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.

"I am Enough" Art Final

"I am Enough"

My project “I am enough” focuses on women regaining the power they have lost due to the male gaze, unrealistic standards for women in society, and society’s idea on gender roles that keep women confined. I was inspired by Sophie Calle to create a piece that demonstrated writing on a person, to display the idea that words matter, and can truly affect a person.

 For years women have been told how to “be” in order to be perceived as feminine. The first clip of my video shows the words “Don’t wear that” “you should lose weight” “put on more makeup” “don’t dress like a boy” “sit like a lady” “Don’t be too loud” “you’re trying to hard” “you’re showing too much skin” “sit down” “you should smile more” “Be ladylike” “you shouldn’t say that” “you’re not smart enough” “cover up.” These words are projected onto my skin, and they are meant to demonstrate the views and expectations that society has placed on women, making it hard to love and accept themselves. Gender roles have affected women for years, making them believe that if they don’t behave a certain way, they aren't acting as a woman “should.” This way of thinking has many negative effects, especially to little girls growing up in a world where they're told if they dont act ladylike, they aren't worthy. In the arctic “The Photographed, Collaged, and Painted Muses of Mickalene Thomas” it states,``Thomas's jazzy photomontages of women’s limbs and facial features can be construed as commentary on how female bodies are brutally picked apart in contemporary visual culture.” Unfortunately, women have become used to getting picked apart daily, and it results in them feeling the need to cover up or become something different.  

In the second clip of my project, I projected misogynistic quotes that men in power have said about women. The quotes state "A society in which women are taught anything but the management of a family, the care of men, and the creation of the future generation is a society which is on its way out. … The historian can peg the point where a society begins its sharpest decline at the instant when women begin to take part." Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard "I’m not a misogynist, I respect any woman who knows her place." - Stephen Braithwaite

"A proper wife should be as obedient as a slave… The female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities... a natural defectiveness." - Aristotle

"At what age does one become old? The misogynist believes the female grows older and the male grows wiser." - John Caff. Clearly, these ways of thinking about women are insulting and damaging, but some men continue to have these ideas, and have no problem stating them. These misogynistic quotes are meant to bring awareness to the thoughts and words men have towards women, and demonstrate the reality of how women are perceived. Author Bell Hooks has stated in “Understanding the Patriarchy,” “As their daughter I was taught that it was my role to serve, to be weak, to be free from the burden of thinking, to caretake and nurture others. My brother was taught that it was his role to be served; to provide; to be strong; to think, strategize, and plan; and to refuse to caretake or nurture others. I was taught that it was not proper for a female to be violent, that it was "Unnatural.” For too long women have been taught how they should be, instead of accepted for who they are, and want to be. Both first clips in my project are in black and white to demonstrate that these are, and should be old ways of thinking of women today. 

The third clip of my project is where color comes into play, and you see the words “I love myself. I am strong. I am capable. I am worthy. I am smart. I am beautiful. I make a difference. I matter. I can do whatever I set my mind to. I can be myself. I love who I am. I don’t need to compare myself, I love myself. I am strong. I am capable. I am worthy. I am smart. I am beautiful. I make a difference. I matter.” These words are written in purple and highlighted in multiple colors to demonstrate the new ideas, and ways of thinking of women. The affirmations I used go against old morals and beliefs of  women, and counteract it with self love. John Berger wrote in “Ways of Seeing,” “The real function of the mirror was otherwise. It was to make the woman connive in treating herself as, first and foremost, a sight.” This is something to always remember, and can inspire us to let go of anything standing in our way. The idea that all women are worthy and beautiful no matter if they go against society's “norm” is what I wanted this portion of my project to focus on.

In the next clip of my project I react to the quote, “In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has receded into a representation.” This quote represents the fake expectations you place on yourself, in order to feel a part of a false reality. I state in this clip  “The spectacle presents itself as a reality when it is actually the complete opposite. The vision that the spectacle puts into our heads about what life should look like, creates dissatisfaction within ourselves, and the life we live. Comparing yourself and your life to unrealistic standards, only sets you up to want a false reality. When you view something too much, it can consume you. The spectacle creates the idea that there is such a thing as a perfect life, perfect body, and perfect day to day circumstances. This simply isn’t true and you can lose yourself in trying to live up to false expectations if you allow the spectacle to make you believe you’re not enough.” The spectacle has created fake ideal circumstances for every aspect of life that are simply impossible to live up to. I put these words in a bright pink to represent waking up from these false realities and learning to love and accept yourself the way you are. 

The last part of my project shows a letter my friend wrote to me to act as a reminder to love yourself, and never compare yourself. The letter says “ Dear Dominique, 

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Questioning yourself and your beauty is easy to do when society tells you how you “should” be. I hope you always remember everyone is special in their own way, and everyone has their own strengths. Never compare yourself, keep your head up.

                                                                                                                                           -Gabe”

This clip in my project was especially inspired by Sophie Calle, and her dumped by email series. The letter is representing new views and ways of thinking about women, and learning to love/ embrace yourself. I wanted my project to take you through old and new ways of thinking from the beginning to end, so it went from black and white, to colorful bold words. 

My process for creating this project involves a projector, a backdrop, and my laptop. I projected the words from my laptop onto my skin and shut off all the lights so you would be able to properly see it. I had my friend scroll through my writing so it looked like it was moving up over my head. My final is different from previous projects because it involves The Society of the Spectacle, A letter from my friend, words and affirmations, misogynistic quotes representing old ways of thinking of women, and a projector that was able to place the words on my skin. I used the song “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore to demonstrate the power that women have. Overall I wanted my project to empower women, and change society’s view that keeps us confined. 

"Unrealistic Beauty Standards" (Final Project) - Nicolette Capua

 

Unrealistic Beauty Standards 

       My final project is based on beauty standards in society today. Women are encouraged to change themselves by the promotion of advertisements and the spectacle. In the video we see a girl with a wig on and she is wearing a corset to look skinny. There are also three other girls in the video. The makeup artist is doing her makeup, the hairstylist is fixing her hair, and the designer is tightening her corset. We see the girl that is getting work done to her singing a song. She is singing about having to fit in with society's standards and being dishonest to who she really is. We see this girl pushing away the hairstylist and the makeup artist because she doesn't want to be seen as someone she is not. I wanted to show a girl who was being transformed into something she is not and then realizing how this isn't who she wants to be.
     I would categorize my video as performance art. I chose this form of a video so we could see this girl getting glammed up and actively trying to stop the people who are working on her. We filmed the scene twice so I could set up the camera in two different angles. When editing the clip I made the transitions on the words flawless, promise, living in the in between and stopping. I felt like these words and phrases relate to how women feel they need to look when stepping out of the house. We are living in a world where nothing can be good enough.
      Thinking about how everyday we see a new advertisement for botox or a new makeup palette, inspired me to show a girl who was being dragged into this unrealistic world and has to be fake to fit in with everyone. According to The Art of Self -Invention it states, “He viewed popular culture as a 'menace of unreality’ ”(Finkelstein 150). Today the trends we see are changing reality. Everyone seems to be following each other from the advertisements they see, leading them to be untrue to themselves. I feel this video conveys the truth about self love and identity to the viewers. I think it illustrates how women feel about makeup and changing themselves for others.
       My inspiration behind this video was from the artist Marina Abramovich. Abramovich's performance art gave me the idea to focus on beauty and the connection it has to all women. Hearing Marina's first performance art about her trying to break her nose and then get it fixed to look like a celebrity's nose made me realize how everyone wants to fit into this perfect unrealistic and unhealthy picture. Media and its images influences ideality and self presentation because of its consistent promotion of fake but beautiful people making others want to look like them. When we see someone who has something we don't have we want to be just like them and follow the crowd. According to Guy Debord's, Society of the Spectacle, Chapter 1 (2002 Transition) “The spectacle cannot be understood as a mere visual excess produced by mass-media technologies. It is a worldview that has actually been materialized, that has become an objective reality” (Debord 5). The spectacle is the driving force that keeps us attached to the trends and makes us feel insecure about ourselves so we then do or buy what the advertisement is promoting. Seeing the same advertisement over and over makes us want to be a part of it.“The spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people, mediated by images” (Debord 4 ). Social media is a big factor in influencing people to change themselves and look a certain way. These platforms are only promoting false information encouraging others to follow along.
     The difference between my first self portraits is that it's showing a series of photos of a woman looking at her nose and contouring it with makeup. My self portrait performance was of a woman contouring her now and then taking it off to realize she is beautiful without it. My third self-portrait was a side by side picture of a girl with make up on and a girl with no makeup comparing how the girl with no makeup on should be allowed to be seen more and not have judgment of being natural. Now my final self-portrait performance is a video of a girl getting her hair, makeup, and outfit fixed at once while she sings about how she has no choice to play this role in society. It is a shame we live in a world where people feel they can't show their true selves because they are afraid of what others will think and say.

Featuring: 
Francessca Spatafora - Makeup Artist
Sophia Ortiz - Hairstylist 
Selena Wielgorz - Designer


*You can find my music on all major platforms at “Nicolette Capua” :)*

The song in the video is called "Always Almost". 

My name is on the bottom right of the video because that is my "brand". 

(I decided i'm going to use this scene when I make the full music video!)

Kaitlyn Arroyo - Final Project Presentation

Kaitlyn Arroyo 

Self Image I

Prof. Cacoilo

April 27th, 2022

                                                                     Cast in the Shadows

Directed by: Kaitlyn Arroyo

        Featuring Co-Star: Rose 

Inspired Images:

         

                                                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GttSKnUjgoM

 (File is too large to upload as a video. I put the link so that it can be copied and pasted for viewing on Wednesday.)

                                                          Subject/Content: Breaking the Norms of Society

    The subject is to express who you are and to be comfortable with your body. The message is to never let the words of others influence how you act because that is how those people will perceive you as. 

                                       Follows a Phantom of the Opera Prompt - Theater Inspired Piece

                                                                       Made with iMovie

    The final project I am presenting to the class today is a trailer for my upcoming movie: Cast in the Shadows. This follows the story of a young girl who is struggling to accept herself into this hateful society in which individuals prosper. Just like the demo selfie piece, my inspiration for the project was inspired by the works of Marina Abramovic. Her first performance piece relates to reflection, as she is described as a mirror. Abramovic shows people as themselves in her artwork. With this idea of putting a mirror in front of another, you will be left with the same outcome. Abramovic always thought of herself as an ugly child growing up, and desperately begged her mother to get nose surgery done. The idea behind this video is a girl who is struggling with her own self-identity and creating this fake "alter-ego" or herself to tackle society. However, this mask enables her to reveal her true hidden self behind those clothes and make-up she wore. It's like a reverse effect because usually a "mask" is associated with hiding something (or keeping oneself hidden), but my recording is the opposite showing her blind truth being revealed. The clothing choice of wearing black symbolizes a shadow since they are so apparent and blend into the night. (Hence given the name: Cast in the Shadows) This quote by Joanne Finkelstein: "Art materializes the imagination" (Finkelstein 153) under wraps the concept of getting an idea and bringing it to life. I believe with the freedom and creative knowledge I have, this performance would have not been made possible.

    Going into this assignment, I didn't know what to expect. I knew that I wanted to create a piece that exemplified myself as an individual and touched upon topics such as societal norms and what is expected of people. This video strikes a lot of meaning for those who could relate to the issue of bullying or feeling like an outcast from the rest of the world. The media and my inspired images influence identity and self-presentation because it rectifies the means of exploring ourselves fully even though we are not grown adults yet, it is universally experienced by the people we interact with daily. I thought of creating a photo series, but since that is the medium we've been exploring this semester I wanted to challenge myself and really delve into the project with a bigger challenge. The first obstacle was creating an idea for what the video would touch base with. Next, if that topic wasn't meaningful, it wouldn't be explained properly, so discussing something that everyone has experienced or witnessed was the goal. What started out being a ten-second TikTok clip turned into a trailer masterpiece that I really enjoyed creating. Each scene was cut into flawless transitions with the help of phone editing and costume changes drew it together.

    Being able to have free range of the assignment lets us get creative and think outside of the box. Khan Academy quotes it best, "Performance art has been a medium that challenges and violates borders between disciplines and genders, between public and private, and between everyday life and art, it follows no rules" (Academy 2). Performance art is essential to everyday life. There are no limitations to what can be created, which puts a lot of freedom on the table for creativity and imagination.  There are many ways of using a public space and bringing it to life with a motif. However, not too many artists from the background of body-orientated movements take into account this form. As mentioned previously, the mask symbolizes an ominous and eerie feeling of what is going to be unveiled from it. However, even without a description, it would be left up to the viewer which adds to the mysterious aspect. 

                                  I really hope you all enjoy my video and leave a like on Youtube! 

The Spectacle

Comparison, 2022

For my selfie this week, I was inspired by the Youtube video Society of the Spectacle interpretation. One of the visuals was of a woman who felt she lacked boobs or butt, and looked “flat”, so she decided to get work done by the doctor. In doing so, it could also be seen or interpreted as doctors or patients encouraging women to get work done to look a certain way. This becomes unhealthy when there are unattainable beauty standards that get put out on social media or television. Everything looks real but it is a fake reality. Women and men should learn to love themselves for who they are and not follow what influencers or phonies recommend. 

“The spectacle reduces reality to an endless supply of commodifiable fragments, while encouraging us to focus on appearances” 

 -The spectacle has distracted us from what is important, and continues to distract us in different ways. I really do not think there is a way to get around it. It could be in forms of advertisements, objects, posters, videos, photos, nearly everything. It steers us from focusing on what is truly important in life. 

 “The spectacle presents itself simultaneously as society itself, as a part of society, and as a means of unification. As a part of society, it is ostensibly the focal point of all vision and all consciousness. But due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is in reality the domain of delusion and false consciousness: the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of universal separation” 

-Going back to what I was mentioning about how the spectacle is a distraction, it is basically a fake reality but comes off as the “proper” reality. The spectacle essentially is a society and sometimes we might be pressured by the spectacle to be what we really are not.

Spectacle- Alanna C

 “The root of the spectacle is that oldest of all social specializations, the specialization of power. The spectacle plays the specialized role of speaking in the name of all the other activities. It is hierarchical society’s ambassador to itself, delivering its messages at a court where no one else is allowed to speak. The most modern aspect of the spectacle is thus also the most archaic.” - quote from The Society of the Spectacle Chapter 1: Separation Perfected 2002 translation by Ken Knabb.

The spectacle has been around longer than we know. The idea of the spectacle is that it represents humans through their commodities. The spectacle is not an array of images but it is a representation of consumer society mediated by imagery. 

“When the real world is transformed into mere images, mere images become real beings-”  quote from The Society of the Spectacle Chapter 1: Separation Perfected 2002 translation by Ken Knabb.

When we put people or things in a certain perspective we create a specific image. This specific image can become ingrained in our thought process and formulate how we further think about it in the future. This example can be found on social media. Some celebrities may use filters is get work done on their bodies to be more visually appealing causing others to have the same expectations towards other bodies.

Donovan Arroyo "Spectacle"

Quote 1: Society of the Spectacle, Chapter 1

“For Debord the spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people, mediated by images”.

The spectacle Debord talks about is social media and the effects it has on people. In the present society, the utilization of social media entertainment has turned into a fundamental everyday societal norm. Social media is commonly utilized for knowledge of news and data, and direction. Social media is such a powerful tool that cooperation and business use LinkedIn to determine almost all of their employees. People obtain all of their knowledge from social media like the news.

Quote 2: An Illustrated Guide to Guy Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle’

“Images influence our lives and beliefs on a daily basis; advertising manufactures new desires and aspirations”.

Growing up with social media entertainment is hindering one's confidence and perspective on their own body. With all these influencers on social media, people think they can look like them by editing their pictures or paying an insane amount of money for surgery.

Riya Bhajan - Society of Spectacles

I wanted my weekly selfie to conceptually represent the distortion of reality. I also wanted to represent body dysmorphia where individuals will overthink, focus, and exaggerate their perceived "flaws" in their appearance.

Quote: 

 "The first phase of the domination of the economy over social life brought into the definition of all human realization the obvious degradation of being into having. The present phase of total occupation of social life by the accumulated results of the economy leads to a generalized sliding of having into appearing, from which all actual "having" must draw its immediate prestige and its ultimate function. At the same time, all individual reality has become social reality directly dependent on social power and shaped by it. It is allowed to appear only to the extent that it is not." Quote 17

Response:

    Presently it is indistinguishable to know what is real or fake on social media, in advertisements, and in Media in general. Focusing on social media, the issue with social media is the distortion of reality 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, showing the world how successful, beautiful, or fun we are might be damaging our perception of our true selves. Also, individuals who may not be able to accomplish particular lifestyles may be influenced by these images to believe they must live up to a specific standard of living that is not real.

The Spectacle - Dominique Ciaffone

 

                                                                 The Spectacle 

Capter 1 quote #4 

"The spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people that is mediated by images"

 --Images aren’t just images. They affect us in many ways. What we view in society has an effect on us and our reality. In my selfie my eyes are covered to illustrate the idea that the things we view in society can actually become a part of us. The social relation between people and images is a big part of society. If you’re not careful you can become something you’re not trying to be like society and the images you see daily. My project is going to focus on how the words of the people, especially the people you love can actually have more of an effect on you than you think. 

Chapter 1 quote #12

The spectacle presents itself as a vast inaccessible reality that can never be questioned. Its sole message is: “What appears is good; what is good appears.” The passive acceptance it demands is already effectively imposed by its monopoly of appearances, its manner of appearing without allowing any reply.

--The idea that “What appears is good; what is good appears,” can be damaging to believe. Not everything you witness is good, and it should be questioned. The spectacle can keep you in a loop of not questioning things, and accepting what is. 

Spectacle

This serves as a warning, stopping the viewer from looking at deceptive imagery and seeking self identity(ies) through objects.  By being a sort of spectacle, attracting the viewer with readable code I hope this serves also as a reminder to rethink about our perception of ourselves, the world, media and people. 

Readings:

 "As long as necessity is socially dreamed, dreaming will remain necessary. The spectacle is the bad dream of a modern society in chains and ultimately expresses nothing more than its wish for sleep. The spectacle is the guardian of that sleep." (21)

- quote from The Society of the Spectacle Chapter 1: Separation Perfected 2002 translation by Ken Knabb.

Our wants and needs are marketable and easy profit. Media throws all sorts of trinkets and gimmicks to catch our attention. Many of us buy into it because of how gullible we can be. 

"Debord observed that the spectacle actively alters human interactions and relationships. Images influence our lives and beliefs on a daily basis; advertising manufactures new desires and aspirations. The media interprets (and reduces) the world for us with the use of simple narratives."

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

Many of the images, videos and text shown in media try to generalize and simplify the audience. The media is used as a tool to advertise lucrative products and are deceptive. Companies, corporations, etc act like they know the audience, giving generic phrases to latch onto and see oneself in the world of having what is being sold. 

Spectacle - Weekly Selfie

"The fact that the practical power of modern society has detached itself from that society and established an independent realm in the spectacle can be explained only by the additional fact that that powerful practice continued to lack cohesion and had remained in contradiction with itself." - Quote #22

With this picture I wanted to bring up the great disconnect between rich people and average people. People in power such as celebrities and politicians are what came to mind when reading the quote above. They've become so detached from the reality of the world around them due to their insane amount of wealth that grants them the privilege of doing whatever they want. Some go as far as to say that the middle class needs to work even harder to become successful like they are, when that isn't the case. Some billionaires are celebrities already came from wealth, so they already had a head start in the game to gain them more success. Others came from the ground up and have earned that money, but with money, comes losing yourself in the wealth. Of course this isn't the case for some celebrities as there are a few that use their wealth to help people, but those celebrities hardly get the spotlight. It's because of this detachment from our society that the views of rich people when it comes to average people is often never taken well. 

self portrait performance

For my performance video, I was inspired by not only Sophie Calle, but also by the fact that next month is mental health awareness month. For my piece I decided to incorporate Sophie Calle’s Dumped by Email series, in which she demonstrates her form of heartbreak and sadness. But I decided to do my own take on this. Heartbreak and sadness come in different forms and is different for everyone. I wanted to do my best to show people what heartbreak can look like when dealing with mental health. Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being all contribute to our mental health. It has an impact on how we think, feel, and act. It is important to pay attention to our mental health because if we do not then it can lead to depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorders. The list goes on. One of the branches I wanted to focus on though, is dissociation. I had learned about this about a year ago and felt it was important to share, although a lot of other disorders are just as important. Dissociation happens when there is a disconnect and a lack of consistency between ideas, memories, environment, behaviors, and identity. It is also a disorder that I feel not many people are aware of. In my video I tried my best to depict what a day in the life of someone who deals with association goes through. I feel that a lot of people relate to this without actually realizing it. We dissociate when we zone out except, we have to ability to bring ourselves back to the present moment. Someone that deals with dissociation is basically zoned out with the inability to zone back in and may even feel like they are not in their body. In the video I am showing how I am going about my day and although there is background noise, it is not loud enough because I am not paying attention to it. You will also hear heavy breathing in the background to show how that person (me) might be more focused on their breathing than what is going on around them. As I am blinking (video fades out) the video continues to a different point in my day almost abruptly. That is to show how I was only really “present” for a few seconds of my own day. In the end I look to my side very slowly, to show confusion.

"Society’s Standards" (Weekly Selfie) - Nicolette Capua

Nicolette Capua, Society’s Standards, 2022

        These selfies are showing two pictures of the same girl. One girl has a lot of makeup on and the other girl has no makeup on, as she shows her natural self. The first selfie of the girl with makeup on is showing what society wants to see and how the spectacle encourages this unrealistic look. The second selfie is showing a girl naturally glowing with no makeup on. She is confident in her own skin and will not let the advertisements of the spectacle change who she is. The quote I chose relates to my selfie because of how the world is materialized and is trying to attract people through various marketing agendas which can change who people are. Big businesses use their agendas to make others want to fit in with societies trends and norms.

Quotes:
From Guy Debord's, Society of the Spectacle : Chapter 1 (2002 Transition)
“The spectacle cannot be understood as a mere visual excess produced by mass-media technologies. It is a worldview that has actually been materialized, that has become an objective reality” (Debord 5)

      The spectacle has become the new reality. Everyone is always looking for happiness and the spectacle provides this for them. The world is materialized in many ways that allows everyone to avoid their problems. Being able to have makeup and surgeries to change your face and body are things people are willing to do because of the spectacle and advertisements promoting unrealistic standards. Today the spectacle still affects us negatively and is always making people feel insecure about themselves.

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

“The spectacle reduces reality to an endless supply of commodifiable fragments, while encouraging us to focus on appearances” (Morgan & Purje).
       The spectacle provides a false reality and makes  people focus on how they look compared to others. These advertisements around them make them change who they are to fit in with society's expectations.