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Week 14: Elisa GP lecture notes 

Elisa prefaced Porpentine’s talk on Alt. Gaming and shared her works based on her website, a few of which I took notes on above. 

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The name is a spin on the 1984 indy film Repo Man with Harry Dean Stanton, but our objective was to “repossess” lost or forgotten or suppressed histories of working people, women, minorities, radicals and then mark these in public spaces around New York City.

Interview by Leah Otes; “what does REPOhistory mean to you?”

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I stumbled upon the tumblr account of Gregory Sholette, himself! Throughout this, he shares some of his work and offers commentary on it. He also comments on the work of other artists that he relates to. It was quite interesting reading up on his thoughts and comparing that to what we are doing in LS 25 with our own reflective tumblr accounts. 

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Art as Social Action is both a general introduction to and an illustrated, practical textbook for the field of social practice, an art medium that has been gaining popularity in the public sphere. This is essentially an instruction manual for teachers about how to teach art as social practice. Along with a series of introductions by leading social practice artists in the field, creative lesson plans offer examples of projects for instructors at both college and high school levels. 

This is an example of the multi-media nature of all that Gregory Sholette produces. While he makes paintings, sculptures, and videos, he also writes instructional books to share his passions and ideas. 

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On Gregory Sholette’s website, one of the intriguing pieces I found was this - Interview with a coyote. I was confused what this unconventional piece meant at first, and still am to be honest. However, I was able to unpack some details about it. This is a series of pages on a document that have a coyote painted in black and white watercolor. The viewer is intended to flip through the pages quickly to resemble a stop-motion of sorts. Then, the story Gregory is trying to convey is somewhat clear. There is a coyote running from a hooded person with a cane who is trying to catch him. The pictures show a struggle between the two, ending in the coyote’s defeat. 

As many of Gregory’s art pieces are meant to convey an activist message, I still don’t understand what the hidden political message of this piece is, but I will continue pondering the meaning until I do! 

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Monday April 23 - Prof. Skoller Lecture Notes 

During this final lecture, Prof. Skoller wrapped up the course by briefly summarizing a couple artists’ talks. He then pivoted to talk about the major theme of Media Activism. This was a great end to this class because it brought the entire content of the course together and posed some questions relevant to our society today. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and will recommend it to many friends!!! 

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American policing is a monster

Malkia Cyril 

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Berkeley Copwatch is a database to document police brutality on the streets of Berkeley to hold police accountable. 

https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=6e0ac08a869a9195c5631f162&id=cf6de76883

is an example of a newsletter that this website comes out with. In this issue, they remember Kayla Moore who was killed by Berkeley police for no reason. This is an example of media activism as mentioned in class today. This is super important facet of art and media today because it spreads important messages to those who might not read the news, for example. Media activism provides an accessible means of learning about issues in society. 

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This is a database that uncovers unfair and uncalled for treatment by the police to regular citizens. The Copwatch Database is a permanent, searchable repository of complaints filed against police officers. It was designed and intended both to promote public safety and to ensure that police officers remain accountable for their actions.

Someone brought up that there is. actually a decal at berkeley called CopWatch that teaches tactics and strategies for resisting unfair police treatment and educates students on their basic rights. 

I think this is a major topic that all of us should be educated on. We need to speak out and resist unfair treatment. I think this form media activism is a great way to spread the messages that are so crucial to our society. 

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During Lecture on Monday with Prof. Skoller, we talked about media activism and how media can be used as a grassroots movement in a political sense. People have been using digital media to document their own encounters with authorities, the state, and police. They use media as a form of witnessing/documenting to make sure people are expressing their opinions. 

This platform, witness.org, captures hate against certain groups as evidence to spur political action. We watched a piece on transgender violence. These organizations are monitoring what is being put on the internet and how to begin to offer counter discourses around it. 

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When I searched up Porpentine’s name on Google, the first item that showed up was her website. This is a glimpse of the avant-garde and edgy nature of it. It encapsulates her vibe entirely- she doesn’t care for the “typical” view of art that people have. She is unique, bold, and “doesn’t give a shit” what others think, excuse my language. This is what makes her persona so interesting and captivating. The fact that she is a woman in this art space is inspiring as well.  

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Wednesday, April 18 Lecture notes! 

ALT GAMING

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White Fungus: Do you see any value in keeping this world 'underground' ? Dena Beard: Keeping the work alive means constantly introducing new voices–especially those lie outside the scene.

Interview conducted by Robbie Martin

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technology creates systems for more effective production and art dismantles those systems to inspire affective thought

Dena Beard

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Monday, April 2nd- Week 12 Notes:

On Monday, we heard from Dena Beard who was previously a curator at the Berkeley art museum and pacific film archive. Her work at The Lab considers the exhibition and performance space as a site to investigate and dismantle systems of perception. Beard has organized exhibitions and projects with Dora García, Ellen Fullman, Fritzia Irízar, Jacqueline Gordon, Brontez Purnell and more!!

She explained in her lecture the concept of underground art and how people aren’t afraid to make new, weird, and unconventional art. This is super interesting and different, making it admirable. I personally appreciate underground art and avant-garde artists because of the seemingly small risks they take. This risk can actually be a huge step forward for these artists to move out of their comfort zone.

We learned about the Lab, an exhibition and performance space as a site to dismantle and investigate systems of perception. She spoke “how the architecture of civic empowerment became the architecture of disenfranchisement”. The Lab is an artist-run organization that has a different vibe and takes pride in that.

We learned about a strange demonstration that the Lab held in 2016. This was an exhibit of sorts that had strings across the space. This turned the room into an instrument essentially, and this was interesting because it redefines what it means to create music in alternative spaces. We can remove the confinement that music -creation has and expand it to different spaces as such. Fullman is the artists who created this space and he’s also worked with other musicians and performers to come and play with her at the Lab.

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This is the classic Drop Dead Diva dance move. We saw it when Ryanaustin Dennis performed his piece with the black aesthetic collective. The video he showed encapsulated black culture to some extent, showing the vibrancy of the dance and support of the audience. This dance is a type of voguing: model-like poses integrated with angular, linear, and rigid arm, leg, and body movements. arose from Harlem ballrooms by African American drag queens of the early 1960s and their tradition in throwing "shade," or a subtle insult directed to other queens in order to impress the judges .  Ryanaustin said its similar on a spiritual level to church