Hit me, knock me out and let me go back to sleep...

Week 5


"Untitled"
Caitlin Bohac
India Ink, fake blood, and conte crayon on Stonehenge

  Well here it is, the final product. I have decided to name it "Untitled", not only because I have a really hard time chosing names for pieces, but I have bounced around several different names in my head and I really think that giving it a specific title could really impact a viewers perspective. My whole goal of this piece was to make a map that had a special meanint to me, but using a medium that makes it intensely personal. So personal that it almost verges on the point of uncomfortable. It lets a viewer inject (sorry for the pun) their own meaning into the piece.

During the critique on Tuesday, I was told that it does give off a very bloody vibe, but almost too much of one. The dripping effects of the india ink and "fake blood" (which if you didn't read my last post was what I ended up using) reall.y express the intentions of blood as the medium. The other critques that I cued most in on was the fact that it doesn't really express ther personal qualities of leaving your trail, or mark, on the map. It makes it more the point of being creepy, small town, homocide, creepy. That was never my intention. I really have no intention of going postal any time soon, especially on anybody that is represented in this map. I really think I got caught up in my own ideas and needed a different approach that I just couldn't find. In retrospect, this project was more thought intensive than I'd imagined. I don't think I fully explored all of the capabilites that cartography as a medium could offer. But it was an excellent learning experience in that it made me think about different mediums and styles and it gave me a chance to try out some more abstract concepts in my work. I notice in a lit of my pieces I like being litteral and drawing piece with a set subject and a very face-value meaning. I think in some ways that's really kind of a weakness, it kind of feels like being a one-hit-wonder.

Otherwise this week was a relaxing end to a project. Spending the week critiquing and looking and discussing everybody elses work was nice. I really loved the diversity in not only styles but subjects. What I think was really kind of interesting about this week was that several people used the map idea to create works with a darker meaning or having a darker feel to a relatively postive subject. I think that a lot of people took this opportunity of mapping to reach down and pull something out of them that wouldn't really come out in their regular work. But now that I know that this is over, I'm ready to see what the next project entails. I really can't believe that the semester is half way over already. It's kind of sad. Somebody told me yesterday that I looked worn out. Funny thing is I completely agree.