POP CULTURE

-by Garth Britzman

Lincoln, Nebraska isn’t known for being a hub of creativity or for recycling waste materials, which is why Garth Britzman opted to design a striking parking canopy entirely out of 1,500 used soda bottles. Named Pop Culture, this brilliant installation is comprised of hundreds of plastic bottles hanging from thread of different lengths, and filled at the bottom with different colored water. The installation calls attention to our consumer ‘pop’ culture and the urgent need to recycle our mass-produced goods.

I found out about this installation a while ago. The format is so simple, yet the concept is so beautiful. I think that this artist is very inspiring. What do you guys think?

I think that this is a very elegant way of capturing what you see, and translating it into a different language. Isn’t an installations also another form of art to express a concept, just like dancing, singing, and painting? I am seeing some similarities between the smoke(video) and the ink(picture), Chidi Blessing Nnaji what do you think?

 Black Christmas Tree(<– click here to watch the video please)

—————————————————–

Background info on this installation if you guys are interested.

“A 40 feet tall pine tree will be suspended with 2,000 purpose-built black smoke air burst fireworks. Upon ignition, black smoke puffs will ‘light up’ simultaneously from all points in the tree, as though they are twinkling Christmas lights at a tree-lighting ceremony, followed by a cascade of black ink-like smoke that mimics the flowing beauty of traditional Chinese brush drawings. The black tree-shaped cloud of smoke drifting through the air will create a spectral scene of two trees, one real and one ethereal.”

Black Christmas Tree: Explosion Event for Washington, D.C.
2012
Commissioned by Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Wednesday in class we learned about Spencer Tunick‘s nude photographs and one particular image (see below)  stood out and reminded me of artist Ai Wei Wei’s Study pf Perspective. Ai WeiWei is a chinese artist and political activist. He’s been highly critical against the chinese government’s stance on human rights and democracy. He was arrested for revealing what was hidden by the government through photography and other forms of art. I think that he is a brave artist, and that he truly cares about China.

Anyways, below is a series of pictures from Ai Weiwei’s Study of Perspective, taken 1995-2003. I personally see it as a form of protest against the old, pre-recognized authority/ power. What do you guys think?

I FOUND A JAMMING VIDEO OF OUR PROFESSOR WHEN HE WAS YOUNG. LOOK AT THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MR. JOHN LENNON AND MR. BRANDON JUDELL.

What is this?
This photograph shows Cai Guo Qiang’s recent installation “I Want to Believe”, a series of sculptures installed to protest against human rights abuses in China.
Why did I choose this?
In a way, tiger is a close reflection of the chinese culture because of the 12 Zodiacs. (learn more, click here: http://www.astrologycom.com/chinesezodiac.html)
But on the flipped side, this dying tiger is injured, so I personally interpreted it as the current generation’s fading desire of its traditional value. To me, this lost is triggered by the instant access to entertainment, social networks, and materialism.

I am posting this music video here not because it relates to the “love” topic we spoke in class, but I thought I should share this popular video on YouTube with you guys. Btw this mv is crazy popular, almost everyone I spoke to knows this video’s existence!

My purpose here is to make an intellectual comment on a retarded trendy video. Though Gangnam Style might seem ridicules because of the overly exaggerated dance moves, when we look closer, we can actually sense the modern youth culture in South Korea. Similar to the pursuit of many youths in America, the guy in the video mentions that he wants a girl who is:
“…A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that…” (Translation from Korean)
Isn’t this somehow similar to the “American Dream”? What do you guys think?

Work Cited
Lyrics-
http://www.kpoplyrics.net/psy-gangnam-style-lyrics-english-romanized.html