Introduction:
Hi! My name is Olivia Olena Cichon. I transferred from Sheridan College, where I studied Visual and Creative Arts for two years, and then came to Guelph after graduation to gain more experience in the arts. I chose the Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art program to continue my learning and skills.
Reflection Question:
“Why did you decide to take this program? What do you hope it helps you do or become”
When I hit grade 9, I had an art teacher who changed my perspective on my career choices; not only did she inspire me, but she also gave me the confidence to walk the path she walked. I went to Sheridan College to gain more experience in my art and then go into my bachelor’s. My hope is to one day enrol myself in teacher’s college and hope that one day I can inspire a student or two the way I was.
The Artist Is Present
Marina Abramovic
Reflection:
When watching the documentary, my emotions were spiraling from Disturbed to confused, then feeling sad. I didn’t see how sitting in a chair completely still for 3 months straight was art. Until I saw the bigger picture.
When she started on the first day, I didn’t understand, but as more and more days went on, I felt it. The piece wasn’t about her; it was about the people who sat in front of her. It was the eyes – the expression – the furrowed eyebrows – tension that many people don’t realize we hold in our faces.
From years of putting up an invisible wall, but what Marina was doing, in my perspective. She was breaking down people’s walls; you can see their rigid posture become slack and calm. Some let out tears; some were angry, etc. It was a beautiful piece, and I believe one of her most emotional ones.
What are some of your first impressions of Marina Abramovic’s performance works, based on the documentary? Use an image/example of one or two works to describe aspects you admire and aspects you might agree are problematic.
- The work that stuck with me most was Rhythm 0, the piece where she stood still for six hours and let the audience do whatever they wanted to her using 72 objects laid out on a table, including a rose, a feather, a scalpel, and a loaded gun. Watching people go from gentle (placing a flower in her hand) to genuinely cruel (cutting her clothes, cutting her skin) over the course of a single evening was one of the more disturbing things I’ve sat through. What I admire about it is how honest it is. She didn’t design an experiment to prove a comfortable point about human nature; she designed one that could go badly, and let it. That’s a kind of bravery I don’t think I fully appreciated before.
- The Artist is Present hits me differently quieter, less violent, but somehow just as intense. Three months of sitting in a chair, silently making eye contact with strangers, one at a time. What I love about it is that the “art” is almost nothing: a chair, a table, a gaze, and yet people wept. It made me think about how much of a performance art isn’t really about the performer doing something to an audience, but about what the audience brings into the space with them.
Assignment 1KM
Reflection/Idea:
It was hard to think of what to do for an assignment that gives so much freedom, especially when that freedom is 1KM. At first, I wanted to walk Stone Rd and map out what restaurants or stores I saw on my path, but when I walked the road, I learned that everywhere my eyes trailed, I saw bars all over the place. So I decided to draw a map and pinpoint all of the bars and count them as I went.
The 1KM stopped me at the Delta Hotel & Bar Mason on Stone Rd, which counted as the 8th bar I saw, and that’s only on Stone Rd.
It shows not only that there are so many bars on one street alone, but also that a street is significantly popular with University Students walking along that road almost every day. The bars promote drinking and getting under the influence. While studies are the main priorty its hard to get on track and lock in when your friends want to go out and drink, and it’s easily accessible.
| THE MATERIALS I USED |
- Paper
- Acrylic Markers
- Black pen/Pencil
Olivia Cichon, Stroll On Stone RD. 2026
I chose to do a physical drawing of a map because when I was in Sheridan College, not only did I do something quite similar, but I loved the assignment. I wanted to represent a similar medium, but instead of painting, I used acrylic marker.
From the map, you can see all the bars so close-knit together, to the point where I was even surprised by how many there really were. I have photos of all the bars I saw; most of them I didn’t take a photo of, but I did document them on my map.
| Beer Town Public House | Montana’s BBQ & Bar | Milestones Grill and Bar |
In Conclusion:
All of these companies sell alcohol, and yet, you can find a bar within a 20 feet radias. That’s (6 meters). While doing this walk, I found that my mind drifted off while I was strolling down the road; I saw many students on campus at night in party outfits (ON A SCHOOL NIGHT). I have no clue how they do it, and yet they do, and we can guarantee they’re either going to bars on Stone Rd or downtown Guelph.
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