Coelynn McIninch

Second Semester

February 1, 2008

Reaction to Second Residency

Overview

I came to this residency already tired and frankly, a bit lost. The holidays did me in and I had no time to finish my readings. Poor time management left me starting on the wrong foot this semester. There were a few people in my group that seemed to have a difficult semester. Their stories of confusion, frustration and personality conflicts definitely slanted my view of the program. I still love the openness and collaborative nature of the program but now I am concerned about things that I am not seeing. One member of our group was considering quitting and recently notified us that she was not coming back. Because of the closeness of our group, this news leaves an open wound on our collective creative skin. Suddenly, I am not so sure of myself. My desire to play the “Art World” game is not quite as strong as when I started.

I know what fascinates me and inspires me but I don’t feel that I have any clear path on the horizon for how to express these ideas.

Sunanda was on sabbatical this past semester so his response to my writing was brief. I have yet to receive a reaction to my last paper or any comments on my statement. There wer

This residency seemed a bit disjointed. I felt out of touch and discontent with my work and ideas.

Personal feelings and reactions: Feel lost, Wish I were a painter because I would at least know what medium to use. I have so many ideas and so little time! All of my ideas go in different directions! I have decided to focus my studies on the theories that fascinate me the most. I can illustrate creatively until the cows come home but I need to match my creativity with my cognitive interests. Immersion, interactivity, sensory

I was told that the first semester is for experimentation but, I had so many Ideas and I wanted to try them all. I kept on trying to rein myself in so that I wouldn’t get too far from the basic ideas that I was trying to express. Over analyzing killed my artistic desire. Sometimes you just want to throw shit at a canvas, nail two things together and marvel at the shininess!

The Critical Seminar was fascinating but I felt so behind. I did not spend enough time digesting the works to get the most out of the seminar. I still feel we may have skipped over several ideas that were worthy of further dissection.

I know that I work better when I have a clear assignment in front of me with distinct parameters.

What I am just learning now is how difficult it is for me to simply create freely. I think and I think and I plan and I rethink until I feel I have covered all the bases. The work I brought to the last semester was nowhere near the quality or quantity that I feel I should have brought to the residency.

Group relations:

Close-knit group, very supportive. Gallery opening. Still distracted by shiny objects. Karaoke may prove to be a semi-annual ritual. Gallery hopping.

Critiques:

Went well, wanted more, should have kept meeting with Deb Todd Wheeler. Never had critique with Jan, Judith,

Faculty critiques:

Sunanda accused me of being creatively hyper and I am starting to understand what he is saying.

Student critiques:

Reactions to work:

Boxes:

· Pulled all the cubes out.

· Hit all at once

· Cacophony

Comments:

This is amazing

Too illustrative

Photos are most alive, less planned

Form is antithetical to experience

Work doesn’t FEEL like the idea (enhanced by explanation)

Cognitive interaction is NOT physical

Suggestions:

“Create first, and then theorize.” From what I know of Sunanda, this is a bit surprising. I would expect him to tell me to do the opposite. It seems I’m thinking too much even for Sunanda’s comfort. He did give me some further elaboration on that advice that I think will actually help me in the long run. He mentioned that I should do all of my readings and theorizing but then just create and the theory should naturally work its way into the art.

“You should be doing Installation work.” Several people mentioned this idea. For the record, I love the idea of creating a fully interactive environment but, I am a bit confused about how I am going to pull that one off in the limited amount of space we have to exhibit.

“Sound.” Working with sound is just one of the ideas that would be involved in installation work. I think that because cyberspace is essentially a world of disconnected sensory input, playing with sensory reactions, assumptions and expectations would be a big part of any installation work.

“Space” Cyberspace is an odd term, there is no actual space “out there” and yet we have given three-dimensional form to this crossroads of information.

Use the thing you are illustrating

Webcams

Earthcam

To Watch, Hear, Visit:

Blade Runner

Axiom Gallery

Cyber Arts Festival

MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies

The Cat Bible

Epic 2014

Epic 2015

To Read:

Nuromancer

Desire/beauty/seduction/sublime

Idoru

Surrealism

Accommodating broccoli in the cemetery

Becomings

Hal Foster (artist as ethnographer)

The power of Myth

Gravity’s Rainbow

A Boatload of Madmen

Jaques Lacan

Artists/People:

Eliason Olafur

Roni Horn

James Turell

James Welling

David Ireland

Siebren Versteeg

Muriel Cooper

Matthew Ritchie

Henrie Michaux

Rachel Perry Welty

Bill Viola

James casebere

Lee Walton

Matt Nash

Larissa Harris

Felix Gonzalez-Torrez