random

for some reason i feel the need to update my blog. after doing this final new media project there is only one thing i want to do. make another movie. for my first experience i must say io enjoyed the process from start to finish. in the near future i plan on making another film a little different but still similar.

tutorial

last week i took some of the photoshop wentworth tutorials. i must say these were increadibly boring. although i almost fell asleep multiple times, i do have to admit that they were helpfull. the first tutorial tought me the basics of croping, sharpening, and adjusting color and contrast to images. this tutorial also helped me with my own work. in my work i do alot of silkscreens. this lesson on contrast led me to look up other tutorials online. the tutorial that i found tought me how to change a color image into a black and white stencil. here is the website: http://www.stencilrevolution.com/tutorials/tutorialsview.php?id=4 it may sound simple but it relly does help me alot. after photoshop, i alos began to expiriment on illustrator. i did some project where i outlined a city scape and then used the same shape over and over to create a design. here it is:

all in all, i think the wentworth tutorial led me to find other tutorials online that helped me out alot in the end.

final project crit.

i thought that Nick's identity project was very interesting. the way he decided to find a new media to work with was extremley origional. i think his project is a good model of an artistic concept that does not neciserilly have to have a finished piece that can be matted and put in a gallery. his project was more about that idea of identity rather than a finished piece. while i feel that the piece was backed by a strong concept, i feel that it can be taken much further. i look at both his music myspace, and alternate identity's myspace as just the bgining to a very large project. Nick seemed to be toying with the idea of a false identity. this project could either turn into a comentary on the myspace website itself, or it could be a personal statement about the artist's own identity and how he sees himself in the music, or art world.it is hard to give this piece a full critique due to the lack development. in conclusion, this project was a little empty, and could have maybe beendeveloped a bit more for the presentation. with that said, i still think that it is a great idea that should be taken much much firther in the future.

random thoughts

its funy how alot of people answer the question of "what is art?" with the word "expression". while i do not disagree with this, i think it is only the tip of the iceberg. its hard to put the right thoughts into words, but i think i would say expresion is art...rather than art is expresion. i think this is because expresion goes way beyond what is found in a painting, a film, a song, or a play. expresion filters into the way we dress, act, socialize etc. i was just thinking to myself that if i wasnt an "artist", then i would not have a reason to live. i would not have a reason not to be like everyone else. i dont know where this is going. ill think about it later.

more thoughts on midterm

my midterm lesson plan was infact dealing with the term "new media", and what new media is to highschool students. i chose a non digital based project for a multitude of reasons. one reason is that making an instilation, or a temporary scultpure is a new medium to most highschool students. while i am fully aware that using nature as a medium, and creating temporary sculptures is not new to the field of art, i still feel that it is a new media form for highschool students. this is simply because of the age we live in today. 10 years ago, a project using digital programs as a medium would have undoubtedly been a form of new media. i feel that in todays schools, a digital project would not be as "new" to the students as it was 10 years ago. this is because most highschool art students are farmiliar with photoshop, and other computer programs. ("some" being the key word). as for the students that are not as tech savy, i still feel that living in such a rich technological age, results in computer programs not being as "new" to students as we hope, therefore, reddefining the term "new media" in a high school art class setting.

in conclusion, an andy goldsworthy inspired sculpture is sureley a new media to most highschool art students. i think it is very easy to mix up the terms "new media" and "computer based arts". i am not a complete idiot, and i know that computer based art is usually called new media...im jusy trying to think outside the box here.

A Whole New Mind

the creators of blogger.com did not use their brains in an empathetic way while creating this website. due to their inability to understand that some posts will be incredibly long, they did not include a system that would automatically save everything you write. as a result, i wrote out a fairly in depth summary of Daniel Pink's book "A Whole New Mind", only to have it deleted after i did the spell check. this is a great example of why this world needs right minded thinkers who will be able to understand someone Else's perspective while using their websites.

in his book a whole new mind, Daniel pink reveals why creative thinkers will dominate the future workforce. in what pink calls the "conceptual age", we will need more right brained thinkers than ever to ensure economic, and world development. Pink organized the book into six different aptitudes of creative thinking. these six aptitudes are design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. the following is a brief summary of each aptitude. unfortunately, i do not have the patience to describe them in depth...again.

design: this aptitude is exactly what you would think it is. the world needs creative thinkers to make the world around us more aesthetically pleasing. and example is in advertising. an advertisement created by a right brained thinker will be more appealing, and engage a potential costumer more effectively than one created by a logical thinker. in addition to advertising, design is a crucial part of the environment we live in. architecture, sculptures, a urban art are all pleasing to residents, and tourists.

story: pink sums up the story aptitude by saying it is "context enriched by emotion".(p.103). with many facts available at our fingertips through tools such as the Internet, the abundance of them makes facts less important. our history becomes more appealing when it is placed in a context that has an "emotional impact"(p.103).

symphony:the symphony aptitude basically means's "big picture thinking". right sided thinkers are able to look ino the future and see the big picture beyond our lifetimes. city planning falls under this category. many times i walk down the narrow streets of Boston and think to myself "why didn't they just make the roads wider?". if i lived in the horse and buggy era, i would have made the roads wider. this is why a right brained thinker like myself should be hired to make a new city.

empathy: i touched on this aptitude in my introduction. empathy involves the ability to understand the perspectives of fellow human beings.

play: play may be the most important aptitude of them all. in the book, Pink relates the aptitude of play to flourishing industries such as gaming, and movies. it takes a creative thinker to allow gaming, and things like the Internet to continue to developer. play also relates to the urban environment. this is a place full of art event, music, festivals, theatre etc.

in conclusion, A Whole New Mind reveals the reasons of why "right brainers will rule the future". while pink says that they will rule the future, he does not say that logical thinkers are no longer needed. instead, there needs to be a balance between creative people and logical people in order for the economy, and the world to flourish.

i just wrote my whole book review on Daniel Pink, did the spell check and the whole damn thing got delted. i am going to write it again but its not going to be as long. kcuf.

MIDTERM

Over the past few weeks, I have started to touch upon the question of “what is new media?” A possible project that I have created for a high school art class addresses that question. The project I have developed is inspired, and revolves around the work done by Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy is an artist who uses nature as his medium, to create temporary sculptures all over the world.
I think that this project would be great for students to do at the end of the school year, sometime in the spring. It is a great opportunity to get the kids outside, and do artwork that they do not normally get the chance to do. Unfortunately because nature is a large part of this project, I do not think it would be possible to do in an urban environment.
The project would begin by devoting a class period to watch a documentary on Andy Goldsworthy. This class period would give the students an opportunity to understand what Andy Goldsworthy’s work is about. I would not introduce the project until after the documentary was viewed. This is because I do not want the students to become overwhelmed by trying to think of an idea before anything has even started. After watching the movie, I will give a brief description of the project that will be started in the next class period.
I would allow students to work alone, or in groups. I would encourage students to work in small groups of 2-3. The project would take place all around the perimeter of the school. Each group or student will be required to make a temporary sculpture inspired by Andy Goldsworthy’s work. The medium used will include, but not limited to sticks, rocks, branches, dirt etc. that is found in the woods around the school. Before starting, each group must have preliminary sketches, and a spot I approve of to construct their sculpture. The first class period would consist of gathering of materials, and making sketches. I would then allow the students to work on their projects for 1-2 more class periods.
The “big idea” of this project is to address new media. I think that the term new media is constantly looked at as another word for digital media. Is new media really digital? Or is it something that is just non-traditional? This project will force students to address that question, and work in a manner that they never have before. A lot of students go through high school thinking of art as a finished image with four sides to it and a frame around it. This project is necessary for high school students because it will force their minds to think of art in a whole new way.

Overview:

Project: Andy Goldsworthy inspired temporary sculpture.
Big idea: What is new media? What is art?
Audience: High School Grades 9-12
Goal: To break out of the understanding that art belongs in a frame inside a museum.
Why it is necessary: This project is necessary for high school students because it will force their minds to think of art in a whole new way.
What makes it engaging: this project is engaging simply because the students are able to be outside working on a project that everyone will see.

garage band

possible project:
i think that walking students through the simple steps to create a simple song would be the easiest way to introduce the program. i think using the pre-set beats and sound clips would make this introduction a little less confusing rather than downloading our own clips from online.

Throughlines:
-what role does sound play in a new media piece of art?
-where is the line drawn between music and art?
-how can a piece change drastically based on sound?

Noah Wardrip-Fruin, et al through lines

the Noah Wardrip-Fruin colabiration was an incredible exploration of what we are as human beings, and how our memories and dreams make up what we are. i think that this piece was amazing, to say the least. after viewing it, i cannot stop thinking about the relevance that it has on my own thinking. i personally am obsessed with trying to document my life, and not forget anything. i am paranoid that when i turn 57 years old, i will forget what it was like to be 9. the thought alone makes me want to throw up. after seeing this work, i think i realize that it is natural to consciously forget the past, but still subconsciously be aware of it. while i am aware that i do no explain my self very well, i think i am trying to say that this collaboration tells us that our memory's will always be a factor in our lives...even if it is in our dreams. i think that tis piece could also play a role in determining the question of what is the real world? how do we differentiate the "real world" and our dreams? it is very possible that this blog is not real, and everything around us in our assumed "real world" is not in fact real. i will try not to get into philosophy to much, even though i feel this piece could be interpreted as having to do with our sense of reality, and stream of consciousness. from this idea, i think there are many possible through lines to be drawn. one could have to do with memories. what are memories? and how do they change over time? how could you portray the changing of time, and memories? secondly, how can you portray the difference from the dream world and the "real world"? are they different? is the dream world fake? or is our "real world" fake? thirdly, from a more aesthetic point of view...how does text take an effect on a work of art and the viewer? how can you use to text to convey a certain message without boring the viewer?

possible powerpoint projects

as i am thinking of possible power point projects that would help students fully understand the program; the only thing that is in my mind is how i was introduced to the program. i think that the simplest way to teach power point is to go through everyone of of the tools, and create a simplistic presentation as a class. after the lesson is over, i think an assignment for the students to do on their own would help greatly. while, i really like the idea of presenting our own artwork, i think that that would be to involved for middle school students. i think a project more suited along the lines of middle/high school would be a simple biography. the students could use power point to tell a little bit about themselves, what they are interested in and what they like to do. they can do this using text, and images from the internet.

well..

fuck it,lets go t war with Iran

animation throughlines

after viewing examples of animated art, it is clear that animation is a beneficial tool when it comes to new media. one of the first big questions i think of that can easily be turned into a throughline is what are the benefits to animation? what effect does movement and sound have on the viewer when trying to convey a certain concept? does it become easier to translate your ideas, or does it make it harder?

animation may prove to be beneficial in many cases such as political statements




while animation allows an artist to directly say what they are thinking, it may also be important to touch upon the question of what can be said with just movement. the stop animation artist who was shown on our class blog used alot of claymation, without a narative. i think that while these works do not speak for themselves;not having a narator telling a story like in the videos above, allows the viewer's mind to be open to many more interpritations, and possibilities. these endless posibilities of interpritation are exremely prevelant in "vicious 516's" clay animation work.

a third "big question" to ask about animation would be similar to the age old queston of what is art. is stop animation a fine art? when does it become a "fine art"...and when does it not become a fine art? any kid on the street get an animation program and take the time to make great stop animation videos...does this mean it is or isnt "art"?

stop animation possible project

while i was not in the class for the crash course in stop animation...i think i am farmiliar enough with what stop animation is, to think of a possible project for kids to do. i think the most beneficial thing to do to ensure that every student fully understands the program, and the concept behind stop animation would be to create a short 10 second video in class. going step by step, filming to video, and editing it in the computer program will allow every student to become farmiliar with stop animation. a possible project would be a short stop animation video of something that you do everyday. this could include brushing and flossing your teeth, eating food, etc.

throughlines:new media artists

a good project for new media artists is covered in Spencer Keegan's Coopoerative learning. this activity is a great way for students to understand the difference between interperetive, and descriptive statements made about a piece of art. after looking at an artist's work, the students will devide into small groups. in these small groups, the students will come up with a list of descriptive statements based on the work they just saw. after the list is made, the students will switch lists, and review descriptions made by other groups. the students will then decide if the other groups statements are descriptive. this activity can be repeated, except this time using interpritations about the artist's work.
POSIBLE THROUGHLINES:
Scott snibbe's "deep walls", and henry kaufman's the memory of your touch"have many conceptual similarities. these similarities create through lines that can be used in the classroom setting. "deep walls" and "the memory of your touch" are both interactive with the viewer. this interaction, provides a teacher with the opportunity to introduce multiple through lines. one through line is similar to what we did in our class. because of the interaction, these pieces provide a strong foundation for a lesson on internal, and external understanding of the artwork. internal description is based on what the viewer can see, hear and touch in the piece. for example: in scott snibbe's "deep walls", the viewer can see that the movement of their shadow is being projected onto a large white wall. internal interpretation is based on what the viewer feels, and what the viewer thinks the artist is trying to say. external understanding of the artwork is based on acquired knowledge. this information is either drawn from artist statements, reviews etc. when we listened to a review on Snibbe's work, i began to realize that the piece held a small amount of proof that someone had been there before you, making different motions. it was said in the review that the screen captured a small part of every participants soul. this is an example of external interpretation. this is because my new understanding, and interpretation of the piece was influenced by someone else's review.

in a broader, more conceptual based sense, i think that there are many more through lines to be drawn from scot snibbe, and henry kaufman's work. one of these can be the concept of interaction. what are the similarity's between the interaction in scott snibbe's work, and kaufman's work. both works leave a mark, or an action preformed by someone who viewed the work before you did. while the screen, and piece of plexy glass remain the same...the image projected onto them is constantly changing. the big question would fall along the lines of what does interaction with the viewer add to art...what does it take away?

another through line can be found in the basic idea of what "new media" is. what are the benefits from art that is created using computer generated programs. i have been thinking about this for a long while and i think that new media cannot be bottled up into just using computers as a medium. i think "new media" is a term that is to often associated with computers. while, computers play a major role in new media, there are many other types of media that artists are expirimenting with that are non-traditional. one of these is street graffiti...or should i say "street artists". one of the most famous current street artist who goes by the name of "banksy" has been building a strong reputation for himself. while no one knows his real name, or his real identity, he has been able to use what can be considered as a new media to speak his ideas. these ideas are often related to politics, violence, and social issues.
http://www.eliotgeorge.com/img/news/banksy.jpg">
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Banksy.bomb.jpg/453px-Banksy.bomb.jpg">
http://static.flickr.com/89/240316625_cc7138635f.jpg">
while banksy's work has nothing to do with computer programs, i think that it raises the question of what is new media? is new media restricted to computer programs, and digital images? or is new media the phrase granted to artists who are trying to convey their concepts using materials that are not deemed "traditional"?

adding to this conversation, i could introduce Oliver Kunkel's work. he is a new media artist that often uses digital media, but does not rely on it.

"little plastic surgery"installation and videojuly 2006
A game, which is supposedly created for children, is the core of the installation. The object is presented to the viewer as though it was created for a shop display. In a 3D animation the commercial video shows the viewer how to use the object. A massive torso becomes the base for applying pink plasticine. By utilizing pre-fabricated casts which produce "ugly" body parts, the plasticine is formed into features that are not in accordance with the "normal" standards of beauty. "Let's operate" is an invitation to change the prescribed "irregularities" back into standards. The goal of the game should be to teach children the importance of beauty in our society, in order to condition the child at an early age, to realize what the "prescribed" norms of beauty are."
http://www.oliverkunkel.com/images/little_ps/kunkel_little_plastic_003.jpg">

http://www.oliverkunkel.com/index.php?little_ps

introducing thse artists, along with snibbe and kaufman would further the discussion of the "big question: what is new media?

html crash course possible porjects

after the crash course we took on the wentworth online tutorials about html, i am not sure i would change a thing when teaching a classroom of highschool kids. i think that the way the tutorial was set up allowed the learner to understand what html actually is at a reasonable pace. if i were teaching a class on html i think that i would use the same information the tutorial had. this would include what html is, how it is written, and all the different symbols used. i think a great beginning project would be similar to the one we had in class. once the class has gone over the html basics, i would then have the students begin to construct a mock web page just like we did last week. i think the most basic way to allow students to begin to understand html would be to have them title their web page with their name, skip a line, write an "about me section", make a list of things they like to do using the html listing code, and then finally ad a picture using the html image code.

Artist Review

"The Magic Coloring Wall"

"Two Things", a group that started out as graffiti artists created an installation known as "The Magic Coloring Wall". Ubi De Feo, an Italian artist is the mastermind behind this fascinating program. When a club called Panama asked Ubi De Feo if he was interested in doing an installation, he jumped at the opportunity. De Feo had four days to create the magic coloring wall. The magic coloring wall. The piece is exactly what the title says it is... a magic coloring wall. The installation consists of a computer, and a large projection screen. The computer projects a line drawing on to the screen, and viewers are given a "magic paintbrush" to color the drawing in. When the viewer puts the magic paintbrush over a certain area, that spot fills in with color, as if you were painting with an actual paintbrush. The only observation i had of the actual piece was a video demonstration by De Feo. The only thing the Demonstration made me want to do was set one up for myself and play with it for hours.

http://www.setpixel.com/content/?ID=twothingsdotone

The Distributed Legible City

In, 1998, australian artist Jeffrey Shaw created the instilation work titled "The Distributed Legible City". This work is displayed with an excersize bycicle, and a computer moniter. The intention of the artist is to allow the viewr to sit on the bycicle and pedal around while observing themselves move in the virtual world ( displayed on the moniter). Initially, this piece did draw my atention. unfortunately, this attention did not have any artistic substance. i felt that the piece was a cute activity for the kids to play on while their parents floated around the rest of the art mueseum. i greatly admire, other creations by jeffrey shaw, but not this one. while the instalation was interesting, i saw no real purpose or intentions by the artist in the artist statement.