some great déjà vu

I am still revisiting all the big tourist attractions that I have seen before. Some people find the spent time and money a waste, but my previous trip to Rome was 9 years ago! I am sorry if I can't remember everything, but also I find that I appreciate everything more given my art and history education and my age. Yesterday I stood across from The School of Athens for about 20 minutes and I also strained my neck admiring the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Even considering these déjà vu experiences, I would still revisit the David (when in Florence), the Sistine Chapel, the Forum... Each time it is a new experience and it is always fantastic. It is like rewatching a great movie; clearly a trip to Rome is more expensive but also more precious.

Monday I saw Angels and Demons again... the movie is ok, the book is better, BUT the movie is better when you see it in the Piazza del Popolo. For those of you that have not seen the movie, that spot is kind of important. (It's the first altar of science!!)

Tuesday was a national Italian holiday, so we didn't have class. Instead I planned a trip to the catacombs of San Callisto. Apparently 5 Roman catacombs are open to the public and I happened to pick the same one that I visited with my father 9 years ago. That place is so cool! Just go. After the catacombs we stopped by the Basilica of St. John Lateran.



And yesterday, I went with my class to the Vatican Museum. Drool.

So, this week has been great. However, I have a test tomorrow. That always brings down the fun. I am convinced that studying while in Rome is a sin. I should be out exploring, but I am doing that tomorrow, after my cooking class.

Ciao!

I'm a nerd

Some of my recent discoveries that are quite nerdy>

I love the comics on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. They are always pretty clever, but they are usually improved if you read the caption below. Apparently one of the benefits of math is solving irrational proofs that can boost your self esteem. Wait that's wrong... :)


Another hit at Twitter! Awesome. Thank you Middlebrow. Bring the beast down! However, the Middlebrow comics have a Twitter account... hmmm. I get why it is appealing, really I do, but so many other networking sites have more depth. If you are going to keep in touch with friends through a virtual environment at least allow for more points of connection or conversation, otherwise our society is doomed. Most people are already losing their social skills. I fear a future Wall-E world where we all communicate via computer and nothing else. Ok, resisting a rant... ahhhhhh it's difficult. One more thing - I want Twitter to start charging for accounts. Then everyone would quit the site. Well, I would hope.


So, I just discovered Ian Pool. He is a great photographer that captures moments that seem ordinary but with a closer look they either present an interesting narrative on society or something completely ridiculous and comical. I love all the photos, but I particularly love the series of superheroes (and villains) doing everyday activities. Like Doc Oct, from Spider-man, on the phone in his girly man room; the incredible Hulk walking a tiny little dog; or the one below with Vader. Genius! I guess superheroes don't have aliases.


Speaking of Vader, how did I miss this on Gizmodo?! The Vader Project gave 100 notable artists a scale Vader helmet to decorate. Their tag line is - "Pop culture meets evil dad." Where can I get one?!!!! This is like a mass produced DIY vinyl toy event.


I am a techno geek, and I am particularly infatuated with Macs. When I found this tutorial it made me so happy! Given my finals, I haven't looked into the specs of the process, but just the idea of making the Apple logo on a laptop into an LCD screen is awesome! And so purrrttyyyy.


Ok so before I show any more of my nerdy discoveries let me clear up some stereotypes. Nerds are not just geeks with glasses that play video games and have no sex life. Nerds are people who are intelligent and are usually focused on a particular hobby. Don't get me wrong, it can be the stereotypical video game hobby, but there are also technology nerds, design nerds, movies nerds, etc. In my case I am a little of all of those. That is one reason why I was even more amused by the Vader Project.

Given my design nerd side, I am entertained by average things that are improved by some sort of altering design element. Like the combs below that are shaped like knives. How cool is that?! A knife comb, hahahaha!

Here is another example of being a design nerd - the graphic design heroes t-shirt collection. If you don't know who Paul Rand or Milton Glaser is, then you are definitely not a design nerd, or even remotely clued into design history.


Considering all the crazy designed things out there, this has to be the craziest - designer axes. Almost everything I own is somewhat designed - I have a Lego shaped external hard drive, I have pillow shaped like a log... even my dish scrubber is designed (it looks like a porcupine!). But why would anyone ever need a designer axe? The only people that use axes are foresty-woodsy people, farmers, firefighters, murderers... who else? I don't know, but I am pretty sure people who need axes don't really care if the handle is pink or green. I would categorize this as a failed design job.


I think I should go study. Bye.

working for the weekend

One more final until I am a senior! That explains why I have been absent from my blog. Technically, I have been a senior for a while (according to units), but I won't consider myself a senior until I am in my fourth year of school. Some people graduate early, some become super seniors, some sign up for the progressive degree program, and some even pull a Van Wilder, but for me, four years is perfect. You see the natural progression of college life through those four years, and I enjoy carpe diem-ing ever minute.

Speaking of Van Wilder, this guy Johnny Lechner has been a college student since 1994. Wow. At least he has multiple degrees, but why not continue your education at a different level? How about a masters degree Johnny? His logic makes no sense and he has by far the most poorly designed website I have ever seen. Actually no, this website may be the worst. Speaking of bad design, check out USC's newest sculpture...


I needed to know what this thing is, so I searched the USC website and found this description in the news section - "A stunning bronze fountain, "Generations," sculpted by Aris Demetrios, is up and running northwest of Leavey Library, across from Stoops Education Library."

It is far from stunning. It is awkward not only in appearance but also in location. It has no relation to the environment. It is a huge bronze block next to the library. It looks like cheap brushed metal and how it represents "Generations" is beyond me. You could argue that the different sections of the fountain and the flowing curves symbolize generations, but I think it's a stretch. It's just ugly. USC has one of the worst public sculpture/fountain collections I have ever seen. Like my other favorite ugly fountain near the Engineering School. I hope I don't look that emaciated when I graduate. Clearly, money doesn't buy taste.

More posts to come. Maybe. GGAAHhhhhh finals.

Banksy’s Anonymous Call for Action

Here is a research paper I wrote for my Writ 340 class... enjoy? (I am usually uncomfortable sharing my writing, so I am impressed that I actually posted this.)



I found this video after I wrote my paper. It is an interesting companion to my paper.

As a result of globalization, consumerism has defined a new economic model that thrives on the specificity of supply and demand. This public consumption has challenged many products including art, which has far departed from traditional subjects and presentation spaces in order to offer accessibility to the general public. This departure has established new artistic narratives rooted in the method of display paired with the subject. Due to the increased access and production of art there is an excess of artwork. This mass production creates a constant visual spectacle for the masses. This is seen through most products like shirts or magazines, and also public spaces like billboards and public transportation vehicles. This visual spectacle has been acknowledged by theorists and artists alike, and now creates the new dilemma of how to wade through the mass production for an established meaning often clouded by advertisements. Guy Debord, a Marxist theorist, acknowledges how consumerism is defined by the spectacle, and how with the rise of this consumerist culture, the social experience is defined less by production and more by marketing and mass consumption (Debord 12). Art is abused for the purpose of this spectacle and when paired with institutional “relations of power,” recognized by French philosopher Michel Foucault, the public suffers from exploitation in order to serve economic and social interests (Clifford 139). But this exploitation remains primarily because of the masses’ inaction and indifference to the established systems.

Banksy, an anonymous British graffiti artist, has found a successful solution to this dilemma of power relations and visual spectacle that has resulted from mass production and the established structural systems. He uses graffiti art that is controversial both in subject matter and application to express his criticism of this current system. Banksy boldly calls attention to this spectacle and the political establishments of modern society through the practical use of graphic silhouettes and iconographic imagery in public spaces in order to address the frequent exploitation and inaction in society.

Banksy’s work is well known but he remains anonymous in order to focus on the narrative of his work and not its author. Consumerism runs on branding, by-lines, and labels in order to sell an object through public identification. There is a huge emphasis on the value of a name so Banksy’s anonymity not only brings intrigue to his work but also emphasizes his purpose of recognizing the spectacle that results from mass consumption. There is little the public knows about Banksy’s personal life, but his political and social opinions are clearly expressed through his artwork like in his Happy Chopper piece, Fig. 1, where he adorned a war time helicopter with a bow and a cheerful phrase in order to create a satirical image that allows for public shock or recognition of the negative subject (Banksy, Wall and Piece 38).

Fig. 1. Banksy, Happy Chopper. 2003. Wall and Piece. Banksy. New York: Random House UK, 2007

Banksy has created other, similar images that target political institutions, human crimes, and mass consumed products. Though anonymous, he maintains an active website (see <http://www.banksy.co.uk>) and he has published a book in order to make these critical images even more public than they already are.

Banksy began his graffiti art at young age, and with his experience and he learned how to perfect his techniques, like silhouetting, allowing for his current success in conveying his ideas. In his book, Wall and Piece, Banksy recalls a time when he was eighteen and almost got caught trying to paint “LATE AGAIN” on a passenger train (Banksy, Wall and Piece 13). While hiding from the cops he saw some stenciled text and realized that stencils would improve his graffiti time and allow him to make large bold work that would easily express his ideas. From that point, Banksy perfected his method of graffiti through the development of silhouette-like art. In 2001, Banksy began receiving international attention because of his public stencil work that revolved around “creating art that interacts with its environment - and usually with a satirical, often political, bent” that “exists somewhere between Marcel Duchamp and Houdini” (Fahy 4). James Fahy is accurate in his characterization of Banksy. Banksy is defined by his unconventional methods and critiques of production like Duchamp, and with his Houdini like skills he covers public canvases with his political satires. This description is mildly obscure, but then considerably specific considering the anonymity of Banksy.

These characteristics along with his anonymity provide a unique dimension for establishing a public narrative filled with questions and irony. Banksy states that “it takes a lot of guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in – like peace and justice and freedom” (Banksy, Wall and Piece 35). Though a hyperbolic statement, it is part of his manifesto to call attention to abuses in culture whether it is exploitation or inaction. There are other people in the world who preach similar ideas, but few have successfully expressed this through art in a way that is absorbed by the public as something more than artistic spectacle. Graffiti art is risky because of its illegal nature, but the risk allows for a public image that will gain many spectators.

Banksy’s art criticizes injustices in society and his covert actions reinforce his messages. Michel Foucault recognized that through the disciplinary training of a political system subjects will act in accordance with the norms to serve economic and social interests (Foucault). It is an established society that exploits the individual and allows for institutions to grow, like the fear created in the panopticon, an architectural figure developed by Jeremy Bentham (Foucault). The panopticon is a prison-like structure and within the structure there is an area where it is possible to survey every prisoner, but the prisoners cannot see the guards making it impossible to identify when one is being watched (Foucault). This fear and uncertainty is the reasoning behind why the general public does not violate governmental laws. This same government fuels monopolies and subordination, eventually leading to public inaction and numbness. Banksy sees the injustice in this fear and as a result creates images like Fig. 2 where a British Royal Guard, the Queen’s guard, is peeing on a wall in order to question and ridicule the system and it’s power.

Fig. 2. Banksy, 2002. Wall and Piece. Banksy. New York: Random House UK, 2007

Banksy challenges the state’s exploitation and the public’s inaction through his work’s humor and irony to identify injustices. These are large claims, but the general “relations of power” that Foucault calls attention to is present in multiple scenarios and Banksy addresses this relationship by displaying his art in multiple locations in order to publicly encourage action more broadly. Banksy cites the following Emo Philips quote as his personal manifesto:

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.
Then I realized God doesn’t work that way,
so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. (Banksy)

The quote is both simple and direct, like his art, and it is precisely what Banksy emulates in his work, movement for change rather than inaction so wrongs can be identified. Banksy recognizes that “A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to,” so Banksy has become a guerilla street artist in order to be a driving force to encourage action or at least recognition of certain conditions (Banksy, Wall and Piece 21).

Banksy presents his political messages through a variety of artistic mediums, but his most well known work is his graphic silhouette-like graffiti. The use of silhouettes in Banksy’s work is essential considering the risk of graffiti art. With experience, Banksy has found that stenciling silhouettes expedites his work and provides him with more opportunities and locations to adequately display his satirical work given the risk. Silhouettes have a diverse history; some historians dating the technique back to Egyptian and Greek artistic styles, but despite the complicated history, silhouettes generally remain associated with simple European portraiture and not graffiti (Knipe 206). The name “silhouette” was derived from Etienne de Silhouette, King Louis XV’s finance minister. The minister was highly conservative and his stringent monetary tactics established his public reputation as cheap, and as a result cheaply made things were labeled a la Silhouette (Knipe 204). The value of silhouette portraiture was lost with the invention of the camera, but the technique has remained in art and is now being modified in application as seen in Banksy’s graffiti strategy.

Silhouettes are valuable because of their simplicity and “cheapness”, but they are also important for a spectator’s quick recognition and interpretation of the art. In art, there is often the assumption that more detail is better because it clarifies the subject with specifics. However, minimalist art is reduced to fundamental features, identifying the core of the subject for identification. The clarity of the work is up to interpretation, but with a silhouette, similar to minimalism, “nothing is obscured by irrelevant lines… no figure-ground organization is necessary, nor is any special set required by the observer” (Crowley 303). The “cheapness” of silhouetting, identified with its history, is not only practical financially but it ties back to Banksy’s critique of consumerism and “relations of power” (Clifford 139). This “cheap” graffiti art becomes part of the spectacle and with its content, but eventually rises above and actually ridicules its means. Banksy uses public spaces to display his art, so simplicity allows for quick identification of objects in a fast paced environment. Though easily recognizable, silhouettes can also mask certain elements, creating an evolution of meaning through increased observation. Due to the simple form of a silhouette, people assume what the image is but with a closer look finer details can be realized.

Kara Walker is a studio artist, but she utilizes silhouettes for this very purpose of evolving meaning in a simple image. At first glance, Walker’s work seems romantic and poetic with childlike silhouettes channeling historical caricatures. Her trees set a stage for “stock” characters involved in a fairy tale, but when observed more closely disturbing elements become apparent causing discomfort in the spectator through sad realizations of cliché stereotypes and harmful race and gender realities (Pinder). For example in Kara Walker’s Cut, Fig. 3, the black silhouette appears to be a graphic image of a girl dancing, but then once realizing the finer details the spectator is aware of the suicidal action of the subject cutting her wrist.

Fig. 3. Kara Walker, Cut. 9 April 2009 .

The silhouettes allow for the stereotypical historical associations, but when paired with sexual and grotesque imagery additional narratives evolve. Walker uses recognizable antebellum clothing for quick reads of her silhouettes. Banksy utilizes public icons like Mickey Mouse, children, The Mona Lisa and other similar images for quick recognition like Walker, but also to put emphasis on his unique social commentary.

Banksy uses silhouettes because of the ability for additional concepts to evolve and with his use of contradicting elements he calls attention to current societal conditions. Upon first glance of Banksy’s Bomb Hugger piece, Fig. 4, a cute girl is easily recognized, but with an extended look it is realized that a bomb is in her arms.

Fig. 4. Banksy, Bomb Hugger. 2003. Wall and Piece. Banksy. New York: Random House UK, 2007

Similar Banksy works include: a tank with a megaphone on top, a religious icon with a halo circling a gun, a British Royal Guard spray painting the anarchy sign, and the iconic Che Guevara image repeated but slowly melting away. These images are always bold and eye catching, appealing graphic art for the masses, but the combination of conflicting elements establish critical narratives that identify current conditions. Bomb Hugger critiques current events of war and how war is perceived through the media, affecting children. The Che Guevara piece, Fig. 5, calls attention to mass media and how many people purchase this iconic image on products, but the meaning is lost through the excess of production.

Fig. 5. Banksy. Wall and Piece. Banksy. New York: Random House UK, 2007

Banksy put the collection of images on a bridge above an area in London that sold Che products

These satirical images challenge the viewer to consider the connotations not only of the image but its location, which adds meaning when recognizing nearby landmarks or local historical events. Banksy has artwork in the south that relates to racial issues as well as social problems that were addressed with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (Banksy). The images are eye-opening and make a strong statement about human establishments. By making these images public they are unavoidable and often shocking considering the circumstances, whether it be the location or the subject. Like Banksy’s particularly controversial piece where he painted a KKK member hanging in a noose on the side of a Chevron station in Alabama (Fahy 4). This strategy is similar to how Debord aimed to redefine conditions in order to show reality. Debord presented a concept called the dérive, which is an example of seeking truth and transforming social order. Acknowledging that spectacles are a denial of life, the dérive aim to wander in order to study a terrain or create “emotional disorientation” to construct “real” situations (Theory of the Dérive 52). They simply do unconventional things to confuse and awaken people to “reality.” Banksy does not believe that people are disillusioned like Debord, but Banksy does believe that his public graffiti can help construct change in action and reaction by awakening people to harsh realities.

Graffiti allows Banksy to criticize and challenge society through his subject and application. Banksy recognizes the controversy of graffiti but believes that “despite what they say, graffiti is not the lowest form of art… it’s actually one of the most honest art forms available. There is no elitism or hype, it exhibits on the best wall a town has to offer and nobody is put off by the price of admission” (Banksy, Wall and Piece 8). Knowing the possible power of graffiti when used appropriately, Banksy even encourages others to participate. For a series, Banksy stenciled traditional type on public walls “legalizing” graffiti like in Fig. 6 (Banksy, Wall and Piece 60).

in order to clearly articulate his statement about “the endless recycling of an icon” and how people wear and absorb revolutionary products but never take any actions themselves (Banksy, Wall and Piece 47).

Fig. 6. Banksy. Wall and Piece. Banksy. New York: Random House UK, 2007

Soon after he stenciled these signs, the walls were covered with graffiti showing the true structural power of public institutions as discussed by Foucault. This series identifies how the masses are aware of guidelines and yearn for extended self-expression but remain idol unless cued to act. Often Banksy displays satirical images to critique wrongs in society hoping to encourage action, but give the existing numbness sometimes Banksy takes the extra step to call for it like Fig. 6 or in similar work where he stenciled text stating, “Designated Riot Area” (Banksy, Wall and Piece 67).

Banksy is widely appreciated, but even those that do not respect his work are unable to ignore his messages because of the techniques he uses that incorporate graphic imagery and public spaces. Banksy has identified his own manifesto but his ideology is more appropriately defined by a quote from the Indian Mystic Osho, “Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.” Banksy sees the injustices in society, formed through consumerism and governmental control that spawns a public numbness. Banksy uses his creativity and unique graffiti method to rebel and to encourage rebellion. He adds to the visual spectacle present in society in order to criticize it through his satirical images. His method and his imagery are both ironic in nature to call attention to societies wrongs. Though anonymous he is able to make a call to action or at least awaken the public.

Works Cited

Banksy. 20 March 2009 .

Banksy. Wall and Piece. New York: Random House UK, 2007.

Buzzell, Colby. "I Am Banksy." Esquire Dec. 2005: 198-204.

Clifford, Michae. Political Genealogy After Foucault Savage Identities. New York: Routledge, 2001.

Crowley, Miriam E. "A Puzzle-Picture in Silhouette." The American Journal of Psychology 65 (1952): 302-04. Jstor. University of Southern California. 23 March 2009 .

Fahy, James P. "Breaking the Banksy." Birmingham Weekly 11 Sept. 2008, 12th ed., sec. 2: 4-6.

Guy Debord. “Theory of the Derive.” The Situationist International Anthology. Ed. And trans.
Ken Knabb. Berkeley: The Bureau of Public Secrets, 1981 (no copyright). 50-54, 372.

Guy Debord. The Society of the Spectacle. Trans. Donald Nicholson-Smith. New York: Zone Books, 1994. 11-24

Kara Walker. 9 April 2009

Knipe, Penley. "Paper Profiles: American Portrait Silhouettes." Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 41 (2002): 203. Jstor. University of Southern California, Los Angeles. 23 March 2009 .

"PART THREE: DISCIPLINE 3. Panopticism." Michel Foucault: Panopticism. 22 Aug. 2001. Cartome. 2 Apr. 2009 .

Pinder, Kymberly N. "Missus Kara E. Walker: Emancipated, and On Tour." The Art Bulletin 90 (2008): 640-49. ProQuest. University of Southern California. 23 March 2009 .

we have momentum

One night last year while partying with my next door neighbors the topic of business came up. Usually a taboo subject while having fun, it somehow became increasingly interesting as my neighbors began to reveal their surf business called Momentum. I immediately told Mark and Matt that I am a graphic designer and that I would love to work with them. That night spawned an awesome work relationship that has continued to grow. With Momentum I have designed many (many!) shirts given my primary role as design director, but I also helped in organizing parties and other promotional things. Recently, Mark promoted me to COO, so I will be doing a lot more in the future.

My work may be interesting to read about, but this post is primarily to congratulate the two Momentum founders, Mark and Matt, for being featured in the LA Business Journal!! In the article, these two sexy men recapped their passion for surfing and how it grew into their entrepreneurial relationship. Read the article and be impressed. Go Momentum!

ctrl-c, ctrl-v, Disney

A few sites have recently posted the same video showing a compilation of Disney animated sequences that identify the fact that Disney has character templates. The Dark Roasted Blend blog wrote this about it - "Some sequences were used as templates, and I don't see a problem with that... This is however a valuable glimpse into the animation kitchen of Disney's dream factory." I essentially agree. The Disney animators are only copying their own work, however, it does make you consider some Disney animated classics in a different light. My friend Andrew told me about this video while at Disneyland this Sunday. It shocked me at first, but knowing the difficulty of animation it is somewhat understandable. Also, this video is a reflection of today's society - pessimistic and skeptical. This video would not have been made in the prime of Disney animation. It was too beautiful and precious. I could totally be wrong, and this copying could be a known fact, I just ramble... Either way, interesting video.



Looks like Disney characters have the same dance instructors.

raz the wonder kitten

blog assignment


At USC, I am currently in the Writing 340 class for visual and performing arts. Given that it is a writing class, we obviously write a lot, but one of our most recent assignments was a group project. The purpose of this project is to have people from different disciplines collaborate and create something. Honestly, anything. Several projects were presented this Thursday. Two were films, but with very different approaches and techniques, making it difficult to even compare them.

My group also presented. Our group name is team blAWESOME. It is meant to be a combination of blaw and awesome, but when spoken it sounds like blossom. Unfortunately. We also have two alternative names - The Disciples of Feagin and the Feaginites. Both inspired by our teacher, Feagin, if you couldn't tell.

So, who is team blAWESOME?

Allison the actress.
Brian the filmmaker.
David the game designer.
And me, Katherine the graphic designer.

We were unsure about what to do with all our talents, but after a short discussion we decided to make a video game. Nothing cooler, right?! But we had no idea what the game would be about. We all have very different interests and experiences with video games. We decided to sit on the idea and about a week later we began the most bizarre brainstorming session ever. Below is our thought process. I included this exact copy in our PowerPoint presentation and before I began speaking, the slide was greeted with an eruption of laughter because of the ridiculousness of the content.

OK, here we go:

cats vs. dogs OR pirates vs. ninjas

what about cat ninjas vs. dog pirates?

I want the cats to have wolverine claws! We need laser eyes!
what about an alley cat? roaming the streets? cat in the big city?

what if the cat was frozen and then had to deal with modern times?

like a pre-historic cat?

like a saber-tooth tiger? or kitten!!

And that is how we arrived at saber-tooth kitten.

From there we decided on a basic plot, which Brian refined and greatly improved. There are no longer vampires or pterodactyls in the Arctic.

Now with a plot I could do some design. However, I know nothing about designing video games. I own many, but I have never considered designing for one. I work with text and images. Static things. Sometimes I have to create illustrations, but rarely. Ahhhhh video game art! I wasn't sure where to begin, so I started with my favorite program, Adobe Illustrator, and drew some ice with the pen tool. No big deal. Ice is rigid. My design worked.


But then came the saber-tooth tiger kitten. My tablet is at home so I had to draw with my laptop mouse. Probably the worst idea ever, but I made it, an illustrated saber-tooth tiger kitten! Below is its evolution. I had to rework it because the first one was bug eyed, awkward, and it looked like Garfield. The second one looked a little like Simba, but way less cute. So I merged the two and got our protagonist, Raz!


Wooooo I did a cute little vector illustration! I thought I was done, but then David requested different images so he could make Raz move in the video game. I had no desire to redraw this thing four more times, so I used the direct select tool in illustrator and just moved the legs around. That is why the positions are a little odd, but they worked well enough for the game.


Allison did some character research for Raz in order to prepare for a voice over, but we never actually got around to recording her voice. (With these projects, there is no established end. Presenting unfinished pieces was acceptable).

Then David took all our work and coded a video game. A working video game, well kind of. It has a few kinks. But when we busted out the game for our presentation and played it, the class got so excited. I have never had so much fun giving a presentation. David and I may actually work to complete the video game.

Best group project ever. We are blAWESOME!

it was only Coachesterday...

Finally! Here is my EPIC Coachella recap. Woooooo!
**all photos in this post are mine

I got back from Coachella Monday morning at 2 am and have been busy catching up on school. So sorry for the delay.

I thought it was best to title this blog post with one of the brilliant Coachella puns that Eric, Erin, and I came up with on our trip. (Ok, they aren't technically puns, they are compounded/blended words, but I shall call them puns.) What triggered this manic pun-fest? The new Coachella iPhone app.

Ok back track > before Coachella my iPhone broke. My beautiful white 16 GB techno-gem. The right side of the screen became a worthless dead zone preventing me from unlocking the phone. I could receive calls and text messages but I couldn't do anything about it. My iPhone was in a painful coma. Also, this all happened on my 21st birthday. What a disaster. The next day, the day I was leaving for Coachella, I went to the iPhone store hoping something could be done. I explained my problem and then *poof* they gave me a brand new phone for free. No questions. Replaced. Fantastic! I now had a functional phone so I could contact my friends at Coachella. I went with Eric and Erin but I had some other friends that I wanted to meet up with in Indio. Now, with my new working iPhone I was able to download the Coachella iPhone application. The application included a set times schedule, an interactive venue map, a friend finder, a Coachella photo uploader, and the infamous Coachooser. The application bombed, completely worthless (I used paper print outs for the set times), but it left us with the word Coachooser. Fail. Worst pun ever. So we came up with better ones:

Coachillin' like a villain

Coachellin' like a felon

Coachestery (Paul McCartney inspiration)

Coacheleanor Rigby (Paul inspiration again)

Fauxchella (inspired by the knock off Coachella shirts being sold on the street)

NOchella (inspired by the 3 inch moths we had to dodge at night on our walk home)

Other random ones that simply formed out of the trend:

Coachelementary

Mr. Coachangles (Eric laughed. but Erin booed this one. I love it.)

and more...

There were many I came up with that were utter fails. I almost added Coache- to any word. Kind of like how USC adds SC to everything. SCampus, SCard, voteSCount, and other terrible ones like SCamp. That camp sounds like a disease.

Anyways, so Coachella. Life changing as usual. No big deal.

I spent a fortune on food and water. I got sunburned. My ears were assaulted by loud music for 3 straight days. My legs lost their function from never-ending walking, standing, and dancing. BUT I would do that every weekend because of the pure awesomeness of the experience. I love music, so seeing so many incredible artists in one weekend is ecstasy. I would have suffered even more for the experience.

Here are the bands I saw:

Friday

We Are Scientists
Steve Aoki
The Hold Steady
The Ting Tings
The Black Keys
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Franz Ferdinand
Leonard Cohen
Beirut
Girl Talk
The Crystal Method
Paul McCartney

Saturday

Liars
Drive By Truckers
Michael Franti & Spearhead
TV On The Radio
Calexico
Fleet Foxes
Thievery Corporation
M.I.A.
Band of Horses
The Killers
MSTRKRFT

Sunday

Friendly Fires
Shepard Fairey
Okkervil River
Lupe Fiasco
Lykke Li
Peter Bjorn and John
Yeah Yeah Yeah's
My Blood Valentine
Public Enemy
The Cure

Yes. That is quite a list. Each artist was amazing. I was not disappointed by any of them, well, besides Shepard Fairey. When I saw Shepard Fairey on the line up I was confused. He is the brilliant designer behind Obey. Fairey was recently in the news because of a battle with AP over his Obama image. My response to that would require an entirely separate blog post, but hopefully you read about that. Anyways. I saw Fairey on the line-up and I was super excited, but what would he do? I love the man because of his design. I even own his book, Supply & Demand. Would he do spoken word like Henry Rollins did on Saturday? Live art design? What? Well, he DJs, but very very poorly. He selected good songs, even some great classics. It was refreshing to hear some classic rock mix with modern music in a DJ set, but he transitioned between songs with a few scratches and some poor fades. Terrible! As an artist, I was so happy to see Fairey in person. As a music connoisseur, I was insulted. However, given that Fairey was at Coachella, he designed a limited edition poster for Paul McCartney. He made 500 prints and signed them all. And I bought one!! Eeeeeee so happy!!! Remind me to get that framed.

Back to the rest of the music, the good music. I would review each set, but I saw a lot of bands and reviewing each would take too much time and my blog post would become a novella. Below are a few thoughts about a few performers. Don't judge the selections, it doesn't reflect my favorites. In fact, some of my favorite performances aren't listed below like Franz Ferdinand because there is nothing particularly exciting for me to say besides - that was fantastic, good stage presence, sang some good songs... That is not fun to write or read.

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Lykke Li is a cute blond Swede with a lot of spunk. She has a great sound and an incredible stage presence, probably even better than a lot of the big bands I saw. Her energy was contagious and Erin and I discussed that we want to be her! We even practiced her dance moves. I honestly forgot she was playing at Coachella and I am glad that Eric and Erin reminded me and we went to her set.

Peter Bjorn and John is always great. I saw them at Coachella two years ago, but this set was particularly fun because it was a "Swedish smorgasbord" (A quote from Peter, the lead singer). Robyn, another Swedish singer, joined the set for a song. Then a few songs later Lykke Li showed up again! Woooo pale white Swedes in the California desert during a heat wave. It was fantastic. A good collection of my favorite Swedish imports minus Ikea.


The Yeah Yeah Yeah's are crazy. We showed up and a giant eyeball was on stage. A+ for set design. When the concert started, Karen O, the lead singer, came on stage in what looked like a metallic fish scale curtain with green tights. It was pretty outrageous, but I could tell she loved it. In fact she barely stopped smiling. Her happiness was adorable. I love when musicians love their job. Musicians are performers, working for the audience, but when they love what they do, their passion comes across and it is generally a better experience.


My Blood Valentine assaulted my ears... even with earplugs. My Bloody Valentine is considered one of the loudest bands in the world. Their performances have ranged from 120 - 132 decibels (from what I have found online). During Friday and Saturday I saw plenty of people wearing earplugs just because of the constant noise they would be experiencing. Those few were smart. I am not too concerned though. When I start losing my hearing there will be bionic ear transplants and I will have hearing like a mouse (apparently they have great hearing). However, on Sunday, things were different. Coachella was even passing out free earplugs. Then I remembered My Bloody Hearing, I mean Valentine, was playing that day. Erin, Eric, and I talked about the decibel level the entire day. We were both concerned and anxious. We eventually decided to stay as far away from the stage as possible but still within view. When they started playing, WOW! So loud and we were easily farther than a football field away. Then they reached their last song and it ended with about 15 minutes of non-stop noise!! Ahhhhh. Good thing I had earplugs.

Public Enemy with Flavor Flav. Enough said. Yeah Boy!!! Hahaha what a joke.

The Cure was incredible. It was exciting to see the influential English rock band along with Robert Smith, the lead singer, and his iconic goth look. They sounded great in concert. I still can't believe I saw them! Just like Heaven.

The Crystal Method was awesome!!!! The electronic music duo mixed up a storm. We were dancing like crazy. I really wanted to see them, so unfortunately we had to leave Paul McCartney for a little bit. I felt somewhat sacrilegious for leaving the main stage, but it was totally worth it. Half way through our time there, two robots came onto the stage. I was super excited. I love robots! Who doesn't? Then after some cool dance moves they took off their suits and it was the hip-hop group LMFAO! They rock the beat and rock the show. In my closest group of friends at SC we always play these two specific LMFAO songs, they are like our anthems. Because of that, I freaked out when they were on stage. Then all my regret about leaving Paul vanished.


Paul McCartney is legendary and so was his performance. However, I feel like he was drunk. Some of the things he said were a little ridiculous. "We are going to ROCK the rooof toonighTT Coachellaaa!!!" Ok. Thanks Paul. He started off with some Wings songs. It was good, not quite what I was expecting. Drive My Car was stuck in our heads all weekend for some reason. I also enjoyed Got to Get You Into My Life. Like I said earlier, we left for a little to see The Crystal Method. Sorry Paul. When we returned he sang Birthday from the Beatles White Album. I am pretty sure he sang that for me. My 21st was the Wednesday before. I forgave Paul for wishing me a happy birthday two days late. During his performance, I heard some of my favorite Beatles songs and he did two quality encores.

Right after the first encore we all thought Paul was done. He walked back stage, then back on, then he started singing Yesterday. Nathan, my friend who was working backstage, then texts me. Here is the exchange:

Nate: He fooled me. Dammit.
Me: Hahahaha. He is such a tease!
Nate: Who does he think he is?
Me: Paul McCartney!

You gotta love The Black Keys! Their performance was great and I think they are highly under appreciated. I love them in particular because they have a classic rock edge that I find so sexy. Most of the bands I listen to are classic rock bands, so it is refreshing to listen to a new band that shares that sound. They kind of sound like Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and The White Stripes thrown in a blender.

I have never listened to Michael Franti & Spearhead. Well, maybe I have, but I know nothing about them. We went to see them in concert because Erin's alternative hippy mom told us to. When we arrived we felt a great energy in the crowd and we couldn't stop dancing. They created this great warm environment of love and happiness. As lame as that sounds it is true. It felt great being in that crowd. Apparently the lead singer is a peace activist. I felt it.


Fleet Foxes was INCREDIBLE. I would have to say probably my favorite performance of the weekend. The sun was setting, the temperature was perfect, the stage was beautifully lit, and the entire crowd was filled with fans. Given that it is a music festival, often people will venture into crowds to see artists that they don't really know. Sometimes that results in indifferent spectators that don't really add to the energy of the crowd. That often disappoints me because I love the power of music to emotionally change a person and if they don't respond it makes me sad. When Fleet Foxes came on stage I fell in love with the lead singer because of his plaid shirt and his bushy beard. He looked like my guide in Yosemite. I secretly called him Mountain Man. He was amazing. When Fleet Foxes started singing, their haunting harmonies gave me goosebumps. Whenever the lead singer talked, I could tell how insecure he was and it was great to see that kind of vulnerability on stage. All around, it was a beautiful performance. PS - the lead singer Robin Pecknold is only 23! Husband?


M.I.A. was ridiculous. Loud, energetic, insane, colorful, funny, and fantastic. The set and costume designs were great and bold. I particularly loved the glow-in-the-dark accents on the clothing. The non stop dancing was so exciting. The stage was one big giant party, especially when M.I.A allowed a bunch of audience members on stage to dance with her. Security was freaking out. She also gave out horns to the crowd. Sorry correction, she threw out horns and said, "My Lawyer said you will sue me if I hit you." Hahaha she is crazy. She was also an incredible performer and had a great set list. She recently gave birth so I was even more impressed with the outstanding show.


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Well, I am pretty sure I have reached novella length, but here are a few funny anecdotes before I stop writing:

We saw a root beer float vendor at Coachella but it was in the 21 and up food area! Not fair, plus it is root beer not real beer! Eric and I are 21 (both with the exact same birthday!) but Erin is not. In order to get root beer floats we went to the ID check place one extra time and gave Erin our extra wrist band. (Oooh admitting to illegal activity - I am wild). So we got in line for the 21 and up food area and our plan was foiled, they carded Erin again. She talked with security and said, "I just want a root beer float, no beer! I got this band only for that purpose. If you want you can escort me to the root beer float stand..." That didn't fly. Instead she waited outside and we brought the root beer float to her.

We inappropriately called our walk back to my car the "border crossing" because of the dirt road and the fact we had to somewhat squeeze between a fence and a wall to enter the lot. There was an actual entrance but too many cars were moving through it. Unsafe!

I have a ridiculously bad tan right now from being in the sun all day for 3 days.

I laughed at every DJ that mixed music from the musicians that were at Coachella performing live. "Hey DJ, nice M.I.A. song selection. Oh Wait, I saw her live last night. Play something else!!!"

We spotted the worst spelling mistake EVER on a van at Coachella - you snoze you loze. NOchella!! Fail!


There were several fantastic art installations/giant constructed crazy things! Epic high-five!



Ok, I am going to stop writing. Summary: fantastic weekend. A wonderful escape from life and I miss it so much!

artist's statement

blog assignment


When the people closest to me see an item that is both funky and nerdy sprinkled with whimsy and sprayed with color they always say, "that is so KP." This KP quality is difficult to define but recognizable like when a person has a certain je ne sais quoi. This quality is ever present not only in the items I buy but also in the art I create. I am not implying that my work has that appealing x factor, it just has the KP factor. The reason this factor is sometimes difficult to identify is because I don't have a specific style or medium. I do not have series or work tied together by some artistic motif, instead my work is connected by my personal aesthetic. I am attracted to unique but balanced and simple compositions with clever applications of colors. Being primarily a graphic designer, I am also guided by a subject and a purpose. This additional guide creates a puzzle for me where I have to find an adequate solution for my given project that also fits my personal aesthetic. I design by trial and error in order to find the right KP factor to satisfy my designated end. My technique is very calculated but also very freewheeling, but no matter the means, my end is always colored by KP.

happy Easter...

from Larry "The Peep" Craig!

It may be inappropriate to joke about Craig and his cruising for sex on Easter, but you have to admit that is an incredibly funny picture. The Huffington Post online has complied some political peeps and some other random peep dioramas for your springtime enjoyment.

This morning I drove home to enjoy a beautiful Easter service with my parents. I am not sure what I believe, I have my ups and down with faith, but I do know for sure that I will always support my church in Pasadena because of it's progressive work. It applies religion to real things in a good way, usually liberal and political, which I love. My church does not encourage conflict, which is often the real world application of religion (depressing I know!). My church pushes for gay marriage, peace in the Middle East, community, pro-choice, kindness and acceptance.

Ed Bacon, our rector, gave a wonderful sermon today. He mentioned Rowan LeCompte, the man who created most of the stained glass windows in the National Cathedral. Bacon spoke about the recent NPR story on LeCompte, and told the following quote:

When asked if he believe in God, Mr. LeCompte responds, "I believe in kindness and love, if that is God, then yes."

I agree with LeCompte. I also believe in kindness and love. Often I am turned away from religion because of negativity and hate, which is completely contradictory with the foundation of religion. I continue to support my church because is remains more open and kind than most religions I have experienced. That is unfair, it isn't the religion. It is the people who practice it. At today's service we even had some of our innerfaith friends attend. Oh, and Kenneth Turan was there too!

Here are two fantastic quotes I tend to identify with when considering religion.

"Lighthouse are more helpful then churches." - Benjamin Franklin
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." - Frank Lloyd Wright

I believe that most of religion is a show. Secular humanists are generally right in their views, but religion has an additional power of organizing people into a community. So, if done right, religion has the power to do great transformational things. Unfortunately, it often doesn't. For example consider the cartoon below from someecard.com.

That is one of the problems I have with Lent. People give up soda or other superficial things and don't really change or reflect on anything! It is like a vegetarian who refuses to eat meat because of how they treat animals but doesn't actually advocate for reforms. I try to buy good products - organic, fair trade, environmentally friendly... to encourage better treatments of animals and the environment, but I still eat A LOT of meat. The market is built on supply and demand and if you don't demand something better it won't happen. Anyways, back to God. So, that is why I don't give anything up for Lent. I just try and reflect and am better about things. Do good things instead of starting the Christian equivalent of failed New Years resolutions.

Here is my favorite Easter related e-card from someecards.


Really hard-hitting. I love it. If you want to know some of the history about why peeps and pastels are associated with zombie Jesus (phrase courtesy of my friend Zack, absolutely genius!) check out this article. It is pretty interesting.

The best part of Easter today was seeing my dad's illuminated manuscript suspenders. Classic. Literally.


Enjoy your peeps.

adobe is good for procrastination

I created the two designs below while avoiding two research papers and numerous other assignments. The photo is of a glass of water in my apartment. It looks bizarre because I used Ikea ice cubes and we all know how strange Scandinavian ice cube trays can be. I can't wait until the semester is over so I can create more art. One thing that has been tearing me apart recently is my dissatisfaction with my own art. I need to redesign KP. Meep.

the long and winding post

I have been absent from my blog for 4 days and I miss it!!
WARNING : this post is pretty jumbled because there are a lot of things I want to touch on, but all of them are interesting, I promise!

This Saturday I went to USC's Springfest to see Brand New. I am not the biggest Brand New fan, but I like their music enough that I went to see them alone. But I wasn't alone for long, I made some new friends like an Irish Catholic Marine from Boston that was located in Japan. I stood in the back to catch Brand New's set before heading off to a party. The stage was simple but was filled with smoke so when lit, the band rocked out as intense silhouettes.


At any concert, I enjoy watching the crowd and seeing the excitement of the audience. I love how music can transform people and this change is even more obvious at concerts where the biggest fans are grouped showing their appreciation and energy. Just in case you don't know Brand New...



The next day I accidentally slept through my alarm, so I missed the Palm Sunday service at home, but I did make it to breakfast with my parents and my brother. It was great to see my brother! I don't see him that much because of his traveling, but he may be in Rome the same time as me this summer! Eeeehhhhh!!

Speaking of siblings. My sister killed her laptop and had to get another one. Why am I not surprised. However, I am still impressed that I managed to convert her to a Mac user. I never dreamed that transition was possible.

I just saw the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. I am so excited! This is one of my favorite children's books, scratch that, one of my favorite books period. (I have come to the conclusion that students don't really read that much, ironic I know, so this book fits nicely into my allotted extracurricular reading time). The movie is going to be incredible because the monsters are not computer generated... The photos look amazing, but I hope it doesn't disappoint. I often hate child actors and this movie depends on the kid's performance. But Spike Jonze is great, so I doubt I will be let down.



Another movie Jonze has worked on that I love is The Fall. I was suppose to watch it last night, but unfortunately other plans conflicted. We only got through 10 minutes, not cool! I am now desperate to see it again. If you have not seen it - rent it! Even if you don't like magical realism you can still appreciate the cinematography. It is a captivating movie. I need to remember to buy it. My recent movie purchases include - The Battle of Algiers, Slumdog Millionaire, and Burn After Reading. I love having a DVD library, it allows me to educate my friends or fill my free time. Actually, I don't have much free time. I use my DVDs for multitasking when I am designing. My typical evenings include me, my laptop, my bed, and a fantastic movie.


Photo of the week = Bill Gates' Facebook Page. Please read the details. It's worth it.

Yessssshhhh!!!! I found another brilliant video that mocks Twitter (see below). I loath Twitter. Even Twitter's reasoning why you should have a Twitter page, or why you should Tweet, is flawed.

The online explanation:

"Why [Tweet]? Because even basic updates are meaningful to family members, friends, or colleagues—especially when they’re timely.

* Eating soup? Research shows that moms want to know.
* Running late to a meeting? Your co–workers might find that useful.
* Partying? Your friends may want to join you."

I agree family members, friends, and or colleagues care about you and want basic updates. But eating soup? Moving the lawn? Sitting alone in a dark room crying? I don't care. If you are running late to a meeting, don't waste time Tweeting, call your colleagues. Eating soup because you are sick, call mom. Send her a friendly email. Have direct contact! Yes, I may be hypocritical blogging, but the substance of my posts trumps any Tweet. Also, I blog to clear my head, procrastinate, and/or because I feel like I have something valuable to say rather than Tweet that I am about to nap or go to the bathroom.

How are you suppose to respond to a Tweet, what value is there? Can you respond to a Tweet on Twitter, or are they just lonely cries in the dark to the Twittersphere? Anyways, ignore my rant. If you Twitter, good for you! I hope you can prove me wrong and Tweet something of substance. I just looked at one of my favorite writer's Twitter (Joel Stein) because he is pretty witty and I figured I would enjoy reading his posts, but I was wrong. I prefer his articles where he can expand on his ideas. A blurb is far from satisfying. I blog and have a facebook page, that is more than sufficient. Everyone in my life can contact me through one or the other. If not, I do have an iPhone addiction. Call me sometime. Enjoy the video:



My song of the week = Bon Iver, Flume



Bon Iver always puts me in a good mood. This song is like comfort music along with a few of my other favorites including: Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, Cake's The Distance, Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, Sublime's What I Got, Goo Goo Dolls' Iris, Mama Cass Elliott's Dream A Little Dream Live, any Led Zeppelin, etc. (I have too much music).

My recent art:


This is one painting in a series of 5. This is the first one, and each additional panel is a more zoomed in view of the plant. The final panel is a complete abstraction. It should be completed by the end of the weekend. I hope.


I designed this poster for the School of Theater's production of Twelfth Night. The director set the play in Malibu during the 1960s. I am traditionalist when it comes to stage productions of Shakespeare, well, only if the intention is serious. If the purpose is comical, then go crazy on stage! Like:



Now off to Intoduction to International Secuirty. Great teacher, depressing class.