Final post - Karla Villar

WET CONTENTS

“WET CONTENTS” is the name I decided to use for my final project. Equally as my last project “Una Mariposa Estuvo Aqui”, I explored the question (and some families are going through now due to our political climate) “how we will know if somebody is not here with us anymore? What will happen if they vanish suddenly?”, focusing more on how this has been mostly seen on how Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been attacking immigrant families, taking people away without warning neither letting their lawyers and their families. For this artistic intervention, I decided to use the word “wet” to gives hints about the owner of the bag, as this term is used against undocumented immigrants. Additionally, I want to show how memories are linked to objects, especially from the perspective of somebody who probably isforced to go and start from zero with very little belongings. Showing their life before and after coming to the United States. 

According to Project Censored, around 800 of the 1,800 individuals detained at Alligator Alcatraz, one of the detention centers in Florida (now closed), are missing. There is no data on the system about them, and another 450 who only displays “Call ICE for details”. Lawyers and the families for these individuals had been trying to request this information without success. Lawyers have expressed that “Obtaining in-person legal visits is incredibly challenging, to the point of futility”, and that without notice their clients had been translated to other facilities before hours of their appointments. Showing a lack of responsibility that these centers have for the detainees, and this included the experiences of mistreatment and abuse against the detainees. 

ELEMENTS OF THE INTERVENTION

Here is where one of the elements from my intervention shows: The “WET ID” is an ID that shows the address of this detention center, however, the face and ID number are not visible, representing the erasingof the data or any information to identify the detainee. Additional information in the ID as “Occupation: Dead Weight”, referring to how immigrants are seen as useless and people who don’t benefit (United States) society, being weights for the government to take care of. And the nationality being just Latin America, refers on the generalization of Latin American immigrants due to ignorance and prejudice.

 

 Another of the elements of this intervention is the “WET INSURANCE”: the text elements on it describe how the insurance gives “amazing benefits” while listing what it covers, just to explain that it does not cover the services listed in. Additionally, at the bottom, calls you crazy by thinking if the insurance will cover emergency visits. This insurance card criticizes how many insurances, mainly in the United States, brag about their benefits while not being helpful at all, dictating what and how the care of a patient should go. 

As the last element I will describe in detail, is the modified “ITIN NUMBER”. An ITIN is an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). As its name says, is a tax processing number only available for non-residents and other individuals who cannot receive a Social Security Number (SSN). This element has in common also is how the identification number is scratched over it, making it unrecognizable. Under it, there is an added note stating: “We need you to stay wet. Keep us giving us money in exchange for nothing!”. According to Cato Institute, “In 2023 alone, immigrants paid $1.3 trillion in taxes while receiving $761 billion in benefits”. Due to the lack of an SSN, they barely receive the benefits that come from these governmental programs, even though they give a bigger percentage in taxes. 

To summarize the other elements in the bag, those are mostly personal elements who have over them evidence markers which instead of saying numbers, they say the title of a memory and in the other side is a short paragraph talking about the memory and why each element is important to them. Showing how even the simplest objects can have emotional value and connection. 

 

CLOSE UP OF THE INTERVENTION SHOWING THE REST OF ITS ELEMENTS.

INSPIRATIONS

✧ Frida Kahlo: Through all her artistic career she used all her tragedies and disadvantages to create art. Using what hurt her as her fuel for her artistic career. 

Frida Kahlo photo took by Imogen Cunningham

Henry Ford Hospital by Frida Kahlo.

✧ Atribiliarios by Doris Salcedo: Honors the memory of the lives lost due to crime in Latin America and the trauma it drags with it. Using the shoes of victims who “disappeared" during the internal conflict between paramilitary and guerilla forces in the 1980s, displaying them into a cavity in the gallery wall that is then covered with stretched cow bladder. Showing the absence of the owners of the shows and preserving the memory of them through the object they used. Similarly, how many families, after the death of a family member, especially young individuals, don’t touch their rooms until years after or never. 

✧The Artifact Piece by James Luna: James Luna works discuss how Native American image is sexualized and objectified, this last one seen more on museum. In this one, he used his body and personal elements as the artwork and displayed them as a museum exhibition.  

✧ Bermuda Rectangle (Russian Women's Bags from the Inside) by Sergei Stroitelev: For the display of the objects in the intervention, I was inspirated by Bermuda Rectangle. The display on the daily and/or important object for somebody to carry on.

✧ Evidence Markers and “Unsolved Case Files”: Inspired by how evidence is marked and detailed in police investigations and, as a person who consumes true crime, Unsolved Case Files was one of my principal non-artistic inspirations. In this board game, the goal is to solve a case with the given clues and create your own conclusions through the investigation. 

Final presentation

RESOURCES:

https://www.projectcensored.org/detainees-missing-ice-alligator-alcatraz/

https://www.cato.org/blog/immigrants-pay-more-taxes-average-person

Final Blog Post_Komal Das

 “Finish This Story”

Finish This Story: A Collaborative Comic Intervention

My final performance intervention, Finish This Story, explores the idea of shared creativity as a form of utopia. In a world where stories are often controlled and completed by a single author, my project imagines a space where anyone can contribute, interpret, and reshape a narrative. My goal was to challenge the traditional idea of authorship and invite others to become active participants in the creative process.

For this project, I created a series of incomplete comic pages. These pages included missing panels and blank speech bubbles, intentionally leaving the story unfinished. Instead of completing the comic myself, I invited others to do so. I first tested this idea with my roommates, asking them to sit together and complete the comic in any way they wanted- whether funny, emotional, dark, or abstract. This small group interaction became the foundation of my intervention.

The results were surprisingly diverse. Each person interpreted the same visual starting point in a completely different way. Some turned the story into humor, while others created more serious or even unsettling narratives. This experiment highlighted how meaning is not fixed, but rather shaped by individual perspectives. It also reinforced the idea that storytelling can be a collective act rather than a singular one.

As part of expanding this intervention to a larger audience, I am distributing additional copies of the incomplete comic to my classmates during my presentation. This transforms the project from a private activity into a live, participatory performance. Instead of simply viewing my work, the audience becomes directly involved in completing it. This aligns with the idea that performance art is not just about observation, but about interaction and engagement.

My project is inspired by artists who challenge traditional boundaries between creator and audience. For example, Marina Abramović emphasizes the presence and participation of the audience in her work, often making them an essential part of the experience. Similarly, Yoko Ono invites viewers to complete her pieces through instructions, turning the act of participation into the artwork itself. Street artist Banksy also influenced my approach by placing art in public spaces and making it accessible to a wider audience. Additionally, the collaborative nature of comic culture and zine-making communities inspired the idea of shared storytelling and open authorship.

This project connects to key ideas from our class readings, particularly the concept that art can function as a form of social engagement and activism. One important idea discussed in class is that “the audience is not passive, but an active participant in meaning-making.” My project directly applies this by giving the audience control over how the story develops. Another idea is that “art can create spaces for alternative ways of thinking and imagining the world.” In this case, my intervention creates a small but meaningful example of a utopian system where creativity is shared and inclusive.

In terms of my professional goals, this project is especially relevant to my interest in graphic design. As a future designer, I want to create work that engages audiences rather than simply delivering information. This intervention reflects my desire to design experiences that are interactive, meaningful, and accessible. It also demonstrates my ability to think conceptually and apply design in a performative and social context.

Overall, Finish This Story represents my vision of a creative utopia - one where everyone has the freedom to contribute, interpret, and express themselves. By removing the idea of a single “correct” version of a story, the project opens up space for multiple voices and perspectives. In doing so, it transforms storytelling into a shared and evolving experience.

Presentation Link

Final Intervention

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Pg2wjcbdrrlP14AAX0WQyjFJrcIIaMZhOLwe-n5UIPk/edit?usp=sharing

Final Intervention post -Eric U.

Project Summary: "One More Day"

My performance piece is titled “One More Day,” a comic that focuses on men’s mental health and how it can be overcome. It follows a character as he struggles with internal pressure, emotional isolation, and the expectation to appear strong at all times. Through a series of moments, the comic shows how these feelings build up, but also highlights small steps toward healing, such as reflecting, self-motivation and choosing to keep going despite the major pressures put on. The title represents the idea of taking life one day at a time, emphasizing that progress doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to continue.

When coming up with my performance piece, one of the main ideas that inspired me was a quote from The Art of Activism, “Many activists and artists operate under this premise, that the biggest problem we face is that most people don’t understand The Problem. And, since most people don’t understand what’s wrong, it is our job to tell them or to show them.” This quote was a foundation that helped shape my project as I wanted to showcase how art can be used as a way to communicate issues that are often ignored or misunderstood. In this instance I wanted to focus my message on men’s mental health and how many people don’t realize how serious or common these struggles can be, while also displaying how this “depression” can be portrayed and felt. 

Unfortunately, I did not have much of an audience as I work full time, the few people I did show were my friends and a couple of coworkers. Originally, when viewing the first draft titled “Reflection,” the overall feedback was positive. People liked that the idea felt personal and meaningful. They also suggested focusing more specifically on men’s mental health, since it is something relatable for many people and can help spread awareness. They liked the idea of the comic taking place in a bathroom mirror, since it represents a private and personal space where someone is alone with their thoughts. When designing the character, I chose not to base it on any recognizable figure or famous person. Instead, I used one of my older projects as inspiration for the silhouette figure in the comic. Its jagged, uneven edges represent how mentally overwhelmed and disconnected the character feels, symbolizing the chaos and messiness of his inner state.

I chose to create a comic because I wanted a form that is expressive and relatable. My goal was for the audience to connect with the character and understand their emotions on a deeper level. Comics can also serve as a way to improve mental health by offering an escape from reality and providing a moment of peace. They are powerful for inspiring and motivating people while also sharing positive messages across different age groups. This is part of the reason why iconic comics like Spider-Man and Superman are so widely admired and continue to resonate with audiences, as they often reflect real human struggles and growth in an engaging visual form. Music was also another source of inspiration for creating my comic, as its rhythm, tone, and impactful lyrics helped shape the early drafts of my ideas. Artists like Kendrick Lamar influenced me because songs such as “PRIDE.”, “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” and “Count Me Out” explore inner dialogue, struggle, and mental health in a very honest and emotional way. At the same time, performance artists like Shaun Leonardo and his work Self Portrait (2010) also resonated with me, as he uses the physical body to represent struggle, tension, and violence. Together, these influences helped me think more deeply about how to visually and emotionally express internal conflict in my own comic. 

In conclusion, I believe my performative piece was somewhat successful. It allowed me to express important ideas about men’s mental health in a creative and personal way while also connecting with influences from music, performance art, and comics. Although there are areas I could continue to improve and develop further such as extend the comic further and add more dialogue as well as add more detail and composition. I do feel that the piece effectively communicates its main message and encourages awareness and reflection.

Quotes Inspiration:

• “Many activists and artists operate under this premise: that the biggest problem we face is that most people don’t understand The Problem. And, since most people don’t understand what’s wrong, it is our job to tell them or to show them.” - The Art of Activism

• “I was offering a spectacle of violence and that identity of hyper-masculinity and aggression that is so often anticipated from a black body, and this notion that, as a black and brown body we move through the world and serve as a mirror for white peoples' projections.” - Shaun Leonardo

• “By being able to really exist in your own body and understand that you do not need to be defined by an experience in this case, arrest and incarceration it allows you to move forward with a little more sense of joy.” - Shaun Leonardo

• "Am I worth it? Did I put enough work in? Promise that you will sing about me" - Kendrick Lamar

Artist Inspiration

• Kendrick Lamar - “Sing about me”, “Pride”, “Count Me Out”

• Shaun Leonardo- Self Portrait (2010)

• The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #34 

• My Hero Acidemia

• Silhouette man- Joji

Sources

1. Why Do So Many Men Experience Loneliness? | Charlie Health 

2. Depression Doesn’t Always Look Like Sadness: Men's Mental Health 

3. Male depression: Understanding the issues - Mayo Clinic 

4. Improve Your Mental Health with Positive Affirmations | University of Utah Health 

5. Reading Comics Supports Mental Health

 Final intervention presentation: https://canva.link/eexnd2rxlhdhuzt