’t seem this way to her. Coming here at the age of 15, she and her family would be yelled at in public by strangers if they were heard speaking to one another in Spanish. They were often told to speak English or as so many famously put it, “American”. Another obstacle that she had trouble overcoming was job searching. She had a hard time finding jobs as she didn’t have much experience but she also tended to get a lot of scares because she would show up in the clothing that didn’t seem so “professional” but they were all she had. Lastly, she and my father faced poverty together. What made things worse was how many people tended to take advantage of them, as they were immigrants, and gave them apartments that were very run down and were not the safest to keep children in.

            I used markers and crayons for color on my project to bring it to life. I chose to use this medium for my final project because I feel like it’s a very personal way to create art. Your using hard work to get your final product, especially when telling such a personal story. In my project you see a young woman standing in the middle of the poster, with a line above her dividing both sides of the poster. On the left side we see the life she lived when in Guatemala that caused her family to make the decision to come to the United States. We see violence, poverty, and little picture of her and her family crossing a river when arriving to the U.S. On her right side, we see the troubling experiences she had when living in the United States such as racism, job searching and poverty/housing troubles. With these divisions showing both sides of hardships that she went through it made her question her decision on leaving Guatemala, but at the same time she worried of what life would be like for her if she were to go back. She questioned herself a lot asking, “Was all of this worth it?”

            To me this is a self-portrait because my mother has had a significant impact on my life. We’ve gone through so much together as a family that her story is something so important to me and helps remind me as to why I should work hard and strive to give her a good life that she deserves. An artist that inspired my final project was Ana Mendieta. In an article titled “Overlooked No More: Ana Mendieta, a Cuban Artist Who Pushed Boundaries”, I enjoyed reading about her work and how personal it was to her. She used her experiences in her life as well as many topics that she learned about that influenced her decision making for art. One quote that connects to my final project from this article is, “As an immigrant, Mendieta felt a disconnect in the United States” (Paragraph 6). I feel like this quote perfectly captures what my project is about: the disconnect many immigrants, like my mom, feel while in the United States but as well as from their home country after being away for so long. Another quote is, “The trauma of being uprooted from her Cuban homeland as a girl would leave her with questions about her identity and make her more conscious of being a woman of color” (Paragraph 6). Mendieta’s experience is similar to the way many immigrants feel after being in a different country for so long. A lot of the time, people end up having issues with identity as they feel they don’t really belong anywhere. In this case, the United States wont accept her because of her skin tone, the language she speaks, and the overall cultural difference. However, some countries have trouble accepting other people in their countries because they feel one may be too “Americanized”. A final quote is “Mendieta “used fear well, transmuting a profound sense of psychological and cultural displacement into an experience of merging with the natural world and its history through art” (Paragraph 8). This is another quote that I feel captures my project very well. It shows the cultural displacement that many people who come to the U.S. feel upon arriving. In my project I used the “history”, being the past in the home country, and the “natural world” as the world they stepped in within the United States.

            My final project is something very personal and is a big issue that many people who leave their home countries face. It’s a dark reality that many people have faced or are currently facing in order to give themselves an easier life for themselves and their families. Though I haven’t immigrated to a different country, the experiences of the right side of the poster are certainly ones I have gone through due to the color of my skin. It’s an unfortunate reality to this world we live in but we are slowly and surely showing many people who look like me are making their mark in this country and showing that we have the utmost potential just like everyone else.