Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Want to put my tender heart in a blender

Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion...
-Eve 6-

What happens when you can't capture the vastness of whatever it is you are looking at? You stitch your pictures together. There are many ways to accomplish this effect and they are all so cool. I think I have a new favorite category of photographs!!

I really wish I had more time to look into the roots of this awe-inspiring method of creating larger than life art. But I will add here just the smallest intro... if you want to explore further. This technique has (at least) its beginning with a man named David Hockney.

Wikipedia (in part) referring to Hockney,
"Hockney became dedicated to painting and showcasing his work in various exhibitions. His work had gained esteem and international attention. Critics applauded the power of his art. Most of his paintings from the late 1960s and early 1970s, particularly Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy (1970–1971), adhered to the concept of naturalism — that is, subjects as they appear. His interest in photography greatly advanced his skill in this area, but Hockney felt as though he depended on it too much. He preferred using the photographs to study light, rather than to aid his memory. For the most part, Hockney was concerned with finding a balance between pure skill and pure art in his idea of naturalism. He did not want his art to seem overtly academic, moreover, he had not satisfied his abstract tendencies.

In 1974, Hockney was the subject of Jack Hazan's film, A Bigger Splash (named after one of Hockney's swimming pool paintings from 1967). At first, Hockney was shocked by the film which raised intimate issues. In particular, he was disturbed by the film's portrayal of his relationship with Schlesinger. However, after the film received attention and praise, Hockney signed for its release. The film was banned in many countries for its explicit portrayal of homosexuality, but won many awards among the critics.

In the 1980s, Hockney turned to photo collage. Using a Polaroid camera, Hockney would assemble collages of photos taken as quickly as possible. Hockney was fascinated with the idea of seeing things through a window frame. This medium allowed him to see things in a whole new fashion. He took a drive in the southwest United States taking thousands of photos and fitting them altogether into various collages, such as You make the picture, Zion Canyon, Utah. His artwork also began to take on a psychological dimension. In the autumn of 1983, Hockney began a series of self-portraits, allowing the public to enter his personal inner life. In these works Hockney was quite vulnerable and unsure of himself, even though he had achieved major artistic success.

In the 1990s, Hockney continued to experiment with rising technologies. He used a color laser copier in some of his works and reproduced some of his paintings. Hockney was impressed with the vibrancy of color that could be achieved using such devices. He also began sending drawings to friends via fax machines and was thrilled with this new way of communication. Much of the appeal lay in the fact that these newly produced images had no financial value at all at the outset. At first, this way of sharing art was an act of love and appreciation. Later however, galleries in other countries featured fax exchanges with David Hockney."


Of course the ideal use of this technique is to take a lot of pictures of something too big to capture in a normal way and collage them together. But in recent years, programs have been created that allow you to turn a single photograph into what looks like a lot of smaller pictures put together to form a collage. I am not sure why you would want to do this... since for me, the whole point of the exercise is to capture something more massive than you could otherwise. Nonetheless, they all look really cool!!

Special thanks to The Masterpiece Cleaners Photo Collage & Joiner Association
All of todays pictures were from this group on Flickr.

So, here for your viewing pleasure are the Top Ten Post-Hockney Pictures of the Day.
Please, for maximum enjoyment, visit the artist sites and view these incredible photos full size.

Enjoi!


Bellagio Lagoon
by PhineasX
Guild 45th
by scovophoto

I need more concrete
by Virginia G

Bayeux Hockney
by giovannirodente



F R A G M E N T O S U R B A N O S
by Mindrain




Nicosia Church
by fredodurand



skysketches in southshields
early riser
Delta
Giza: Pyramid of Khafre

If you didn't go look at these in full size yet, don't read another word... GO SEE THESE INCREDIBLE SHOTS AT THEIR ORIGINAL RESOLUTION!!!!
I hope you enjoyed!!
So what's the deal with tender hearts in blenders and beautiful oblivions? It is a song by Eve 6 that has been stuck in my head all day. I love any song that mixes words together in a way that has never been done before, like this song. If you haven't heard of Eve 6, Wikipedia to the rescue again!
Eve 6 was a rock band from Southern California, who disbanded in 2004. The band consists of Max Collins (vocals, bass),Jon Siebels (guitar), and Tony Fagenson (drums). Their musical genre has often been classified as Alternative Rock or Punk Rock. The band formed in 1995 in La Crescenta, California as Eleventeen; the name Eve 6 was only adopted later, after they already had a recording contract and were looking for a replacement drummer.
They also (and wikipedia wont tell you this) enjoyed eating at Yaki's (a small teriyaki place in burbank, ca) and were taking pictures for their album art there one day as I was eating a teriyaki bowl!!
Anyway, here is "Inside Out" by EVE 6
Chorus
I would swallow my pride
I would choke on the rhines
But the lack thereof would leave me empty inside
I would swallow my doubt turn it inside out find nothing but faith in nothing
Want to put my tender heart in a blender
Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion
Rendezvous then Im through with you
I burn burn like a wicker cabinet chalk white and oh so frail
I see our time had gotten stale
The tick tock of the clock is painful
All sane and logical
I want to tear it off the wall
I hear words and clips and phrases
I think sick like ginger ale
My stomach turns and I exhale
Chorus:
So cal is where my mind states but its not my state of mind
Im not as ugly sad as you
Or am I origami
Folded up and just pretend demented as the motives in your head
Chorus:
I alone am the one you dont know you need take heed feed your ego
Make me blind when your eyes close sink when you get close tie me to the bedpost
I alone am the one you dont know you need you dont know you need me. make me
Blind when your eyes close, time me to the bed post
Chorus:



My only question is, what are rhines? Does anyone know? Please let me know even if all you have is a guess or a theory. It seems like it should be rinds but it is most definitely supposed to be rhines. My best guess at this point is that perhaps it is intended to be short for rhinestones. But as I say, that is just a guess. If any of you know Max, Jon or Tony, and don't mind asking them, I would really love to know!!
As always, thanks to everyone who shared their talents!!
Good night

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for in including one of my collages. Nice writeup on Hockney. I was totally influenced by his collage work years ago when I started doing photo collages.

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  2. WOW...LOVE the work by giovannirodente & PhineasX. Love the color and simplicity of leo leogeo -- VERY nice!!

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