Blog 2: Assignment

In this Painting by Liu Fei “girl with gun” , it communicates the womens movement in China in the 1920s and 30s showing China’s influences by western lifestyles and going against their cultures and traditions. This not only communicates this in China, but also can relate to other countries and womens control. War as  Global Issue

Peter Stichbury’s painting “Leer” is a very confussing photo. With the figures being together by holding hands, but also being quite distant. The communication coming from this painting is mainly shown in the front, by the bright glow of a light on the front figures. This definatly tells a story through the facial expression of the characters painted. Sexuallity as a global issue

 

in this C Print of Kim Joons work “Duet Pig”, he communicates his work through tattoo like work. He has “tattooed” many of  his characters with brand logos such as those of Gucci or Starbucks. These consumer brands make our lives and define us just like tattoos. Consumer Brands as a global issue

 

John Leech and Gow Langsford Galleries -spring 2009

Research Requirement 6

Identify and locate 5-10 pieces of information/ written material that informs this idea or related ideas you have (refer to your mind map). Do not use the internet. Consider :newspapers, journals, novels, magazines and encyclopedias.

A History of playing cards: by Catherine Perry Hargrave: Some Brief knowledge of playing cards helped me with some ideas with designs. I was also very interested in how everyone decided on who and what were going on what cards, what symbols where being used, and what hasnt changed over the years. Most people know the standard suits in playing cards, but all around Europe it was slightly different which i found quite interesting as they were all situated around the same area. Hearts Leaves Bells (round hawkbells) and Acorns in Germany; Shields ‘Roses’ Bells and Acorns in Switzerland; Coins Cups Swords and Batons in Adriatic Italy and the french making the Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and clubs.

The Enchanted Tarot: Book and Cards by Amy Zerner: I didnt really want to look into the Tarot card look of things as it doesnt really interest me that much, but a lot of information I tried looking for, brought me back to Tarot cards and how they became. I read the intense amount of detail of playing cards relating to Tarot and how you can use them for fortune telling, yet was a game in the olden days. Why this is an intense amount is because every card of every suit is something different, all 10′s are not the same. For example : 9 of hearts - Number 9 is also called as the “Wish Card”. The card represents harmony. If bad cards surround this card, the inquirer has to deal with the obstacles before his wishes would be fulfilled. 4 of clubs - Number 4 is a danger card representing a series of failures and misfortunes in the seekers life.  So if these two cards are in the same deal…your just going to be in harmony but in danger of failure. Relating to horror, I did look at each 6 from the tarot fortune readings and found that 3 of them are negative, and 1 is positive. 6 of hearts - The card warns the seeker regarding a misfortune or any bad event that is likely to happen in near future. Hence called as “Warning Card”. 6 of clubs - Card represents success in partnership ventures. 6 of spades - Number 6 indicates, the seeker is unlikely to reap success for his hard work. 6 of Diamonds- Early and unhappy marriage is indicated by card number 6.  Ironic that 3 6′s are negative 666.

The Death Card: In Society Of American Magicians Magazine: A popular card I hear all the time. The Ace Of Spades. Over the last year of watching a comedian who pulls a card out of a chicken, I’ve heard about 80% of the people call out the random card of choice, “The Ace Of Spades”. This card was known in the war for the Death Card.The stories told was that the Vietnamese were inveterate card players–and that was true; Mamasans playing cards many, many times in any shade that was available–and that some of the common superstitions about certain cards had penetrated Vietnamese culture, by way of the French. For instance, the Ace of Spades was a death card. The Queen of Hearts was a love card. The Jack of Spades represented an enemy. The death cards used in Vietnam served no military purpose and were more for the morale of the American troops than to terrify the enemy. Getting more information on just one card, which is said so commonly yet in the war was used as a scare tactic, was very useful, but still didnt tell me in this article why it is one of the first cards to pop up in many peoples heads.

Magazine articlefrom: Antiques & Collecting Magazine: I played around in Printed Image class with jokers and changing their normal Jester image. I thought I would find out a little more information about this lucky Jester on the card for years. The name could also derive from Poker, where it was first mentioned a decade earlier, in the American Hoyle (1875), although Catherine Perry Hargrave in her book A History of Playing Cards, has found even earlier jokers, from 1862 and 1865. The 1862 card has a tiger on it and the label “Highest Trump”, while the one from 1865 is inscribed “This card takes either Bower” and “Imperial Bower”, or “Highest Trump Card”. So it may be that Euchre was the game for which the Joker was invented, not Poker, because part of this confusion on the issue may be due to the fact that both games spread simultaneously northward on the Mississippi.Incidentally, the Joker that we know today as the court jester didn’t assume that costume until the turn of the twentieth century.

Medic8 article about gambling addictions: I decided to look up gambling and gambling addictions as in some of my work  I have the use of money in the card ive produced. Like a $ instead of a 5 or a flush of cards with problems that can happen once your addicted to gambling.I read about how Pathological gambling is now defined as a non adaptive gambling behavior and if you meet some of their criteria the you have a gambling problem/addiction. This is now looked at as an illness and talk about the treatment involved in making people better. In making money they dont have, people will result into theft, relying on family and friends, or selling drugs just to feed their habit. This is common with some people and addictions. Abuse is also common in homes where pathological gambling is present, along with teenage suicide. Ive added a paragraph about the addiction from the article. “Further to this, according to a report from the Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions there was an experiment constructed where test subjects were presented with situations where they could win, lose or break even in a casino-like environment. Subjects’ reactions were measured using a fMRI, a neuro-imaging device very similar to a MRI. And according to Hans Breiter, MD, co-director of the motivation and Emotion Neuroscience Centre at the Massachusetts General Hospital, “Monetary reward in a gambling-like experiment produces brain activation very similar to that observed in a cocaine addict receiving an infusion of cocaine.”" For people who dont take drugs and drink alcohol as a choice might want to stay away from gambling if addiction is a problem in your family.

Research Requirement 5

Interview an expert or person who has an interest or knowledge base that relates to your idea/topic/theme…ask 5-7 well-considered questions (not direct yes/ no ones) and record these along with the responses you receive.

Jarred Fell- Professional Magician 12+ Years.

Do magicians use just any cards, or are their specific ones you or other magicians prefer?

We don’t just use any cards. I know most magicians use Bicycle decks.

Whats so good about Bicycle decks?

They have a second finish and are thinner than any other cards. This makes it a lot easier to do flourishes and card slights.

Where are these decks made?

Cincinnati, Ohio USA.

So, It must be hard getting them here? Are they the same price as they are in the states?

They cost about 12.00 a deck here but I have someone who goes to the states every year and buys me about 60 decks. It’s a lot cheaper and cost about 1.70 each there but buying that many decks does add quite a bit of weight to your luggage. 

60 decks a year? That must cost quite a bit after a while, what happens to all those cards?

It is pretty expensive, but cheaper there than getting them send over or buying them here. I throw my cards in the air and sometimes i dont get all of them back, if any at all. I find peoples cards in my mouth, in which an entire deck of cards can be ruined. I use a lot of fake blood or special effects in my shows, in which the cards can be damaged and never used again. I dont think many people would be picking cards outta the deck if half of them were red, might give me an advantage of finding their card. I tend to lose a few cards in a deck sometimes, so I usually just use the deck over again, until it gets noticeably smaller than a normal deck.

Any certain size you prefer?

Well there is 500, poker, and Bridge size. Bridge size I prefer as they are smaller and easier to read.

How long have you been using Bicycle decks?

 I think I was given my first pack at 9, but never really realised what I was given. I didnt start to properly use them until about 6 years ago.

Is there any Horror cards or decks?

Yes, not a complete deck made my Bicycle though, but there are certain decks which cannot be discussed that have some horror type cards in them. Im sure other people have made their own decks and horror movie cards have been produced.

Research requirement 4

Collect a further range of related stuff that you think is informative. This could be from the internet, your home, friends, magazines…wha ever, from wherever. Fill the gaps in your knowledge. Consider test strips, materials, actual works from other designers, images from magazines, suff from the net…its up to you.

I’ve collected many photos from different aspects for this research. Searched around books like David Blaine Mysterious Stranger which has pictures of cards, slight of hand, first painting of cheating and much more information about the magic in cards. The internet carried a lot of interesting photos with horror, cards, and horror within cards. Also sliped in a few photos ive taken myself from a movie set.

 

Research Requirement 3

Go to the museum and find 3-6 pieces of interesting related information. Record through drawing, note taking and photography. 6-12 documentation from self directed gallery visits or movies or artist of interest.

 

 

 

 

Research Requirement 2

Collect 15-20 related samples or use your camera to record related visuals. These could be close ups/surfaces/variations…try to get them from the world at large, your environment and not the internet or books.

I collected some images from horror  theme and cards, but found little in both.

Research requirement 1.

Identify your main Idea/topic/theme or central concern (s) in your work . Make a mind map to extend ways of considering your central idea or primary theme etc.

I started with a Horror type theme, so i started doing all my PPMT work in horror theme, but when i got to print making, Hadley had an idea of me using playing cards. In which i started looking at the cards and playing around with horror in cards.

Resurrexit Anselm Kiefer

Walkie Talkie Man

Sleeping, Ben Buchanan