The Final Class

The final class of art and technology was filled with a variety of creation and ideas that were demonstrated through the final project, the video art. I found that at the end of the class I was inspired by my fellow students and what they had created. There were no similar videos and all were completely different in the way they were created. I think that for this last project, there was definitely a step up in the finished product. There were other projects before that you could tell who worked harder and who did their project last minute, however I really believe that everyone put a great deal of effort into the final. I don't think I can even pick a favorite (besides mine of course) because there was such a range of ideas. From passion, to political message to personal stories, everyone was different. Taking this class, I have definitely discovered that art can be anything. Its all about decontextualization and how you can recreate something that has already been done. Some of the ideas that my classmates have come up with have inspired me to think outside the box even more and create more. Before taking this class, I had no idea how to make a video, how to make music or even where or how half the technology that I own was created. I found a greater appreciation in technology by watching the documentaries and videos in class. It opened my eyes to what is out there and the possibilities of technology. There isn't anything that I didn't like about the class. It was a great opportunity to learn new things and open my eyes even more. The challenge to push myself beyond my expectations and own limits is what inspired me the most, especially with the projects. Thanks to Santiago and his art and technology class, I feel that I can take any project that is thrown at me and make something amazing. Its not a matter of it you know how to create something, but the resources and determination to figure it out. As a student, I would recommend this class to anyone, where they like art or not. I feel that this is unlike any class that I've ever taken and would take the class again if I had the chance. You really learn your capabilities and more about yourself through this course. Overall I feel that nothing is impossible and art only makes it better.

Operating Systems, Body Worlds and Video Art Project

Here is my video art project! After many trials of trying to figure out how to convert from one program to another, it is finally complete. At first, I had no idea of what to do for this project, so I decided why not rely on what I know best and completely decontexturalize it again as I did in my performance art piece. So I used chemistry as an influence and subject of my video art piece. This time I used a chemical reaction and filmed how the colors changed when added to the solvent (water in this case) and how the colors moved, spread and became this new product during the reaction. I used two different cameras, which gave a cool effect with the reflection of the water, where you can see the two cameras filming one another, while the reaction is also taking place. I loved the special effects that Windows Movie Maker offered, and totally experimented with them. I loved the threshold and watercolor effect that I used because it gave a great effect to the changing of the color and the different wavelengths of colors surrounding the entire process. My music was then made in Garage band, thanks to my friend who always lets me borrow her MAC! I've never used this program and found it really fun to experiment and teach myself how to use the program. After today's class where we talked about how operating systems are not compatible with certain programs and how hopefully/eventually any computer will be able to run the same software, I totally understand with this project. There's always a trick to everything, and I definitely found every trick to getting a Window Movie Maker film to convert onto a mac. In the end I really love how my project turned out, and it has prepared me for future projects in the software sense.
Meanwhile in today's class, I totally discovered new programs that I've never heard of but that intrigue me to learn. For instance the Flash program would have been totally cool to use for my project. I think that those who are also developing operating systems and allowing others to download them for free is awesome. Why not allow an operating system that can be useful for all computers be free and allow it to be open for interpretation. Imagine how many people could help perfect one particular operating system and add to it and how amazing it could be, because who's to say that those in charge of operating systems now are creating the best there is. This opportunity could be completely open to learn from others and teach others. Another topic discussed was the new and current art. Body World's for instance, which I got to visit in Boston, is absolutely amazing. Having a passion for science and art for me is totally combined all in one. The figures and creations that you see at these exhibits is completely mind-blowing. I have never seen anything like Body World's before and it has definitely left a lasting memory. For others such as Christina Nguyen Hung, who make art out of laboratory experiments such as her bacteria, its not that scientists think of these things, but it that's one day you accidentally see it in another angle. It's all about decontexturalization, and like my video art, its not that we see something that can be made into art, we see it as art. From bacteria, to the fluorescence bunny, to the body worlds exhibit, the whole part is to use science to create art and decontexturalize the ordinary.

Bill Viola and Matthew Barney

Today's class we watched two documentaries on more current and influential video artists. I found Bill Viola interesting in how he integrated nature into almost all of his works. I love how he used the works of Giotto to inspire him in his works. He said in the documentary that the works of Giotto seem theatrical, which is something that I've never noticed before but after hearing him say this completely agree. The theme of life and death was emotional in the way that he brings his mother dying into his works that clearly is something extremely personal, however he uses the theme of nature and the cycle of life to show how when one leaves, another comes into the world with the display of the new baby and his mother on the same screen. Meanwhile his theme of water was interesting in the story of his he became inspired. It seems also tragic that he would be inspired by almost drowning as a child, meanwhile he used what he saw at the bottom of the lake to create a life-time of video art. I really liked how he used what we see everyday, such as landscape and water etc., to not only influence his works, but to create them also. Once again he is another artist that is contextualizing the world. For instance he contextualizes Giotto's frescos by bringing them to life.
On the other hand, Matthew Barney focuses on nature but through the human body. According to Barney in the documentary, he believes that "everything in the world is an extension of the body". His project exhibited in New York was all centered around the human reproductive systems of both males and females. The way he sees things is interesting in how he views the world as all coming from this one object. Or how a football field's shape was influence by the reproductive system. I loved how he was able to take one focus and make several different projects out of the theme that were all completely different but related. His video art was interesting with the costumes and performance art. His use of the female athlete was great in the sense that he completely contextualized her from what she would normally be assumed to do. Being a runner, no one would ever view her as an actor or piece in performance or video art.

Pipilotti Rist and Ryan Trecartin

Watching the videos of Pipilotti Rist and Ryan Trecartin gave a better insight to what video art is and how diverse it can be. The two artist are completely different in style, however fall into similar categories. Pipilotti Rist's videos were completely bizarre and often I had no idea what the video was about. Her videos were random however the technology she used in them created amazing visuals and art. In the video, You Called Me Jacky, I love how she superimposed a figure on top of a moving landscape in the background. It also looked like the figure was on a moving sidewalk in the way that Pipilotti created the video. Something else that I liked about the video was that she used black and white for the background and used color for the woman, therefore it gave a focus to the video, while giving a contrast to the art. I'm not sure if this video was used for a music video, but it definitely looks like it could be a music video. Another video of Pipilotti that I really enjoyed was the I'm Not a Victim of This Song. Here she placed a rope-like object on top on the sky to make it look as though it was floating through the air, however you can tell the object was placed onto the background. However I liked that she would fade the object out and then bring it in again keeping your interest. The blurry aspect of the video allowed the viewer to see the imperfections of the work, which I sometimes feel add to the art and makes it even better, especially in this case. Lastly I found that her integration of common, everyday people sitting in what looks to be a restaurant setting was interesting because she used technology to contextualize something that we see everyday and see no beauty in.
In contrast, Ryan Trecartin videos all had a story-line and a character to follow. I thought that his character in the Kitchen Girl and Valentines' Day Girl along with the characters in the K-Corea INC.K, videos were absolutely hilarious. The voice effects and movement of the camera added to the story, while was not as much video art in Kitchen Girl, as in Popular Sky. In Popular Sky, Trecartin had videos on top of one another, while he used several frames of the same scene at the same time. The way he changed his voices by speeding them up and slowing them down adding to the film when it was also sped up and slowed down. I also found that having several things going on at the same time really showed his video art ability. In this particular video he used many techniques of video art. One thing that connected his videos was the voices and his use of slowing the videos and speeding them up. I think that as an artist this may be a trademark of his, or a trait that you would see used in all of his video artworks.
Looking at both these video artists, they are completely different, however both use technology and even similar techniques to express their visions. Pipilotti and Trecartin used speed in their videos and voices in their video art, along with superimposing images on top of one another to create one visual. I find their videos inspiring in the way that they use the technology to contextualize what we see everyday or to combine everyday, random objects.

Television Delievers People

Richard Serra in 1972 created a video art piece that resembled credits of a film. As the video played, it explained sentence after sentence that television created products out of the viewer itself rather than the programs being the products. I think that the programs are used to be influences for the viewer to be inspired to create or purchase something. Today especially it doesn't really matter what the product is or how good it works, but rather how much you can sell compared to someone else. Domination is the name of the game for television. The more money you make, the more power you have, therefore the more control you have over the programs. Like Serra said, corporations are the ones who control the networks on television. Therefore the more they program a viewer, the more money they will make and gain even more control. As viewers pay more for television or even the products featured on the tv, the bigger the corporations will grow. This makes me question how much we really even like what we see. Is it the stories or is it just the products that we like. And do we even like the products, or are corporations just that good at making us think that we need this? Serra also featured a line that the consumers are paying for what they see, therefore we are paying the corporations to decide what we should watch and what we like. Are they really that good at their jobs? Personally, I would watch the performance art videos that were created by class members on tv, however corporations would never feature projects like those because they think outside the box and break boundaries, however I think the general public would absolutely love them. Serra has a great point that corporations are running our televisions and creating products from us. It really doesn't matter what they decide to put on tv, if we're paying for it they'll continue to do whatever they want. The bold, thick but yet plain font that Serra adds to his video art adds to the art because it makes you look at it without any distractions, especially since the words in this case are the art. I really liked the music that he added to the video since it was soft and gave a happy feeling to the film with the truthful words. The music reminded much of the music in the film Casa Blanca and with the black and grey background it went perfectly.

Performance Art

So the performance art was a new art piece for me that I've never done. In the beginning I have no idea what to do, nor how to even make a video. However I figured it out using my digital camera and a friend's mac that made life so much easier. The theme for my performance art was to combine my love of chemistry and art. Creating slime was a fun way to make something easy to fit in the time constraint but also to show a great basic chemistry experiment. I filmed in rescom courtyard, and since there are two pathways, everyone avoided me. They all seemed to go the long way around and stare to try and figure out what was going on. I guess it is odd to see someone performing a science experiment in the middle of an apartment complex. Although it was intimidating at first, it was a great new experience and definitely made me think outside the box in order to complete.

Please Don't Touch The Artwork

In a recent article by the New York Times, it talks about Will Rawls who is a dancer and artist that just had a performance in a local museum. While the art was meant to be an installation-type piece where the viewer is allowed to walk around and interact in order to understand the piece, there are no excuses to disrespect the art. Apparently Rawls was touched inappropriately by a viewer. I find that although the viewers are allowed to interact with the art, however there is no excuse to invade someone's person space or in this case, touch the artwork that in such a way that is not acceptable. In most museum, you are not allowed to touch the artwork and even take pictures, therefore I can't understand why someone would think that this was okay. While in performance and installation art there is always unexpected reactions, I don't think this was one of them. Unfortunately this artist and the group he works with will now have to have more security surrounding them during their pieces in order to secure themselves and the artwork. Therefore now the artwork may be inhibited due to the added security but hopefully the group can think of new ways to prevent problems such as these, while allowing their message to get through. Here's the article for those interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/arts/design/16public.html

Nam June Paik and More on The Residents

Nam June Paik is an innovator and creative individual that uses old tvs to create art. I loved his robots shown in class today. They are not only adorable but are amazing artistic. While there are other artists creating actual robots that can be used for daily life, Paik's robots have no reason other than to decontexturalize and appreciate the art. Another interesting artwork by Paik is the cello performance, where he created a tv bra and a cello that allowed the viewer to see the instrument as the performers wardrobe. I found this interesting because the musician puts so much time and effort into their performances, that over time the instrument becomes part of them and their life. Although his video art was great, he is also a great performance artist. One piece that I like was how he believed you didn't have to play the violin with the bow but instead dragged it behind him and then banged it against different surfaces. Once again we see artist reinventing the idea of something by taking it out of its original context, similar to sonic youth.
On another note, The Residents were presented again, but this time we got to see a live performance. I find it extremely interesting that we don't know who these people are performing. They're outrageous costumes and performance overall keeps you watching even it you don't like the music. Although their costumes are somewhat clown-like and frightening, you can see the influence that they have on today's children's characters such as on seasame street or other tv shows. They are trying to grab your attention through the soft, cute side where they are seen as very likable characters, instead of receiving negative attention. Creating a softer image allows them to reach out to several different types of fans instead of one particular group in order to sell more albums.

Electronic Music Continued...

Electronic music was continued today in class with features of a more array of cultural influences. I found the Colombian music from artists such as Toto La Momoposina, Sidestepper and El Savavin extremely interesting. Although I have no idea what they are saying since it is in a different language, the rhythm of the music catches your attention and involves you. The rhythms throughout different songs and groups could definitely be followed as the music progressed in age. While the artists are all creating new music from old, the influences can be strongly seen. Another interesting feature of today's class was The Residence, which was an experimental group where they never showed their faces. I love that they only made one minute videos because they felt that pop music was one minute features repeated over again, which I couldn't agree with more. What is the point of listening to something over and over again when you can just see and understand it in one short piece. Their influences could also been seen in artists like the Gorzillas which is a much more modern version. I think electronic music is totally a build up of what has been previously done but in the modern day, it sounds completely different due to its contextualization.

Electronic Music

Today begins the exploration of electronic music in class. The use of synthesizer was widely used in the 70s and 80s in order to create new music and push the boundaries of what music can be. I found it really interesting that one song could be used over and over again in order to create something completely different. For instance we watched the Rolling Stones song Satisfaction recreated by Dero, and Benny Benassi. Each creation was completely different from one another, however both influenced by the same work. Meanwhile songs that I have heard of before and like, were examined in a context that I have never thought of before. Depeche Mode and Nowell Vauge are artists that everyone has heard of before whether they realize it or not, however I never thought of them as contributors to an art movement. Although they were in a new music genre being explored at the time, it seemed that I was looking at the overall music of the decades rather than the music as an art piece that would influence the music we hear today. An artist like Lady Gaga is a just another artist pushing music to see what else can be created. Her influences can definitely be seen from the electronic music and style that developed throughout the 70s and 80s.

Crazy 80s Performance Art

Browsing though the works of 1980s performance artists, I found bizarre and completely new designs.  For instance the Squat Theater was something new where they had performances, movies, concerts etc. for the New York underground.  I love how they incorporated what was going on currently into what they were displaying.  The Black Generation movie featuring A. Poe, Blondie and the Ramones  definitely reflects the past, present and future.  Meanwhile, the Wooster group is extremely interesting seeing since it still exists today.  Seeing that it probably has only added on to its performances from those when it was just started in the 1970s.

Leigh Bowery however I find ridiculous and absolutely entertaining.  His crazy appeal, make-up and performances defy the limits and break them down.  What I find interesting though is that his clothing can actually be seen as influences of today's high fashion designers that are creating these out of the world like costumes for Vogue and other top profile magazines.  While no common person would wear these items, I find it hilarious that he does.  Each costume is bright and in  your face and always makes you turn and look.  The best part of the documentarywatched in class today, was the part where he was having tea in London at a fancy cafe where most rich, high profile people go.  Meanwhile he is standing there in this crazy dress, while everyone else is wearing suits and ties.  I find his really funny and he definitely gives you a new way to look at art.

Starlac, The Body is Obsolete

Starlac is an amazing artist who using technology to expand the use of the body and its functions. The robot-like designs model those that look to be in futurist movies and of outer-space contraptions. I love that his idea of using technology to work with the body is the same idea that is used in medicine. His creations, such as the virtual and robot arms are the exact designs and ideas that doctors and developers are using for amputees in order to give them back normal function and ability. The extent to which Starlac's art and its opportunities to give back mobility to individuals who have lost it in a variety of different ways is endless. Meanwhile such designs of Starlac's as the amplified body is overwhelming to think about, that one day walking down the street this monstrous robot/human could be next to you.
One interesting work of Starlacs that I found extremely interesting was the stomach sculpture. The designs of a camera to be able to go into the stomach and record what is going inside relates directly to procedures that are used in medicine today to diagnosis unknown ailments inside the body. His work makes you think outside the realm of function and appreciate the body as a work of art. Its ability to communicate with itself is beyond the human capacity to completely understand, yet our desire to know allows artist like Starlac to increase our knowledge by designing such art pieces that can double in meaning.

Xerox Project and Peformance Art Continued...

The Xerox project was extremely fun and turned out to be one of my favorite projects I've done in class so far. I'm tried to make the pieces look like one on each cork board that I used, while I started from my feet and went to my head. I incorporate some of my favorite things along with body parts to make it even more personal. I love the piece and how it turned out in the end.

Meanwhile, in class we continued with performance art. After exploring Gilbert and George and Orlan, I find that their pieces of art work and performances are bizarre and something that I would never think of as art. However since after viewing several pieces such as the singing sculpture and more of the artworks by both artists, I found that they are just continuing pushing the box and social norms. Gilbert and George's 2-D artworks that display themselves naked with a color, crazy background is really just a new dada or popart. Their singing sculpture definitely questions art and what is it and reminds me of the characters that are live sculptures in Disney or other theme parts, which obviously is a complete result of the influence of Gilbert and George.

Orlan on the other hand I found extremely interesting from her desire to redesign her body to create new art. Her African hybridization of herself are so well done that they seem like make-up and some sort of mask had to be used but to think that she used technologies such as photoshop is amazing. I thought it was also interesting that she created these figures from photoshop rather than doing it through plastic surgery. I think that these are creating art that would have never been thought of and as artists are extremely intriguing.

Fluxus and Juan Parada Lecture

Fluxus was explored in class today where we saw Neodada artists that were breaking the mold of art. Fluxus artists allowed for anything to be art. They opened to the doors for anything in life to be art, whether that be something positive or negative. For instance the Sonic Youth hammering a piano became art due to George Maciunus. Although may see this as disrespect of the instrument in front of them, they were creating a new way to look at the instrument other than its intentional purpose. Artists like Joseph Beuys created strange art that made people think in new ways. You had to figure out what the possible meaning, if any there was to appreciate the art. The felt suit for instance and other objects that he wrapped in felt was once used to keep soldiers warm during the war, now had a completely different meaning taking it out of contexts. The felt suit hanging on a hanger was not just a regular suit. The felt used created questions of why this material, who this belonged to and you want to know more about the person's life. The art makes you think beyond what you see in a new way that without artists like the Fluxus' we would still be thinking in the same ways, inside the box.
On another note, Juan Parada's Lecture on Friday, March 26, 2010 was very interesting. I found his thoughts on small business and how he runs his company completely through cloud computing and free resources genius. I never knew that there were such aids that could provide small business companies with programs that made their costs almost completely free. I feel that if you need a certain talent that you should search for that and make sure that you make your customers 100% happy, therefore if business owners must reach out to foreign workers to do so, why not take advantage. Another thing that I found very interesting was how Parada would pay his employees with computers, or video games if the currency rate was bad. I think its great since the worker gets paid accurately and its simple for the owner too. Overall I think the small business Parada runs is awesome based on what he does, however I agree with him that certain companies cannot run like and you must be self-sustainable. Once the company gets too big, the resources that he uses are now not to his advantage.

Pop Art

The legend of Pop art and the first person that everyone thinks about is Andy Warhol. His simple ideas of taking every day objects that we have seen many times over and contextualizing them to show their beauty sticks in our minds. When we look at for instance the Campbell's soup can, we remeber it because we have seen it so many times, but yet we haven't recognized it in the art form. The bright, bold and vibrant colors that Warhol uses in his art also catches out attention and draws us in. I feel like artists before Andy Warhol or during the era were thinking, why didn't I think of that. His art is simple, yet brilliant. I loved that in the documentary he answers questions in interviews with small sentences or one word. The suspense and aggravation of not answer a question to its full potential also draws you into his work more because you want to figure it out. Meanwhile, maybe there isn't anything to figure out. Maybe the intention of Warhol's work is to just present the object as is and there is no meaning behind the art. Some times as viewers we look into art too deeply and miss the actual interpretation of the artwork.
Another one of my favorite, Lichtenstein that we spoke about in class, is awesome because of his work that takes the comics or again things that we have already seen and recreates them. I like that he uses the grid-like printing technique of the comics in his work and still love the bright and bold coloring of the art. The works of Pop art are simple and amazing all at the same time.

Bauhaus and Beats

Today's class involving the Bauhaus movement before WWII and the beat after the war gave an insight on the new world of art emerging. The Bauhaus movement was about creating art but making it functional. New chairs, tables, lamps and architecture were created that look almost like what Ikea is currently selling. Thinking back on my trip to Ikea this past weekend, the tables seen in the documentary and the those in the store were exactly the same. Therefore I guess my desire for simplistic design and organization is inspired from the artist of Bauhaus. The shapes and colors are simple and yet the way they are put together for furniture allows for more storage. To me it seems odd that a store like Ikea didn't emerge sooner.
Meanwhile, the beats were the artists that were worn down and tired. They felt the after shock of the war and failed to be part of the American dream. I wonder if these artists generally didn't like the idea of the American dream or just failed at their attempts to be apart of the "normal" life. Although they created wonderful and bizarre pieces of art, it makes you feel sympathetic towards them since they seem like they never fit with others. The abstract expressionist work done after the war also create a new world. Colors and shapes replaced words and the works of Jackson Pollock and others speak for themselves. Jackson Pollock's works allow the viewer to create their own vision and world of what the art is trying to say, meanwhile it isn't saying anything. I love the theory of action painting. Passion and emotion of the artist are blended in the canvas itself, like the paint placed on it.

Marcel Duchamp and the film Un Chien Andalou

In today's class we were exposed to the work of Marcel Duchamp. His experimental pieces of art inspired by futurists and cubists were amazing, while his simple ready-mades created more of a response for myself. Duchamp's ready-made such as the Mona Lisa that he added facial hair to created a new light to familiar objects. For instance the Mona Lisa is known everywhere and everyone has seen recreations of this art piece, however when Duchamp takes it out of its context and recreates the work, it creates a stir and opens your mind to looking at the art in a new way. It's almost as if he's trying to get viewers to appreciate the art more and not take it for granted as often happens due to the familiarity. I think one reason he was able to get to do this Mona Lisa piece was because at the time, Dada, futurism and surrealism were working and also emerging still that allowed for a new wave of art. This new era opened the doors to looking at art differently and creating art from every day objects. Surrealists were twisting art and creating pieces that were never thought of before and were bizarre, however Dada was chaotic and new. Therefore Duchamp's piece was just another bizarre and new idea to add to the growing movement.
Meanwhile watching the short film Un Chien Andalou that was produced by surrealist also opened new ideas. The bizarre and strange nature of the film seems to follow a love story or search of love with the characters, however the cut off hand and man dragging the pianos with dead farm animals on them and Amish dressed individuals is so odd. The cutting of the eye in the beginning of the film also always freaks me out and still can't watch it no matter how many times I've seen this film. However the bizarre twist of the film demonstrates that movement of the time and while they could have created a regular film about a couple they created something that will leave the viewer thinking. Therefore the viewer now has expanded their mind on the art form and seeing the familiar story in a new way.

Grid Art Project!

My grid art project pictures are above. Creating this piece, I used my initials as the symbols and created a cool flattering pattern around the letters. The sweetarts and mosaic tiles used were just things I had that I thought would be interesting to use since they are completely different yet complement each other since they are opposite colors. I glued the pieces to old mirrors that I found at Goodwill and now I can hang them on the wall as a new art piece. While it seemed simple at first, getting the patterns and colors right turned out to be a lot more work than I thought. Overall I thought the project was fun and really love the work in the end.

Dada

The art movement of Dada is amazing in its attempts to ignore language and create pieces based on what something would be without the constraints of language. Seeing that words are used to describe something and we know an object by these words, creating artworks that eliminate these boundaries is what art should be. Art shouldn't have labels or restrictions, it should be what the artists wants to produce whether someone can put words to it or not. Creativity seems to expand with boundaries are broken or eliminated and therefore the artist of the Dada movement created a new world of art by doing just that. The artworks of Man Ray and other artists of the time allowed for simple objects to be turned into new creations. While places like New York rejected these artworks it is because they don't see outside what is "normal" or accepted to broaden their horizons of the world around them. Although everyone thinks differently, it doesn't mean that an art piece we do not understand is not art. I love that the artists during this era made collages of crazy items all together and hidden inside were messages and new forms. The artwork sometimes looked to have motion and chaos, while examining closer, the works of art had everyday words, and common objects. With ever new wave of art, there is a new level of creativity and the artists of Dada broke the realism model and allowed artists to create whatever they really wanted to without judgment.

History of Computers

The documentary shown in class today, gave a really good time line of the history of computers and how they were developed. One thing that I found interesting was that Xerox was the first to develop a computer-like machine but who gave up on the project because they believed that other individuals were not be interested in a computer for personal use. Looking back they must very upset with themselves. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozinek developed the personal computer and founded Apple from a large box at first that was able to sing. Comparing the computer that they first developed to a Mac book there are huge differences, especially in looks to the point that you not even know that the first computer that they built was even a computer or that they same people developed the two products. I remember using my neighbors Apple computer when I was younger and how small the screen was but I recall it looking extremely similar to that of the Apple II and it may have even been that. I can remember playing really simple but some how extremely fun games on it.
After exploring the History of the Internet website, I never knew that internet first grew out of a networks started by MIT and other colleges. The way the internet spread across America and then into the World Wide Web was interesting. I was aware that the government controlled the Web and investigated it deeply before allowing it to be released for public use. Meanwhile, I can't imagine not having the web since now you can google anything and almost every business or person has a website.
While watching the development of video games and how they came about from computers may me realize that the development of the quality of video games is extremely young and new. The time that it took to go from Pong to Halo really was a short period and to imagine what video games will look like in ten years could be beyond belief. The fact that they are trying to get machines to respond to how a player plays a character will impact the way that we play a game. The game will become more involved and possible be more emotionally involved. While you don't really think about the characters that you are playing or beating such as the enemies, if you are trying to develop the toughest character, you will take into account their personality and may become so attached to the character that you treat it as your child. I'm not sure if this is a good respond to video games or not, but is definitely the direction that video games designers are going.

History of Television

After exploring the Museum of Television website, I learned more about how television came to be, how the stars came about and about TV themselves. The interactive program that they have on the website that you can select a TV and learn about that particular TV was cool. I also explored the World Fair again which was fun to see all the different things that happened at the fair and what was going on. I found it funny that there were such different things displayed at the fair such as plastic and television. I also looked at Marilyn Monroe's progress through television and found that her image developed the more she was featured in television and her roles also seemed to decrease in intelligence.
The website, History of Computing Science, gives a really nice time-line and explaination of the invention and development of computers. While it was not as fancy as the Museum of Television website, it was much more detailed in a science sense. I thought it was really cool that a lot of the names I recognized due to chemistry and in particular due to physics that I have taken.
In class, I thought the documentary we watched was really interesting and informative. It helped to follow the development of television from radio and how or why things we have today are the reason they are called RCA or why we have electric tvs rather than mechanical. One thing I learned today was that television was developed out of radio not film. Seeing that TV and film both involve images, I suppose this is why I always assumed that TV was developed from film. Although now the sense of signals and being able to spread the signal to millions of people makes much more sense that the TV was developed through the radio not film.

Radio Days

Radio days was interesting in class on Wednesday. Seeing that during the depression there wasn't extra money for entertainment such as the theater and Broadway plays we had learned about earlier. I found it really funny that the sound of radio at that time was something so new that people actually believed that the War of Worlds was actually happening. I suppose its similar to that of a 3-D movie today or a ride at an amusement park. The invention of radio seems like it is something that has evolved with culture and time but yet has remained the same in a sense. Radio is there to provide free entertainment. The entertainment can be in the form of music, news talk or other radio shows.
Listening to Andy Helps Rudy Make Amos Jealous on the Old Time Radio website kind of takes you back in time. Although I've never witnessed this time period, one can imagine it in your head. As the characters talked, I imagined what Andy or Amos looked like and also questioned why Rudy never spoke. You heard Andy speaking and asking questions, but you never heard Rudy. Maybe it was at this time, women were not featured in radio. Another clip I found was the Pearl Harbor attack. The technology that was developed at this time allowing London and America to communicate clearly over radio to deliver their news updates was fascinating. Seeing that the ability to connect like this at the early stages of radio allows me to understand more about how radio is today and how technology is rapidly evolving.

Tim Igoe EMAT Lecture

Tom Igoe presented an EMAT lecture today at UT that was very interesting and that increased my awareness of design and production. I was not aware of all the different ways to design and creative these new devices, even devices that I have that Igoe talked about. One design he spoke about was the Sniff toy that would be used for blind children to read story books. Not only did this touch my heart but also was so creative in the name, look and process of the toy. I love how the dog would sniff out the story. It seems so simple, yet you do not realize that there is a large team and company behind this product in order to create and promote it.
One of the funnier items that stood out of the designs that Igoe lectured on was the three stuffed animals that were co-dependent on one another. I thought it was hilarious that when one would be hugged the other two would talk trash about it. The actions of the animals reminded me of sibling rivalry and how humans do this every day but it takes stuffed animals for us to realize this.
Overall, the most important factor that Igoe spoke about to me, was the breakdown of these designs and how we need to prepare for the day that they no longer work, nor is there a need for them. The fact that designers are looking to be more eco-friendly and also recycle products to make new ones is great. I think that it is awesome that the Olympic medals in Vancouver this year are being created from old metal taken from computers and other electronics. I'm glad that finally people are using what we have to create new products. Not only does it help the earth, but it can also help our pockets.

Flipbook!

Here are some pictures of my flip-book. After several days, many hours and 4 sharpies, my project is complete. I was surprised at the various ideas and themes of my classmates. Some were very creative and I would have never thought of such ideas. I thought that this project was a little overwhelming at first, but I found it to be a lot of fun and enjoyed it. My finished project pleases me and I think that hard-work pays off in the end. This experience really demonstrated to me what it takes to make a flip-book and also opens my mind to how cartoons, and movies were first made from photos.
My idea of the mad scientist came from wanting to create a funny/ fun character to draw throughout the book. Being a chemistry major, it also allowed me to draw familiar objects and things that are easily for me to draw. Basing the project off something familiar also allowed me to make better and smoother transitions throughout the flip-book. I also found it easier to have a storyline instead of just drawing random things that hopefully would come together in the end. Overall I enjoyed this flipbook project even though it was quite intimidating in the beginning.

Blondie and Singing in the Rain

Blondie's music video Rapture featured a scene that was based off Singing in the Rain.  Her version of a black man dressed in all white instead of the white man in a black suit allowed Blondie to become influencial during the 70s and 80s.  Before this class, I had never seen Singing in the Rain nor had I even realized that Blondie was influenced and influencial in that manner.  I had just looked at her as another artist of that period and nothing more.  Now after learning about Singing in the Rain, I immediately picked up on the character and the lyrics in the music video.  Now I'm starting to realize that new things aren't created, there are just variations on how others see it.  And the fact that everyone has a different view and opinion, allows the story to take on a completely different sense and therefore creates the illusion that it is a new story.

Singing in the Rain vs. Clockwise Orange

The movie Clockwise Orange featured today was completely different and bizarre from that of Singing in the Rain that was presented in the last class period.  Singing in the Rain was very bright and cheerful, with the dancing and singing throughout.  While the film's focus was figuring out how to create a talking picture, Clockwise Orange was using new special effects and drama.  Clockwise Orange seems to be might to shock the public and present a way of life that is completely different but present during the time.  The film was probably use as they're way of telling the public how bad it was to follow this group and that it was unacceptable according to society.  

Although Clockwise Orange already had the talking picture and color figured out, the special effects were still evolving during this time.  I think that both were contributers to today's films that are produced because one built on another.  Without Singing in the Rain, there wouldn't be the performance and speaking effects, and Clockwise Orange set a new stage for new topics, colors and effects.

Black and White Film

Today's class featuring black and white film was very entertaining.  The film featuring Joan of Arc was moving, which surprised me due to its lack actual speaking.  The music however added great emphasize to the film, which I feel made the film so emotional.  However, the black and white film, Casa Blanca which featured speaking, used music for emphasize, while the first time I watched this movie, I did  not realize that the music playing at the end was the famous song in the beginning.  It will be interesting to see how film continues to change when color, editing and sounds become more advanced through the years.

19th Century Film

19th century film featured in today's class was interesting to see the quick transition of the quality of film in just a few short years.  How Edison changed the clarity of his films in just one frame and how at the end of class films were using the technique of actually moving the camera itself to capture footage was very interesting.  It's amazing to think that movies today were inspired and developed by the technologies that were so simple but innovative for the 19th century.

BROADWAY

Today's class on broadway was awesome.  The musicals performed on broadway are entertaining and are one of the greatest forms of entertainment.  While I've never seen a broadway play or musical in New York, I've seen many films of them.  The talent and creativity that is expressed in these performances are the best.  The Cats musical featured today was very creative with the costumes and dance and I found caught my attention most because of this.  My other favorites were the ones featuring tap dancing seeing that I tapped for 16 years, I tend to love watching it.

Opera class

Today's class continued studying opera.  The focus on how the opera changed in the 20th was clearly and exciting.  It seemed that the ending were on the same basis but the 20th century took the drama to a higher level.  I found that the Opera Elektra was suspenseful and kept your attention, while the operas watched on Monday were much more calm.  To say the least, the 20th century made operas more entertaining.

Steve Jobs Apple Tablet article

After reading the article about Steve Jobs, the current powerhouse of Apple, I found it interesting that the creator of all the desirable gagdets made by Apple was once behind by the company because of an idea that would have promoted the company throughout the business world even more. Today it seems that everyone owns an ipod, mac computer or iphone. And if you don't, you know you want one. The sleek, modern look attracts the buyer and to think that the ideas of these products came from a man that was disregarded at one time makes you wonder what would have happened to these products if Apple completely got rid of him. While companies such as sony, hp and other technological brands probably would have created the products first, would they even look the same? Also, what about the programs that the iMacs offer for graphics. PCs don't come close to the ease or look that can be created through Macs. So while I continue to save for a MacBook pro, I would like to thank Steve Jobs for his innovative ideas and creativity to make things simpler and efficient.

Baroque

Today's class about the Baroque era was quite interesting.  I was not aware that so much of theater was developed during this time.  I love that the costumes and sets are overly dramatic in the operas we watched today.  I think that although they probably would have never lasted, it would be fun to reenact.  The Mozart operas shown were my favorite.  His life and story as an artist is very interesting and therefore makes his operas even more intriguing.  For the upcoming opera assignment, I think that watching an opera by Mozart would be really good.

First Day of Class!!!

Classes have begun again! New classes, new teachers and new experiences lay ahead. My name is Kelsey and I'm a chemistry major and art history minor. I really enjoy taking art courses probably because I don't get to express my ideas and creativity as a chemistry major as much as others. Since I was young I always loved to draw, paint and do silly arts and crafts. In high school I took a painting class that really sparked my interest in art. Although my focus is in science, art has become one of my favorite hobbies that often helps relieve my stress. Enrolling in Art 211H seemed like just another lecture course about the history and development of art. Meanwhile after reviewing the syllabus, the class is filled with exciting projects and topics that I've never studied. While the projects were overwhelming at first, the ideas of what I could produce for each and how has now heightened my excitement and creativity for the upcoming assignments. The professors enthusiasm and interest in the subject itself not only made the first day of class interesting but allows you to look forward to future classes. Although many of the art classes I've taken in the past taught me how to analyze and formally write about art pieces, I love that this course will allow me to create pieces instead. I hope to find a new sense of creativity and discover new abilities as an artist through this course. While some assignments may be more difficult than others each will broaden my horizon and teach me to think outside the box.