Scrapbook Entry#12 Movie Ticket Stubs

I was reaching in my pocket yesterday and found a ticket stub from a movie I had seen this summer. Immediately I began to laugh to myself remembering not only the movie itself, but who I went with, what happened after, and what happened before. I remember I went with two of my best friends, Kristina and Liz, and Kristina's younger brother. We were all living an working at the beach over the summer and we were a little bit late because we had to wait for one us to finish our shift. It was late in the summer so a lot of people had already left to get ready to go back to school, so it was only us and one other group of people in the theater. The movie was a comedy, Pineapple Express to be exact, and I remember laughing a lot at both the movie and various jokes that were made. Afterwards, we decided instead of going home right away to drive down Coastal Highway. Since the summer was quickly coming to an end we would soon have to all go back to our separate schools and most likely not all be together again until Christmas. Since we have all been best friends since we were in Elementary School it is always hard to say goodbye but also easy because we know we will always be friends. This movie ticket stub is not art but for me it holds great meaning and brings back memories not just from that movie but about my friends in general.

Scrapbook Entry#11 Post-Its

My desk is literally littered with Post-Its. Post-Its about what homework I have to do that week, what exams I have to study for, people I have to call, stuff I need to buy, and important dates I have to remember. I do not consider Post-Its to be art (although some of them do come in wacky shapes and colors) but I use them specifically as a device to grab and focus my attention. Post-Its are a memory tool for me. Everyday when I sit down at my desk I look at the Post-It and remember what I need to do that day. Simply the act of writing something down helps me to organize my thoughts. I often will write something on a Post-It note before I go to bed so I remember it in the morning. Then when I have completed a task I check it off and move on down the list. This is a very helpful way to organize my sometimes hectic life and by placing them in somewhere that I know I will see I make sure that the Post-It demands my attention.

Scrapbook Entry#8 Doors, Windows, and Power Lines

I took this picture my first year taking a photography course my sophomore year of high school. I did not consider the door to be art but actually only took the picture for fun because I thought the bumper sticker on the door that says "I Love Asphalt" was funny. Yet, after looking at the composition as a whole and how I framed the space I saw the image more as a photograph than just a snapshot. I was drawn in by the repetition of line and shape carried through the image, such as the repeated rectangles. The power lines also work as a guide drawing your eye throughout the composition. I still do not consider doors, or windows, or power lines to be art, but when composed in such a way they work together to grab your attention. 

Scrapbook Entry#10 Letters From Afar

Each of my close friends from high school went to the a different college. Some went as far south as Tennessee, while others went out west to Colorado. Since we don't get to see each other as often as we used to we like to keep in touch by talking on the phone or on Facebook, but sometimes we also write letters to each other. To me a letter has always had a more personal quality to it than other forms of communication, especially Facebook. You know that that person took the time to sit down and write something specifically for you to read. A letter is also more personal because it is written in the person's handwriting rather than the universal font of something typed on a computer screen. The value of a letter again is more substantial because it takes time to get to its destination. Rather than instantaneously flying through cyber space, a letter travels the distance. It physically touches the hands of the writer, then the hands of the people who sort the mail, then those of the people who deliver the mail, and then finally your own. A letter is not art but every letter has a message that has a shared importance to both the individual receiving it and the person that wrote it.

Scrapbook Entry#9 Notes

When I take notes in class I do not try to make them look pretty but rather I concentrate solely on getting the right information down and making sure it is at least legible to me. Other people may look at my notes and think that they are somewhat of a mess, but I find it easier to comprehend something if it is in my own handwriting. Often teachers may say that you don't have to take notes because the information will be posted on BlackBoard however, I feel that the act of writing something down in my own handwriting helps me to understand the information more clearly. I also sometimes find myself doodling in the margins and these doodles also help me to remember the information better. I do not think that my notes are art but they help me to concentrate my attention to the information that is being discussed and help me better remember that information in the future.

Scrapbook Entry #6 Magazine Ads

When flipping through a magazine I would not consider the advertisements to be art, yet I often find that they do grab and hold my attention. I have recently noticed a trend that magazine ads are no longer about showing off a skinny model or simply showing the product, but actually develop a composition. The vibrant colors of pretty clothes and jewelry or make-up attract the eye of the person reading the magazine at first, but the evidence of careful thought and planning allow the viewer to really appreciate the image for more than just an magazine ad.

Scrapbook Entry#7 Chip Bags and Candy Wrappers

I would not typically call a chip bag art or frame a candy wrapper. Instead I usually just toss the wrapper in the trash after eating whatever was inside. Yet isn't it the job of the wrapper to draw your attention to the product? The brightly repeated primary colors, bold text, and shinny material act together to make you want to by that item. I recently looked at the vending machine and noticed that I was drawn in by certain packaging causing me to want that product even if I was more in the mood for something else. Although I do not believe that chip bags or candy wrappers should be hung up on gallery walls or even considered to be art for that matter I do believe that there is an artistic science evident in them. The producers of these products demand our attention because they understand what makes the consumer want something. For example, I noticed a strong use of the colors red and blue. Many packages also had a large scale image of the food inside with letters boldly outlined so that they pop out from the background. All of these elements work subconsciously on our brains to grab our attention and affect the choice of which junk food we will spend our 50 cents on when standing in front of the vending machine.

New Media Artist#6 Lynn Hershman

New Media Artist Lynn Hershman has worked in a wide variety of different media ranging from photography to video to interactive installations. Hershman's newest video released in 2002 is titled Agent Ruby's EDream Portal. This interactive video allows the viewer to communicate directly with the computer as if they were holding a conversation with an actual human being. The computer or Agent Ruby tries to learn more about the person by asking questions such as "What are your likes and dislikes?" "What is your occupation?" or "What is your favorite movie?" However, I found that for many of my responses the computer could not comprehend what I was saying and a disclaimer would appear stating that "The remark was either too complex or too simple for me" and then just jumped to another question. After awhile questions also started to repeat and re-filter through. Also at times Agent Ruby's response did not correlate with what I had said. I think that the idea behind Agent Ruby is very intriguing in that a computer can be personified to be able to hold a conversation with a human. However, I do not think that the quality of the conversation and understanding could ever compare to a conversation between two people, nor should it because people are by nature interactive and should interact with each other not with a computer. 

Agent Ruby

New Media Artist #5 Fab Lab

The ARS Electronica Center in Austria features the newest trends, focusing on what the future has in store for art and technology . One new exhibition entitled Fab Lab has redefined the meaning of on-line shopping. No longer will you have to wait days or weeks for your order to be shipped to you but rather you can have everything instantly. Simply print out what you want, wear it, and then recycle it! The creators of Fab Lab have engineered a 3D printer that uses a computer model to generate an actual object, while a computer-controlled laser cutter does the high-precision shaping of any chosen material. From gym shoes to clothing to even pieces of furniture FabLab can make it. However, although FabLab seems like the greatest invention since on-line shopping, one may consider the repercussions of such technology on our already struggling consumer-driven economy and industry. Could inventions like this lead us closer and closer to a job market ran solely by computers and machines? 

FabLab

Reflection on Digital Pictionary Project

I enjoyed working on the Digital Pictionary project. Although I did have a lot of trouble initially trying to come up with images that represented sarcasm, once I really concentrated on what sarcasm connoted to me I was more easily able to think of how to create a collage of images that related to my meaning. I also really enjoyed working with Photoshop and would like to continue to learn how to use it in the future and experiment more with the different tools. It was interesting to see how other people in the class interpreted their words. I thought it was fascinating how some people expressed not only the literal meaning of their word, but also how it can be expressed though formal elements. For example, with the word balance an image of a scale could be used, but also by just making a balanced composition the same meaning can be expressed. Same is true for the word abstract. One could show the literal meaning of the word abstract by showing an abstract painting or they could also cause an everyday object to be abstracted. 

Scapbook Entry#5 Receipts

Whenever I go shopping for groceries or clothes I always end up throwing out the receipt at the bottom of the bag. I do not think that a receipt is art but it has a kind of narrative quality to it. A receipt tells a lot about the person to which it belongs. For example a grocery receipt may tell someone what you are having for dinner that night, whether you are buying for a lot of people or just yourself, maybe you are buying ingredients to bake a cake for a birthday party. A receipt tells someone what you choose to spend your money on and where. It almost even acts as a tracking device that shows where you have been and what you did.

Analysis Writing of Jacqueline's Digital Pictionary Images

For our Digital Pictionary project every member of the class was assigned a different word at random. We were each instructed to use our word to create three separate collaged images that displayed our interpretation of the word's meaning. 

Jacqueline's Digital Pictionary images are each very eye-catching due to their use of vibrant colors, patterns, and a variety of textures. Each image also includes an element of nature and earth such as the ocean, the sun, or the sky. One image even has a series of pictures of butterflies, drawing the viewers attention to the intricate and repeated patterns of their delicate wings. While another gives a close-up view of what looks to be a shell or sea urchin, displaying the repeated textures and bumps. 

The first two images have a central focus point to which the whole image is drawn to. The audience's eye is involuntarily forced to the center of the picture by the illusion of depth created by the repetition of line pointed inward. The first image depicts a sun setting over the horizon line of an ocean. The rays of the sun bend and curl into elaborate spirals at the edges of the image. The second image gives off the feeling of a piercing blue eye starring intently back at the viewer. The pupil like form is located again at the center with the blue/green iris swirling around it. This image also creates the illusion of movement as the blue forms seem to be growing out of the middle. The movement of these forms also reminds of the very hot center of a flame on a stove top when the burner is turned on, the intense heat radiating out to the edges of the frame.

The last two images of the Earth-like figure and butterflies again have a strong element of line and pattern. Again the same theme of a central focal point is expressed by the body of each butterfly being the center from which its wings expand outward from. The center of the sea urchin and other aquatic creatures again create a focal point for the viewer. Color is also a very evident aspect of the butterfly image. The vibrant blues, greens, and oranges of the wings contrast nicely against their black middle and the white background. The last two images also have a very strong feeling of being science-minded. The butterfly image seems to resemble a person's butterfly collection where the butterflies are pinned to the background. The image of the Earth-like figure also has an image of some type of atomic compound and again has the feeling of a scientific study of nature. 

In conclusion, I am not sure of the exact word from which these images originated from but I feel that each is related through a strong sense of pattern, line, and texture; specifically those found in nature and science

Digital Pictionary

Collage