Response to Still Moving

It was interesting to see the art of Joseph Mougel and listen to his talk. I wasn't sure what the art concept would be until I went to the gallery. I thought that his idea of digging holes that are as tall as himself very interesting. I also liked when he took photos of the lake that he cleaned off over several weeks’ time. I think it would be very peaceful to be in solitude, just preparing something for a work of art, especially by putting all the frames together. I think it’s cool when someone with military background will incorporate concepts of it into their life when they come back home. His military photos of the people in white was both personal and impersonal. It was impersonal in the sense that they were all covered in a neutral color and you couldn’t identify them; they were just a number. However, their faces depicted each of their struggles in the war through their facial expressions and the looks in their eyes. I wondered what got Joseph Mougel into teaching after having such a seemingly successful art career so far. Maybe he wanted to pass on his wisdom and experiences. The art pieces in the gallery reminded me of those books where you flip through them backwards and the little moves and tells a story with each page being a slightly altered picture of the last. Still photography seems two-dimensional to me, whereas Still Moving was work that was both three-dimensional, and it came to life.