Tuesday, February 20, 2007
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.
Monday, February 19, 2007
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"?
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?
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.
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/index.php?little_ps
introducing thse artists, along with snibbe and kaufman would further the discussion of the "big question: what is new media?
Monday, February 5, 2007
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.
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