I'm playing with two ideas for my exhibition-in-box.
First: I might depict the life, career & philosophy of Dr. Sigmund Freud whose ideas about delving into a person’s past in order to better understand her/him in the present were foundational to the field of psychology. Freud believed that present dysfunction could be traced back to dysfunction in early childhood relationships, specifically those between child and mother.
I chose Freud as the subject of my project because he is a very well known, recognizable figure in the world of psychology, which has had a huge place in my educational background and philosophical development. He is, therefore, representative of my own development and has had a significant impact on how I perceive myself and my world.
I will most likely select images and objects that depict various commonly-known aspects of Freud's life and career (e.g., psychotherapy couch, Id/Ego/Superego, penis envy, the Unconscious, cocaine, etc.)
To contain/transport my exhibition, I will probably try to use case files (i.e., manila folders with labels) and a briefcase to give the impression of a professional, and specifically, a therapist.
Second: I am also considering building the exhibition around my own experiences in Europe, particularly my semester in Spain and related travels. This experience was monumental in my life, as it opened up my world and (having taken an History of Spanish Art course) significantly influenced my progression away from psychology as a career and toward the finer arts.
I would display photographs, images, and objects that depict/represent some of the most influential experiences I had while abroad and likely contain it all in a suitcase.
My story would probably be told chronologically, perhaps prefaced with a look at my past education in psychology and capped with a hint at my developing education in Graphic Design.
Friday, November 6, 2009
1. How does the Creative Commons (CC) project alter the way we understand ownership and copyright?
I'm not sure I entirely understand the CC project and how it differs from traditional copyrighting (other than that it appears to be a free service and you won't be finding your CC licensed work in the Library of Congress). If I am indeed gathering what I think I'm gathering from the CC case studies, it would seem that the primary purpose of pursuing a CC license is to make easier and more clear the freedoms you wish to afford viewers and users of your original work. With traditional copyrights, the copyright owner has the right to transfer elements of the copyright to another entity or to grant permissions of use, but it seems that the law is more rigid and is intended to restrict all use of an original work to its creator. This seems to serve a very defensive purpose, which may have its place, but if you hold too tightly onto your work, you might miss opportunities for a further unfolding of your works' potential. In a community of artists who - with the great array of digital media available - are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of making their art more accessible to others for the purposes of further use, exposure and distribution, it seems that the rigidity of a traditional copyright may be stifling the potential artistic/creative gains that might accompany a much more expansive, common-use system. So, the CC project appears to be giving the license owner more freedom in making their work available to others, while still ensuring that they will receive due credit for their art. In this way, they can actively participate in that community which hopes to "share and share alike," being granted in return the luxury of lawfully appropriating others' work (or elements of it) to aid in the development of their own artistic expression. In essence, it means opening up ownership on some level to the community, rather than hoarding it for oneself, which - I seem to gather - many artists are coming to view as a detriment to their art instead of a necessary and beneficial precaution.
2. How does this project affect the subject(s) of a work?
In a world where online dating is the norm, three retired and washed up action stars (Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris) find love online… but little do they know that eHarmony has matched them with the same girl, Rosa Caliente (played by Megan Fox)! Their friendship will be tested when they find themselves in a battle for her love! Unbeknownst to them, Rosa Caliente is only a digital representation, created by eHarmony’s Dr. Neil Clark Warren (played by Bob Barker) in an attempt to thwart the action heroes.
I came across an interesting article in PhotoMedia magazine a few weeks ago called "Custody Battle: Who Owns Orphan Works?" and meant to blog about it at that time, but kept getting distracted. So I'll do so now, as it seems even more relevant given the topic of our recent readings, class discussions and Creative Commons research assignment.