Video Collage

In my video art piece I wanted to bring to light the less than respectful, chaotic behavior that has become a social norm and even praised as a result of what is seen on reality television. People go on these shows act like complete fools and are getting paid millions. When did this happen? Although these shows can be entertaining I still think that the idea that I have gone to college and am working extremely hard to make a life for myself but I will probably never be as wealthy as these people is nauseating. The actual execution of this project was pretty difficult for me. I had never used Imovie before... and I couldn't even figure out how to download the movie in the right format at first. However, I did figure things out in the end and I think my project went pretty well. :)

Video Art Piece

Unfortunately I still can't get the video to load onto my computer but my video art piece featured three people that were dressed and posed as mannequins in the middle of Nordstrom. Because filming in the mall is not allowed (news to me) completing this project was extremely difficult. We began in the mac store where I positioned each person with one of the mac products. The position hinted to that persons dependency on the technology, however we were unable to capture this on film before being kicked out of the store. This getting kicked out trend continued in Bose, Forever 21, Wet Seal and Guess until we were finally able to set up a successful demonstration in Nordstrom. We quickly dressed each person according to the theme of the mannequins in that department and had them pose while customers carried on throughout their day. Some people walked by without out noticing at all, but others reacting by laughing, being startled and attempting to interact with the live mannequins. This having been my first video art piece I have to say the reactions and interaction are the absolute best part and I definitely understand why performance artists do what they do.

Xerox Project

For my xerox project I knew I definitely wanted to use an object instead of a flat surface. I had a few different things I was thinking of trying but I went to the thrift store with an open mind. I came across this stereo and I loved the idea of being to put things in the tape deck and the cd player, it made the piece more interactive. I went to Kinko's and literally copied every body part I could think of (that was legal) and went home with a stack of copies with no idea of how I was going to execute this project. As I began cutting and placing different things around the object the idea of giving the stereo a face and other body parts came to me. I think thats one of the reasons why I liked this project so much, I didn't have a plan it just came as I worked. The final product turned out to be the stereo monster, who my roomates and I have name Sheila the sound Sheeba, that I thought took on quite an interesting and quirky form. I love that some of the body parts have become abstract because of the repetition and others, such as the eyes and mouth, are used for their proper function. But with a closer look you can see that everything used is a in fact a body part. 

Paul Allen reveals Microsoft's strategy in his memoir

Co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen has recently released a memoir claiming that Bill Gates was "unimpressed" with his rival Google and the Allen repeatedly asked how they would be able to catch up to the company in their research. Allen also claims that thier strategy was to examine and copy their rival and claim the ideas as their own. Personally I think that these computer moguls fight like middle school girls. All of it is hearsay and they are constantly talking about one another and stabbing eachother in the back. I almost feel bad for saying this but I'm so tired of hearing about it that I don't know if I care anymore because honestly how do you know who to believe? What makes one perons word more credible than the others? nothing. All I care about is which product works most efficiently for my lifestyle and personally I'm going to leave it at that.

Nothing new under the sun=thousands of remakes

Teen Repellent

Crime fighting 'Mosquito'

Screeching 'Mosquito' used to drive away teens

Orlan

First of all, this woman is literally Lady Gaga.. or Lady Gaga is Orlan aside from their art I think they actually look alike, so bizarre. I honestly dont think there is anything this woman could do to shock me because shes pretty much done every crazy thing in the book but I did think her sculpture "Bump Load" was the most out there... or atleast I think it is the thing that is least like her other work.

A combination (in my eyes) of Shi Huangdi's terracotta army, a futuristic dragonball z character and part Orlan (the bumps in the face of course) I just think this piece is so out there. Even though non of her work is in anyway tradiational I would like to know where the inspiration for this piece came from. I would have to say out of everything I find this sculpture the most shocking of all of her collection because it is just so far off the beaten path from the type of things she normally does.

Grid Project

I really enjoyed this project, I thought it was a great way to help us better understand pixelation and how many elements go into conveying a single image. I was unsure of what to do at first and the project I came up with is literally the result of me wondering around Michaels for about an hour and a half. I probably picked up thirty different materials.... and then put them back before deciding on this. I think my idea turned out pretty well, I'm definitely happy with it. It was incredibly time consuming but I still had fun working on it.

Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beauys was a German artist born in May of 1921. His main focus' were sculpture and performance art. Beauys was considered under rated throughout his lifetime but now is seen to many as one of the most influentual artists of the 20th century. Much of Beauys work was influenced by a plane crash he was in during WWII. Beauys claims that after his plane went to a tartar tribesman rescued him from the wreckage and wrapped him in animal lard and felt to keep him alive. Many witnesses claim the story unfolded differently with Beauys being taken to a German military hospital but regardless, much of his work involved these two materials. Personally of what I have seen so far I am not a huge Joseph Beauys fan. For some reason I feel a sense of arrogance in his work and am having trouble personally relating to the pieces.

What is and isn't art?

Rotary Glass Plates by Marcel Duchamp 

When the question was asked "what makes something considered art?" I didn't really understand it until the film we watched on Man Ray in our last class. I always thought that uncurling a lampshade and calling it art was ridiculous but I see that in a new light now. The act of taking something useful and making it not, or taking something ugly and making it beautiful is actually quite significant. Its not that these artists have taken so much time to create the object but the have inspired others minds to view it differently, like it isn't something seen or used in everyday life. They were able to make viewers appreciate the brilliance or even the simplicity of an object that is otherwise overlooked. Interactive art is also something I had formally overlooked. I love the idea that the piece is not art without an audience. At the first glance of the photo of "Rotary Glass Plates" I was pretty unimpressed, but as I said before, after the last lecture we had in class I have an entirely new appreciation for it.

Revolutionary Computers

When I look at all the different types of computers, and all technology for that matter, over the years I always think of how the people who invented those things would react if they were able to see what we had today. If you were able to walk up to the inventors of ENIAC or Steve Jobs in the 80's and hand them a fully functioning IPad what would they do? I honestly don't think they would believe it. The technologies we are now used to in everyday life are so over the top but were so accustomed to it we don't even realize. The fact that we have gone from million dollar computers that take up entire buildings to something the size of a notebook that is a million times faster and of higher quality is amazing.

Flip Book

After completing a flip book for the first time I know have so many ideas and things I would have done differently. Although extremely tedious, I really like the project and now wish I could do so much more with it. I found the books that told stories, as opposed to just having random things float in and out (like mine), were so much more interesting to me. The three pages I chose from my own book consist of a flower gradually losing its petals. This was definitely my favorite part, when flipping through the book I think that this is the most beautiful part. I do wish I would have kept the color in the flower because it does make such a huge difference but I still feel that this sequence was my favorite.

Skeleblogging

Until the presentation of the Experimental Skeleblog I was almost completely oblivious to the underground art culture that is present in Tampa. I was happy to make this discovery because it is so easy to overlook the fact that there is depth to this extremely shallow city. The dreammachine concept is fantastic, I loved that it is something you can sense instead of seeing (because you're supposed to close your eyes). I also thought it was so awesome how the group uses run down and unused spaces around the city to create something beautiful out of, what would otherwise be, junk. I think thats honestly what I appreciated most about this group; they find a way to make use of things and present them in a new light and the fact that they are so passionate about other artists works and strive to honor those and keep them alive through re-creation. I thought the sand project was awesome, it was pretty much a scale model but to be able to walk around and observe something of that magnitude as if you were a giant is so great. I would really love to visit this groups next exhibit so I can really get a grasp on what they're all about.

http://www.experimentalskeleton.com/

Old TIme Radio

The entertainment brought to the listeners of radio was something that people at that time had never experienced before. Not only was it something new but it was something that everyone could afford, no longer was entertainment just for the wealthy. Radio personalities were able to ignite the imagination and minds of their listeners by the power of story telling, acting and sound effects. I find the idea of radio fascinating, unlike television the audience is able to create the details of the story in their mind as opposed to being presented the entire story including what the characters and settings look like as in television. I feel that radios power to spark imagination is such a great thing. The modern day addiction to television has literally turned people into mindless zombies who are constantly taking in information without having to use any brain power or imagination to process it.

Watson

It's incredible to think how far techonolgy has come over the past few decades. I dont necessarily believe that these advancements will ever come to the extent that they do in sci-fi movies but I do find it scary how increasily dependant we are on technology.The article mentions the fact that they are in the process of developing a machine based on the success of "Watson" that will act as a physicians assistant. Not only does that take more jobs away from people, it will effect what is taught in different curriculums. While machines may make things more efficient for humans, what would happen if they were to fail. People no longer teach their children how to read maps because we all have GPS. Are we no longer going to teach PA's how to do their job nut instead teach them how to work a computer to do it for them? While technology never cease's to amaze me and I think it can be very beneficial to our society, at the same time it concerns me that humans will no longer be self sufficient without technology (if it hasn't happened already) and this is just a step in the direction of worsening the problem.

The Original War of the Worlds

The original broadcast of "The War of the Worlds", or "Invasion from Mars" as it was originally called, was broadcast by radio the night before Halloween in 1938. However, there was an quite an odd reaction to this radio show; it sounds like a real news broadcast. People listening to the program thought that everything was real. They introduced the title of the show at the beginning but that was it. The program begins with a classical music band playing then all of the sudden a voice interrupts and gives a "special announcement" saying that scientists have recently seen strange explosions on mars, then the broadcast goes back to the music. The voice interrupts again saying there has been a strange object that has landed on a farm, the announcer sounds concerned and then his report turns into a full blown panic. The broadcasters announce that it is the duty of radio to inform the people of what is going on in the world. The broadcast is then handed over to the "military" or something along those lines who escalate the situation by announcing a full blown battle between the aliens and the military and that millions of people have been evacuating. People went in to a full blown panic over this story, and I can see why. The announcers sounded extremely convincing along with the special effects. If you hadn't listened to the beginning of the broadcast you would have had no idea that it was fiction and in my opinion even if you did here the beginning of the story it would still have been easily believable. Not until the end of the broadcast does Orson Wells announce that he was in character and that the entire story was fake and in honor of Halloween.

Abel Gance was a self educated filmmaker from France born in 1889. His biggest accomplishment was a six-part depiction of Napoleon telling the story of the rise of Napoleon I of France. Unfortunately only the first part was completed however, the significance of this film lies within Gance's film technique which was way before its time.
"The film was full of experimental techniques, combining rapid cutting, hand-held cameras, superimposition of images, and, most famously, his wide-screen sequences achieved, with a system he called Polyvision, by using triple cameras (and projectors) to create a spectacular panoramic effect, including a finale in which the outer two film panels were tinted blue and red, creating a widescreen image of a French flag."


Gance pioneered the use of widescreen and brought popularity to the idea of experimenting with hand held cameras. The film was originally a six hour segment but was later cut down in length. The story of Napoleon itself received mixed reviews from audiences around the world but it is undeniable that Gance founded some of the greatest advances in the history of filmmaking. 

What happened between the 50's and the 70's??

Over the course of about 20 years the content shown in film changed completely. Movies from the 1950's consisted of singing, dancing and love stories, what you could call "wholesome" entertainment. The main characters were clean and respectable people. The issue of drugs or sex were almost unheard of. The dilemmas that faced the characters in these movies although entertaining were mostly unrelated to everyday life. It was more of an escape from reality as opposed to addressing the true issues of society.  Film still remained seemingly oblivious to the troubles of peoples lives.

The 1970's were an entirely different story. The dirty laundry of America was finally being aired for the world to see. Sex, drugs, transvestites, homosexuality... you name it, there was most likely a movie about it somewhere. Filmmakers were no longer being polite. Women were also portrayed in an entirely different manner. They were wearing provocative clothing, doing drugs, having sex and basically doing everything that men could do, which in was unheard of in the 1950's. Basically society between the 50's and 70's became a little more crude and honest and hollywood mirrored this trend.

I loved this video, I've seen a few things similar to this before but this is definitely my favorite... I know were supposed to be finding animated videos but I couldn't not put this up. The swimming and dancing is so well done, it looks amazing. I think the way they used the pillows and different things to make scenery was such a good way to enhance her movements throughout the video.

I thought this video was a good depiction of how you can incorporate different objects into the animation instead of having everything flat on paper, and I love the song:)

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 & 2008

The initial resemblance between the two instances is that they both occurred in October but a closer examination reveals that the two crashes differ greatly.

After WWI the US economy experienced a major expansion due to new technology and improved production processes. People were encouraged to invest in the stock market by investors who were telling people how much money could be made. The crash of 1929 happened over the course of five days beginning on October 24 (known as black thursday). At the time the systems for tracking the market prices were unable to keep up with the trading volume and is believed to have contributed to panic selling that day. The market decreased nearly 90% in one week. Studies later proved that there were no inflation in prices prior to or after the crash, panic selling was the the culprit and brought the market to the ground.

The Crash of 2008 began on October 1 and at the end of 8 trading days the market dropped 22.11%. On October 13 would rebound sharply only to immediately drop again days later. Leading up to the crash of 2008 the sub-prime mortgage industry thrived giving people with poor credit access to loans they weren't qualified for which eventually lead to the credit market collapse. Following this defaults on mortgages started to increase which lead to the failure of many investment banks. The government chose to intervene with several banks and organizations. The amount of forclosure's greatly increased in order for banks to try to increase value on their loans. Unemployment rates also rose drastically. The economy has still not recovered at the present time.

The History of Jazz

I found the website Jazzstandards.com the most interesting of all the links I came across. The site gave a very detailed description of the era in which jazz music came to life. The site has a separate link for each decade and also lists books and songs from the decade including their year and ranking. I felt like I was able to get a good idea of how things in the jazz world came to be and how the music has evolved over time based off of the samples available in each link. I also liked how artists and composers were recognized for their contributions to the genre in the history of the site.

http://www.jazzstandards.com/history/history-2.htm

Madama Butterfly

I thought the visual depiction of the woman's emotions were very strong in the video. The video itself is around ten minutes long and in that short amount of time they are able to create an emotional bond between the viewer and the character which, to me, is the most important thing to accomplish. Without an emotional attachment to the character people are unable to relate to the story making it pretty insignificant. I loved that the umbilical cord was left attached to the mother and child. When the father takes the child from the mother, he rips it apart. He is completely unaffected by it, but the mother has had the life literally pulled out of her. I also thought that her physically taking herself apart was the perfect way to show how the loss of her love and her daughter had left her nothing to live for. Even though it starts off with a lighter mood about it, the literal approach taken helps to embody the depth of her anguish and overall was a very effective summary of story.

First Impressions

A little Introduction...
 I'm a junior at UT and I recently switched my major to Advertising and Public Relations. My family lives in Maryland but for the past few years I've been living in Hyde park with two fellow spartans. I'm hoping this course will help me to get a better idea of what career I would like to pursue after college and of course I hope to get a good grade:)

The first day of class was definitely an attention grabber. As of now I'm a little unsure of what to expect from this course but never the less I am very intrigued. Art courses at UT, although very challenging and time consuming, have been my favorite part of each semester and I'm hoping this class will be equally as enjoyable as the previous ones... but I guess I'll have to wait a few weeks to find out!