FREE Photo editing software

Alright folks! The word on the street is that the best freeware version of photoshop is called "Gimpshop." Give it a try and let me know what you think: http://www.gimpshop.com/

Post Secret

Hey Team! Thanks for all of the hard work this semester. The class was so much fun, and your work was great-- fun, energetic, and thoughful! THANKS! I'll post some more details about getting DVD copies of your work when the time comes. This blog will still be available so keep using it to post your work and interesting links and to stay in contact, etc.
Happy Holidays! -Huong

ps. Here's a really great website that started as a mail project:
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Open Studio Today and Schedule for Next Week

Hey Team! Thanks for being so attentive to Marisa's talk and for all of the hard work yesterday. I just wanted to post the schedule for the next two weeks for reference:

Dec. 5, 4-6PM
Open Studio

Dec. 9, 4-6:30PM
Make-Up Class
Studio Day for projects

Dec. 11, 4-6:30PM
Last Studio Day
Projects need to be finished at the end of class, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Dec. 13, 4-6PM
FINAL EXHIBIT!!!
YAY! Invite your friends, family, etc!

Also, here are the links from Marisa's lecture: http://delicious.com/marisaolson/MOMAlecture

Some more interesting projects

Hey everyone,
So tomorrow, we will learn how to use the video cameras! yay! Here are a few more projects to give you ideas for the Digital Self-Portraits:

David Crawford's really nice and simple Stop Motion Studies
Ethan Ham's Face Recognition Self-Portrait
and Life Sharing , a project by the group called: 0100101110101101.org

Send me those artist statements!!!

New Blog!

Hey Class, Check out my new blog:
http://funfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunphun.blogspot.com/

I'm thinking of expanding it for my final project. Tell me what you think!
-Huong

William Kentridge

Ezra was asking about making a hand-drawn animation for the final project. I think it's a great idea if you are up for the challenge. I wanted to post a link to an animation by William Kentridge for inspiration.
Kentridge is an artist from South Africa who creates animations by drawing and erasing over the same image. The results are beautiful.

Links from last class

Hey all! Here are the links to the projects I showed last class:

TehChing (Sam) Hsieh's One Year Performances
Marisa Olson's American Idol Blog

We didn't get a lot of time in class to talk about these projects (though they definitely provoked some strong reactions), so take a look at them now and post a comment on this thread to tell me what you think.

Also, a note about the final project: The idea of a "self-portrait" is definitely up for interpretation. It could be a representation of your body, but could also go beyond that to talk about your life, your family, neighborhood, interests, etc. It can also bring up questions of what is a true representation. For instance, the blog format lends itself to being a journal of your real life, yet Marisa Olson's American Idol project blurs the line between what is a performance for reality television and what are her real experiences and true emotions. What is the line between fact and fiction for how you represent yourself?

Class Today

Hey Everyone, I'm starting a demo on IStopMotion and IMovie right at 4PM, so be on time to class today! Hurrah!

Just to say hello!

Hey Everyone! I'm loving all of the blog activity! I see we have some new bloggers and some great new posts. I wanted to encourage everyone to comment on posts. It's always nice to get feedback. I'm going to start doing it too! Also, it's a great way to get in touch with your animation partner if they are on the contributors list.

For this week, we are finishing up our animations and presenting them to class. I will give a demo of IStopMotion and IMovie in class, we will spend an hour working, everyone will present, and then we will talk about your final projects (!)

Until then, there's still loads of Learning To Love You More assignments to do. Aren't they fun?
Here's the link: www.learningtoloveyoumore.com

See you in class!

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!

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

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!"

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?

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!