El Anatsui

El Anatsui is a world-renowned sculptor and professor. He was born 1944 in Anyako a small fishing town in Southern Ghana. His work has been shown in many prestigious art galleries around the world. His most recent works are dazzling metallic tapestries made from liquor bottle tops. His work is currently on view at the AGO, and his metal-cloth series and sculptures in wood, ceramic, and mixed media will be part of the world premiere of the artist’s first-ever career retrospective at the ROM. Some of his tapestries resemble kente cloths which is a celebrated type of strip-woven-cloth popular in Ghana and all of Africa.

He has used many different mediums throughout his career including wood and clay. Only recently has he begun to use liquor bottle tops. His bottle cap cloths are shown at such a large scale so that viewers can see the detail and perseverance he has put into his work. I personally like how he was able to show such a firm and useless material into something so majestic and beautiful.

Anatsui used ideas he mastered while creating his first works with metal for his installation titled Gli. This demonstrates the change of Anatsui's artistic vision. Anatsui has turned his creative spirits to the idea of a wall. His idea is that walls and barriers are "something that can close you in" but keeps people on both sides of the divide curious. Walls taunt the individual to jump mentally over the wall to picture what is on the other side.

I have seen his work in the AGO and found it ough inspiring. The craftsmanship involved to make something so inspiring made me think how one man could so something so meticulous. I find all of his work very creative and jaw dropping. I can not wait to work with him at the ROM I believe it is going to be something I remember for the rest of my life.

Old-School Optical Toys

The layout of the site is very cool. I like how the image is the link to more information about it. My favourite toy is the Chromatrope. I found this one the best because it is like a kaleidoscopic but you can project it onto a wall. It works just like a kaleidoscopic but you don't turn the whole contraption you turn a handle that moves the glass. I found the site very awesome because it teaches me something that I never would of learned about.

Steve Rago

Steve Rago is a professional pinhole photographer. I like his work because it looks very amateur because he moves it half way through the aperture. I like that effect because it gives a mysterious, and spooky feeling. Click here to go to his website and view his work.

Pinhole Photography

As a class we took a trip to Gallery 44 for a pinhole photography workshop. I enjoyed my time at Gallery 44 because I got two of my best pictures there. I also enjoyed it because it reminded me of when I took a black & white camp and we did our developing in the same black room. At the workshop we had to make a camera out of a tin, black tape, a tart container, and black spray paint.

A pinhole camera works because even though the hole in the tin is so small (3/4 of a millimeter) this works as the aperture. The black tape would work as the shutter. The light goes through the little hole when you remove the tape the light starts coming in. Some pinhole cameras use an exposure of months, but most are only for a less usually thirty seconds to five minutes. Next you take it into the dark room and develop it in all the different chemicals for different times.

I learned that really anything could be a camera for example our instructor told us some one has used fruit, suitcases, and even cars! Overall i found the trip very exciting and I would like to try other types of photography using a black room.

View Of Gallery 44 Parkinglot

Warped Car

Wall With Door