Group Critique March 4th

I will continue to post my critique comments on my blog because if I wait for the presenters to post, I will forget to get the comments completed on time. Below I responded to Kelly, Katherine and Kristen.



Kelly McGovern-
I appreciate Kelly’s excitement and passion for her thesis project. After being a participant in her question and answer as well as photography portion, I certainly have a better understanding of her intentions. Kelly is a very talented designer and extremely computer savvy, yet her thesis project is centrally focused on spiritual and physical identity presented through a seemingly modest means. Instead of presenting her findings through an extremely technological designerly way, such as making use of web design, sound or video projection, or a detailed and immense infographic, she is typesetting the actual handwriting of the participants, and printing them on large posters. Kelly is still in the process of editing the presentation details and I recently spoke with her about simplifying the presentation and eliminating the photographic element. She spoke of lack of connectivity between the different types of research, documentation and presentation of findings, which is why she is deciding to pick the most emotionally and visually powerful element of the handwritten responses. Our group leader mentioned the increasingly widespread use of installation in artwork, and questions the necessity for additive elements. In Kelly’s case, a minimalistic approach without the “bells and whistles” I feel will really convey the vulnerable and sensitive nature of the human condition and self-identification. I found a connection between the driving forces of Kristen Furbeck’s and Kelly’s thesis work, despite the fact that they are utilizing different mediums. Kristen is exploring photography as a means of exposing the condition of vulnerability and self-consciousness of the body. Their works to me seem very gentle, soft spoken, and sensitive to the participants, so I feel that if Kelly were to add anything to her presentation, perhaps it would be to increase the amount of participants for a greater variety and quantity of information. Kelly is a designer, a problem solver, a synthesizer of information, and a seemless presenter, so I think she should exploit her skills of presenting complicated findings through a beautiful and simple means.

Katherine Meyerink-
I find her thesis project to be very emotionally striking in terms of subject matter and presentation. The photographs are beautifully captured with interesting compositions of her father and his domestic interior space. The idea of using a book is an interesting presentation decision, and I feel it is a great idea. Books are hand-held, intimate and usually synthesized individually one person at a time. Books are treasured possessions that could be read over and over again, and I feel these qualities add to the viewer experience. Her exploration of photo therapy is an artform experienced by the artist and viewer in different ways, and I can personally say that even though I have not experienced what she is going through, I was touched by the melancholy yet lighthearted approach to her father’s health issues. We discussed specifics of her book, such as full bleeds of photos as opposed to cropping, use of descriptive text (which I see as poetic), and an installation aspect of adding a table and chairs as a place for reading the book. Katherine is a very talented photographer and is able to capture emotion, sympathy, humor and love through her photodocumentation. I am excited to see which presentation decisions she makes and I look forward to offering any kind of feedback in the last weeks of planning before exhibition.


Kristen Furbeck-
Kristen made much progress in terms of presentation decisions. She brought up the idea of using a slideshow projection of the images, but as a thesis group we decided that her photos were too powerful and striking to be viewed only seconds at a time. I feel that if her photos are mounted and displayed in a minimal way, then there will be an emphasis on the artistry and skills of her photography. The compositions are interesting and expose the vulnerabilities and self-consciousness of her models. The body parts and poses illicits a universal vulnerability that many people can relate to. The photos for me double as landscapes, allowing the viewer’s eye to follow the flow of the exposure of the slopes and curves of the body, and also a compassionate response to the dissatisfaction with our bodies that can sometimes come about through the harsh demands and standards we impose upon ourselves. Perhaps Kristen can experiment with scale, size, order, mounting, and presentation of spacing between photos. Her subject matter, documentation, and composition are all completed successfully, so I feel she is left with the specific details of presentation.