Benin Hip Masks and Poncho's Disapproval

     I have spent most of my week researching this hip mask from Benin. It is a representation of Queen Idia. I have been researching it for a power point presentation that I will be doing about the assosciations that the people of Benin, Africa made between the Portuguese and the African Lung Fish.  Both had the ability to live on land and water and they also believed that they both had the ability to return from the dead.
     Although it has been interesting, I am looking forward to having time to paint and work in ceramics after this is over. This class is sucking up a lot of my studio time.

Poncho also gave me this look to let me know he did not approve of the attention that my textbooks were getting.

 This week I am going to film a video that will also be a representation of our perception of time. I am going to drive, ride my bike and walk down the same street. I will be filming this with my husband's Go Pro. I thought it would be funny to re-purpose a camera made to catch high speed action to film an art project. The three videos I will film will be displayed next to each other vertically.

     I have decided to film it on the end of Frankfort Avenue. It is quiet and has quite few interesting focal points. A giant sign for the impound lot, a rock/gravel distribution place, a faded billboard for the future site of a botanical garden, rail road track, overpass, boat showroom, a new building for condos (that now blocks the view of the river) and  this giant facade that is in the middle of the road. I think it will also serve as a reference to time. I just need to wake up early enough one morning when there aren't many cars on the road so that I can walk down it. 

     My stack of ceramic pieces is getting larger. I am going to continue to make these throughout the semester. I excited about where they are going and that the idea seems to grow and change every week. I want to have about 200 of these forms. I hope to get them more varied in size and shape.

     Instead of hoping that I will mess up and they will fall while I am building them, I think that I am going to try not to let them fall until I can knock them over. I might use a wrecking ball made out of ceramics to do this with. I'm still thinking about that though.