Nichola Kinch - Love Stories

When I walk into the gallery, the first things that my eyes are drawn to are (quite obviously) the trees. Several 2-dimensional, photo-realistic cutouts of trees hang suspended from the ceiling, so tall that they nearly touch the floor. Immediately after, I notice that the gallery walls are bare; the only other element to the installation is a phenakistoscope that shows the phases of the moon when spun.  
So, the show might not have an incredible amount of things to actually look at in terms of artwork, but, as Kinch explained in her talk, a big part of experiencing the installation is the viewer's perspective: "You are a player in the set." Not only does perspective change the appearance of the 2-dimensional, Photoshop-cloned/manufactured trees in the gallery, but also how they interact with the very real woods stretching beyond the other side of the Pearl Conard Art Gallery's expanse of windows. Kinch described it as a "mediated experience," walking the line between believing a fantasy and being aware that it is only a fantasy--kind of like the way love can sometimes distort reality. 
Kinch's talk was absolutely beneficial to be, because I definitely appreciate the installation more now than I had without the talk. My immediate reaction had been, "...This is literally nothing but a bunch of the same tree over and over again. What is this??" But after hearing Kinch speak and explain her thought process, I understand that the installation requires the viewers to put in a little effort on their own part, the same way the phenakistoscope has to be manually turned in order to animate the phases of the moon. This isn't a show that can simply be looked at; this is a show that must be experienced.

Dysphoria

Shepherd Fairey vs. the Associated Press

The Shepherd Fairey vs. the Associated Press case is definitely one that requires close inspection to decide whether or not Copyright Law was violated. Photographs are automatically protected by copyright, so the copyright for the photo Fairey used for his work would have belonged to the photographer Mannie Garcia and in part to Associated Press as his employer (x). Fairey claimed that his use of the photo fell under Fair Use, but I'm not so certain that it did, especially when considering the fourth deciding factor of determining Fair Use as stated in the FAQ. Fairey's work was spread so widely and used so much that became an iconic image, but I had never even seen Garcia's original photo before this assignment. This instance is a perfect example of the copied work "substitut[ing] for the original in the market" and therefore not falling under the protection of Fair Use. If Fairey had planned on or assumed his poster design would be as widely proliferated as it ended up becoming, he should have asked permission and worked something out with Garcia/the Associated Press before putting his largely-copied work out in the public.

The Inner Psyche of an Introverted Pollywog*

[*"Pollywog" is an inside joke between my dad & me referring to the awkward/stressful transition stage between child/teen and "real" adult--like the awkward transition from tadpole to frog.]