Art410: Post #21

Second community art event: The Inaugural Exhibition/Tenderloin Dynamic @ GAFFTA...

I went to this a few weeks ago (it might of been a month actually?) I just didn't have time till now to blog about it. Anyways, how have I never seen this art gallery before!? I've been to The Warfield so many times that I've lost count and I've never noticed this gem before. Thanks Paula for recommending this place as one of our community art events, I really liked the gallery.

On the main floor, there was tons of abstract artworks for the Inaugural Exhibition. In one room there was this flat platform that was created by triangle shapes and every few seconds different shades of colors would appear and then vanish. I stood there for a couple of minutes just gazing at all the illuminated colors. From afar the platform also reminded me of a DNA strand by just the way it was placed, but when I looked at it close up I noticed how all the edges seemed cracked as if the platform was made out of ice. I had such an urge to stand on it for some reason as well, but I wasn't sure if I could so I went along to another aspect of the gallery.

After spending time admiring the artworks on the first floor, I made my way upstairs to the Tenderloin Dynamic exhibit. The first thing that came to mind as I looked at all the maps and news clippings was wow there's a lot of information, they really did a great job with their research. Throughout this exhibit I wrote down a ton of notes because they really did post some useful information like if you ever need a cab make your way towards Geary St. because it's always in constant motion with cab drivers. In addition, the heaviest crime rate is in between Turk St. and Ellis St. after hours so be careful if you're in that area. They also mapped out where all the trees and parks were in the area and I found it interesting that between Turk St and Ellis St. is where the majority of the trees were located. Could that be the city trying to cover up their crime rate with greenery or is it an advantage for burglars/muggers since it's probably darker in these areas due to the trees or maybe both? I could go on and on because there was so much information given in the Tenderloin Dynamic, but that was one of the things I kept thinking about after I left the gallery.

Art410: Post #20

My Improbable Monument Proposal...

INTRODUCTION:

My monument will be based on the origin of The Summer of Love/Hippie Movement of 1967. The monument will reflect the emotion and spirit of the psychedelic experience of peace, love, and freedom.

BACKGROUND:

The Summer of Love/Hippie Movement blossomed in the summer of 1967 in San Francisco by a massive gathering of youth in the Haight-Ashbury district. The prelude to this significant youth movement was on January 14, 1967 at the Human Be-In: A Gathering of the Tribes phenomenon in Golden Gate Park. The outdoors gathering focused on four key ideas of the 1960s counter-culture: personal power, decentralization, ecological awareness, and consciousness expansion. Speakers at the rally included: Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, Allen Ginsberg, and Gary Snyder. As well as comedians: Dick Gregory, Lenore Kandel, and Jerry Rubin. Also, the live entertainment of local rock bands: Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Quicksilver Messenger Service.

As a result from the Human Be-In gathering, as soon as summer arrived there were over 100,000 youth migrating from all over the U.S. into the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and on top of that about 100,000 more tourists to see the historic happening. Many leaving their homes and parents, schools and jobs, all for their own values of love, peace, and freedom. The Haight-Ashbury district was the heart of the Hippie Movement; here the youth established a free health clinic and a group called the Diggers (a community-action group) organized shelter and free food for anyone. The Monterey Pop Festival of 67 was the official starting point of the Summer of Love. The three day outdoors festival held some of the most powerful performances of music ever portrayed on stage. Bands like The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Grateful Dead, Simon and Garfunkel, and many more all shared the stage.

PROBLEM OF TODAY:

After looking around online, much of the enlightening experience of The Summer of Love/Hippie Movement has been blurred out of focus by the heavy drug use during the time period. I understand it was a huge factor of the era, but can’t it be done in a more positive way and appropriate for all ages?

DETAILS ON MONUMENT:

There will be holographic images and patterns that were popular during The Summer of Love like tie-dyes and peace signs illuminated by recycled bottle/glass spotlights, and projectors created by recycled electronics. At the same time there will be music coming from speakers built into each of the corner's streetlight poles. The famous clock on one of the corners will be improved with a built in music provider, like an ipod, filled with nothing but 60s music and will be played at random when ever the monument goes off. I was thinking of having the monument go off every hour, but then I felt like it would eventually get to an annoying point with the locals. As a result, I came up with a three time showing every day: the first show will be at 3:00PM, second at 6PM, and then finally at 9PM. I chose these hours because I feel like these are the busiest hours during the day and it wont be too early for people nor too late.

CLOSING STATEMENT:

“Haight Ashbury was a ghetto of bohemians who wanted to do anything - and we did but I don't think it has happened since. Yes there was LSD. But Haight Ashbury was not about drugs. It was about exploration, finding new ways of expression, being aware of one's existence.” – Bob Weir (Grateful Dead guitarist)

Art410: Post #19

Ideas for Final Project: Creating a Monument/Memorial continued...

After much deliberation through ideas, I figured out what to do for the project. The idea I was most passionate about was creating something on the corner of Haight and Ashbury. Something that would truly capture the Summer of Love and the Hippie Movement without the use of drugs and instead be focused on what was all along in focus during the 60s. I'm talking about the passion for music and the experience that was (and still is!) only captured at a live concert. I want to create something that will go off at certain hours and will be something people will rush from wherever they're at to go witness it. I don't want to give much just yet, but I'll leave this entry with what I was inspired by...

has anyone visited the Old Vegas Strip before?

Art410: Post #18

Ideas for Final Project: Creating a Monument/Memorial...

I was thinking of maybe doing a bronze Aztec Statue and placing it right in the middle of the Mission District in San Francisco. Something along these attributes...

but with the second warrior holding the heart. Kind of simply signifying the heart of the mission district. I keep thinking of things to make, but then I think of it being a waste of space/money. I would really like to create something that is resourceful so it would have a purpose at the same time.

Dolores Park would be a great place to create a monument of good times too since there's always people having picnics and small get-togethers there. Again though, I feel like if I were to build something it might ruin the environment or be in the way of the beautiful view that the park has. Maybe it's fine if it's completely useless, according to the Barthes' article the Eiffel Tower is useless too...

Art410: Post #17

In response to The Eiffel Tower by Roland Barthes...

I think this article was one of the most interesting articles we had to read during the semester, it made me think from a different perspective on the way people view monuments. Instead of seeing, for example, the Golden Gate as something phenomenal, I imagined having to cross it every morning during rush hour. The bridge would most definitely lose some of its credibility for me in that circumstance, I would begin associating it with hours of traffic and high costs for crossing it. I was also intrigued when I read that "theres nothing to see in the tower, its empty, yet it still stirs up a crowd every year (p. 5-6)." How can something be so incredibly popular among the world, yet be completely useless? Sure the tower must have a beautiful view of Paris, must look amazing when lit up at night, and just simply gigantic but is this why people care about it so much? People must have an emotional attachment with the tower or associate it with something of great honor for Italy. Maybe what makes a monument or memorial long lasting is creating a significant presence that people can connect with, even if the monument/memorial is useless in reality.

Art410: Post #16

In regards to The Yes Men...

I was reading through an article online and I bumped into this short interview with Mike and Andy. I thought it was a fun read since I watched the film just a few days ago, but anyways check it out if you're interested: CLICK HERE!

Art410: Post #15

My Culture Jamming Project...

I actually ended up working with the Sabritas logo, a Mexican logo for chips, which are pretty much the Doritos of Mexico. The Sabritas company is under the PepsiCo corporation (Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay), which is one of the elite manufacturers of junk foods/fast foods in the world. PepsiCo alone is associated with so many brands and corporations like Starbucks Coffee, most carbonated soft drinks in America like Mountain Dew, and were even partnered with popular fast food restaurants like KFC and Taco Bell at one point. As a result, I wanted to expose childhood obesity through my version of the Sabritas logo since the logo is very appealing towards children due to the cute smiling face of it.

I will post my kmz file of GoogleEarth later on today that describes the locations I chose for posting my culture jamming logo. I chose these popular Mexican grocery/produce stores in Hayward that carry Sabritas because I knew they sold the product and because of its huge consumer impact in Hayward. These stores are always packed whenever I walk in for my usual pack of tortillas or what have you. Plus, I always notice how children give their parents hard times when they're at the cash register because they want an unhealthy snack like candy, soda, or chips (like Sabritas) and since the parents don't wish to deal with their child crying/whining in public they'll simply buy it for them. It's issues like these that are causing so much childhood obesity in the world and corporations like PepsiCo aren't helping one bit.