Continuity Space Project

https://vimeo.com/166877877

Blog 4: Trip to MOMI

On my class trip to MOMI a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by all the exhibits. And three I found compelling. I enjoyed looking at the set design exhibit, where there were small models of sets, there was a really complex model of the serial killer's home from "Silence of the Lambs" that I remembered. You don't get to see it from a bird’s eye/omnipresent view. It looked very labyrinthine because of the layers. The tour guide at one point told my group that pretty much everyone, possibly even including the actors would be the ones who would discuss the set design, for instance where shots would be taken, where the actors would be situated, etc. Another exhibit that I found intriguing was the costume exhibit. It was a small exhibit, but with bold and vivid costumes that were worn by pose-able mannequins. I noticed the costumes from Chicago and Miami Vice, which quickly caught my eye. Since these were the most noticeable ones from my group the guide discussed the importance of costume design and used those pieces as examples. She mentioned the difference between a costume and our everyday clothes is that although we create our sartorial identity with colors, and certain styles that are telltale signs of our moods, character, weather, location and time period; costumes have an exaggeration of this, yet it’s universal. A costume would therefore amplify a character’s personality, which makes it one of the facets of a dimensional character. And, of course, I really enjoyed the interactive section, which had a sculptural zoetrope.  The difference between this zoetrope was that instead of having the backside of the wheel act as a gap that creates the illusion of motion, it had strobe lights do the trick.

Audio Portrait

Blog 2: Soundwalk

A spring afternoon in Minetta street has many sounds that creates an airy and collaged texture. It’s airy in the sense that there is no stability to the texture that a New York City street gives you. Like a collage, all sounds are "frankenstiened" or pasted together to create a larger composition. The instruments that set the urban scene are the cars that rushing , people walking, conversations everywhere, a flute player, wind, cyclists. All these diverse sounds might seem like they are competing but they each have their role to create a setting. The keynotes or indicators of spring’s arrival were the sound of a flute player creating an atmosphere that spread all over the street; it brought thoughts of warmer days in another neighborhood, like the uptown Barrios, instead of the brink of Soho and the Village. The aimless chirping of birds perched above brought harmony to the music. It was a windy afternoon too, the branches of the trees whispered and swished as everyone walked down the street. There were fleeting background sounds like cyclist rolling by with the click clicking of their bicycles, it's almost insect like sound… Prominent foreground sounds were the fractured sentences and conversations of people walking by. Many conversations were in different languages giving off smaller textures… like details, depending on how guttural palatal or labial they were. No matter how loud they were because of their proximity, they did not stay long enough to dominate the whole scene instead, these voices integrated into the urban scene because of their unfinished nature.

Project 1: Define a Space

Define A Space by Amanda Hernandez and Niamh McDonnell from Amanda Hernandez on Vimeo.

Artist Statement

The film that comes to my mind, when I think of the role of artists and media makers, is a film about inspiration. It's Miyazaki's "Kiki's Delivery Service". It left the 10 year old me wanting to create, to bring worlds to life, to tell stories as an animator someday. As artists, we're like magicians our goal is to take the crowds elsewhere, take them into the perspective of another relatable character in an illusion that lasts a few hours or less.
Storytelling was a great past time for my dad when he was growing up. He would tell me in most nights his grandfather would tell them epic stories that would end in cliffhangers and take time to finish. My dad revived a little bit of this tradition, but in his own twist, he would draw while he told his stories. Besides this little history of storytelling, I am inspired by animated features by Don Bluth, Miyazaki, Disney and Ralph Bakshi ( to name a few). I'm also inspired by other flip books artists make and comic books. Non visual media that inspired me is music.
As an artist in the future I would like to inspire people just how these things inspired me.