Golan Levin Interview

This interview provided a lot of useful information on new technologies that I wasn't aware of.  It was also a very creative interview with the visual effects.  The best question asked was if art degrees have any value.  I ask myself that sometimes but I always answer yes they do have value.  There is always value in learning new skills and new technologies.  I think the biggest value is the connections made while going to school.  A good network with other artists is very valuable for people who plan on making art a career.  A degree in art is not for everyone.  Most people who pursue an art degree are born with artistic talent and do it for the love of art.  Some people are stupid and should have pursued the art degree when they were younger instead of joining the military.  But I feel like it is never too late to pursue a dream and learn new things.

Electronic - The Knife + Fever Ray

Fever Ray, aka Karin Dreijer Andersson, formed The Knife with her brother Olof Dreijer.  They are a Swedish electronic duo.  Fever Ray released one solo album and that is how I discovered her and The Knife.  Her self-titled solo album is a mesmerizing work of art.  This is one of the few albums that I love every song.  The eerie sounds she creates are nothing like I have ever heard before in music.  Her videos are loaded with imagery that complement her music.  She also combines performance art with her music.  Her award acceptance speech is legendary.  It is the first time anyone accepted an award with grunting and a melting face.  I saw the viral video of her acceptance grunt and was immediately drawn to her.

Girl Power - Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap is one of my favorite artists and relies heavily on technology to create her music.  She includes a lot of looping and voice manipulation in her songs.  Her song "Hide and Seek" is a beautiful work of art made with only a keyboard and her voice.  She has a very kooky style and is definitely a precursor to Lady Gaga's crazy outfits.  Over the past couple of years she has been experimenting with musical gloves with amazing results. 

Punk - Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot has revitalized the Punk genre with their arrest and prison sentences for expressing themselves.  They are a mix of punk and performance art as they protest against the brutal crackdown in the Soviet Union.  They are very courageous as they risk their lives for their art.   Also, Pussy Riot has to be the best band name in the history of music.

 

New Wave - Duran Duran

You can't talk about New Wave without mentioning Duran Duran.  They were one of the most successful bands from the British Invasion with a string of hits in the 80s.  I was into the hair bands during the 80s but will admit Duran Duran was my guilty pleasure.  Their music relied heavily on synthesizers for their signature sound and were also categorized as Synthpop.  Unlike a lot of the bands from the 80s who have broken up, Duran Duran is still together making new music and touring.

Techno - Rednex

I discovered Rednex while I was living in Germany in the 1990s.  They were very successful in Germany and "Cotton Eye Joe" was a huge hit.  The first time I heard it, I was at a carnival in Nurnberg.  It was playing on one of the rides that was spinning very fast and it was awesome.  I had never heard anything like it before.  Rednex is very unique because their music is a blend of techno with folk and bluegrass.  I don't think any band had done that before and it was very different and I am always attracted to stuff that is different.  It has been over twenty years since I first heard them and I still listen to them today.  Their videos are nothing but over-the-top silliness.  

The Smiths

The Smiths were one of the best bands from Britain in the 1980s.  Some people compared them to the Beatles and they were very successful with their blend of new wave and indie rock.  I don't recall hearing much from them when I was growing up on the 80s but I discovered them later on.  Even though they were only together for a short period of time, they gained a cult following which still exists today.  Their lead singer, Morrissey, had a very successful solo career after the band broke up.  He continues to tour and there are always rumors of a reunion of The Smiths.  I like Morrissey because he makes great music and is an outspoken supporter of animal rights and vegetarianism.  One of my favorite songs by The Smiths is "Meat is Murder."  I like it because Morrissey is expressing his true feelings through his music.

 

 

Massive Attack

I had never heard of Massive Attack until I saw their video in class.  I guess I was too lost in the heavy metal scene of the 80s and 90s to discover some great music and amazing videos.  I really got lost in the imagery of the "Karmacoma" video.  The music was great, but the video was better.  I have watched several more of their videos and get the same feeling.  I like the video imagery better than the music.  The videos are a work of art and seem like they had finished the video images first and then added music.  I watched some of their live shows and it does seem something is missing without the videos.  I probably would not have given them a second listen if I had just heard the music.

This live version of "Karmacoma" would have been better if they had projected the video images in the background.

 

 Massive Attack - "Karmacoma" Live

The video for "Teardrop" was very creative, but like the other videos, I enjoyed the video imagery more than the music. 

 

Massive Attack - "Teardrop"

 

Performance Art Comments

The performance art pieces were all very creative and well-done for first attempts at performance art.  Andrea had a great idea integrating her major, Creative Advertising, into her performance by allowing people to write their favorite slogans on her body.  Bryan's performance of being connected to his electronic devices was an excellent representation of MIS.  Katelyn's was the best interpretation of anti-advertising with her sign.  I like the way she recorded her performance from across the street.  Leah's was excellent with the participation of the people walking on Bayshore.  My favorites were done by Spencer and Kirby.  Spencer did a very creative piece with communication by string and cups.  He picked a perfect location with lots of foot traffic.  Kirby did an excellent job by immersing herself in the story as a Journalism major.  She created the story with the body on the sidewalk and participating by doing the chalk outline.

Performance Art

I decided to put myself in a sand sculpture for my performance art.  I thought a shark eating me alive would be a graphic image and would work well since I am a graphic design major.  It also represents the way I feel sometimes since I'm an older student attending college.   I decided to do it at Fort De Soto Beach and it was my first attempt at sand sculpture and performance art.  I immediately had problems with the sand holding together but finally got a good feel for the amount of sand and water to mix.  The sand sculpture took about two hours to complete and I spent another thirty minutes posing with the shark and allowing others to participate.  I posed with my head inside the shark and then posed with a torn, bloodied shirt inside his jaws.  It was a conversation piece on the beach with many people.  This is the first time I have ever had so many strangers come by and talk to me at the beach.  My shark turned into a photo op as many people stopped to get a picture with their head inside the shark's mouth.  I had stressed about this assignment since day one when I saw it on the syllabus but I stressed out for no reason.  It was a very enjoyable experience and I got to know a lot of new people.

I was very worried at this point if it would work.  I was starting to think of back-up plans.

I was feeling much better after the mouth did not collapse.  That was the hardest part to do and took several attempts and lots of water.

This was the first pose.  I could hear lots of people walking by and laughing.

I'm sure this picture is on her Facebook.

This is the second pose with my shredded and bloodied shirt.

Photo op!!

This lady had more than water in her cooler and she had been drinking lots of it.

Northern Soul

I think the reason for this underground dance music was explained in the video when it showed The Osmonds.  If that is the music being played on the radio, it would drive people to an underground club scene to listen to good music.  I think it is also about rebelling against the "in" music at the time.  There will always be groups of people who don't fit in and want to be different.  The Northern Soul scene gave them the opportunity to be different and be around like-minded people.  If those people did not exist, we would still be suffering with the same old crappy music.

Graphene

If all they say is true about graphene, then it would be the next evolution in electronics to continue making them smaller. Electronics have continued to shrink over the years from large bulky items to small, thin devices. I guess graphene answers the question of how small and thin can they go. Some of the items mentioned in the article are very intriguing and one is a little scary. I like the idea of the cell phone battery that stays charged for a week but I don't like the idea of a very thin cell phone. I would probably lose mine on a daily basis. I would like to see a graphene television that I can stick on my wall. I am fascinated by what graphene could do in the art world. It could really take body art to another level. I don't like the idea of a graphene implant to monitor my body. I would try the thin electronic devices but would not want any of it in my body.

Videoartes.com

I chose three videos from the 3D category. All of these have amazing special effects but each offers their own uniqueness. World Builder tells a beautiful story as a man creates objects from nothing with his hands and movements. It also incorporates a love story. It does a lot in only nine minutes. In One's Heart is a very short clip at less than a minute but it packs lots of imagery and story in that short period. This movie is a very artistic piece with the nesting dolls and text. My favorite is Auto Drums. This one creates a beautiful musical compilation with new and unique instruments.

World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

In One's Heart (INDISOULS 2nd exhibition, Feeling) from ifworks on Vimeo.

Auto Drums from Bob on Vimeo.

TR 808 Songs

The Beastie Boys:  "Brass Monkey"

Whitney Houston:  "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

Marvin Gaye:  "Sexual Healing"

Video Mapping

This one was a very creative project with lots of interesting images.  It has some very realistic illusions with the building crumbling down.  It looked so real I had to refocus on the actual building to make sure it was still standing.

I like the combination of video mapping and dancers in this example.  The use of color and the dancing movements produce lots of energy in the performance.  I liked when the dancers changed from real to projection and then back to real again.

This was a very creative advertisement for the BMW Series 3.  The mapping on the car combined with the background video created a very realistic illusion of driving down a road. 

Commercials and Propaganda

I think the line between commercials and propaganda has been blurred.  Propaganda has typically been used as a political tool but commercials seem to be pushing an agenda toward the public.  Commercials are now used to not only advertise a product but they are used to create demand and sometimes pure insanity for a product.  Commercials are used to make people believe they have to get the latest car, clothes, shoes or electronic devices to be a part of the "in crowd".  Black Friday ads are a great example of the monster that advertising has created.  It is insane that people will camp out a week before something goes on sale just to get a "deal".  Why would people give up a week of their life just to get a sale item?  I would never go to that extreme but I do remember being effected by commercials during my Saturday morning cartoons when I was a child.  I had to have those toys and that sugary cereal with the toys inside.  Now I despise commercials and have no use for them.  The majority of my television watching is on my DVR so I can fast forward through the commercials.  I guess commercials can be considered propaganda since they are trying to influence and persuade the viewer to buy something.  It seems to be working since people are willing to camp out and wait for days to get an item. 

Xerox Projects

The class was very creative with their xerox projects.  My favorite pieces were made by Gina, Holly and Katelyn.  Gina's dress was an amazing wearable work of art.  Her use of the loofah sponge created a beautiful texture.  I liked Holly's use of good and bad items radiating around her face with her face being pulled to the good side and away from the dark side.  There was a lot of thought put into her piece as she exposed part of herself.  My favorite was Katelyn's project.  She took the project to another level by experimenting with her dog.

I Wish to Say

I read the letters from Florida and they reflected a variety of opinions from anger to innocence.  Sheryl Oring allowed ordinary people to share their feelings and be heard when their voices probably would never be heard.  It is a very expressive work of art that shows how divided the United States has become because of politics and endless wars.  I doubt if it will make a difference but the postcards allow citizen's voices to be heard by many people around the world.  Unfortunately, the ones that need to hear it are out of touch and won't hear the voices.  The best postcards were by the children.  Their voices was a refreshing break from the monotony of the political letters.  I enjoyed the innocence of their questions and statements.

Performance Art

I have never been a big fan of performance art but I am slowly gaining an appreciation of the art form.  My view changed after watching Marina Abramovic's performance of The Artist is Present at the MoMA.  I could feel the emotion when she opened her eyes to see Ulay after many years apart.  It was a very emotional moment that broke the barrier between artist and viewer.  It touched me in a way no artwork has ever touched me before.  It was an unexpected feeling.

I'll probably never be a fan of some of the performance art.  The vomiting, defecating, pissing and bleeding is just not for me.  I understand that it is influenced by things happening in the world but it seems more about shock value than art.  I saw no artistic value in the recent performance when Millie Brown vomited on Lady Gaga.  It was more of a cry for attention of a fading star.

I will admit our performance art project had me worried when I read about it the first week of class. I'm not worried about it now after watching the other artists.  They have inspired me and I have a great idea for my project.  Hopefully, I can translate the idea in my head into a great performance art piece.