PERFECTIO
an is an American seeking a higher level of understanding -is that spirituality? -is that consumerism? Something big budget. Hollywood -is that celebrity?
Perspective: Distorted view vs. clear understanding What does this say about your place? Fitting in vs. standing out vs. fitting in for standing out Image / Identity / Icon Individual vs. societal Design and art design art DESIGN designART Promotion, Production, Consumption Concept/idea, Manufacture, Ambiguity for the viewer, not for me Image Identity Empathy Mattman is an American seeking a higher level of understanding -is that spirituality -is that consumerism? -is that celebrity This can be this AND that. Doesn’t have to be one or the other. There needs to be at least one big production, preferably separate from your thesis exhibition that engages an audience AND puts my ideas and art funding to good use.
mattman gentlemen, we can rebuild him we have the technology
Something big budget. Hollywood spectacle. Why?
we have the capability to make the world's first bionic man
Hoard vs. edit / filter
will be that man
Safety and comfort of doing what you are told vs. Challenge of rising up and looking for a new way
better than he was before better, stronger, faster
2 Different things oddly and accidentally juxtaposed together. If you’re going to spend your money on stupid consumer crap you might as well invest in me.
he can be better than he was before
better he can be better
Sometimes you have to step outside of yourself and be someone else. But you are still yourself always.
can be better be better
Erica Albright: It didn't stop you from writing it. As if every thought that tumbles through your hea
not to be shared. The internet is not written in pencil, Mark, it's written in ink
some quote from the social network movie... when the going get’s tough... you get out of there.
i used to blog a hell of a lot
PR
g sense of the world.
something about your face that is interesting… look at warhol face videos… drawn to the face as an icon… unique… individual… personality. character.
tumblr blog, mattman sightings "basic semantic unites that are easy to understand in this globalized world,
big mess.
big illustrator file. ogy for the "energy box project" is a good ne place.
what started as a quest for overnight celebrity has become a more introspective experiment on how i view myself, how others view me, how i relate to celebrity in our consumer society… etc. etc. etc.
such as icons, glyphs, and pictograms, and organizes them in original,
most of the work i have done in regards to this project has been either in the vacuum, working alone in my studio, or through one on one dialogues with other artists and designers…
ar
a
creative ways that are charged with meaning"
it's time to open this up. it's time to create a larger dialogue. it's time to encourage interaction and reaction… it't time to test, experiment, and play with this concept.
a
here's what i can tell you about who i think mattman is:
350
i can also supply some visuals for my own concept of mattman… but i want to ask you, "who is mattman?"
300
250
200
150
i want you to cut up and remix pop culture, and include mattman in it.
100
SLAVE TO SYSTEM HATE THE SYSTEM SEE THROUGH THE SYSTEM LOVE THE SYSTEM USE THE SYSTEM SUBVERT THE SYSTEM WHAT IS THE SYSTEM?
-pg 5, Xavier Alamany
1
2
Mattman MFA Exhibition + Written Component by: Matthew Heller
3
4
THANK YOU Sometimes keeping it simple is better. Graduate school was both incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. I met people that changed my life. My ideas about the world changed significantly and my ambition grew. I have had relationships with professors who constantly encouraged me and help to elevate my work. Thank you Robert. Thank you Nancy, Darryl, and Karl. Thanks to Maryam. Thanks to Corey, Jeff, Helen, Kate, Hannah, Sydney, Chris, Jesse, Kight, Drew, Ryan, Collin, Ben, Seiji and Cesar. Thanks mom and dad. Thanks Mattman. Thanks for everything.
5
Page 22
Page 26
Page 34
“I guess a good place to start is the beginning.”
“Everyone has an opinion.”
“Research”
Matt Heller’s identity as an artist and designer
Being an artist designer in contemporary America
Discussing my major influences
CONTENTS Page 5 Thank you Page 12 Forward by Professor Robert Hower, major professor Page 16 This is about a journey, Preface by Matt Heller Page 126 Reference List
6
Page 48
Page 74
“Profound and stupid.”
“I must become an art rock star.”
Matt Heller’s past work
Introducing the celebrity initiative
Page 94 “Document the journey.” MFA Exhibition and other visual materials
Page 122 “Where do we go from here?” Conclusions
7
8
Artist Statement My research deals with an individual’s journey seeking success as both an artist and a designer. Every creative person has a different idea of what success is, but in the United States it often means fame, notoriety, appeal, or recognition. In my work I strive to create innovative concepts and turn them into experiences that are both playful and slightly disturbing. This exploration has given me new insights into both the internal process of creating art as well as how an audience responds to a public image. Public image meaning both a work of art in a public place as well as the public’s response to my own individual persona.
9
Personal Statement I am an American. I am a creative person. I am a thinker and a listener. These things say a great deal about my personality and sensibilities. I was born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, so Americana has had a large influence on my view of the world. I have only left the USA once, so I realize that my perspective of the world is a bit sheltered and distinctly American. Thinking and listening are essential to this creative process. Creation without reflection leads to work without heart. Much of my creative process revolves around careful consideration of the concept and time to reflect on the work and my influences. I find that this approach leads to creative work that has my own distinctive personality embedded within it. I like words, music, laughing, drinking coffee, eating buffalo wings and developing concepts that make people excited or confused or both.
10
11
Forward by Professor Robert Hower, major professor
12
13
14
15
16
Forward:
This is about a journey. “I really just want to jump right in.”
17
I do not like thinking too much about writing. I just write. Specifically, I write about myself. My experiences. The circumstances that impact the way I see the world.
Writing has always been an important aspect of my personality. Recently I have discovered just how important it is to my creative process as well. What has shaped me most throughout my life? Has it been the events that moved me from place to place around the United States, or was it the careful reflection of writing about these events after they happened?
18
I BLOG.
I have had many different blogs. Blogging was important to me in my adolescent and early college years. As my foundation and views of the world were solidifying, I kept a record of what I was doing. I constantly analyzed myself. In fact, as long as I have been able to write coherently, I have been analyzing myself. Sometimes the writing may be more about my personal experiences, but those experiences and my reflection of the experiences go hand and hand.
19
As I write this, I am also thinking about the reaction of my audience. Because of my experience blogging, my writings tend to be a mix of personal journal and public document. I criticize my own writing and expect others to eventually do the same. Due to this circumstance, I constantly evaluate the information I am putting out there. I have a tendency to make a statement and then question that statement. This creates an evolving internal conversation.
Personal writings about myself. My life experiences. The idea of an audience.
THE POINT? All of these speak to ideas that are essential in how I relate to art and design. Many times by writing about myself, I am indirectly speaking about art, design, and other key concerns in my life. I immerse (sometimes saturate) myself in a world of art and design, entertainment, pop culture, media and information. I need an audience. I care about what the audience thinks. My work is highly personal and highly reflective, but I also want to evoke a positive response. I want my work to resonate with the viewer. I want my work to be successful. I want to be successful. I care about how the viewer perceives my work and me. So, what is the point I want to get across in my written analysis?
20
The point is that by actively analyzing my interests, my experiences, and myself I can address issues in American culture, art, and design. Issues of image and consumption. Issues of failure and success. Issues of comfort and anxiety. I will explore these ideas in this analysis. My goal has always been exploration and evolution. Everything I do is about growth, education, and process. I want to become a better person and make better work. However, no matter how many improvements I make, how much art I make, how much knowledge I gain, how much healthier I get, there is always room to grow. I will never be perfect. Never complete. Never finale.
This is about a journey. This is a journey about where I came from and where I am going. This is a journey about seeking success or perfection: Perfection for my work and myself. While I know that this might be unachievable, my journey to become the perfect man (Mattman) educates and informs my life experiences and future goals as well as the creative works that I make.
Therein lies the problem. While it may not be a realistic problem, the idea that I am not perfect causes frustration, anxiety, and stress. Internal and external forces push me in opposing directions and cause me to take two steps forward and five steps back. This realization coincides with the close of my MFA experience. But what is perfection and what does it mean to seek it in the creative world? Does perfection relate back to my personal idea of success? How can I be successful until I understand my relationship with perfection? And how do I convince myself that I am content with being myself and not being perfect? While I know perfection is not an achievable goal, subconsciously I keep seeking it for my work.
“My goal has always been exploration and evolution.� 21
22
I guess a good place to start is the beginning. Matt Heller’s identity as an artistdesigner-educator
23
My first memory of art is when I lived in an apartment complex in Kansas City, Missouri. During the summer, my mom took me and my brother to the apartment’s swimming pool. While we swam and played, my mom drew portraits of family members. These good memories at an early age established the idea that art could be a positive force in my life. I was raised with a “city mentality” growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City, Missouri, and Lewisville, Texas. However, before high school I moved to rural Armour, South Dakota, a town of 750. Having lived primarily in large cities, the move to this tiny town affected my way of thinking. I had to adapt and re-adjust to the idea that in this small town I would always be “the new kid.”
24
Art education was not available in my high school. Opportunities were sparse, but because of my interest in technology and art one of my teachers referred me to an online web design course where I learned the basics of Photoshop and HTML. After that I applied for a job as a photographer at the Armour Chronicle, the small town newspaper.
Fast forward to college where I studied photography. I had always taken photos throughout my entire life, but studying photography in the academic sense was different. I found that my ability to see the world was enhanced by constantly taking photos of the people, places, and objects that were meaningful to me. I also learned a variety of useful techniques. However, I eventually realized that the photography process and the final product did not challenge or engage my thinking enough. I took a graphic design course from Robert Grame in my sophomore year of college. I was already familiar with much of the software, but I was introduced to bigger ideas in this class. These ideas of influence, work, inspiration, and the idea that graphic design is not confined to pamphlets and posters pushed me to change my emphasis from photography to graphic design. After making the decision to change fields, my mentor left the school. While my perspective has changed since then, at the time I was hurt by his departure. This change combined with the unfit instructors that followed, made me question my decision to switch my focus and graphic design in general.
Sculpture installation class was pivotal in my artistic development and greatly informed all of my future work. This class was my first experience with intermedia. I also became more aware of the idea of the experience. Any experience, from looking at a sculpture, to something as mundane as walking across the street, can be perceived in different ways. However, the idea of creating a lasting experience, something that engages multiple senses and stays with a viewer over a long period of time, this was the idea that intrigued me. In this class I was introduced to installation, and I realized a space could be completely transformed in order to transport the viewer and give them a unique experience.
“The idea of creating a lasting experience, something that engages multiple senses and stays with a viewer over a long period of time, this was the idea that intrigued me.� 25
26
“Everyone has an opinion.�
Being an artist designer in contemporary America
27
I consider myself very open-minded. Contemporary web designer and design critic, Armin Vit visited University of Texas at Arlington in 2010. He gave a lecture and much of it dealt with the idea of making money in the design industry. While it touched on very important issues, it did not provide the creativity or innovation typically associated with an artist talk. I view art and design as two disciplines that are tightly intertwined, nevertheless, some feel very strongly about their separation. This piece is art. This piece is not art. Art is not design. Design is not art.
I respect the work and opinion of Armin Vit, but in one interview, he said the following about art and design: “They’re completely different things. I hate when designers say, ‘I’m an artist.’ No, you are not. If you were an artist, you would have your stuff hanging at a gallery and you would make a lot of money selling it. Instead, you are at a computer, you take requests from a client, and you make things on their behalf. And we are not even commercial artists because it is not art, its communication. It is type and images put together, and eventually you do something - a brochure, a logo, a website, a report. None of that shit hangs in a gallery.” (Veer.com)
I DISAGREE.
28
I disagree because this is a very shortsighted view of contemporary art and design. It assumes that in order to be an artist, you must be a part of the gallery system. I find that more artists are moving away from the gallery and looking for alternative venues to show their work. In addition, Armin claims that design is not art, it is communication, but isn’t art a form of communication as well?
But what do these sides of the fence represent? What does it mean to be an artist or a designer today?
I sometimes struggle to find my voice because I do not take a black or white stance on these issues. I choose to be grayer, more flexible. When you know that you love something or hate it, it is easy to shout about how much you love or hate. But if you happen to love and hate something equally at different times, how do you talk about that? Does that make you wishy-washy? Does that make you a flip-flopper? Or does that simply mean you are flexible enough to see the value of multiple perspectives? This is the grayish perspective that I choose to believe in. Art and design may not be terms that are interchangeable, but they belong together. Both are forms of communication. Both feature primarily the act of creation, or bringing something new or unique into the world for other humans to experience. If they must be viewed as separate, then perhaps they are only separate sides of the same spectrum. I straddle this line between art and design. I walk on the fence, but I walk on it proudly with confidence. I know that I can jump off onto either side of that fence, or if need be, I can take a sledgehammer and break the fence down completely.
Designer Armin Vit Image credit: publicschool
29
To me art is internal. It is an idea and a feeling. It is a personal experience. Art is process and growth.
An artist is a kind of mirror.
Finding beauty or disgust in the mundane, Presenting a shared or unique perspective, Art = Observation / personal experience bias filter + Idea + Intent + Work / creation / manifestation / presentation
These are traits of an artist. What I love about art is that there is no clear definition. I can write my own definition, or I can list off others’ opinions on what art is, but everyone is free to choose how they interpret what art is. Maybe this freedom is what keeps contemporary society engaged with art. I believe the artist is a kind of mirror. Life affects everyone in different ways. Some of us choose to respond creatively to the meaningful experiences in our lives. By creating a work of art, we are reflecting our life experiences back to a new audience or ourselves. The more innovative or poetic the reflection, the more potential it has to affect the audience. Artists subvert culture by presenting an unpopular view. Artists are political. Artists make work for money. Artists struggle to find fame, or even define what success is for themselves. Artists believe in making art, or they do not. Artists collaborate or compete with other artists. Artists struggle. Artists follow rules, or break them, or make them. Artists are beloved. Artists are hated. Artists speak with a loud voice or mind their own business.
30
Being an artist means understanding and accepting ideas of duality. There will always be some kind of conflict. Today there are so many varieties of artists making work. This variety also applies to critics’ perspectives of what makes an artist. This diversity in how one defines art and artist leads to freedom, but also potentially confusion. The level of clarity in the work determines how well it communicates a message, but both art and design have the ability to communicate this message, whether clear or ambiguous. To me being an artist is both a position of power, and a position of struggle. Artists constantly need to defend themselves to justify spending their time on creating objects (or experiences) that the world does not necessarily need. At the same time, artists have the power to affect other people: to create change. Designers often seek these same objectives.
“The more innovative or poetic the reflection, the more potential it has to affect the audience.�
31
Is money what separates art from design?
Design =
A client seems to be the only distinction between my definition of art and design. Art has a tendency to be more personal, while designers tend to focus more on a specific outcome or target audience. Some might classify design as art with a function, or art for a client. Again, this is a generalization, as works of art could also involve a client, and a design may display the designer’s very distinctive personality. (Sagmeister)
Observation / personal (or client) experience bias filter + Idea + Intent + Work / creation / manifestation / presentation
Paul Rand describes visual communication as talent, creative ability, manual skill, and technical knowledge. But he also says the following, “It’s no secret that the real world in which the designer functions is not the world of art, but the world of buying and selling.” (Rand) Is money what separates art from design? I have worked in small towns for businesses that simply need functional graphics to communicate a message in the most effective way possible. Often these places do not put much thought into the graphics, the typography, the language, or the design, they merely work fast and efficiently in order to make the most profit.
“In the past I was afraid that by defining myself I would become trapped, but now I know that is not the case.” 32
Early in my design education, the idea of design was narrowed by stereotypes. I thought design was boring, mechanical, and lacked creativity. The concern was fitting all of the information on the page, not how the art and design could effectively influence or educate an audience. Now, I understand my previous thoughts were a bit limiting.
Design has power to change and inform, and many times the most successful designs are indistinguishable from fine art.
He states, “A designer works through and for other people, and is concerned primarily with their problems rather than his own.” (Potter)
The differences between art and design are there if you search for them, but I do not see these differences as so black and white as Armin Vit claims. Perhaps, I do not see these fields as being so different from one another because my artist and designer tendencies are so intertwined. The following question came up numerous times during my MFA career: Are you in intermedia, or are you in visual communication?
This is an idea that intrigues me and relates to my self and my research. Potter describes the fine-artist as a more inward character, while a designer “must be capable of more detachment than may be necessary to a fine artist.” This definition fits with my own views of art and design. My own conceptual explorations have dealt more with aspects of my personality and interests, while my design work often puts the audience’s (other artists, art professors, companies) concerns above my own. This may be why I have struggled with labeling myself in the past, because often my work blends these ideas together, focusing both on my audience and on me.
“A designer by any other name may still be a designer yet make no mistake what we call ourselves is key to our professional health and well being.” (Heller) I am in visual communication. However, I do think that academia may sometimes confuse students by putting such diverse concentrations under the umbrella of art. In the past I was afraid that by defining myself I would become trapped, but know now that is not the case. Taking classes in both visual communication and intermedia has shown me that there are unlimited options for my creative research, whether that work is for an audience, a client, or myself. According to Norman Potter, art can be “any activity that interprets primarily the psychological and sensuous and spiritual understanding of mankind.” This is a broad definition and includes disciplines such as theatre, music, literature, and more. Potter looks at design a bit differently however.
Perhaps everyone has a different idea of what art is, or what design is, and their relationship. I view them as a symbiotic relationship. Both are part of a broader creative field. The more artists and designers create, the more works are added to our globalized visual culture. This allows for more reflection, more dialogue, more critique, and more growth. The steady flow of information may make it more challenging to filter through the noise, but ultimately leads to artists and designers being more informed about the world around them. I believe this is crucial no matter which label you apply to yourself.
33
34
“Research.”
Discussing my major influences
35
I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I AM INFLUENCED BY EVERYTHING. In the three years of my MFA experience, I absorbed lectures, exhibitions, websites, films, group and one on one critiques, and a variety of other meaningful happenings. I wrote and I made work. I taught courses. I broke walls and gained confidence, and built new walls for myself. What is an influence? It can be as simple as a small spark of an idea that stays in your head over a period of time and occasionally begs for your attention. It could be a person or event that alters your direction significantly. It can be a concept that incessantly makes you question all that you do until you bang your head against a wall repeatedly and finally come to one conclusion.
36
Everything is an influence.
Hulk Hogan Image credit: wrestlescoop.com
To talk about all of my influences would require me to talk about the video games I played as a child, the professional wrestlers that I idolized, the professors and peers that have berated or encouraged me throughout my artistic career, the food I ate for breakfast yesterday and so on and so on... So I thought I would discuss just a few of these influences. Major influences.
37
World famous pop artist and designer Andy Warhol fascinates me for a variety of reasons. First, he is the clearest example that I know of an art rock star. An art rock star innovates, transcends the ordinary, and changes how people view the world around them. Dave Hickey states in the PBS documentary American Masters, Andy Warhol that, “Part of the function of art is to change society, but it can only do that by changing art society.” (Burns 2006) Not only did Warhol influence the art world, but also his work influenced how society looked at art, culture, commodities, and celebrity. Andy Warhol Image credit: Possible self portrait, tumblr.com
Warhol was also an influence on me because he was a distinctly American artist: greedy, loud, unapologetic, but also hardworking and genius.
Dave Hickey writes: “Andy Warhol is the most American of artists and the most artistic of Americans.... So, American was Warhol, in fact, that he is virtually invisible to us. We look at him and knowing little of ourselves, learn little of Warhol because he was us in all of our innocence, ambition, and insecurity -- a hard working democrat, a churchgoer and businessman, a social climber, empire builder and inveterate consumer.” (Hickey 2005, 49) 38
Andy successfully bridges art and design in a seamless fashion. His work was recognizable for its quirkiness, whimsy, and charm. He did everything from illustrating for magazines to acting in commercials around the world. He recorded video. He made sculpture. He made the work that he wanted, and he successfully merged ideas of mass-production, commercial art, and fine art. Warhol had a reputation as an artist-businessman, investing in art and real estate as well as enlisting others to assist him in the art making process in order to increase production. He achieved his success based on his talent and according to Stephen Koch, Warhol was a profound artist of ideas, despite Warhol, himself claiming his ideas were unoriginal. (Burns 2006) Warhol’s method was to address the time in which he lived. He did not strive to create something timeless, but rather show every artifact from his environment that he was interested in. He showed a unique perspective on a world that was quickly being consumed by products and media. The worlds of art and design have exploded since Warhol’s time period, and the lines between art and design are more flexible. While there is plenty of people who still consider the two separate, I admire many people in the worlds of contemporary art and design that blend these the two ideas together. Artists and designers have the freedom to create. This freedom is a gift. All it takes is an idea and some dedication and that idea can come to fruition. In this media heavy society, everyone has the potential to get the attention of millions.
39
However, if you want to be successful, there should be a clearly defined goal.
Michael Bierut Image credit: http://strosechronicle.com
For Pentagram designer, Michael Bierut, that goal might be clear communication. However, his work may have absolutely nothing to do with his own personality. On a lecture presented on the website 99u, Bierut states, “I don’t consider myself creative. I do not have ideas that I want to express that I make up myself. I cannot think of any personal projects that I have done. I just do not work that way. The reason I became a designer is I wanted people to come to me with problems I can solve. I know how to do that. I can be creative then. I feel like I’m a doctor and I can’t just practice medicine on myself, so I need patients who are sick, the sicker the better in fact.” (Bierut) I admire Bierut not only because of his extensive portfolio of international designs, but for his methodology and for his ability to communicate through written, speaking, and visual formats. He understands his strengths, weaknesses, and how to articulate these to a very specific audience.
40
Michael Bierut and Stefan Sagmeister are both successful designers, but if you look at their styles, they are completely different. Michael Bierut sets a goal of solving problems for other people. Sagmeister works with clients, but also spends a great deal of energy focusing inward on what it is that makes him happy. In fact, a majority of his work comes from statements from his own personal journal. I attended a lecture by Stefan Sagmeister where he spoke about a relatively simple subject, but one that I am very invested in: happiness. Anna Carnick of New York Times Magazine writes, “Inspired by the psychologist Jonathan Haidt, whose research connects modern science and spiritual wisdom, Sagmeister’s investigations have included meditation, cognitive therapy and mood-altering pharmaceuticals. He has charted his findings in projects like the forthcoming documentary “The Happy Film” and in “Things I have learned in My Life So Far,” a celebrated (and often imitated) book and exhibition, based on a list of life lessons (also from Sagmeister’s diary), which feature typographic interpretations of lines like “Complaining is silly — either act or forget,” using unexpected materials like food or inflatable monkeys.” (Carnick)
Photograph from Stefan Sagmeister’s “Happy Show” Image credit: Susan Schneider Design
41
Another artist designer that constantly influences me is James Victore, someone who has the reputation of a non-conformist. He got his start by making political work that attacked commonly shared ideas, like Columbus Day, as well as contemporary design practices, such as working on Macintosh computers. The piece that introduced me to Victore featured simple graphics drawn with black sharpie on large white ceramic plates. I remember thinking the work was simple, fun, and edgy. They begged for attention. This piece affected my aesthetic style. Over the course of my MFA education, I developed several black and white icons that have stark contrast and a strong balance between positive and negative. The plate pieces are playful but have a sharp attitude that I enjoy. While his creative work has been a strong influence for me, I am also inspired by Victore’s personality. Victore frequently quotes James Joyce’s famous phrase, “In the particular is contained the universal.” He interprets this quote as saying everyone and every activity is important. As an artist, everything you do is significant. Placing your personality in your work shows that you have a voice and that voice matters. James announces, “If I do a very good job of telling my story, of talking about the people who I love and hate, talking about my hometown, I will be talking about everywhere. I will be speaking to everyone.” (Victore)
42
Celebrate Columbus James Victore, 1992 Image credit: www.designobserver.com
As a creative individual and someone who strongly believes everyone has a powerful and unique voice, Victore’s statements definitely appeal to me. I want to make work that appeals to me. I want to make work that has the Matt Heller fingerprint. I want to tell my story. I also want my work to appeal to everyone (the universal), but I know that this is an impossible feat. However, if I create work that I am interested in, work that inspires me, work that makes me laugh, work makes me think, work that challenges me, then in turn I can generate interest from a wide audience. Victore also addresses the “patina” of graphic design with some cynicism: Things like color and typography that visual people are concerned with but that the general population might not care about. “You know, pick a typeface, pick some colors, nobody gives a damn about typeface and color it doesn’t change anybody’s life it doesn’t mean anything to anybody.” He claims designers are working in an “intellectual field,” not necessary a visual one. “I also think that the larger audience out there responds to work when they can see that a real human being made it.” (Victore)
I think that by realizing the potential of graphic design (“Graphic design is a big fucking club with spikes in it. And I want to wield it”) and not setting limits for life (“You have no friends, you have no enemies, you only have teachers.”) Victore becomes a contemporary artist designer that has a unique voice and innovative style.
Big Plates James Victore, 2010 Image credit: www.jamesvictore.com
This cynicism is a part of Victore’s persona, but he constantly makes it clear how much he loves his job. He addresses his audience directly. Every Tuesday Victore posts videos on his website answering questions from students and fellow designers. I care about Victore because he is frank, honest, and funny, and has big aspirations (to change the world.)
43
Roadside Attractions Okay Mountain Collective 2013 Image credit: okaymountain.com
Innovation and humor are key traits of many of my influences. Austin based Okay Mountain Collective shows both qualities. I learned of the artist collective at a lecture by co-founder Sterling Allen at the Fort Worth Modern in 2011. Allen showed his own personal work: a mix of drawings, sculpture, and installation. The work featured a perfect mix of stupid and clever; the kind of humor that I was instantly drawn to.
44
I have since researched the Okay Mountain Collective and found that they deftly navigate the themes that drive me and my work on a regular basis. According to the Okay Mountain website, the nine artists “pay homage to the ubiquitous content of contemporary consumer culture.” The work resonates with me because of our shared views of the absurd side of American culture, as well as the duality between political message and playful attitude. (Okay Mountain Collective) One particular piece stands out for me. In Roadside Attractions, the group created 100 different pamphlets advertising fictitious people, places, and events. This brochure stand format is familiar to any American tourist traveling across the country and stopping at various hotels and truck stops. For instance, you might see a brochure display in South Dakota advertising such marvels as Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, or the world’s largest jackelope. This art piece advertises places and things 100% fictional, but no less fatuous. “Through calculated exaggeration and espousal of the absurd, Okay Mountain creates farcical caricatures of a national identity. Faux infomercials, fliers, guidebooks, and memos are rife with satirical imitations of salesmen, tour guides and mascots – playing on our communal tendency for insatiable want.” (Okay Mountain Collective) Insatiable want. This phrase says a lot about where we are in contemporary society.
45
Okay Mountain collective might “parody our uniquely American reverence for commerce,” but commerce is not the only thing that is addressed in their work. Not feeling satisfied with our lives or situations is common in the United States, as is the constant uphill battle to fill these voids. This also reflects my personal struggle for success or perfection. This feeling of insatiable want leads to frustration or constantly feeling stuck. Often, Americans turn to consumerism to try to fill these voids, but the misplaced value of material goods only provides temporary satisfaction and an eventual return of desire. Humor makes these issues more manageable. Artist and designer Erik Kessels states, “Make people laugh and they will remember you.” Kessels is founder of the Amsterdam design studio Kesselskramer that also has offices in London and Los Angeles. The website for the studio seems like a bad web design from the nineties, but if you hit refresh you will find a series of changing false sites showcasing “bad design,” but confidently hiding actual examples of the studio’s creative work. Kessels invokes the same mantra as Victore, if you make work that you are highly engaged in, it will in turn be interesting to a larger audience. To me Kessels most memorable work is the series of advertisements for Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam. The hotel is a terrible place, but rather than creating a campaign that misleads the audience, Kessels focuses on the bad points and sells them. The result is a series of posters displaying a curtain as “an eco-friendly towel,” a sink as “an eco-friendly shower,” and a blanket as “eco-friendly heating.”
46
Hans Brinker Budget Hotel Advertisements Kesselskramer Image credit: www.examiner.com
47
48
“Profound and stupid.”
Past work of Matt Heller
49
Process. Journey. Experience. These words represent how I think about creativity. My background in photography has encouraged me to document all of my creative activity. This is also something I encourage my students to practice in the classes I teach. To me, process is as important as the finished piece and in some cases more so. Documenting process helps show others how your mind functions. It some cases it can also convey a story. If your audience can see the narrative behind your piece, they may find a more relatable experience, or a new kind of respect for the piece.
50
Large-scale typographic projection process, with wall of sketches and inspiration, Matt Heller studio, 2010
51
52
Still from Alka Seltzer Tests Digital video 2010
I created a series of videos called Alka Seltzer Tests in which I documented the seltzer tablets dissolving in different ways. In some of these videos I exposed the tablets to different liquids (ink, buffalo sauce, soda, mouthwash) and in other videos I wrote words or phrases on the tablets before dissolving them in water. This process started as a way of merging my sense of typographic design with a more playful and experimental approach to making.
Process photo from Alka Seltzer Tests video 2010
Over time, the strange repetitive action of dropping seltzer tablets in various liquids became more interesting to me than the words that were written on the tablets.
The examples on this page and the next show a still from a video, a photograph, and the process of a piece of sketchbook paper being marked with ink. I am a strong believer that the art and design process informs future work. This process provides different paths for new exploration. One initial concept such as “write words on Alka-Seltzer tablets” can lead to several tangents that lead the work in unexpected directions.
These experiments also led me to an idea that I am currently still practicing. This idea simply stated is, “Steal from yourself.”
53
Self Portrait with Alka Seltzer
54
55
56
57
58
Process photo from Alka Seltzer Tests video 2010
59
60
61
I still consider the Energy Box™ exploration to be one of the most unusual, interesting, and fulfilling concepts I have worked on in the past few years. I wrote the following statements shortly after I began working on this idea:
It was Sunday night. The week was getting ready to start and I felt like I was terribly behind. I wanted to make something, but I did not know where to start. I have a tendency to start a project, get tired of it, and quit before I can see it reach its potential. These start stops have occurred in the past, and I am trying to develop new ways to get around them. So I sat in my living room, thinking of past projects. My mind was jumping from here to there and racing all over the place. I often feel like I have trouble focusing on one thing for very long. Finally, sitting there in my apartment, I decided I wanted my brain to shut the hell up. I was having too many thoughts and concerns and stress and I wanted some peace and quiet, if only for a few minutes.
ENERGY BOX™
62
So the first thing I thought was, I should really meditate. This is not something I do often, but it is something that numerous people have recommended. So I turned off all the lights and sat on the floor in my apartment. I closed my eyes and tried to turn off all thoughts by just focusing on the “OM” sound that I had heard was associated with meditation. I would take a deep breath, and say “OM” and continue the sound until I ran out of breath. Then I would take a deep breath and repeat the process. I started to feel the stress drift away. As long as I focused on the humming sound, I could relax and not worry about anything. The sound repeated over and over and started to form one solid note. I thought that the note sounded familiar to me. Where had I heard that before? I kept humming, but tried to think of what the sound reminded me of. I thought about the continuous humming sound that I could hear, but also seemed to be coming from within. That’s when I had a flashback. I was in Texas still, but I was in middle school. I lived in a house with my parents and brother in Lewisville. I played outside a lot with the neighbor kids. Between my house and my friend’s next door, there was a green electrical box. I remember sitting on the box and talking with friends, or running around it, or jumping off it. I remember the metal always being warm, and putting my face on it, not caring how dirty the thing probably was. Then I could hear it. With my ear pressed up against the green electrical box, I could hear a steady hum coming from inside of it. It never stopped.
I didn’t know exactly what was inside there, but the steady unchanging hum was comforting to me. That Is when I snapped out of my flashback and decided I had to make this thing. I looked online to try to find as many photos of this thing as possible. I remembered there being decals on the dull green surface. I recreated the decals in illustrator and put them on a template for a paper model. It took most of the evening to design, print, and assemble this simple little model, but I was pleased. I had thought of something, planned, and executed all within a short amount of time. I recorded it on video, and recorded the sound of my voice humming.
63
1341631 Electrocorp
9211321 Electrocorp
3515122 Electrocorp
CATALOG NUMBER
MODEL NUMBER
SERIAL NUMBER
DATE OF MANUFACTURE
64
IF OPEN OR UNLOCKED IMMEDIATELY CALL POWER CO.
KEEP OUT HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
KEEP OUT
HIGH VOLTAGE
CAUTION CATALOG NUMBER
MODEL NUMBER
SERIAL NUMBER
DATE OF MANUFACTURE
CAUTION HIGH VOLTAGE KEEP OUT
This could be something. The paper model might not be much on its own, but it there is potential for this to be something powerful.
Custom Energy Box Labels 2011
65
66
I see the Energy Box™ as something that is iconic. It is an object that represents our current place in time, and is something that I think anyone in our society can recognize. I am also interested in the purest form of this idea. I think any dark green box with danger stickers would be recognizable as this object. I think that while the paper box is very simple, it still represents the idea rather well. However, with the paper version I had to simulate the sound on video. I want to actually have a box that is small enough to not be mistaken for the real thing, but still have the humming sound coming from inside of it. I also want it small so that I can use it for video or photography later on. Once I have this “desktop” version constructed, I will be free to play with scale and detail and make many more iterations if I so desire. Comfort is a green Energy Box™,
67
68
69
70
With designer Carlos Segura
71
72
73
74
“I must become an art rock star.�
Introducing the celebrity initiative
75
This is not a simple project for a client that is supported by a brief.
76
This is a mix of art and design and new media. This is highly personal and highly conceptual.
This concept started with a list. In order to develop my final body of work, I thought about who I am and what it is that I want for my future. The list came down to some very basic desires: Have fun. Have money. Make cool stuff. Be around creative people. Together, these things equate to the happiness of Matt Heller. These things are how I define success. I want to get to the point where all of these things are happening simultaneously. While they might seem like simple things, it is the combination of them all where it gets tricky. For instance, if you are having fun, one can assume you are not doing work, and in order to make money you must do work. However, work is inherently not fun. So the task, job, career, whatever you call it must be incredibly rewarding.
77
While this may be a strange conclusion, I believe it says a lot about my background, personality, and how I view my surroundings. Making the connection between these criteria to some elevated form of success, popularity, or fame, requires both innovation and confusion on my part. My own idea of happiness might be confused, but I believe that is partially because American’s own view of success is confused as well. I wanted to create a campaign that revolved around pop culture because of the impact it has had on my own life. I am part of a generation that has never been without film, television, music, and video games. I have felt the influence of the Internet most of my life. I have always been immersed in media. Celebrities are often viewed as the tastemakers and the trendsetters. As a creative person and an observer of contemporary society, I feel that artists and designers should play an important part in creating the culture that we are so immersed in. By using art and design as a method for questioning ideas of celebrity and pop culture, my aim was to create an innovative visual experience that combined my broad interests, reached a wide audience, and encompassed both conceptual art and conceptual design. That is developing the concept at a high level and using a variety of art and design methods to carry out that concept. My secondary goals were to mock, critique, explore, question, and judge the importance of celebrity culture in our contemporary society, and also see how public opinion shapes the development of a concept and a work of art in progress.
78
At the onset of this exploration, I felt that in order to question ideas of fame and celebrity, I would have to attempt to achieve some sort of public recognition. To do this, I began a study of my own image by recruiting other artists to photograph me in a variety of settings. To continue the exploration I then used the very recognzable style of fashion photography to juxtapose my own image. I felt that these images camptured the absurdity of my journey, but also caused people to pause and consider the kinds of media they are exposed to in public life.
79
80
81
82
83
Process Sketches
84
85
86
87
This exploration also allowed me to explore the idea of branding as it relates to art, design, and popular culture. While the Mattman fashion poster series had a certain distinctive style, I tried to develop different logo systems that might relate back to the idea of using my face as a method of achieving popular recognition.
88
89
Over time, i began to realize that this absurd quest for reaching celebrity was not what actually interested me the most, but rather the focus on myself and my journey. By looking inward and thinking reflectively about myself I could start to make progress on what my final visual statement could be. Would it be photographic? Illustration? Both of these directions were interesting for me. Both said a lot about my background and approached the concept in a different way. Ultimately, I knew that if I was to create a cohesive final piece, I would need to filter everything that came before down into a statement really spoke about all of these ideas in a clear way.
90
91
92
For a long time I had all of my work, process, and inspiration taped to the walls in my studio. I found a certain kind of beauty in this mess of information, but instead of clarifying my thoughts it only made more clutter. Therefore, I ripped everything down and eliminated anything that I felt was not a near-finished concept. After that I arranged them on the table in chronological order by completion date. Finally, I selected the images that I was most interested in pursuing. These pieces were then placed back on the wall in a more organized fashion. I do not like restricting myself when I make work. However, I find that sometimes without restrictions I jump back and forth from ideas each time I get excited about something new. Because of this, I often end up with a lot of very interesting concepts, but some ideas that are not fully realized. Based on the selections I chose, I decided to take a more illustrated approach for the final thesis exhibition. I wanted to create a narrative based on my experiences. I planned to tell a story involving both printed pieces and a large scale motion component.
93
94
“Document the Journey.”
Visual materials from my final year and MFA exhibition
95
I was bicycling home and thinking about my journey (as I often do) and the scenery that I encountered on a daily basis between UTA and my small apartment behind the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
At that time, everywhere I went, I went by bicycle. I didn’t mind it, but it seemed like I was always on the bicycle. I was always thinking during these travels, and often wondered if there were people in cars that passed me on a daily basis. I was curious about how they perceived me. In my mind I felt like they would see me as a fairly strange character, and I wondered if I could use this back and forth journey as a means to endorse my persona in development. I imagined myself biking through various places around Arlington, Texas, the United States, and the World. This journey seemed accurate, interesting and playful to me so I decided that when I got home I would create an illustration...
96
Reference photo for bicycle illustration, 5 January 2012
97
My first plan was to include the illustration on my personal web page. I would create an animation of myself continuously biking around Arlington. My method for creating the illustration was very similar to works I had made while researching Energy Boxes™. I used a tripod to take a photograph of myself, and then used Adobe Illustrator to simply the image to its most basic forms. This method of creating flat graphic imagery reflects the playfulness inherent in my character. The initial concept of creating an animation of my journey on my bicycle eventually became key to my final MFA exhibition.
98
99
100
101
102
If I were to become a recognizable figure around Arlington while riding on my bicycle, I needed some opportunity to stand out. The mobile billboard system was meant to be a new venue for showcasing my art and design in a public context. I could use this bike trailer as a means for shamelessly advertising myself and my work.
103
I created this mock-up illustration in which I envisioned the final MFA exhibition to be an immersive multi-media experience. I wrote the following about this exhibition plan for my Ideas in Art proposal: “I can imagine this as a kind of shrine to the super star persona I have created. It will feature journals and photographs documenting the transformation process as well as web materials utilizing blogs and social networks that may have spread the popularity of this designed alter ego. I want the viewer to be surrounded by the experience, so I would like to construct a small intimate space where only one person can enter at a time in order to be confronted by this larger than life incarnation of myself.�
104
105
While the original piece focused on telling the story through process, photos, and a possible book, the concept evolved to include an animation that told the narrative of this Mattman character. The installation concept kept the idea of a large scale installation that involved the audience in the experience. This exhibition concept showcased some of the iconography that I created during this exploration of self evolution.The “falling matt� icon became a reoccuring symbol throughout the journey and was a prominant part of the final piece. This schematic also included the lightbox displays that became a signature element of the mattman initiative, In this iteration, the motion piece was to be projected high on the gallery wall, and some of my written words about this journey were to be placed on the wall below the projection.
106
107
Another icon that reoccurred throughout this journey was the simple flat illustration of me on my bicycle. I felt that it simply and accurately described my journey literally and metaphorically. I have never been involved with performance art before, but it seemed like a natural conclusion for Mattman’s journey. Therefore, I decided to bring both myself and my bicycle into the gallery. The narrative would still keep the large scale of the last mock-ups, by including a large size LCD monitor. The monitor would be attached to myself, as I simultaneously am travelling on the journey and carrying the journey.
48 in
70 in 108
52.125 in
33.25 in
30 in
40 in 109
110
111
The plan for my MFA exhibition has always been to create a multi-layered installation. Throughout my experience I have been building components, pieces of ideas that I find to be innovative. These ideas have developed over time, and will continue to evolve in the future. I consistently try to bridge art and design, the physical and digital, and to try to create something that is unique yet familiar, humorous yet disturbing, simple and graphic visually, but has impact that sticks with the viewer. During the last three years, one constant has been my journey to understand that I am both artist and designer. For my MFA exhibition, I wanted to create an installation that merged these two ideas and also showcased my individual style and diverse interests and skill sets. I used a variety of media including illustration, photography, sculpture, video, animation, and performance to showcase my journey. My goal has always been to break out of one method of thinking and unite multiple concepts to convey my message, that of my internal exploration and growth. The space was vital to the creation of this piece. Placement of the bicycle in relation to the wall added a sense of confinement to my journey. The size of the pedestal and the television helped create a sense of weight for the ideas carried with me along the way. The repeating image of my face symbolizes the always present innercritique observing and questioning everything I do. The performative aspect creates an opposition to the biking character in the animation. Both are facing opposite directions and in effect contribute to the frustration of traveling in place. 112
The animation that I created for the piece shows my journey, frustrations, humor, and growth. In it I am constantly moving, but always ending up where I started. Some reoccurring themes are the falling man, the deconstructing/analyzing of myself, and making fun of myself and pop culture. The idea of a mobile billboard system has been with me throughout the course of my thesis activities. The creation of this exhibition lead to the fulfillment of this idea, but with a new context and different meaning.
113
114
115
116
Mattman Installation Dimensions Variable 2013
117
Mattman Installation Dimensions Variable 2013
118
Still from Mattman’s Journey Dimensions Variable 2013
119
Mattman Installation Dimensions Variable 2013
Many Meditations 2012
120
Many Meditations 2012
121
122
“Where do we go from here?”
Thesis Conclusions
123
I do not believe in specialization. I feel that makes me strong. During the last three years I created sculptures, photographs, videos, installations, interactive works, documentaries, websites, blogs, podcasts, gifs, publications, posters, prints, sounds, and typefaces. My final MFA exhibition culminated in the creation of an animation and performance, two forms of media with which I had no prior experience. If I make work for myself, does that automatically make it art? If I make work for other people does it automatically make it design? Generalizations like these are not helpful for me. Art and design work for me. I can use them together simultaneously. I have come to understand that it is more important to establish goals, intent, and context of a creative work instead of confining one piece or one concept to a label of art or design.
My goal is to innovate: To make work that original, exciting, whimsical, and maybe slightly disturbing. I am passionate about exploring big concepts: Concepts that involve me as an individual, but also involve the audience and potentially political issues. Through this explorative journey, I learn more about myself, my interests, my strengths, and weaknesses. I am going to be bold and compare myself to Warhol. Like Warhol, I am an artist designer who specializes in ideas. This is my strength. I can develop innovative concepts and dive deeply into them to produce a variety of diverse works.
124
However, if this is my strength, I see the production aspect as my weakness. This is not to say that I do not produce, only that in my internal focus on process and growth, I sometimes miss opportunities to show a refined finished product. A final design. A final work of art.
But to me, a finalized design is never really final. It is simply one piece to be learned from, digested, and incorporated into future pieces. The journey never ends. Success to me is being able to reconcile these two aspects of my personality, two aspects of art and design: process and product. Success is the ability to showcase my journey of exploration as a final refined statement that is both innovative and influential.
125
Reference List
Carnick, Anna. 2013. Six Things: Sagmeister & Walsh. New York Times Magazine Online. http:// tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/six-things-sagmeister-walsh (accessed March 26, 2013) Hickey, Dave 2004. "The Importance of Remembering Andy." Pp. 47-76 in Robert Lehman Lectures in Contemporary Art, edited by Lynne Cooke and Karen Kelly with Bettina Funke. New York: Dia Art Foundation.
Okay Mountain Collective. Long Plays. http://okaymountain.com/projects/long-plays (accessed March 12, 2013) Sauceda, Jay. 2010. A Face with the Name: Underconsideration. Public School. http:// gotopublicschool.com/things/a-face-with-the-name-underconsideration (accessed April 30, 2013) Bierut, Michael. 2010. 5 Secrets From 86 Notebooks. 99u. http://vimeo.com/7252845 (accessed February 10, 2013) Victore, James. James Victore: In the particular lies the universal. How to do work that matters? Do Lectures. http://vimeo.com/59547007 (accessed November 1, 2012) Victore, James. Op-Ed: In The Particular Lies The Universal. 99u. http://99u.com/articles/7104/ op-ed-in-the-particular-lies-the-universal
Warhol, Andy. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. New York: Harcourt, 1975.
126
127