This is the first of my two big projects for mixed media. It’s an altered book that I think I posted about earlier in the blog. I’ve made a bit of headway on it… even though I’m quickly running out of steam. I’m going to use this entry to prepare myself for our critique on Tuesday… so bear with me. I’m open to any thoughts or ideas or (constructive!) criticism you may have!

To preface - the intent of the book (for everyone) is to create a semi-personal kinda journal of your trip. It isn’t a scrapbook, and should tie into the art and historical stuff we see, but reflect our thoughts and feelings without being too Hobby Lobby. If it doesn’t make sense, it’s because nothing really does make sense here. I guess it’s better that we are told to make something with loose guidelines so that we are allowed to be as creative as possible.

This is my cover… not much to say about it. It’s unfinished? Maybe?

That’s a nasty pigeon feather I painted gold and glued to the front. That could be a statement in itself.

The first two pages mark my arrival in Rome. I made decals of my photocopied passport, the map of my neighborhood, postage from home, and my flight itinerary. Then I glued a picture of a fly on the page because I FLEW! Ha ha ha get it? I really just did that because everyone has an airplane pasted on their front page and I juuust wanted to be different! “Fly on the wall” came to my mind too - thats kinda how I felt the whole time I was traveling! It could also be a comment on what a nuisance Ryanair is. I’ll be using lyrics throughout my book to give a better idea about what the images are supposed to represent. I stay connected to my friends and my sanity through music, and the bands I listen to are so powerful and intelligent (that is supposed to be a compliment to them, not to me, haha) so it really only seemed fitting. Whenever I hear the music I’m listening to on this trip years from now I’m going to think about my summer in Rome.

Here’s my second page (with detail). The image is from the church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I think I was in a crummy mood anyway that day, but when I looked up and realized what was happening in the statue it made me SO MAD! It’s St. Ignatius stepping on “heresy.” …Heresy being represented by a woman. In both of the statues flanking the entrance. Seeing this marked the first time I was really riled up by something I saw, so clearly it had to go into my book. Ignatius is pointing to the bible, and in the bible I pasted the words (Jesus Christ - this part is “assumed” by me, I guess) “Load the guns of war.” I’m not interpreting it as literal war, but more so as the idea that the violent image portrayed of the woman being stomped on is a pardon for those who follow Christianity to treat women in such a way because the bible says it’s a-okay. The ideas of women being less than men are still perpetrated today by the religion and it’s just one of those things that gets under my skin.

Next page. I don’t have words yet. Naked Venus vs. sexy Venus in Gucci swimsuit with Chanel bag. I’m having a hard time articulating my idea. Consumerism, greed, superficiality, classism, sexism, etc. Basically, I think what I’m trying to get at is the idea that Italian women are held to an impossible standard of beauty and status. Not only are they expected to be thin as a rail, but also clothe themselves in really expensive clothes that reflect their social class, or the social class that they wish to belong to. I guess the role of advertising and the media comes into play here too. The traditional Venus is up against the Venus in the skimpy swimsuit, and in my opinion the barely-there swimsuit sexualizes her in a way that is somewhat degrading, opposed to the modest nudity she presents in the original.

This page features Velazquez’ Pope Innocent X. It’s another comment on wealth and social status and the papacy. Pope Innocent X was elected with the help of the VERY wealthy Pamphilj family (who are still in existence today). Getting a pope elected is a pretty notable feat for anyone, so when a family can lay claim to that it makes them even more powerful politically. And for the pope, without the wealthy family to support him there is little chance he will be given the job of pope. So, I just wanted to make a comment on that. This pope is also wearing designer robes to represent the modern ideas of status and how it is achieved, not through buying popes, but through buying items that will scream at passers-by that said items are unaffordable to most.

I have one more page started but it looks like garbage right now so maybe I’ll post it later! Thanks for reading my really long oh god a spider, brb. blog entry about boring stuff! This is college. I paste pictures in a book!