Drawing as memory

5.)  The Sands of Time 

For this specific drawing, I thought of the material sand because of the actual sense of time (due to an hour glass) and how it effects our memory. SInce this material is so easily changed and moved, I chose to perform this piece in the breeze way where I could purposely get change from the wind. Memory can be perceived differently. For me, it is both physical and a part of you. It is physical by the fact that I created figure after figure out of the sand adding more and more while changing it over time. By doing so, the viewer remembers what the figures were since I chose numbers as an easy subject, but since they are erased, you can never remember exactly how the figure looked or the exact position it was in until you go back and watch it again, but even then you still lose memory of that figure and its specific position. That's why in the end I went back to creating a one to remind the viewers what I stared out with, but showing them as well, that I couldn't even get the same exact figure back because I couldn't remember myself. Memory is like chance, especially with the wind blowing the sand while I made new numbers. That made it even more difficult to remember the objects clearly. I had also chosen to use numbers instead of objects because of the sense of time. Like someone who has Alzheimer's, the older you get, the more you forget. So I had decided to count up to ten, and then back to one again to not only show how my memory was not the same but also show how someone with that disease get's to the point where they can only remember the past. 

Drawing as Nothing:

4.) It pours when it pours

In the beginning, I had a few difficulties with coming up with something for this project and so I looked into Yoko Ono's "Cut" piece for inspiration. I loved the fact that her clothes were being cut off of her body, not by her, but other people after a simple command she gave them along with a choice. I thought to myself, people can change and "draw" for you so why can't nature. For my piece, I decided to use this method with drops of water left after a rain storm since it sprinkled on and off that day. I put on clothes that would show the change and found a spot under Kenan that kept dripping more and more and stood under it. As the video progresses, you can begin to see the water seep down into the fibers of my shirt as well as my bangs and glasses falling down near the end. I decided to do this because the drawing is nothing. I'm not doing anything except for standing in the way of the water and the ground. The raindrops are doing all of the drawing for me as it seeps into my shirt. Sort of like Yoko sitting there on the floor as everyone else cuts off a piece of her clothing, doing the work for her. 

Drawing as walking or Navigation

3.) Watch Your Step

When thinking about what I wanted to do for this project, I decided that I liked the walking aspect most.  Watching a video where one artist walked in a straight line, walking through buildings and all, my thoughts focused on what I used to do as a kid. When I was younger, I remember coming across a stone on the sidewalk and ended up kicking it and following in its path until I had lost it. I wanted to further emphasize on this by causing everyones attention by doing something that is normally not seen. This is where I decided to walk as if I was Tightrope walking. In order to do so, I had tied about three different yarns together and formed them into a ball of yarn that I tied to a stop sign. From there I kicked it and followed in its path, the same path I take most of the time when I walk around St. Augustine. When I got to the end, I had literally just walked away like normal to emphasize how we normally walk. I found myself very unbalanced in the process and almost falling to the ground in a few places here and there. I really did need to watch my step more. 

One Mark Against Many:

2.) My "Abbey Road" 

Viewing many different performances of artists as "one mark against many" I had decided to take it to a different approach. Rather than standing there in everyones way, I had decided to move back and forth in a straight line without moving out of the way of people while I had a straight face on. Doing so, I wanted to draw attention to myself to make myself that mark against many others. To do so, I wore a tank top and shorts in freezing cold weather while walking back and forth across the street. Many people looked at me and kept commenting which is what I wanted to cause. Also, I had decided to go against the crowds by walking out in front of cars and stopping them, which is why I picked the busiest street that crosses St. George street. At one point I crossed in front of a car which caused a crowd to do the same after I got to the other side and so I crossed again in front of them, and in the video, you can see the lady rolling up her window after she tried to yell at me. I wanted to show how normally a person such as myself gets lost within the crowd and becomes just another face. I wanted to bring this forth by staying a person in the crowd by crossing the street when everyone else did, yet staying different by wearing the wrong atire to spark interest and stand out. I was the opposite from everyone else, making myself that mark.