Research on Doors of Oakland

Info on Doors of Oakland:

"Arts and Culture." OnlyinOakland.org. Oakland Business Improvement District. 3 Nov. 2008 .

Baron, Jennifer. "Development News." Pop City. 11 Oct. 2006. 3 Nov. 2008 .

"The Oakland Business Improvement District." OnlyinOakland.org. The Oakland Business Improvement District. 3 Nov. 2008 .
(event organizers)

Vellucci, Justin. "Art project opens door to renewal in Oakland." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 12 Oct. 2006.

Info on history of ornamental doors:

"Alfred Godwin (1850-1934), Philadelphia." Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2007. Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 3 Nov. 2008 .

"Ornamental Concrete." Ring Surf. 3 Nov. 2008 .

Production List:
get shots of each doorway and the plaques next to them.
print press releases
revise script
purchase microphone
set up interviews
record interviews with store owners/artists/program organizers
pictures of each

List of Interviewees:
Oakland Business Improvement District Executive Director: Georgia Petropoulos
(OBID)
235 Atwood St
(412) 683 6243

Community Design Center of Pittsburgh: Tara Merenda
(CDC)
939 Penn Ave, 6th floor
(412) 391 4144

Owner of Heiber's Pharmacy: Joseph Bettinger
(Heiber's Pharmacy)
3500 5th Ave
(412) 681-6402

District manager of American Apparel: Michael Woodfill
(American Apparel)
3805 Forbes Ave.
(412) 621-2525

Number for Szechuan Express-(412) 687-8000
Number for Natural Choice-(412-681-7746)

Stores Affected:
Hieber's Pharmacy, American Apparel clothing store, Szechuan Express and Natural Choice salon.

Background Info:
History of ornamental doors-meanings of door decorations-churches, cathedrals, etc
Interview store owners (how has it affected business?) artists (what inspired designs?) program organizers

Jameson on Postmodernism

In Fredrick Jameson's essay, Postmodernism, Or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, he lays out the differences in culture between the modern and postmodern periods. He is concerned with the cultural expressions and aesthetics associated with the different movements. In order to provide support for his arguement, Jameson draws evidence from the fields of architecture and art.
Jameson feels that postmodernism is concerned with all surface and has no substance. He says that what follows modernism, which is postmodernism, "becomes empirical, chaotic, and heterogeneous" (1). Jameson characterizes the pieces of postmodernism as lacking of depth and that the products of the era have a more free-floating and impersonal feel to them.
When it comes to describing Vincent Van Gogh's Peasant Shoes, Jameson interprets the piece as a mix of the Earth and the World and the "meaning-endowment of history and of the social" (59). The boots represent the literal hard work but also represent the life of the owner of the boots. The piece signifies the society in which the owner lived and even holds the history of the worker and her family and lifestyle.
In Andy Warhol's postmodernist piece, Diamond Dust Shoes, however, Jameson has a much different view. He feels that the piece is more representative of a fad than a meaning and is void of rich social context. Unlike Van Gogh's work, Jameson believes that the shoes used in DDS are a "random collection of dead objects, hanging together on the canvas like so many turpips". He feels that the shoes lack an "earlier life-world as the piles of shoes left over from Auschwitz" (60). Jameson see's all postmodern work like this; void of history and unable to create emotion unlike the high modernism that was once produced.

Diamond Dust Shoes and A Pair of Boots

Andy Warhol's Diamond Dust Shoes is an acrylic silkscreen creation that incorporates ink and "diamond dust" on linen. Where the silk screen image is dark, Warhol covered those places with his diamond dust. Instead of murky shadows, a glittery substance takes its place. Brush strokes are nearly nonexistent in the piece. It lacks depth perception and appears flat to the viewer. The piece gives off a slightly "sloppy" feel; the peach color runs into the blue, the teal runs into the brown, and the edges are not crisp. Overall, however, one is overwhelmed by the materialistic "sparkle" of the piece and the sloppiness is easily ignored.
Vincent Van Gogh's, A Pair of Boots, contrasts quite a bit with DDS. Instead of glamorous high heal shoes, Van Gogh depicts a worn pair of workman's boots. Van Gogh's brushstrokes are highly visable and styalized in the piece and the colors are more mixed than pure. There is less of a blantant contrast between the colors as there is in DDS.
There is also a contrast between the themes of the two pieces. The workman's boots are evidence of the hard work of their owner. The viewer can see how worn down the boots are because the tongue of one boot is broken and the leather appears stretched. Also, the metal studes display the impression of hard work and harsh living conditions. One gets a meloncholy feeling while viewing this piece and the emotion of desolation is evident. In Warhol's, Diamond Dust Shoes, however, glamour and materialism stands out. It is a testament to the Pop Culture phenomenon and the the popularity of mass production. The commercialism of the shoes portrays Warhol's love of consumerism. Warhol's piece also is more abstract and dream-like than Van Gogh's realistic piece.
Both A Pair of Boots and Diamond Dust Shoes are reflective of the time period they were produced in. Van Gogh created his piece admist depression and poverty while Warhol's piece reflects the mass consumer culture of the 60's and 70's.

Methodology/ Interpretation: Eco & Shrigley 3

Eco & Shrigley

In Umberto Eco’s, Travels in Hyperreality, he uses hyperreality to explain the logical point of view for humans. To Eco, art has double meanings, which means that one can only see what is on the surface. Shrigley incorporates this idea into his own work. He attempts to make pieces that allow both the irrational and obvious to be a part of his work. The obvious is the work itself, the illogical comes from the interpretation of the work, or according to Barthes, the “Text”. In Shrigley’s, You Don’t Know Who I Am, the obvious message is that of the letters on the paper, “You do not know who I am, you do not know what I want.” The viewer merely must read the paper to get the basic idea of what the piece is about. However, the unfounded, interpreted message can be different to each viewer, but regardless is more profound than the obvious message.
Shrigley's ability to replicate objects and ideas is also important to note. Although this reproductions are similar in nature, the essence of them is ironic and meaningful. Shrigley makes copies but adds his own style to each one. An uneducated viewer may not be able to distinguish between what is just a replication and what is Shrigley's own touch. Eco covered this when he talked about the Flagler house. He describes the home as a perfect reproduction and almost hard to decipher between the fake and the original. However, Eco also adds that while the "naive visitor" may have an illusion of absolute reality, those who choose to "decipher the panels and the flattening of real against fake and the old on the modern" will see the difference (10).

Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality: Essays. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1986. 4-7.

back to Methodology/Interpretation Project homepage

Methodology/ Interpretation: Benjamin & Shrigley 2

Benjamin & Shrigley

Benjamin looks at the levels of meaning in a work similarly to Barthes. He uses the analogies of painter and cameraman to portray his idea. Benjamin feels that the painter must maintain a distance between him and reality in order to see the “total picture”. The cameraman, however, is able to see reality directly and therefore must collage multiple fragments. While the painter must interpret his idea of reality, the cameraman is shown reality head on (XI, Benjamin). In David Shrigley’s piece, I’m Dead, the literal message is clear. One only has to look at the piece to see that it features a dead cat holding a sign that reads, “I’m Dead”. The literal view is that of the “cameraman”, or one who sees the reality of the piece directly. As Barthes said, the work as a whole shows only the literal message, not the deeper, indirect message. One must look deeper, or as a “painter” to see this message. By interpreting the work, the viewer can see the whole picture or the overall idea. The topics Shrigley in his occasionally cynical and darkly humorous pieces range from music, art, politics, religion, and life. If the viewer is able to read past the obvious work, they can see that Shrigley reveals his own identity and his views on the world.

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." 18 Sept. 2008.

back to Methodology/Interpretation project homepage

Andy Warhol Museum Visit

Going to the Warhol museum was something I had been looking forward to doing for a long time. I find his style of work, "Pop Art", to be intriguing because of the way it commercialized every day products. Having learned a bit about Warhol in my Contemporary Art class, I thought I would be prepared for what I would see at the museum. Instead I was completely blown away by the larger than life pieces that defined the phrase, "mass production".

Five pieces in particular interested me:

1.) Silver Clouds: This piece consists of a room filled with silver helium balloons that move with the air currents. This dynamic installation creates a blissful environment that is full of movement. What is so different about this piece is that it is capable of interaction with the viewer. Not only can the balloons explore the space of the room freely but they are able to be touched by the viewer.

2.) Flowers: This series of different sized and colored flowers was featured throughout the museum. The one thing each piece shared in common was four large hibiscus flowers on top of what appears to be a background of grass. Each piece had a different color scheme that featured varying solid colored flowers. This piece appealed to me because of its design aspect and its ability to be easy replicated and mass produced.

3.) Typewriter: This piece, that features an ordinary typewriter, interested me because of its simplicity. The work appears to be unfinished; half of the typewriter is painted on the canvas while the rest is only sketched in pencil. This creative approach to answering the question, "What makes something art?" is highly appealing to anyone who has pondered this question before. I myself often ask myself why something is seen as more artistic than others and Andy Warhol attempts to answer this question. He does this by pushing the boundaries between everyday object and work of art.

4.) Frog: One of my favorite pieces, Frog features a contoured line drawn frog with this outline done in white and its body colored red, yellow, and green. The bright colors of the frog contrasted with the dark background and made the frog stand out as a focal point. The messy lines and the fact that the colors were not kept in the lines gave the piece a childlike quality.

5.) Moon Explorer: Created as part of a children's exhibit, this piece features a robot looking creature drawn with childlike ease and the words "moon explorer" on either side. The complimentary colors used in this piece interested me and I felt that they really helped make the piece appear to have a 3D aspect. The childlike lines of the robot and the lettering made me reminiscent of my own childhood.

Methodology/ Interpretation: Barthes & Shrigley 1

Barthes & Shrigley

In Barthes, From Work to Text, he describes two different levels of meaning between the text and the actual piece of work; literal and concealed. According to Barthes, text cannot be contained into one specific genre; it transcends literature. For example, when reading a work, despite the topic, one can analyze other things such as the creation of culture as an object of study. The text is the principles and the ideas behind the work while the work is concrete. The work can be seen as literal while the text can be interpreted (158). This idea of the work being artificial, while the text is more organic is portrayed in David Shrigley's work. Shrigley creates ironic works of art that force the viewer to search for a deeper message. Although his work may seem very literal and direct, it is only a window through which to view a deeper, more profound message. In Shrigley's work there exists an insight on the various aspects of culture and humanity.
As Barthes said, "the work-in the best of cases-is moderately symbolic; the Text is radically symbolic: a work conceived, perceived and received in its integrally symbolic nature is a text" (158-159). The text lacks closure; it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. When interpreting a work, the viewer must remember to use critical analysis and to process the work instead of just taking it by its appearence. The work may contain metaphors but the text itself conveys an idea through an overall metaphor (158). This notion is also displayed in David Shrigley's work. The viewer can interpret the messages hidden beneath his work however they like.
In From Work To Text Barthes explains because the author is the creator of the work, respect must be given. In order for the world to know of a work's existance, it must be tied to the author. The text, however,is not directly affliated with the author. It is an interweaving of ideas and a collection of thoughts and if the authors name appears in the text it is an a "guest" (161). T he author's work is open to interpretation and in the case of David Shrigley's work, though he may have an intended message; his work is open to the interpretation of the public.



Barthes, Roland. "From Work to Text." Image Music Text. 1977. 155-64.

back to Methodology/Interpretive Project homepage