Happy Halloween

Here is a great exhibition that is only open for one more day!!! It's a fake pet store opened by Banksy, the graffiti artist. He uses animatronics (robots) to move around fake pets. You can read about it here:

http://www.woostercollective.com/2008/10/the_village_pet_store_and_charchoal_gril.html

No new blog assignment, but everyone who hasn't should catch up on their blog assignments and get ready to present their animations next week! I'll be at the MoMA today from 4-6PM for open studios to help anyone out. See you then!

Also, here is a fun event for Halloween at the MoMA tonight:

October 31
Figure Drawing Workshop
Come to an open drawing and art-making session. Costumed models dressed as famous political figures will be on hand to inspire. Music is included.

Happy Halloween!

Staring at the Sun

Hey everyone. So here's my Learning To Love You More post. There is actually a tradition of scientists and artists staring at the sun, including Sir David Brewster, the inventor of stereoscope, Joseph Plateau, inventor of phenakistoscope (pre-cinematic technology), as well as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (author of Faust, who also wrote a book about color) and the painter J.M.W. Turner. I only recommend it with the help of a camera though. Many of those who were curious enough ended up going blind.

See you in class!

Assignment #39 Take a picture of your parents kissing

This is my MAMA AND PAPA giving each other a nice kiss. How sweet. I figured since they both don't show much affection around the house, I can use this assignment as an excuse.

Various HW stuffs

Oh wow that last week went by FAST.

So first, I want to share this awesome site/video/thing.
It's a short film/animation thing called Food Fight by Stefan Nadelman and it reminded me of the animations we're making in class.
"Food Fight is an abridged history of American-centric war, from World War II to present day, told through the foods of the countries in conflict. Watch as traditional comestibles slug it out for world domination in this chronologically re-enacted smorgasbord of aggression."
It's so awesome and amazingly done and has a really interesting concept.
GO WATCH IT XD

As for the Learning To Love You More assignment thing, I found several of them interesting.
Assignment #49 Draw a picture of your friend's friend.
Assignment #45 Reread your favorite book from fifth grade.
Assignment #33 Braid someone's hair.
Assignment #30 Take a picture of strangers holding hands.
Assignment #27 Take a picture of the sun.

I went with an easy one at first, take a picture of the sun.
It's more like a setting sun.. but here it is,


I want to reread my favorite book from 5th grade, once I remember what book that was. The drawing of a friend's friend is a lot harder than I thought at first. And I also want to try the taking a picture of strangers holding hands thing, once I get the courage to ask two complete strangers to hold hands with each other...
I'm going to find someone's hair to braid tomorrow and take a picture of that.

Hw <3

I chose assignment #34 Make a protest sign and protest.

I made the sign and taped it on my locker in school. I am protesting cruelty towards animals, particularly chickens.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/DngrslyEvl4/HPIM1005.jpg

REPair SOmething

So far I,ve only fixed a desk but instead of adding or creating something new I sawed right into it. I needed more leg space.
Maybe that counts. If not, whatver. I'll fix someother stuff before the week is over. I'm sure.

27. Take a picture of the sun.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s70/sweet_lips291/photoshop%20stuff/sun015.jpg
33. Braid someone's hair.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s70/sweet_lips291/photoshop%20stuff/O019.jpg
50. Take a flash photo under your bed.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s70/sweet_lips291/photoshop%20stuff/O021.jpg

Best flash animator EVER

http://pascalcampion.com/

Blog Assignment for Next Week

Hey Everyone, Here's your blog assignment for next week.

1. Visit the website: Learning to Love You More

2. Do one of the assignments.

3. Post it on our blog or...

4. Post it on the learningtoloveyoumore website and post a link to it on our blog.

5. We talked about interaction a little bit in class. This project also deals with participation. How does participation change an artwork?

Also, since some students have had trouble logging into the blog, I've changed the permissions so that anyone can view it for right now.

Thanks! -Huong

Random Things

I think it's a bit late but here's some stuff from throughout my week.

I remember going through the Eyebeam website and their exhibits. I found one of them very interesting and it's.. a special shoe. It's incredible the things they come up with nowadays. New inventions are amazing, especially if they have a wonderful story behind it, such as how it was inspired. You can read more about it here.

A friend also introduced me to a song called Handlebars by The Flobots. I originally found it amusing because it starts with the lyrics "I can ride my bike with no handlebars.. no handlebars, no handlebars." and goes on to list other things like "I can see your face on the telephone." Later, he explained to me that it has a deeper meaning and to watch the music video. It's actually a song with a political message that we, as human beings, have so much potential and we've come up with so much incredible new techonology, but we squander it on trivial things and ignore the more pressing matters like world hunger.
Lyrics and Music Video for Handlebars by The Flobots

One of my favorite stories ever, Queen of Glass by S.J.Mass. It's an incredible take on the traditional Cinderalla tale. Like amazingly creative and "page turning", incredible. It's divided into three "books" with the first covering a backstory, the second telling the tale with the Cinderella scene, and the third as a tying up the loose ends of the whole thing, and ending with an epic scene that earns the story it's title, Queen of Glass. It's an wonderfully addicting 82 chapters of captivating stuff that I absolutely recommend.
Link to the prologue/beginning
Link to 6654 reviews proclaiming it's awesomeness
Link to the author's page

Oh and of course, there's my favorite: overheardinnewyork.com
If you haven't been there yet, IT'S AWESOME and totally hilarious. It's a great way to wind down after a long day and have some nice laughs.

I know there was other stuff, but I seemed to have forgotten. I hope this is enough?

Interesting Pix found online =D

So throughout this week I've been working on a mixed media collage so I was looking online for examples of collages. i came across some amazing pieces of various artworks! check it out =D sry I still don't know how to hyperlink

http://www.artistaday.com/wp-content/marumiyan_67867678.jpg

http://www.francesduncan.com/inspireme/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/to-the-tune_web.jpg

http://stpaulswired.org/media/images/2007/Oct/15/PassionateWorshipDamotte.png

http://www.jeffreypaulstudios.com/images/2005-03-04-16-21-43.jpg

http://www.pomegranita.com/images/posts/reed-danziger.jpg

I love studying other people's artwork! I get so inspired ♥

Ghosts I-IV Film Festival

Well, I'm pretty obsessed with the band, Nine Inch Nails. They released an album called Ghosts I-IV in March 2008 which consisted of 36 tracks, all being instrumental.

The album was released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license, so the band has encouraged fans to remix the music and share it with other fans. There is even on online community that is part of NIN.com where fans can download some multi-track files to get started mixing, as well as upload their finished work for all to hear.

Another great thing the band has started is a Film Festival in which they asked fans to make short films based on a track off the album. The film festival is taking place on YouTube and there is no deadline for submission.

Great music and interesting film? You can't get much better!

Here's a link to the Ghosts I-IV official page.
Here's a link to one of my favorite Ghosts I-IV Film Festival Submission.
Here's a link to the YouTube group where you can find more submissions.
Here's a link to the NIN Remix Community.

This week at Eyebeam

In preparation for our field trip to Eyebeam Art & Technology Center this week,

1) Make sure I have your parental release form so you can go.
2) Visit Eyebeam's website: http://www.eyebeam.org
3) In particular, visit this page for after-school and summer programs in which you might be interested: http://eyebeam.org/learning/learning.php?page=school
4) Bring your sketchbooks and your "web of wonders!"

Lotte Reiniger

Here's another artist to look at.  She used multiple layers of highly detailed paper silhouettes on a light table to create her animations.    Pretty awesome. 

  

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lotte+reiniger

My Account, I put all my flash animations here (and a couple of other stuff)

http://www.youtube.com/user/jokamund

Making a Hyperlink

Some of you asked about making a hyperlink on the blog. Here's how.
1. Write the text that you want to turn into a link.
2. Select the text.
3. Click on the button above the edit box that looks like this:


4. Type the url and press OK.
5. Keep typing and publish as normal.

You can explore the other buttons for posting pictures, videos, changing the look of your text, etc. Another tip: if you are curious about what the HTML looks like, click on the tab that says "Edit Html."

Videos from Class Today

Here are links to the videos from class today:
Norman McLaren's "Neighbours" from 1952
Martha Colburn's "Meet Me in Wichita" from 2006

Here are some other animations you might like:
Paper Rad
William Kentridge's "History of Man" from 1996
Stan Brakhage's "Mothlight" from 1963
Jan Svankmejer's "Darkness, Light, Darkness" from 1989
Ivan Maximov's "Fru 89 From Right to Left" from 1989

When watching these animations:
1. Ask yourself if they fit into the "Web of Wonders" and how. Are they talking about digital culture?
2. How do you think they were made? How would you make them given the tools that we have in class: Camera, Computer, Cut out shapes, Paper, Pencil, etc.
3. If you could ask the artist a question about the animation, what would it be?

Ladislas Starewicz

Hes the guy I mentioned in class, pretty funky stop motion videos using dolls and other objects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-mkGqcvKPM&feature=related
Thats part 1 of the mascot, its creepy.

yitiutgikmugjkyf

Blah Blah Blah

www.blogger.com

http://www.moma.org

Martha Rosler and Shigeko Kubota

Here is some information about the artists that we discussed in the museum last week:
Martha Rosler's website
An interview with Shigeko Kubota

Neighbours by Norman McLaren

We will screen part of this animation in class on Thursday.

Welcome!

Hey Everyone! Welcome to the In the Making: Digital Culture Blog. Here are some links to check out:

Eyebeam Art & Technology Center (where we will take out field trip)

Marisa Olsen (our guest speaker) Please note that she will be visiting in December rather than this month as the calendar says.

Also, for a great database of Net Art, go to RHIZOME

and a great collection of art videos go to Ubuweb.

Don't forget to write and/or draw observations about your interactions with technology in your sketchbooks and bring in an object that represents you for class on Thursday! See you soon!