Found Drawings

Every time we take the Metro I notice the graffti on the windows. The marks are really interesting because, unlike most of the graffiti in Paris, they are etched into the glass. Since etching isn't as immediate as spray painting, I always wonder how much time was spent making it and why no one stopped them.

Wandering in Bercy

I was assigned a walk in Bercy -supposedly a derelict neighborhood only recently renovated. By renovation the city must have meant modernization, because the archecture in clean, geometric and innovative -no more engraved marble or narrow alleyways. Personally I find it refreshing, but is it possible to wander through Bercy? Is it capable of wanderlust? The space is so open and neatly partitioned, does that create the same allure or seducement or, most importantly, the mystery of older, interwoven Paris? I feel incapable of being lost in Bercy but quite possible to lose myself in the gardens, to forget about time as I way by the vineyard or muse through shops. And I can people-watch in Bercy like the skateboarders or other people enjoying the gardens or walking their dogs. So I would say indulge in Bercy, wander if it means indulging yourself but don't expect the confusion or fear of mazing through the older streets.

Found Drawings

Arthur Miller in The Crucible describes the feeling of stripped identity if your name is taken away. Conversely there is a feeling of pride or empowerment when you tie your name to something. I saw great works of art and grand monuments in Paris, but what I found was the importance of the signature on these masterpeices. The metro is a system to be admired and Sophie apparently wanted to add her flourish in the dust on the walls, while Kevin and Matt wanted their marks on ancient and prized constructions like the Arc de Triumph and the Catacombs respectively. Naturally Rodin would want recognition for his sculptural feats and so his signature is neatly curved into the bronze.

Mapping Red

As soon as we got off the metro it pulled us in every direction possible. It was as if the color red was a gigantic light and we were moths that just couldn't get enough of it. "There!!...No, no, there!"

Once we figured out the general direction of the Sacre Coeur, it was easier to let the red take us on our journey.

Books & Books

The book making process was an interesting one that stimulated me to create another after we were first showed how to build them. I felt as though the first book was more like an experiment, so I wanted to make another that used the book form more appropriately. The structure of the book is mimicking the many crevaces and interior spaces of the Catacombs. By using some images that cross over multiple pages and some that are individual compositions, I feel the book itself creates a sense of depth of the location depicted.

Metroing

Without consciousness, without design, without intention
the movement of my body turned into an interesting abstraction
that did best without my control. The art went through my hand,

and I became a part of it, an inside force that acts on me as much

as I act on it.

Catacombs & Bones

The Catacombs de Paris offered an abundant resource of pattern work. The bones and skulls were arranged in a way that created a visual rhythm that lent to the overall experience of seeing death as art.

Found Drawings-- decay

Paris itself is a center of history and culture, seperated entirely from the US, and even some European countries. Because of this deep rooted history, I was interested by all of the decay that surrounded it. By decay I mean more of the scratches, breaks, graffiti, paint fragments, or anything that could imply that a structure was aged. On my trip out to Versailles, and even in first arriving in Paris, the city was imerged in this decay that contributes to its beauty.

Rodin Museum

The most wonderful thing about the Rodin Museum was its approachable size. When walking around and analyzing each sculpture I wasn't overwhelmed by space. I was able to focus on the outer lines that these sculptures created as if seducing each piece one by one. My concentration never left any sculpture I examined (except for the few seconds of squeeky sounds coming from the old wood floor).

Found Drawings

I was able to find many examples of my themed found drawings throughout the city. My theme was the discontinuity that technology forces upon flooring. There is a need for vents and power sources in the age that we live in and because of this, the flooring medium, mostly tile and wood in Paris, must be altered to make room for their new neighbors. The floor no longer serves as merely a walkway but houses our technological gadgets attempting to improve our way of life. I was impressed by the different ways that Parisians have used this necessary function of flooring to display more of their artistic handiworks. This approach to art has allowed Paris to adopt an air of elegance in their structures and city layout without compromising their ability to function smoothly. The ability to make art out of the mundane is key to life because it transports its viewer, if even temporarily, out of their own lives and into the beautiful world of art.

Collages

What I thought was most interesting about the collages was the way that they really forced us to readdress the image in a variety of ways. So much of what this class was about was questioning our perceptions and the way that we see things. From the blind drawings and dinner at Dans le Noir to the quick sketches and collages, we were forced to rethink the way that we view the our surroundings. 

Beads in the Market.

I mapped the bead stand in the market. I have always been attached to beads and buying beads. I sort of collect them and make things on occasion. The beads in the market were all plastic, which disappointed me since I expected them to be glass or at least have some weight to them. They were still interesting to look at and recreate on paper. The shapes and colors varied and on some you could see the plastic seam.

Les Portes de Paris

as i walked through Montparnasse i started to watch people go in and out of their apartments, wondering what their lives were like. la porte...a door..the name seems to fit these things that transport people from their public to their private lives. how many people have come and gone through these doors, i wondered. there seems to be so much wear and tear on these door...each mark telling a different story. these doors have kept the secrets of those that have lived behind them for decades, maybe even longer. do these doors hold some of the best kept secrets in Paris?

Wilderness to a Formal Garden

Is it really such a shame to turn what was once so complex into something so mundane? I guess it depends on who you ask;I for one am amazed by Haussan's difficult task. The garden lives and makes Paris renowned, and now what was lost can now be found.

Where am I?

I don't really know, I don't really know at all. When I try to pinpoint it, it slips away, like trying to remember a dream and only feeling its remnants. Sometimes when I'm looking so hard I can't make sense of it. I just keep doing something, almost rhythmically, almost theraputically, almost if I do it over and over again I can will an outcome. I'm trying to find where I am, and I just keep trying.