Laurel Nakadate Questions/Response

Is your work about connecting with others actually helping you connect with others now that you have completed multiple pieces about it?

Is it wrong to assume these works about about yourself?

Idea: Separation

Separation is a new word I'm using to help describe my concept. "Isolation" was not  working the way I had originally intended, so I feel it's important to rewrite my artist statement and reword the way I describe my work in critiques. In my photographs I want to show the idea of something there that no longer is, something that was whole that is now separate... 

Bibliography

Clark, Sharon, PhD, Symons, Douglas, PhD. Representations of Attachment Relationships, the Self, and Significant Others in Middle Childhood. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; 2009, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p316-321, 6p, 2 Charts

This study examines the effects of positive and negative attachment and relationships among children and their caregivers. It suggests that these relationships have a direct effect on the individuals self worth and effect his or her relationships with others. 

Quotes from study:

"When needs are met either inconsistently or in an angry fashion by parents, children come to expect that they are not worthy of care. When needs are met consistently, children come to expect they are worthy of care and they can count on others in times of need, which is an element of secure attachment."

"Insecurity manifests itself as negative social behavior."

"More needs to be known about how attachment relationships are related to children's thoughts and feelings about themselves and their interactions with social partners within those relationships."

Maia Flore

from the series Mia Och Flore

This work is particularly interesting to me as a twin. When thinking about separation, I think a lot about being a twin and what it means to be part of a whole (I mean we started out as one embryo...) and what it means now to soon be living eight hours away.

Kathy Rose: Questions/Response

Initial Questions:
Working with new media (video, performance), have you encountered difficulties with presentation (how to best play a video, how often to perform a piece) within a gallery/museum setting? If so, in what ways did you overcome these challenges?

Would still images be able to convey your concepts? Why performance, video, animation, etc.?

Response:
To be completely honest, it was hard to sit through the Kathy Rose lecture. I thought I was going to learn more about her concepts behind her video work that I became familiar with by going through her website before I attended the lecture. Instead I learned that she is an artist that works largely without concept, but takes inspiration from Asian culture and dance. I found it shocking that an artist with no concept could attain so many reputable grants, teach at a university level, and garner so much attention without even communicating a message. As we watched each video, I took avid notes about what I thought the message was in the piece, always feeling like I must be missing something because I found most videos to be about nothing. I was not missing something, Kathy Rose's work was what was missing something. I was completely uninterested in her wacky videos with seemingly random costumes, dancing, and content that reminded me of a bad undergrad film students' first attempt experimenting with new technology. How is it that this work has tricked so many people into thinking this woman is talented?

My second question I proposed before attending the lecture was answered: "Would still images be able to convey your concepts? Why performance, video, animation, etc.?" The answer is: She has no concept so the medium could not possibly matter. I have no new questions.

I left with feelings of frustration towards the art world/market. I felt discouraged that I will ever be able to market myself amongst people making work of this nature that is being eaten up by the higher powers of art institutions.