Exploring Science Fiction!

 

"Media...envokes in use their unique ratios of sense perception.

The extension of any one sense alters the way we think and act--- 

the way we perceive the world."

---Marshall McLuhan, p.148

I've always said I wanted to get more into sci-fi but never quite knew where to start.

The genres I love the most are fantasy and horror. This goes for all forms of media: books, tv shows, animes, cartoons, video games, and music. These forms intersect with sci-fi on occasion, but I haven't actively sought out sci-fi as an individual genre. One of the biggest franchises in sci-fi I have gotten involved in has been Star Wars which has a huge fan base. Outside that though, I've wanted to consume more sci-fi but have yet to branch out.

With that being said, my last project for my New Media in Art class is heavily inspired by Science Fiction. I wanted to experiment with blurry images and the smearing of light. I wanted the pictures to be super dark and exposed for long periods of time. I've worked with exposure time before back in my photography summer school class when I was 15. It was fun but I never played around with it as much as I would have liked. This was my chance to experiment and see what kinds of images I could get.

Portals pt.1 (2023), Nayla J. Brunnbauer

Portals pt.2 (2023), Nayla J. Brunnbauer

I achieved two things with these images: light smudging and double exposure. To get both of these looks, I would often change the exposure to be super low; in the negatives. I would then take the picture and turn the camera violently to the side. Sometimes I would tilt the camera up or down too. The point was for the camera to capture two different directions of the same general location of the subject. It was a fascinating discovery and made for some really cool images like Portals pt.1 and Portals pt.2. Another really cool camera movement I would do was draw triangles, circles, or squares with the camera. I would snap the picture (still with a low exposure) and then move the camera in the shape I wanted. This technique worked best when I had some isolated light sources in the image. This can be seen in the picture Testing Ray Gun.

Testing Ray Gun (2023), Nayla J. Brunnbauer

I wanted these images to have an unsettling feel to them, and I would say that was achieved. Both my subject, Nina Broberg, and I were able to achieve this sense of unease through these images. I would also say, the added tone of an alien invasion also makes the images really eerie. All in all, I'm super proud of this project. It's something I have made into a book and would love to get published in the near future too. I'll attach here a link to my Flickr if you'd like to check out the entire collection!

Here's the News: Something Happened!

 "At the high speeds of electric communication, purely visual means of apprehending the world are no longer possible."

--- Marshall McLuhan, p.63

How often do you pay attention to the feet around you? No, I don't mean it THAT way. I mean, have you really taken the time to admire the shoes a person wears?

My collection These are Shoes brings to light the wonder and uniqueness of a pair of worn shoes. Something I've noticed about myself is how many different kinds of shoes I have. Whether it's casual or fancy, my shoes mean something to me and set my outfit's mood depending on what I wear. I have new shoes, worn shoes, paint shoes, and dress shoes. I have marching band shoes from when I was in high school. I have sparkly prom shoes I wore to Junior prom (the only prom I got to have). I have vintage shoes that I wear way too often and continue to stretch the stitching.

These are Shoes: Casual EQ, 2023, Nayla J. Brunnbauer

I've sat with this project for over a month now. Here's what I've been doing--- photographing, photoshopping, printing, publishing, and displaying. I picked 20 of my favorite shots and created a Flickr account. From there, I created a book and got it published. While I waited for the book to arrive, I selected three different photos--- Causal EQ, Emmeth's Yellow in the Blue, and Athletic Trey pt.2 --- and had them printed out as 8x10. I plan to hopefully get framed at some point. Finally, the photograph The Dancer Jana pt.1 was printed out as an 11x14 and is currently on display in the Wriston Art Gallery at Lawrence Univeristy.

These are Shoes: The Dancer Jana pt.1, 2023, Nayla J. Brunnbauer

While none of these are crazy, amazing feats I've learned a lot over this project. I've regained my eye for photography, for one. I also got to spend a lot of fun time with friends and get a chance to admire how cool many of their shoes were. Finally, this project helped me realize what I wanted to dive deeper into for my final project for my New Media in Art class, which of course is photography. Expect more updates soon and please check out my Flickr to see my full collection of These are Shoes.

Learning About Spaces for Art Exhibitions!

 "Anybody can now become both author and publisher...Teamwork succeeds private effort."

--- Marshall McLuhan, p.123

Recently, I had the chance to attend a lecture given by Terri Warpinski and David Graham about their non-profit studio space newARTSpace.

Both artists find their creativity rooted in the structure of images and color. Terri's work is well known for its attention to detail. She's quoted as saying, "I'm the laborer of everything that goes on." Her chosen medium is photography. From collages inspired by Robert Rauschenberg and Betty Hahn to her own field journals (books that document and list off her simplest of moves while at work in the field) being turned into prints for consumers, her work is definitely unique in its own right. 

Field Studies: Crater Tecolote, Terri Warpinski

David's medium is also photography, but he works more with old-style cameras. He's less known for his attention to detail but for the spontaneous, wacky images he captures instead. His images draw you in and keep you rooted in place as you try to discern what meaning they hold. His images started out without color, but now he's moved into using color more in his images. His work comments on issues or topics worth discussing and make viewers question their own understanding of societal structure.

High Water, David Graham, West Quincy, MO, 1993

They explained how coming together and founding newARTSpace has really opened up a lot of opportunities for them and for the little community of De Pere, Wisconsin. All of the proceeds from buyers at their gallery go straight back to the artist from whom they are purchasing. Terri and David don't make any money from the purchase at all. They talked about how this really confuses other artists who run their own exhibitions because usually they take some percentage of the proceeds for themselves.

Terri Warpinski and David Graham out on a stroll, Terri walking her dog

I'm excited to hear more about what they accomplish over the next few years. Being able to give exhibition space for smaller artists to get their work out to customers without extra money loss is really impressive and something very different from would bigger exhibitions are doing.