Video Art

For my video art project, I was feeling inspired by my upcoming graduation, juxtaposed with the world around me. This is a time when I am entering into the 'real world', but in 2013, the world can be a scary place. It is important to stay positive and optimistic in this time as on move on to other ventures outside of UT. I wanted to make it look like all the things I see when I am on my computer from my perspective, which is why the view can see my reflection and reaction the entire time. In the last seconds, the fourth wall is completely broken and I look right into your eyes pondering what lies ahead.

I was inspired by the video portraits created by Andy Warhol and originally wanted to do a modern decontextualized version of those, which is how I got the footage of myself.

Klaus Obermeier + Gideon Obarzaneks + Kevin Warwick

Apparition - Klaus Obermaier & Ars Electronica Futurelab

This mixed media performance by Klaus is an interesting display of multimedia arts. There is digital lighting overwhelming the scenes along with a lot of technology involved with costuming and choreographing. At some points I find it hard to decide whether to focus on the performer or the digital spectacle in the background. The background soundtrack is also interesting and adds another dynamic to the piece. I think this piece is supposed to tell a story and I believe it might be a story about a persons life. 

Gideon Obarzaneks 

The digital multimedia dance performance choreographed by Obarzaneks is dazzling. I wonder if he uses an thermal camera to detect where dancers are located or if the performance is just that tightly choreographed and prated which is very possible. Rather than a live performance this piece to me seems like a video art piece with a very digital feel. In his next piece Obarzaneks says he is more focused on using projectors to reveal dancers rather than just compliment them and this is extremely evident. I like how the end of this video shows kind of behind the scenes of how the performances are put together because in most other instances we watch them but I am left wondering how it was really created.  


 Kevin Warwick -  I cyborg
This seems like something out of a science fiction movie - technology is progressing at an astonishingly fast rate. I can tell Warwicks passion for technology by the fact that he used himself as his own guinea pig and test subject to be a human cyborg. Getting implants in your nervous system is a big deal. who knows if it will kill him some day? Maybe just because this technology is new but it kind of scares me, if human beings can become more advanced, I hope the technology and capabilities would not fall into the wrong hands. This often happens with technology when with all its benefits someone always uses it for evil. Implanting electronics into the body seems like a slippery slope. 

Golan Levin

Golan Levin's AMA Video Uses Experimental 3D cinema

"there are specialized programming languages for everyone" 

Yet again a video that makes me want to learn programming, it is so useful! I have moved it to the top of my list and there are free online resources to help me learn the basics. I almost wish I could stay in college longer so I could take a few classes. This is the future of communications and is such a valuable skill to understand the devices we use on a daily basis. Not to mention if you can program you can basically never be unemployed because people are always looking to hire. 

I love that his entire interview is in Kinect format - it makes it so unique and really gets to the theme of what he is talking about which is computer art. The interview itself is made into almost a video art piece and decontextualized rather than being a straight forward interview. Besides learning programming and coding, i want a kinect-- I will also put that on my list. 

I like how he defines the value of a degree as more than the piece of paper but the value of connecting with people, working with them and learning from them.. that might be my favorite part as I am understanding this value more and more as I graduate and move onto higher education. 

Josh Walton

Josh Walton: Digital Storytelling Through Physical Space

Walton poses the question - "Where are you right now" - Does the digital age allow us to be in many places at once? For instance right now I am writing this blog, on the phone, and Facebook is open in another tab. I am also watching the walton video as a write, so am I also "at" his performance while thinking about my digital settings as well. The digital world has transformed our concept of the physical world because many of the great things about the physical world are now capable in the digital world, such as a unique space. 

I wonder.. what will children who are born 20 years from now be like, as they grow up in entirely digital and physical worlds. With the emergence of google glasses and virtual realities, is the physical world deminishing? It will never go away but is it becoming less special? 

VideoArtes.com

This piece on the homepage of VideoArtes.com is really amazing! I love the woman driving with 13 GPS's, its humorous but shows mass consumption in the modern world. Anytime I am in the car I probably have at least 3 devices that can direct me between my phone, GPS and an itouch.

I love how they are all talking over each other and giving different directions. It kind of shows the intelligence of machine v man and our over dependence on machine.

This piece by MilkyEyes hurts my head to even imagine how much preparation was necessary to create this video. The artist spent  a lot of time planning and putting hard work into all the folding images. It is amazing how video art can incorporate other types of art, in this example, drawings to make a completely different product. This is an animation made of drawings and video like no other I have even seen.

Magnetic Recording

Even reading this, science and discoveries blow my mind. I think even if I traveled back to the 1800's with what I know from reading this article, I still couldn't discover magnetic recording. I think this article through the example of the developments of magnetic recording, really shows how much science and technology can discover when people work together and share rather than competing. Even so it took over 150 years for magnetic recording to be perfected.

There are so many phases from first patents and still being faulty, to use for the military and implementing vacuum tubes. Its astonishing that magnetic recording survived the decades. It is a miracle that it did since magnetic recording played such a crucial role in the computer revolution starting as early as the 1950's.

I notice the article is written in 2004 and updated in 2011. A lot of what the end is was predictions. I think its safe to say the prediction that VCR's will be with us for a while is over because if i had a video cassette tape I wouldn't know where to find a device to play it.

DubStep + More

Dubstep is a result of the Postmodern crisis. There was nothing left new to make so we took old stuff, remixed it and made it electronic. I personally love dub step because I find it to be the only music there is no one right way to dance too, dub step is exactly what you want it to be.

I love this video and song by Icona Pop!! I have even been hearing it on the radio recently. This is video art because of the editing and perceptions show in the video. Many filters, and cuts are used. I also like when they animate the words on the screen. The video also features split screen cuts and even shows about 50 of the video simultaneously on screen... I don't care.. I love it!

Bomba Estera is another video art music video from the Latin segment. Although it is a more traditional type of music video it tells a story of life where the song is taking place. A lot of culture is depicted and people are seen going about their daily lives.

The Gorillaz present the clearest example of a video art piece from a music video. Their video is an amazing 3D animation that looks extremely lifelike and takes you through the entire song. The work they do is amazing, I never knew what a seriously talented group of artists they were until we touched upon them in class. 

Sheryl Oring

Sheryl Oring is the performance artist who took her typewriter across the country, encouraging people to write post cards to the presidents. Brilliant! Its not the post card to the president that matters, its the thought behind the whole thing. Lets give America back to the people, lets have our voices heard, lets get democracy back to what it was supposed to be before conglomerates took over. I think Sheryl Oring should do a modern day version of "I wish to say" and do this again!

If I don't get into graduate school maybe I will do it for her. Maybe I will do it even if I do get into graduate school. I think you would get to hear so many stories from so many amazing people!

Violent Video Games

In 2013, violence is everywhere.. from fictional movies to the real nightly news, unless you live under a rock theres no avoiding it. So whats different about violent video games? How do they desensitize us anymore than what we already encounter. Well for one, children and teens actually engage in these games, some may play them for hours a day. (where are there parents? my mom would have shut that down) The games encourage robbing, stealing, beating and killing. I assume most kids know that its not real and maintain the difference between right and wrong and just use the games as entertainment. But could they not find a more wholesome form of entertainment. Even so what about that 1 in 5000 kid who has no role models, no influences, no hope besides these violent video games and he takes them seriously. Should he/she be the reason for a ban on these games even though he/she is the minority. Probably not because then we would have to ban everything and put our kids in a bubble. The moral of the story is, violent video games are disturbing, but more importantly is how disturbing it would be for a person to have no other interaction/ supervision enough to be influenced by these games. Parents need to think about what they are buying for their children or how they are spending their time and make sure people have something productive going on in their life. Violent video games is just the scapegoat to the societal meltdown of the American Family and our responsibilities to raise children properly.

The Performance Artists

Tom Geoghegan's performance of "Strange Fruit" was both creative and extremely moving. I would dare to say that the thought process behind the piece is genius. He is making a clear message here as he is dressed in all white hanging from the tree. You can see how dedicated he is to his art how he doesn't even flinch as it begins to downpour.

I want to know how he was able to hang with nothing visibly under his feet? Tom Geoghegan.. if you ever read this... can you make a behind the scenes video! I would love to see your thought process and what personally inspires your art.