Project 6.1: 3D The Original

My sculpture is composed of: 1 Buddah, 2 Sunflowers, 1 Origami Fan with Infinity Knot, 2 Origami Cranes, 1 Sand Dollar, 1 Om Prayer Stone, Gold Wiring, and all built in and around a Moss filled Flower Pot. I love and enjoy all of these things and tackled a lot of possibilities on how to bring them all together. Luckily Buddah and Om can go hand-in-hand with nature while Origami connects with the asian theme. However I also have a love for the ocean and seashells that I couldn't ignore! So, I tied the gold wiring to the asian theme and placed my love of the sea - the sand dollar - with Om. I also couldn't ignore my love for origami. I enjoyed making them and it seemed like a good idea to incorporate them into the scene but the fan is probably my only problem after it all. Well, it was more creative then building my cat with Jelly Beans, so I'm proud of the after math.

Project 5: Tactical Media

The Original Website

I try not to be confrontational and I mostly go with the flow of things. This project was tough because, although I feel strongly about a lot of things and do possess strong opinions, I try not to shove them in anyone's face. But I guess that is also what is easy about this project; you can get your point across in ways people can understand without (hopefully) doing much damage. I recently saw a post online that was calling our government "Worse Than the Galactic Empire." I thought to myself, "Now, that's a bit much" but thanked that looney that posted it for the inspiration to do this website. In a sad attempt to be a creative activist I chose the most confrontational site at the time: HealthCare.Org. I had fun photoshoping Obama Wan Kenobi and revisiting my Star Wars nerdom. I decided to call it RebelCare as I view the Rebel Alliance to be similar to Single Payer advocates. It was a lot of work but I am hoping I got the point across. The New Hope plan is based on the Marketplace, an area that essentially educates the masses on universal healthcare (RebelCare) and walks you through the process of what to do. Seeing as many seem to be 'at war' with insurance companies (the Galactic Empire) over this, I thought Star Wars was an appropriate choice. Enjoy!

Tactical Media as Virtuosic Performance Reading Questions

1. What Wikipedia said:

"Tactical media is a term coined in 1996, to denote a form of media activism that privileges temporary, hit-and-run interventions in the media sphere over the creation of permanent and alternative media outlets."

Where as Raley describes tactical media as “forms of critical intervention, dissent, and resistance” that can “manifest in virtuoso performance rather than extrinsic product.” Raley also explains it as “new media work that is at once aesthetic design, intellectual investigation, and political activism.” Raley emphasizes the role of dissent in the artist as activist through campaigns of “little tactics” versus “bold strategies." These "little tactics" are often not responded to as just "little tactics" but as forms of terrorism or events that serve extreme consequences. How do you view purpose of digital media? Does it always have a happy ending? Is it never supposed to? Where do you draw the line between agitation and promotion or education? Do you believe social media has changed how the world views, shares  and responds to tactical media? Has this change "shifted the nature of power" as Raley mentions?

2. We're all nerds here. So, what kind of controversy could I start when I suggest that many, if not most, videos games are all a form of tactical media. A few games like America's Army and TuboFlex are both introduced as effective forms of tactical media. Are there any games in particular you can think of that fit Raley's definition of tactical media as mentioned above? How do you view "hacktivists?" This also begs the questions of whether fine art is neglected in tactical media. With video games and interactive media, has the world become more challenging to approach with political ideas that fine art has been removed from the equation?

Pussy Riot: Punk-Prayer "Virgin Mother of God, put Putin away"

(chorus)
O Virgin Mother of God, put Putin away
?ut Putin away, put Putin away
(end chorus)
...
Black robe, golden epaulettes
All parishioners crawl to bow
The phantom of liberty is in heaven
Gay-pride sent to Siberia in chains

The head of the KGB, their chief saint,
Leads protesters to prison under escort
In order not to offend His Holiness
Women must give birth and love

Shit, shit, the Lord's shit!
Shit, shit, the Lord's shit!

(chorus)
O Virgin Mother of God, become a feminist
Become a feminist, become a feminist
(end chorus)

The Church?s praise of rotten dictators
The cross-bearer procession of black limousines
A teacher-preacher will meet you at school
Go to class - bring him money!

Patriarch Gundyaev believes in Putin
Bitch, better believe in God instead
The belt of the Virgin can?t replace mass-meetings
Mary, Mother of God, is with us in protest!

(Chorus)
O Virgin Mother of God, put Putin away
?ut Putin away, put Putin away
(end chorus)

Project 4: Video Reenactment

I'm sorry to disappoint anyone when I say I just did not have the cojones to do my time lapses in an abandoned building although it really helped Takashi Ito. I also, lacking major equipment, failed to capture his amazing moving time lapses. However, I tried to capture his essence through the time lapses, light manipulation and bulb shutters, all definitely as time consuming when you don't have a really nice, expensive camera. I used a Canon Rebel T3ii and shot and AV Bulb for the night shots and TV Manual for the sunset, the 5 f/s and always changing ISO. Each clip is dissected in to respecting photos and I can safely say I underestimated this technique. I mainly worked in Adobe After Effects and brought that product into Adobe Premiere to add the audio. Enjoy!

http://www.ubu.com/film/takashi_ghost.html

Director Takashi Ito's "Ghost" (1984)
Music: Yosuke Inagaki

In "Ghost," Takashi Ito explores some of the most basic dimensions of cinematic illusion, such as space depth, lightning and movement to create a visual feast that seems to touch on the horror genre. But it's not quite so, for the "Ghost" we are allowed to see is not designed to frighten but to mesmerize the spectators. Bulb shutters, long exposures and time-lapse are used to dazzle perception and insinuate the presence of floating life-forms in a closed space. Inagaki's soundtrack kicks off with a steady electronic ambiance but soon descends into a hellish world of rhythmical distortion and mutli-dimensional lo-fi mayhem. I don't think your children will be scared with this extraordinary piece, but if you do have them, please make them watch this in a closed dark room and report the results. -- Eye of Sound

Video Art Reading Questions

Nam June Paik's "Electronic Superhighway"

1. In this article 'Art' and 'Artful' are said to have separate meaning, though linked terms that exist to help us differentiate between what can and cannot be considered to be art. I believe Art is an expression of the artist's spirit and the world surrounding them and artfulness is something creative but born out of a desire to sell something or communicate a certain idea. The author even mentions, "Art lies in the intentionality of the artist." So, based on what you have read in this article, what makes "Video Art" as opposed to an "Artful Video"? 

2. Do you believe that video art could spell the end for other mediums of art like painting or sculpture? Or, do you believe, like the author mentions, that the conceptual video form is more of a continuation of these mediums? For example, much of Bruce Nauman’s work (such as Walking in an Exaggerated Manner) features a combination of video art, sculpture, and performance; he uses his own body as sculpture, while performance is the act that “sculpts” the physicality of his art, and everything is captured with video. How many of these conceptual videos did you see as "art" or "artful"?



3. Do you see Video Art as more of a communication art after reading this article? In the Personal Narratives portion of the article, many of the videos serve as diaries and personal reflection of the artist's past. How many of these personal videos did you see as "art" or "artful"?

"Whether it be through narratives, formal experimentations, short humorous tapes, or large-scale meditations, video art, at the end of the twentieth century, has assumed a position oflegitimacy, even prominence, in the art world that few saw as possible even in the 1980s. 1ts seeming endless possibilities and relative affordabil­ ity make it increasingly attractive to young artists who have been raised in an era of media saturation. Video is a ,vay of participating in and reacting to media overkill; it is also a manageable means to communicate personal messages." - Video Art (Chapter 2)