Art 240 - New Media in Art Blog

I thought that the exhibition experience went well! What stood out to me was the whole process in which a gallery is set up. The exhibition was set up in the Mudd Gallery in the Library. It was a small room, but there was just enough space for all the pictures to be set up. We had to not only use our artistic and design skills in making sure the art is presented well, but also our measuring skills. We had to measure the placement of each picture so that it would look even and nice to the audience. We used nails and hammers to make sure the pictures could be hung up. What was most important was the placement of each picture. You have to consider the color and content, so making sure there is an easy transition that is pleasing to the eye is a must. All in all, the experience of setting up our exhibition was very fun and made me realize that exhibitions are an art in itself!

Bob Dylan I decided I would do my report on Bob Dylan. McLuhan and Bob Dylan have a lot in common in that they both have a counterculture view which was common in the 1960s. Counterculture was a movement that wanted to stray away from the long-held values of those in the 1950s. Movements such as the Civil Rights movement began to spring up and changed the views and attitudes towards those in the establishment. Bob Dylan is important to understand because his most notable songs like "The Times They Are a-Changin'" and "Blowin' in the Wind" became anthems for this time period. The songs asked why things must be the way they are and why should we follow these old values. McLuhan covers this when he states, "The young today reject goals...That is, total involvement" (100). This is in direct reference to those participating in movements like the Civil Rights Movement. Instead of letting nothing happening, those in the counterculture generation wa

For my project, I decided to tackle the issue of nuclear weapons and the impact it would have on communication.  I sampled through four notable communication tones that have significance to me, Discord, Skype, Google Hangout, and an Apple ringtone.  These fit with my project because these are sounds that are more modern compared to a traditional phone sound.  This connects with McLuhan when he states, "We hear sounds from everywhere, without ever having to focus...We can't shut out sound automatically" (111).  How could you shut down sound though?  When a nuclear bomb strikes, it devastates everything in its path.  There is virtually nothing left around ground zero.  People are trying to communicate just like its another day, but then the bomb hits and everything is silent.  I want my project to simulate that silence that is in the aftermath.  This sound project couldn't be more relevant because of the lingering threat of war.  This could very well be our futur

Stephen Perkins has a lot of interesting things to say during his artist talk. He primarily talked about his background as an artist and the projects he does currently. He presented his ideas through a presentation and elaborated on his experiences through speech. Stephen was from England and talked about the school system at his school. One of his pieces, "this ain"t my scene", showed his turn to not being conventional. His art school also shaped his life career. Instead of being a painter because his instructor berated him, he became primarily a photographer even though he would dabble in other mediums. His time as an art therapist resonated with him in that he was able to draw a social benefit and meaning from his work while dealing with the patients. Unfortunately, the job wasn't for him due to it being a psychologically stressful situation over time. Stephen moved to San Francisco and got into visual anthropology. He was dealing with photography is not just an a

For this project, I decided to take pictures of various objects that seem mundane but after editing and using camera angles, it makes them look interesting. I wanted to do various objects because of McLuhan's quote, "Environments are not passive wrappings, but are, rather, active processes which are invisible" (68). Whenever we are in an environment, there are many objects all around us that may seem invisible but once we pay attention to them, they show their use for us. Are you aware of everything that is happening? No, of course not. It's only once when you put your focus on an object that it reveals itself to you. When I was taking photos, I took made sure to use interesting camera angles to engage the viewer. Sure, you can have a picture of a highlighter, but if you take it at an angle where you are eye level with it, you get a different perspective. McLuhan states, "The main obstacle to a clear understanding...is our deeply embedded habit of regarding a

I decided to tackle my project on Martin Cabello III.  If you watch his videos, you can see a lot of what he says can be taken out of context.  If you really listen to him though, you can hear the genuinity of his voice.  This relates to McLuhan when it states, "At the high speeds of electric communication, purely visual means of apprehending the world are no longer possible; they are just too slow to be relevant or effective."  Whenever Martin speaks, you have to pay attention what he has to say because while at first it seems confusing, once you breakdown what he is saying you can understand.  A lot of his stuff though is very bizarre, but at the same time poetic like the following line, "Helly Hansen makes me hella handsome while I lend a helping hand son, because honesty and integrity are a part of their corporate policy."  I thought the only way to understand Martin is if I became him: