Kara’s

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Visual Symbols

Taino Woman

3.5” x 3”

Air Dry Clay & Inks

Detail:

Reflection Statement

The ceramic sculpture "Taíno Woman" was inspired by the indigenous people of my home island, the Taínos. I wanted to focus on the Taíno sun symbol because it is a symbol that I grew up seeing a lot and it means a lot to me and my culture. I decided to not include detailed facial features in order to show how the Taíno culture is slowly being forgotten by the newer generation. I felt the work was not producing the results I wanted, I felt it was looking too plain, so I decided to add line details to the hair. I want to keep exploring and creating art pieces centered around my culture. I want to learn more about how to work with clay and techniques to make it easier. This piece allowed me to explore. The making of this work exposed new ideas such as incorporating symbols and icons into my work.

In Process:

Strength & Femininity

4” x 3.5”

Air Dry Clay, Inks, Toothpicks

Details:

Reflection Statement

The clay bust sculpture entitled "Women and Strength" was inspired by many different femininity and strength symbols. I wanted to focus mainly on the symbols, especially the flower because women don't have just one way of looking. I felt the work was lacking and looking too plain so I decided to add a color to each of the symbols of the sculpture. I want to keep exploring the themes of femininity and strength and what those things mean to me and how I can keep demonstrating them in my art. Just like with the other clay bust, I want to learn more about how to work with clay and techniques to make it easier.

Symbols:

Lotus flower: beauty, femininity

Venus symbol: womanhood, femininity

Moon phases: fertility, womanhood

Elephant: femininity, wisdom, motherhood

Nu Chinese symbol: womanhood, perseverance

Triskelion: strong will, courage

Flower: femininity

Cat: fertility, femininity

Taíno turtle: fertility, mother earth

Heart: affection, love

In Process:

Cardboard Replica

Blender Replica

15”

Cardboard, Black & Grey Duct Tape, Masking Tape

Diagram Drawing

Paper Model

In Process Photos

Original Blender

Sunday, March 26, 2023

On Longing Assignment

“The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale”

This picture was the first thing I thought of when I heard this sentence. It’s from a couple of years ago. It was taken in Fun Spot Orlando. I hold this day dear to my heart because I got to spend it with my aunt and cousin who were visiting from Puerto Rico, who we don't get to see often. There’s a another picture of my sister and I in the exact same place when we were really little and I think it depicts the perspective of scale even better but I was unfortunately not able to find it.

“The souvenir speaks to a context of origin through a language of longing, for it is not an object arising out of need or use value”

This picture was taken the day my little sister was born, the day I got to meet the sister I had been longing for, for so long. It was not only the beginning of her life but also the origin of our relationship.

“The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the three dimensional into the miniature, that which can be enveloped by the body”

I really love this picture. We even recreated it about 5 years ago, but this one will always be my favorite.

The shadows and projections play a visual trick to the eyes by making you believe that everyone is in fact in the photo. The difference in heights creates a playful and almost whimsical effect that makes you forget we are in a crowded space.

“To have a souvenir of the exotic is to posses both a specimen and a trophy”

Also a really fun day I hold dear to my heart. We only really get to see my grandma once a year during the summer when she comes visit from Puerto Rico. I still remember just how much fun we all had seeing all the animals and getting to hold this baby alligator together.

“The place of origin must remain unavailable in order for desire to be generated”

This picture was taken in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I loved going there so much, we would feed so many pigeons, walk around the town and fly kites near the castillo del morro. I miss my birthplace more each day. I have unfortunately not been able to visit Puerto Rico since my family and I moved to Florida years ago due to how expensive plain tickets are. Looking at pictures from when I was little makes me nostalgic and long for my little island.

A Natural History of the Senses Research

"Music & Emotion"

(Graphic by Alan Cowen, found in news Berkeley article)

https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/01/06/music-evokes-13-emotions/

There are at least 13 universal emotions that can be used to map the subjective experience of music across cultures: amusement, joy, eroticism, beauty, relaxation, sadness, dreaminess, triumph, anxiety, scariness, annoyance, defiance, and feeling pumped up. Thousands of songs from genres like rock, folk, jazz, classical, marching band, experimental, and heavy metal have been studied by UC Berkeley researchers who polled over 2,500 participants in the United States and China. People felt energized by Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." They were energized by the song "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash. Let's Stay Together by Al Green and Somewhere over the Rainbow by Israel (Iz) Kamakawiwole both evoked sensuality and happiness. Meanwhile, the shower scene score from the movie "Psycho" was widely regarded as being defiant and heavy metal, exactly as its composer intended. Cowen said that positive and negative values, known in psychology as "valence," are more culture-specific. "People from different cultures can agree that a music is angry, but can differ on whether that feeling is positive or bad," he said.

"Fantasia"

https://www.mat.ucsb.edu/~g.legrady/academic/courses/10f200a/cf/background.html

This image depicts the "Bouba/Kiki" effect, it was named by the German psychologist Wolfgang Kohler. Kohler would display a pair of shapes to audiences: one was angular and pointed, while the other was rounded and smooth. Next he would ask the participants to name which of the forms was known as "Bouba" and which was known as "Kiki." Surprisingly, more than 95% of respondents concur that "Kiki" has a sharp shape while "Bouba" has a rounder one. Similar results from this test have been obtained globally, indicating a universal relationship between the ostensibly unrelated sensations of sight, sound, and texture. As psychologists have only lately started to investigate and understand synesthesia's effects—in fact, it is still frequently referred to as a "psychological disorder"—it has a highly interesting history. Even less is known about the nuanced role this cross-wiring of the senses plays in consciousness than about what generates it.