Narrative / Zine: In-depth - Box, Objects, Zine

The Existential Crisis Box

(the back of the zine that doubles as a poster)

(front & back of zine)

Narrative: In-Depth - Container Proposal

Narrative: Outside Visit - Miami Book Fair // Art Spiegelman

   I saw the presentation "Celebrating Si Lewin with Art Spiegelman and Charles Kochman". Art Spiegelman is best known for his "Maus" comics, and he was great, he was really funny and casual about the whole presentation. He talked about Si Lewin's "Parade" which talks about his experiences with the war in a book that contains no words, only drawings made by Si Lewin himself. During the presentation they pulled out a copy of the accordion style book and asked two volunteers to come up and hold the book open, and of course they broke the book in half *spiegelman proceeds to make joke about breaking the book*. Spiegelman also talked about Si Lewin's other art which was very deep and dark, he also mentioned that he developed severe arthritis and attempted to cut off his right hand. Lewin survived the attempt and continued to make sculptures, one of which was a bunch of hands rising up out of the ground. Once the "Parade" book was finally finished Lewin was so happy with how it turned out and then just 10 days later he passed away, it's as if he was waiting for the book to be finished.

Narrative: Outside Visit - Miami Book Fair // "Short Stories, Big Ideas"

 
 I saw the presentation called "Short Stories, Big Ideas" featuring Leela Corman, Drew Weing, and Frank Viva. Leela Corman did most of the talking and she talked a lot about she's an American belly dancer and how she spent some time in Egypt taking notes for her stories in "We All Wish for Deadly Force". She said that being a dancer in Egypt is looked down upon even though it is something that is commonly associated with the culture. She also touched on the topic of sharing information via comics or cartoons and how it is perceived differently through different cultures and people.
   Drew Weing talked about his online comic called Margo Maloo that focuses on the main character moving to a new city and he is scared of his new neighbors and sees them as humanized monsters. He said that this comic was ongoing and intended to keep working on it.

Narrative: Small Works - Mood/Action/Topic

Contemplative / Stargazing / Outer space 

(scanning these diminished some of the neon colors) 

Narrative: Small Works - Sequential Art

Explanation:  

    With these pieces I really wanted to set the mood of what was going on in my poem, and I did that in a more abstract way by using collage to create various compositions in these frames that go with different parts of my poem. I wanted to stay away from "traditional" comics which is why I chose to not have any characters and just have the words under the image narrating the scene. Basically the idea was that in the first frame everything looks "calm" & "organized" but then as you move on to the second and third frame things begin to get more chaotic and overwhelming. This comes to a close in the last frame where the "bird chirping" brings you back from the chaos and to a more collected state like in the first frame.

(I took some inspiration from Aidan Koch's work 

and some others that were in the link under it) 

Narrative: Readings - "what is comics poetry?"

What is Comics Poetry:

An Essay By Alexander Rothman

 This readings uses tons of rhetorical questions and Rothman starts off by asking "so what is poetry?" he says that it is the purest form of language and he goes on to talk about the history of poetry and how the earliest poems came from oral traditions. He then says that he doesn't think there is one standard "correct" definition of poetry and that it is very broad. Rothman says that he has a similar difficulty in defining what comics are, he refers to it as images in a form of writing. He says that both poetry and comics are similar in the fact that the most basic form of each is juxtaposition. 

   I found this reading very helpful in describing what exactly comic poetry is and Rothman also asks the reader tons of questions about why and how we express the things we do in a piece of work, which I found very helpful. Some things that Rothman said that I really enjoyed were "broad definitions let more work in" and "the more one engages art, the more one inhabits different perspectives and subjectives". I enjoyed these quotes because they are things that I really agree on with Rothman. He also says "poem is a map to a poet's thinking" which really got me thinking about different ideas to incorporate into the next small work. Overall I felt like this reading was very helpful in giving context and insight into the new topic. 

Landscape: In-Depth: Invisible Cities

Zenobia

(Details)

Landscape: Small Works - The Garden

Along Black Creek Trail

at the back of palm tree nursery 

(there are all these old abandoned vehicles at the back of the nursery 

and I have no idea why they are there) 

  

(writing and sketches)

(photo and dead palm tree leaves weaved together)

Landscape: Small Works - Prose/Poetry

6IX $T0R13S ÛP

Landscape: Outside Visit - The Discipline of Nature / HistoryMiami

The Discipline of Nature

Architect Alfred Browning Parker in Florida

   In the 1940s modern architecture took over Florida and Alfred Browning Parker played a very important role in leading this movement. Throughout his career he came up with many principles that focused on organic architecture and really took into account the nature around him in Florida to reflect that in his work. Parker made tons of work and his Florida architecture turned him into a regional figure and a national icon. 

   I honestly really love Parker's designs and would love to live in a house that he designed. All the photos of the houses from Coral Gables and Coconut Grove are amazing, what I really love about his designs most are how he combines the structure and nature. It is almost as if they're just giant tree houses, and it really gives you the feeling that you are part of nature and not just stuck inside of a house. His designs are just so visually appealing and so aesthetically pleasing. 

(like look at those trees! wow!)

Landscape: Outside Visits - Visionary Metropolis / The Wolfsonian

Visionary Metropolis

Tony Garnier's Une Cité Industrielle

   This exhibit talks about how the industrial revolution was a huge crisis at the beginning of the 20th century, and this caused many designers to come up with new ideas to improve the living conditions of urban life. Tony Garnier being one of these designers to come up with hundreds of plans for an ideal city that evoked France. Garnier's drawings were inspired by science fiction, classical ruins, and rational design principles which can all be seen in his work. 

   Every part of the city that Garnier came up with was geared toward health and recreation, everything from the parks, sanitation systems, fitness centers etc. I really appreciated the attention to detail that Garnier put into his work and how "mathematically correct" (if that makes any sense, maybe architecturally correct is a better term?) they were. You can really tell that he was completely invested in his work. 

                                              

   

Landscape: Exercises(readings?) - Garden Research

•    Buckminster Fuller--When was he working?

Buckminster Fuller was a 20th century inventor and visionary born in Milton, Massachusetts on July 12, 1895. He wanted to make the world work for all of humanity, he showed his ideas as inventions that he called “artifacts.” Also, the inventor of the geometric dome. 

•    Ha-has (recessed walls)--where do you find these?

A ha-ha is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier while preserving views. Ha-has are used in landscape design to prevent access to a garden by people or animals. In security design, the element is used to prevent vehicles from entering.

•    Parco del Mostri--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Park of the Monsters. Created during the 16th century. Located in Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio, Italy.

•    Roman Forum--What function did it have? Where, when, what's your favorite image?

First began being built in 29 BC. A Forum was the main center of a Roman city. Used as a gathering point for all different types of activities.  

•    Boboli Garden--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

A park in Florence, Italy, that is home to a collection of sculptures dating from the 16th through the 18th centuries, with some Roman antiquities.

•    Jardin du Luxembourg--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, was created beginning in 1612. 

•    Tivoli Garden (Italy)--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome.

•    Bernini's Four Rivers--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy. It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

•    Jean Dubuffet's Jardin d'Emaille--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Made in 1974 after a 1968 model. Gelderland, Netherlands

•    Stowe Garden--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Stowe House is located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. Opened 1683.

•    Stourhead Garden--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Stourhead is a 1,072-hectare estate at the source of the River Stour near Mere, Wiltshire, England. Opened 1725.

•    Washington DC (The Grand Park)--Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Construction started 1848, opened 1888, Washington DC.

•    Viscaya Museum--Why is this in Miami?  What is it named after? Who is responsible for it being built?  Where, when, what's your favorite image?

Deering began to purchase the land for Vizcaya in 1910 from Mary Brickell. In 1912, Deering purchased an additional 130 acres of land and construction in 1913. Construction not completed until 1922. Deering wanted his estate to embody South Florida’s history, legends and mythology.

•    Fairchild Tropical Garden--Why is this in Miami?  Who is it named after?  Where,

when, what's your favorite image?

Established in 1936 by Robert H. Montgomery, opened to the public in 1938. It was named after his good friend David Fairchild, one of the great plant explorers that brought more than 20,000 important plants to the U.S. Fairchild plays many roles, including museum, laboratory, learning center and conservation research facility, but most importantly it preserves biodiversity.

(me at Fairchild like 2 years ago)