Video Art- Flashes of College

So this was definitely the most difficult and frustrating project in this class so far. I had a hard time coming up with ideas and an even harder time figuring out how to make them work. Here is the final project. It took a lot longer than I was planning and the computer was lucky it did not end up through the window. Anyways, here it is. 

Music & Music Videos

The lesson on music and music videos was probably my favorite part of class. I have always been antertained and amazed by music videos. It really is a shame that MTV stopped playing them (MTV Jams and Hits is good though). Anyways, below are some videos I either like personally or thought may relate to class. 

This first group is not a group I am a fan of. However, I saw them at a conference and they are really interesting. I thought this would relate to the discussion of industrial music. Also, the video may be borderline video art. 

Street Drum Corps- Wreck

This next video is of Kanye West talking about video producer Hype Williams at the MTV awards. I believe that Hype is one of the best and most influential creators of music videos. He always pushes the envelope and sets trends. The following is a montage of Hype videos. 

The next video gets into the music videos I find great. This first one is the Eminem "Mosh" video. It was produced by a vidsual novelist who also started the Guerilla News Network. I think it is great how the visuals, song, and political message compliment each other. It is different from most of the work people expect from Eminem. 

This next video is from Kanye Wests new CD 808s & Heartbreaks. I thought it applied to class because he primarily used on old 80's drum machine and synthesizer in the creation of his new CD. We talked a lot about synthesizers and electronic music in class. 

Random Connections

This post is somewhat random, but makes some sense. I am a huge Aerosmith Fan (seen them live 8 times) and noticed a few connections between discussions in class and the band. First, many of the videos and lessons have mentioned Max's Kansas City. This bar in New York City is where Aerosmith was discovered by Clive Davis and shorty after signed to a record deal. Steve Tyler says of Max's, "You knew even the assholes were going to be famous someday. It was that kind of place … it was like lighting a whole pack of Black Cat firecrackers all at once and throwing it in the room." They sing about the Max's experience in their song "No Surprize":
Nineteen seventy one
We all heard the starters gun
New York is such a pity
But at Max's Kansas City we won

We all shot the shit at the bar
With Johnny O'Toole and his scar
And then old Clive Davis said
He's surely gonna make us a star
I'm gonna make you a star

Just the way you are

Another connection to aerosmith is the discussion of the "Avant-Garde". The band has a song titled Avant Garden on their "Just Push Play" Album. The song doesn't seem to have too much to do with the term discussed in class, but there is likely some connection. Below are is a video of the song mentioning Max's Kansas City and Avant Garden.   

Performance Art: Music Man

The assignment here was to show our relationship with technology through a performance art piece. It took forever for me to come up with an idea for this project. I thought about all the things I use technology for and how I could create a cool performance. Finally, I decided to make a statement about pirating music on the internet. Almost everyone I know has done it, and I am as guilty as everyone else. I don't know whether I am for or against stealing music online, but I think it is definitely something people should think about.

Xerox Projejct- "So Fly"

This is the Xerox Project for class. The assignment was challenging for a few reasons: 1. It is slightly awkward walking into a library or office and starting to xerox your body; 2. Trying to come up with an idea that takes your body and transorms it into a new image. Eventually, my inspiration for this design was a skull and crossbones. I then had the idea to use images of my hands to create wings. The wings definitely were my favorite part of the project.  

Made in America

Here is my Grid Art project. The hardest part of this project for me was coming up with an idea. I really wanted to stay with the technique of finding a natural grid then transforming it rather than making a grid. In the end, I made an American flag out of a grid used to ship water bottles.  It was supposed to wave, but the filler paper and a glue stopped all of the motion. So here it is, "Made in America".

Christina Nguyen Hung

Christina Hung's presentation and art are very interesting. She came across as a curious artist who is constantly changing her focus and artforms. I enjoyed the fact that all of her personal beliefs on politics and life came through in her work. Her view on the war, immigration, and other issues were made very clear. I also like the way that she is always looking for a new way to express her art and working with scientists to perfect new media for her art. I always respect artists who strive for innovation. 

"I'd rather have a beer."- An ART211 Flip Book

Cynthia Lawson

The Cynthia Lawson lecture as part of the Electronics Alive exhibit was very interesting. The initial art that she showed and discussed focused around a "thing a day" online event that she had done. The work focused around her at her computer doing a number of different things. While it was interesting to hear her thoughts on the project, I found it hard to call it "art". Watching somebody typing on a web cam is not entertaining to me. Once Cynthia progressed to discuss her newer photography work, I enjoyed the presentation much more. Her layered pictures examining time and spaces was very interesting and extremely cool looking. Also, when she put those images in a digital media and allowed them to merge together, the spaces became alive. I really enjoyed the layering of the courtyard outside of the art museum piece. The work Cynthia has done in Guatemala with native women was also quite interesting. The students on the trip must have had a great experience teaching computer skills to the villagers and seeing their different interpretations of electronic media. Overall, it was great to hear a successful artist discuss her work and the motivation behind some of her diverse projects.

Clockwork Orange

WOW! The clips from Clockwork Orange was quite different from any movie I've watched before. While not a movie I would seek to watch, it was definitely interesting. The music, sex, violence, and artistic creativity in every seen was overwhelming. It came across as a little strange and obscure for my liking, but there were some cool scenes. The film techniques used to capture the color and shapes were also intriguing. Also, the re-emergence of the singing in the rain scene was interesting. I always find it clever when a new film or piece of artwork references a classic. This happens all the time in movies, music, or nearly any form of art. While I much prefered the origninal singing in the rain, it was amazing how Clockwork Orange took an otherwise passive and calm song and turned into into an anthem for violence. Times had most certainly changed from the time of the original to the Clockwork Orange scene. The VW use of Singing in the Rain that we watched online was very entertaining. It was a great use of modern technology to re-make an iconic movie scene.

The Sixth Sense

The article about the MIT project to produce a computer that can act as a "sixth sense" for people was amazing. It was obvious that the technology was still a prototype, but still very impressive. The ability to interact with surroundings in a seamless was would revolutionize mobile computing. Looking up product reviews and reading the paper with video are some of the coolest features. If this product ever gets to the market, it could very well save the newspaper industry. It is clearly only a matter of time before the iPhone is obsolete, and a more intuitive technology takes over. This product could change many areas of how we live.

Opera?

Watching Opera for an hour and half sounds quite painful. I am not a fan of Opera, and it gets a really bad wrap. However, the clips shown in class were actually quite interesting. While there is no way I am going to start listening to Opera frequently, I could appreciate the technological advances that it took to put on such performances. The amazing sets, fireworks, and huge musical numbers were impressive. The coolest thing was the dinner performance for the king of France in the garden. The set and pyrotechnics were extremely elaborate. In conclusion, I sill don't enjoy listening to the long high pitch tones in a foreign language that Opera often consists of, but the talent of the writers and performers can't be ignored.

First Class Impressions

I was not sure what to expect at all when signing up for ART211. To be honest, I took it because I needed another honors class and it seemed interesting. After the first class, I know that ART211 is sure to push me creatively and open my mind to new types of art. It appears that we will be exploring some rather "edgy" works that will expand my horizons. I look forward to seeing the different videos and animations that will be presented. Overall, the class will be a far stretch from my Finance classes, but seems very interesting.