Week 12B

Week 12A

Week 11B

Week 11A

Week 10B

Week 10A

Week 9B

Week 9A

Week 8B

Week 8A

Week 7B

Week 7A

Before Class 

Research on artist you chose for Project 4: 

Artist: Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine-Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle

Born: 29 October 1930, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, near Paris.

Died: 21 May 2002, in San Diego, California, United States.

Occupation: French sculptor, painter, and filmmaker.

Early Years

Her father was Count André-Marie Fal de Saint Phalle (1906–1967), a French banker, and her mother was an American, named Jeanne Jacqueline Harper (1908–1980). She had four siblings, and a double first cousin was French novelist Thérèse de Saint Phalle (Baroness Jehan de Drouas).

After being wiped out financially during the Great Depression, the family moved from France to the United States in 1933, where her father worked as manager of the American branch of the Saint Phalle family's bank. Saint Phalle enrolled at the Brearley School in New York City but was dismissed for painting red fig leaves on the school's statuary.

She went on to attend Oldfields School in Glencoe, Maryland, where she graduated in 1947. During her teenaged years, Saint Phalle was a fashion model; at the age of eighteen, she appeared on the cover of Life (26 September 1949) and, three years later, on the November 1952 cover of French Vogue.

Personal Life

At eighteen, Saint Phalle eloped with author Harry Mathews, whom she had known since the age of eleven through her father, and they moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[4][5] While her husband studied music at Harvard University, Saint Phalle began to paint, experimenting with different media and styles.^[6] Their first child, Laura, was born in April 1951.

Saint Phalle rejected the staid, conservative values of her family, which dictated domestic positions for wives and particular rules of conduct. Poet John Ashbery recalled that Saint Phalle's artistic pursuits were rejected by members of Saint Phalle clan: her uncle "French banker Count Alexandre de Saint-Phalle, ... reportedly takes a dim view of her artistic activities," Ashbery observed.^{[Note 2]} However, after marrying young and becoming a mother, she found herself living the same bourgeois lifestyle that she had attempted to reject; the internal conflict, as well as reminiscences of her rape by her father when she was only 11^[7] caused her to suffer a nervous breakdown. As a form of therapy, she was urged to pursue her painting.

While in Paris on a modeling assignment, Saint Phalle was introduced to the American painter Hugh Weiss, who became both her friend and mentor. He encouraged her to continue painting in her self-taught style.

She subsequently moved to Deià, Majorca, Spain, where her son, Philip Abdi, was born in May 1955. While in Spain, Saint Phalle read the works of Proust and visited Madrid and Barcelona, where she became deeply affected by the work of Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí's influence opened many previously unimagined possibilities for Saint Phalle, especially with regard to the use of unusual materials and objets-trouvés as structural elements in sculpture and architecture. Saint Phalle was particularly struck by Gaudí's "Park Güell" which persuaded her to create one day her own garden-based artwork that would combine both artistic and natural elements.

Saint Phalle continued to paint, particularly after she and her family moved to Paris in the mid-1950s. Her first art exhibition was held in 1956 in Switzerland, where she displayed her naïve style of oil painting. She then took up collage work that often featured images of the instruments of violence, such as guns and knives.

In the late 1950s, Saint Phalle was ill with hyperthyroidism, which was eventually treated by an operation in 1958. Sometime during the early 1960s, she left her first husband.

Tirs and Nanas

Saint Phalle created a series of works in the early 1960s called Tirs ("Shots"). These pieces of art included polythene bags of paint in human forms covered in white plaster. The pieces were shot at to open the bags of paint to create the image.

After Tirs came a period when she explored the various roles of women. She made life-size dolls of women, such as brides and mothers giving birth. They were primarily made of plaster over a wire framework and plastic toys, then painted all white.

Niki de Saint Phalle in 1964.

Inspired by the pregnancy of her friend Clarice Price, the wife of American artist Larry Rivers, she began to use her artwork to consider archetypal female figures in relation to her thinking on the position of women in society. Her artistic expressions of the proverbial everywoman were named Nanas, after a French slang word that is roughly equivalent to "broad". The first of these freely posed forms—made of papier-mâché, yarn, and cloth—were exhibited at the Alexander Iolas Gallery in Paris in September 1965. For this show, Iolas published her first artist book that includes her handwritten words in combination with her drawings of 'Bananas'. Encouraged by Iolas, she started a highly productive output of graphic work that accompanied exhibitions that included posters, books, and writings.

In 1966, Saint Phalle collaborated with fellow artist Jean Tinguely and Per Olof Ultvedt (sv) on a large-scale sculpture installation, "hon-en katedral" (also spelled "Hon-en-Katedrall", which means "she-a cathedral") for Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden. The outer form is a giant, reclining sculpture of a woman ('Nana'), whose internal body can be entered from a door-sized vaginal opening between her legs. The piece elicited immense public reaction in magazines and newspapers throughout the world. The interactive quality of the "hon" combined with a continued fascination with fantastic types of architecture intensified her resolve to see her own architectural dreams realized. During the construction of the "hon-en katedral," she met Swiss artist Rico Weber (de), who became an important assistant and collaborator for both de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely. During the 1960s, she also designed decors and costumes for two theatrical productions: a ballet by Roland Petit, and an adaptation of the Aristophanes play "Lysistrata."

In 1971, Saint Phalle and Tinguely married.

Tarot GardenInfluenced by Gaudí's Parc Güell in Barcelona, and Parco dei Mostri in Bomarzo, as well as Palais Idéal by Ferdinand Cheval, and Watts Towers by Simon Rodia, Saint Phalle decided that she wanted to make something similar; a monumental sculpture park created by a woman. In 1979, she acquired some land in Garavicchio, Tuscany, about 100 km north-west of Rome along the coast. The garden, called Giardino dei Tarocchi in Italian, contains sculptures of the symbols found on Tarot cards. The garden took many years, and a considerable sum of money, to complete. It opened in 1998, after nearly 20 years of work. Her main benefactor of the period was the Agnelli family.

Later Years

Saint Phalle moved to California in 1994. On 17 November 2000 she became an honorary citizen of Hannover, Germany, and donated 300 pieces of her artwork to the Sprengel Museum. In 2000 the artist was awarded with the Praemium Imperiale award for Sculpture by the Japan Art Society. In 2001, she made another donation of 170 pieces to the Musée d'art moderne et d'art contemporain of Nice.

Saint Phalle died of emphysema in San Diego, California, on 21 May 2002.

Public Works

As a tribute to Saint Phalle, her work was on display outdoors in the center of Park Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street in New York City through November 2012.

L'Ange Protecteur in the hall of the Zürich Hauptbahnhof.

Many of Saint Phalle's sculptures are large and some of them are exhibited in public places, including:

• Tympanum (1996) triangular mirror mosaic and mirrored entrance in the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art, Scotland.
• Miles Davis statue outside of Hotel Negresco in Nice, France.
• Stravinsky Fountain (or Fontaine des automates) near the Centre Pompidou, Paris (1982)—also featuring works of Jean Tinguely
• Fontaine de Château-Chinon, at Château-Chinon, Nièvre. Collaboration with Jean Tinguely
• L'Ange Protecteur in the hall of the Zürich Hauptbahnhof
• Nanas, along the Leibnizufer in Hannover (1974).
• Queen Califia's Magical Circle, a sculpture garden in Kit Carson Park, Escondido, California
• Sun God (1983), a fanciful winged creature next to the Faculty Club on the campus of the University of California, San Diego as a part of the Stuart Collection of public art.
• La Lune / The Moon, A sculpture located inside the Brea Mall in Brea, California.
• Nikigator and Poet and Muse, two sculptures owned by the Mingei International Museum on The Prado, Balboa Park in San Diego, California.
• Coming Together, San Diego convention center
• Grotto at the Royal Herrenhäuser Gardens in Hannover, Germany
• Cyclop in Milly-La-Forêt, France—collaborative monumental sculpture by Jean Tinguely, a.o.
• Golem in Jerusalem
• Noah's Ark collaborative sculpture park with Swiss architect Mario Botta at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo
• Lebensretter-Brunnen / Lifesaver Fountain in Duisburg, Germany
• L'Oiseau de Feu sur l’Arche / Firebird (literally, “Bird of Fire on an Arch”), in Bechtler Plaza in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Miss Black Power in the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Hakone, Japan
• La Tempérance (1992) in Centre Hamilius, Luxembourg-Ville, Luxembourg (this work is currently in storage as the site is being demolished).

Literature

• Niki de Saint Phalle, Pontus Hultén, ISBN 3-7757-0582-1. Published in connection with an exhibition in Bonn
• Traces: An Autobiography Remembering 1930–1949, Niki de Saint Phalle, ISBN 2-940033-43-9
• Harry & Me. The Family Years, Niki de Saint Phalle, ISBN 3-7165-1442-X
• Niki de Saint Phalle: Catalogue Raisonné: 1949–2000, Janice Parente a.o., ISBN 2-940033-48-X
• Niki De Saint Phalle: Monographie/Monograph, Michel de Grece a.o., ISBN 2-940033-63-3
• Niki's World: Niki De Saint Phalle, Ulrich Krempel, ISBN 3-7913-3068-3
• Niki de Saint Phalle. My art, my dreams, Carla Schultz-Hoffmann (Editor), ISBN 3-7913-2876-X
• AIDS: You can’t catch it holding hands, Niki de Saint Phalle, ISBN 0-932499-52-X
• Niki de Saint Phalle: Insider-Outsider. World Inspired Art, Niki de Saint Phalle, Martha Longenecker (Editor), ISBN 0-914155-10-5
• Niki De Saint Phalle: The Tarot Garden, Anna Mazzanti, ISBN 88-8158-167-1
• Niki de Saint Phalle: La Grotte, ISBN 3-7757-1276-3
• Jo Applin, "Alberto Burri and Niki de Saint Phalle: Relief Sculpture and Violence in the Sixties', Source: Notes in the History of Art, Winter 2008
• Niki de Saint Phalle / edited by Camilla Jalving ... [et al.]. - Ishøj, Arken, 2016.

Film

• Daddy, 1973, written and directed by Saint Phalle and Peter Lorrimer Whitehead.
• Un rêve plus long que la nuit, 1971, written and directed by Saint Phalle.
• Niki de Saint Phalle: Wer ist das Monster – Du oder ich? (de), 1995, by Peter Schamoni in collaboration with Saint Phalle.

• Information obtained from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niki_de_Saint_Phalle

Week 6B

Week 6A

Week 5B

Week 5A

Week 4B

Week 4A

Week 3B

Week 3A

Week 2B

Today we were introduced to our second project. In this project, we will be working with wire. Here are a few famous wire artists:

• Alexander Calder 

• Ruth Asawa

• Rodger Stevens

• Kue King

• Elizabeth Berrien

• Sophie Ryder

• Lovatt Ivan 

• Gavin Worth

• Bronwyn Joy Oliver

• Angela Hook

• Steeve Htay

• Derek Kinzett 

Day of Design

Day of Design
9:15am | 12:15pm | 3:15pm

9:15am - Alexander Reyna, Creative Director of Major League Baseball

The first speaker for the Day of Design event was Alexander Reyna. He's the Creative Director of Major League Baseball. He describes himself as a "cabinet maker" which is a blend of artistry and craft. 
He has been working in design for 25 years. Four of those years have been for Major League Baseball. He does everything except game design and is 100% self-taught.

A short list of what he does:

• Making Stuff
• Tinkering
• Motion - intersection of all these different forms of design
• Interactivity / UX / UI / Experience and more
• Product Design

Make The Future

He made something with Real Time 3D visualization that allowed people to have more engagement with baseball. (seeing where the ball goes, speed of the throw and hit, etc.) 

People have great ideas but they are too afraid to create them. You need an Idea and Willpower, which is creating something out of nothing. 

His Process

• Are they using it on the couch or on the subway? 
• Thngs like this are important because it effects the design

• Collaboration and feedback is key
• We iterate solutions until they delight the user
• They buy it when they feel they are a part of the solution

Honesty Is Obvious

• UX does not hide the truth
• Avoid the dark patterns (http://www.darkpatterns.org)

L.A. Fitness - If you want to cancel your membership, you can't do it online. 

Create Delight

Make products that work "right" and surprise the user

Something He Learned

• New form factors require new ways to interact

12:15pm - George Hakim, Creative Project Manager of Toyota North America

The second speaker for the Day of Design event was George Hakim. He's the Creative Project Manager of Toyota North America. He background was mainly in Graphic Design.

Engineering The Art of Storytelling

Safety Commitment: Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

• Stories convey experience and wisdom
• Stories excite sympathetic reactions

Expanding Audience

Over the years, storytelling's audience has expanded to:

• Books
• Radio
• Film
• Video Games - Interactive / you being part of the journey
• Music Videos
• Internet
• Videos that go viral 
• iPhones / smartphones
• Social media

At Toyota, they use Virtual Reality as Storytelling for training purposes. 

The Golden Circle

Simon Sinek

• People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
• Do business with people who believe what you believe.
• Talk to people from the inside out, because that influences action, that's where gut feelings come from.

Ask Why 5 Times

    Root Cause         Pay Attention to the Big Picture        Explain it to a Nontechnical Person

What's the problem?                                    HOSHIN                                                                                   MUDA

Learn The History

Genchi Genbutsu - Go to the source

Know Your Audience

Toyota's Mentality: Customer FIRST

Plan, Do, Check, Act

Idea (define / plan) → → → → Create (do)
           ↑                                             ↓ 
           ↑                    Ⓞ                       ↓ 
           ↑              Empathy                ↓  
           ↑          (customer first)         ↓  
Refine (act) ← ← ← ← ← ← ← Test (check)  


*People retain 58% more information when both visual and auditory senses are stimulated.

More Meanings 
KAIZEN - continuous improvement
MIERUKA - visualization

Key Points 

• Root Cause - Why
• Mieruka - visual storytelling
• Kaizen - continuous improvement

Kiki / Bouba Effect

• We can match names with objects.

Advice

1. Travel - helps with visual communication, global experience
2. Don't be afraid to take a job where the experience intimidates you

Week 2A

Project 1 - Paper Folding Techniques

This is my finished paper folding technique project. My goal was to make it look like a bouquet of flowers. For this project, we had to use 5-7 pieces of paper. I used exactly 7. My inspiration during this project was Paul Jackson. 

"Paul Jackson is the author of over 30 books on paper arts and crafts and three on pop-ups. He has taught the techniques of folding on more than 150 university-level design courses in the UK, Germany, Belgium, the US, Canada and Israel and been a 'folding consultant' for companies such as Nike and Siemens." (http://foldingtechniques.com/)

Week 1

Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

In class, we were partnered up and told to make the tallest tower out of newspaper. My partner and I placed third - 112 inches.

We were introduced to 3D paper folding. For our first project, we need to create 7-8 3D paper folding pieces.

I didn't think it would take that long, and that it would be easy. I was very wrong. 

(Pictures to come)