eight

I found this in the parking lot behind Caroline Dorm. I find it interesting because of the way it looks somewhat like a feather from an animal, but actually it is manmade material. I am not sure what it is used for but I think it has something to do with the parking lot.

It is really interesting looking, which I why I chose it. I wouldn't consider this object to be art but if it was used or taken in a different context then maybe it could be.

seven

Cigarette butts are probably not art. But they are everywhere. Even on a campus that prides itself on sustainability, efficacy, and worldliness, these little pieces of trash are everywhere. But they're more than trash. It's a living, unintentional work of community art that is added to and subtracted from every day. The presence of these things speaks to our own sense of entitlement as well as laziness and a disregard for our own health. There are cigarette disposal bins on the side of literally every building.  So why do they all end up on the ground? And it's not just here. Cigarette butts have become a fixture of the American landscape. If Thomas Cole was alive today, I'm sure they'd be included in his paintings. 

six

I found this light on the way down to Church Point. I think that the light is not necessarily art by any means. It may be interpreted as beautiful, but alone, it isn't art. To me, art is something that is intended and a sunset is some kind of natural instinct. But, this image drew my attention to things that exist in nature that can easily be sources for art.

Artists often depict the sun. Lightsource is one of the most important considerations in drawing, painting, photography, and other media. However, it can't become art unless someone intends it to be that. Maybe. I am still trying to come to terms with this idea.

mark napier

Mark Napier is the creater of "Shredder 1.0." This is an interactive work of art that allows the viewer to enter a web address into the system and watch as it jumbles the site. Shredder "literally deconstructs the site, slicing and dicing its text, imagery, and source code to form abstract compositions."

I got super carried away and shredded every site that I go to (my blog, friends' blogs, school website, email, etc.). It was really fun but after a while it kind of freaked me out. It's like when you're a kid and you see someone dressed in a suit of one of your favorite characters. You might know on some level that it's not real, but once you see the zipper, you're crushed. This is like seeing the zipper on all of my favorite websites.

five

I found this street sign on the way home from the beach. I found it significant enough to pull over and take this picture because of the Bruce Springsteen song "Thunder Road."

Street signs are a part of everyone's lives. They are something that we rely on, look for, and use even if we don't know where we are going. But, when a place becomes familiar enough, we no longer need to look for the names on the signs. In that way, street signs become unnecessary to many of us.

Street signs are definitely not art, but they can be something more than street signs. I don't know who named this road "Thunder Road" and I know that it probably has nothing to do with the song. However, because of this allusion, it becomes something worth looking at, or at least serves as a reminder that sometimes street signs can be more than just street signs.

raqs media collective

Raqs Media Collective Operates on an online platform that allows artists to upload their work. Then, work is mixed together to create what they call a "recsension," or a sort of remix of many artists work into one, new work. Raqs Media Collective operates on the principle of appropriation, that is, the borrowing of already existing art to create new, different art.

"From Dada to Pop, and from found footage film to hip hop, appropriation has become an increasingly important strategy for artists of all stripes."

four

I found this tree by Church Point. This tree was interesting for a lot of reasons. What first drew me to it was the way in which it seems to allude to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and her description of a tree outside of the manor that looks as if it is "taking alms from the sun" which is how this appeared to me. Additionally, because of the time of year and the lack of leaves on the tree, it seems to be stretching towards the sun for nourishment.

I also like this tree because of how it is somewhat conventionally ugly. I love things in nature that are ugly. I love that nature makes certain things ugly, or that we perceive things as ugly. I think "ugly" also usually means "interesting." This tree is sort of sad in that way, too. You wouldn't take your wedding pictures under it and you definitely wouldn't want to have a picnic under it. You also wouldn't be particularly drawn to hang out by it because it doesn't function as much more than a scar on the face of a picture of an endless sky like this one.