Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Final Blog: Sophie Calle



Sophie Calle's conceptual project is known to "plumb the depths of human relationships, fears, and desires." This specific exhibit, I believe, was successful in that she hit all of those points. It was creative in that each small piece was thought through. For example, putting it in a secretary, a funeral program (that doubles as a press release), and the concept of bury your secrets in the grave is all unique. 

Personally, I do not believe I would have attended this event. It rubs me the wrong way that it is in a graveyard, but at the same time it makes sense. I don't necessarily think it is "disrespectful" to have it there, but at the same time I kind of do. I do think it is kind of poetic in a dark way. It is a therapeutic way to take weight off some peoples shoulders, for others it is for fun. I think that, conceptually, it makes sense to have it in the cemetery.  It provides the proper ambiance. I respect the artistry behind it, it is just not something I would do. 

Secrets to the grave


After reading this article, I was intrigued to learn about this style of art introduced by Sophie Calle. It's a great way for people to bury their secrets in a literal sense. Her work is significant through it's collaborative efforts and holds meaning to every person who shared a secret to the grave. I love the idea and I would definitely like to contribute one my secrets into the collection. Overall, Sophie Calle's artwork is therapeutic because it reassures the participants that their most deepest darkest secret will RIP. 

Secrets of the grave

I think the idea Sophie Calle created is creative while also disrespectful.  Burying someone isn't a happy uplifting event and I feel that she is disrespecting the dead by using a graveyard as an art piece.   People go to graveyards to respect their loved ones and remember the good times they once had.  I personally believe that people who have problems and need a tombstone and a letter to make themselves feel better need to find somewhere else to do it.

Here Lie the Secrets of The Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery


Sophie Calle is a 63- year old French artist who recently had an event at the Green-Wood Cemetery called " Here lie the secrets of the visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery". During this event the visitors had the opportunity to speak to Calle about their deepest, darkest secrets where she vowed never to speak of it. They had an opportunity to bury their secrets.

Last confessions




Similar aspect to religious processes like confession. Theres sort of an art to it where I feel differently  when looking at multiple angles of chair and trees. This particular I photo is a little eery and lonesome

Final Post

I think this interactive peice is amazing. It leaves viewers at peace with themselves and their demons and for that i think endless praise is deserved. Art is about the reaction and when the reaction can be so personal it moves viewers to tears, an artist has done something incredible.


One Foot Out the Door, One Foot in the Grave

             This is a really great idea Sophie Calle created that follows some her previous themes that were unique and very interesting. Her works I believe are not groundbreaking but interesting enough that would grab enough attention from from average people to big name people who were affiliated with some of the famous people that reside in the graveyard like Jean-Michel Basquiat. Also I forgot my plaster so I should get it.

Sophie Calle

 

     I have never before heard of something quite like the art exhibit that Sophie Calle has created at the Green-Wood Cemetery. I like the symbolism of burying your secrets in a cemetery but also that those who participate are able to literally bury their secrets. Also, I think it is interesting how you are able to speak to Calle herself, almost as if it is a short therapy session. When one thinks of a cemetery they usually don't think of sitting down and chatting about something you have held in. I can appreciate Calle's choice to do such a piece, which doubles as sculpture and performance in a way, in a cemetery. Since, a cemetery is usually looked at as a somber, constricting place it is nice that Sophie gives the art-goers an opportunity to do the opposite and release what they are holding within. 

art is dead, nothing matters

Taking in the setting of this exhibition, the secrets of people walking through a graveyard is pretty mundane when considering The Physically Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone living. It sounds like a cool concept in theory, however the secrets of the living are pretty mute when standing in a graveyard where people have lived a million secrets in their lives. To think how something like an art showing fits in such a heavy place is definitely mute.

FINAL BLOG EVER!!!!!




I think this art representation is SO COOL. Frequently, many people fear death and stray away from it, this art form allows people to get closer with the idea without running away. Although they are just letters and not actual living things, the act of it allows people to express their emotions through art, which is what it is all about. This piece incorporates writing, sculpture, feelings, and fear which is really the basis of art.

Final Blog


    I thought this exhibit was super interesting and I really enjoyed reading the article. I think that it is a creative way to be able to discard your secrets by informing one person of them and then never looking back at it again; like its gone forever. I also really liked the idea of this being in a graveyard; normally when you think of a graveyard its sad and dreary but I like the aspect behind it. Bury your secrets away to relieve stress from the body and provide yourself with a healthier life to live. As a whole I really enjoyed the article and the message that it spread to its readers; this was a great article for our last blog.

Alas, poor art blog - I knew it well.


I found this article incredibly interesting because it opened up my mind to something that I would not previously have necessarily considered artwork. Performance art is something that I sometimes struggle to reconcile with being artwork in itself, but the article helped to draw the connection more closely. The intensity of the catharsis for both Calle and attendants must be extreme. I was reminded of another piece of performance art - Shia LaBeouf's 2014 "#IAMSORRY" exhibit, where the actor sat silently in a room across from guests who were permitted to bring in provided props with them - including a whip. What happened between artist and guest was similarly confidential. Performance pieces like these allow the possibility to take a look into the reality of the human condition, which can at times be awe-inspiring or even gruesome. 

Sophie Calle

The infinite forms of art and their undefined boundaries are shown in Sophie Calle's artwork. I personally would not trust a stranger with my secrets which is why I dont like the concept of confession in the church but for the people who participated they seemed really happy with this form of art. There is art inherently in a cemetery with the addition of the cherry blossoms and the two chairs adds to the art factor of this event.

Sophie Calle


I enjoyed reading about Sophie Calle and her new work in the cemetery. I also really liked how she sat down with people and let them talk to her. The piece above is called "The detective". She said that her mother hired a private investigator to follow her around and that same day Calle kept a journal of all her actions and then published the photos and detective reports and her written logs together. She deliberately led the reporter to places that had great personal meaning to her. Her project has as sense of uneasiness because it revolves around the idea of being followed. Throughout this project she builds up a realistic concept of personal identity.


Final Post

I was instantly reminded of the Marina Abromavic exhibition in 2010 when I read this, to find that the writer speaks about her within the article. I had livestreamed it back when I was very interested in becoming a studio art minor and found this type of public "performance" interesting and enthralling. The work that Sophie Calle is doing is similar to me in that she is using open spaces, human emotions, and raw innocence and emotion in order to not only showcase the power of it but also utilizes these facets and creates an art piece that speaks volumes of the daily struggles within all of us. Transcribing the deep secrets and confessions of those that came to Calle's exhibit and then the symbolism of her dropping them within a hollow obelisk is symbolic of letting go and moving forward.

RIP Class!


I enjoyed reading this article about Sophie Calle because her inspiration reminded me a lot of the "Letter's to Juliet" wall in Italy. This is a great way for people to express their feelings and secrets in a secure manner. Being a counselor in training, I believe this is the best form of confidentially since there is absolutely nothing restricting or exposing a person of their feelings. Almost like attaching a memo to a balloon and letting it fly away, this allows a person to express their feelings without anyone else knowing. Although this could be seen as morbid, it is a visual representation of what is really going on.

Final Post



Sophie Calle is very different from all artist because she doesn't just do art, but  she get the public involved. How so ? because people speak to her in person and their secrets are put to rest after they are done speaking. After speaking to her one may fee a sense relief and they are no longer suffering. What stands out to me the most is that all your secrets are with everyone else and they will always remain there. Sophie could have just made the sculpture, but I think it's great that she took it a step further and got people involved. 

RIP

First I was interested to realize that Jean-Michel Basquiat is buried at the cemetery we are blogging about. Sophie Calle set up two chairs, one for herself and one for whomever comes over. She is a conceptual artist who uses her work to reach depths of emotions and thoughts for people. She gave visitors a broacher similar to a funeral one and it also had a guide on it. Visitors then are asked to write their secrets down, dropping the sensitive papers into a gravestone whose face has been chiseled with the words “Here Lie the Secrets of The Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery.” Some people then would sit in the chair opposite of her, and confess their secrets to her. She would then write down the secrets spoken to her in a notebook while asking questions. She gave the paper to the confess-er as they left the encounter. I found it really beautiful that she based this project on her breakup with her former partner who told her a large secret as they broke up, which she described as “At the very moment he was depriving me of his love, this man offered me, through his confession, the ultimate proof of our intimacy.” I think this is a very interesting and beautiful concept, and I find the fact it takes place in a cemetery brings a powerful aspect to the project. 

-Megan McCarthy

Final Post

I found this article very interesting because people usually go to the cemetery for their dead person and these people are going to bury their secrets. Some of Sophie Calle's work is following strangers; dissecting found diaries; and asking women she doesn’t know to respond to a break-up letter from the artist’s former partner.
This idea is new to me because I've never heard that people go to that specific cemetery to bury their secrets. Very interesting!!

Final Post


Reading about how Sophie Calle creates art with the interaction of the public. I feel her work is almost like she is conducting a public service being that everyone who speaks to her feel relieved from their suffering. Being that the people who participate get to lay their secrets to rest once they talk with out with Calle. All the secrets are out in the open and the people are no longer suffering I feel is an amazing play on words that she does with the sculpture with "Here Lie the Secrets of The Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery".  Her work I feel serves a purpose to create a meaningful piece of work but to also relieve people of these deep dark secrets that may be holding them back. I enjoyed reading this article and seeing how talking to someone as if they were like a therapist could cause so much relief so quickly while also creating a beautiful, purposeful piece of art.

Here Lie My Final Blog

I must say that this was a great read and like most other articles we did prior, this open up my mind to yet another medium of art. I find this piece or installation to be moving. As I read the article I kept thinking of what is my deepest darkest secret. To say the least, this installation is rather genius and is also a great way to show how art can become intimate and personal. Most art work can be observes and appeal to different senses, some senses more subtly than others. In this process you're surrounded by the natural world and that applies to all your senses but more interestingly this process applies to your inner self. Telling a complete stranger your darkest secret is scary, or should be, but knowing that you can bury that secret and leave it behind in flames, now thats how you get rid of a secret.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Final One!!!!!!!

I thought this exhibit was quite brilliant and really enjoyed reading the article. I liked how people can feel less of a burden by just telling one person a secret that will just be burnt away. It's like a weight lifted off someone's shoulders. There are a few installations that reminded me of this one by Sophie Calle like the Shia LaBeouf one when he had a bag over his with the words "I'm not famous anymore" written on them. He would have people come up to him and do anything they wanted. He in fact had a few exhibits like that. I think it was interesting do have this take place in a cemetery. I can see the subtle message behind it: bury your secrets away, they will be gone forever. No one will know. I think it was also interesting that she placed this in a cemetery in which many famous, well known people like mobster Joe Gallo, who probably was buried away with many secrets. It makes you think about how it's not just a graveyard for people, but for a graveyard for secrets as well.

Final Blog


I enjoyed reading this article because I thought Sophie Calle had a brilliant idea to allow the public to interact with her artwork. It is interesting to see that she incorporates personal stories, and provides a space of intimate reflection to the public. Calle's work holds something much stronger than writing down a few words on a piece of paper. She is allowing people to think about their past and reflect on themselves and the choices people made in their life. The picture is the Brooklyn landmark in which Calle will bury and burn the the envelopes containing confessions and secrets.

The Final Post Ends at a Cemetary


https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-sophie-calle-will-secrets-grave