You have everything you need if you just believe.

When we were first told about the project, I freaked out a little bit. We had to create not one, but three unique images and I was running out of ideas as is. I couldn't really think of anything that I knew well enough to make three images out of. So I decided to make my big idea home. I've had a lot of issues with my concept of home over the past three years, so it seemed fitting that those three years could correspond to three separate images.

I set out with a vague idea of how I wanted my images to turn out, but no concrete plan. Originally, I had a picture of my house, taken from realtor.com with transparent images of things that remind me of the places I've lived (Edgewater Park and Moorestown, NJ and Boston, MA) on top of it. Then, after a bit of discussion, I decided that having the transparent images form my house would be a much more interesting concept. I erased the form of my house from the picture and layered the individual images within the void. I began with things that reminded me of Edgewater Park, then added to that things that remind me of Moorestown, then finally added images that remind me of living in Boston. After sizing, and rearranging a few things, it actually looked like it was forming the house. This was the hardest part, along with making the images spaced out over the void as to not lump too many location's pictures in one region of the void.
Overall, I like my piece. I really wanted it to be something that the viewer could understand without my explanation, which I think is possible, if not certain. I really wanted it to tell a story (even if that story is implied) rather than be three separate, loosely bound works, like in some of the videos of artists we saw in class (I am 100% looking at you crazy chocolate/soap head lady).  It's personal, which made inspiration and execution easy, if not mildly depressing. In all honesty, it was almost therapeutic for me to do this.The only complaint I have is the amount of white space left in the house because of the configuration of some of the logos and whatnot, but overlapping the images looked very VERY chaotic.  I hope the viewer can appreciate the story these images tell, or at least the story that they create for themselves using these images.

Home is where you make it.

I've decided that I want home to be my big idea. I have lived in the same house for my entire remembered life. Over the past three years, I've lived in three additional places: An apartment in a town near by, Boston for freshman year, and now Columbus. Over these same three years, our house as been on the market. This has caused me to continually try to figure out where or what is home. The idea of home was present in my first micro project, and I'd like to continue it into my final project.
I'd like to visually show the mixture of my past experiences and how they now form what I think of as home. I think I'd like objects and ideas to form one larger object, maybe the shape of a house or me. There will probably be a lot of layering and some things may be more distinct and larger than others. The project will likely be manipulated digital images, mostly ones that I have taken myself. It may be a physical collage of images, depending on how well the images will print out. I really don't know what rules I will set for myself other than the fact that it must be clear that there is a lot of influence and that it has to fit into a small amount of space. But it must do this effectively. Just looking busy isn't enough if people don't see the detail. Denotations will be obvious and everyday objects (at least for that particular locale). The connotations should seem fairly obvious after people view the image, whether or not they know my back story. I find that people confuse the images that I create because they don't know the story behind that  and I would like to avoid that for this project. Overall, my project should be able to explain myself through visuals, not through explanation.

Más Ovaltine Por Favor

My words were mix and entropy. I was not feeling brave enough to artfully display principles of thermodynamics nor explore the possibility of the universe becoming a constant temperature and everything exploding. So I chose mix. So then I thought about things in my house that are mixed. My laundry, my salted nuts, Kroger brand Kool Aide, Dip mix, etc. Then after rummaging through my mixed items, I remembered the ultimate mix that keeps my heart beating on a daily basis: my beloved Ovaltine. Ovaltine and I go waaaaay back to days where I would pretend it was Sanka coffee and sit on the couch with my grandmother watching Oprah. Those were good times. That's how I settled on the act of mixing my all time favorite beverage. Be still, my heart.
The final image is a collection of individual images from progressive states in the mixing process, from powder, through the various stages of lumpiness, to finally sweet smooth chocolaty perfection.
I am currently drinking this marvelous concoction and I must say, the gods can keep their nectar and ambrosia, because I've got Ovaltine.

Sweet justices

If I were a superhero, I would be the Queen of Denial. As Queen of Denial, I'd be able to control people's thoughts in order to make them tell people "no". I'd like this power because sometimes people just have to be told that they're wrong or that they can't get what they want. I, unfortunately, do not always have this ability, so I think it would be awesome to have as a super power. "Do these Uggs look good with my tank top and denim miniskirt?" "Hey man, could you loan me $5" "OMG, do you think Jeremy likes me?" All things that should probably be answered with "no" but doormats all over the world answer "yes". I would end this cycle of white lies one slightly-too-nice person at a time. Think Yes Man, but with "no", and only in situations where a "no" is deserved. I got this idea from being Cleopatra for Halloween and the pun that goes along with that whole river thing. However, I wouldn't be one of those deus ex machina superheroes in a shiny bodysuit that swoops down from the sky with glitter and trumpets. I'd be a plainclothes superhero. The gods did their best work in plainclothes, so if it worked for them, it should work for me. The only sign I'd give that I had any involvement in the situation would be a very approving, congratulatory thumbs up. Otherwise, it might make that conversation a bit more awkward that it was already going to be.

I like that I pop up in the corner and for the most part I am to scale with the rest of the people in the picture. I also like that it's in comic book form,. Every good superhero has a comic book. However, I am upset that I had to use a stock photo as my setting. It is actually unnaturally difficult to find a group of people talking in a position that would be conducive to thought bubbling, while not seeming like a total creep. Trick or treating is awesome.

The loneliest number...

I chose the Cheez It box from my MP2 project to build my monument since it relates more to an action I do everyday on campus. I chose my location because I eat lunch each week across from the Garden of Constants, so I always relate it with food, like Cheez Its. I chose the number 1 because it is covered with tiles, so the boxes would act similarly to the original material. The Cheez It box sculpture is not supposed to stand on its own, but enhance that which surrounds it, like the tile does to the 1 sculpture, and the 1 sculpture does to the rest of the Garden.
The sculpture appears as stacked and carved Cheez It boxes forming the number 1, but it is a back-lit fiberglass structure that is painted to like boxes. It does not show shadows and shines through the night for those midnight munchies. I would expect people to treat it as they do the original number 1 sculpture, but find it slightly more amusing, and possibly hunger-inducing. They wouldn't physically interact or climb on it except for the occasional novelty photo, nor would its existence be particularly off-putting. Overall, my sculpture is just a fun twist on what already exists, and might make people stop and stare at something they might not pay particular attention to when they pass by on their way to class.

Try to name one thing you like. You used to have such a longer list.

I consider myself a fairly unorganized person. Everything is a mess, then eventually gets funneled into wherever it needs to be. I thought that the weird swirl pattern represented that quite nicely. I attempted to make my images and text look as if they were also following the pattern of being sucked through the funnel. The bold colors make the piece seem extra busy, which helps illustrate what I imagine my brain to look like. The items mostly relate to people in my life, which shows how much I care about and vary from food to bags to jewelry, which in a way shows how I find connections in strange places. Also, the majority of my items relate to the past, which I suppose shows my love of nostalgia. It doesn't really show my personality though. I don't consider this humorous or cynical so I don't know if people would expect me from this image, or vise versa. In fact, I don't think you could even get a grasp of my everyday life from these images unless it involves wearing lots of jewelry while drinking Crown Royal and eating Cheez-its and using various electronic items while lying under a blanket. Which it doesn't.

I adore awesome alliterations

These are a few of my favorite things...

Pillows: My mom and I made these pillows for my room because we needed to pull together two colors that normally don't match. We're both crazy about matching things and if we don't find things that we like, we make it ourselves. These pillows are very telling about both of our personalities, as well as how close we are, both in task and in thought.

"control freaks"

Cheez-Its: My little brother and I both have a fondness for snack food. Unfortunately, he eats everything (seriously. EVERYTHING.) in one sitting, leaving me to starve to death in my own home. This happens most often with Cheez-Its. I can now taunt him that he is 8.5 hours from eating MY Cheez-Its. It's all friendly competition. Until I get hungry.

"sibling love"

Heart Ring: My boyfriend gave me a ring as my "going off to college" gift after senior year. The first was a victim of airport security, its replacement- squashed by a child at work. This is my current ring. It gives me a feeling of security and reminds me to calm down when I am panicked. I am so used to wearing rings that I feel naked without it. 

"security blanket"

Dove Necklace: I got this necklace for Christmas from my boyfriend. I really liked the dove design because it reminds me of Jenny in the corn field in Forrest Gump. I wear it everyday, with every outfit. It's from Tiffany, but I enjoy that it doesn't say "Tiffany & Co.". It's silent luxury.

"bird brain"

Lamb Blanket: I always get the least amount of presents at Christmas. One year this blanket was my big gift from my mom. It is warm and soft and gives you a fuzzy feeling inside when you touch it. I love it because it reminds me of Christmas at home, which is really important to my family. I also like that the lamb face is not prominent, so it looks like a normal blanket until you notice the corner, then it gets a zillion times cuter.

"warm fuzzies"

Laptop: I don't know what I would do without my laptop. It lets me do school work, waste time, watch movies, listen to music, talk to people, shop, and a gazillion other things, all while not making me leave my bed. I'd probably go crazy without it. It organizes my life an keeps me sane while I'm at home. I need it.

"computer crazed"

Blackberry: My. Phone. Is. Pink. This was basically the deciding factor for my purchase. It's my first smartphone and is horribly, horribly addicting. It gives me the basic luxuries of my laptop, but in my pocket, and in my favorite color. I can keep in touch with anyone from anywhere and I love it. I love people. I want to talk to them. All the time.

"constant contact"

iPod: I loved music. It was one of the most interesting things about me. I miss music. When I listen to my  iPod, I remember where I was and what I felt when I first heard the song, or a time when that song was important. I listen to it now as a way to remember who I was and the good and bad times I had. For me, it's a musical yearbook, and all the the photos and signatures are in my head.

"musical memories.

Crown Royal bag: All of my things are organized in Crown Royal bags. My dad keeps Crown Royal in business so I took all of his bags as both memories and a badass storage system. My dad and I don't really get along, so it's nice to have something of his around that is not too sappy or anything like that, but still reminds me of home.

"classy stash-y"

Woven Bracelet: In high school, I was involved in International Affairs Club, to which almost all of my friends belonged. We sold these bracelets to raise money for schools in Africa. It reminds me of the awesome times I had with the people, and how much fun it was to do something good. I'm a sucker for humanitarian causes and nostalgia, which this bracelet sums up pretty well.

"FUNdraising"

Microproject 1

My walk to class can be cut into two halves: my walk north of Lane, and my walk south of Lane. This walk is documented in the layer which includes a transparent Google maps image of my walk, beginning at my front door, ending at the Stadium. In the northern part of my journey, I walk down Neil, taking in the remnants of the weekend's (or let's be serious, weekday's) partying. When I'm not looking at beer bottles on the lawns, I'm looking for them on the sidewalk. Once I cross Lane, everything is brick and professional and in order; sidewalks are even, buildings aren't falling apart. To represent this change from North to South, I added a layer which provides a beer bottle pattern in the area north of Lane and a brick pattern in the area South of Lane. This layer can be seen through the map as to place all specific locations under their proper category: glass or brick. As my next layer, I chose what I think of when I think of my starting and end points. Because this is not my home, I start not with a picture of a home, but of a home base. I end my journey at the stadium which is denoted with a football, going with both the theme of the building, but also it's shape. Finally, I tie everything together with Wizard of Oz references. I found these fitting because of the materials which I used to describe the two portions of my walk. Additionally, it brings in the idea, like the home base, that I am not completely at home here. The movie references a lucky and coincidental connection to my original idea, and the last layer added to my project.

Take a walk, kid.

On my way to class, I feel like I walk through two different worlds. I get out of my door and walk down Neil Ave until I get to Lane. All the while trying to keep up with the student in front of me or making sure the person behind me isn't on me heels. This is only made more enjoyable by the constant threat of stepping on shattered beer bottles. While walking, I keep trying to figure out how far of a walk this would have been if I were in Boston and how much I miss even pavement. Finally I get to a corner, I think on Northwood, where the pavement has been cracked away and a patch of what looks like cobblestone peeks out from underneith. It makes me think of the east cost. Cobblestone isn't very midwestern. When I get to Lane I remember how much I hate two-way streets and wait for what seems like a lifetime to cross over to the other side. Then I remind myself that I am horribly impatient and need to work on that. Finally, I cross and it feels like I'm in a totally different universe. Everything is brick. I love brick buildings. The sidewalks are even. I trip less. Everything is wonderful. I pass Fisher on my left and say a silent wish that business school won't be the hell that I expect it to be. Then I get over my foolish fantasy and admit that it will most likely be the death of me, but boy will it make me money...Hopefully. Then I get to the ever-so-pleasant intersection with traffic in 36938564593 different directions and try not to get hit by a car. From there the walk to the statium isn't so bad, it's just taunting. It's like walking in Las Vegas. Everything looks so close, then after 2 miles of walking you finally reach your destination. It's not quite two miles, but the feeling is the same. In the stadium, I feel like a mouse. No sunshine, just lines, and you can't see there from here. It's either a rat trap or a cinderblock labrynth. Either way, I am not pleased. When I sit, I feel awkwardly winded. Stairs. That's what I needed after my walk. I need a bike. Wait, I can't ride a bike to save my life. I remember that my life is a joke. Then class starts.

I was born in a house of glass

Artist: Paula Hayes
Piece: Egg
Media: Cast acrylic, hand-blown glass, cnc- milled topographical wall and ceiling attachment, full-spectrum lighting, and tropical planting
Date: 2010

Paula Hayes' Egg piece, as well as the rest of her gallery, really stood out to me at the Wexner center. The entire room was white with fluorescent lights hanging throughout and abstract clear glass vases resting on various platforms. The entire room seemed sterile, like a hospital. It wasn't until I got close enough to her gallery that I realized that  within those glass vases were plants. And not just plants but entire ecosystems with plants and rocks and soil. Then I realized that the opening to the vases were much too small to actually plant the full grown flora in the vase. They actually had to be cultivated within the glass. Once I had realized this a second wave had come along: the artist didn't have full control of her art. The element of the unknown in her works really struck me as daring. She had put something on display that she had no full control over. After being in awe of her works as a whole, I zeroed in on her work Egg.

For the most part, it is similar to her other contained systems, and of course, the vase is in the shape of an egg. What  I think is most interesting about this piece in particular is the acrylic top and bottom pieces. The bottom stems from the floor and cradles the egg. The second descends from the ceiling, ending just about at the top of the vase, and contains a florescent light that shines on the vase and the ecosystem within. The piece works to show the contrast between the man-made (acrylic, florescent, vase) and the natural (the ecosystem).  It also brings about a sense of nurturing, as the vase is cupped by the pedestal, and almost incubated by the lighted top piece. Perhaps the artist is attempting to convey a "green" message, urging viewers to treat the environment with the same care that she gave her ecosystems, or with the loving touch that the incubating Egg piece seems to be delivering.

Overall, I believe that Paula Hayes' "big idea" is that of environmental preservation, just as her plants are preserved in their own glass houses.

Introductions

Hi! I'm Megan West. I hail from the great state of New Jersey. Unfortunately, I lack the characteristic spray tan, Ed Hardy gear, and signature fist pump, my deepest apologies. I'm a transfer student from Boston University in FCoB. I plan on specializing in human resources, with a possible minor in either agribusiness or environmental economics. I have no clue what I plan on doing with these certifications, but between Ohio and New Jersey, there's got to be something out there for me. I also want to become fluent in Spanish; however, I have come to the realization that that is impossible unless my parents are planning to foot the bill for a summer in Spain. In my spare time, I obsess over online sales, bake brownies, go on reddit, and translate my life into Spanish in my head. I have a terrible fear of being behind the wheel of motor vehicles; therefore, I do not have my license. If I did drive, it would be a Prius because I feel as though I would enjoy driving past speeding hunks of metal in a roller skate, all while making Al Gore proud.