Second Life Avatars

Overall, I got this avatar to resemble me the best. It was much patience in creating it but it went smoothly. I had to go in to fix my skin color though and define my face a little more. I went freebie shopping as well for more clothes my style!

 For my dream avatar, I made a creature called the Blind Caterpillar, but I couldn't take it with me to the destination we were in. It was pretty cool since I almost got it to have a huge flashing billboard "The Blind Caterpillar" over it, but that failed miserably at the last minute when trying to alter it. I chose to create this creature because I'm fascinated with butterflies, but I had to include it's origin first. I loved this project!

3D Sculpture Animation

For this project, we were to create a digital representation of a 3D sculpture we made in class. So far I loved my actual 3D sculpture, I wasn't as satisfied with the animated version. This one was a bit difficult even with the tutorials. Some textures wouldn't fit right, some figures didn't scale right and I couldn't create the dripping paint effect like I so badly wanted to. I felt that would've been the best part. Either way, I was at least okay with the outline I created of the figure. That part was okay to handle, but the small details such as the rhinestones were almost impossible so I gave them a fluorescent stone-like texture instead to symbolize its spherical features.

Exhibitions and Lectures

The Cadre Exhibition

For my first event, I visited the Cadre exhibition at the Haldan Art Gallery in Lake Tahoe. Even though this exhibition was required, I enjoyed it more than all of the other events because there was so much variety in such a small space. It seemed to have a very well fixed organization for new media. The part I liked the most was playing the video games in which sent a totally different message than what the audience had thought. Its message was of sexuality and the trials or dangerous troubles with it. 

Another piece I enjoyed was Joseph Delappe’s depiction of a hand of a soldier from a digital game he created. I could imagine the work he put into it to make it look so digitally perfect in the real world. It’s almost like walking into a pixilated atmosphere. 

Other pieces that were captivating and interactive were the “Transborder Immigrant Tool” and “The Pixel Board”. “The Transborder Immigrant Tool” is by Brett Stalubum and Electronic Disturbance. This piece caught me because it actually senses its surroundings and they crazy thing is that he created this project using cellular devices. There were wires attached to them and the idea behind this is the struggle for immigrants to find their way into a safe haven. This is how one will find their way in the lost expansion of land. 

“The Pixel Board” by Dc Spensley and Peter Spangler. They created this piece so that everyone has the chance to become artists. This allows you to use your iphone or android device to scan the barcode and start building objects using your touch screen against a projection on a wall. Even though I was unable to experience first hand myself, I was still able to enjoy others do the activity. It was actually more interesting watching everyone do the activites because I saw how creative students are when given a foundation to guide them.

 Here's others from the exhibition:

"Two By Land" Exhibition

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For my next event, I went to the “Two By Land Exhibition” by Nicole Donnely and Katherine Sandoz. Since I didn’t attend their lecture, I was at a stand still with how to interpret things. Everything inside of the Sheppard Gallery was very neatly placed. The artworks themselves were very beautiful. There’s one where I stood directly in front of it and wondered how they got certain textures to lay over the piece. It was like a pattern of dripping water or paint, but not exactly done spot by spot. 

There were so many different pieces, but one of them stood out because it resembled an artwork done by a recent art group I researched name Liu Dao. They break down their artwork into different frames, but still make them cohesive. I really liked the idea of pattern or puzzling the audience. 

Since the exhibition was called “Two By Land”, I knew that these paintings were of land and all of nature that comes with it. Their use of neutral colors on a bountiful and colorful background really gave the feel of the smoke in the air. I’m not sure if the smoke represented a fire or something that could cause pollution. Each of the paintings had similar backgrounds and similar colors, so it seemed as though they were telling a story in the sequence they were placed in. Since I wasn’t filled in on what actually was going on, I left that assumption in the clouds. This exhibition was quite fun because it sparked my curiosity a bunch. It was like trying to find a hidden message in a jumble of letters.

Brian Kreuger Thesis Exhibition/Lecture

Last, but not least, I visited Brian Kreuger’s exhibition for his MFA thesis. Is was titeled “The Unknowability Center.” I first went to the exhibition so that I could get a gist of what he might be explaining in the lecture. At the exhibition, there were multiple pieces installed to help create a stellar effect. There was pink light on a few of the pieces, even on the flyers themselves. Up above attached to the ceiling as you first walk in is a net or nicely stitched pattern of fabric inside of a box-like container and at the time I didn’t understand its significance until I got to the lecture. There he explained his animated project that repeats the words “I Know” and “You didn’t know that?” He went on to say that he had a conversation with a man and he had just gave Brian some knowledge on a downtown art gallery that Brian never knew about. Creatively he tied in the matching key words that gave way to his idea on the “Unknowability” at hand. I really admired that he was able to take an everyday situation as such and creatively turn it into a great piece. 

The avatar did startle me a bit when visiting the exhibition at first.  During the lecture he says that he was on a quest to find his identity, which reminded me of another artist I researched by the name of Alexa Wright who bases her art solely on identity and human nature. This idea of incorporating identity is intriguing because it allows one to question one’s own identity. Things change when looking at one’s self from the outside. Towards the end of his lecture, he mentions the patterned cloth hanging up from the ceiling at his exhibition. The symbolism of the box was of a coffin that he wanted to dedicate to his brother who committed suicide.  The patterned cloth was a representation of a veil which symbolized power in a more subtle form which was dipped in antifreeze. Everything about this piece touched me, especially after finding out the bigger meaning behind it. Overall, the exhibition and lecture were great and I really got to find out how great and down-to-earth of an artist he was.

Inspiring Artists Extended Blog Post

From the beginning of modern art, there’s been much versatility in the world we live in. Most of everything is digitally empowered. Digital art is an art form itself and is the result of advancing technology in our world. Two modern artists that work directly with technology are Liu Dao and Alexa Wright. The two are similar in intention and movement, but also distinct from each other through the messages they send and how they portray their messages to an audience.

                Liu Dao is a group of artist who originated in Shanghai. The name is derived from the pinyin language, meaning Island 6. Before meeting to for this group, they were all on their own paths in the art industry. All of which are technicians. They first started as painters, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, digital imaging artists, dancers and writers. The mix of culture and variety in this group makes the artwork more solid and stronger in appearance. The choice of medium is cultivating, as they tend to use LED lights. Liu Dao specializes in interactive art and they usually place their artwork in box frames, whether it is wood, metal, or any other material. The box gives much significance to preservation and gives the artwork a different effect. Most of the artwork done is of humorousness or political views of events going on in Asia. Two examples of their interactive art are called “Vigilance” and “An Oriental Arabesque”.



"An Oriental Arabesque"





"Vigilance"



Island 6 went up for grabs on their first art show in August 2010 at the Red Gate Gallery. They also have a partnership with the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing. These artists are so independent that they do their own curating of their art shows. Keeping up with the modern era is their main focus. Modernization is the key to staying relevant unless otherwise legendary to art history. Along with modernization, Island 6 strongly uses collaboration as a base. Everything that has been a success so far has been through teamwork and collaboration. One specific piece done by Island 6 that I admired was “Adrift in Shanghai’s Sin City/Make My Skin Crawl”. The mood and movement throughout the piece is very intriguing. It gives a sense of sexuality and style throughout it. This piece didn’t constitute any political matters, but did stand out systematically. This piece was also created with LED.

 "Make My Skin Crawl"



  

Now it’s time for Alexa Wright. She is an artist who is very explorative on human identity. She tends to put humans in a predicament to help identify themselves as well. Her concentration is digital interactive art, video, photography, and sound. She’s definitely well rounded alone. She has worked with a team of scientists to help with her projects. She’s personally become a scientist herself with her natural born curiosity to find out about the human body and actually pursue such discovery. One scientist she works most of her time with is Alf Linney. He helps to curate her projects as well. She’s not been recognized by a vast mass yet but she is making her mark widely by traveling across the world to show her talent.

 A few of her works include “Digital Aesthetic 3”, “Liverpool”, “The Definition of Self”, “Alter Ego”, and more. “Alter Ego” happens to be the piece that I enjoyed the most and it conjures up much conversation and reaction, in my point of view. 

 “Alter Ego” is a piece built to impersonate the audience. When one approaches the piece, the screen mirrors the appearance and interacts with the one in front of the screen. The mirrored depiction the screen is actually an avatar. Her intention is based solely on human identity. She expected the audience to give a reaction to this piece whether it is pleasing or dissatisfying, but it does help display how one feels about themselves.

Similarities/Differences





These two artists or groups of artists are both digitally aesthetic. Their use of technology speaks to their audience. From what we’ve read in class, these two groups try to experiment with tactical media as they incorporate politics and humanity into their artwork. Island 6 is successful in attracting attention to general and serious issues, but they aren’t so strong with politics. Alexa plays more with humanity, but she’s tied in serious matters with previous works she’s displayed internationally. Both are successful in conveying the serious issue going on in their community, but the question arises as “Do they move their audience and try to convince them in taking action in their communities?”

Even though similar, the two become different from each other in the approach they take as artists. Alexa Wright definitely approaches her audience head on to create immediate reactions such as her project she called “The Conversation piece.” In this piece she doesn’t appear in the background and she lets others come to it and speak to it. The piece itself speaks back and it corresponds directly with what you’re saying so this isn’t a programmed microphone that’s fixed to speak un-accordingly. Her attempts at contact never seem to fail.

As for Island 6, they take a more visual than interactive approach. They do design their pieces to move, but not so much to get an immediate reaction from the audience. I definitely feel that they will be blown up if they had done it for an immediate response. Their signature creations do still keep their fans following and I really admire that. They don’t stray too far to lose themselves in the art world.

Contacting My Artists







I contacted both of my artists, but neither gave a response back. I’m guessing the website in which I contacted Alexa Wright was an old profile that she doesn’t visit anymore. As for Liu Dao (Island6), I didn’t receive a direct response back from them, but instead they added me on Instagram and liked a photo I uploaded. The photo consisted of many photos in one frame and I think they liked it because it resembled their style of artwork (Boxes, still frames, different frames into one piece). I actually was a bit excited that I grabbed their attention in this manner. It pushes me to be more creative in my future artworks.  

Sources

• Wright. Alexa Wright. n.p. n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
• Wright. Alexa Wright. Rhizome, n.d. Web. 11. Apr. 2013
• Stalbaum. Alexa Wright and Alf Finney, Alter EGO, At FILE 2007. Youtube. n.p, 1 Sept. 2007. 10 Apr. 2013
• "Liu Dao". Wikipedia. n.p., 17 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013
• "Island6 Art Collective". Island6 Home of the Island6 Art Collective.Thomas Charvériat, Peter Bradt. 2011. FoldPress Publications. Web. 11 Apr. 2013
•  

 

Tactical Reading Questions

1)What are the postindustrial society and  neoliberal globalization that refers to tactical media? In what ways were these two groups significant?

2)Does the influence of politics in tactical media demonstrate more purpose to art than any other art piece with a cause?

3D Project

 

For this project, I immediately thought of my childhood. I was always fascinated with butterflies and dragonflies, but as  I got older I admired them more because they were FREE organisms. They survived freely in the world and this concept was my main inspiration for my project. I remember I lived life freely as a child, without a care in the world, but adulthood set in years later. The dripping black layer over the melted drops of wax are a symbol of childhood fading. I had to realize that I'm not a child anymore and the light flickering in the center of the wax candle is the part of my life that I miss the most (Childhood).

Crowdsourcing

For this project, I conceptually made it for romance. I wanted to have people who are in relationships, happy or not and come and tell their story of why or why not it didn't work. This site is also therapeutic in a way that others can come to this site for advice or relief that someone other than themselves went through ups and downs of a relationship. Others in this world normally think that they are the only ones suffering relationship problems, but in reality, they definitely aren't. Instead of looking to friends who can't hold they're own, they can look to people who have already been in likewise situations. It may either make you or break you!