Response to Lick and Lather by Janine Antoni

I believe that Lick and Lather creates a picture of the cycle of discovery and destruction of the self. Janine Antoni licks and eats away at the chocolate until it eventually becomes a sculpture of herself. The gentle process of licking coupled with the aggressive gesture of eating are representative of the things we do to ourselves over time and through many experiences that make us who we are. I believe a similar message applies to the soap sculpture of herself, but where she was putting herself into the chocolate sculpture, she is now applying the soap sculpture to her body. Antoni begins with the sculpture and uses it to wash herself making the end result not about the disintegrated soap but about the cleaned body that came of its use.

Momento

My momento captures many memories in the mountains of North Georgia

where my grandparents own a cabin. The shape of the sculpture reflects that of a

tree, which shades and protects from the sun. The base which fans out into the outstretching arms

is woven from parts of wheat grass stems. Not only was the meditative process of weaving crucial 

to the emotion of the piece, but it best overall captures the unity of myself with nature.

Response to Inventory/ The Tokens by Christopher Turner

Christopher Turner presents a view of a token that drastically contrasts with the lighthearted twenty-first century American perspective. The tokens in this article were more as a form of identification than a keepsake for the orphans that were admitted to "for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children." In this way, the objects were more for the use of the giver than the receiver in the instance that the mother wanted or was able to return for her child as she would use the token to prove her relation. Some of the tokens listed are as sweet and sentimental as "an embroidered heart" or as unsentimental as a "bottle tag that reads 'Ale'" and some as grotesque as a piece of the mother's umbilical cord. But, again, one must recognize that these were not meant for the purpose of providing a child any comfort other than the hope that their mother would use whatever object they left behind to one day reclaim him or her. Turner likens these tokens to being orphans as well once they were removed from their "identifying packages" which makes the crucial point that for an object to become a token it must be with or connected to someone.

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Vocabulary

Vermin: noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively,especially those of small size that appear commonly andare difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches,mice, and rats.

Plaintive: expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful.

Concede: to acknowledge as true, just, or proper; admit.

Gruff: low and harsh; hoarse.

Impede: to retard in movement or progress by means of obstacles orhindrances; obstruct; hinder.

Importune: to press or beset with solicitations; demand with urgency or persistence.

Aggrieved: wronged, offended, or injured

Outline

Gregor wakes up as a vermin.

He realizes he has missed the train to get to work on time.

Gregor's mother knocks on the door and tries to come into his room but Gregor out of habit has the door locked and when he tries to call out to her his voice is squeaky.

His office manager comes to his and his family's apartment to find out why Gregor has not shown up for work.

Gregor finally gets the door open with his mouth and when his office manager sees his appearance he bolts from the apartment.

Gregor's sister, Grete, puts milk and bread in his room but he finds the taste now repulses him.

Grete later puts rotting food in Gregor's room which he enjoys.

Gregor spends his time listening and watching his family talk.

Gregor becomes more comfortable with his new body and starts climbing up the walls for amusement.

Grete and their mom move the furniture in his room so that climbing for him will be much easier.

Gregor gets upset by this and in a last effort covers up a picture on the wall of a women in a fur hat. 

When Gregor's mother sees him she passes out. 

When Gregor's father sees her condition he thinks that Gregor attacked her and he throws an apple at him which gets wedged in his side.

In order to bring in some money his family rents out one of the rooms in the apartment to three business men.

When the business men find out about Gregor they move out and refuse to pay that month's rent because of the repulsive conditions.

Grete tells her parents that they must get rid of Gregor before they are all ruined, to which her father agrees.

Gregor overhears this and he goes into his room and dies.

When his family finds out he has died they feel relieved and move out to the country.

Expressive 3D Forms

Ambiguous. I used basic shapes to create and abstractly recognizable bird. The prominent V shaped piece is oriented in a way that conveys a head and beak, the smaller and thinner pieces of wood down the backside resemble feathers and the protruding triangular pieces on the side convey wings of some sort. This piece embodies ambiguity because at first glance the viewer sees something recognizable but all that is really there is basic shapes.

Anger. I started out with an abstract wooden heart attached it upright to a wooden post making it, in a way, vulnerable to it's surroundings, and then I used long jagged pieces that appear to be puncturing or attaching the heart shaped centerpiece. But what the viewers eyes first notice is the highest piece that, because of its apex and upwardly bent arm, conveys something that is castle like, or prominent or powerful. This conveys anger because when a human is filled with anger it is the first thing that people notice because that emotion has dominated the heart, but upon further investigation one discovers the attack upon the vulnerable heart that has caused it to relinquish it's control to the overpowering emotion of anger. 

Determination. Determination only comes in the face of strife otherwise there would be nothing to prevail against and no need for determination. One must conquer something or move on in spite of unfortunate circumstances. Determination is conveyed by the use of an apex that points forward rather than up, which would embody hope which looks to something that is beyond the present moment. The strife is conveyed by the load of broken pieces that follows behind the apexed shape and by the use of wood glue dripped down the focal piece which also conveys a heavy burden/ tears/ or sweat. All of which weighs down the focal piece which moves forward despite its surroundings.

Peace. I used flowing and repetitive patterns to give a calming sense to the sculpture. To avoid making the piece predictable I added contrast without changing the meaning by attaching thin organic pieces. They have pointed ends which could make them seem more dangerous but by also making them delicate I move away from something precarious or dangerous to something that could resemble a tree branch or a deer's antlers, both of which have peaceful associations.