My statement is one that deals with process. As an artist, I focus my creativity on design. Creating art is always a very technical experience for a designer. I suppose it is a process for most artists; I find myself particularly focused on it, I guess. Currently I don't have a studio to call my own. Because of this, I tend to focus even more on the planning process; there is no other step to follow. Designers are designers because of functionality. Functionality is the divide between art and design. If an object can't be utilized then it is a failure in the design world. This drawing portrays an idea. It portrays a process. It portrays a concept. It portrays thought. It is not meant to be a visually stimulating work of art. It represents the process of creating something; which IS the art of the piece. Any good craftsman can make an object. The artist is the one who creates; thinks; drives himself crazy creating the perfect design.
Megan Mezzetta Selects:
Marina Abramovic and Ulay "Imponderabilia" Bologna, Italy 1977 Abramovic and Ulay exist to shock the audience. To test boundaries. To explore the parameters and limits of their audience. This performance is a classic example of what this couple did as an artistic duo. "Imponderabilia" reverses the role of artist and viewer. It makes people question there place in the performance. The nude bodies of the artist serve a function. They are not on display as a voyeuristic object, as nude bodies normally would be. They are there to make the gallery-goer uncomfortable and to test their reaction. It takes no time at all to take your clothes off and stand nude in a doorway. It is the thought process and concept behind "Imponderabilia" that makes it a work of art. It is a process of investigation for both the artists and the audience; like scientists testing one another.
Megan Mezzetta Selects: 
Robert Smithson "Towards the Development of a Cinema Cavern" Artforum: 'A Cinematic Atopia' 1971
Robert Smithson "Towards the Development of a Cinema Cavern" Artforum: 'A Cinematic Atopia' 1971Because the planning stage is so crucial to my work. I became quite intrigued by Earthworks, or Land Art. Robert Smithson's work focuses on this. His projects required a lot of planning; quite similar to the construction site of a large building. There's earth moving, construction, permits, and sub-contractors. This drawing represents a small portion of Smithson's technical maps and drawings that helped carry out his ideas. This stage of a work of art is most important. Smithson has sketched out an idea, written his notes, and putforth an idea to elaborate upon. This is the groundwork, the foundation of an idea.
Megan Mezzetta Selects:
Garrett Rietveld "Red and Blue Chair" 1917
Architect Gerrit Rietveld was a leader of the de Stijl movement in the 1920s and 30s. This movement stressed the use of simple lines, primary colors, and asymmetric balance: the abstraction of form and color. The simple form, primary color pallette, and stripped down composition of geometric shapes of the chair leave focus on the utilitarian function. There is no destraction from function. There are no attributes that catch the viewer's eye in amazement. Better yet, no point on this chair makes the eye stagger. Therefore, it is simply a chair: well constructed, sleek, and sturdy. The simplicity of functionality.
2 comments:
I enjoyed learning that your manifesto drawing is not supposed to be visually stimulating, but for myself, it is. The layers and composition invite me into the space, the subtle tactile aspects make me curious. I like the way you describe each artist's image by reflecting in them parts of your manifesto, this was very thoughtful and seamless.
I found your manifesto drawing very interesting. In my photography practices, I have learned to go through my own special process to create my images. I have also been taught that everything in my images have to have meaning and a reason for being in the photograph. Nothing can be in the image if it doesn't belong. Kind of like how you said "If an object can't be utilized then it is a failure in the design world."
I also enjoyed the artists that you included in your post. All of them seem to have some sort of process to that artwork. They seem very thought out and everything seems to have a function and a meaning. It was interesting to rethink functionality in art.
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