Materials and Methods, Fall 2019

When reading this comic, I was very interested in how copyright has evolved. The comic discussed how formerly copyright was extremely strict and there was no access to “fair use” materials, making a lot of creative work impossible to make at a low price. I never knew how much copyright evolved and how much it was a struggle in the past to work through it. It’s difficult to justify copyright if the strong guidelines were unfair as they were protecting the original creators, but it casts a limit on what a person can or cannot make. The notion of making a profit on others’ work struck with me, as it continues the discussion on whose art is it? I enjoyed how this was in comic form, I thought it was more powerful as it included actual fair use examples in real-time. It also made an important, but dense reading more enjoyable.

I plan on collecting books that have been disposed of for one reason or another. I plan on having the audience write inside the books and somehow incorporate something of their personal life into this project. I am not sure what to do at the end of the project with this. Maybe I could burn them or choose to display them in the library by hanging the pages up or by leaving the books to be reach whenever in a specific area.

I was also thinking about creating a mat or rug built by the books covers written by renowned authors. This would touch on hot topics on our campus and throughout the nations today. Hopefully it will further conversations around the tension we have learned to coexist in.

With the documentation part of my work it became difficult to determine if the bedsheet would be enough. There were so many layers to this that needed more thought. Due to this piece being made in such a private and intimate setting, it became hard to know what form of documentation was ideal.

For my final project in the library I really want to make something that juxtaposes the way that the library is normally used for and perhaps uses books in unconventional ways. I really want to make something that is hard to ignore and captures the audiences’ attention. I have a couple ideas that I am currently thinking about.

1. One of my ideas is to convert one of the study rooms (most likely in the basement since it is all walls) into an almost like hands on art room type thing. I would have the walls covered in either white paper or book pages that people could then paint on or draw on during their study breaks. I would want this room to be able to be used creatively and act as a contrast to all the work and assignments people are usually focused on in the library.
2. Another idea that I have is to cover the main stairs that are leading up to the second floor with colorful book pages and then write a quote from a famous book on the steps to emphasize how much value we put on books, and just books in general.                     I chose this quote because it is from a really famous book: Ulysses and the quote is about aging and just felt really fitting for college students who are trying to figure out what they want to do, etc.
3. Another idea is to make paper mâché sculptures out of book pages that are in the shape of people sitting and reading and then I would play them around the library sitting in chairs and on couches and at computers, etc.
4. A fourth idea that I have is to create a giant collage out of book pages, maybe a picture of Skillman library that would then hang from the ceiling or of Lafayette College or of famous authors.

I am not quite sure which idea I like best but I think I am leaning towards one or two.

I found this book to be very fascinating because I was aware that copyright is a big thing in movies and art, however I was not aware of how extensive of an issue it was.  In addition, it surprised me how much copyright and its prominence have changed over the last 25 years. I did appreciate the fact that it was a comic book because it made a somewhat dense subject more enjoyable to read.  I was also surprised by what enables something to be considered “public domain” and after how many years does something become free for use. I understand why copyrights are often necessary and important to the creators, however it does seem as though they make things very difficult for most people to produce works of art. I appreciated the examples that were given in the comic book as well. It was also interesting to learn about fair use and the way things can be over used.

I currently have two ideas (options) for the Library’s final project.

1. The first option I am interested in doing is adding to the study room windows, different styles of art and/or famous works. As most of art classes are taken down the hill, the majority of students aren’t exposed to art. I want to add transparent designs onto the window, to add color to the study room, as well as provide some information on the work itself.
2. Another interest of mine would be sculptural work, I was thinking of constructing a bed from books, and placing it near the windows of the first floor, and complete it with a pillow and blanket.

For my performance art, I have decided to print out business cards, and pass them around campus. The business cards will have statistics of student debt, from Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, and national. I am hoping that this will increase conversations about the rising student debt crisis. I designed cards with bright colors to accumulate people’s attention.

In my performance piece, I’m thinking about incorporating a Buddhists’ religious ritual to create a sense of “alienness” to this campus of little cultural diversity. One approach is to video record the process of performing this ritual with the audience’s reaction in the background.  The performance artist Kimsooja’s A Needle Woman is a successful precedent.

I knew from the beginning I wanted to work with paint which is something I have strayed from. To me, paint would allow me to freely express myself and still leave behind physical documentation that was created through the process. It was set to take place in my room, a place that will always remain private.

I have an idea for my project but I am not sure exactly what I am going to do for the physical documentation part yet. My main idea is to stand outside of a main academic building during lunch hour and seek out participation from students passing by. I want them to engage with the work in their own individual ways. I’m thinking of painting a wooden board with a color-coded guide of circular “buttons” next to words that would categorize a typical student applying to college, including one for “none of the above”. The colors would indicate which word corresponds with which color. Then, I could ask them to paint colors of what they feel represents them in these scenarios. I plan to video record this performance piece as well as presenting the final board after the performance is over, providing two forms of documentation. The goal of this project is to showcase the pressure students feel to place themselves in these categories when filling out applications, while also placing myself in a live performance setting.