Christa Donner

Christa Donner

Classes, Week Three

I feel like this is probably terribly boring but I sort of enjoy doing it for posterity. Let's see...

Video Dance-I still need to fix the problems with my first project, but yesterday I went and watched the girl I'm filming and I'm going to film her tomorrow and possibly Tuesday. So many projects!

Aztec, Maya, & Inca Civilizations-We've moved from nomadic people to chiefdoms to forming states. No talk of the Aztecs quite yet.

Recycling-Project 1 is over. John Walters taught us how to mig weld. I have to go dumpster diving to gather some materials for our next piece.


CFC III-In spite of all the sketches, I'm still fixated with the idea of a mason jar chandelier. So I bought a 12 pack today.
















Human Body as an Armature-I'm working on a piece based off of some lyrics from "Bachelorette" by Bjork (I'm a fountain of blood/In the shape of a girl). Basically, I will be wearing a white unitard that has clear tubing attached to it in the form of veins and I will stand in a basin of water with an aquarium pump that pushes red water through the system. I'm excited. It's going to be SICK.

Screendance

Well, I think I'm pretty much finished editing my piece for screendance. I think I'm going to go to sleep and try to transfer it back onto my tape in the morning. I really hope I don't turn my alarm off because I need to be up! in time to do a few final edits, export it, and go to the Dude to transfer it back on. I'm sort of nervous. I'm probably going to look like an idiot with my editing skills and they're going to wonder why I'm taking the class. I question myself so much. Will post Variations on a Theme later.

UPDATE: I went to Groundworks at 7:30, giving me an hour to transfer the tape and get to class. I tried two different computers, got a new tape, and ended up getting it on there (but not through Print to Video). I was an hour late to class. Luckily I had two friends there from class to help me. We didn't watch my tape so now I have time to redo the transfer and add credits (I knew i forgot something). Also, we have to bring bagels to class next week. Oh joy.

Tah Do List Update (AKA Distractions)

Well I got some work off my to do list done (and some things that weren't on there done too).

Here's what's left of the agenda:
Attach heart to soft sculpture
Check out 3 more books on light
14.5 sketches for terrarium
Root wearable piece
Edit screendance piece
Concept/sketches for HBA

Things I did do this weekend:
Hung out with friends (a whole variety)
Made fondant cupcakes
Taped my boob?
Went to the Reuse Center
Did my laundry
Did 1/2 sketch
Watched Snatch w/ Cassie :)
Watched Batman Begins & The Dark Knight
Sewed & Stuffed Soft Sculpture
Made lots of new friends
Heard two conversations in Swedish
Danced until 3:30 am
Put empty cans on a ceiling fan
Made peanut butter & syrup waffles!
Listened to METAL
Got my car stuck in the snow
Had two strangers push my car out of the snow
Cooked a delicious stir fry
Burned things on a parking garage roof
Listened to my iPod shuffle itself perfectly
Watched the sun come up
Made oatmeal w/ blueberries for lunch
Got interviewed for the Michigan Daily
Wore a skirt in the cold
Danced to Sigur Rós in the snow
Filmed in Walgreen Drama Center for 2 hours
Transferred my tape onto my computer
Hung around the Dude
Realized I live in a small world
Made a storyboard
Booked my flight to Amsterdam

I'd say it was an eventful and enjoyable long weekend. Now I can look forward to TOMORROW
(well, TODAY now) because TODAY is the first day of life after GEORGE W. BUSH. Hello future.
Now I'm going to buckle down and SKETCH...

Recycling 101: How to Make a Teddy Bear into an Abstract Form

Me & My Teddy Bear (cell phone pic)



Step 1: Rip bear apart at seams & remove stuffing.



Step 2: Sew flat pieces back together


Step 3: Reattach large, flat piece into a three dimensional form.
Step 4: Stuff it with its own innards.
Step 5: Sew shut.

Voila!

Bright Colors

Mike Kelley

Fondant Cupcakes

Classes, Week Two

Things are beginning to pick up even more work wise. I have a lot of work I SHOULD be doing right now, but I'm making mini fondant cakes to surprise Yonit for her mad hatter tea party tonight. Perhaps I shall photograph the process so everyone else can revel in the glory of my first fondant adventure.

As for my classes, let's recap:

CFC III-We did 20 sketches for our terrariums and looked at 5 different books. Now we're looking at 5 more books and doing 15 more sketches. I am not the biggest fan of sketching, but it is really helping me to develop my ideas. My first set of sketches is more note taking than drawing. I'm going to do more of a collage/nice sketch thing for the next 15 so maybe I'll scan and post them. My idea is developing into a light that relates to humans and plants. It might also utilize mason jars for growing an herb garden.

Human Body as an Armature-We have weekly QUICKIE projects (see my other blog for images) as well as shorter studies. Our first study was using t-shirts to make something. Our second one is using a yard of muslin to develop a wearable idea. We also have a longer project going which revolves around a single human body as an armature. I'm not entirely sure of what I want to do yet, but more than ever I want a small white room that I can install things in. I should start looking...

Aztec, Maya, & Inca Civilizations-I lucked out choosing this course. I don't have readings or a large final. I have to show up to class, take good notes, and show up to discussion. I have 3 tests (one on each civilization) that count for 30% of my grade each. The other 10% is attendance. At least I don't have homework...that would be the stressful part.

Recycling-We are doing soft sculptures right now. I have a Build a Bear that was dismantled and is being patched back together. Too bad it's really creepy that it sings happy birthday and had a little red & white heart inside it. I will probably take some documentation pictures of this as well because it's kind of fun to look at in progress. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it, but it's going to be CRAZY.

Screendance-We are working on our first project in groups. We have to do variations on a phrase. I am in one of two groups of three. We're filming on Monday. I have to edit it and have it all ready to go on Thursday. We are also starting our project From Stage to Screen. I have to follow around a dance major at their upcoming show and make a piece all about them. I need to email my dancer and figure out when I'm going. This class is intimidating because I feel inexperienced and slightly nervous about my projects. I'm worried about time I guess. I need to find some confidence and just go for it!

I am posting my favorite video dance piece, Reines D'un Jour (Queens for a Day):

Penny Stamps-Nick Tobier last night. He's amazing and his work is so interesting. I love the fact that he strives to interact with people because a lot of the work he's done reminds me of things I've taken interest in doing or thought of doing in the past. I'm still sad I never dressed up as a bell hop and operated the elevator in Couzens for a day last year...

This Weekends To Do List:
Quickie #2
Soft sculpture
Check out 5 books on light
15 terrarium sketches
Muslin tree roots
Concept/sketches for single body as armature
Film variation
Edit variation
Email dancer

Olafur Eliasson

Classes, Week One

So I'm already unbelievably busy and unfocused. I'm trying to do more work in my sketchbooks, but I'm avoiding my sketches for CFC III. I love all of my classes, but they're individually a lot of work. Human body as an armature is going to be SWEET. I'm posting my work from that class in a separate blog so you really won't see much of it in this one (http://laurashumanbody.blogspot.com). I'll leave you with a picture of my first QUICKIE:

This is my sketchbook for recycling. I've been cutting out a lot of inspiration pictures and making various
collages. I made this on Friday and I really like it. Now I need to fill up the inside...

Nick Knight

So This is the New Year

Make more clothing w/o patterns

Lose 10 lbs
Silk screen some more t-shirts
Work on my book
Dance for the camera on multiple screens
Meditate once a week
Start taking yoga
Regular ballet class
Run once a week
Go to a hockey game
Stretch...everything