During the day of the exhibition we finally finished the installation. Throughout the process of creating this project we did run into some problems such a time management, communication, and artistic disagreements. However despite the setback, I would have to say that this experience was a good one in that i believe i learned how to collaborate with a group of artists and how it was like to set up for a exhibition. While i am disappointed with the outcome of the final piece, I am glad that we manged to complete the project on time despite the lack of time and the ambitious nature of the project.  I think we did the best we could with what we had and what limited time was allowed for us. Would I work collaboratively again? Not unless I have to, that is not to say I’m not a team player, I would just rather work alone. The biggest thing I took away from this assignment though was the experience of planing and setting up for an exhibition. I learned a lot actually about the time it took and what had to be done before the opening such as lighting, cleaning, preparation, etc.

With this experimentation Morgan and I collaborated to create a drawing installation using tape and yarn. One could say that this was paramount for our research for the final project we proposed.

We were inspired by the blood splatter analysis presented in the detective show Dexter. In the show, string was used to show the direction of blood from the wound and attack. With this in mind, we created a crime scene of such using tape and yarn.

I have grown very fond of the work of fellow Puerto Rican  artist/muralist Alexis Diaz. His work is beautifully created with very intricate crosshatching and traditional art making skills. It is unusual for a street artist nowadays to use this kind of skills as a  way to stay on par with the street art scene.

His murals are focused in the organic. Usually it is a combination of different parts of animals or people. It gives the sense of an old anatomy or science book illustration. Alexis Diaz now have murals and commissions all over the world.

Working on this show is certainly an experience I will never forget.  I had never worked collaboratively on a project before, and now that I have I can honestly say, it is not as bad as I thought it would be, but it is extremely challenging.  It is never easy to work with people who have different styles and ideas.  I think the hardest part for me on this project was being able to find a part where I belonged.  I think the biggest problem that was in our group was communication and procrastination.  If we had been able to work through our problems and begin when we were supposed to I think the show would have been even stronger.  With that being said, I still think the show was a success.  I am so grateful I got to incorporate my pictures because I put a lot of time and effort into each individual drawing.  For me, this was a great experience because it taught me about all the work and anticipation that needs to go into the show experience.  It truly was an amazing and humbling experience.

It was interesting to follow  the development and help with the molding of this project, and through clashes of ideas and the how stubborn we were, I think it is more than interesting that the main concept behind this piece is struggle

Working in the piece was repetitive,tiring and slow, truly not a walk in the park, however, I feel very proud to have helped to create this head.i know this was not my original group, but I’m glad I changed, however, I still feel like,even though we worked every day over the spring break, often for more than 6 hours, we could have had more time to make the project more ideal, certain aspects were changed due to time constraints, and even though our project was really ambitious, I still wish I could see it completely realized.

Then there is the in group controversy,the implementation of the drawings.I still feel very negative towards the drawings implementation, and I feel that they could have been implemented in a more interesting way. I also feel that there is an inconsistency on the treatment of the drawings,as well as of the quotes. I feel like most of the time lost to the drawings could’ve been used towards the wire,and distribution of work (and the wall) could’ve been more even.

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That is not to say that I disliked the time I spent working on it, even though there was struggle,  there was also joy in it. While working on the project I got to work with people I really admire and got to understand and learn a lot about stuff that I wouldn’t otherwise.In conclusion, I feel that we could’ve been more efficient on some aspects,while focusing on the main idea of the project, rather than losing our focus on secondary endeavors .

Today,production has increased considerably, thanks to our collaborative ideas, we were able to create what is basically a wire bending machine.It also helps that we have summoned Dan, who I’m pretty sure has been around, working on other projects, but we appreciate his help regardless.This development gives me a lot of confidence that we’ll have enough wire in time, not only that, but Javier also have reworked the nose size,which is probably a good idea.

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I am, however, concerned about the conflicts that have  started yesterday, when the new plans were introduced to the group, I hope we can just be able to finish it in time, weather or not we use the drawings as a background or on the ground,or not at all is not of my concern, all I care about is that we have a head made out of wires to hang.

We started  the process to the wire sculpture, I twisted a lot of wire and Javier worked on the nose, I’m a bit concerned that it might be too big, but I’m sure he has a plan, also a bit concerned that we wont be able to produce enough wire in time,I’ll keep doing my best, hopefully we can finish this by Saturday night, maybe that way I can have some free time in the break.

Before I left, Javier told me he had a new Idea he wanted to implement,I personally like it, but we agreed that we should talk to the rest of the group. I’m still not sold on the drawing thing though, not sure if we’ll have time for that,and it doesn’t seem to be too connected to the head in my opinion.

I attended the opening at the McColl center,not only that but I also drove Woody there,you can ask him, we almost got hit by a bus on the way there. The exhibition was cool,even though I recall being uneasy for some reason,also the shrimp wasn’t that good ( maybe that was it?!). Some lady took a photo of me and my girlfriend, right by the paintings that looked like collages. Here are the photos I took  as proof that I was there.

Look, There is even one of me pointing! Thank you Woody, if you ever read this post, thank you.

As me and Woody  had found the window as the place for our project, it was clear that we both wanted to work on a piece that would utilize both the outside and the inside, and connect them in some way that we both found interesting, preferably using the window.

We went through more or less an hour worth of ideas, with ideas ranging from creating a fish tank illustration on the glass, to apocalyptic scenarios,ocean vistas,freeze frames, photo recreation, perspective lines (almost study like) and others I can’t really recall. as we discussed, we both agreed that we had an opportunity to focus on perspective,and perception. We wanted to play with the image outside in a unique way, something that would be difficult to recreate in any other way.we landed on the idea of simplifying the forms of buildings and scenery with lines from multiple perspective.

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The idea was interesting enough, and more realistic than most others, given the time we had and the materials available, sure it was watered down mostly due to time, but the more we worked on it, the better I felt about it.As we worked, we saw the sun slowly move, and the shadows with it,I believe it was Woody who first took notice of it, since he was the one being blinded by the light.

Most of the challenge after figuring out what to do was to stay put while putting the lines which were further from our bodies,and that challenge created an interesting aspect for the piece, since I was afraid to move , my lines ( The yellow ones) were mostly focused on on my reach, while Woodys lines were much further, but lost continuity much more often. This gave both colors distinctive personalities, which delighted me.

The week of installation slowly progressed from confusing to exciting. On Monday, we came in thinking that the yarn installation would be much more clear cut and simple than we had anticipated. I think we were all a little frustrated, since we were not exactly sure what we had gotten ourselves into. Personally, I was frustrated since I thought working with yarn would be much easier, and I couldn’t even make  a simple braid in under 30 minutes.

However, by the end of the day, our I think we worked really well together by expressing our opinions with the group, and eliminating and providing our ideas. By Wednesday, we had a much more clear cut idea with incorporating the hoop, and from there, it was simply installing and attaching the strings to the ceilings, walls, and hoops. Ultimately, I was incredibly impressed with how our group meshed and what the installation grew to be. I really loved how the concept were captured and that each group member played their part.