Final

Here is my performance art final video.

Performance Art Final

Feel free to check out the rest of my videos.

My YouTube Channel

Peace!

Modern Day Animation

Modern day animation has taken fantasy worlds and brought them to life before our eyes. Pixar has been one of the most successful companies in its time because of their ability to create stories that are interesting to the viewer. they also do an incredible job of animating and creating these fantasy worlds through art. Unlike the production of Snow White Pixar has the power of computer animation at their finger tips. It is ignorant to say that production has become easier since the introduction of computers however. It is still a painstaking process. This time it's behind a mouse instead of a pencil.

Check it out: Pixars Creation of Monsters University

Snow White Production

Before the introduction of computer technology to animate for us producers spent significantly more time working on cartoon movies. Not only were they responsible for the script and storyboarding there were people in charge of drawing each scene. The scenes were created frame by frame. From there the scenes were placed together. Finally the audio and editing the film to final form. This short youtube video gives a new appreciation for the painstaking process. Snow white took over 30,000 frames!

Check it out: Snow White Production

Children Toys Turned Art Form

Anyone born in the late 80's to recent years knows about LEGO's. LEGOs are a small brick building toy that can be used to express the imagination in block form. LEGO has even opened a theme park dedicated to their little colored bricks. Nathan Sawaya is an artist who has taken the LEGO to the next level. With exhibits all over the world Sawaya has taken his creativity ad built some impressive pieces. The projects really speak to the kid in all of us. He isn't in to following the instructions in the box. Do you think you could one up his work?

The Fall of FM Radio

When I think of a warm summer night I picture myself cruising in my car down a back road twisting the dial on my radio to find my favorite FM country station. What if in the future we no had FM radio? This reality may not be to far off. In an article Published by Gizmodo (Norway to Remove FM Radio by 2017) Norway announced that they will be removing the use of FM radio. Instead they are going to move to digital radio. They believe that they can offer higher quality audio and a wider range of stations to their listeners. 90% of americans still use FM radio at least once a week but we could follow suit soon. It is not to uncommon for one to see others using pandora or Sirius Radio more than FM radio each month in America. Is FM radio dying? Norway thinks so.

Minecraft and the Art of Video Games

One of the most popular video games in recent years is Minecraft. Minecraft is a massive sandbox style game that allows users to explore and build in an 8 bit block based world. It is not uncommon for users to recreate their favorite real world buildings in Minecraft. There are multiple remakes of the Eiffel Tower, The colosseum, the space needle and even the game of thrones world. In fact a group of builders spent over a year to create the game of thrones world. Spending 20 to 30 hours a week the builders created the popular fantasy world from only blocks. The developers believe the map is about the same size as the city of LA. Wow!

Check it out: Game of Thrones Minecraft Edition

Ithaca Towers

As we near the end of the year it is easy to look ahead to New Year celebrations. Many of us spend time with friends and family as we watch the ball drop on television. The displays we see are art in their own right. Ithaca College is a small school in upstate New York. On campus they have two towers that can be seen from the town of Ithaca. In 1965 the maintenance workers began making lit displays during the winter season. At first the displays were of a Christmas tree and a cross. In recent years the workers have started to make displays that show the year. Even year on New Years at midnight the workers coordinate a light switch that changes the display of the numbers to the corresponding year. Another interesting use of technology to create art.

Check it out: Ithaca Towers

Here is my Art and Technology Final Project. It is a performance art piece. I have created a beat using household items. I edited the music using garage band and edited the video together using iMovie. It was filmed using an iPhone 6.

Art and Technology Performance Art

Pixelated Photo

Here is a pixelated photo of myself using the 8 bit digitizer.

Sheep Herding and Pixels

All electronic displays are shown as a pixelated image. Pixels are defined as, the smallest addressable element of a digital display. Pixels are square in nature and are often colored. Placing them in set patterns will create an image when done correctly.

 A group of men took to the hills to create their own version of a pixel image using sheep. By placing lights on the backs of their sheep herds they were able to organize them into coordinated patterns. They made moving images that depicted a game of Atari Pong, a fireworks show, and even a Mona Lisa.

Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw&feature=youtu.be

Kinetoscope and Early Film

Before the days of Netflix and internet streaming of movies there was the VHS and DVD players. Prior to those forms of film playback there was the cinema. Prior to the cinema was the invention of Kinetoscope. The Kinetoscope was not the same as a modern movie projector but would be the precursor to such technology. The viewer could look through a small peep hole and view a short film that was about 30 seconds long. This was one of the first inventions that had 35mm moving film.

 The first time the public saw these films was at the Brooklyn Institute of Technology. This was also the first time that films were understood as a frames per second calculation. The more frames you could fit into one second the smoother the film would become. Most of the films were very straight forward shots with some sort of action happening within the frame. this was the true beginnings of film making.

Moving Photos

In the movie series Harry Potter many of the still photos within this magical world are shown as moving images. Whether its a newspaper of a small family photo the directors give them a magical quality by allowing them to be moving images. In real life we are not fortunate enough to have these magical pictures but technology has brought us much closer. The invention of the Gif allows users to watch small moving photos that last for about 10 seconds. Some of the Gifs are snippets from a movie or TV show and they are even the focal point in many popular Memes. Technology has also brought us the invention of the electronic photo frame.

The electronic photo frame was patented in 2005 (http://www.google.com/patents/US6975308) and can be found at almost any large electronics store. By loading your photos onto the frame itself there is a running slideshow that is randomly selected from your photos.

The Dawn of the Mac

In 1984 Apple Computers was a budding technology company. They were on the verge of releasing a new computer called the Macintosh. One order to advertise their computer they created a somewhat controversial advertisement to be aired during the Super Bowl. This was Apples first commercial for the new Macintosh computer. The ad is considered one of the most creative and influential of the decade. The advertisement depicts a woman spinning and throwing a hammer at a "Big Brother" figure in a dystopian landscape. The figure is representative of IBM the juggernaut of computer technology in 1984. The advertisement is a spin off of the book "1984" by George Orwell. The commercial was aired one time but it reached almost 50% of all American households. This was the dawn of what we now see during todays Super Bowls and the massive influx of creative commercials.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

Battleship Potemkin

Battleship Potemkin is a Russina film made in 1925. This is one of the first films with clips cut and placed together to create a visceral response from the audience. The method of editing this film is known as montage. The clips are cut in 3 and 4 second intervals. Many regard this film as one of the most influential on modern film because of its use of montage. Much of the techniques that the director, Eisenstein, used are still being used today.

One of the most famous scenes is called the Odessa Steps. This is a scene depicting Russian soldiers marching and killing civilians as the descend a stair case. The scene has been remade many times.

Here it is (above) being copied in the movie The Untouchables. Much of this film is considered propaganda as Eisenstein was very much in favor of the Bolsheviks revolution.

The Future of Robotics

In todays society more than ever there are robotic mechanisms that are changing the way we work, clean, or even play. In most homes you can find a robotic vacuum called a Roomba.  In almost every factory in the world there are robots responsible for assembling parts for a new product. The human race has been able to take much of its man power and convert it to mechanical power through the invention and progress of these finely tuned machines.We can only speculate as to what is on the horizon for robotics. One product I stumbled upon earlier this week was a drone called Lily.

Lily is a professional quality camera crew built into a flying robot.  It is capable of taking 1080p HD videos all while tracking your every movement. Lily is connected to a remote tracking device that the user places on their body. The user can change the angle and distance that the camera follows its tracking device. This camera is revolutionary for filmmakers as well as the average joe camera user. Costing only $799 buyers can create professional quality action shots anywhere they please. This is an incredible advancement in camera technology for the common man.

Video: Introducing the Lily Camera

Grids in Art

If we look at the most rudimentary forms of organization we can see resemblances to grids. Whether its the streets of Rome or the motherboard in a computer it is easiest for the human mind to line things up in a 2 axis linear fashion. We often see grids in art because it draws the human eye better than any other shape.

We find grids in a very tightly organized fashion in art such as the picture above. The grid gives the artist an ordered sequence in which to form their drawing or painting. In fact in beginning design classes all over the country students are being taught how to grid a smaller photo onto a larger canvas in order to keep proportionality. There are also grids in a much more abstract and disorganized fashion. The photo below illustrates such.

While this photo does not have the same direct order to it as the above painting we can still organize a grid. The form of the grid gives the viewer a pattern for their eyes to follow. In the second photo the eyes are initially drawn to the large white bar in the center. From there the viewer moves left and right in a linear manner following the many boxes created.

Flip Book Video

Here is the video of my 400 page flip book.

Art and Technology in the News

Technology has become so common place in our society we almost don't notice it. One way that we can use technology in an eye catching way is through art. Whether thats the use of a robot to paint a picture or using a microscope to view electron micro pictures we are advancing the integration of art and technology everyday. I recently found an article titled "Using a Laser as the World's Most Powerful Paintbrush" in the news.

This article talks about a man named Ben Tricklebank who was testing out new concept of art using a powerful laser projector on a California valley floor. Tricklebank bought the laser off of eBay for $600 dollars and the rest is history. He spent the next few months using the projector as a form of temporary graffiti that he could place on the landscape. Most laser exhibits are reactive to the environment such that if the viewer interacts with the lasers the exhibit will change. Ben had an idea of placing a new environment onto the existing one.

Blade Runner Comparisons

The movie Blade Runner is loosely based off of the book "Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep". The story places us in a dystopian future where androids are human like killing machines that have infiltrated society. It is the job of one cop Rick Deckard to find a band of Nexus machines that are in his city. The film is based in Los Angeles in the year 2019. The landscape is filled with high rise buildings and pitch black dark clouds. If we compare the depiction of society in the movie to what it is now we can see a few stark differences as well as some similarities. Because we are only 4 years from the setting of the movie we can make very accurate comparisons.
Flying Cars: While we are in the process of creating a self driven car we are far from the flying vehicles that are shown in the movie. The closest thing we have right now compared to flying cars is a overboard being developed by Lexus car company. This is one facet incorrectly represented.
Cultural Influences: In the streets on Los Angeles we find a mostly Japanese  influence on the cultural. Much of the side conversations are in Japanese. This isn't completely inaccurate as the U.S. has seen an influx of immigrants over the years. However the biggest representation is more Latino than Japanese.
Pollution: An interesting comparison that the film makers have is that of the pollution. In the film we see many of the buildings spewing dark fire and smoke from their roofs. While this is inaccurate as to what our buildings are like now it is a very interesting point on how pollutions is now. Global warming and the push for a more sustainable lifestyle is very prominent in todays society. Is the caused by the predictions in the film?

Photograph In Time

The first pictures ever recorded were done on a camera obscura. This was a small box completely shut out from light except for one pinhole. The back end of the box was fixed with a plate that had bitmen coating. This chemical coating would change color with the introduction of light. This camera had an exposure time of almost 8 hours. As we look forward in time we begin to see cameras with exposure times of only a few minutes and much clearer photos. This came with the revolution of the technology for the camera. New chemicals and wisely crafted camera bodies helped speed the process. Even in todays age we continue to see a progression of the technology involved in photography. In todays era you can take a photo with an exposure time of a trillionth of a second. The colors in the photo are incredibly vivid and you can store thousands on a small card placed into the digital camera. It is truly an incredible feat to see how far we have come in photography.

Vaudeville

Vaudeville is a genre of entertainment that was especially popular during the 1880's and the early 1900's.  The performances were stage based and usually contained multiple acts. The acts were unrelated. The performers were called Vaudevillians and included singers, dancers, jugglers, and magicians. The shows were very light hearted. The happiness of the show is what attracted so many viewers. By attending a Vaudeville the average citizen could release themselves from the plight of everyday life just like we go to view a movie to escape reality. There eventually became a chain of theaters around the country offering these variety shows. Their popularity reached its peak around the early 1900's. At this point the introduction of cinema spelled the decline of Vaudeville shows. Cinemas were much more affordable. The Vaudeville shows could also be filmed and have their acts replayed over and over. This exhausted an act that would usually go on tour for several years in a regular Vaudeville stage act. We still see the remnants of Vaudeville shows in the circus circuits that now travel across the U.S. Circuses offer much of the same feel as a Vaudeville show including the format of having multiple unrelated acts in one showing.

Alumni Art Exhibit

On the University of Tampa campus we are lucky enough to possess an art museum as a part of our art building. Often times the campus will offer an art exhibit for the students and public to attend. The shows change about once a month. This month the Bailey Art Studio is offering an exhibit featuring some work from the Alumni of the University of Tampa. There were pieces in mixed media options placed along the walls. It was interesting to see the different formats that the artists had submitted. The piece that caught my eye the most was the one featured left.
This piece was done on a canvas that was about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. This piece has a very powerful message as a piece of propaganda. It points to the elephant that is the U.S. economy. There are people of the world trying to hold this beast up while a monkey apparently dressed in very patriotic clothing that is orchestrating what the elephant must do. I suspect the artist believe the monkey is our government and that they may view our government as dishonest with the way money is falling from his pockets. All in all I enjoyed the exhibit I do however wish there were more pieces to look at. The exhibit seemed a bit limited.

Madama Butterfly

The version of "Madama Butterfly" that we have watched is a claymation remake cut down to 10 minutes. This film was originally an opera made in Italy. The story is that of a young girl named Butterfly who seems to be Chinese or Japanese. She falls in love with a handsome white American man. The two end up making love and the woman becomes pregnant. Meanwhile the American man sails off to sea for many years. All the while the woman is shown waiting for him. He soon returns, accompanied by his American wife only to find he has another child. He takes the child from Butterfly and is shown leaving with his wife. Butterfly leaves the set of the animation and peels off the plastic outer cover that makes the body of he doll figure. She then dismantles her metal frame with a screw driver effectively committing suicide. There are a few themes I noticed in the film that help bring meaning to an otherwise silent film. (None of the characters speak.) In the opening scene we see a Butterfly land on the woman head. The butterfly stays in contact with the woman until we see the American initially leave. I believe that this Butterfly represents her soul or her love for the man. When the man sails away he takes her "love" with him. Another interesting thing I observed is the way that the weather changes while she is waiting for him to return. She is not bothered by the blowing wind on the shore. This is another sign of he undying love. The final act portrays her taking her doll body apart with a screw driver. This is an interesting rendition of her act of suicide as it is painful to watch despite it being metal parts. All in all this short film tugs on the heart strings as we associate with Butterfly.

The Day The World Stopped Turning.

September 11th 2001

September 11th is one of the most famous days in the history of the United States. From the shores of California to streets of Boston everyone was effected in their own way. Many lives were changed that day to never be the same again. I personally do not have any memories from that specific day. At this point in time I was a first grader attending Elk Ridge Elementary School in Buckley, Washington. I'm not exactly sure why I don't have memories from that specific day. I do know from my brothers accounts that many of the televisions were on in my school for a short period of time so that the teachers could follow the news reports. Friends whom I grew up with mentioned that their school days were cancelled immediately. I do not remember going home early. I do have memories of the following years and the time spent honoring those who died often with a moment of silence during the morning announcements. I find myself in the minority that I don't have memories from that specific day as it seems everyone else does.

Early History and Art

Links from Early History and Multimedia

Art comes in many fashions. Not only is a beautiful painting considered art, so is a theatre performance. We can see evidence of some of the earths most amazing theaters in Greece, and much of Europe. One excellent example is Notre Dame. The Notre Dame Cathedral is a beautiful building in Paris that has housed Catholic events for hundreds of years. The architecture inside is breathtaking while the outside sits on the edge of the Seine River. Massive stained glass windows stand on the far end of the cathedral creating images of important events in the Bible. The most important event of Notre Dames history is arguably its importance in the French Revolution. Now know as one of the more prominent tourist sites in France Notre Dame still stands untouched today. The architecture is unmatched in todays era when compared to newer buildings. No where in the world can you see a piece of art as beautiful as Notre Dames layout.

In Greece we find one of the most powerful buildings in all of Rome's history. The Colosseum. With its massive walls it was the biggest amphitheater in the Roman Empire. Housing hundreds of events the Colosseums design is still replicated by todays engineers. In fact much of the technology we use today at modern events is thanks in part to the Romans and the Colosseums advances. Despite being torn apart by weather and time the Colosseum is still the leading attraction in the mediterranean area of the world.

Much of old world art is in the form of the buildings that those people used in that era. Concrete stands much stronger and taller through time than any other canvas ever made. This is much of the reason behind why many tourist attractions are buildings of every shape and size.

The World of Wrestling

"The World of Wrestling"

Roland Barthes

In Roland Barthes essay, "The World of Wrestling", we dive into French amateur wrestling in the 1950's. Wrestling in this decade was not anything that it is that we think of now on television. Much of the wrestling was done in a much smaller scale. Barthes points to the idea that wrestling is comparable to the acts we see in theatre. While wrestling is a sport this type of wrestling is most often staged with a predetermined winner. Barthes compares wrestling to boxing pointing out the differences. A key difference is the juxtaposed meanings in each moment and how the viewer must find the meaning without think as much of who the winner may be. The winner in fact is not the most important spectacle of wrestling. Instead the emotions of each moment are what make wrestling. Barthes also points out the message that is being portrayed in each moment by the wrestler themselves. The emotion and gestures of the fighters are like the act in a theatre. Each wince and twisted expression draws emotions from the viewer. The final aspect of a wrestling match that Barthes explains is the spectacle of suffering, justice, and defeat. The crowd is yearning for a hero and villain story on the wrestling mat. Through the suffering of one opponent the crowd lets out cheers of approval as to let the fighter know they are on his side. With the finale of this show one opponent must accept defeat. The crowd yearns for this finale in that they will be given the show of justice upon the mighty villain in the math. Initially Barthes says that some think wrestling is not a sport. He explains that the audience is not interested in who might win the contest. instead they immerse themselves in the action and emotion of each moment. These are the reasons wrestling is so amusing.

Philosophy of Technology and Episteme

The meaning of Episteme usually translated as knowledge. The word Techne is most closely translated as craft or skill. Upon first glance at the meanings of these two words we could say that they have separate meanings. The biggest conundrum we find with these two terms is the interchangeability of them and the way their meaning can change based on their use. Greek philosophers have developed these terms in time with the context in which they are used. Plato and the Stoics illustrate the differences in understandings in their application of the terms. One may think that pure Episteme (knowledge) is the only thing we need to get along. On the other hand Techne is the act of experience and real life abilities. Plato initially used the two terms in the same context. Plato believes that the Episteme cannot be used effectively if there is not Techne to use it. The Stoics do not have the same understanding of Episteme and Techne as Plato did. They believe that Episteme is the moral standing and knowledge of a man and Techne is the act of using these morals.

In todays world the word technology brings about thoughts of iPhones and Laptop Computers. This was not the case in Ancient Greek and the history of technology as a whole. In Ancient Greece philosophers pointed to the artistry of architecture as the technology of the day. They said that technology wants to imitate nature as closely as possible. As we reach the historical era of the renaissance we see that technology begins to be a form of self expression in that of art. There is a great appreciation of art and its influence on our place in this universe during these eras. Upon the arrival of the Industrial Revolution we find that technology has a socio-economical influence. We also see technology begin to feel an influence from science and how technology in turn effects science, ethics and culture.

The history of technology and how we use it and view its importance has developed throughout history and with the development of philosophy gained a entirely changed meaning.

Raul Cuero and Creativity

Raul Cuero is a Professor in microbiologist born in the 1940's in Colombia South America. He came from a very small home and a humble economic situation. He was able to surpass these challenges at a young age. Raul has an incredible thirst for knowledge. In his younger years he had to overcome the prejudice that is associated with an African American pursuing an education in the 50's and 60's. Raul presents a few ideas on how he was able to overcome difficulties. He explains that he believed in himself and his identity and in that he found new possibilities because of his ability to see the bigger picture. He did not have to listen to others to tell him what to do. Limits were placed on Raul but he went out of his way to do something that others did not expect him to do. In the video he points out that creativity is doing something new and unexpected. I admire Raul because of his perseverance based on his conditions. Raul could have very easily fell to the prejudice that he was around. I see the correlation of his courage to creativity. Often times I find myself scared to express my ideas or my creativity as I do not want to be judged on what I create. These are minor problems compared to what Raul overcame. I can use him as an inspiration. Later in the video Raul talks about the importance of creativity through doing. He states that the american education system and its children are following a menu. There cannot be too much structure as this does not allow one to tackle problems and struggle on their own. I believe I can use this advice to my advantage. Going out of the way to attempt new and unique problems on my own without a guide could be very constructive in developing my creativity. Professor Raul Cuero is a unique individual in his origins and the way that he has developed his life. His ideals on creativity and how to live a challenging life could be very useful if implemented correctly

Juan Carlos Delgado

Juan Carlos Delgado is a Colombian artist whom works with multiple media types. His work is seen in photo, painting and most notably sculpture format. Many of his works have a faded look with much of the edges being open space. His most noticed work is his sculptures. The copper are pieces are frozen solid upon display. As time goes on the ice begins to melt and reveal the dark tones beneath.

http://www.colarte.com/colarte/ConsPintores.asp?idartista=1401&pest=obras

 This is an interesting technique because no matter when you go back to view his work it will always have a different appearance as a result of the melting ice. Initially the ice will blend the statue into his white background often used in his sets. Does the ice represent cleanliness or a fresh beginning? As the ice melts we are down the true core of his piece his copper statue. Another interesting part of his work is that most of his frozen pieces are statues of women in long robes. Does he have another meaning behind the type of statue he works with?

Day 1

My name is Michael O'Connor. I hail from the far upper left corner of the country. A proud citizen of Seattle, Washington and the Northwest region of the country. I am a Junior student athlete at the University of Tampa. I am a member of the Mens Lacrosse team here on campus. While I enjoy playing lacrosse in my free time I am also an avid Youtube goer and a frequent poster on Reddit. My GoPro is one of my prized possessions and I often document my adventures then post them on my Youtube channel.

(Taken With my GoPro Lake Tapps, Washington)

 Its hard to say what my feelings of the class are after just one day as we only spent 15 minutes in class total. I did notice a sense of apathy from my peers when we were posed the question on what it is we want to get out of this class. To be honest I had no real answer myself. It was a bit embarrassing for me and I am sure for my classmates. It is interesting to see this dynamic from my generation. We often don't have much direction on what we are doing in our lives. This leads to a lack of attention and more or less a lack of responsibility for our own affairs and actions.
 Through much of high school I pursued the graphic design classes that were offered. For a while I even could see myself in a career as a graphic designer. The idea of creating images from my own imagination and spreading them to thousands of viewers via print form or social media was, and still is, a fascinating prospect. Late in my high school career I lost my passion for graphic design as my athletic pathway took a hold of my career ideals I just could not see myself sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life. I still have the passion and interest in art and its cohesion with technology and that is part of the reason I enrolled in this course. I hope to leave this course with a better understanding of the history of art and technology and how I can contribute to the propagation of this new media form.