Dias de los Muertos
Dias de los Muertos is a holiday (holidays) commemorating the lives of people who have passed away. This holiday is celebrated in parts of Mexico, the United States, and other parts of the world. It is not a somber day, but one to celebrate the lives of people we loved.
There is a lot of folk art associated with the holiday, such as papel picado, calaveras, and sugar skulls. These items might be placed on an ofrenda, or altar, that is arranged in a home or at a gravesite. The ofrenda also includes items like food and drink, along with candles and insence, and personal items and pictures of the person the altar is commemorating. We are going to use Photoshop to create a digital ofrenda, in honor of a person of your choosing. Here is the link to the video we watched in class. |
What is typically included in an ofrenda? What symbolic meaning, if any, do those objects hold?
I believe this image was created by Instagram user "nekodoll91" and can be found here.
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Images for Demo:
Demo Video Links:
Part One: New document through flower and vase.
Part Two: Pan and basket through picture frame.
Part Three: Table cloth.
Part One: New document through flower and vase.
Part Two: Pan and basket through picture frame.
Part Three: Table cloth.
Day of the Dead requirements:
You can commemorate a deceased loved one, a famous person, or a group of people, like the civillians who died in Syria. Must include traditional ofrenda objects- food, drink, marigolds, pan de muerto, sugar skulls, papel picado, candles, etc. Must include one vase and flower you make yourself. Must include one object in another object you make yourself (like the pan in the basket). Must have clean cuts. Must have a painted background if the ofrenda is on a table (versus on the street). Must include a table cloth or some kind of draped fabric. Must include a picture of the deceased, inside a picture frame. Must be representative of the person(people) you are commemorating- favorite foods, drinks, etc. Must be original- no copying, pasting from existing ofrendas! Fill the space! Pay attention to composition. Do you have large, empty spaces? Can you hang things from the ceiling or on the walls? Should you be in landscape or portrait orientation? (Must be US Paper size though). Pay attention to scale. Overlap objects to give the illusion of space. Must include at least 10 objects. Helpful links: www.ikea.com good for objects on white backgrounds |
Digital Ofrenda Benchmarks:
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Post your ofrenda on weebly and answer the following questions:
- Who are you commemorating with your ofrenda?
- What objects did you include in your ofrenda that are traditionally associated with Dias de los Muertos?
- What objects did you include to represent the person you are commemorating?
Day of the Dead Alternative Assignments, due 10/31/17:
Still Life Self Portrait
You can make a "self portrait" in the style of a still life painting. Check out the link below: Still Life Self Portrait Read this article for a little information about what a "still life" painting is... https://hyperallergic.com/314015/study-of-500-years-of-still-lifes-confirms-weve-long-had-an-appetite-for-exotic-foods/ |
Day of the Dead Digital Photography Assignment
You will take pictures that are related to Dias de los Muertos. you can photograph people participating in DotD traditions, or construct an altar to photograph (look up tips for tips for still life photography), or ...whatever you might think of that involves Dias de los Muertos and digital photography! You will be expected to take a minimum of 15 pictures, but will only edit one for your second demonstration benchmarks. You will post on weebly:
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