Video Art - Decontextualization

The Art of Prayer

Decontextualization = removed from its context; no context

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The purpose of this video is that as this semester ends I find myself reflecting back on my past four years of college and realizing that I truly had the most stressful time in my life during this last semester. Whether it was dealing with school work, my job, or a personal issue, I had several times where I just wanted to break down and give up. However, every time I looked for advice from my mother she would always say, "you just need to stop what you are doing and say a prayer, ask God for his help." I found myself constantly stopping in the middle of something or right when I felt like I wanted to give up, I would begin to pray and ask for help.  My prayers made sense because of what I was doing and what I was asking for. However, in this video one can see that each individual is praying, but it makes no sense what they are praying for... such as saying a bedtime prayer while making your bed instead of laying in it or saying a dinner prayer while sitting in an art gallery where food is not allowed.

I personally find prayer very important in my life, but certain prayers are only meant for certain times. The art of the words coming from one's mouth and speaking to God is beautiful, but what happens when there is no meaning to it when it doesn't belong?

As I am graduating and entering the "real world" of having to find a job and every thing that comes next, I know I will look to prayer more than I ever have. This is more of a personal and serious piece that is about asking God for help and letting him be the leader of my life. Therefore, I wanted to incorporate Him in my last piece of art as an undergrad, because it is a big part of who I am, an artist.

Performance Arts Video

For this assignment we were to create a performance art piece that incorporated technology. After putting a lot of thought into it and coming up with several ideas... it hit me one night while running on the track and seeing sprinklers watering the field.. that something as simple as a water sprinkler is technology. It didn't have to be using a computer, phone, iPod, camera, tv or something that most people would first think of. But rather, to be different and use something simple and actually very beautiful. I knew right at that moment that I wanted to do poses in the water and having it hit my body and drip off.

I was very pleased with this piece but after having my professor view it.. I think it would have been even better to be covered in mud and having the sprinklers cleaning it off. Just like the song - come clean. He also stated that it would have been neat to be holding a speaker in the water.. but I like the simplicity of what I did. However, I do understand him wanting to see more technology involved in this piece.