For our social networking project, Taryn, Jessica and I chose the topic of found objects. Our network will be a forum for people to display any random curiosity that they may have found. This can be anything, a doodle on a napkin, a written note, chalk drawings on the sidewalk, or even a location or something found on the internet.
Stumbling upon something like an unfinished letter, or a drawing done out of boredom during class, can be interesting. Often these things were never meant to be displayed at all, and consequently are honest anecdotes pertaining to a specific moment. They act as evidence of a person's existence, but because they lack context, are still open to interpretation.
So our site will allow people to post things they've found, and speculate about what they are and what they might have meant.
The Lost and Found
4.27.2009
4.13.2009
Regenerative Topic
The piece I thought had the most potential for generative topics was from Aspect volume 4, Text and Language. "Screen," by Noah Wardrip-Fruin, is an installation where viewers witness paragraphs about memories appear around them. Some of the words can be manipulated with the movement of the person standing in the room. As more of the words become dislodged, the original meaning of the essays become harder to understand. If the participant dislocates enough words, there is a massive breakdown in the structure of all of the writing, and it collapses.
The writing itself deals with memories; when the viewer shuffles the words around, it causes the text to make less sense. People rely on their memory to define who they are and what they believe in, but how reliable is human memory? How do we define ourselves if memory goes away, or is suddenly thrown into question?
The problem with human memories is that they will always just be reenactments, and subject to inaccuracies. Other times, people willfully or subconsciously omit details that detract from how they want to remember something. These ideas all relate back to the basic concept brought forward by "Screen," that memory is intrinsically linked to humanity's perceptions and understanding of the world, even though it is entirely mutable and subject to change.
Possible projects I could assign students: I could have them illustrate an event or idea from their lives, then have them illustrate it again, but omitting something or leaving out a key detail. I could also have them recreate a work, their own or a well-known piece, entirely from memory.
Eyewitness Memory
More on Screen
The writing itself deals with memories; when the viewer shuffles the words around, it causes the text to make less sense. People rely on their memory to define who they are and what they believe in, but how reliable is human memory? How do we define ourselves if memory goes away, or is suddenly thrown into question?
The problem with human memories is that they will always just be reenactments, and subject to inaccuracies. Other times, people willfully or subconsciously omit details that detract from how they want to remember something. These ideas all relate back to the basic concept brought forward by "Screen," that memory is intrinsically linked to humanity's perceptions and understanding of the world, even though it is entirely mutable and subject to change.
Possible projects I could assign students: I could have them illustrate an event or idea from their lives, then have them illustrate it again, but omitting something or leaving out a key detail. I could also have them recreate a work, their own or a well-known piece, entirely from memory.
Eyewitness Memory
More on Screen
4.06.2009
New Media Project
For my new media project, I was influenced by the Yes Men and their concept of "identity correction." The Yes Men are a group of activists that impersonate CEOs of high profile companies, such as Exxon or Dow Chemicals. Occasionally they are asked appear at legitimate corporate events. These appearances give them the opportunity to "correct" the identity of the company they are supposedly representing, by revealing ugly truths to the audience or by making ridiculous or offensive proposals.
On June 15, 2007 at GO-EXPO, Canada's largest oil conference, the Yes Men appeared as representatives of ExxonMobil. They proposed using dead bodies as new alternative fuel source. The new fuel, called "Vivoleum," would be made from the countless people that will die from global warming and climate changes caused by our current dependency on oil.
I thought it would be interesting if I did some variant on correcting something corporate. I bought some motor oil and converted it into Vivoleum, then I put it back on the shelf. The back label contains a brief description of the concept behind the fuel.
The Yes Men strive to generate awareness of an issue by being audacious, being novel, and causing a scene. I think the novelty of seeing a product that is clearly fake on a shelf is attention grabbing, but I don't think it's going to generate awareness. I think that this is more funny than political, but it might provoke someone's curiosity.
Sources
The Yes Men.com: Exxon's Climate-Victim Candles
Exxon Proposes Burning Humanity For Fuel if Climate Calamity Hits
Generative Topic
My group's generative topic was based on the idea of integrating traditional media with new technology. I did some research into art that I thought exemplified this, and why. I feel that the work that is most successful at combining traditional and new media were pieces that tended to incorporate both, equally.
For example, Brian Knep's work is almost entirely programmed and can be considered new media; meanwhile the work of a painter is considered traditional. One way to encourage the use of both mediums is to find where they intersect.
Ben Benjamin is a graphic artist whose work is a good example of this strategy. In 1997 he started uploading some of his graphic design work and web design projects onto a site called Superbad. It was supposed to function as a testing area for pieces he was working on for clients, using bold graphics and images that are manipulated with HTML and javascript code. It eventually evolved into a sort of bizarre online installation, with at least 143 interconnected pages of art.
There's no fixed entry point, so each experience is different and non-linear. Curiosity and word-of-mouth eventually led to more traffic and greater publicity. In 1999, Superbad won a Webby award, and in 2000 it was featured in the Whitney Museum Biennial. The website is a good example of traditional media (random drawings and photos, graphic) combined with new media (HTML and programming).
The second site I found was Absurd.org. There was very little information about it, other than that it is a zine, so the content is probably submitted by multiple people. The site is more organized than Superbad, with a main page and table of contents, but it emphasizes the language of HTML more. Windows open randomly, and the screen divides itself into sections; at one point your monitor is turned off for a second. One segment, When Windows Attack, convincingly pretends to infect your computer with a virus, manipulating the browser window while soberly narrating the event. The site combines pixelated graphics with manipulated text; while it doesn't exactly balance between new and traditional media, Absurd.org still counts as a good example of integration. It uses basic 2D art and then manipulates it with a computer.
Sources:
Review of Absurd.org
Internet art on display at Whitney Biennial
April 18, 2000. Web posted at: 12:20 p.m. EDT (1620 GMT)
By Jamie Allen CNN Interactive Senior Writer
Art on the Go--An Interview With Ben Benjamin of Superbad.Com
Posted by Rhizomer on September 4, 2000 12:00 am
For example, Brian Knep's work is almost entirely programmed and can be considered new media; meanwhile the work of a painter is considered traditional. One way to encourage the use of both mediums is to find where they intersect.
Ben Benjamin is a graphic artist whose work is a good example of this strategy. In 1997 he started uploading some of his graphic design work and web design projects onto a site called Superbad. It was supposed to function as a testing area for pieces he was working on for clients, using bold graphics and images that are manipulated with HTML and javascript code. It eventually evolved into a sort of bizarre online installation, with at least 143 interconnected pages of art.
There's no fixed entry point, so each experience is different and non-linear. Curiosity and word-of-mouth eventually led to more traffic and greater publicity. In 1999, Superbad won a Webby award, and in 2000 it was featured in the Whitney Museum Biennial. The website is a good example of traditional media (random drawings and photos, graphic) combined with new media (HTML and programming).
The second site I found was Absurd.org. There was very little information about it, other than that it is a zine, so the content is probably submitted by multiple people. The site is more organized than Superbad, with a main page and table of contents, but it emphasizes the language of HTML more. Windows open randomly, and the screen divides itself into sections; at one point your monitor is turned off for a second. One segment, When Windows Attack, convincingly pretends to infect your computer with a virus, manipulating the browser window while soberly narrating the event. The site combines pixelated graphics with manipulated text; while it doesn't exactly balance between new and traditional media, Absurd.org still counts as a good example of integration. It uses basic 2D art and then manipulates it with a computer.
Sources:
Review of Absurd.org
Internet art on display at Whitney Biennial
April 18, 2000. Web posted at: 12:20 p.m. EDT (1620 GMT)
By Jamie Allen CNN Interactive Senior Writer
Art on the Go--An Interview With Ben Benjamin of Superbad.Com
Posted by Rhizomer on September 4, 2000 12:00 am
3.03.2009
2.24.2009
The Yes Men
The Yes men are a group that use modern technology to perform acts they refer to as "identity correction." They create websites that are identical or extremely similar to corporations with questionable ethics. Eventually they are mistaken for that company, and may be asked to appear in public or for speaking engagements.
They send one of their agents out, who proceeds to make statements that vilify, expose, or incriminate the company they supposedly represent. One of the most interesting aspects of what they do is the lack of response to the statements they make during any given performance. In the videos we watched in class, many of the people present at the lectures did not object to the increasingly ridiculous things being said.
Their goal is to generate awareness of corporate misconduct. Their stunts often parody the cruel and inhuman nature major corporations can develop towards consumers. They intentionally allow themselves to be mistaken for a company or figure, so they can portray them in a way they feel is more accurate.
I thought the videos were really funny. I thought it was amazing that the media, for example a major news network, would do such little research into their guests as to allow someone to lie their way onto the show. I like the fact that it's a guerilla operation with many operatives working together to generate awareness in a way that's powerful and extremely entertaining.
They send one of their agents out, who proceeds to make statements that vilify, expose, or incriminate the company they supposedly represent. One of the most interesting aspects of what they do is the lack of response to the statements they make during any given performance. In the videos we watched in class, many of the people present at the lectures did not object to the increasingly ridiculous things being said.
Their goal is to generate awareness of corporate misconduct. Their stunts often parody the cruel and inhuman nature major corporations can develop towards consumers. They intentionally allow themselves to be mistaken for a company or figure, so they can portray them in a way they feel is more accurate.
I thought the videos were really funny. I thought it was amazing that the media, for example a major news network, would do such little research into their guests as to allow someone to lie their way onto the show. I like the fact that it's a guerilla operation with many operatives working together to generate awareness in a way that's powerful and extremely entertaining.
Brian Knep Lecture
Brian Knep's lecture on his work was really interesting, especially the projects he's working on currently. It was interesting hearing him describe the various career paths he's had before becoming an artist. I wanted to hear more about his work in the special effects industry. He seemed really casual about working on Jurassic Park.
I liked hearing him talk about his projects, which are extremely organic and spontaneous looking, in the context of science and programming. A lot of his new work involves living organisms, such as nematodes and frogs. He seemed really passionate and interested in just the study and pursuit of scientific topics. He seemed full of ideas. For example, the idea that nematodes will remember where food is, or respond to heat, and ideas involving this knowledge came up during the discussion.
I liked hearing him talk about his projects, which are extremely organic and spontaneous looking, in the context of science and programming. A lot of his new work involves living organisms, such as nematodes and frogs. He seemed really passionate and interested in just the study and pursuit of scientific topics. He seemed full of ideas. For example, the idea that nematodes will remember where food is, or respond to heat, and ideas involving this knowledge came up during the discussion.
2.14.2009
Brian Knep
Brian Knep's work is really interesting. I really enjoy the interactivity of his pieces. Many of the pieces are dependent on people to activate them, or they wouldn't exist. I'd really like to try one out myself. I respond to work that responds to me.
A lot of his work, despite being based off of meticulously coded computer programs, seems to try to emulate or is inspired by organic life. The idea that the patterns on the ground grew back after being destroyed, but never exactly the same way, was interesting to watch. I forgot that it was technology. I am interested in his work that reacts to eye contact. I think my question would be how this technology is able to recognize a human face.
A lot of his work, despite being based off of meticulously coded computer programs, seems to try to emulate or is inspired by organic life. The idea that the patterns on the ground grew back after being destroyed, but never exactly the same way, was interesting to watch. I forgot that it was technology. I am interested in his work that reacts to eye contact. I think my question would be how this technology is able to recognize a human face.
New Media Artist
For my new media artist, I chose Eva and Franco Mattes, or 0100101110101101.org. They utilize current forms of technology as a medium. The majority of their projects incorporate the internet, and computer technology. They refer to themselves as 0100101110101101.org and don't reveal a lot of personal information about themselves.
Hybrids is an example of new technology being exploited creatively. The majority of the effects are created using HTML and javascript, which are very basic programming languages and weren't necessarily intended for creating graphic art.
One of the goals of the work, according to the artists, was "to make a statement on some of the main themes of digital art: the issues of reproducibility, authenticity and the sharing of knowledge." By using a mundane programming language and simply edited graphics, they've created work that is easily reproduced, but as a result authorship isn't immediately clear.
A spokesperson for the artists notes that "there is no creative aspect, because all pages work well together, and all the visuals and composition has been done for you. You may rearrange the segments of a source code, but that's just production work."
Biennale.py In 2001, for the Venice Biennale show, 0100101110101101.org and the epidemiC organization sucessfully programmed a relatively benign computer virus, named Biennale.py, and released it at the show's opening, June 6th 2001. An example of the virus is contained in the piece Perpetual Self Dis/Infecting Machine, where it perpetually attempts to infect a computer that isn't connected to any network. The virus was on display in 2004's I Love You rev.eng exhibit in Frankfurt, Germany, with other viruses. The artists expressed an interest in seeing "how the public, press and police respond to a peaceful virus."
I just like the idea that they created something that will multiply and stay on the internet forever.
Vopos
The Vopos project involved technology such as GPS locators, computers, telephones, and the internet. Both Eva and Franco Mattes made the majority of their lives accessible to the public via the internet and other sources, for one year. They wore GPS locators that plotted their location online. They made their private computers available, as they logged every telephone call made for one month of the project.
HYBRIDS
"Hybrids" is a collection of 31 works that the artists refer to as digital collages. They are essentially HTML documents, containing fragments of common, easily identifiable computer graphics and images. Some of them include forms or buttons that are common on most web pages, but they are useless or perform some random function. Each piece is connected to the following one, which lets the viewer start anywhere in the sequence and continue endlessly.Hybrids is an example of new technology being exploited creatively. The majority of the effects are created using HTML and javascript, which are very basic programming languages and weren't necessarily intended for creating graphic art.
One of the goals of the work, according to the artists, was "to make a statement on some of the main themes of digital art: the issues of reproducibility, authenticity and the sharing of knowledge." By using a mundane programming language and simply edited graphics, they've created work that is easily reproduced, but as a result authorship isn't immediately clear.
A spokesperson for the artists notes that "there is no creative aspect, because all pages work well together, and all the visuals and composition has been done for you. You may rearrange the segments of a source code, but that's just production work."
Biennale.py I just like the idea that they created something that will multiply and stay on the internet forever.
VoposEssay on Hybrids
Wired Magazine, 06/27/01 article on Biennale.py
Link to Biennale.py (you probably shouldn't click this).
VOPOS GPS Database
Second Life
Second life is a computer program developed by a company called Linden Labs. It's like a cross between a chatroom and the Sims. People who play Second Life are given the opportunity to create an avatar to represent themselves within the game's universe, which Linden Labs founder Philip Rosedale promotes as a place where anything is possible. I don't think anything will ever happen there.
I downloaded Second Life and played it for fifteen minutes. The Second Life world is portrayed with awful colors and big blocky shapes. Every structure I walked past was made out of awkwardly rendered polygons, and the hills kept blinking on and off while the computer was evaluating whether to render them or not.
I watched the interview with Philip Rosedale on Second Life. Second Life has a "population" of 12 million people. The website implied that I'd meet and interact with people from around the real world. Playing Second Life should have been a social experience.
I managed to talk to two people and then I went inside someone's house. The two people I talked to didn't have anything of interest to say, or they didn't want to talk to me. They talked to me using lazy AIM abbreviations. I wish I had chosen a girl avatar, because then people might have wanted to talk to me more.
It was a poor substitute for real interaction with other people. But I think for people who are socially underdeveloped, Second Life might be appealing. People who are shy, experience social anxiety, or are awkward in person might find communicating this way fascinating. The way you interact in Second Life is so limited and artificial, you really can't mess up unless you try.
I kept trying to mess up every time I had a conversation with someone. To me, knowing that I'm acting through a computer character makes me want to do and say things I would never do in the First Life. Since I knew there'd be no repercussions, I just harassed people.
When the internet first came out in the early nineties, my friend's dad had AOL. We'd go to random chatrooms with a made up screenname, and annoy people. The lack of any sort of consequence , and complete anonymity, makes you do and say things you never would in real life.
Second Life seems to emphasize this part of human behavior, as part of what makes it a world of limitless possibilites. It encourages people to exaggerate themselves, by allowing you to depict yourself however you want. This disguise is something a lot of people must perceive as liberating, but I think it just fosters laziness and self-indulgence.
Some people might like Second Life. The lack of consequence allows people to flirt and exaggerate with impunity. They may favor their character over themselves because of this. Rosendale's commented during the video that "we may eventually prefer our digital selves." This struck me as extremely misguided. You won't enjoy being your digital self more, you'll like being yourself less.
I downloaded Second Life and played it for fifteen minutes. The Second Life world is portrayed with awful colors and big blocky shapes. Every structure I walked past was made out of awkwardly rendered polygons, and the hills kept blinking on and off while the computer was evaluating whether to render them or not.
I watched the interview with Philip Rosedale on Second Life. Second Life has a "population" of 12 million people. The website implied that I'd meet and interact with people from around the real world. Playing Second Life should have been a social experience.
I managed to talk to two people and then I went inside someone's house. The two people I talked to didn't have anything of interest to say, or they didn't want to talk to me. They talked to me using lazy AIM abbreviations. I wish I had chosen a girl avatar, because then people might have wanted to talk to me more.
It was a poor substitute for real interaction with other people. But I think for people who are socially underdeveloped, Second Life might be appealing. People who are shy, experience social anxiety, or are awkward in person might find communicating this way fascinating. The way you interact in Second Life is so limited and artificial, you really can't mess up unless you try.
I kept trying to mess up every time I had a conversation with someone. To me, knowing that I'm acting through a computer character makes me want to do and say things I would never do in the First Life. Since I knew there'd be no repercussions, I just harassed people.
When the internet first came out in the early nineties, my friend's dad had AOL. We'd go to random chatrooms with a made up screenname, and annoy people. The lack of any sort of consequence , and complete anonymity, makes you do and say things you never would in real life.
Second Life seems to emphasize this part of human behavior, as part of what makes it a world of limitless possibilites. It encourages people to exaggerate themselves, by allowing you to depict yourself however you want. This disguise is something a lot of people must perceive as liberating, but I think it just fosters laziness and self-indulgence.
Some people might like Second Life. The lack of consequence allows people to flirt and exaggerate with impunity. They may favor their character over themselves because of this. Rosendale's commented during the video that "we may eventually prefer our digital selves." This struck me as extremely misguided. You won't enjoy being your digital self more, you'll like being yourself less.
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