Why Getting Out of The Way of Viewer Is Necessary?

Do artist like audience? Yes. Audience is vital to the artist, for s/he needs to release what's inside to show others. Perhaps, keeping them to him or herself would not make them an artist. As our daily-lives become more and more low-context and we become more straightforward with our feelings we tend to disregard what can be the subconscious motives of other people.We also have very limited time to reflect back into ourselves because we are taught that we as individuals can be unimportant in order to get system going. However, when we are given the opportunity to face a piece of art and realize that there is room to engage with it, the work becomes a gateway into another's mind. For a minute we think about what the artist was thinking about. We reflect back and have an empathy between us and the other simultaneously. The experience becomes very personal,and gains an authentic importance which bonds the audience with the artist.

"Transition Space" : Is Construction Spoiling The Surprise?

Leo Villareal's work on creating a transitional space that links East and the West parts of the National Gallery of Art will definitely add more meaning to the whole travel between the East building which has grand masterpieces and the West building where contemporary artists' works are being displayed. The transition will change the state of mind of the visitors as they make their way between contemporary and classical art-works. During the time that I was at the National Gallery Art, the moving walkway was closed and I was told that the walkway's pace is being altered. My guess would be that they are altering the pace to have harmony with the LED motions.  

I personally wasn't disturbed from the construction since the workers were not being loud. The only point that I want to comment on though is the fact that the artist is already showing the end-product to the visitors before the construction is finished. The brief description of the Leo's exhibition, along with a video demonstration of the whole project is just spoiling the mystery and the full experience one might go through once the set-up is finished. 

Situational Tour: Columbia Heights

New walls are built between us.

We build walls for a brand new life, they say.
To have a piece of world that belongs to us.

Disoriented lives,spread out into a world that does not belong to either one of us.

Some walls stand to remind us of a past...

...that we rather not think about.

There are walls that we walk past...

...and never notice they may save us one day.

We also have other walls.
That are less obvious.

Walls that are inside our heads.

Some say they are very hard to tear down.

Some say our walls protect us.
Even though we are already paying someone for the exact same reason.

Even though we are surrounded by walls, we still let some L I G H T come in.
At least for a moment.

The walls are built by...us.Both.

Peace.

Piece.

Inside every walled structure,I learned that there is a different flavor.

A mixed blend of freedom and loneliness...

...separated from the rest which formed the whole.

Why is there a need to fictionalise the reality?

The literature shows significance of a work to real life by categorizing works into two types : Fiction and Non-fiction. (However, if you are a hard-core sci-fi geek like someone I once knew, you'd have a separate category for science-fiction) The virtual element to Randall Packer's work was in fact was the unifying element of couple of points under one heading. Like in his situational tour portrayals.

The crisis times are strong inspiration resources for artists because they see the crisis within the crisis most of the time. They are the ones who can read between the lines and make striking connections that invite people to think about real-life situations from another perspective.
The visit that we made into the hell resembled the striking connections between what we see as happening and what could be happening. We were taken back in time to those days when we were bombarded with news about what was going on and we had the confusion on what to believe in. Yet to have a grave and name it after the United States, was one of the clear indicators how far an artist can take his vision despite the rate of criticisms s/he can receive thereafter.

Columbia Heights

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During this years orientation, I took a group of incoming freshmen to discover Columbia Heights. The change in the neighborhood has been dramatic. City which once was home to desegregation movement has lost that attitude. With entry of big businesses into the neighborhood has helped decrease the crime levels in the town
and created new jobs for the inhabitants. The cultural heritage has inspired me to carry out my situational tour here. Having a small latino neighborhood within a black neighborhood was interesting to discover. I am planning to conclude my project in this neighborhood.