Cameras, Toys, and Trinkets

Hello again, everyone. With how busy I am between my other Art History classes plus my job, it's been a nightmare trying to find time to post! Luckily, I should have two to three new posts by the end of this week!

A piece by Isla Hansen. It uses the individual's phone camera to play a game. 

With that being said, let's start with the first! Today, I went and attended Isla Hansen's lecture in Mariposa Hall. Miss Hansen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 1987. She obtained two Bachelor's Degrees in the Visual Arts and English and Comparative Literature from Colombia University in the city of New York and received her Master's in the Arts from Carnegie Mellon University from the city of Philadelphia. With regards to her artwork, Miss Hansen works in contemporary electronic art.

When it comes to electronic art and all knowledge related to it, Miss Hansen is nearly unmatched. The main focus of her works is the use of video and props. She is particularly fond of art using a camera. Miss Hansen believes that technology has a relation to us as human beings. She sees it as an extension of ourselves and therefore a form of advancement in both the machine and the individual. With regards to cameras, they can capture motion in ways that a simple picture cannot. There is a sense of naturality and levitation that gives the images an otherworldly feel. Miss Hansen said it best when she described cameras as connectors of the fictional world to the documentary or real world. It's as if they are the gateways to understanding our world and through which creativity is born.

After a few examples, Miss Hansen's works showed a different side of video that I had not yet seen. Through the use of video and props, she is able to create pieces that encourage the viewer to become a part of. In fact, she even incorporates games and activities for certain props that she presents to children. Despite the use of a media that when viewed on television normally shuts down an individual's mind, Miss Hansen uses cameras to do the opposite. She encourages individuals to take part and become one with what they see. It is both an interactive and thoughtful experience that allows the viewer to delve into the topics she explores such as politics, media, and feminism.

Overall, I found the entire presentation to be spectacularly captivating. I was very interested with her exhibitions and was even considering if there was a way I could try them myself. Miss Hansen was very clear and precise with her pieces and it made for an interesting time. When all was said and done, I asked her why she preferred the use of soft material for her props. Her answer was that it helped made the props more understandable and human. The humanization of these props shows how we are reliant and hold a certain and almost intimate relationship with technology that has developed throughout the years due to its advancements as well as our own.