Representation

My screen print was inspired by Art Nouveau artist Alfonse Mucha and the French artist Patrick Blanc. Both artists deal in very organic and fluid shapes. Mucha is famous for his poster prints and panels of female figures with decorative detail framing the figure. The clothing and hair flow freely and almost seem to meld with the detailing. Patrick Blanc combines different species of plants on vertical surfaces to create beautifully lush plantings that almost look like an impressionistic painting. The goal of my design was to meld these two styles to create depth and texture that forms a unified organic canvas.

The background pattern of my image is very fluid and organic. The varying colors and widths of the brush strokes create small focal points in areas where abstract shapes begin to appear, such as near the top of the image in the dark area where a female figure begins to appear. This style of this background image is relatively contemporary and minimalist. The white spaces become almost as important as the colored areas. The flowers create a rich texture in the image. The two large flowers are reminiscent of art nouveau or the arts and crafts movement. They are not completely realistic, but are not abstract. The image has a feeling of movement that seems to pulse towards the large top flower. The two largest flowers almost seem to be reaching towards one another as all of the other elements in the image dance around the periphery.

I am not good at describing artwork. This was a hard exercise to do because I didn’t have a definite plan before I started. It was more of an exercise in experimentation and layering because I don’t typically work in black and white. Shapes and white space become more important than subtle colors.

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At this point I am having some difficulty in breaking down my image as much of the meaning I intend to bring to it will be added through techniques in the next stage. As it stands, however, I can see two sides of the image: one that celebrates a connection with people and life and the other that shows the increasing separation of humanity from nature. The picture was originally taken from a book on witches and witchcraft and shows modern day Wiccans celebrating around the maypole—a very joyous, connected-to-nature, springtime celebration.

The way the photo is cropped brings more attention to the people around the maypole, focusing on two couples in which one parent is carrying a child. This focus emphasizes how the celebration brings people, specifically families, together to celebrate their love for the earth. The focus on the people, rather than the maypole (which is cut off) underscores the importance of the actual participants and what they are celebrating, rather than the objects they are celebrating with.

On the other hand, the pixilation of the photo, done through Photoshop, and this very focus on specific people in the image, tell a different story, one in which even these modern day Wiccans are being manipulated and changed by a modern society that can have a mechanizing and isolating effect. Even though you can make out faces, for instance, you can’t actually tell what the people look like in real life (or even how they looked in the original photo). Instead, you see a vague shadow of a face that no longer resembles something a natural individual. The focus on a few people can also represent the individualized culture we live within—although they are taking part in a community activity, the rest of the community (including the pole itself) is fragmented from the specific people in our view.

--Holly Hilgenberg

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The image that I created for my screen first came out of a conceptual idea, and then was further developed through composition. I wanted to use the collage method that I have been working on by hand, but this time using mostly my own images. I tried to find images that varied in texture and detail and still kept a meaning that was part of the overall idea for my piece. I am quite susceptible to making pieces that mimic meaning for what is happening in my world, so while I was thoughtful in choosing images with particular visual qualities, each image has a meaning that fits like a puzzle piece in the overall concept. Upon first glance, most people, I think, assume this piece is about travel, which in the end it really is I guess. But ultimately it is about an event that I am faced with planning, and the complications that come along with the responsibility.

I chose the background image, a photo of weeds on the ground, because of it's sharp contrasting texture. The image in the bottom right corner, hills from the island of Kauai, HI, I chose for it's larger planes of solid color. The image in the far left corner, with I love you on the hands, is an image I created intentionally quite a while ago for a photo series. I chose it for it's high contrast and because I wanted a human element in the image. The last vector graphic in the upper right hand corner was supposed to be of Europe but is more distinguishable as Africa, it signifies a big trip that we'll be taking at the end of my planning, a light at the end of a tunnel.

The images in the piece came together almost before I realized the overall meaning being created, but it also plays on the idea that we tend to represent things in the way that we view and understand the world.
*Emily

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Both of my images are experimental and are representation of my understanding on structures.

The first image is a combination of two of my photos. Both two photos are concentrated on man’s hand. I combined them in one image in an interesting way: the background image is also reflected on the sunglasses, which are at the most front of the image. When I was working on this image, I was trying to present a most engaging perspective which can immediately attract my audience. And then, the image would bring the audience into a world of imagination, that is, the image does not stop by what the eyes see, but the audience would be able to see more when imagine more. That is my understanding of a really “engaging” image. It is not only attractive but also affecting.

The second image is the original file and hasn’t been screenprinted out yet. However, I love this one much and would like to put it here. Look at it closely enough, and you will find the repeated pattern abstracted from a line of street lights. I believe there are always amazing visions in our everyday life. Capture it, refine on it, and represent it is my great interest.

Here I’d like to quote the words by John Ruskin again. “We shape the way we represent things by our understanding, while shaping our understanding through the way we represent things.” All my images are created by my understanding of the world, and will help me understand the world better.

--Han

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My initial desire for this first screen print was to create a dynamic image that would read well in the print format. I interpreted this as a highly contrasted image paired with text. I chose a black-and-white photo of clouds that appeared monumental to me, and so I worked to pair the image with a fittingly monumental word.

But the image, to me, needed a dynamic hand-drawn quality. I drew a series of parallel lines in reference to the rays of sunlight that one sometimes sees on special days outside, and also in reference to stylized representations of rain storms. I played around a lot with different ways of arranging the lines on top of the photo, and ended up with one grouping “shining” down from the largest cloud and then another grouping appearing to “reflect” up again from the ground plane. The arrangement had much to do with both dynamic effect and finding a pleasing visual “balance” between light and dark elements in the image.

I chose the word REFLECT because it references a possible interpretation of the image, and because it’s a word that holds personal meaning for me on several levels. It serves as a visual reminder and memento. This next week I hope to print more of the same image, playing with ink and paper color.

-Adrienne

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I feel that an analysis of my image may be most insightful if informed by the three criteria by which the image was created. First, the figure-ground relationship of the image was designed as a silhouette, with the details of the image being created by areas of ground that show through absent areas of the figure. This approach was inspired by research on the processes of visual perception that indicates the first information received by the brain is boundary contours (Barry, 1997). Second, the content of the image is derived from a symbol chosen from Neurath’s International System of Typographical Picture Education (ISOTYPE) (Meggs, 1998; F.E. Compton Company, 1939; Vossoughian, 2006). In addition to being designed by Neurath for cross-cultural understanding, this symbol continues to be ubiquitous in contemporary western societies. Finally, the third criterion in the design of this image was to augment the abovementioned characteristics, which target rapid interpretation, with an element of paradox. This paradox is created by contradictory signifiers within the image. Thus, the intended result is that of the viewer quickly perceiving and interpreting the image, and then being required to reconcile conflicting information.

Barry, A. M. (1997). Visual intelligence. Albany: State University of New York Press.

F.E. Compton Company (1939). Compton pictographs: pages from the 1939 edition of Compton's pictured encyclopedia showing the new method for visualizing facts and ideas invented by Dr. Otto Neurath. Chicago: F.E. Compton & Co.

Meggs, Philip B. (1998). A History of Graphic Design. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Vossoughian, Nader (2006). Mapping the Modern City: Otto Neurath, the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM), and the Politics of Information Design. Design Issues, 22(3), 48-65.

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My first experience in understanding that the world consisted of things and representations of things actually cam before I could read. My first book was an audio book of the Disney story “The Little Mermaid�?. I listened to that audio tape over and over again until the tape wore out and my mom had to buy me a new one. I couldn’t read the words on the page, but I understood that the words represented what I was hearing and what I could see on the pages. I tried very hard to learn how to read and follow along with the tape. I’m not sure how I knew that the words on the page were the same as what I was hearing on the tape; perhaps it was from my parents reading the book to me. This understanding that the words on the page controlled the pictures in the book and what I was hearing was a great discovery for me.

When I was older and could read fluently I think the book The Lorax by Dr. Suess gave me a deeper understanding of the meaning of books. In fact all of the Dr. Suess books had this effect but The Lorax spoke most directly to me. I realized that the book was made up of entirely fictional characters, objects, and scenery, but the story still had meaning to me. If I didn’t know what a Lorax or a swamee swan was, how could I understand the meaning in the text? This particular Dr. Suess story has a harsh moral imbedded in the text. I began to realize that words had the power to create images in the mind and that the imagery could be controlled by the way in which the words were combined. This inspired me to read books without pictures because began to believe in the power the words had over you while you were reading a book. For me, I become totally engrossed in books when reading something that I find interesting and I hardly notice my surroundings. When I am reading something that I find uninteresting, my surroundings almost seem to impede onto the page, distracting me even further.

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This is a most fantastic book that I've ever read before my growing-up.

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each, “Who are you?�? and “Where does the world come from?�? From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. SOPHIE'S WORLD drew me (also at my 14-year-old) into the world of Socrates, Descartes, Hegel and all the great philosophers in the history. It raised profound questions about the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.

It was my first touch on philosophy-- by the magical story of a girl. I was struggling to solve the riddles, together with Sophie, using my new knowledge of philosophy that just learned from the reading. However, the truth is far stranger than we could have imagined. Then, I learned the way to question, to think, and to solve. And the greatest one is never to lose curiousness during my whole life, because the universe is enigmatical, because the world is endless for discovery.

What I also want to mention is about the representation of the book. It is always not easy to present deep profound concepts (like philosophy) to teenagers. However, this book did succeed. I would say the author had found a most efficient way to communicate with his target audience, which is always vitally important in any kind of communications.

--Han

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In childhood, I read quite a bit of books by Dr. Suess; I was drawn to the big brightly colored images, and even more so the events, worlds, and creatures that inhabited the stories, that would never have existed in my own environment. In reading these stories I could be drawn in to make believe worlds simply by reading the pages, and then drawn out again by looking out from the book or closing it. As a child, I enjoyed the aspect of books that allowed me to use my imagination and be comfortable with the mindset that anything could happen, it was an early escape from reality. As an adult reading these books, I have come to appreciate the messages that are often buried beneath the bright pictures and sometimes non-nonsensical texts. Stories such as The Sneeches, Butter Battle, The Lorax, and many more are embedded with sharp social commentaries and lessons for children and sometimes for adults. What's more, I find there are shifts in perspectives through these stories. With each book, your view can change from a child, to an elephant, to a small who, to many other creatures.

In adulthood, I appreciate and use books in this very same way, not just as an escape from reality, but to view the world from a different set of eyes. One book that comes to mind is the novel "Everything is Illuminated," by Jonathan Safran Foer, a story about a young man who goes to the Ukraine to find the woman who rescued his grandfather in the wake of WWII. The story moves from the young man (Jonathan) as the narrator, to Alex (the young man who leads him), to Alex's grandfather, in and out of the past and present, through accents and English, and from reality to imagination. This mixes of perspectives and settings make for a really rich telling of a interesting story that is less about war and more about relationships to family, friends, and others.
*Emily

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Books were a very important part of my family's culture - possibly the MOST important. Because we are quiet reserved types of people, books were how we communicated with each other. It began in the beginning. My parents would read to us each and every night before bedtime. We read a passage from the Bible each night after dinner. Reading time was the time my family was closest, physically and emotionally. Even today we pass books from one family member to another, and every time my family gets together we all gather in the same room and read our respective books.

One particular set of books held special meaning to my sisters and I: the Tiny Golden Books. This was an old set of twenty-four tiny cardboard children's books measuring only three inches tall and two inches wide. They were read only on special occasions because they were very old and falling apart.

The stories in the books told short parables using anthropomorphic animal characters who learned lessons about minding their manners or telling the truth. The tiny illustrated pages were rich in detail, bringing you into an alternate ideal world inhabited by lovable giraffes and bunnies dressed in old-fashioned children's clothing.

But the most important aspect of the book was its tiny size. They were made to fit in a five-year-old's hand. This made the experience of reading the book, or having the book read to you, extremely tactile. This was especially poignant when my father would read the books to us, his giant hands suddenly becoming awkward as he handled the delicate pages. The books rendered the child the center of the experience, the master of the book. And to a five-year-old it is a magical experience.

-Adrienne

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I can’t remember the name of the book, but when I was younger, my aunt had a picture book at her house that celebrated diversity in the world. Through cartoon-like drawings (similar to the style of The Point!) and minimal text, the book explored the “peoples of the world,�? highlighting differences in cultural markers such as dress, cuisine, and manners. The underlying message was how cultures may have different practices, but no one is “better�? than the others—they are just different.
One image that I remember clearly was of a western (perhaps American) tourist couple visiting an African village. While the people of the village may have looked “weird�? to someone in the tourists’ position, with their body paint, piercings, and minimal clothing, this image showed how the villagers thought the couple, with their running shoes and nail polish (well, the women’s nail polish), looked exotic and strange to them.
I remember looking at this book and being struck by the concept of differences and beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Though I was young (between five and eight), reading that book really instilled in me the awareness and importance of cultural understanding.

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I was very receptive of Spector's point regarding how the physical process of reading a book is inherently related to the type of knowledge produced. I agree that there exists an opportunity for a specific type of experience at each turn of the page that is different from the sum of the words contained in a particular book. My most intimate experience with this phenomenon occurred with Jack Kerouac's Lonesome Traveler.

This is a book that has traveled the world with me. First, I believe it is a book that is best understood when read on the road, as Kerouac himself has explained. What's more, in reading the book countless times across three continents, the book has proven itself as a translator of sorts, offering an empathetic representation of the timeless types of people and events one finds when traveling.

I was initially turned on to Kerouac as an antidote to travel fever. I was 18, and had yet to drop out of college to begin my travels. I read his canon voraciously, and with much enjoyment; however, it was not until I purchased Lonesome Traveler at age 21 in Rome, Italy that I felt I truly began to understand the experience for which Kerouac worked so hard to craft for his readers.

Since then I have found that, whether it was while waiting for a ride when hitchhiking in southern France, or stumbling off a Greyhound in Madison, Wisconsin looking for a 4:00 AM cup of coffee, Lonesome Traveler is a book that provides a knowing perspective on the wild, disparate, and impermanent circumstances in which we conduct our lives. In my opinion, the process of traveling serves to amplify these circumstances, and therefore is a particularly poignant environment in which to reflect of these circumstances. For those interested in contextualizing their experiences beyond contemporary life, Lonesome Traveler offers that opportunity.

In summary, Lonesome Traveler is a book with which I have developed a special relationship. It is a book which, when read while traveling, offers an experience that is not immediately available when read in another circumstance. An integral component of that experience is the opportunity it provides readers to understand themselves and others in a context grander than any particular moment in time.

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