I found the SMP projects of both Tara Hutton and Diana Abells to be particularly interesting as both approached subjects that aren’t typically associated with visual arts. Diana’s blend of photography, drawing and video to describe physics equations and Cartesian planes was a fantastic mix of artistic mediums and science. I am familiar with the use of mathematics in origami, but I didn’t know how it could be applied to other art forms, so Diana’s drawings were both quite good and thought provoking. I have seen relatively straight forward illustrations of physics equations (like canon’s firing to demonstrate parabolic arcs) because physics is heavily tied to the tangible world, but seeing the geometry of three dimensional Cartesian planes in a drawing of a guy stretching his cheek and hiding under a blanket were pleasantly abstract. Tara’s cutouts had a unique way of addressing both gender and the way a viewer can actively interact with a piece (which has lots of interesting parallels to a photo book). Her work relied on non-passive viewers to create their works using androgynous cutout characters that could be fitted with a variety of clothing and placed in various scenes with a wide array of other character and objects. I found this interesting not only due to the subversion of gender identity and the undermining of gender roles, but because of the importance of the audience in creating the work; essentially she provides the viewer with the tools and they must use them to help build the work. The sense of communal art is something that is completely foreign to me, but endlessly fascinating. It made me think about the possibilities for more involved interaction in my future photo books and how that can help my picture branch out an attain a possibly higher meaning.
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