Movement Manifesto

New Flayvas!

Art is simply elements, particles, and textures.  It is not until a unique flavor is added that the art becomes beautiful and worth while. 

·      It is formed out of necessity which fuels creativity.

·      It is simple.

·      It is straightforward.

·      It has to be made of many parts to be made whole.

Our group started the process of creating our manifesto by reflecting back on the readings we did for class. Looking at our class blog we were inspired by the Dogme 95 manifesto. We recognized how well written and thought out it was; there were specific guidelines and restrictions to the type of art they were promoting. We knew we wanted to come up with specific rules and constraints to make sure our ideas were clear and precise. With these goals in mind, we made an outline of our manifesto. We started with Adam’s idea that good art has its own unique flavor. We were inspired by Super Mario Bros. (1985) and how the characters were created. It was based off of Alice and Wonderland’s characters and story elements. We concluded that if there was a video game with Alice and the Cheshire cat no one would be interested. But these same characters were given a new flavor and Mario was born. It became popular and is still prominent in the video game world today. This was the basis for our manifesto. We are surrounded by elements, textures, paintings, but they do not truly become beautiful and worthwhile until a new flavor is added to them. Our art piece is reflective of these ideas. Paint splotches are normally used to pick out the perfect shade of paint for your wall. Normally you would look at these rectangle pieces of paper and just see color. But when we add new flavor to this art, it becomes something more. It becomes a mural of Mario that our manifesto was inspired by.

            

Movement Manifesto Idea

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrArturoTrejo?feature=watch

These guys used tobe in my ward back home and now they are on youtube.  I love how they take ordinary life and turn it into something entrertaining and fun!

Historical Story

Here's the link guys! Enjoy!
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B36SXgI7zC1OUXJjZGRoYzR5WFk/edit

When coming up with an idea for our historical story we both turned to family stories; our first thoughts turned to the experiences of our grandfathers. We based our story around Peter’s grandpa’s past and his journey in creating the Grammy Awards Show.  After reading “Vivian, Fort Barnwell” we were fascinated with the fact that the picture Canin thought was his mother was actually his grandmother.  His childhood imagination took over and a story was made.  Even though the story was only a made up tale, he believed it was true.  Perception is everything. We felt that because of this we could use our own creative freedom.  We found the facts, but added our own voice and style; we had to embellish our script to hold our audience’s attention.  In our workshop Melissa and Adam suggested we add a bit about how the Grammys was named.  We took their advice and incorporated the name into our story. We then thought back to the movie The Blind Side, the true story of an ordinary woman changing the life of a young boy born into unfortunate circumstances. Although it was about an average woman, there was a theme and a message attached to it.  We knew we had to incorporate a theme into ours as well.  Thinking back to the beginning of this process, we both agreed that family was important to us and we wanted the story to focus around that.  With the facts Peter researched about his grandfather, we made an inspiring story about a man having trouble at work.  But because of the inspiration he found by supporting his daughter, he was able to come up with what we know as the Grammys.   It was a learning experience taking family history and adding our own twist and theme to it. 

Pikachu is Dead - Genealogical Object

                                                 Let me just tell you about the worst day of my life. Well maybe not the worst, but it is definitely up there.  You see I made a bet with this kid, Jason, in my government class about who could get a better grade on our next test.  This was definitely the last time I made a bet about grades with the salutatorian of our school.  My punishment for losing this bet by a mere 2 points was to make him a cake.  Not just any cake, a Pikachu cake.  It was going to be epic.

                                                 I love decorating cakes.  I jump on every opportunity to make cakes for my friends, family, birthdays and holidays.  My interest really sparked when my grandma died and my mom took home all of her old cake decorating tools.  My grandma used to make beautiful cakes. While she was a teacher in primary she always baked birthday cakes for her kids, and made wedding cakes for several brides in the ward. I started experimenting with all the different tools and learned I have a knack for piping.  I still use the same tips my grandma used to decorate her cakes.  

                                                 Using these tips, I started designing Jason’s Pikachu cake.The cake was quickly transforming into the familiar Pikachu found on every little boy’s playing cards. Yellow skin, black anima eyes, the smiling, warm face, bright, rosy cheeks and the big tail in the back. I even got the red and white stripes of the ball that Pikachu pops out of on the sides of the cake. Although my hands were throbbing after five tedious hours of piping Pikachu to life, the pile of ingredients had turned into a masterpiece.

         It was perfect. Now all I had to do was deliver it. Dragging my sister along with me, she held the cake while I drove the 20 minute drive in the blazing California sun to Jason’s work. Driving as cautiously as I could, I slowed at every twist and turn desperately praying for Pikachu’s safety.  At that point I didn’t care how many enemies I made on the road as long as I got the cake to Jason safe and...

SPLAT!

My heart dropped; my eyes were holding back tears. Dreadfully, I looking over at my sister's lap; cracks forming in every direction, the two layers and the chocolate mouse filling were completely separated.  Pikachu was dead.  Hours of hard labor and all that was left to show for it was a pile of crumbled cake and a melted slosh of multicolored frosting. 

Dragging my feet, I walked back into my house with the remains.  My mom immediately came to my rescue as she wrapped her arms around me in that way only moms can.  She said if she was still alive, my grandma would know how to fix it; some of her cakes went wrong too.  My grandma, the same one who made the most elegant of wedding cakes with tiers of intricate roses and lace hanging in beautifully constructed patterns made for that happy couple’s special day, she had disasters too.  I thought she was invincible; her cakes were always so perfect. But, no; she had walked the same steps I had walked that day. She knew exactly how I felt.  Even though my grandma is gone, I felt a lot closer to her that day.  These tips are not just cake decorating tools, but are a way I can keep hold of my grandma and our passion for cake decorating.   

 Artist Statement:

What makes an object important? Why do we keep some things forever, but do not mind throwing others away? The Uncommon Life of the Common Object, addresses the question, “What gives ordinary objects their value?  It is because of their story.  It is what they represent and make us remember.  In the reading, Busch talks about his children and how they would always play with this magic box.  Countless hours were spent figuring out and mastering the quarter disappearing trick.  Trying to come up with my object and narrative, I kept thinking back to my childhood, and the things I thought were important back then.  I began to remember going over to my grandma’s house all the time.  She would always have new clothes for all the kids, and was the best cook alive; she made the best pot roast and gravy. The house always smelt so good.  After remembering all of this I still did not have an object.  I then thought back to middle school and reading The Diary of Anne Frank in class. This simple diary was not just about a teenage girl during the Holocaust.  It represents the millions of Jews and their horrifying experiences during that time as well.  This book is held so dear to many because of their experiences or the experiences of those that came before them.  We feel we can become closer to these Jews because we can hear their story.  I immediately thought about my cake decorating tips and the relationship I had with my grandma that the tips represented.  I could tell my cake disaster story, but really show how I felt a lot closer to my grandma that day.  Although these are just any old decorating tips you can buy at any local Joanne’s or Michaels, mine mean much more.  I feel like I am carrying on some family tradition or talent that I hope one day pass on to my children.