Lecture3,semiotics

In this week's contextual study class, we had a trip to auckland city. This was a very good experience to know some more artists and different styles. I was quite interested in Yinka Shonibare's sculpture after looking at the pictures which Grant had shown us. I felt so excited and couldn't wait to see the real one.

We entered into the auckland city gallery, followed to upstairs. This was a exhibition of Yinka Shonibare MBE's artwork. I saw some very big photographs were hanged on the wass of the very left hand side corner. This art work were consisted of 11 black&white resin prints and 1 colored print. I couldn't resist walking towards them and see what's happening there. The only colored photograph made me felt uncertain and curious about its meaning. It made me read the whole photographs again and over again and tried to understand the story.

An interesting sculpture which next to the photographs was the thing I wanted to see before I came. That was a headless mannequins skiing. I walked inside and saw another headless mannequins. All the sculptures he created were headless.They were headless because they were not themselves, they were delegating the people who has worn those cloths. I also think that was because he wanted us to focus on the clothes they wearing. Without the heads, we only can identify people by the cloths they wearing. They dressed in brightly colored africant fabrics. He used the african fabric to symbole the culture assimilation.

I quite like the moving image "Odile and Odette". I was wondering why there was no music while these two girls were dancing. Maybe he wanted us to focus on their movements of the body? In fact, I was fascinated by their exquisite movements while dancing. Before I knew what was happening, I thought there was a ballerina dancing in front of the big mirror. But after I spent some time on watching it and watch attentively, I realized there were two ballerinas, a black and white lady, dancing at the same time. It made me felt so peaceful and relaxed while watching them dance. And I think it also had shown the racial harmony between two different ethnic group, Europeans and Africans. Another moving image which was called "Un Ballo In Maschera" I didn't like it because I couldn't understand what was the story about. I thought it was a dancing competition at the begining but after the repetitive murdering scene I couldn't understand his train of thoughts. And it made me no longer wanted to stay and watch and made me leave the room quickly.

After Yinka Shonibare, we had Gary Hill. I think both of his work are very successful. The Mediations ( towards a remake of soundings) was very interesting. The sand could bury the sound and made us hard to hear the words. It was a very simple thing but we still found it intereting because that was the thing we might not have been noticing. Another show Accordions(The Belsunce Recordings) had made a very big impact on me and also the others I believed. There was five channel video/sound installation in a very big, dark room. I went into the room, the first thing came out of my mind was "scary!". The room was dark and there was some very loud and scary noice bouncing around the room. On the wall was some flashing images from the video installations. The images were like jumping aound the room with the sound. Because I'm a timid person so I stayed in the room for about 10 seconds then I left.

Anyway, that was a very interesting experience. I learnt that art work could be something we couldn't touch such as sounds and lights. I think the "Accordions" might not that scary without those sound effects. Maybe that's why I always turn off the volumn when I'm watching horror films. I can't wait for the next trip.

The Body - O Tamaiti(1996)

Today, I watched a very interesting film in my lecture class. A short film, directed by Sima Urale, was about a story of a Samoan family. The people in that family din't talk to each other much through the whole film.

We could sence what was going on through the whole film without understanding the lanuage they spoke and the words which were displayed in the film. The reason of that she didn't make the subtitle for the Samoan was she wanted to emphasise the communication between people. In the film, we didn't hear much of their conversation but every sound they have made. For example, the sound when the little boy was using the comb and the sound of opening a can of coke and even we could hear them swallowing things.

Another reason that I like this film is it actually can make me feel really sad and angry by just looking at their body language and the sound. Although they don't speak much, but we still can totally understand their emotions. I feel very sad for the children that their parents don't really taking care of them. I'm so pround of the eldest son. I can tell he loves his little sisters and brothers very much from his behavior. Actually, I think taking care of children are their parents responsibility. If you are not a conscientious parent than why do you give birth to your child?

8.Mar.09 (how humans made art and how art made us human)

After watching ,More Human Than Human, the first episode of How Art Made the World, I quite like this Greek sculpture. This Kritian Boy lies between Archaic and Early Classical periods of ancient Greek sculpture. This Greek sculpture is created as a very realistic human body and lifelike.

The most significant lines in this sculpture are the spine and chest. Other lines include the hair, buttocks,chest,and abdomen. The lines define the muscles and insists the youthful and athletic nature. The carved musculature of the back and the contour of the buttocks are the major geometric and human shapes used in the sculpture.

The sculpture reflects the value of the Greeks placed in idealism in both form and posture, and the dignified nature of the Greeks. The nude sculpture reflects the value of primacy of the noble Greeks.