Another Update

Here's another update on the chimera.

Chimera Update

Here are a few images of my model as it stands now. I hope to have it complete by tomorrow evening.

The Cultures of Collecting

This particular Jean Baudrillard reading was much easier to read than the last one. Not only could I understand more of what he was saying, but I also found myself relating the reading to my own habits that I have experienced throughout my life. I thought that his ideas surrounding the acts of collecting objects were very interesting. I have never really given much thought as to how prone mankind is to collecting objects. This reading made me wonder what people choose to collect, as well as my own choices of collectibles.
I, myself have always collected things. I have, throughout my life, had many different collections. The earliest collection that I can remember having was a My Little Pony figurine collection that I began when I was three. At the time, I was absolutely obsessed with the television show My Little Pony. My parents gave me my first My Little Pony for my birthday. After I received my first one, I realized that there were so many others that existed in the world, and I suddenly wanted them all. By the time I was six, I believe I had acquired fourteen My Little Ponys. To this day, I still have every single one of them, and still treasure them as I did when I was little.
Even though I am older now, I still have ongoing collections that I tend to. For the last eight years I have had a Lord of the Rings action figure collection that has been growing with time. The only reason that I has continued to grow is because I have still been unable to physically own all of the figurines. I constantly collect books that interest me, many of which I have never even read. There is a satisfying feeling that comes from keeping collected objects on a shelf to admire from a distance. Probably the worst collecting habit that I have developed is my tendency to collect art supplies. I am particularly bad at collecting sketchbooks and drawing utensils. For some reason, it gives me a sense of pride that I have so many unused sketchbooks at my disposal for whenever I would need one. But I never tend to use them. I just admire them.
Baudrillard explains all of these characteristics of collections and the act of collecting, that I (and I’m sure almost everyone else in the world) have experienced in his article. What I am not particularly sure of is how sexual Baudrillard makes collecting out to be. I do, though, understand the level of narcissism that Baudrillard explains collecting encapsulates. For me, acquiring a new addition to a collection is the equivalent of awarding myself a gold star of achievement. It is the pat on the back for the work that was put into finding the object. In a sick way, it is akin to an addiction; the need to praise oneself for one’s own achievement. The addition is placed with the rest of the collection on display so that others may admire, if not envy your prizes. Maybe others would not even understand what they mean to the proud individual.
So, how does this article compare to contemporary art? I am not precisely sure. Perhaps there is a desire for artists to develop an object that suddenly becomes a highly desired collector’s item. I am not exactly sure why that would be desired, though. Too many times collector’s items have been placed on shelves never to be used again. I am sure that a product designer would never wish for that to happen to an object they had designed. Fine artists’ works are collected by museums and by individuals alike. Some artists work are so well sought after that even a napkin that the artist had scribbled on could be placed in a museum if found. I find that performance art is particularly fascinating in the context of collecting objects. Unless documentation of the performance is made, there is no real way to collect the piece. It exists only for a moment, and then is never seen again. It is a very unique style of art, in that context.

Re-Design Trial

Here is a trial for the re-design animation.

Final Paper Proposal

For my final paper in this class, I intend to write about animator Chuck Jones and his impact on the world of animation. Working for Warner Bros., he is responsible for creating such memorable characters as Pepe Le Pew, The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. He is also known for directing some of the most famous episodes of the Looney Toons, such as, What’s Opera, Doc?
I selected Chuck Jones because he is one of the most influential character animators. His work redefined cartoon animation, and practically invented the “short subject comedy.” Many of the animation world’s most beloved characters sprang from his mind, which is quite a feat considering the only dialogue shared between his most popular duo is “meep meep.” Chuck Jones is also a compelling subject because he is not as well-known as Walt Disney, and he is not from the first generations of early, seminal animators such as Emile Cohl.
I have already planned on including pictures not only of Chuck Jones himself, but of his creations and modern animations influenced by his work.
As Chuck Jones is not as well-known as Walt Disney, there is far less material on him. Finding enough sources to write a good paper on him could be a challenge. For sources, I have already acquired Chuck Amuck, Chuck Jones’ autobiography. This is a great starting point, and I hope that I can find more analysis of his work, as well as interviews with him.
Although not as influential as Walt Disney, Chuck Jones practically invented the animated slapstick short subject, and the effects of his work can be seen even in today’s full feature-length films from Pixar and DreamWorks. I intend to discuss how exactly his work has added to and influenced the evolution of animation.

Design Re-Mix

Here is an still image from my Design Re-Mix animation. It's not there yet, but it will be by Wednesday.

Character Figure Sketch

Here is the main figure design I developed for my Chimera.