My Portfolio website

www.timfolkins2.wix.com/myportfolio

Improbable Monument Final

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KUxiFeWjjO0dwWWKUk-PbJP8OkCdeIAwvoaRY6ugZEY/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

This Link connects to the Power point Presentation of my monument

Monument Project Ideas

After being assigned the last project I couldn't help but think of ideas that were interactive on campus. This may sound lame but I came up with an Idea of something like a wall, statue or a plaque where people would meet each other. It would have two separate hand prints where two separate people would place a hand on the prints and not move their hands until they know a little information about each other. I would put a booklet or notebook where they could put their names down next to each other and say that they officially met each other. This idea came from a couple of friends in class and we were conversing about them not knowing a lot of people on campus or not having any friends that could help them in any way. The idea to me would be best at the beginning of the year but who's knows, it could always work.

After talking to some other friends I came up with the Idea of a wall where everyone on campus could write on. The name of the idea was the "need to know wall", and the purpose for this wall would be leaving a message to the instructors, faculty, or advisors and what thy could do better. I know a lot of people would probably be ignorant and put derogatory things on there so thought about maybe a huge white board or something erasable.

Another idea I came up with was setting up a huge piece of drawing paper in an area, with markers pens, pencils and maybe paints and let people show their artistic skills and when it is filled up with drawings I will place it somewhere on campus to sow it off.

Another idea I came up with was abut the 9/11 memorial. I came up with an ideas of putting statues surrounding the each tower/ fountain, holding hands. This would represent the people who died or the people of America in general and show that we stand together.

My final idea is to put a garden shaped as the united states at the 9/11 memorial in New York. I would also have a small model of the twin towers that I've designed and put one in every state. Every time someone would show their condolences at one of the monuments in their state, a flower would grow at the garden in New York. Not just any flower but the flower of that state in which they showed their respect in towards the memorial. When the viewer holds hands, prays, puts flowers in front of the small monument or many other things they do to show respect a signal from the monument will be sent to the garden and under the garden is a machine in which pushes the seeds in the soil, planting the seed of that specific state. 

Exercise 5: Placemaking in Google Earth

A tribute to Courage, the 67-foot tall, white statue of Sam Houston, dubbed "Big Sam," towers over Texas Interstate-45. Billed as the “World’s Tallest Statue of an American Hero,” it was completed in 1994 with 30 tons of concrete and steel and then set atop a 10-foot high granite base. Big Sam’s location in Huntsville - as opposed to Houston’s namesake city an hour away - is due to the fact that the two-time president of the former Republic of Texas lived and died here, with his grave located in a nearby cemetery. He was an American politician and soldier, best known for his role in bringing Texas into the U.S. as a constituent state.

Info from: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sam-houston-statue , http://www.biography.com/people/sam-houston-9344806

Reading: Seeing the past in present tense

Before reading this article I knew that monuments were statues, buildings, or other structures that were made to show respect to a notable person, a certain era or event. After reading the article, I totally agree with  Levine when she says that they can reposition you in relation to what you already know because it changed how i looked at monuments. This article enlightened me on the significance of many monuments that society has forgotten about.  But at the same time it makes me think about all the monuments that has been destroyed or just aren't even around any more. Knowing all of this brings up the question "How long will or could a monument last not only physically but mentally and how much value it has through its length of its being?" Many people don't even know about certain monuments in their hometowns but its not because they don't care its because they weren't informed about it. Such as the monument in Harburg, many people's stores were right next to it but they had no knowledge that it was even there. I don't believe the past can be forgotten or lost if someone has the knowledge of it happening.

Project 3: Radical Cartography

For this project I chose to map out the route I take from home to campus for both my Mon/Wed and Tue/Thu schedule of classes. My monday and wednesday classes are represented by the red route with the black arrows and my Tuesday and Thursdays classes are represented by the blue route with white arrows. The routes show the places I go through on campus and the things that aren't present on the map which are the peoples names in the black boxes. They are the people I see on these two separate schedules at all of these places. 

Exercise 4: Logo Heist & Détournement