Last Class

OK, so thursday was the last day of classes and i'm kinda sad that school is coming to an end. this class was definitely the most interesting class that i've ever had to take my whole entire life. and i am probably the most uncreative person in the world, so if i even just got a little more creative then i am happy. i more than enjoyed watching what everyone came up with for ideas for their projects, i really liked that and the small size of the class. everyone was really friends and open to everything. over all this class was really good, and even though i'm not a big person with blogs and expressing what's on my mind, it really wasn't that bad.

Video Art Piece

This is my video art piece. I wasn't really sure on what i wanted to do originally, all i knew is that i wanted to make a video that had to do with current events or something political since i'm an education major in history. so i finally decided to do mine on the swine flu. everyone is freaking out over it, and i just really don't understand. we've had flu's in the past, and there has been worse one's than this one. the people who have died from it have been in mexico, only two people in the united states have died and i know one of them was a baby. plus, it seems to be coming under control as time goes on. so i wanted to take this topic, extract a news coverage piece upon the topic and strip it, and reorganize it into something that doesn't have to be taken so seriously, possibly even have a little sense of humor. it may be hard to tell, but my video starts out talking about the swine flu, and i have the three little pigs get it. then the big bad wolf blows them away and the fly. I kinda think the big bad wolf represents societies overreaction to the flu and it shows how easily we can blow things out of proportion. and i inserted a little piece about obama becoming the first african american president, and when that happens alot of people said that pig's would fly. well a hundred days later after his election, people shouldn't have spoken too soon, cause pig's flew (flu). Oh ya, and also for my own audio, i had recorded multiple people saying swine flu, because it reiterates the main topic, and if you listen carefully you can hear it softly in the background, i didn't wanna make it too loud, because it would over power the main video.

Music Video's and Postmodernism

This will most likely be my last blogg posting other than my actual video art project. I more than enjoyed watching all the different music video's and listening to some of the music as well. And it was really interesting to see how nothing is really original. Like how the rolling stones satisfaction was completely altered and transformed by so many other bands. but each band made it their own song. But it's really true how everything has already been done, because you can see it in so many things now adays, you just don't realize it.

Examples of Video Art

Going over in class different types of video art and installations, preparing us for our next project was kinda cool to watch. i liked nam june paik's work, he really is the founder of video art, and he just comes up with some of the craziest installations. But someone else who i really liked was Bill Viola. His installations were really interesting, very slow motion and you just had a certain admiration for them. the bodies floating in mid air, but in water was just really neat looking. It's going to be tough to come up with a video art project like those.

Performance Art Piece

So, i haven't uploaded the pictures yet for my performance art piece because i forget where i'm getting them from and i keep forgetting to ask, but i will get them posted. but my art piece was basically just me smearing paint on different pieces of technology and pressing them on paper, like an imprint or stamping style. and i made a dvd with music for the background with a bunch of different pics of technology. and there were words over the pictures that showed the relationship between art and technology. and overall the conclusion was that they are so similar within our lives that art is technology, they connect us the same way.

Pain!!!

Ok, so i haven't written in this for a while, but the one class that still really sticks in my mind is the one about performance art and self inflicting pain or mutilation. i'm sorry, but i just don't see the art in it. i don't understand why anyone would want to put needles in them and hang from ceilings, or have plastic surgery while awake. some of the things i saw actually made me feel a little sick, and i have a pretty good stomach. i'm sorry, but that is just one class i did not enjoy.

although i did think that the idea of growing another ear was really cool, well i wouldn't like to have one, but just that we can do that type of stuff is really neat. sterlac is one crazy man, kinda looking forward to see what he does.

Fluxus

Ok, so i defiantely forgot to talk about fluxus, one of the things we had to research. and this group was alot like Dada, actually it was a result of the people in the Dada groups. Fluxus is an international group that took some pretty radical approaches to art. they performed with everyday things and would gather groups. they wanted to get the audience involved, because they needed them to be a part of the art. it's interactive, and the people became the art.

Xerox project

Okay so here's my xerox project. i pretty much made a bug, a spider to exact. i wanted to take everything that i would wear on a typical day, things that i usually always have on me and incooperate them into the project. so i added in my watch, hat, chain necklace, sun glasses etc. it actually worked out pretty well because i was able to use my sun glasses for the spiders eyes and the rest made some really neat designs. i won't lie, i did this project one early morning in the vaughn center so people wouldn't stare at me, but overall i had fun doing it.

Andy Warhol

I always had heard of this guy, but never really knew who he was. I knew he was famous, but never really what for. And this week i learned that he's a very odd individual as well. I guess he was a perfect artist of that time in the 60's. He really was the ideal artist, with his drugs and artistic pieces, and just the way he presented himself. this guy had the whole thing going for him. for a lost generation with the beatnicks and the hippies, he definitely found his place. i would say they all found thier place being lost. it makes me wonder of what my parents did during those times...?

Dada and Bauhaus

So, the last class that we left off at was about Dada and then we eventually went into Bauhaus i believe. I thought that Dada was definitely different, but then again i suppose that's the point of it then huh. These people being completely radical for their time and forming a whole new culture. Plus they are creating this anti-art attitude where they don't want to do typical art for galleries per say, but they do what they do for the sake of art. Like with Duchamp and his urinal. And i really like Man Ray's Rayo-gram, i think it's a really neat trick.

Grid Project

So below are some pics of my grid project, it's suppose to be a waving flag. The flag itself is a South Korean flag, because i know its hard to depict it. I took the rubber grip that goes under rugs, and i cut a piece off. Then i took little baby marshmellows and stuck them into each square hole. Then i painted the marshmellows the colors according to the flag. After, i spray painted the background red, and covered the flag, so everything else would end with a grid-like design once i removed the rest of the rubber padding.

Christina Nguyen Hung

Christina Nguyen Hung's art was really something. I more than enjoyed the art that she created, using biological methods. It just blew me away on how well she was able to create some of her pieces. I know that she attempted some microstamping, which was a really neat method even though it failed. And i thought the human doll made out of cancer cells was just really trippy looking. Also, her American Vectors project wicked cool too. I actually went to her website and checked out the project, and she has webcams where you can watch the petri dishes and watch the cultures grow, it's crazy. Overall her performance was very interesting i thought.

Bruce Wands

Bruce Wands visit was very different, he did alot more talking than anything else, more of a lecture. To be perfectly honest with I found it a little boring to begin with, not to be mean. But he also brought up some interesting stuff as well during his lecture. And he started to go over the history of digital art, and displayed some really fascinating looking pictures. Such as his own, the Buddha Light Painting #4. I also really liked one of the points he brought up, and that was that the future of digital art, was us. And that art is constantly changing. That the next generation is starting to inform and inspire. Just how with everyday that passes there is more art, acting as a form of inspirational communication.

MZTV

I thought this was pretty cool, with it's timeline going way back in the day. Seeing how the television show changed and evolved i suppose. From way back with the ed sullivan show with the Beatles (awesome) all the way up to more present stuff with jay leno. The television was really utilized as a great tool for propaganda, and as time went on it showed.

Flip Book!

So, basically the explanation of my flip is that it shows a seed laying on the ground, then a cloud comes over it and a man pops out of the cloud. The little red man, drops a rain droplet of rain on the seed, it grows into a seed and then bursts into flames. Next, from the ashes the float into out of space and form into a flying saucer. And coming out of the sky, a meteor hits the saucer, they explode into particles and slowly start to condense together. Eventually the particles come together form the sun, who's rockin out some shades. You can take a look from the pics below.Start from the bottom and work your way up.

Singin in the Rain

So, basically there is a huge difference in Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly verses Clockwork Orange. Reason's why, i'm not really sure. But I can give a few educated guesses. First of all Singin in the Rain with Gene Kelly took place in 1952, right after WWII. And America was able to get out of their Great Depression because of it, giving people new hope and a desire to consume. Everyone was happy and America had a big chip on it's shoulder with a sort of superiority. Then with Clockwork Orange that took place in 1971, this was during the Vietnam War, which was already lost at home, with very little to no support. Also, it was after the Civil Rights Movement, and this was a time of a lot of drug usage. And it may be demonstrating on how drugs do cause violence, and it shows how America has changed from one point in time to another.

Overall tho, that class was awesome, because Gone with the Wind I actually have seen now that I think about it, it was a great Civil War movie that depicts the south with accuracy. And Singin in the Rain I'd like to see, my mom use to watch that all the time, but i haven't had the chance to actually sit down and watch the whole thing. As for Clockwork Orange, it seems like a crazy movie, but its definately one I'd like to see. Seems interesting.

TED-MIT'S CRAZY INVENTION!

The article about TED, from MIT and the sixth sense, a computer that you can wear! That seems wicked cool, no lie. I like how it can interact with everything you do within your daily lives. The only little downfall is having to have colored fingers. But with TED only being a prototype, I'm looking forward to when they perfect it. This is the ultimate lazy gadget. No longer having to take out your cell phone, or go on the net at a computer. This little thing does everything for you, I admit that it will make life easier, but also more lazy too. But I gotta say, i still like the sounds of it regardless. It really does give you a feeling of advancement within technology, this is only something that I would visualize a futuristic movie. Wow!

Catchin Up on Some Posts

So I haven't really done any posts lately, so i'd figure i'd play a little catch up here.

First of all, the class on Edison Kinetoscope and Lemierre Films I thought was just really cool. How they took single pictures and actaully made films from the the idea of flip books. It's kinda neat how they actaully did way back then. It makes me excited to see what my finished product comes out as with my flip book. Although i'm really not good with drawing.

Secondly, the presentation by Cynthia Lawson I thought was interesting. How she connected time and space to art. Her 28 days was pretty entertaining with her singing talents to the beatles haha. But what I liked the most was her layering of of photos, causing them to fade in and out not really knowing what was there or not. I thought it was kinda of trippy to be honest with you. It's just fascinating to see how she thinks up of these things.

Some pics my senior year of highschool for "The Fiddler on the Roof"

Hey guys, just thought i'd post a few pics of "Fiddler on the Roof". This musical I don't believe I helped out with. But it was definitely a great performance, and I'm glad I got to see it for a change from the audiences point of view rather than behind the scenes. The main character "Tevye", is a very good friend of mine, and he actually grew his beard out for this part. His performance was rememberable, he did a fantastic job. Hands down.

Class Three and Four

In the third class, I enjoyed learning about the operas. it was funny to see how much the operas are intertwined in modern society and our everyday life. Such as on little kid shows and in commercials. I never really liked the opera. The thought of listening to people sing so deeply and loudly never really caught my eye. But in this class i saw the amount of work that went into their vocals. It was kinda cool, but still not really my cup of tea if you know what i mean.

In the fourth class, i did however enjoy broadway alot more. And just seeing the history of broadway fascinated me. And once again, this is because i'm a history minor i don't mind learning about stuff like that. But also, in highschool, i use to be on the crew for our drama club. So, my job was to be in charge of the sets along with the rest of the crew. we built the sets, and painted them, helped with props, set up the sets in btw curtains. That's somethign that i liked to do. and I've seen many plays while doing it. Such as the Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, and the Music Man. So this class kinda just reminded me of the highschool days.

Second Day of Class

Last class I actually really enjoyed it. There was some history involved, and since i'm social science edu major, it's right in my field. Learning about wolfgang mozart and some background about his life and just how he used his music to connect with his own feelings and personal life was extremely interesting. Then there was the comparison between the elite and popular classes and how their entertainment was different. Learning about things like this I actually really do like, because in all honesty i'm a little bit of a history geek.

First Class Feeelings and About Me

Hey,

My name is Dan and I'm a junior here. I am an education major and I plan on teaching secondary edu. I love to run and just hang out with friends, maybe meet some new people. I am looking forward to this class. Although to be honest, I'm not a really big art or communications person. I have a tough time participating sometimes and expressing my ideas. So, this class will be a challenge for me. But it is something different and I think it will be good for me. It looks as tho it will be a pretty good semester.