Kristian and his out-of-this-world pictures have graced out blog a few times now and he continues to inspire us. He has been very kind to share his Film Soup recipe with us and we are marveled every time by his new analog “creations”!! Just check out some of my favorites below and be up to date with his new works by liking his Facebook page.
-eleanorrigby236
Jann de Vries is not a what you and I may consider a normal artist. German born, de Vries uses his work to inspire his students to do assignments. He teaches visual communications about designing contrasts in visual media.
How I found Jann de Vries is from a simple tumblr post someone reblogged to her blog. I was instantly hooked because of the new interpretation the image makes. After looking at the site, while it may be a portfolio site, it lacks much detail in the writing department. No artist statement; there is just a brief blurb about each project.
The project in particular that grabbed my attention is called “Reality and the Construction”. These images are taking what I am doing to the next level of where they need to be. It is difficult to tell which parts are part of the original image. 
http://www.min-style.de/wirklichkeit-und-ihre-konstruktion.html
The Weyanoke Association is a group that helps Black Indians, those who are African American and Indian, to discover their heritage. The group is based out of Charles City County, Virginia, also known as my hometown.
In “’Black Indians’ and Their Records”, Karen Sutton gives Black Indians a useful tool to help them figure out the historical relationship of their genealogical makeup. Unfortunately, this relationship is difficult to find record of because of misconceptions of slavery in the South. Blacks were not the only ones slaved; they own Indians, were free, or owned other Blacks. This explains the “mixing pool” effect in the Mid-Atlantic States where the “Tririacial Nation” exists.
In “Triracial Nation”, Tom Big Warrior breaks down the concept of race and distinction in different Indian groups. Indians did not describe themselves as a race but moreso by language, clan, family, tribe, etc, because there are different types and definers such as skin pigmentation. Indians, after being exposed to Europeans and African Slaves, saw the indigenous Africans as ‘elders’ and that white people were a mixed group because feature differences amongst themselves. Appreciation for oneself and those in the group allow someone who is not full blood of any race, particularly of African or Indian decent to not be seen as less beautiful.
However, back to “’Black Indians’ and Their Records”, Black Indians had to testify and prove themselves as not native to territories. They were called Indian Freedman and had to testify before a court-appointed panel. These proceedings were important for individuals born a slave that their master was a member of the Indian Nation.
Having an Indian title does not mean anything as far as understanding goes. Ending the “Triracial Nation” article, Tom Big Warrior is passionate about how his tribe came to who they are today. Unity is a huge thing, especially when all of the members are not full blood Indian.
As a triracial individual, I understand some of how I am made up through my genealogy more than I ever have before. Back home, everyone is almost the same. Skin pigmentation, hair texture, facial features, and other physical commonalities unite us as a community and also call for racial prejudice from others who are different. Most of us are triracial but some are more “mixed” than others. I just wish that others could do more research like I have just to understand that I am more than just a Black person that has a deep history. Our history is more than that for individuals from Charles City County. A localized history seems to be a more interesting story to tell, however no one wants to talk about it. There is a missing link that needs to be discussed in the community. I do not want to be perceived as just one race any longer. I must learn to be proud of my heritage.
Sarah “Saartjie” Baartman, one of at least two Khoikhoi women called “The Hottentot Venus.” She was taken to Europe as a Scientific Curiosity: “Baartman had unusually large buttocks and genitals, and in the early 1800s Europeans were arrogantly obsessed with their own superiority, and with proving that others, particularly blacks, were inferior and oversexed.”(southafrica.info)
She was a slave. She was brought to Britain in 1810 and exhibited to the public; she was allowed to cover her genitals, but her clothes were skin-tight. Her the question of her freedom or slavery caused a scandal, as slavery on English soil was abolished in 1807. Official inquires into the subject were inconclusive
She was later sold to a Frenchman and exhibited in Paris, where, among other indignities, she was displayed by an animal trainer and later had to turn to prostitution. She died in 1815.
French naturalist Georges Cuvier, who had examined her while she was still alive, furthered his scientific efforts after her death. He “made a plaster cast of her body, then removed her skeleton and, after removing her brain and genitals, pickled them and displayed them in bottles at the Musee de l’Homme in Paris.”(southafrica.info) They remained on display until 1974.
In 2002 her remains were finally returned to South Africa.
Just a followup from my last post…. the legacy of the hottentot exists to this day in the way we frame black hyper-sexuality.
(via ariami)
Our pal Mark Lobo had this amazing result in Photoshop when he used the “auto blend” tool by mistake. We think it’s a pretty nice lookin’ accident!
Mark Lobo’s Auto-Blend Mistake & The Story of How It Happened on flickr.
Lanscape photography by Alper Çukur.
Analogue work by Cassoday Harder, a 17 year old from Kansas, USA.
For one to think that Chris Rock has a serious documentary out in the world is hilarious and makes you not want to take it seriously until you being to watch the film. Immediately, Rock brings his daughters onboard and describes how this film is for them and their future when they decide as adults on what to do with their hair.
He starts the movie off with this question: “What is ‘Good Hair’?” The majority of his all-star cast of African American actors, actresses, writers, and entertainers decided that good hair is straight hair. Now here is where the ball gets rolling. Maya Angelou said that a women’s hair is her glory and that it represents the wealth and prosperity of her family.
Before I dig into the nitty gritty details of “Hair Politics”, Rock bases his story around the history and manufacturing of hair products, their purpose, the economics, and sociology behind them. The Bonner Brothers Hair show is a biannual event held in Atlanta. The plot is shaped around this, which in my opinion has nothing to do with good hair, just showing off an artistry of cosmetology skills not normally seen on the street.
Apparently, while good hair is straight and “happy”, ‘nappy hair’ is ugly. This statement fits a media-supported concept of beauty that makes us believe that we are always on a pedestal and should be presented as such. Another funny statement is that people with ‘good hair’ have better sex lives, are more popular, and get better jobs. This is sad, but true. Racial statements like those above show the segregation within a race that struggled to stop it during the Civil Rights Movement.
Okay, here is the breakdown of hair politics, from Rock’s film, which is dead on. Rock travels to hair salons and barbershops to find out what Black people are doing to their hair. The most costly “dos” of Black Hair are relaxers, which is a chemical used to straighten hair, and weave, which is faux hair attached to a person in some fashion.
What is appalling about Black Hair Politics is cost behind it. The weave industry alone is a multi-billion-dollar business causing people to question their priorities. Unfortunately, some individuals rather pay thousands of dollars for human hair wigs, sew ins, etc., instead of pay their bills. Another interesting and disturbing fact about the weave industry is how they obtain the best hair. Indian women pay homage to their god by sacrificing their hair. Some do it twice in their lifetime. Buyers purchase the hair, bundle it, clean it, and resell it to American salons and hair shops. Meanwhile, relaxers are questionable because it is a process. It is still not the natural form that hair is usually in for those of African decent. Relaxers do make hair more manageable, but should not be put in the virgin hair of a three or four year old. Chris Rock does a good job of displaying these techniques, their cost, purpose, and overall background.
Hair politics and the emotional cost are still subjects that I want to get into, but the film was an excellent source for beginning my research on why women in my community and race act the way they do when it comes to their hair. I admit that I was raised to have a certain standard when it comes to appearance. I need to have my hair neat and shiny or cover it up until I do. Hair represents self-esteem, which is the whole purpose behind this film to instate that hair does not necessarily reinstate self-esteem. It may temporarily, but not for a prolonged period of time until the next stroke of relaxer, aka creamy crack, touches new growth, or virgin hair.
An artist for over three decades, Judith Golden has defined the history of women. She has done so by using herself and society to bring reality to illusion. She uses photography and mixed media to do this.
What drew me to Golden’s work is her “Chameleon” series. These collage-like images are humorous. Golden makes fun of women in media, and some men too, by placing herself in the images. Because the images are from the mid 1970s, she hand-colored the photographs. In her series, “Make-Overs”, Golden takes magazine pages and literally places herself in the frame by just hold them up causing distortion to the original image.
In her artist statement, Golden refers to portraits as a universal soul and being able to understand that. Not sure how that relates to the work I looked at. I can draw a connection between a universal soul and a universal desire to look a certain way as American women.
Chamelion, 1974-74, mixed media, 11x14
Dennis Calvert is a light painting wizard.
Wanna be a wizard, too? Here are a couple of our guides to light painting:
An African-American family on the balcony of their apartment building. Photograph by Gordon Parks. Connecticut, July 1949.
(via ariami)
Long exposure beauty by Amy DiLorenzo.
This is the separate tumblr blog for my art. My first blog, thatchickwiththediana.tumblr.com, became solely dedicated to blogging about interests and suddenly my portfolio became a distant memory. Please feel free to contact me with questions.
