45 Minutes of My Life I'll Never Get Back

While watching Work of Art, I could think of nothing more, but “what has the world come to?” The show is monotonous. This is like every other Bravo television show; the one with the hair dressers who compete against each other, the one where the fashion designers compete against each other, then one where the models compete against each other. Reality shows are the same story, told in a different rendition, with could-have-been-more-famous hosts and winners who never really launch a career.

On another level, the art that the competitors created was not outstanding. The playground toy with an erection, the ball of paper, and the bucket with hoses wrapped around it were bad attempts at grasping the concept of the challenge they were given. All in all, I would rate this show a flop and its slot on daytime television could be better occupied.

Art is Subjective

Art should not be judged against another piece the same way food or home design is judged. Art is subjective and opinions are entirely up to the viewer. Two pieces cannot be judged next to another to compete for a "winner." Each piece has special meaning to the artist and every artwork can be meaningful to someone, depending on their perspectives and cumulative life experiences. Food can easily be judged for it's quality over another as can home design or even fashion. Art has a different meaning and connotation to everyone and the variety of personal taste can make it very hard to come to a consensus about which pieces and artists are better than others. I did not enjoy the reality show not only because I felt it was unfair to pit artists against each other the way that they did, but I also think that they picked artists more for their large and memorable personalities than for their talent. 

Art for a Purpose or for an Audience?

The Bravo Network has been a cable television network that has introduced successful reality series that keep the ideas of innovation in mind. Some shows such as Project Runway, Double Exposure, Top Chef, Tabatha's Salon Takeover, to name only a few, are all types of art forms presented in a challenge-based series where competitors on a weekly basis are given the tasks to win the vote of the judges to make it to the next round. Ultimately, the competitors aspire be the last one standing and declared the series winner. Bravo has presented television shows that rethink the idea of art and it's mediums which can range from hair, runway design, and even food.  However, based on the episode watched in Monday's class, Bravo's new televised series, Work of Art, stresses the point of innovation to where a piece of art is questioned to whether it is generated from genuine aesthetic talent or just an merely an absurd creation made for the reaction of America as an act, or televised performance.
The task that was given to the two groups was inspired by parkour but this was not seen in the finishing pieces. The groups both came up with two ideas from parkour -one being a playground theme and the other being "circles". Where they can connect the two confused me and I'm sure had many others scratching their heads.
Overall, despite a few individual successes, the overall group projects were complete choas. The artists, who actually deem themselves achieved artists (or act like it), percieve the notion that they can create essentially anything for the sake of an audience's reaction and they are safe for the next round. The talent that these competitors have is lost somewhere along the way when the idea of winning manifests into their craft, and leads them to create things that are more "interesting", "stirring" or "radical". Their unique talent, the talent that broght them onto the show in the first place, is compromised. One piece which upset me the most was from a man who tied a piece of hose around a bucket, painted it in colors of red and yellow and said it was inspired by New York City. I didn't see it, and I don' think anyone else did either.

HTM: Work of Art

While some may say that the individuals participating on the show Work of Art are not artists. They may say that the pieces the individuals are producing are not art but I would disagree. One of the main arguments against the idea that is produced on the show is art is the notion that an artist works without being given a theme or a concept and that if an artist is given a theme or a concept then the work is not art. I’m here to say that is a load of bull. Artists are given themes and concepts for their work to based off of all the time. It’s called a commission. Hello folks, did you forget the art world has those? Often, when an artist is commissioned the person financially backing the piece is telling the artist what they would like in the piece or what the basis of the piece should be based off. If we go ahead and say that if the concept is not their own, the artist’s work is not art we have to deny a lot of work as art. Da Vinci, Raphael, Beethoven, Mozart, Picasso, and many, many other artists were often commissioned to create work. These created pieces are some of the most breathtaking, enigmatic, inspirational pieces of art ever created. I mean, can you imagine a world in which pieces like the Last Supper and Beethoven’s symphonies aren’t considered are? I’m not ready to dismiss the work these artists created. Are you?

Reality Art

After seeing the TV show Work of Art in class on Monday, I do believe that art and a reality show can exist. However I believe it exists with limitations. Putting the artists on deadlines like the show does, it does not allow the artist to create works that show their true skills. With the short time limits many of the pieces are often rushed, and short cuts are taken so that all that is needed to be done can get done. Even though I believe that art does take time to create, the artists could also come up with ideas that they know will meet what is needed to be done, but also what can be done in a timely fashion. If you have 24 hours and your idea for the project is obviously going to take longer than that, you should come up with a new idea.

Working as a group on artwork is definitely possible. As seen in the episode watched in class each person was responsible for their own work, it just had to correlate with all the other works of art that were done by the group. I believe the artwork may often be better when working with a group because more ideas are thrown around before settling on one. With this each artist is now opened to all new possibilities, and if anyone was having difficulty coming up with an idea of what to do the group may then step in and help. However, when working with a group the artists may also have to worry about their projects being judged against the others in their group. In the real world I do not believe that art should be compared to other works because it is all individual and personal to the artist. However, when it comes down to a reality show where there can be only one artist in the end, then it is fair to compare all the works to each other. It is only fair because you are trying to find the best amongst them all, and that cannot be done if you are telling all the participants how great their projects are every week. Therefore, on a reality art TV show like Work of Art, it is completely fair and understandable to judge each piece, but in the real world to compare art to each other should not be done.

Work of Art: Reality Show and Art in the Same World?

Reality show about art competition? My first thought when I heard about it was “ no way” “It’s impossible”. Even if there were some credible people as judges, I don’t feel like that still wouldn’t be fair. You can not have a soccer player competing against a tennis player; the same thing goes for art; you can not have a sculpture versus painting because they are two different types of art. Based on my observation of the show in class on Monday, I felt like the judges only decide what they like better. They judged mainly based on their preferences. Even the guy with the accent. He just commented that those arts that they do not make sense (to him ) even though it does make sense to the contestants. Judging pieces of art based on one’s preference is not fair; there fore, the competition is not fair.

As I observed the show, I kept wondering why and how this show is able to get enough rating on television and do the second season. Then, it just hit me when we got to the part that has one of the contestant cried dramatically, which was very amusing to see. I realized many people these days love watching low-intelligent, silly, amusing TV shows like Jersey Shore or the Kardashian family. Work of Art has that silliness. I believe most people who watch the show do no expect some rigid competition, they expect these artists to do some weird interesting stuffs, or may be have some funny moments. Many artists are very unique, so by getting a number of them on the show, thing gets very interesting.

Art and reality show do co- exist. Art is full of possibilities, anything, depending on personal opinion , could be art. By grouping people with different opinions on art in one show, it is just like multiple worlds collide with each other. As reality show is all about showing something real ( or at least look real), which is interesting, having the uniqueness of artists combined with the show makes interesting combinations.

Work of Art

I think that Art works fine in a reality TV show. It’s definitely not a show that I would watch regularly but I don’t think there is any problem with it. The show is really no different than any chef shows or design shows. It works just fine.

I don’t believe there is such thing as a requirement for how long it should take to create art. All art takes a different amount of time to make. In this case, these people are trying to win a competition so they have to create a piece in certain time constraints.

Art can certainly be a group project! Simply think of movies. Every movie that’s ever been created in Hollywood is a massive group project. Such movies would never be possible without a large group of people.

Also think of dance choreography. Dances are constantly performed in groups.

Aside from these examples there are also groups of musicians and theatre groups.

Art can certainly be created in groups.

I’ve never thought there to be a “weirdo” stigmas associated with artists. Perhaps it is because I am an artist that no such thing has ever occurred to me. I feel that people should be allowed to express themselves in any way they feel they need to (as long as it doesn’t conflict with the law or killing people or something).

When the French guy comes in and tells them they are all wrong it is definitely problematic to the artistic competitors. However, in the world of art there is no such thing as wrong; therefore, what the Frenchman is telling them is that their concepts are wrong for the show if they are really truly trying to win. No one can tell an artist what to do, but if the artist is trying to win something from a certain someone or spectator then the artist must do what that person wants.

HTM: Work of Art

Watching Work of Art in class made me understand the controversy that surrounds reality television. This is so as it is questionable as to whether art and reality shows can co-exist. I do believe that it is possible, as the episode shown to us in class proved this and was very interesting to watch. Personally, I enjoy reality television and think it is definitely becoming more popular in our society. I genuinely believe that the contestants on the show are artists and are not just television performers. However, in some cases their art abilities might be compromised in order to make the show more interesting. As a result, the viewer may be likely to focus more on the “drama” that comes with reality television rather than the art the contestants are creating.

Another controversial issue seen in the episode is that art was created in a group; this is not the norm however it is still acceptable in my opinion. This is so as multiple perspectives are able to collaborate, this is more commonly seen in the music industry. Furthermore, the time frame that was given to accommodate the show may not have allowed the artist to show their true abilities. Although art and reality television can co-exist in cases like this I believe the artists’ true abilities are shielded. This can also be seen in the episode when the French guy with the outrageous accent comes and tells them that they are all wrong with the concept. In this instance some of the originality and creativity of the artists’ are compromised. I do believe art is subjective but in order for it to co-exist with reality television it must be pleasing to the general audience and that is the reason pieces of art are judged against each other.

Hot Topic Monday "Art Show"

After watching a reality TV show based on Art, I truly feel like I have seen it all. It sounds like an oxymoron just to say it. But, that besides the point and watching the show made me question so many things about what TV is now becoming.

Can art be a group project? Yes, it most certainly can, in fact I would think art could almost reach a new level if group style work was done more often. Think about it, instead of one perspective on a project, your getting several fresh ideas that can only help the overall goal; to make a masterpiece. By bouncing off thoughts from one another, the overall quality of the project should be better than someone who is solo.

Can a reality show about Art co-exist? In a weird way it can, but is it pushing it a little; most definitely. Reality TV is more like Jersey Shore or The Real World, shows like that are considered to be what reality TV is today, not a show that is more personal. It will work as an idea, but the ratings could be a little questionable. The concept of the show reminds me a lot of the show Top Chef. On how they took an art form such as cooking and made it a reality show, while with this show they are covering all arts.

Are the people on the show artists or performers? In my opinion, both, but there not really gifted at either. If they were hired just to perform then they definitely could have gotten better actors. However, if they were on the show to represent their artistic skills, then they really need to step it up! This is ultimately an art competition at the end of the day and from what I have seen so far, none of them are that gifted. I feel that the ideas that they come up with is so generic and simple thats its not really art to anyone else besides the creator themselves. Overall, this show in my eyes won’t last longer than one season.

Work of Art

1. I do believe that art and a reality show can co exist as a result of there are a few shows that have already proved the world that yes it can work. Project runway is just one of many that has created art out of materials that are found around the city and pieced together to create clothes. Just by watching half an episode it was clear to me that this show has been very successful, has the ability to be also.

2.Given only a day to create art is a challenge, it is not impossible. Art is seen differently in everyone’s eyes and in mine one day is enough to create something great out of parts around the city. Yes art should take time to make but that does not have to be the case all the time. In the show the two groups were given a day and an hour the next day to create a piece that had to do with motion, and they ended up finishing it in one day. Art work should not be given a deadline, but during the show they were.

3. Creating art can be done in a group, but also it can be done as a solo project. Many famous artists have been successful in creating their own art pieces with no help. While watching the show it seemed that working in a group for that project would work in all of their advantages, but really it only hurt most of them. Certain projects may work in people’s favor if they work with others then themselves, and there are situations where a person may do their best work alone with no help. Working in a group can work out, but in other cases it may not.

Hot Topic Monday

1. When the French guy with the outrageous accent comes and tells them that they are all wrong with the concept — is it problematic? After all, they are artists. Can you tell an artist what to do? Doesn’t that contradict the nature of art?

I do not believe that this is problematic. He can tell the artists what to do because they are asking for something specific. They want the artists to make a piece of art that is about movement. They are like the people who commission a piece of art. They say they want a piece of art but give the artist guidelines. I don't believe that this contradicts the nature of art because it is still the artist ideas, they have just been told what to make. It I came up with the idea for the Mona Lisa then told Leonardo de Vinci to paint it, I don't believe that telling him what to paint would discredit the merit of the painting being considered a work of art.

2. Are these folks artists or are they merely television performers?

I believe that these people are artists that have a TV crew following them. To me people on reality TV shows are not performers. I think of a TV performer as a person who preforms lines and emotions. Reality stars don't do either of these things. They simply have cameras crews following them around, like a documentary. What you see is these peoples real emotions and words, there is no acting or talent involved in being a reality star.

3. Can you really create art when you are given only a day to make it? Shouldn’t art take time? Does art ever work on such a short deadline?

I think it does and it doesn't matter how long art takes, it takes time to put thought and meaning into a piece of art. It could take years for you to create art or just a couple of hours. I believe that the time it took you to create your art determines how good it can be. It takes time to create little details and get everything just right. I believe that these people are creating art, it just might not be the best art that they could make. If they were given more time they would be able to perfect their pieces of art and add more details than they could in just a day. The time doesn't discredit the value of their art, it just limits how good and how much though goes into making it. For example the guy who made the Japanese flag would have been able to create his art better if he had more time. He had a good concept but with limited time his execution wasn't as good as it could have been.

Art Post 5

A couple of weekends ago I went to a concert with my family at the Phillips Center on the UF campus. We had been given four free tickets so our family decided to go. There were four bands playing; Disciple, Manafest, We as human, and Skillet. They are all hard rock christian bands. I'm not that much into hard rock, but my dad and brother are so we decided to make it a family trip. All the bands had really good stage presence and put on a good show. Skillet had a pretty cool stage set up. They had a bunch of different lights and three pedestals that could go up and down, one of which the drums were on. To my surprise I actually really enjoyed the concert, even though I could barely hear afterwards.

My Movie

Here is the link to my movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnLNjr_WxxI

Art Experience #4

Have you ever watched a movie and have such an impact from it that you actually take it to hear and change your life completely? Well, I have. I watched the movie "Super Size Me" and never felt more gross in my entire life. Basically, the premise of the movie is having someone eat three McDonald meals a day for thirty days. The whole point was to show how sick someone can get from snacking on fast food, and Mickey D's just happened to be the go too target. Ultimately after witnessing the documentry I decided to lose weight. In seventh grade I must have weighed as much as a normal freshman high schooler and looked ever pound of it. But, after watching that documentary I changed up my eating and exercise habits and lost 25 pounds in about 3 months and managed to keep it up. So, my connection to art here is how a artistic as well as powerful movie can change lives.

Art Experience #3

I was in Hawaii with my family and as we walk along the streets of Maui, I begin to hear this extremely festive music and came to find out quickly that it was the tune of the little mermaid. The high pitch clangy was extremely tropical and brought a sense of relaxation as well. It was the sound of steel drums and they were making such an impact on me that I ran over and asked the guy if he could teach me, I was 10. So, he gave me the drumsticks and basically let me go to town banging away until my craving was diminished. Then once again he began to play a perfect rendition "what a wonderful world". Ever since then, steel drums have been my favorite instrument! Check it out on youtube (steel drums/under the sea)

Art Experience #2

A unique style of art that I saw a long time ago at a festival in California was this couple had come up with the idea to make art out of garbage, but thats not all. They would make garbage structures so it's shadow would ultimatly create an image. They way they set up the garbage piles would decide what the shadow's image would look like. The couple is named Tim Noble and Susan Webster and they have been doing this style for years. In my opinion it's really cool and a fun thing to look at. When I first saw them in Santa Barbra, California they were showing off a piece with two people drinking wine back to back and ever since then I have been really interested in the whole style.

Art Experience #1

The other day I was thinking about what type of Art interests me and having to ponder that for awhile I came to the conclusion that graffiti is a style in which I am drawn to. The designs and patters that are created through graffiti are amazing. Also the fact that graffiti is done on buildings and structures is also a cool place to do art, so everyone could see it. While thinking of graffiti I realized that my sister actually did a report on a famous graffiti artist named Banksy. His art was very provocative and controversial. My sister told me all about him I guess that's where my initial love for this style of art came from.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy

Art Experience 3

Art Experience 3: Documentary “Babies”

Two weeks ago I watched the Documentary called “Babies”. My friend had seen it and told me about it and how great it was. The documentary follows three babies from Mongolia, Namibia and San Francisco. It was so interesting to see the interaction between babies of different cultures and their societies. It was a documentary I didn’t think I would be interested in, but ended up liking. I would definitely recommend watching this documentary.

Art has its own television show

Art Occurence 4

Last weekend, I went to Maitland Art Festival, which took place at Lake Lily Park, Maitland. There were many white tents set up, and there was a live music played the whole day. I found many interesting artists there. Some of stuff I found interesting included carved eggshells, clocks, and lamps, but what interested me the most was this tent by an artist named Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson.

Elizabeth uses all kinds of paper from handmade paper to pages from old books to make her posters. What made Elizabeth’s arts more interesting than other tents was that her art are very vibrant, refreshing, and colorful. Some of my favorite was the posters of peacock, flamingo, and a cow. I wanted to talk to her, but when I found her, she was busy with other stuff, so I didn’t get to talk to her.

After seeing her arts, I was so inspired that I became very enthusiastic about poster arts and went on the Internet and did some research. I have all these crazy ideas that I could do with poster arts. If I ever have some time (probably during winter break or something), I’d like to try making one.

art post 4

This week I saw The Lion King 3D. This was the first movie I saw when I was little in the movie theater, so I thought it was cool to be able to see it again. I'm not going to lie, it doesn't matter how many times I watch this movie, I will always cry during the stampede scene. I think this is what make Disney movie so good. They are able to pull out emotions in you no matter how many times you watch it. I heard that Disney is going to be releasing some of its classics back in theater in 3D like Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, and my favorite The Little Mermaid. I think that this was an amazing idea on Disney's part. They are putting out movies that they have already made and are going to make millions. Lots of people are going to go see these movies just for the sentiment behind them. I know I will be going to see a couple of them.

Art Occurence 3

On September 9^th, I went to see Contagion with my RCC class. As I’ve seen the trailer of this movie before, I was very excited to see it. I lived through the period when there was avian flu spread in Thailand, so I felt I’d be able to relate myself to the movie.

The movie was made so that it would look realistic. There were a lot of biology terminology throughout the movie which, I’m pretty sure, confused many people who are not really into science. (Lucky me for being in science major). There was barely any background music, which very interesting, as the production team was still able to deliver emotions that went on in the movie.

Overall, I felt like the movie was boring. I was very disappointed that the movie didn’t come out to be horror or the end of the world kind of movie. There was a scene when the 2 characters babbling about viruses for almost a whole minute which almost put me to sleep. The ending of the movie was unmemorable; as a matter of fact, I didn’t even remember how it actually ended. I only remember two teenagers dancing in the house, and a bat being the source of the epidemic.

art post 3

Tonight I watched Mars Needs Moms for the first time at home. This movie was made by Disney this year. It's about a little boy named Milo who gains a new appreciation for his mom after she is taken away by martians. He is able to rescue her and they return home to live happily ever after. The story is like most Disney stories in which it has a happy ending and teaches a lesson. I enjoyed the movie. I though that is was cute and had a good message behind it. The movie says that you need to appreciate what you have and to never take advantage of it. This movie cost over $150,000,000 to make and only grossed about $21,000,000. For a movie with such a large budget I feel like I should have been able to make more money.

Art Occurence 2

On September 23^rd, I went to see The Sweetest Swing in Baseball. The play is about an artist who underwent depression. After committing suicide, the artist, Dana, was sent to the mental institution, a place where she found peace. The whole play is circling around Dana finding what she really wants, and what makes her happy.

The play is very funny. There were a lot of memorable moments like when Dana has a conversation with an alcoholic guy and a sociopathic guy; or when Dana first pretended to be Darryl Strawberry when she knew nothing about baseball. I really liked Ryan’s role as Gary. I like how even though Gary was a sociopath, he knew what Dana really wanted. I thought the transitions of the play was very interesting. On the first transition, I like how people came out and put the bandage around Dana’s wrist to suggest that she had committed suicide without showing the actual event. I love the ending of the play when Dana became tenacious, and took on her boss. I also like how Alexis just randomly dropped the F-bomb in the end, which made me wonder whether that was Alexis as Dana or Daryl that did it.

Art Occurence 1

On September 27^th, I’ve got a chance to go see The Pillowman with my RCC class. It was the first time seeing the show so I was very exciting; especially when I’ve heard that it is a very dark but at the same time, humorous play. Based on the name, I felt like the play is some pg-13 comedy plays.

As the show about to start, the light inside is dimed. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the two characters came out. The two characters are Katurian and Ariel. Ariel grabbed Katurian by his collar. Katurian was dragged to the table which is at the enter of the stage. After that happened, the theater just filled with silence. I thought this is a very creative way to capture audience’s attention. As the show goes on, I felt like the play was really dark. My favorite part of the show was when Katurian talked to his brother about the story. I still don’t get the significance of the Pillowman story. However, I feel I kind of get the overall idea of the play. I really like the play although I barely find the humor of the play.

Beside how the play went, I like the acting. Everyone in the play are really good at what they do, especially Matt who got the role of a character with mentally disorder.