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