Video Art

My cats have been pissing me off lately so I decided to make a creepy video with them. I'm basically a cat lady. I only wanted one, though. The other two followed me home and I couldn't find homes for them. And so, I am THE Cat Collector. It's only fair I make my final about them.

Anyways, this class was pretty fun and relaxed. I'm happy I took it.

Archetype

An archetype is a typical example of a certain person. Basically, a basic bitch. Nobody is really a basic bitch unless they side-eye other people for being different. But in all seriousness, if we started embracing individuality and stopped having malice towards groups of people simply because they're not the same, the world would be a much better environment for children to grow up in. Who knows? Maybe we wouldn't even have wars (sike naww the U.S will destroy anybody for money).

Steve Job's Commencement Speech

I had actually read Job's speech awhile back on my own. His story is inspiring and he actually makes me rethink college and society's emphasis on it, but I don't have the talent that Job's had so really I don't see myself quitting any time soon. But he was able to take the classes he wanted to take without having to follow a straight and narrow path. School would be a lot easier for me if it functioned that way. My favorite part is him talking about hitting his lowest and climbing back onto the top and kicking ass. I'm working on doing the same, currently, and I hope revenge will be just as sweet.

Dada

I learned a bit about Dada in the History of Graphic Design with Brooke. The concept is very lax. "Whatever happens, happens." Dada, or anti art is nonsensical and it was used as a way to refute the war and turmoil that went on during that time. Brooke said that art happens in cycles. Every phase is created to be the opposite of the last. During the war there were stricter, very planned out pieces, and dada was the opposite. After dada, the art movement that followed was a bit more reserved.

Mark J. Stock

Stock's work blows me away. Being computer-challenged, I just don't understand how he renders creations like that. It looks like drops of dye in water - which sounds a lot easier than using creative code for it. It makes me wonder if he is also a good painter, or if computing is the only way he can properly flaunt his artistic abilities. He definitely makes me realize that computer code/algorithms can be art as well.

Angel de Quinta's Stage Door

I think his blog is helpful since it contains many mini-excerpts and broadway commentaries on his blog. Wish I could understand Spanish, though. I bet his posts have a lot of good information that I can't understand :(

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the father of psychoanalysis. He had a theory of art that focused around a central form of motivation to create. Basically he states that the artist's mind shapes the artwork. Our experiences, and repressed behaviors can be expressed in our work. I feel like this is stating the obvious, but in reality it probably was not obvious during his time, especially since traditional artworks were strictly based on reality and the artist's ability to render it perfectly. I'm impressed because I had no idea that Freud is responsible for a lot of the knowledge we have today, and there's more to him than just the "Freudian slip."

Old Time Radio

I gave an Old Timey Radio segment a lesson. It's so completely cheesy, but the acting on the radio makes it feel like I'm listening to a tv, just not seeing it, so it's good in that aspect. The only difference I notice is that they're very descriptive about physical features. It helps the listener have a better imagination. I don't mind listening to it. It's entertaining. I kind of wish they still had this on the radio today so when I make long trips on the road, I'm not stuck listening to the same trash pop songs on an endless loop.

Butoh

Butoh was created in response to the loss of life during WWII. Also known as the dance of the dead, it is a dance style that is very focused on being grounded and ghoul-like. I personally find it creepy and boring to watch, but ghoul makeup is always a plus for me. It makes me think of a Japanese game called Siren. The monsters basically look the same.

Vernacular vs Pictorial

Vernacular pictures were pictures taken by the general public, and usually included smiling or other types of goofiness. These were the ones that were full of experimentation, while pictorial photos were considered high fashion, super artsy fartsy, and BORING.

Performance Art: "Opera" (Potato Version)

Xerox Project - Shoe Appreciation

The other day I was thinking about how people don't appreciate good shoes like they should. There are people that collect them and resell, or just buy lots of shoes to match every kind of outfit. I've always thought differently. I've just recently had to replace my shoes that I've worn since middle school, and ONLY because of art mishaps resulting in their demise. I broke them in, they're comfy, and I found no reason at all to replace them. And I usually won't unless I break a hole into them. I just want something comfortable, so my feet don't end up with blisters by the end of the day.

So, with that being said, I decided to decontextualize my Doc Martins (or one, to be precise). These boots were meant to encase the foot and protect them, but now the foot is encasing the boot. From far away it looks like an abstract design, but up close one can make out toes and heels (and the beauty mark on the bottom of my foot).

I think maybe my work would've been stronger had I not ghetto laminated it, but I wanted the shoe to look waterproof, like it was actually part of the shoe.

CinnaMonaLisaWashingtonChrist

I tried to make the Mona Lisa out of cinnamon toast crunch, but everyone sees different things. Meanwhile, I don't know how healthy it is to eat a cereal that doubles as a match stick.

Animation

Stop Motion Animation

This song has been stuck in my head since I first saw it on tv at the mall, and the music video I can still remember clearly to this day even though I haven't seen it in years. I felt bad for the teddy bear in the animation.

Memento Mori

At first I thought Memento Mori only applied to artworks. During the Baroque times, there were a lot of paintings about death and how many of the things we hold dear now don't follow us to our graves. After seeing a lot of the photography photos, I'm on a whole new level of creeped out. Aside from the child being dead, there's a very short window for them to take the photo as rigor mortis sets in, the blood accumulates at the bottom, etc. And the smell! Dead people fascinate me, but I would never take a photo next to one.

Stock Market Crash: Then and Now

I feel that The Great Depression and the economic recession we have now are very similar in pattern, BUT there aren't very obvious effects that can be seen in comparison, simply because this time around there are more safeguards to protect the American way of living. While I think hard economic times has a psychological effect on the population (no money? I should rob someone), it wasn't as bad as before, where mothers would sell their own children to give everyone involved a better life. Homelessness is also not as prevalent this time around, even if it is still an epidemic now. The biggest problem that is making this recession harder to get out of is that big business is taking over, getting rid of small businesses and monopolizing the prices. The prices go higher, yet you're still just barely scraping by. You have to pay that bill anyways because you're stuck in a contract with a large business. There will be no competitive pricing for consumers to run to.

Bread and Circus

"Bread and Circus" is basically public entertainment to keep the masses happy. It was a political move to control people. In Rome, the coliseum is a prime example of such entertainment. The technology that went into putting on a successful show was advanced at the time. The coliseum had hidden tunnels underground and raising platforms to get animals on stage. The population of Rome would gather there to be happy. I think the government doesn't even care to use bread and circus. Corporations do, however, and they control the government for the most part. "How can I dumb my consumer down? Make them pay more? Give them less?" Like McDonalds, you're fed crap disguised as chocolate cake. And we fall for it anyways.

Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly is an animated story/opera about a woman who falls in love with a sailor, bears his child, only to find that he was an asshole schmuck (typical). She then kills herself I'm assuming, and then reincarnates into a butterfly that lands on her now adult daughter's head, bringing the cycle around again. I thought it was interesting and to-the-point. There were some weird elements, like her pregnancy being a fish tank, but it made the animation somewhat poetic. I like how the plot was relatable. There are a ton of people in the military facing separation because someone on either side couldn't be faithful.

Juan Carlos Delgado

I find Delgado's work interesting. I would've never thought to freeze a sculpture/ make it a built-in function. It's multimedia because it's always changing in time. I would like to see him do the same thing but on a larger scale. An entire room that encompasses the seasons would be absolutely beautiful. Green and bright the first time you come upon it, frosted over the next. I want to see more. But then again, I simply prefer large-scale work over tiny work. Unless it's so tiny you'd need a microscope to see.

Raul Cuero

I find Raul Cuero fascinating. Being (half) black myself, I've fortunately not had to face the discrimination that many do. It's hard to succeed when having to start off at a disadvantage. Like Neil Degrasse Tyson, he overcame racism. As far as creativity, I personally find it easier to be creative when you have less. You need to figure out ways to get around obstacles, because you can't just buy a solution. In the Philippines, the children have nothing to play with. These people have managed to build AMUSEMENT PARK RIDES out of STICKS. Like Cuero said, I have my computer. I don't need to go outside and find something to do in order to be entertained.

Deus ex Machina

Aside from Mirai Nikki (awesome show, great plot line) I've never heard of the term Deus ex Machina. I totally get the concept of random endings as well, but I've never really watched any movies or shows with random endings. Maybe anything Adventure Time related? There was this one shitty horror film I watched where this girl got an std and turned into a zombie, but by the time maggots were falling out of her cooter, one got the sense that the movie was going into that direction. In World War Z, they found out that zombies don't eat sick people.

Neo Baroque?

To get a better understanding of whether or not we're in a new Baroque era now, it's important to understand the old Baroque era. Baroque came out of a need for the Catholic Church to control their existing followers and to gain more. It was a war for pawns against the Protestant Church, which was emerging at the time. The idea was that the flashier the church, the smaller the person will feel. I think this very much applies to today's time, given the increasing wealth gap and this "I've got it all" mentality. It's present even amongst our friends. On Facebook, we tend to only talk about the good things happening to us. It gives others the idea that our lives are just peachy."Look up to me. I've got my life put together. How about you?" In music videos it's about pussy, money, weed. "I've got it all. I live a luxurious life. I own you." It's a facade. Humans are all about making each other jealous over materialistic wealth. We think we can gain respect this way. The Church did, too.

I Need Time

.. To keep working on my coloring skills.

Art and Technology

Looks like I'm gonna have a performance artwork sometime in the future. Not ready. Hopefully I'll get a better understanding on how art integrates with technology, and how it effects our lives on a day to day basis.