What Is A Zines?

A Zine is usually a non-commercial, non-professional publication, kind of like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference between a magazine and a zine is that zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add other, often unheard voices into the mix. Zines are usually made out of interest and passion and are often self-published by the writer/artist/creator. Typically zines are made using collage techniques and are then photocopied since these are means available to almost everyone.

Zines provide a voice to all; outside of the mainstream, of alternatives, from the underground, the margins of society. The majority of the current publications out there offer only a narrow perspective, and zines are the natural antidote to that, especially since anyone can make them. A Collection X zine makes sense because it connects something which has many zine-qualities: Collection X (openness, anyone can use it etc) with a tangible item (the zine itself) and provide a real-world link for Collection X. The AGO Youth Council also uses zines as a medium of expression to communicate on its projects. It appeals to youth because it is much more honest in its intentions.

Before zines became what they are today there was an amateur press movement in which publications were created by people who then distributed them to a larger group of people through mail. Many of the first zines were science fiction fanzines created in the 1920s and 1930s through which science fiction fans would speculate and discuss various topics. Later on, in the 1950s with the Beatnik era, poets and other artists would make small leaflets with their poems as means of self promotion. Many avant-garde movements, including the Dadaists and the Situationists, also self-published pamphlets and manifestos. The 70s saw punk zines being created as part of the punk movement and in the spirit of the DIY (do it yourself) culture that came along with it. In the 80s, a zine called Factsheet 5 began reviewing zines, thus creating a somewhat more formal zine scene. In the 90s, many zines were made as part of the Riot Grrl movement.

Today, zines are still being made, by all sorts of people on all sorts of topics, ranging for comics to radical politics to stories for children to personal zines to literary reviews to teapot collections. Many of these zines are sold in alternative stores but many are also distributed through distribution centres that stock a bunch of zines you can order. There are even a few zine libraries as well; in Toronto this includes the Toronto Zine Library located in the Tranzac at Bloor and Brunswick, and the OCAD zine library located in OCAD.

Source of Information: http://artmatters.ca/wp/2008/08/what-is-a-zine/#sthash.qOJ3Lsdv.dpuf
The OACD Zine Library: http://zinesforlunch.blogspot.co.uk/

Drawing With a Sewing Machine

Today I tried drawing with a sewing machine for the first time. At first I was scared of the thought of having a fast moving needle near my fingers but once I got used to using a sewing machine I found it to be quite a fun and relaxing experience. So because of this I would like to continue trying new techniques with the sewing the machine as its and new and interesting technique for me to use within my illustrations.

To the right is my first attempt with a sewing machine from today.

Camera Obscura

The Latin Words 'camera obscura' can be roughly translated to darkened room or chamber. A camera obscura is created when a small hole or aperture is made in a darkened space, producing an inverted image or the scene outside onto an opposite surface within.

This phenomenon has helped to prove that light travels straight lines. A lens is used to increase the brightness and sharpness of the image. Camera obscura have been use as an aid to drawing and, particularly during the Victorian era, a popular form of entertainment.

Below are images from when from when we re-created the camera obscura as a part of photography week. (not my own images)

Feedback 2

• Try working with camera obscura
• Look up cynotype

     (Both involve sun - would relate well to project)

• Look at sun dials
• Displaying drawings in windows - photograph work in situation
• Colour film exposed to sun

Gemma Anderson: Patients and Portraits

Drawing Projects: An Exploration of the Language of Drawing' by Jack Southern and Mick Maslen, Published by Black Dog, London 2011.

To read all the pages on Gemma Anderson go to: 
http://www.gemma-anderson.co.uk/Assets/publications/drawing-projects-interview.pdf

Portraits: Patients and Psychiatrists, by Gemma Anderson, Wellcome Trust Arts Award 2010

To read the whole whole book go to:
http://www.gemma-anderson.co.uk/Assets/publications/Patients-and-Portraits.pdf

Click on this link - http://www.gemma-anderson.co.uk/Assets/work/wellcome%20essay.pdf - to read an essay on her project 'Portraits: Patients and Psychiatrists' by Dr Tim Mclnerny, Forensic Psychiatrist, Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The Benefits of Vitamim D

Sunshine Vitamin:

While you’re catching some rays this summer, think about vitamin D. Sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced in your skin in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin in a family of compounds that includes vitamins D1, D2, and D3. It can affect as many as 2,000 genes in the body.

Uses and Benefits:

Vitamin D has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorous, and facilitating normal immune system function. Getting a sufficient amount of the vitamin is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases.

If your body doesn't get enough vitamin D, you're at risk of developing bone abnormalities such as osteomalacia (soft bones) or osteoporosis (fragile bones).

D Fights Disease:

In addition to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role in:

• reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
• decreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published in Circulation
• helping to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu, according to 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

How Do You Get It?

Your body produces vitamin D naturally through direct exposure to sunlight. A little can go a long way: just 10 minutes a day of mid-day sun exposure is plenty, especially if you're fair-skinned.

Besides getting vitamin D through sunlight, you can also get it through certain foods and supplements. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that you obtain vitamin D from all three of these sources in order to ensure adequate levels of the vitamin in your blood.

Beware of "D-ficiency"

Many lifestyle and environmental factors can affect your ability your ability to get sufficient mounts of this vitamin through the sun alone. These factors include:

• pollution
• use of sunscreen
• spending more time indoors
• working longer hours in offices
• living in big cities where buildings block sunlight

These factors contribute to vitamin D deficiency in an increasing number of people. That's why it's important to get some of your vitamin D from sources besides sunlight.

Food Sources of D:

Although few foods contain vitamin D naturally, some foods are fortified with it, which means that the vitamin is added to the food. Foods that contain vitamin D include:

• salmon
• sardines
• egg yolk
• shrimp
• milk (fortified)
• cereal (fortified)
• yogurt (fortified)
• orange juice (fortified)

It can be hard to get enough vitamin D each day through sun exposure and food alone, so taking vitamin D supplements can help.

How Much Do You Need?

There has been some controversy over the amount of vitamin D needed for healthy functioning. Recent research indicates that we need more vitamin D than was once thought.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) reports new intake recommendations (based on international units - IUs - per day):

• children and teens: 600 IU
• adults up to age 70: 600 IU
• adults over age 70: 800 IU
• pregnant or breastfeeding women: 600 IU

Meet Your Needs for D:

Some sources suggest that considerably higher daily amounts of vitamin D - as high as 2000 IU per day - are needed. The NIH emphasizes that people over age 50 generally need higher amounts of vitamin D than younger people do.

Although the exact amount may be in question, the importance of vitamin D is not. Talk to your doctor for guidance on how to ensure you get the right amount for your needs.

Source of Information: http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d#Uses2

Olafur Eliasson: Playing with Space and Light

I enjoyed listening to this TED Talk because of his ideas and the way he thinks. But you also get a great sense of his passion for art through the way in which he asks questions as to why and who he is doing it who for, and how it will effect them. I believe these are the types of questions I need to be asking myself throughout this project as it will help to think about what I am doing to become more focused.

Olafur Eliasson

Olafur Eliasson was born in 1967 in Copenhagen, Denmark of Icelandic parentage. He attended the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen from 1989 to 1995. He currently lives and works in Berlin.

Throughout Eliassons career his has used the basic elements of the weather - water, light, temperture, pressure - as his materials. His installations regularly present elements appropriated from nature - billowing steam replicating a water geyser, glistening rainbows or fog -filled rooms. By introducing ‘natural’ phenomena, such as water, mist or light, into an un specifically cultivated setting, be it a city street or an art gallery, the artist encourages the viewer to reflect upon their understanding and perception of the physical world that surrounds them. This moment of perception, when the viewer pauses to consider what they are experiencing, has been described by Eliasson as ‘seeing yourself sensing’.

In this installation, The Weather Project, representations of the sun and sky dominate the expanses of the Turbine Hall. A fine mist permeates the space, as if creeping in from the environment outside. Throughout the day, the mist accumulates into faint, cloud-like formations, before dissipating across the space. A glance overhead, to see where the mist might escape, reveals that the ceiling of the Turbine Hall has disappeared, replaced by a reflection of the space below. At the far end of the hall is a giant semi-circular form made up of hundreds of mono-frequency lamps. The arc repeated in the mirror overhead produces a sphere of dazzling radiance linking the real space with the reflection. Generally used in street lighting, mono-frequency lamps emit light at such a narrow frequency that colours other than yellow and black are invisible, thus transforming the visual field around the sun into a vast duotone landscape.

Information Source: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/unilever-series-olafur-eliasson-weather-project/olafur-eliasson-weather-project

Feedback

Georges Feedback:

• Research - Art of Scandinavia Andrew Gramham Dixon - talks about light
• Research - Olafur Eliason The Weather Project - see also TED Talks
• Consider light within your project
• Working on transparent materials that let light in
• See illustrator Gemma Anderson
• See artists Pipiloti Rist, Nancy Holt, James Turrell

Eves Feedback:

• Think about going big/create an atmosphere
• Create a space to walk into 
• Use UV bulbs
• Create a warm/inviting environment 
• Think/research into the benefits of vitamin D
• Why do people thrive sunlight so much?

Karas Feedback:

• Experiment with the use of lighting and drawing by using a torch and other sources of light
• Perhaps think about the atmosphere you want to create 
• Try writing down different reactions to the subject
  

Survey Questions:

1. What would you define as 'Happiness'?
2. When are you at your most happiest?
3. Where are you happiest?
4. What cheers you up when you're feeling sad?
5. What do you find relaxing?
6. Which colours represent the feeling of happiness?

If you are reading this blog then please can you take the time to answer these questions in the comments as this will help with my research.

Hector and the Search for Happiness: The List

1. Making comparisons can spoil your happiness
2. Happiness often comes when least expected
3. Many people only see happiness in their future
4. Many people think happiness comes from having more power or more money
5. Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story
6. Happiness is a long walk in beautiful, unfamiliar mountains
7. It’s a mistake to think that happiness is the goal
8. Happiness is being with the people you love; unhappiness is being separated from the people you love
9. Happiness is knowing that your family lacks for nothing
10. Happiness is doing a job you love
11. Happiness is having a home and a garden of your own
12. It’s harder to be happy in a country run by bad people
13. Happiness is feeling useful to others
14. Happiness is to be loved for exactly who you are (People are kinder to a child who smiles)
15. Happiness comes when you feel truly alive
16. Happiness is knowing how to celebrate
17. Happiness is caring about the happiness of those you love
18. Happiness is not attaching too much importance to what other people think
19. The sun and the sea make everybody happy
20. Happiness is a certain way of seeing things
21. Rivalry poisons happiness
22. Women care more than men about making others happy
23. Happiness means making sure that those around you are happy

Hector and the Search for Happiness

Source for more movie clips:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hector+and+the+search+for+happiness+movie+clips

Martin Seligman: The new era of positive psychology

Meyer-Lavigne

Meyer-Lavigne is a Danish design duo - Kristine Meyer and Sabine  Lavigne - situated in Copenhagen.The pair work with a variety of materials, including ceramics, textiles, wood and print. "Meyer-Lavigne has a quirky, delicate, poetic and amusing style which often expresses a sense of humour. Joinly the different products create a wonderful universe of odd beings, friendly souls an fairytale images.   

”We believe it is important in today’s society to be surrounded by items that have been given time and consideration.” The materials used, the sensual and the “presence of hands” is always a high priority, just as the quirky and surprising elements that tickle our curiosity, inspire us to continue the delicate tale of Meyer-Lavigne.

To read more about them go to: http://meyerlavigne.dk/about/#more-6

 

SAD - Webmd.com

Anyone can get SAD, but it's more common in:

• Women.
• People who live far from the equator, where winter daylight hours are very short.
• People between the ages of 15 and 55. The risk of getting SAD for the first time goes down as you age.
• People who have a close relative with SAD.

More information on: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-topic-overview

SAD - Mind.org.uk

"For years I suffered from depression. It started in the autumn, as the evenings drew in. By Christmas, I would be so low that I could barely get out of bed… One year, I felt so bad that I went to bed on Christmas Eve and refused to move."

"I first started feeling low in the winter months in my late 20s… Now, every autumn when the clocks change, I feel like I’m being buried alive. I want to hide away and hibernate until it’s all over."

"I find keeping warm makes me feel better. I go to the gym – I do a short work out, around fifteen minutes and then sit in the sauna. Ten minutes in there and a nice shower and I feel a lot better."

For Information go to: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/seasonal-affective-disorder/#.VwubMOIrKUk

Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian, one of the founders of the Dutch modern movement De Stijl, is recognized for the purity of his abstractions and methodical practice by which he arrived at them. He radically simplified the elements of his paintings to reflect what he saw as the spiritual order underlying the visible world, creating a clear, universal aesthetic language within his canvases. In his best known paintings from the 1920s, Mondrian reduced his shapes to lines and rectangles and his palette to fundamental basics pushing past references to the outside world toward pure abstraction. His use of asymmetrical balance and a simplified pictorial vocabulary were crucial in the development of modern art, and his iconic abstract works remain influential in design and familiar in popular culture to this day.

 

Source of Information/Photograph: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mondrian-piet.htm

 Key Ideas:

• A theorist and writer, Mondrian believed that art reflected the underlying spirituality of nature. He simplified the subjects of his paintings down to the most basic elements, in order to reveal the essence of the mystical energy in the balance of forces that governed nature and the universe.
• Mondrian chose to distill his representations of the world to their basic vertical and horizontal elements, which represented the two essential opposing forces: the positive and the negative, the dynamic and the static, the masculine and the feminine. The dynamic balance of his compositions reflect what he saw as the universal balance of these forces.
• Mondrian's singular vision for modern art is clearly demonstrated in the methodical progression of his artistic style from traditional representation to complete abstraction. His paintings evolve in a logical manner, and clearly convey the influence of various modern art movements such as Luminism, Impressionism, and most importantly, Cubism.
• Mondrian, and the artists of De Stijl, advocated pure abstraction and a pared down palette in order to express a utopian ideal of universal harmony in all of the arts. By using basic forms and colors, Mondrian believed that his vision of modern art would transcend divisions in culture and become a new common language based in the pure primary colors, flatness of forms, and dynamic tension in his canvases.
• Mondrian's book on Neo-Plasticism became one of the key documents of abstract art. In it, he detailed his vision of artistic expression in which "plastic" simply referred to the action of forms and colors on the surface of the canvas as a new method for representing modern reality.