Final (Photo)

Made by a Man

Made by a Man

The Made by a Man exhibit was a showing by J. Casey Doyle in which he displayed large cloth like materials made entirely of the plastic threads pom-pons are made from. Doyle had made large weaves of the threads that gave the illusion of something else entirely. Each piece was unique and obviously extremely time consuming to make in both scale and design.
There are obvious gender questions throughout the exhibition. Even the title itself drives to ask questions about gender identification and societal ideals of gender stereotypes. To not beat the dead horse and explain my thoughts on the obvious elephant in the room I found myself more attracted to what each “blanket” represented. The plastic threads were just a few centimeters wide and no thicker than a single sheet of paper yet they were displayed on the wall with such mass and volume that I was overwhelmed. The folds and waves looked so similar to a large quilt that it took me by surprise. Something so flat and dull could be weaved into something so full and intricate. The material itself was transformed into an object so far from itself that it seemed to obey an entirely different law of physics.
The weaves in each piece caught my eye and  forced me to look at the investment Doyle had made. I feel the series brought about questions of gender stereotypes, not only present but enforced, in society but I was so blown away by the transformation of materials that went into sending the message. It's like a two dimensional figure trying to look at a three dimensional object.

Contemporary Photographer Review

Phillip Tolendano's Gamers Review

The digital world is a fascinating place that breaks the barriers we set for ourselves, both physically and mentally. We can defy physics, create fantastical and impossible landscapes, and even play the part of God to our hearts content. There is little limit to what is possible when playing a video game. A person can lose themselves in a fabricated virtual space but the world never looses them. Phillip Toledano's Gamers series points out that ugly truth that even when we are immersed in play, our bodies are still physically in the world. Along with all those grotesque faces our bodies make in reaction to our avatar's interaction with environment.
The photo series Gamers shows front facing, non objective portraits of people making strange faces in response to playing a video game. Their faces are front lit like they are close to the screen they are playing on in a pitch black space. We, as the viewer, are forced to pay special attention to the way the light illuminates the faces in a very raw way. Each image not only shows a very human and unpleasing image of a primal facial expression but captures every imperfection in the subjects face. There is little in the way of Toledano attempting to show us any sort of photogenic image. Each picture is raw and represented in such a way to capture everything that is “wrong” with the subject. Every emotion from contempt to joy is represented in some bitter way.
As a gamer myself, I find this series quite funny and thought provoking. I don't think of myself as the kind of person to make involuntary expressions such as those shown in the series but that is probably due to the fact that I have never seen myself while immersed in a game. The series seems to question how I interact within video games. Games are a large portion of who I am and this series puts my interpretation of my hobby and puts it on its head. Every merit and down side is brushed away to point out how our bodies react to something that isn't really there. It isn't a right or wrong, just what exists and what doesn't. The emotion is physically present but the cause of said emotion was fabricated with mathematical code.
There is a lot going on under the surface of such simplicity unapologetic images that Toledano displays. The raw emotion he captures while people are immersed in a video game. There is a lot to the idea of humans putting themselves in the place of another. Video games do it in such a complete way that people forget that they are still present in the physical space. It is truly being in two places at once. I found the series very thought provoking as a fellow gamer to the point that I now find myself paying more attention to my own body while playing. The series really puts a new spin on how I view both my physical and digital world.

Mr Toledano: Gamers

The Second Hand

The Second Hand

       Art has grown and evolved in the past years and started to incorporate the use of digital manipulations as more of a standard. Much like photography’s inception into the art world, there were doubts and fears on what such a new strange medium would do to the long standing traditions of drawing and painting. I am fearful of the change and the impacts digital arts may have on the skill set I have honed over the many years. What happens to me if I don't adapt or evolve like the medium?

       I decided to create a contour line drawing of the very thing that allows me to create. A hand is outstretched vertically, empty yet not reaching for anything in particular. A single dark line is accented by vague smears of graphite indicating the depth of the actual object it represents. The other side of the wall holds an exact copy of the hand but instead vectorized and printed on photo paper. The second image is no longer my creativity but a series of shapes and equations dictated by a machine that is made to represent my image.

Does one have more artistic merit over the other?

WIP Digital

The hard part will be getting the hand finished. Only about 10% of the time will be spent manipulating it in illustrator. I wanted to combine my art from both the digital and the plastic backgrounds. Both will be 18x24 presented side by side. I know where I'm going with this but I would still like feedback on where people would like to see it go.