Color of Reality: Painting and Movement Artistry | Alexa Meade + Jon Boogz | TEDxHollywood
The speaker argues that immersive, painted environments can transform physical spaces, using the human body as a canvas to explore themes of light, shadow, and societal trauma. The collaboration with John Doe and the creation of the film *Color of Reality* exemplify this, aiming to inspire action against senseless violence by using movement artistry and painting. The piece suggests that art, more than words, has the power to unite humanity and heal the spirit. ## Speakers & Context - **Unnamed speaker/artist:** Studied political science; interned on the Hill in Washington D.C.; initially planned a political career but shifted to painting. - **John Doe:** Collaborator who uses his body as a canvas for painting. - **Alexa:** Collaborator with the speaker on the short film *Color of Reality*. ## Theses & Positions - Painting can create immersive, painted environments (360 degrees) that allow the illusion to hold up when walked into or photographed from any angle. - The speaker's art focuses on capturing the "essence of things," particularly through the manipulation of light and shadow, rather than copying the Old Masters. - Artistry/Movement Artistry is described as a "universal language" and a "tool to cleanse the spirit" that can break down social, economic, and geographic boundaries. - The purpose of the film *Color of Reality* is to heighten awareness around critical societal issues, specifically acts of violence rooted in judging others by skin color or sexual orientation. - Art has a way to speak to people in a way that words cannot. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Immersive 360 painted environment:** A painted space where the boundaries (walls, floor, shoes) are covered, creating an illusion that can be walked through. - **Mapping of light:** The process of painting light directly onto a friend's body, in addition to painting the shadows. - **J positions between 2D and 3D spaces:** The desired artistic space where the viewer is forced to look again at the image. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Artistic transition:** Shifted from planning a political job in D.C. to painting in his parents' basement. - **Painting process:** Involves applying paint rapidly (e.g., painting on a grapefruit through breaststrokes) and immediately capturing the result via photograph to maintain the illusion. - **Film narrative construction:** Combining movement artistry with Alexa’s 2D painting style to create a narrative compelling enough to inspire action. ## Named Entities - **Washington D.C.** — Location where the speaker grew up, interned, and planned to work post-graduation. - **John Doe** — Collaborator who uses his body as a canvas. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Paint:** Used to cover walls, floors, shoes, and the human body. - **Cameras:** Used to photograph the painted environments and capture the film *Color of Reality*. - **Short film *Color of Reality*** — Collaboration between the speaker, Alexa, and John Doe to address societal issues. - **Drone/BodyCam and dash cam video:** Referenced evidence used in the film to depict officer-involved shootings. ## References Cited - **The Old Masters:** Artistic style the speaker explicitly does *not* want to copy. - **Congressman King:** Mentioned in relation to an investigation into the "worst mass shooting now in American history." ## Counterarguments & Caveats - Friends kept trying to convince the speaker to get a "real job" in politics, misunderstanding the value of painting grapefruits. - The speaker acknowledges the challenge of conveying the emotion of these traumatic events visually and narratively. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Recommendation implied: Humanity must stop judging each other based on superficial characteristics (skin color, sexual orientation) to prevent senseless acts of violence. - The ultimate call is for the art itself—the shared, emotional experience—to be the catalyst for change. ## Implications & Consequences - The persistence of acts of violence is tied to the failure of humanity to "come together as a human race." - Art and movement possess the capacity to speak truth and unify people across divides where words fail. ## Verbatim Moments - *"there's a story in this picture it's actually alive and I'm not just talking about the vibrant blue color or the breast Strokes"* - *"I wanted to know what would it look like if I put black paint down on Shadows"* - *"I had no idea that was going to happen it totally caught me off guard"* - *"I would make my job hanging out in my parents basement learning how to paint"* - *"I was really interested in light Shadow space and just how to capture the essence of things"* - *"Congressman King the worst mass shooting now in American history"* - *"movement Artistry Is Not Just Dance it's a tool it's a universal language it's a tool to cleanse the spirit"*