Personal Space Proyecto: The Facts

Today I executed my personal space project. My idea was to transform the normally mundane and useless fountain by the on-campus art museum into a wishing well. I color-coded pennies using tape and sharpies in order to somewhat document what people really wish for. As people passed through I asked them if they would like to make a wish into the fountain. I had six categories: health, wealth, school/work, love, mean thoughts, and happiness. I told everyone that they may choose as many wishes as they like, and throw their penny however they wanted.

I actually received more interaction than I had anticipated. I was nervous about the location at first, but more people pass through the art museum courtyard than I thought.  I would say out of everybody I asked, participation was at about 65% which isn't too bad. People would automatically look at my project because I used bright colors, and so they were already curious. Most people who said no either were "going to class or work" or didn't have time for some other reason. The other half of people who said no, just did not want to participate. The people that did participate usually commented that this was "fun" or "cute" and were very glad to make wishes. About four or five people really took time making their wishes, and held onto the coin for at least 30 seconds before tossing it in. I found that almost everybody was more inclined to participate once they saw someone else doing it. I had a nice discussion with a few ladies who were glad that the fountain was being used in a unique way, and they wanted me to keep the pennies in there because they added so much color to it.

I was very happy with the public response to my project. I was glad to see that most people enjoyed making wishes and hope that it improved the rest of their day. People are willing to participate if you just ask them. Now I plan on counting the pennies that were thrown in so that I can graph what people wish for the most. So the project had a dual function: the fountain was put to use and created a work of art in itself and the colors/categories provide research on what people think is important. It is funny how the fate of very important issues such as happiness or love can be left up to tossing a coin into an empty fountain. I think it is a nice juxtaposition.

New Project

In the next few days I need to come up with a flyer to promote the KJUC summer orientation on campus. KJUC is the AM radio station for the school, and works as preliminary training for anyone wanting to join KCSB. I have a lot of ideas for very little time to actually execute them. in the past, the productions coordinator simply altered an image from the web but since drawing is my medium, I really would like to create an original design.

Obviously the images floating around in my head right now are those of summer and kep parts of the radio station. i want the ad to have the same relaxed, warm, and fun environment that both summer and the radio station possess. I was thinking about drawing an old school boombox and perhaps weaving flowers into it. The same could go for headphones. I also was looking up images and found one like the mic we use in the station. I thought if I used this image in the same perspective (from straight on) then maybe I could use another image such as this one above, to incorporate sunbeams coming from behind the mic. These pictures are not the best example because I do not want the ad to look too cliche or amateur. Although I received an email yesterday actually from the KJUC Manager telling me that someone had already designed an ad that i could use, I really want to do it myself. It is, after all, my job. This is the first design that I will be creating for the station as Productions Coordinator so I really want it to represent what I plan on putting forth the whole year. I just wish finals could be over so I could devote more time to this! Once it is done, then I will post it :)

Personal Space Critique #1

Today was our first day of viewing the personal/public space projects. There were many good ideas however some worked more as far as garnering public response than others. I really liked the simplicity of Walter's walkway piece. The students seemed to follow blindly which was funny considering they had a choice. Jonathan's "worst ninja ever" was also very enjoyable. I do not know how much interaction he got besides the one man who stole his candy, but his execution highly improved his project. He seemed to be really in character and his natural awkwardness which he talked about during his confession piece benefited his non-ninja skills. The candy was a nice touch in order to attract more people.

If I had to choose one project that I think could have been improved, it would probably have been either Montana's or Sean's. Montana's project did not have that much substance to it. It seemed too simple, but not in the same way that Walter's was. I feel like holding a sign almost discouraged people from interacting any more than they had to. Sean's piece was funny but the location did not help his execution. I know that he mentioned that the hose could not extend any longer but maybe he could have figured out a way to transfer water into the pool after he moved it to the grass in front of the grass by the bike trail which is more populated. I think that this would have caused greater public interest and made a bigger impact in terms of other's personal space.

Art Show: Hamlet

On Thursday night, I went to see the play Hamlet performed by the theater students at UCSB. Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play and I had never seen a production of it so I was excited. Overall the play was wonderful. The actors added more elements of humor that I had not previously noticed while reading the play myself. They did a very good job of acting and performing the lines in a way that made them easy to understand even if you do not like Shakespeare. A lot of the male characters such as Horatio and Guildenstern were played by female actors which I thought was interesting. They changed the lines accordingly so that they would address the changed gender roles. Some people I talked to did not like this but I figured the actors were probably just the best for the part regardless of their gender. They did not have much of a set besides a few large props such as portraits and ladders so they made up that with excellent use of the lights. I feel like this added more of a dramatic and immediate affected then painted scenery would have. All and all, I enjoyed the play very much. It was quite long because they did not cut out any lines. At first I thought that they should have shortened it but thinking about it now I do not know which part isn't essential to the whole play. I am glad that I went though and I look forward to seeing more plays next year.

PSP #2: Least Favorite Place

My least favorite place would have to be the train station. Ever since I moved away to college I have had to take the train in order to get back to my house in Orange County. Although it is only about a three hour or less drive, the train takes nearly four and a half hours to get there. I always thought that taking the train would be fun, but I quickly found out that that is not the case. Whenever I arrive at the train station even if I am going home, the environment immediately turns into a depressing one. People generally shy away from talking to one another and the people that do end up talking are usually either too loud or not interesting. I feel the generally train population consists of people leaving their homes or loved ones for an extended period of time which also contributes to the sad atmosphere. Trains and train stations just seem so outdated to me. It is definitely not the quickest or most comfortable way to travel. I usually just try to sleep my way through any train ride that I am on although the significant number of stops makes this task more difficult. I hope that after this year I will not have to visit a train station ever again. Luckily all of my roommates have cars so that should make this wish come true.

PSP #1: Favorite Place

I would have to say my favorite place is the Polo Grounds in Indio during mid-April of every year. That is the time when the Coachella music festival happens and it is honestly the most wonderful time of the year. I have been to Coachella for the past 2 years and I will continue going every single year for hopefully the rest of my life. It is just an amazing experience. For three days, you are surrounded with amazing music, great art, and fun people. Everybody goes there to just dance and have fun. This year along with going to Coachella I am also going to Lollapalooza in Chicago. I have never been any farther than Texas so I am very excited to travel and of course go to another music festival. The hardest part about attending something so great is when it's over. It's just too much good at once and then it's all taken away just as quickly as it began. Fortunately, you leave with a ton of unforgettable stories and memories that will be told over and over again until the following year. Some of the best times of my life happened while I was at Coachella. I advise everybody to go at least one time in their life. I enjoy this space most because it is an exciting and optimistic atmosphere. I can't wait until next year!

Free Day!

I recently got a job at the school's radio station (KCSB) designing the flyers and ads they use to promote themselves. Basically, doing graphic design. I have never done any graphic design myself so I accepted the job with some hesitance. So this summer I have made it my goal to learn everything I can about graphic design. Regardless, I am still very excited about this. It's basically an art internship which is perfect. After I graduate, I am thinking that I will try to get a job similar to this. One of my favorite things to do is design album and band poster art. I have made some in the past and it was very fun.

Eventually this was made into a stencil and used for my friend's self-released EP. These pictures were from last year and unfortunately I have not done too much since. Next quarter I am talking L/D Drawing class so I hope to incorporate that and the tasks I will have at the radio station as well.