Reflection document

practice 2

Nilou Monster 0923691

1. A brief description of the two projects you have developed, incl. visual documentation.

SOCIAL New perspectives on aging My main concept for new perspectives on aging was an initiative for young people to help elderly people have a nice way to conclude their hobby. Old people are often at a certain age to continue their hobbies/ passions due to physical or mental decay. But those are the things that make people into who they are. So instead of one day not being able to do it anymore, young people will help them doing it one last time in a way they can close it of on a positive note. This I would do by giving elderly people postcards with my address to write me their hobby/ wish and me making a website listing these cards/ making profiles for the elderly to match with people that want to help.

postcard

AUTONOMOUS Digital craft For digital craft I appropriated Jan Toorops De Nieuwe Generatie (1892). His painting revolves around the start of a new era of technology as we can see by the telegram pole but also of his family as we can see by his one year old daughter Charley depicted in the middle. The paining struck me because of its different layers and hidden figures. I wanted to give my spectators the same sensation I got when I first saw the painting and I slowly uncovered it. This I did by animating it in a way it subtly moves. But there is still a generation of Toorop/Fernhouts alive and he is also a painter. I am thinking about sending him my work to come full circle.

De nieuwe generatie, 1892

2. A reflection on why these two projects qualify as an Autonomous/ Social and/ or Commercial project. You will also make a clear reference to:

• at least 2 theories, or concepts, per Practice introduced during the Studium Generale;
• at least 2 methods, skills and/ or attitudes per Practices that you have learned while developing your Practice-specific projects;
• at least 2 artists/ designers/ educators per Practice whose work relates to yours.

SOCIAL New perspectives on aging I think my project qualifies as a social practice because it is a different way of looking at aging. I could have done more embedded research though. Doing more interviews and really getting to the core of the problem would have helped narrowing things down and making my project more specific. The masterclasses gave a lot of insights on how society has unwritten rules and the things that make me to who I am. As for artist and designers that relate to my work I think I missed something. I think I was so focussed on helping or finding a solution I forgot about the design part. I could have only found the problem or just a perspective and have designed something with that in mind. Maybe I got to social if you think of social in the political way.

AUTONOMOUS Digital craft I think my Digital craft project qualifies as a autonomous practice project because it is relevant but also something I wanted to make. I think I could have done more visual research but kind of rolled in to the project. The tests I made I ended uo immediately liking. Also normally I animate my own work and drawings instead of using that of someone else. My work connects with that of Rino Tagliafierro and Loving Vincent. I have learned more about authenticity, aura, legitimacy and digitalisation and what my position is between those.

3. A statement on your position vis-à-vis the two Practices. Here, you argue whether you are more an Autonomous, Social or Commercial practitioner. This must be in line with your personal ambitions, strengths and weaknesses as an artist/ designer/ educator as well as the Practice of your choice for year 03. In this statement, you must include the verbal feedback you received in week 04 and 07.

I think I am more of an autonomous artist than social. At the social practice I was so focussed on target groups and contributing to the world. Whereas in the autonomous practice I felt free to make and to create. I think because I like to change my direction on the go, being very fluid in my process that this makes sense. Your social practice kind of needs to lead to a conclusion for it to help of shine light on a problem. Before I started this practice I thought I was definitely going to chose social because I am concerned about what is happening in the world. Now I know that I don’t necessarily want my art to revolve around it. In my social feedback Karlijn said that I should have done more embedded research. Maybe it is my own fault because I did not approach my project enough in a design way but I missed creating. Now I know that you can still make design and create in the social practice but I feel that I need less of a focus point. Social feels to me as if you have to keep in mind certain things for it to be a good social practice. I also really like digital craft and definitely want to continue with autonomous practices next year. My digital craft feedback revolved around my way of presenting my work on the ceiling without any particular reason and how my choices should have grounded reasons and I agree with that.

I guess to sum it up, I feel that for social you are more in service of someone else (an organisation or simply a cause) than for autonomous and I think that therefor autonomous is a better fit for me.