Typical Ellis Student Art Installation

Ramita, Andrea and myself did several human art installations depicting the typical Ellis student in her natural environment (the junior lounge). Each individual posed for a scene- each portraying the 3 activities that Ellis students partake in- sleeping, working and eating. 

We then pose together on a couch to depict the 3 activities combined in one setting. 

The photos below are from an human art installation that took place on Walnut st. Pittsburgh PA. We decided to created this installation to raise awareness of the Syrian revolution and the ongoing violence. We decided to shroud bodies with white sheets like a typical Muslim burial. Because our installation was in the path of walking, it brought much attention. We passed out many fliers and started conversation. Overall, it was an interesting experience that brought more awareness to our community, even if minimal. This made us both reflect on Syria and the ways in which performance art can communicate.

The Stereotypical Bus Stop.

 Anything unusual about this picture? 

2 people sitting waiting for the bus stop, although so close to each other, neither make conversation,

 take a closer look.

on the left, she's reading nothing.

on the right, her phone is upside down.

purposely making an effort not to talk to each other?

The purpose of instillation was to demonstrate a bit of evolution that has occurred in to modern day bus-stop waits. We have to opportunity for personal interaction, the ability to learn something from another person but  nowadays we choose to occupy ourselves with phones and other technology instead of conversation despite the fact that personal interaction is right in front of us. Just something to think about...

I Am From...

One of the activities that we did was called "I Am From..." We each created poems for which every line started with the statement "I Am From". We then took certain lines from our poems and found spots on the Ellis campus that the line reminds us of. This could either be a favorite spot or simply one that evoked a memory. We toured around Ellis to find our favorite spots and recited our verses in those locations as our very first experience with performance art. Here is a compilation of some of the lines that we came up with...

I am from a picture—a miniscule depiction of our enormous world.

I am from a room full of mirrors

I am from a mud puddle—SPLASH!

I am from yesterday’s room temperature coffee and the news that keeps me awake at night

I am from the cupboard under the stairs

I am from wearing my dad’s shirts and ties with mascara and stilettos

I am from 15 minutes ago, when I sat down to write this poem.

Installations In and Around the Gym

In our Arts and Identity mini course, we spent a lot of time exploring the Upper School gym and surrounding areas and discovering how we could play off of the gym's architecture, turning an ordinary space into art. 

This photo is interesting because it has both horizontal and vertical composition lines. The scarves stretch across the space and unite the three individuals who are all in vertical positions. The blue boxes draw attention, and help to create different levels in the piece. Each individual is showing a different emotion with their body positioning and use of props.

This installation was very impromptu. We were given 10 seconds to fill the space of the bleachers before the photographer would document it. It was very interesting how we all created a diagonal line with our bodies without a group effort. Each individual helps to create the diagonal line which draws the viewer's eye around the piece and forces them to take all of the image in. 

This photo was taken in the stained glass hallway. This was also a 10-second  installation. We all found creative ways to utilize the white boxes all through the hall. When a viewer walked through the installation, they saw each individual in greater detail and could see how each individual interpreted the space and utilized  the props found inside it.

This is a piece that Laila created using Andrea and Ramita as models, which I liked because of its symbolic value and the use of props. This performance piece could be interpreted in many different ways. The props helped turn a simple pose into a very memorable image.

This is a piece that Andrea created in which Laila and I each held one end of a scarf, which symbolizes the connections between people from different backgrounds.

This is a piece that I created using Andrea as a model. I asked Andrea to sit in a relaxed position in a chair, and then tied her to it with the scarf without her knowledge. From the front, the viewer could not see that Andrea was tied to the chair, which I did purposely to symbolize unseen or seemingly insignificant inhibitions.