Project 3: Reflection

I learned quite a bit from this project as well as the semester as a whole. I learned how essentially the Internet and internet-based media can help contribute to future technologies and ideas, specifically in my field of film. This was also very challenging for me because normally I tend to stick with more analog than digital, for example I primarily use actual film instead of digital and look towards older techniques as opposed to modern ones. Even though my project 3 didn’t exactly attend to this, it taught me that I can utilize modern technology and simply the internet as a medium to possibly update old film techniques and utilize them in a new way that simply combines the old with the new. People are too easily out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new, but the old was once new and there is a certain beautiful nostalgia and stability that is provided when the two are combined, and through the course I learned this more concretely with all of the assignments. This may not have been the primary course intention, but it made me realize my appreciation for classics, as well as mainly how to utilize multimodal internet composing to display this and how to update classic film technologies and experiences without completely ditching them. I always assumed it had to be one or the other; all digital and modern, or purely analog and classic. Now I realize the potential there is in simply using both to create something new and modern that likely appears to a larger, more contemporary audience and society.

When the basis for this project was introduced I was focused on films being more interactive as a way to update the film field and was narrow minded in thinking that this was one of the only modern ways that film could be revised. Although this is appealing, film is primarily meant to be watched and enjoyed. If film were to be interactive then it would eliminate one of the true natures of film and film watching, and this isn’t something I would quite be interested in. Perhaps it is because of my tendencies toward being old-fashioned in terms of film but this is what sparked my idea that I used for this project; I wanted to invent something that would still allow film to continue it’s voyeuristic nature, but intensify the experience of this and simply make it seem more realistic, and therefore makes the films more powerful. In this sense, it aids the filmmaker, as well as the film audience with the use of modern technology, all while maintaining a classic presence; a silent audience and a film screen. I learned that one doesn’t necessarily have to start from scratch in order to be innovative, and also simply how to utilize my own knowledge about film and filmmaking to create something new and updated. I realized the power of the Internet and how it can be used to simply interact and display anything, and how to use it to my advantage as an artist. This may seem obvious but have never been too interactive in terms of the Internet and this class taught me how to use these tools to my advantage.

Project 3: Poetics

I had a difficult time in the beginning deciding simply what I should compose on my site and how to portray my product in a way that was logical and would get the idea across the best and most effectively. I decided to make the site appear very clean and organized to aid this, and the intended audience is artists in the film field, as well as people who simply watch movies and want a more intense experience. I felt that my product was a little difficult to convey visually and that my site required more writing and explaining than images, as I felt there wasn’t much found-images that would strongly help my project. I created a sketch, as well as a modest diagram that was combined with the sketch in order to convey my idea more thoroughly, as opposed to just using words. The product itself that I’m essentially explaining on my website is very visual and I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t use more visuals throughout the website. I could have used more images, but when I viewed the website with a clear mind and while pretending to be my intended audience, certain images I had on the website prior weren’t the most helpful in understanding the product and what I was trying to portray, so I decided to add more words. I also thought that it might be more interesting to discuss about the visual possibilities of the product without too many images because it sort of makes the audience want to learn more and know what the product itself can do. Plus when the audience isn’t overloaded with images, it allows them to use their imagination and create what they want the product to be like in their own minds. Sometimes an intended lack of information is a good thing and can be used in advantage of the producer. My field is very visual and I tend to not be the best with words, which is partially why I am in the film field; it’s easier for me to speak with images rather than words so I wanted to challenge myself in addition. My key objective was to teach the audience about the formation of the product, the potential of it, as well as the different uses it can have. I combined the product with the Dolby Atmos system in order to further aid the effect of the product and create an even more immersive atmosphere, which is what I was aiming for when the idea about this technology emerged. I wanted the audience to feel educated about the idea, but not overly educated so that the intended audience would have the desire to still learn more about it.

Inventio Activity

Interactivity between the audience and the art/artist, altering genre/form as well as the delivery, in attempt to create a unique form of synesthesia, or “when two or more senses cooperate in perception” as mentioned in The Hidden Sense article by Cretien van Campen. He discusses about how synesthesia is perhaps “…our hidden sense – a way to think visually; a key to our own sensitivity.”

Exercise 3: Art Praxis Update

I attended an MFA art exhibit and a few different ways that artists could extend and update their art praxis would be to not only project certain art pieces onto the gallery wall, but have a camera on the audience and a projection of their reactions to the films or art pieces, projected in another room in the gallery. This would make the audience relate to the artist and feel more involved, although it could possibly make people uncomfortable. This in itself could be part of the exhibit because it would be commenting on how we are comfortable being gazers, but not being gazed at; when we are on our devices we are usually the gazers, not the watched, and therefore this would be an interesting experiment and exhibit. The audience could also be encourage to have a photo taken of themselves, or take the infamous ‘selfie’ with the artwork in the background, where they would then send the photo to the artist, the artist’s page, use a certain hashtag, etc., in which the artist would then create a collage of all of the audience’s photos, or something of the like. This would get the audience more involved and excited about attending the art because it would help them not feel alienated, in which I feel like a lot of modern art gives off that feeling. Perhaps it is the intention, but in modern times I feel as though people often have the impression that the digital age disconnects us from human interactions and reality because even though it allows us to talk with people we otherwise wouldn’t be able to interact with, it eliminates the human quality and emotions of speaking with a person face to face. This would make the audience more comfortable and connected with the artist and play upon the idea of ubiquitous computing, or essentially the merging of virtual technology into our everyday lives without the concrete awareness of it. If everything in an art show/museum/display were to become digital when it didn’t necessarily have to be, I think that wouldn’t be very beneficial. It is best to utilize technology to our advantage and to work with it to attempt to engage the audience more, as opposed to separate them from reality. Not only would both of these ideas help the audience to be more engaged, it would help them to feel more attached to the art and the artist and is more inspiring as a whole. People learn the most when they are interacting and not just observing, and this would help inspire the audience in a more direct way. It is a great way for the artist to expand their art too, as well as the followers of their art. Both ideas would add a sense of comicality and involvement, and make the exhibit not seem overly formal.

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Art Event Review: CU MFA Art Show

The CU Boulder MFA Thesis show on Friday April 3rd, 2015 was an art show comprising of several different artists. Before stepping inside of the gallery area, there was a table of several different snacks and drinks that helped put the audience in a positive mood. Upon walking in, there was a mixture of photography mounted upon the tall plain white walls, a film, projections, 3-D semi interactional hanging artworks, etc. The art gallery goers were all talking amongst themselves, and the artists were there too, greeting people and chatting with those who had questions about the pieces. The display was very professional and formal, but the atmosphere was very light-hearted and friendly. This event was free and appealed to essentially anyone. Considering the fact that it is 2015, all of these art pieces could have been displayed virtually and on a website but if this were the case, the art show wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful, especially considering the verbal nature of the show. If this were on the web, I guarantee that the majority of people wouldn’t have spent so much time viewing and taking in all of the details of the art pieces. There was a community environment that couldn’t have been replicated on the web. If the artworks were presented on a website there could be a question and answer forum with the artists, displays of artist statements, pieces about the meanings of the art, etc., but art is a very personal thing, and to express one’s hard work only on the web would be somewhat of a disappointment because anyone can put anything on the web. Having the show inside of an actual building creates a sense of prestige and the audience has an immediate respect and positive bias towards the artworks. It’s more formal and also allows the audience to learn about the pieces on a more intimate level because of the potential human interaction with the artist. As an audience member myself, I expected to the show to be more prim and proper but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. I talked with a few of the artists, who were very helpful and I was able to learn about their art works much more in depth. On the walls near these artworks were typed plates, labeling the medium of art, the year, the artist, and there was also a longer written paragraph below it. I expected there to be some form of an artist statement but instead what was written was a little bit about the context of the specific piece, as well as a very poetic paragraph written by the artist that was essentially about their inspiration and their personal context and reasoning for the creation of their piece. By having an art show as opposed to a web gallery or even a live streaming of the event, it made the artwork an experience, as opposed to just an image viewed on the web. As a whole, the artworks were displayed very beautifully that served the art justice, and the positive and open atmosphere made the audience feel welcome and included, and allowed for full submersion of the art.

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Art Inquiry Blog

Artistic inquiry produces new knowledge, but on a more personal level in my opinion. Most people think of knowledge as purely being academic and something that is concrete and directly sharable, but a lot of time for artists such as myself, I speculate that art knowledge is something that becomes more innate. Lessons learned through art practice are different than most academic learning. Things learned through non- art majors are more concrete and fact based, whereas art has no limits. Therefore when an artist learns something aside from simply the skills and tools needed to complete a specific art piece, it is generally something more meaningful, something that will stick with them the rest of their lives. For example, one thing I always try to do is to view anything I look at as a piece of art. Places that I visit frequently such as campus or classrooms, I always try to find something new that I never noticed before as well, whether it is the pattern of the ceiling tiles, to the texture of the carpets, or even the shape of the glare on a dry-erase board. The difficulty comes in trying to give others this sense of vision. It requires relatively little mental capacities or expansion to read an article and then write a paper about it, simply regurgitating the facts that one just read about. Art is very undermined and people don’t realize how much work it takes to create art and to simply create something purely unique. It takes a certain mindset in my opinion, and there is difficulty in teaching someone how to be creative. I feel that it is more of an intuition, and there comes a point when trying to teach students how to be creative evolves into teaching them how to be formulaic. Only through an artist’s own intuition and own self-discovery can they truly learn. Teachers and other art/artists can inspire the student, but I believe that there is only so much that can be taught. I think a good start for students of the arts would be to keep their eyes and minds open, and view the world as inspiration. This creates a new mindset that will stick with you the rest of your life. It produces useful knowledge that can be put to use to create art, not just memorizing facts. It creates a new appreciation for the visual art that is artificially created, and makes one better at their own art when they have that observant eye.