So we had a lunch lecture a week or so ago with George Ferrandi... oh, and did I mention that this was a FEMALE George? Yeah, that's right. Never heard of that before. Well, I stepped into the blackbox a few minutes into the lecture with no idea of what was going on. Ms. Ferrandi happened to be showing us pictures on Facebook at that moment. She was telling us about a project she'd done where she staged a reenactment of a picture she'd seen and liked - if I had my sketchbook here with me right now, I could explain it in more context.
It seemed like giving a traditional lecture wasn't her thing, which was definitely cool, so instead of waiting for the life lessons to ensue, I pulled out my sketchbook and just took down what she was saying. The longer I was there, the more interested I became. It wasn't so much her artwork itself that I liked, but the ideas behind it.
In of the projects she showed us, she'd had a friend take pictures of her with a stranger on the subway: one of Ms. Ferrandi just sitting there next to the person, and one showing the stranger's reaction to Ms. Ferrandi slumping against his/her shoulder. Some of these before/after pairs were quite funny.
Another project she showed us was a series of miscellaneous pieces which represented various people's responses to the question, "What do you want?" She had posted some version of this question online, and for every individual who responded, she had taken the time to create something that addressed the problem and had then sent it to its recipient.
I found Ms. Ferrandi's work pleasing not only because it was unique and innovative, but also because it was thoughtful and personal. Her art was meaningful in a lot of ways, and it addressed multiple aspects of human interaction which I would say most art does not.
It seemed like giving a traditional lecture wasn't her thing, which was definitely cool, so instead of waiting for the life lessons to ensue, I pulled out my sketchbook and just took down what she was saying. The longer I was there, the more interested I became. It wasn't so much her artwork itself that I liked, but the ideas behind it.
In of the projects she showed us, she'd had a friend take pictures of her with a stranger on the subway: one of Ms. Ferrandi just sitting there next to the person, and one showing the stranger's reaction to Ms. Ferrandi slumping against his/her shoulder. Some of these before/after pairs were quite funny.
Another project she showed us was a series of miscellaneous pieces which represented various people's responses to the question, "What do you want?" She had posted some version of this question online, and for every individual who responded, she had taken the time to create something that addressed the problem and had then sent it to its recipient.
I found Ms. Ferrandi's work pleasing not only because it was unique and innovative, but also because it was thoughtful and personal. Her art was meaningful in a lot of ways, and it addressed multiple aspects of human interaction which I would say most art does not.