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.

Xerox Project

This is my xerox project titled Hangman (Pieces of Me).  It was inspired by the Billie Holiday song Strange Fruit and the performance art piece with the same title with the man suspended in a tree.  It was made with paper mache wrapped around balloons.  I tried different types of paste starting with flour and water which worked but was very messy.  After making a mess with that paste, I switched to a mixture of Elmer's glue and water which worked much better and wasn't as messy.