Nicole  Dent  Artist  Statement  

    I  interpreted  the  song  “Kandi”  by  One  eskimO’s  using  a  collage  visual  

aesthetic.  The  lyrics  are  easily  interpreted;  the  story  is  about  a  man  finding  about  a  

former  lover  of  his  current  girlfriend.  He  wonders  at  the  intimacy  of  their  

relationship,  and  where  he  was  when  it  was  happening.  The  unanswered  questions  

push  him  to  neurotic  behavior,  and  he  repeatedly  asks,  “What  did  he  say?”  and  

“What  did  he  do?”  The  song  is  preformed  overflowing  with  infectious  desire  for  

answers  matched  with  an  upbeat  rhythm,  making  it  my  obsession  of  this  past  

summer.  (It  was  so  overplayed  in  my  house,  I  found  my  mother  singing  it.)  I  tried  to  

abandon  the  idea  I  had  for  this  project,  finding  it  too  cutesy  to  stomach,  but  it  stuck  

in  my  head  and  I  couldn’t  make  myself  abandon  it.  I  adore  collage  aesthetics,  and  

saw  an  earnest,  naïve  penguin.  He  repeatedly  falls  into  relationships  where  he  is  

outdone  by  the  girl’s  past/current  boyfriend.  The  penguin  attempts  to  woo  the  girl  

by  chasing  after  her,  getting  a  job,  and  changing  his  look.  Poor  little  guy  can  never  

win,  though,  and  has  to  watch  as  the  girl(s)  he  wants  frolics  with  someone  else.    

  The  design  process  began  with  sketching  out  the  five  relationships  on  paper,  

planning  what  kind  of  pieces  I  would  make,  where  they  would  be  placed,  and  what  

angle  I  would  shoot  from.  Then  I  used  cardboard,  magazines,  tissue  paper,  tinsel,  

tin-­‐foil,  crepe  paper,  and  construction  paper  to  make  the  pieces  the  would  compose  

the  characters  and  settings.    In  the  process  of  setting  up  proper  lighting  and  

establishing  frustratingly  perfect  balance  at  my  sister’s  house,  my  fourteen-­‐year-­‐old  

cat  escaped  through  the  window.  I  utilized  a  low  lamp  to  create  a  heavy  shadow  on  

my  characters.  In  Photoshop,  I  cropped  two  of  the  photos  to  strengthen  the  rule  of  

thirds,  and  adjusted  the  brightness  and  contrast  of  the  photos.  I  also  added  a  slight  

glow  to  the  couples  to  make  them  that  more  happy  in  comparison  to  the  struggling  

penguin.  I  enjoyed  this  project  a  lot.  If  I  could  do  anything  differently,  I  would  give  

the  pictures  a  better  sense  of  setting  by  adding  more  background  elements  and  

pieces.  Also,  I  would  take  more  time  cleaning  up  the  edges  on  the  pieces  I  already  

have.  Thanks  for  the  opportunity!  

P.S.-­‐  The  cat  is  safely  back  in  the  house.

Lyrics  

 One  eskimO-­‐  Kandi  (M=Male            F=Female)    M:    But  I  heard  from  Jo  about  this  guy  And  I  want  to  know                    What  did  he  say?    F:      He  called  me  baby,  baby  all  night  long    M:    What  did  he  do?    F:      He  called  me  baby,  baby  all  night  long      M:    Why?  Why?  Why,  did  you  need  him?  Where  was  I?                  Just  how  close  to  you  is  he?                  Every  smile  you  gave  Every  touch  you  made  Every  word  you  said      Collage  Aesthetic  Example: