Grant Proposal

Front Page

Vitaminwater, USA

Christopher Ray

clapperclaw@gmail.com

June 16, 2009

Christopher Ray owns the copyright for this document and all of its contents.

Synopsis

This project will be used to comment on America’s consumerist nature and ignorance to what they are really consuming. A map of the United States will be constructed using bottles of Vitaminwater with varying amounts of the liquid still in the bottles.

Project Narrative

The objective of my concept will be to comment on many aspects of American culture in regards to consumerism. The idea of consumerism brings up many concerns in the global economy, advertisement industry, health concerns, and our environment. The reason Vitaminwater is the main target for this project is due to recent lawsuits filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) against Energy Brands, also known as Glacéau. Energy Brands’ was bought out by the Coca-Cola Company in 2007, thus becoming its parent company, and in turn altered, according to CSPI, the contents of Vitaminwater. While still retaining the message of being a healthier alternative to soda, the CSPI claims that Vitaminwater under Coca-Cola’s leadership now holds up to 33 grams of sugar per bottle. CSPI claims that this is a violation of Food and Drug Administration guidelines due to health concerns relating to foods with a high sugar content.*

As a consumer, these thoughts and concerns are common in my way of thinking. I think about whether or not the products the people around me are buying are true to their claims and how it plays into a form of false advertising, and how it fuels our economy to have to use methods involving trickery and disguises. Another thought is about garbage disposal, and how all the plastic used to contain this liquid is constructed and where it goes after it is drank. Each action taken in this project will represent different aspects of a consumer. Buying the necessary materials, actually consuming it, using the half-drank bottles to construct something temporary, and then pouring out the remainder of the contents to take each bottle to a recycling facility. Then repeat if necessary. The goal of this project is to make the audience think about the different aspects involved in consumerism and for myself as a form of self-discovery and study of these steps in consuming.

Methodology

Medium and Technique:

-         A large map of the United States using half-drank Vitaminwater bottles will be located in a single room on the floor. It will be accurate enough to be easily recognizable.

-         The area I will be working in will involve the use of pre-made items put together to make something new while still being identifiable.

-         Themes that will be addressed include but are not limited to consumerism, false advertisement, and littering which will bring to mind many economical and environmental concerns.

Current Dialogue:

-         Artists that come to mind with this project include Damien Hirst and Chuck Close.

-         Damien Hirst uses many pre-made objects that are held together with a strong concept that varies from serious to comical.

-         Chuck Close uses a single type of mark numerous times to mimic pixilation in order to construct portraits.

Creative Biography:

-         Studying the arts and the history of the arts at George Mason University has been a major stepping stone for my work.

-         The use of trash and articles many people would find untraditional has become a common theme in my work, while still holding on to basic principles of drawing and sculpture.

Process:

-         June 2009: Take measurements of room location and create an accurate scale of the United States with the use of Vitaminwater bottles.

-         July 2009: Acquire 1,000 bottles of Vitaminwater. With the help of assistants, drink and pour out varying amounts of the beverage.

-         August 2009: Using help from assistants, place floor markers and begin to place down half-drank bottles, with lid removed, in a way as to not crowd similar types of Vitaminwater together.

-         September 2009: Take photographs of finished work. Launch exhibition.

-         May 2010: Deconstruct project by pouring out the remainder of the bottles’ contents and sending the empty bottles to a recycling factory. For the project to be done again, the steps involved must be repeated.

Outcomes:

-         I wish for this project to enhance my skills with working with pre-made objects while also helping me to work in a group for large projects.

-         The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. will be the location of this project.

Budget:

- Vitaminwater (1,000 bottles):             $3,000

- Human labor:                                     $1,000

*Information regarding Vitaminwater’s legal matters was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaminwater

Critical Evaluation

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a lifeless film that expands on the mythos of Star Wars. Being the first animated film of the series, it will appeal to a younger audience and also annoy older fans of the franchise. Taking place between Episodes II and III of Star Wars, The Clone Wars continues the exploits of Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This time, Anakin has been appointed his own padawan learner, or student, Ahsoka Tano, and has been given an order to rescue the son of the infamous crime lord Jabba the Hutt. As expected, all is not as it seems during the war, bringing in watered down themes of treachery and deception, leading Anakin and Ahsoka into many dangerous (yet stereotypical) situations.

Star Wars has been well-known for innovation and keeping up with the technology of the day; therefore, it is not surprising that Star Wars has been adapted into CGI. Old fans may be disheartened by this move due to the childish features of many classic characters, as they should be. With crisp, clean edges and simplistic renditions of characters and locations, it’s best to see this as a symbol for what the plot and dialogue really is: boring trash. The CGI seems outdated, something you would have expected to see when these types of movies were first being pioneered by Pixar a decade and a half ago. At least in Toy Story, they were supposed to look like toys unlike in The Clone Wars.

Fans of Star Wars who have gathered enough strength to stomach a full hour and a half of this failure of a film will be further disappointed. The creators of the movie have taken the sometimes comedic relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan and made it into the only thing they have left. Also, with Ahsoka being introduced, it has been pushed into their relationship, giving you constant bickering that is irritating rather than funny. As expected, the dialogue adds nothing to the film and relies on simple banter and cliché remarks. Whether you’re an avid fan or casual watcher of Star Wars, the best piece of advice you will receive regarding this film is to ignore it.

Trash Art Ideas

I suppose the reason trash art appeals to me is that it’s so obvious. It’s garbage, no one wants it, but we have it and always will have it. The efforts regarding recycling and “going green” seem fruitless to me, and is now used as another way for companies to earn money or to appear environment friendly (personal examples include Staples’ brand recycled paper being the most expensive on their shelf, grocery stores using reusable bags but charging people for it, and certain trash companies not enforcing strict rules on recycling, allowing for employees to easily throw the recycling in with the regular trash to save themselves time and effort in the work place). Despite of all this, I do recycle when possible, including through my art. I do want to uphold my negative viewpoint on various human efforts, therefore in my art I hope to hold a variety of interpretations all being able to be read in my work.

Below are a couple examples of ideas in response to what is state above. This is all and continuation of the thoughts I had when creating my portraits on pizza boxes.

Garbage Spider

Materials & Use: Two old, rusted dumpsters (w/ plastic lid flaps) to act as a body. The two plastic lids on each side will act as the spider’s fangs and spinerets. The eight legs will be made out of various articles of trash (newspaper, bottles, cardboard, etc.).

Reason: Spiders are a popular symbol for fear (for obvious reasons) and patience (due to their hunting techniques). Fear regarding littering and pollution is common among many “green” thinkers, but idea of recycling and proper trash disposal will take much patience since it will take many years to fully catch on. Also, on a negative standpoint, these techniques, much like a spider’s hunting techniques, are not always fruitful.

Garbage/Drug Planet

Materials & Use: Concrete, empty beer bottles, shot glasses, cigarettes, spoons, rolled up dollar bills,  seemingly “used” hyperdermic needles (with exposed needles replaced with sewing needles for safety reasons and to quell my own paranoia), and various smoking paraphenalia. Sticking out of/embedded in ball of concrete will be the previous items. The ball itself will be elevated by some sort of metal apparatus strong enough to support it.

Reason: Our planet is full of trash, this being a double entendre due to trash being discarded items, and trash also being drug use and drug users.  Drugs is one of those things that will never disappear as long as mankind still exists, much like war.

Bubble Project: Puss in Boots

Ramble About My Work (some info may be transferred to artist statement)

Today in class I am showing a variety of pieces that will most likely offend some or at least make people think “what the hell?” When it comes to my work I try to create a reaction from the viewer that is strong, mostly that of disgust or humor.  I find great pleasure in this and have directed all of my interests toward this and it has worked out pretty well so far. Unfortunately, two of my favorite pieces are unavailable for viewing because they are in storage on campus that will be featured in a show in the new building this fall. Common features in these works that I’ve been producing these past few years involve depictions ofe different bodily fluids, genitals, potent symbols (swastikas, crosses), and non-traditional approaches to creating art like the utilization of used objects. These used objects idea is a somewhat recent one as I have been moving farther and farther from the idea of pencil to paper. It started out by using different materials to traditional surfaces, like using tea to dye paper, using glue as a different substance other than an adhesive, and so forth. Now I am on the edge of just using entirely non-traditional materials, like bottles and cigarette butts, etc. to create full pieces of art.

Even though the use of all used objects is not an original idea, I am moreso using these as experiments to further locate my own style so people can identify it as a Chris Ray. I have been thinking of using combinations of different materials to create substances that could be confused as being real. I have used a type of adhesive that is thick when applied to create loogies and foam insulation to create brain matter. I believe combining these substances to something real would make a strong relationship, like fake blood on a real band-aid for a general idea. For the past couple years I have been interested in the materials I use and it has become something I enjoy working with more than I do the final outcome.

Peppered Egg

Chris Ray, 2007

Digital graphic

8″ x 11″ print

A simple graphic devised in Adobe Photoshop 7.0 using a variety of blending tools, as well as burning and dodging. This image shows how the artist’s attention to detail can also translate digitally.

Thermochomic

I worry about my motivation some times. I get caught up in this web of work and class that I tend to forget about things I really want to do, but by the time I am free where I can do these things, I am too sore or burnt out to even think about lifting a pencil/brush or book. I know I am not alone in this problem as I see it every day with my peers where all we want to do is sit around and drink and talk about how work and class sucked. I feel like this is such a stupid problem for us to have, like it seems immature and I kind of feel emo for even talking about it. But I wonder if there is some way I can overcome this. This is the main problem I face on a daily basis, and even after facing it for so long I am still bad at becoming motivated outside the things I “need” to do.

On an unrelated note, I have been doing research on thermochomic paint. It’s a type of paint that changes pigment due to changes in temperature. The one I am trying to find starts off as black and becomes clear when heat is applied to it, sort of like disappearing ink. I haven’t decided what I am going to do with it quite yet, aside make a Rorschach mask (the character from Watchmen, and yes I am a nerd) for Halloween. For an actual art piece, it may involve some sort of physical movement from two different sites with different temperatures, something surreal, but like I said I am unsure.

Winterson Response

“Yes, art becomes a collector’s item, or a rich man’s trophy. Yes, art is traded for large sums of money, but this is not art’s purpose, nor its nature. If money ceased to exist, art would continue. If war flattened London tomorrow, someone would start to make an installation out of the rubble.” – Jeanette Winterson, What is art for?

I chose to copy and paste this quote because it means a lot to me. As an art student I am always presented with the question as to why I am studying what I’m studying and how am I going to put food on the table or a roof over my head. When asked I immediately think back to cave paintings and go through a short timeline in my head of what has happened in art. It lasts only a moment but it’s long enough to spark a response to the question that is always changing in my head. I do what I do because I know I will always do it in some way regardless of where I am in my life, and that’s good enough for me. Art is something that makes me feel whether or not I acknowledge it at that point, or days later, or immediately. To me this passion is enough to garner my time and money (as money to me is more of an annoyance than something I truly desire). I don’t really think of my future in terms of material fears because I am conscious of the unpredictability of life. I am not afraid of being poor or not being able to aford the newest high definition television, but I am afraid of being disatisfied and feeling like I had wasted my brain’s efforts in learning skills that may not be of use much longer in our technology-driven society. Like the quote says above, I know that art is going to be there for me tomorrow and the day after that for as long as humans exist.

A Field Guide to Getting Clean

I have gotten lost many times, and most of the time I was  lost and wished I wasn’t. I was lost in my irrational fears for a long time. My brain was lying to me. It was sending me signals of panic in certain events that did not call for panic. I would shake a stranger’s hand upon introduction and begin to feel unlike myself. I was anxious. Many questions arouse from this instance that were rational in a sense but irrational in its own right. What did the person touch before my hand? That is a pretty rational question. However, my brain took it further. Did he touch his mouth? His mouth, does he have a cold sore? I would look at the person’s lips and observe them carefully. A red spot. Is that a red spot? Is that a blister? Oh my god, this person just gave me herpes. From that point forward, all I could think of was washing my hands. It didn’t matter what anyone else was saying or doing, it was just noise now, noise that prolonged my trip to the nearest restroom. And worse, if the restroom didn’t suit my special needs in a very special way I would have to drive home to the restroom. I had to be aware of what I was touching from there on out, as to not spread the infection to different parts of my body. And assuming the restroom was suitable, and if I returned to talk with the person, it would happen all over again. I would be conscious of where he touched to make sure I did not touch anything he did, if he touched his lips, if he spat when he talked, and so forth. It never ended and the person, who may have been a great person, was nothing more than a walking infection and symbol of my dread.

After cognitive and behavioral therapy, and Prozac, I was able to grab hold and subdue my obsessive-compulsive disorder and begin once more to live life how I intended to do so; without fear. OCD to me is getting lost in the worst way, where your thoughts and feelings are very different and you feel compelled to act upon something you know in the end is irrational. That was the worse thing, as something like free will has become something taken for granted or never even bestowed upon us to begin with. I knew logically that acquiring an STD through a handshake or a hug would be nearly impossible, but part of my brain did not agree and it wouldn’t yield to my logic until I washed my hands.

I was lost.

Of course there are certain times where getting lost can be a good thing, in a poetic or pretentious sense. But…