Idea Blog:

Right now, i am at the stage where i need to keep finding other things i can construct that remind me of Kenya. So far, i have had 3 and am working on a fourth. The three are a tire sandal, a plastic bag soccer ball, and dirt that follows me. The fourth that i am working and debating on, is the clothing. Right now, as you will see in my photographs, i have been using old and ripped clothing, that i have, however, i am debating whether i should wear the traditional clothing from Kenya, the ripped clothing, or even just regular clothing i have had from here. All three work in a different way, and have benefits. The traditional clothing reminds me of Kenya very much, but it might speak too much towards the concept, as in over-emphasis. The ripped clothing shows what other memories of Kenya remind me of, such as the slums, where so much of the population live in poverty. The American clothing could help to emphasize the location i am in now, in America. They all have benefits and i am not sure which one works better.
A new item i am beginning to construct is a Rungu. This item of power reminds me of more than just this stick of leadership, though that is its function; here are a few pictures of different looks.

These Rungu's symbolize the person carrying it has power, and a leader in his tribe or group of people, with importance, and should be treated with respect. However, to me, this represents corruption, cheatery and lies, partially because the rungu reminds me of the government, and the corrupt and selfish ways it functions. Here we have one plain, one of everyday life, whereas the one decorated with beads resembles one that one of the original Masaai tribesman would have, and the President of Kenya has a gold one. I would only construct mine simply, as the basic one looks like. I own one already, however, so much of this project is in the actual construction of these things that remind me so much of Kenya. This is the next object i am looking at to construct.
With this object, i will also be thinking of constructing a plastic bottle sandal, something that probably wont take as long, and that i have pictured before. These two objects will be the focus of my next individual project.

artist blog: Robert Hausser

Robert Hausser is an artist that was born in Stuttgart in 1924, grew up there and he studied at the College of Graphic Design in Stuttgart. After graduating, he joined the army, and fought in World War 2. After the war, he married, had a daughter, and then started to take his first portraits. From there he went back to study photography in more detail. With that he joined the the German Society of Photographers (GDL), and established a studio in Mannheim. With this in mind, he has created some photographs that i find very influential. The following photograph i find very interesting, and feel that it is influential in my own work. The uniqueness of each formation in the photograph creates a very influential composition, and i want to somehow incorporate the uniqueness and novel compositions of each into my own work.
I feel that i could keep each photograph in similar ideas and thought processes, just like each door and windowframe are similar, yet each is unique and related to the other. This i would like to keep the same in each photograph.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/9/13928051_18c3db9436.jpg