Clay and limestone

A day out with the 'clay cliffs clan' of Kate, Kaye & I!
We had a beaut day with wonderful weather providing stunning sky and lighting for fantastic photo opportunities.
Elephant rocks provided a surreal situation with a film set in the making for Kingdom Come.
Late afternoon sun, and dark grey sky was magic.

Leaders Remix

Can you name the leader's:
head
eyes
nose
ear
upper lip
lower lip

Political remix

Who will be our new leader?

Final remix

By combining audio with this image I am questioning children's views regarding war and how many kids today are brought up on playstation etc games. Do they fully understand the reality of war and take it seriously!
Audio comes from a George Bush speech on the invasion of Iraq and live news of bombing in Baghdad. Also included in the remix is audio from a playstation game where you must kill terrorists that threaten Washington DC.

More on remix

Martha Rosler's and Sean Hillen's websites were both very interesting sites and their work has references to war which is a very good resource for this remix. I wasn't quite sure if we are meant to use an "artist" work in the remix so have included a portion of a Sean Hillen photograph (closest to cross hair). 

This image (#52) is from a series called Troubles: photographs from the North of Ireland 1980 - '92 and relates to a funeral in Derry and the ensuing rioting.

Vector self portrait

I started this drawing in illustrator but as I don't have this programme at home decided to try inkscape. I must say I liked the bezier curve dialogs and user friendliness but the colour palette was a bit frustrating. I should have rtfm.

Still, not a bad way to spend Friday when you're feeling lousy. Quite addictive actually and time consuming.

Not a bad result bearing in mind the lack of detail when it comes to wrinkles - artistic license!

No concept, just a practice with vector graphics. 

Remixing the Remix!

I decided to add text and liked the idea of making it look like a crashed computer system. With the text reversed it makes the image appear as if from the inside looking out. This highlights that young children often think that what happens inside the 'box' is real. Conflict and war involving children is an issue I am working with in my current studio practice, printmaking. 'System Failure' could be seen to refer to a message to end war!

Remix Assignment

This is my starting point for the remix assignment. I have altered the original image by enhancing the silhouette, dropping out the background sky and duplicating the soldiers. The sky has been replaced with an image I have made by photo etching in printmaking. The image of the soldiers sits in front of the child's face like a wall or barrier, creating tension because of the scale. Are they toy soldiers? The format is that of a widescreen TV. Are children today bombarded with too many images of war through the media on their TV screens and how will this affect their lives? 

Remix

Original image for remix from
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/
Band_of_Brothers%2C_101st_in_Iraq.jpg

Seagull loop video

Loop stats

Videos consisted of:
Water loops x 4
Birds x 2 loops x 2

Music consisted of:
Water loops x 17
Bird calls loops x 5
Listening Wind - Talking Heads loops x 2

Exported as MPEG2
Pal DV High quality

Video was put together in Premiere.  I had a brief look at both Audition and Audacity but as I wanted the music to sync with the video the music was also mixed in Premiere. 

Roll video and cut!

The inclement weather and illness in the production team meant a delay to our initial filming. Choosing seagulls as our star characters was fairly unpredictable when wanting to follow a storyboard. However, shoestring chips from flying squid meant no shortage of wannabe stars.
We had a fun time feeding seagulls and using the camera. I liked the close ups with the camera on the ground. The birds were very wary of the camera but still couldn't resist the lure of the shoestring!
No problems with instructions for uploading video. We ended up with a total of 6 minutes film and captured 4 clips. The important thing to remember with the upload is to have the camera and computer turned off before connecting the fire wire devices and also to turn everything off before disconnecting.

Storyboard

Our group storyboard for a movie loop. It involves seagulls which might prove to be somewhat unpredictable!

Photo Object

Recycled plates coated with cyanotype as part of a photography elective. The quality of the print on these plates made from residue of sugar cane was surprisingly good!

Reflective writing.ext

I felt that too much information on a powerpoint was unnecessary and cluttered. I therefore kept my writing on the powerpoint presentation to a minimum. This then, is a more in depth extension to my reflective writing.

What does digital literacy mean to me? I saw comparisons to the lecture series this semester on 'Art & Change' where we looked at early 16th century exploration of the West into the East.

This was a time of discovery and in writing my essay, I was able to take advantage of internet based research when looking at sites from the Netherlands. The 'translate this page' option was a valuable resource for my study.

From the 16th century to the 21st century we are still on a journey of discovery, this time in a digital world. 2001 A Space Odyssey comes to mind, where I recall the ape discovering a tool as a means to survive. From a pile of bones we have now moved on to the computer as a means to survive our few years of art school practice.

My time-based movie looks at the origins of childhood drawing of stick figures progressing into an infinite digital world. This is how I see digital literacy. It is sublime. Digital literacy is a place of mystical vastness and infinite unknowing. I refer here to: “A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origins of Beauty and the Sublime” by Edmund Burke.

"Let the awe and mystery of a journey unlike any other begin!"

Image 4 powerpt

Author: Chelle from morguefile

Jewellery Exhibition

This is a sample of the jewellery I've been working on for this semester leading up to the exhibition next week. To see more come to the show!  Details at handled

Time-based video

Exhibition

I have created a blog for our Year 2 Ceramics and Jewellery show titled "handled"

View at http://handledceramicsjewellery.blogspot.com/

Time-based storyboard

Time-based

Author: Kevin Rosseel

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=192114&

Author - anon

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=42415&

I have chosen to use images from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/

About this site:

The idea to build the web's morguefile was conceived by Michael Connors as a college student in 1996. It is currently a collaborative effort between brothers Kevin and Michael Connors who own and maintain the world wide web's morguefile. 
This site is dedicated to the Connors family. Dorothy, Dennis and Jean Marie Connors who are deceased. Dennis and Dorothy Connors were special education teachers who devoted their lives to educating children with special needs and behavioral disorders. In utilizing this web site, you help us honor the memory of our parents and sister.
Michael Connors is a multi-media artist at Grey Interactive in NYC. Kevin Connors is a special education teacher and part time photographer living in Clifton, NJ.
The morguefile contains photographs freely contributed by many artists to be used in creative projects by visitors to the site. To acknowledge the artist's accomplishments, we ask that you credit the photographer when possible.

A nice gesture which I'm happy to support!

Another image for my time-based piece this time from http://gimp-savvy.com/PHOTO-ARCHIVE/

 

Photo Credit:NASA

http://gimp-savvy.com/cgi-bin/img.cgi?nasaT1PPY1gehpE4000

Copyright Creative Commons

I have looked at copyright and the creative commons aotearoa nz website and have opted for: 

Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 New Zealand

I feel this licence will best suit my purposes while at art school.

You are free:

• to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
• to Remix — to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

• Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

• Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

• For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.
• Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.
• Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author's moral rights

Space Odyssey

An allegory perhaps of what digital literacy means to me?

"Let the awe and mystery of a journey unlike any other begin."

The sublime in action I'd say! 

Movie

From: hawkbad360 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6umxthz1Ys

Copyright

Case study 1
George Harrison vs The Chiffons
My score was 3 x 4 and 3 x 1 so a pretty even contest. As I'm no copyright expert I guess I have to leave the decision to the professionals! I think there would generally be a different audience that each song would appeal to.

Case study 2
Lebbeus Woods vs 12 Monkeys
Yes there is definitely a similarity between the chairs.
The judge ruled for Woods, a result that would require Universal Studios pull all copies of the movie from world-wide circulation after only a month's run. Showing that he had a sense of humor, Lebbeus Woods allowed Universal to continue distribution of the movie, chair and all, for a high six-figure cash settlement!
A similar outcome regarding the art on the tshirt case would have been good to see, instead of bullying tactics from a large company.

Case study 3
Oh so criminal
I thought this was a clever way to get the message, albeit illegal, about 'fair use' across to a wider audience that would appreciate his views and in a language that is more accessible too! I guess it would be considered a parody, therefore does not infringe any copyright laws.

As for flickr, incredibly slow and frustrating broadband at home today so it will have to wait.

Exhibition poster

This is an initial idea for our forthcoming exhibition. I like the simplicity and limited colour but it needs a reference to ceramics as well!

Theory

Silver crafted in Indonesia over a Dimple whiskey bottle.

Essay Topic Proposal - Art & Change - Year 2

My essay topic will discuss Dutch colonisation and the impact of Western influences on art in Indonesia. A silver lined, glass decanter from Indonesia that is now in my family’s possession will be the focus of my essay. As I am currently in the jewellery and metal smithing department the history and use of silver interests me.

In an article by Kevin Murray, Till Death Do Us Part: A Structurationist Approach To Jewellery, he quotes:

Removing the object from its place in the world is like uprooting a plant: it denies the object’s origins and source of sustenance. For precious objects, this is to deny the material and traditional aspects of their production, as well as the structures which cause them to circulate outside of workshops. The object lives by drawing on elements outside of itself: matter, thoughts, bodies, etc. Take those away and you have a sterile and secure environment that is not touched by unstable factors, but you also have a setting which reduces the capacity of the object to find its mode of being. Thus, in the end, art loses its audience. (1)

I would like to explore this comment further in relationship to the silver decanter and its relevance to connections with our lectures on the infiltration of the West to other parts of the world. This article appears in our jewellery and metal smithing course reader for this semester.

(1)“Murray, K. “Till Death Do Us Part: A Structurationist Approach To Jewellery”. In Craft in Society - An Anthology of Perspectives, (ed) Noris Ioannou. Freemantle Art Centre Press. South Fremantle, W.A 1992. 198

Scanned image

This scanned image is a collage of my sound piece for the drawing project. It has an aluminium foil background and I thought it was interesting to see how it reproduced on screen.
The music is titled L'usine desaffectee by Vladimir Cosma and is from a soundtrack to an old movie favourite called Diva. I have really enjoyed listening to an old cassette tape version that a friend left in the art gallery where I work part time. I play it heaps when I'm there. I recorded the sound via my digital camera, downloaded it into Audacity, then into iTunes. From there, it went onto my son's ipod, so I was able to listen to my sound piece when I took the dog for a walk on the beach. That was a wonderful experience! Hope my son allows me to borrow the ipod again... might have to get my own.
L'usine desaffectee is a haunting, eerie sound piece that actually brought back memories of a recurring nightmare that I had as a young child. The collage represents a dark tunnel with metal and water reminiscent of an abandoned urban underground.

Blue Oyster 'Grad Show' review

There were two artists' works that stood out for me. Aroha Novaks work exposed the violence and destruction of war. For Site she used a lovely pink rocket ship which gave some sort of hope or at least escape from war and this was not on show at the Blue Oyster. Still a powerful work though.

The other work that impressed me was by Alissia Holzer. Being in the lower gallery it was like coming into the calm after the storm! Clean and fresh - finely detailed using an air brush technique I believe. Again on show at Site, I thought the lighting she used there gave the work a more delicate purity which enhanced the overall effect.

Space Invaders

Video link

Linking an image

Metal (cropped version)

by tanakawho

Image was downloaded from http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons to avoid any copyright issues. I chose this image as I'm currently in the jewellery dept and I really like the curve and texture of the metal.

Useful categories

I think a category that covers the jewellery and ceramics upcoming end of semester exhibition would be a good idea as a way of communicating ideas amongst our group.
Other categories would include theory, drawing and possibly book reviews.

Delicious or the other

Definitely Delicious as I would like to avoid the other as much as possible as they're too monopolising!!

window scene

Johnny Chang looks like it could be of interest in our current stage 2 drawing project. Looks very interesting.

What I think of computers

Computers have become a necessary part of my life and I could not survive without one!