Picture Element 0.24

Where do we get ideas? To bring out those ideas that elicit the most creative thought, looking to those things that resonate with us the most is a prime source. And, more than likely those are the things that we see around us in our everyday lives, the things that bring us joy, or make us feel strong emotions. Very much like the Dadaists and their artistic response to the modern world (National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2006). Art as the Dadaists expressed is not an escape, but a way to make daily events visible (National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2006). For them, the here and now, certainly brought about new, creative ways to respond.
 
During this project, my thought process had me thinking about my career spent playing with pixels, and what this brought up for me was the implication of what we see vs what we don’t. Specifically, in this new age of social media and the vast network of snippets of information we encounter on a daily basis. This informed my artistic inquiry of needing to limit my pallet of colors, and using a set standard of tools to achieve a particular look. The interactive quality of the work was also informed by my thoughts of the invisible and the visible, and also by my background in an industry of interactive products; creating an inquiry into cause and effect.
 
Last year it seemed that every time I turned around the 1st through 5th graders were working hard at drawing Pokémon characters. But, I also remember a third grader talking to me during an art class about the presidential election results and her genuine fears about deportation, which was a topic being heavily featured in the media. These were the things students were recognizing, learning about, hearing, and seeing every day. Getting students to delve deeply into their response to this contemporary culture is a great and engaging starting point for a creative inquiry.