Responsive Arts

Robert Irwin

2010-04-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

Robert Irwin, an installation artist who started in the 1960s, is most closely tied to the light and space movement. His work deals directly with light and space. As he himself puts it: “It’s about everything existing in a context.” He believes that art plays a role in which it changes our perception. The goal he has in mind for his work seems to be to bring you (the audience and viewer) to awareness and focus you on every day things. It also seems that not only does he have an intimacy with art, but that he would like to share this intimacy with his audience as well.

In his more recent work, Irwin has used primary colors in abstract ways. His objective in this appears to be to suspend the viewer in an experience. He does this by taking these colors out of context and putting them into a completely different context of his own making. Irwin creates a context for these colors, which is unique to each viewer. By taking primary colors out of context and putting them into a vague context, he lets his audience create there own context for the piece.

Robert Irwin response

2010-04-20T15:41:00.001-05:00

In the beginning of the video, Irwin lost me a bit while talking about color and light. He talked about white and black as primary and secondary colors in light. Black and White are better understood as achromatic values, as they lack hue. The most interesting part of this artwork to me was how Irwin formed a somewhat cohesive diagram of color mixing via reflection in a setting of immersion. As subtractive primaries, Red, Yellow and Blue are the essentially the first and simplest harmony, commonly used at full chromatic glory in educational or playful contexts to indicate childhood and vitality. It's always a treat to see the diffusion of that lively playfulness into the gallery space.

Although I do see an illustrative logic of this artwork, I wonder how the lighting/purity of light situation is handled, especially considering all the open doors and windows. I think it could have been pushed further in it's simplification of complexity, perhaps incorporating the 3 dimensions of color into 3 dimensional space. Or a moving form with an archetypal local color, to describe the relative changes in hue throughout such a physical landscape of reflected light. Or at least let the crowd walk on top of the piece (did he?). Actually, I think I would rather experience those than the work by itself, although I'd probably be impressed with the size of it all for a while.

Conceptually, I appreciate his views on context and scope, although I find them to be limited. His contextual decisions seem to be based on physical visual elements like scale or value without considering more fluid or dynamic possibilities.

Robert Irwin

2010-04-20T13:58:00.010-05:00

Irwin has a very unique aspect of how he looks at an object. I think that by doing this he broadens the limits of what an object should do corresponding to the space
in which it is in. In one of the exhibitions space he has what is called"Light and Space II" This installation is a bunch of florescent light bulbs
That are mounted at right angles in a non-repeating,formation.In this Installation Irwin plays with his idea that objects should not have an ending point. This particular one has no focal point.
Although Irwin does have focal points in which he would like the viewer link to his
work and they are Light, Architecture and Space.
"The presentation and placement of these works became as critical as the object itself, and in developing these ideas, Irwin sought to dissolve the distinction between the edge of the sculpture and its environment." quoted from a blogger
I find that a lot of the wok that he does is to eliminate that border between
what we see as the end and beginning an object.Irwin says that there is no such thing as an empty room. I never really thought of that but now that i think about it I suppose that it is true. I you think about what we see when we say its an empty room we say its empty when there are no objects in the room. Even a room with only a fan on the ceiling would be considered to be an empty room. But this would no be true because the fan itself is an object it just isn't taken into consideration but when you look at the room architecturally the walls and the fan are considered objects as well as the shadows that are made. A Shadow gives the perception that something is there therefore no longer making an empty room an empty room.
Priscilla Zavala

Robert Irwin's Colors

2010-04-20T12:19:00.001-05:00

Colors are made with the trickery of your eyes. Finding the right alignment within the light spectrum shows you your yellows and blues.
This artist Robert Irwin, seems to be a man who is intrigued with the concept of complementary colors affecting an environment with light. His impression in the art world started with the works of abstract paintings. When I looked at these paintings, I really did not understand the full context of what he was trying to do. However when Irwin started to explore the more fundamental aspect of what color is, is when minimalistic qualities of his installation art started to become expressive as a massive whole.
He makes on-going attachments with quotes like “Context, existing in a context” or “Art as a conditional activity.” However, I felt his works are in the minimalistic qualities that set forth his abstraction to the world.

Robert Irwin's Unknowns

2010-04-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

What I thought to be the most interesting part of the documentary on Robert Irwin was the idea of unknown result (the way I called it). In the film, Irwin states that he has no clear idea about the way his installation will look like when it’s finished which as he puts it “involves a lot of guessing”. For a long time now I was thinking of how to teach myself to be a thorough thinker and see the result of my work before I actually start it. Due to my little attention span and overexcitement when I encounter elements that I did not think/know of, I can never follow my initial route. For some reason I thought that having a clear vision of accomplished work is something crucial if one is to try him-/herself as an artist. After watching documentary on Irwin I realized that there can be many solutions to solving a problem as well as many ways to achieve the goal. In fact the goal can be a surprise, rather than a present that one finds in the catalogue two month before the holiday.

Stelarc

2010-04-19T14:29:00.002-05:00

Stelarc's art is very, very peculiar. He uses the human body as his main focus and finds ways to manipulate it or combine it with technology to make it work differently. I feel that most of his work is in a way disrespectful to the human body, for example the ear on arm. There is no logical reason to want to have/ grow an ear on someone's arm. He is toying with science and engineering to see how far he can push it and what he can get away with. I just feel that he could use this knowledge for better and more humane things than his wacky experiments. But i guess that's what made him famous.

Robert Irwin response

2010-04-18T16:50:00.000-05:00

Robert Irwin own themes and works doesn’t feel too knew to me but interesting. He’s able to show the primary colors in color theory and focus it as an installation instead. Installations like Primaries and Secondaries exhibition was pretty complex and simple just by showing the color strips on the floor and hang the same ones on top that reflects. I can see that, how he put it, uses a more “architecture technique”. In fact, I’ve seen this kind of art installation like the IKEA stores or Apple stores. I wouldn’t say it’s not like art but definitely resembles something more architectural and designing interiors.

A dog that follows any Master

2010-02-25T16:02:00.002-06:00

This installation, displays a 3d image of a dog on a office window, creating a holographic image of a dog. The dog follows individuals who pass though the streets. creating an interaction of a dog at a pet shop display. Incoming video feedback follow and track the people walking in front of the window. Extremely simple as an idea, but a creative way to create a lifelike interaction with digital figures.

WTF?

2010-02-25T14:06:00.003-06:00

I really enjoy the possibilities within the realm of computer vision. What the broad category can create is amazing and fun at the same time. I came across this music video which clearly uses computer vision technology throughout the entire thing. If you click on the title of this post, you can watch OK Go's official music video. They also have a video that explains (in a very wordy way) how they created it in collaboration with someone with knowledge of effects and how to create something like this. The collaborator got the idea from an old photograph of a man jumping by Thomas Eakins. It showed several different frames of motion, and the effect is, to use the band's words, "pretty dope." In their music video, they used a green screen to make background subtraction very easy, and blob detection so there wouldn't be any places where the band members had "holes" in them. A fan of OK Go was able to recreate this effect using open-source software, processing. You can see his recreation of this effect here. There are links to download the software (free, btw) he used to create it, as well as the program he created to make the effect. All you need is your webcam! It's all in real-time. In addition, he lists several links to other artists that have used this effect, including the Jackson 5's song "Blame It On The Boogie." I enjoy playing with these types of art, and I believe that is the ultimate achievement of it. Art is no longer a quiet gallery for the elite. It is right on your computer, encouraging you to dance!

Flexible LED curtain

2010-02-25T13:30:00.008-06:00

When I first stumbled upon this video, it was like having a flashback into my childhood. I use to have this toy called "Lite-Brite". It was a box that contained a lightbulb inside and had little holes on the top. You'd place a piece of black paper over the holes and then stick little colored pegs through the paper to create lighted designs. Now I know that this is not the same concept that LEDs use, however, Lite-Brite and the LED curtain in the video above share a striking resemblance; despite their difference in size. These 2 contraptions, I believe, show how technology has evolved over time. Going from a lighted toy box with simple pegs, to a complex blanket of LED lights that can not only display still photos, but can display a wide range of videos as well. It's unbelievable what some Artists/ Inventors have come up with. It makes me think to myself "What will they come up with next?" Maybe they'll apply that same concept to clothing... Then we could all be a walking, talking, movie screen, music video, or commercial advertisement: anything.. you name it. Now, that wouldn't be annoying at all.

AntiVJ

2010-02-24T22:11:00.002-06:00

The other day I came across this excellent artist: AntiVJ. One of the mexican electronic music labels Static Discos (http://www.staticdiscos.com/) posted his new media collaboration with Murcof (http://www.murcof.com/) who has been famous for his experimental electronic and neo-classical music. That video made me research more on AntiVJ and I discovered his website as well as his vimeo channel where he posts his projects. Not exactly sure how he makes what he makes but it is definitely stunning. Here are couple of direct links:

Murcof + AntiVJ from AntiVJ on Vimeo.

Principles of geometry + AntiVJ: a stereoscopic show from AntiVJ on Vimeo.

2010-02-24T20:07:00.003-06:00

Halloween maybe over, but it's an interesting project using LEDs and Arduino boards to just simply put inside a pumpkin and

make a controlled lighten Jack-O-Lantern. These vids are just one of the examples of what other people have done to make their

own LED Jack-O-Lantern, youtube has a ton of them if you look them up your selves. I found it interesting since it has to do with

using LEDs to make a Jack-O-Lantern light up by using what color LED lights up or just make it flash all the time to have a scary

horror feeling. It's smarter and simpler than just using a lit candle stick.

pd tutorials

2010-02-13T17:53:00.004-06:00

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http://www.youtube.com/user/cheetomoskeeto

Lev

2010-02-09T16:08:00.000-06:00

Lev as well as authors in general like to speak of everyday variables that we don't pay attention to in our everyday life. because they have been incorporated into our lives as everyday items. Here are two examples.

Electronic Screens on buildings walls
Computer and Network technologies

The poetics of Augmented Space basically is referring to space. Lev talks about how we immersed into this Virtual world that we gradually started seeing it as the norm. We took for granted how it actually came to be. Things like video surveillance and GPS systems as well as cell phone interfaces. He does talk a lot about the technology that back then would be considered out of the question that now a days we have such as the GUI which allows a person’s location to be tracked. My guess is that it probably was around just not to the public. I am highly fascinated with architecture therefore when he Lev moves on into talking about smart Architecture I was reminded of the structures that Julio had shown us on Thursday. It is in its own way public art that can be viewed by everyone. The possibilities are pretty much opened ended we have the technologies to take some thing that is already there and overlap a visual on it. This article was a little on the past side. What he talked about is out there already but still the concepts are still here.hat can be viewed by everyone.

reading response

2010-02-09T14:42:00.003-06:00

I don't know if this article did much to talk about the construction of poetics of augmented space as much as a historical overview of the problems associated with new technology, but I thought many of the points brought up about architectural augmentation were interesting. Venturi's ideas of embracing architecture as the form of communication through complex iconographic surface treatment are terrible.
Modern architecture abandoned the idea of surface narratives and ornament; the problem he creates is trying to unify the spatial integration of information as surface and the contradictory decoration of architecture created to deny decoration and embrace form.
Both of these problems are poor problems to worry about. What happens if all current architectural surfaces are used to display information? Who will get to decide what information is displayed or how it is displayed? We already have enough of a problem with an overabundance of information on the internet, as well as the strategic targeting of users' attention. Yes lets cover up surface with bright lights and pictures in the name of a false dialogue (because the information is dynamic, you see); taking inspiration from Las Vegas, flashy Billboards, and Times Square, with their wasted resources and social misdirection.
The discussion of the public dialogue definitely appeals to me, and it still remains an issue of spatial control. One of the neat things about looking out my window and seeing nothing but bland industrial buildings is the idea of potential. It’s low-key, unwanted and sometimes unused. There is the potential to be clever, creative, and raise awareness of other things than Pedigree brand dog food or Prada or whatever.

Response to "The Poetics of Augmented Space"

2010-02-09T13:02:00.002-06:00

After reading the assignment, it let me understand the artist’s relationship to an augmented space. With increasing technological achievements as a society, the extent of accomplishing a work of art associated with technology will have no boundaries. The part within the text that got me interested was with brandscaping. With architecture becoming concentrated to commercial structures, the emphasis in creating an augmented space for commercial use was something I never thought would be beneficial. However, the public will likely view the use of incorporating augmented space at these locations. With better appreciation as a public to these augmented space, the desensitization will be able to benefit the artists to explore new boundaries.

One artist I came across after reading this assignment was a Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka. He concentrates in designing commercial augmented space. The work I found online uses the display space to create movement with the merchandise. The use of a screen to create a human presence, to a space with out any human interactions creates the augmented space its own unique spell towards the consumer.

"The Poetics of Augmented Space" by Lev Manovich

2010-02-09T12:29:00.004-06:00

I thought that this reading was really interesting and informing. The definition of Augmented Space is the physical space overlaid with dynamically changing information. This information is likely to be in multimedia form and it it often localized for each user. Some examples of Particular Urban Spaces are environments such as shopping and entertainment areas of Tokyo, Hong Kong, and seoul where the walls of the buildings are completely covered with electronic screens and signs; convention and trade show halls; departments stores, etc. When i read the section about video surveillance i was stunned to find out that by 2002 many taxis already had video cameras continuously recording the inside of the cab! I never knew that! I guess I'll be more aware of this when I'm in a cap now. It also talked about how we are all "immersed" in virtual reality. I agree that when you watch a movie in a movie theatre or on a big TV monitor, or when you are playing a computer game on a game console that is connected to the TV, you are hardly aware of your physical surroundings. But when you watch the same movie or play the same game on the small display of a cell phone or PDA that fits in your hand, then the experience is different. You are still largely present in physical space, and while the display adds you our overall phenomenological experience, it does not take over.

Response to The Poetics of Augmented Space

2010-02-09T01:48:00.001-06:00

By the time I made it through the half of the article I could not help but think that the way author describes the use of augmented space reminds me of medieval time Christian religion propaganda. The parallel that I had in mind was obviously with the massive transmission of commercial related information onto the buildings, malls and major squares of major world cities. Just like in medieval times where most of the artists were devoted to working within the frame of religion (by painting, sculpting, frescoing, etc mainly on religious themes) in our times most of the augmented spaces as well as other form of arts are devoted to commercial oriented production. One of the reasons of this connection might be the power of belief in the divine in the past and the power of belief in “things” in the present. As church in the past was the wealthiest and the most influential organism as corporations are today. Obviously times somewhat changed and technology brings numerous new possibilities still strangely the attitude in its mass orientation stays the same.

As for the article, it was quite bizarre to read about the future that already happened. The author talks about GPS(cellspace technologies) as an up-and-coming technology as well as surveillance and large screens (p. 3-4) as something that will gain more power and complexity in the nearest future. It seems to me that many of the subjects that the author address as soon to come are already realized in one or another way. He writes about some experiments and innovations that Universities and labs were working on at that time: “Ubiquitous Computing: the shift which away from computing centered in desktop machines and towards smaller multiple devices distributed throughout the space” (p.6). Personally I did not have a desktop computer since I bought my first laptop about 4 or so years ago. My cell phone gets smaller with every new upgrade, so it looks like research pays off.

Lastly, the article made me curious to research some of the artists that were mentioned especially Lars Spuybroek and Kas Oosterhuis, Robert Venturi and obviously malls of Osaka and Hong-Kong. I think I will adjourn and fulfill my curiosity.

Response to Augmented Space

2010-02-02T12:34:00.001-06:00

After reading this interesting article, I realized that even though I never heard of “augmented space,” I have experienced such spaces before. For example, the video displays and scrolling text in Times Square in New York, and the computerized water installation in Las Vegas both combine human-made space and computer technology to create an aesthetic and cultural experience.

As technology keeps improving, artists and architects will always find a way to integrate that technology to the architectural space and create interaction with people in giving and taking information. A good example would have to be from my last blog, Camelle Utterback’s interactive installation “Abundance,” which transforms an architectural space. This art installation is a good example of combining digital technology and architecture since it records the data of people’s movement and transforms the data into animated shapes and patterns and projects them on the surface of the City Hall in San Jose.

When the author talks about augmented space, he talks mainly about the combination of physical space and information technology. I think that the human user of the space also plays a very important part in the creation of augmented space. Video surveillance and different sensors collect data from the human user, but the user also directly creates data by sending text and cell-phone messages. The author mentions the electronic screens in the sci fi movie “Minority Report.” Some of the ads on these screens are personalized virtual ads that are created after sensors identify people by scanning their retinas. In this example, humans directly play a part in creating the augmented space. The movie may not be real, but it is a fantasy of how augmented space can work.

Cao Fei

2010-01-20T18:43:00.009-06:00

Cao Fei
Cos players [young people dressed as game characters]

Is a series of photographs that were taken with the purpose of revealing how young teens take virtual worlds to an extreme level. She is showing essentially how some people choose to live in what she calls a second life using virtual worlds to ignore or in a sense run away from reality. I chose this series because I think that what she is trying to accomplish by this is to show that people can step outside of virtual worlds and still be who they aspire to be in games in our real world.

Alexander Calder

2010-01-19T15:47:00.002-06:00

I chose Alexander Calder because I think his work is interesting in that it he is a kinetic artist. In his performance "Le Grand Cirque," he uses strings and kinetic energy to make his figures move. He is known for his invention of the mobile as well as for his other sculpture. Most of his work was of larger scale and involved wire to some degree. During his career, he sculpted famous figures as well as his personal friends out of wire.

Leonard Nimoy

2010-01-19T15:31:00.003-06:00

I'm choosing to talk about the photographer Leonard Nimoy. Most know him only as Spock from Star Trek, but he is also a producer, director, writer, and a photographer. He has been for over 40 years. His favorite thing to photograph is naked women. He doesn't title his work, preferring to focus on the content of the picture. I think its awesome that someone we normally know exclusively as an actor has such a rich talent for another art form. All of his photos are in black and white. The picture above is from his "Full Body" project, in which he wanted to show women that are normally shunned from the modeling world.

Olafur Eliasson

2010-01-19T13:46:00.003-06:00

Olafur Eliasson is now a very well known artist to the city of Chicago. Last year he exhibited a large collection of interactive and responsive art installations at the Museum of Contemporary Art. He is well known for creatively using light, sound, and space to interact with his audience. The exhibit was called "Take your time."

The following link is to a video of a very popular Olafur Eliasson installation that Chicagoans did not see.

The Weather Project, Olafur Eliasson

This installation was featured in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern, London. It is titled The Weather Project. The following is a description of the project from wikipedia:

"Eliasson used humidifiers to create a fine mist in the air via a mixture of sugar and water, as well as a semi-circular disc made up of hundreds of monochromatic lamps which radiated single frequency yellow light. The ceiling of the hall was covered with a huge mirror, in which visitors could see themselves as tiny black shadows against a mass of orange light. Many visitors responded to this exhibition by lying on their backs and waving their hands and legs. The work reportedly attracted two million visitors, many of whom were repeat customers.[3]"

Studio Roosegaarde - Liquid Space 6.0

2010-01-18T21:23:00.006-06:00

Liquid Space 6.0 is an interactive space which physically becomes bigger, smaller and brighter in relation to human behavior. This interactive fusion of mechanisms, embedded electronics, sound and LED's creates an organic dialogue with its visitors.

Hackaday - Road Sign Hacking

2010-01-18T20:10:00.003-06:00

This is a little old, but I feel that it's very interesting and relevant.

Some people figure out how to get inside a road sign to change the text and publish the details.

It describes what we see as private vs. public information, and how access to that information has changed with technology. I think that the technology used to build the world around us is still catching up with what's being done, or what's possible. New connections are constantly being made, and there is an interesting mix happening with the digital world and the tactile one.

There is also a subversive context to this article that i think is especially relevant. This information is not really "meant" for the public to know, yet here it is. I think as these connections continue to be made, and be made available to the public, more people will take advantage of them.

Also in case it doesn't go without saying, altering road signs is most definitely illegal.

Robert Henke & Christopher Bader - Atom

2010-01-18T15:14:00.002-06:00

Robert Henke is a Berlin based artist who was experimenting with electronic music since the mid 1990's. He is responsible for Monolake project as well

as one of the most influential music production software Ableton Live. Being a conceptual artist Henke released several albums inspired by CERN

(European Council for Nuclear Research) and other research in the field nuclear physics. As he wrote in one of album's descriptions, physics was his

passion since childhood but he never felt quite smart enough (as he puts it) to become a physicist himself. In his project Atom he collaborated with

Christopher Bauder to create an installation that united sound, light and sculpture into one visual-audio minimalistic treat. White self-illuminated

spheres corresponded to the rhythm and textures of the sounds produced by the artists while representing the movement of atoms.

For more information, pictures and videos one can follow the link below

http://www.monolake.de/concerts/atom.html

Wooden Mirror

2010-01-18T14:28:00.002-06:00

This is Daniel Rozin's wooden mirror and how it works. Taken from the OU course 'Computers and processors'. I thought that this was really interesting because I have never seen anything like it before. It explains how it works in the video. Enjoy!

Camille Utterback-Abundance

2010-01-17T18:12:00.003-06:00

Abundance is a temporary public installation commissioned for the City of San Jose, California by ZER01 – the Art and Technology Network( Under work leader, Camille Utterback). At night, Abundace transforms the city hall plaza into an interactive social space. A video camera mounted on the City Hall captures the movements of people in the plaza below. The animations are generated in response to the people's movement and projected onto the 3-story cylindrical rotunda. Utterback’s colorful, fluid and interesting patterns creates a subtle subversion of the bold geometry of architect Richard Meier’'s building – warming and humanizing its surface.

Robert Irwin

2009-11-23T00:55:00.003-06:00

I was really impressed with the way that Irwin views his pieces and how he feels about them. I thought it was very interesting when he decided to paint something that doesn't stop at the edge, and also how he doesn't see himself as a minimalist but he is more focused on a reduction that is a break from the past. He explains it very well that he doesn't see art as things and he doesn't see it as not things but it's really all about the concept of the piece itself. It is also interesting that he is said that he is never really sure how is work will occupy the space, and how he hopes that the large sections of color are going to take on the space, and not just be an element or an object. I was also intrigued that when he talks about whether an artist can create a work using the phenomena of nature to create something that artistically beautiful. This video very interesting in its many ways of explaining how Irwin's pieces are manipulating peoples perception of the world around them.

-Peter M.

Robert Irwin

2009-11-21T23:47:00.000-06:00

Robert Irwin seemed very optimistic about his work and life in general. I found Irwin's simplistic concepts very interesting. His work using the reflective plastic sheets and his project using the lights were very simple yet intriguing. Irwin works with a group of people who all have different skills, some that others may not have. This relates to my project so well. I don’t think that there is one skill that Leeandria and I share, but our skills together help to complete the project.

Robert Irwin

2009-11-20T15:30:00.002-06:00

Even though I wasn't present last friday, I googled several of Irwin's works and Pace Wildenstein is one of my favorite. I like it because of the red lights on the wall, it reminded me of candy. I could relate this to the project that my group is working on. One thing that they both relate is the space, how the space is used. In our project we used the projector while he uses lights to be the main attraction of his project. His work is very simple.

Hanslee Garcia

ROBERT IRWIN

2009-11-20T15:28:00.002-06:00

I really enjoyed watching Robert Irwin develop and create his ideas. On first glance I really didn't like his work, but after seeing the process he goes through to produce his pieces I began to appreciate his creations. He has very simplistic project ideas that are so big they engulf the viewer. He likes to play with perception and uses that as his muse. I really liked his moving magnify glass that scrolled along the windows of the gallery. That piece really clarified his idea of having a different perception on the world. He liked to use repetition and bright colors. His use of repetition and intense color on a large scale has really made his pieces successful. I especially like the red yellow and blue piece as well as the wall of triangle florescent lights. His work reflects my final project because we are using space as our boundary and also trying to keep it very simple. Instead of having too much going on that could drown out our main goal, we have less to get straight to the point.

Robert Irwin

2009-11-20T09:02:00.003-06:00

I was really fascinated by Robert Irwin's work and the way his "final goal is inherently light." I was especially drawn to the installation made up of florescent lights that spanned the space of an entire wall in his show. The unexpected use of traditional lighting was really striking.
I also liked Irwin's definition of art. He said that art is to make you aware, to bring attention to what you're around all of the time but not focused on. His large, colored, plasticy looking sheets are a good example of how he used surfaces to bring attention to the way the room was lit; it made apparent what is often overlooked because there are other things to focus on. Irwin also stated that art is in a constant state of moving and resolving because art is a conditional activity. It's a curious thought; art is always changing and being compared and is conditional on what is going on around it. Especially with new media, the 'conditional' aspect is especially prevalent, since context is often a vital component in understanding the work.
Overall, I enjoyed this documentary, as well as Robert Irwin's work and thoughts on art.

Robert Irwin Response

2009-11-20T08:44:00.002-06:00

I really enjoyed Robert Irwins' video and how he emphasizes that the key role if art is humans. I completely agree on his views that art should be something that brings you to a point where you're aware, and connected you to something you are around all the time but not focusing on that object or time. Life is the frame to art, and Irwin really understands this element of his work. By removing a direct frame, and letting the environment in which is work is shown be the frame, we receive the direct relationship with the art, and our ability to perceive his work is intensified. The video really demonstrates how art can be something, and it can be nothing to the viewers eyes. Art doesn't have to be interpreted as "it looks like something" it can be just art. Which is very much appreciated.

-Emily Racine

Robert Irwin

2009-11-20T08:05:00.002-06:00

Robert Irwin Had very interesting ideas when it came to his works. He metioned that "art is art and so is everything else". I thought this was the most interesting because technically art is all around us. We just never notice it because we see it all the time but just not aware of it. His idea of their being a timeless painting was his main inspiration. I liked how in one of his works he avoids the edges on pupose because that limits the artist. Eliminating imagery from a painting was one of his ideas that i thought was very effective. This can be connected to the wind powered pieces of art and using sound in different ways because they are not suppose to be made into something that you can identify or compare with something else. I usually compare other art work with imagery which is why this idea was very interesting to me. His guess work when it came to his art was worked out as he went along. What also grabbed my attention was when he said "No one is there to make an argument about quality if we put 5 intelligent people at one table to work on a project". I thought this was a good observation. The quality in art work was his main focus through all the works that he has done and can relate to mine in that way. My project evolves quality because of the idea that I'm trying to bring a picture to life in a way.

Robert Irwin perspective

2009-11-18T19:34:00.002-06:00

I really loved the video we watched about Robert Irwin and hearing his philosophy on art/life. He wants to make art that makes you aware you're around it all the time. He stressed the point of not having a frame so that the art is everywhere, it has no end and the viewer is surrounded by it and gets the real experience. His art requires constant moving and refining, because he wants to create a field of color with no top or bottom. This field of pure energy would radiate around your vision. Irwin uses prime colors and black and white almost in a way of sensory deprivation to make to extend human perception. His view on art makes me think of metaphysics as he was talking about energy that changes how the art is percieved by individuals.
His work reminds me of Olafur Eliason - who's work is similar in concept. His art also has no frame, he works with all colors and lots of geometry. It's also about realizing that art is all around you always and it's about how you perceive it. For example, his work "Beauty" of water droplets falling before a light, require the person to see the rainbow in the work, and each person sees their own rainbow. Another artist who Robert Irwin reminds me of is Mark Rothko, who was also an abstract expressionist like Irwin in the 50s-60s. His paintings are also huge canvaes of pure color and energy radiating out of them creating an ambiance for the viewer.
I could relate to what he was saying about creating an experience is a challenge, and hoping the art becomes part of the space, in relation to my project.
~Veronika

Response to Irwin Video

2009-11-18T14:23:00.002-06:00

Irwin brought up the topic of art and how it is almost always viewed through a context. In history this context has mostly been conventional. He explained that art has come a long way from political positions and religious topics to art becoming a tool to focus the viewer’s attention. This makes me think of how the camera replaced the illustrator or painter and so on in technological advances, removing the conventional use of art as a recording device and replacing it with precision product without subjectivity. This makes an artist’s job that much harder. I enjoyed Irwin’s thesis that Art is constantly moving and resolving more and more complex ideas. This gives the idea that art itself is timeless. The statement, “Abstract expressionism slowly became line drawings I.E. “that looks like…” “ is something that is universal through many projects we have seen. No matter what media art is created in, the viewer will always have a context that they draw from and refer back to. I think this makes art more dynamic with endless possibilities for impact. You won’t always know how your art will be perceived, you can try for an intentional result, but this will not always be the case with every viewer. This directly relates to the project I am doing. I am using a “tool” to create an engaging space however I am not 100% sure how it will be perceived or even what the actual ambience will be once created. I will then resolve my statement by quoting Irwin, “ I have no idea what will happen” But I am excited for the potential outcome.

Tetris on Arduino!

2009-11-17T19:20:00.002-06:00

tetris meets Arduino from Luyza Pereira on Vimeo.

It's like a mix between Tetris and Dance Dance Revolution. Follow the link for info on how it works!

On Robert Irwin

2009-11-13T13:48:00.001-06:00

I find the documentary on Robert Irwin, and his works, very interesting. He wants to eliminate imagery to make his paintings more interesting. When often people try to have their art resemble or relate to things and he is avoiding it. He doesn't want to have his art have a beginning or an end.
His art can connect to many artist.He pushes his limits often, just like the many artists have with recent projects we have covered.
I can see how his projects and art relates to my own. That he strips away possibilities of his projects and asks why and how it can be otherwise. He states that when you put people together to work on a project, everyone can have different qualities to put but a equilibrium is needed. In our project I know things that my partner does not, thus we both no our place inside our group.

Goldsworthy and Pollock

2009-11-05T21:23:00.002-06:00

I think that Goldsworthy and Pollock had similar thinking in how they made their works of art. Even though their styles of creating art so greatly differ, they both started off a piece with out a solid, thought out plan. Pollock did not know where every splash, line, or stroke was going to be placed. Goldsworthy's wife even asked him before he went out what he was going to make today, and he replied that he did not know what he was going to make yet. They both just let themselves be inspired by what they see. Pollock lets his forms become very natural by the way he approaches his paintings, and Goldworthy uses nature to create his forms. Goldworthy will walk around the land and when he sees something that interests him he just goes for it. I wonder if Pollock was as committed to his projects like Goldsworthy. Even if something broke 5, 6 times he would continue to stay determined and kept trying until he succeeded.

Jackson Pollock

2009-11-05T21:03:00.002-06:00

I found the way the author of this article described Pollock's work very interesting. It seems that Pollock's work either caused intrigue or some feeling of darkness, or maybe even confusion. The article also says that he created magnificent paintings, but also destroyed painting. Because he was creating things people had never seen before and completely went against any traditional forms of painting I do not think it is necessarily fair to say that he destroyed painting. I do not feel that when I see his paintings, to me they are very freely formed and natural.

Nature

2009-11-05T15:04:00.003-06:00

Our project related to the environment by letting the person entering the augmented space become like a force of nature. Just like wind, although you can not see it you know it is there, you can see moving tree branches and know that wind is there. This makes it like our project in that that person becomes like the wind. It is pitch black and although you can not see the person hit the strand of lights you know they did because of the sound about them , and the other light strand turning on. The idea of things you can't see effecting things you can see is a major aspect of both nature and our project.

Technology as an artificial environment

2009-11-05T13:37:00.003-06:00

With applications from the previous texts and the documentary, my project too reflects the surrounding environment we create for ourselves. That environment is one that is purely artificial and almost techno-organic in some regards.

Our lives are more melded with technology rather than the natural world. Like Goldsworthy, I too use objects and materials that can be found anywhere within a chosen space. The space for my project being a contemporary, man made space. Objects like ipods, VCRs, televisions, printers, and headphones. I then reassemble them in the space in which they would be found.

Goldsworthy Documentary and the Article

2009-11-05T11:44:00.002-06:00

I think the Goldsworthy Documentary and the Pollock article have similar ideas. Goldsworthy stated in the documentary, "make something that is effortless." I think Pollock was going for that same idea in his artwork, but he was doing it on a canvas instead of in nature. Neither Goldsworthy or Pollock represent the artists who have stuck to traditional ways and like to follow "the rules" that were once set by victorian artists. Although they are very different from each other in style, they both share the idea of if you understand your art then it will continue to grow. Also, they both create artwork our imaginations can run with. I think they both share the idea of creating something new by using the past. For instance, Pollock would use what he knew from traditional artists, and recreate a new meaning of art by making new strokes and new ways to show something totally different. Goldsworthy took something that was preexisting, such as stones, sticks, water, and created a completely new outlook of those objects. I think they inspire all artists to really be open-minded in your own artwork, and only greatness can come from that.

Our Project and the Environment

2009-11-05T11:37:00.002-06:00

Our project can relate to the environment through movement such as wind. I think when people walk through our project and see strings of light moving, they will think of themselves as wind. In relation to wind pushing an object such as three branches, those who interact with our project will act as wind pushing the el wire. Since it will be dark, the only object that will be seen moving is the el wire, which will look like the natural force of wind that cannot be seen. Therefore, I think our project is a new interpretation of the natural force and simple act of showing movement like wind.

How My Project Interacts with the Environment

2009-11-05T10:23:00.003-06:00

My project directly corresponds to the piece's environment. The dynamic-ness of the outside weather is what brings the idea to life and gives it movement. The weather then, in turn, uses technology to create a new environment indoors.

I feel as though the weather is therefore using and usurping technology's powers to further it's impact on the space and everything that occupies the space. This has become the opposite of the normal situation, in which technology is used by man to impact the natural world. Now the situation is that the natural world is using technology to impact man.

Interestingly, it seems as though from either direction, technology is a tool, whereas nature and man are live players in this back and forth game. I would like to image that in some situations technology is a live player as well, but I am not sure that it is in this situation. Perhaps my view of technology is too literal, meaning that I only think of it as inanimate objects, maybe I should expand my view to include the intellectual spaces and properties that go hand in hand with it.

Any suggestions? What do you think technology is? Can it ever be considered alive?

Mr. Goldsworthy

2009-11-05T03:14:00.002-06:00

In relation to the previous article, there are some similarities that can be drawn from the previous author's approach to viewing these artists. That similarity is how the artists can augment existing environments.

Pollock augmented environments using artificial pigments, and manufactured canvas. Goldsworthy uses only found, natural materials on location. Both artists do augment space, simply in different ways and by different means. Both artists could spend hours or days on a single piece with each piece augmenting another space in a different way, thus adding new meaning to the space.

my project and the environment

2009-11-04T22:26:00.002-06:00

My project is all about signs and how we respond to them. The environment is full of signs. Whether it be a simple street sign giving us driving instructions, an add, or even the weather, we know just how to respond to it. I think the meanings of signs can be implicit or explicit, in my case 100% explicit, and size often makes a difference. I'm sure we have all tried exiting a store by pushing the door open, and after being bewildered that it didn't work we see a small sign that says "pull." So in order for people not to miss my signs, I'm going to make them fairly large. The ending "thanks" will sort of take place of the joy we feel when following a sign correctly.

I'm not sure if I'm on the right track here, haha.

-Steph

technology??

2009-11-04T18:19:00.002-06:00

As technology being a really big part of this society I think that the work that I am creating, in responsive art, fits right into it.

Unlike Goldsworthy this class deals with computers and technology. In his documentary I was really inspired when he was explaining his concept about the ocean tide covering his rock egg. "gift to the ocean" I have never thought that organic art could view in that kind of way. Give and take with nature.

I am used to making art with out technology so in a way this project that I am working right now is challenging. Inspired again by Goldsworthy's work and his ideas have given me a helping push of inspiration for my project in this class.

Andy Goldsworthy

2009-11-04T17:00:00.004-06:00

Andy Goldsworthy's art perfectly corresponds with the Kaprow article. We just read all about exactly how and when art became open to all sorts of medias and this is obviously manifested in Goldsworthy. He only works with organic things, trees, rocks, leaves, ice, etc, and he creates incredible sculptures and photographs.

His pieces also follow the principles of quality design, like Pollocks, but, again like Pollock, he seems to have a very spiritual, ritualistic connection to his works. Goldsworthy uses a natural environment to create a new one, while Pollock created them with paint. The idea that you can create something incredible with something as ordinary as leaves is exactly what Kaprow was referring to at the end of his article.

Alchemies of Art

2009-11-04T16:38:00.003-06:00

In this article, Allan Kaprow attempts to assert that, and describe how, Jackson Pollock revolutionized art-making. He said that Pollock destroyed painting by turning it into a ritual; dehumanizing and liberating it. At the same time, Pollock stayed true to a few painting traditions, such as the idea of quality of marks.

The article states that in order to truly appreciate Pollock's paintings we are forced to identify and identify with the hands that made the work, while also recognizing and valuing the marks themselves. He states that one of the truly revolutionary things about Pollock's paintings is the fact that the forms go on forever; there is no beginning, middle and end. One intriguing thing that the author wrote was the fact that we accept this conundrum created by Pollock because he "knew how to do it" and later describes how Pollock had an innate sense of what was quality when he was creating a piece.

Most importantly, Kaprow says that Pollock left mankind in a place where art MUST expand to include the entire world, so that everything and anything becomes art. And of course, history shows that Kaprow was right. Today, anything can be art (much to the dismay and frustration of my father. . . ). The art world today includes everyone and everything - to various degrees.

I think the first time I read this article I was not excited to write about it since, well, I already knew about that. I grew up in an era where everything is art, where concept is everything, where the revelations discussed in the Kaprow article are common facts in an art history class. But I also think that it is interesting to really understand from a first hand witness what it was like to live in a time where that was not the case and these ideas where fresh and mind-shattering. I get such a sense of wonder and excitement from the end of the article, and I actually find it really inspiring!

Documentary

2009-11-04T13:44:00.002-06:00

I believe the documentary we saw relates to the reading because of the thought process that went into the creation of the pieces. It's a simple idea, but here me out. I think that both artists have some sort of idea in their heads, they don't simply just do it. There is a formula to that sort of thinking that creats such beautiful works.

I may be wrong on this, but I feel that that is how the film and the article were relateable. There is an interesting essence in both works that just makes you want to see more.

My Project

2009-11-04T13:40:00.003-06:00

I feel that my project connects to the environment by the emotions portrayed in the narrative. I believe the colors and sounds have a very strong impact on a person because it "warms" the room which the piece is in up in a strange way. That the feeling that something so bright can be in a very simple room is an interesting concept. I also think that the story helps too. Because, we have all done something silly in our lives and this is a chance to remember them and laugh at the things we did fondly.

Mr. Pollock

2009-11-03T14:19:00.001-06:00

Jackson Pollock is an artists who challenges all of art's principle's in terms of what is considered to be talented execution and content. His artwork is amazing to some and grotesque to others. Truly a, "love it or hate it" artist. His artwork of layered paint splatters rivals works of Da Vinci in terms of monetary value. I myself find it difficult to have respect for an artist who created works with such easy execution and pure rebelliousness. I myself did a series based upon his style and found little satisfaction or challenge other than the shear size of the works. However, after reading this article I found a quote that raised a point that I was not aware of. "Pollock's choice of enormous canvases served many purposes, chief of which for our discussion is that his mural-scale paintings ceased to become paintings and became environments." In this sense, I understand and respect his work. To be surrounded by paintings that size with balanced contrasts would be an eye opener. Few artists can make paintings quite that interactive. However, he is not an artist for everybody and it shall most likely stay that way as long as art has controversy.

Jackson Pollock reading

2009-11-01T15:49:00.003-06:00

Overall, I thought the article had a lot of interesting ideas and facts of Jackson Pollock. For an example the article states, "He new the difference between a good gesture and a bad one." I think this is very hard for artists to distinguish in their work, and for him to be able to do this is quite impressive and inspiring. I think another idea of Pollock's that can be easily taken away is to create artwork people can be participants instead of just bystanders. In doing so, artwork will be more enjoyable and intriguing. Lastly, I think another important concept is to keep pushing your work further to enhance and entertain your audience even more. I think acting upon this idea will allow growth to all artwork and the next level will continue to be reached.

Reading

2009-10-31T18:22:00.001-05:00

I found the article about Jackson Pollack very interesting. It was well detailed and was very well written. I like hearing pieces about artists and find what people have to say very fascinating.

The only problem I had was the picture links. Either the article was kind of old or the links themselves were broken it was sad not to get the full experience because of this tiny issue.

Buy one get one SOFA tickets!

2009-10-28T11:44:00.001-05:00

Buy a ticket for SOFA, the Sculptural Objects and Functional Art show at Navy Pier November 6 - 8 and get a second ticket free with this coupon!

http://www.sofaexpo.com/readeroffer/

musique concrète

2009-10-26T00:50:00.004-05:00

M. C. Schmidt was a great speaker, I really enjoyed the enthusiasm he had for what he does. The sounds they use in their compositions are brilliant. Its amazing how they can take sounds of surgeries, and a violin bow on a rat cage into obscurely beautiful sounding beats. I thought their visuals were really cool as well, they really had the same concept as their music. The camera that had shown close ups of their ears, nose, and hands were impossible to recognize until he told us what they were.

M.C. Schmit

2009-10-22T22:50:00.003-05:00

The lecture we attended was a detailed introduction into the history of, noise music. The lecture was entertaining to say the least. A seldom, well marketed art form in the world of music, its elements of using unconventional sounds from unconventional sources, can be seen in a great deal of modern music from all genres. However, in its raw art form, this music is hard to see as music for it is not entirely pleasant to listen to. Although, it is a great method of combining noises into sequences. I admire the simplistic methods to create a large array of mixed sounds. It is not something I will listen to to relax or drive in my car, but it is a unique way of looking at the sounds the world makes. Even the ones we do not wish to hear. I can imagine that this art was spawned from creative struggle as do many art forms. I can expect to see this art form to continue to evolve from its French roots and continue to influence the ever changing musical genres.

A Hammer Fell in Space and Somewhere Two Worlds Collided

2009-10-22T10:29:00.005-05:00

How can I describe what it was like to see Marshall Schmidt? - Its pretty near impossible. I was pretty blown away with not only his incredible conceptual musical ideas, but also his absolutely charming personality. He is such an entertainer and an absolute joy to be around. His lecture was probably the funnest I have ever attended, since he was not only showing us stuff that he was genuinely excited about, he was genuinely excited to be telling us about it.

I had heard Matmos in the past, but I was happy to be reintroduced and consequently fell in love. I am, in general, a fan of ideas and conceptual works, so I was very impressed with Schmidt's work. I, much like Bjork, have been telling everyone I know about Matmos for the past two days.

M.C. Schmidt

2009-10-21T13:33:00.002-05:00

I thought the M.C. Schmidt lecture was very interesting and unique. I learned a lot about music concret such as the origin and the importance of timbre. The first piece he presented, I think it was called "Three Guitar," was really cool especially since I couldn't even tell he used guitars in it. It amazed me how he could get such a good sound from the nerve crayfish tissue. I like his idea of conceptual restriction, the use of one sound source, like the medical sounds and rat cage. Overall I had a really good experience with M.C. Schmidt, because he presented himself in a composed, yet comical way. I enjoyed his lecture and took a lot away from it.

Martin Schmidt

2009-10-21T12:50:00.001-05:00

I LOOOOOVVEDDD it.

interesting, fun, the tracks sounded amazing!

-Steph

M.C. Schmidt

2009-10-20T19:32:00.002-05:00

I really liked the panel. I thought it was informative and entertaining at the same time. Mr. Schmidt was an interesting character and I enjoyed that he was so laid back for the lecture. I thought his explanation on Music Conoet (is that spelled right?) and Pierre Shafer was very informative and expanded my knowledge on music itself. I also liked the pieces he showed in both his videos and music samples. My favorites had to be the song made with the crayfish nerve tissue and the song maid by the acupuncture device.

Interactive Art at Slick

2009-10-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

This video is quick but interesting nonetheless. I like how you can interact with it and how the lights flow with your hand movement and nothing else. The visuals are really good for this peace and has wavy like motions using lights.

My heart isn't on my sleeve, but my jacket.

2009-10-15T22:56:00.002-05:00

The creators of EroGear created some prototypes of combining LED panels with jackets and shirts, and they also show how it can be easily worn. I simply adore the heart one.

A Glow- Glow

2009-10-15T21:54:00.002-05:00

This is a new installation place behind the Hong Kong Museum of Art, created by the new media art group known as "Micro Wave." This piece is a creation that offers both a dazzling visual display and an complex interactive audio presentation. There are vertical columns referred to as 'the volume' which is activated by a motion sensor camera resting atop of near by building with a simultaneous inferred camera, which allows this piece to full function during the day and night (which is explained in the video). And as for the audio, it is being controlled by different electronically frequencies; such as wifi, GSM, and Bluetooth. So this way each individual person is assigned a sound that can be instrumented via the bluetooth on ones cellular phone. I really am impressed by this piece and it was easy to understand because the video itself explains the basic components to what actually makes everything work.

-Peter McGregory

other than human project

2009-10-15T21:43:00.003-05:00

I stumbled across this video on Youtube, and found it pretty interesting. According to the video's title, it's called the "Other than Human Project," presumably because of the extra terrestrial feel to the lights used. Basically, a person enters a room, and light is projected at them, and responds to their movements. It's a pretty striking visual, clouds of piercing light mirroring the silhouette of the person operating the piece. I was unable to find the artist, location or any further information, but maybe one of you recognizes it? Maybe? Cause it's pretty awesome.

China's Next Great Wall

2009-10-15T20:43:00.002-05:00

GreenPix: China’s Next Great Wall - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

This innovative and "green" wall is located in China, and was the first time a full scale wall this size was made any where in the world. The great green wall is located in Bejing, and is many LED lights and is low resoulution, and as we talked about in class, it is an old knowlegge but "reinvented" by new technology. Plus, this is a completely sustainable new media artwork---it runs on solar engergy! I think that this is an interesting mix of architecture and new media art.

-Emily Racine

Kinetic Lights

2009-10-15T20:27:00.001-05:00

This piece is called "Kinetic Lights". Each LED light module is attached to remote controllable cable winch. Using a computer and a software designed to control the piece the controller can adjust the height and luminosity of the light module creating an amazing site or view for the customers of the cafe below. -Deonte Welton

Interactive LED wall

2009-10-15T18:58:00.002-05:00

Moment Factory, created this permanent installation for La Vitrine Culturelle, (The Cultural Window) a ticket booth located in Montréal. The wall is made of 35,000 LED bulbs and a tracking device so people can interact with the wall as they pass by.

Motion Sensored Coffee Table

2009-10-15T17:16:00.002-05:00

I thought this was a nicely done project of a coffee table with LED lights. It is sensors motion and gets brighter as you get closer to the table. A conventional way of making using LED lights and sensors.

-Katreena Dyrek

Norman McLaren - a true pioneer

2009-10-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

Norman McLaren was a Canadian artist, animator and filmmaker who made this musical visualization "Dots" in 1940 and short film "Neighbors" in 1952.
I thought that his visualizations to music were very ahead of the time and reminded me of visualizations made with PD. He made them without using a camera, by directly drawing with pen ink on film. The short film "Neighbors" also won many awards around the world. All his work is very innovative and fun, and there's many more of his videos on youtube if you want to check out more.

~Veronika T.

The Fun Theory

2009-10-14T12:57:00.006-05:00

http://www.rolighetsteorin.se/en/

I found an initiative put together and funded by the Volkswagen motor company called The Fun Theory. This initiative most likely derived from a marketing aspect uses new media to convey strong ideas of "forced behavior."

The projects or installations presented by this company pose an interesting question that is rooted in human behavior and routine, and pushes those behaviors to new boundaries using interactive installations. The question is how can we make people make better, or more efficient/health friendly decisions using new media. I believe this company succeeded greatly in their efforts or so it seems.

The installations give a passerby a suitable "better" alternative to routine behavior. Much like the staircase or the trash can, simple circuits are used to make a healthier decision more appealing. To which many of the subjects chose as the more interesting or interactive option thus making a healthier decision.

I enjoyed the "behind the scenes" look at how these circuits were constructed and how the installations were put in. I think this offers a very simplistic view and solution to every decisions and how media can be a very strong driving force.

It's no mystery that the more interesting decision is the one most choose. Much like our reading on Augmented Space, the use of interactive media in these installations was used to change behavioral routines. I think this is something that we will definitely be seeing more in the future as western culture attempts to be more health and environmentally conscious. Speaking in terms of behavior not necessarily associated with health it would be interesting to see how far interactive media can persuade the masses...or maybe not. Case in point, media can be a very strong driving force for culture.
JJerik

TWIT 3D?!

2009-10-02T13:11:00.004-05:00

We all know the fast growing networking status update site called Twitter. This artist has turned it into a 3D interface as you clicked on your desired friends icons their status pops out. It does not say the artist name but he's a 28 yr old male from the U.S. go ahead a head and take a peak of his work!

Beijing, China "The Place" Shopping Mall

2009-10-02T12:25:00.002-05:00

After reading the Augmented Space essay I was interested in looking for examples of the data dimension overlayed over the physical world. I thought this was an interesting installation in Beijing China. Although I couldn't find very much information about this installation, also the worlds largest LED TV screen, I found it quite fascinating. The overhead space of a shopping plaza is filled with numerous different themes and sequences of video. From a projection of the sky, satelites and stars, to ocean scenes, this installation creates a bridge between the physical space in which we interact and takes us part of the way to that new phenomenon dimension of Augmented Space. There is a similar installation on Freemont street in the old main strip of Las Vegas which fills the space with audio visual shows and advertisements alike. This installation, I think, goes fittingly with the Augmented Space essay and challenges the conventional reality of the physical world versus the alter-reality of data space.
JJerik

Augmented Space

2009-10-02T12:19:00.000-05:00

Augmented Space Response

I had many thoughts while reading through this very intriguing essay. Many to which made me think outside the box and think of information as we perceive it and data as its own entity of space in the physical world we live in. It’s no surprise that in the era we live in technology is moving at a rapid pace that we can hardly keep up with. Daily there are new innovations that change the way we think, interactive, and quite basically live. I am reminded of this with my recent purchase of an Iphone. The fact that a device now used by the masses literally has changed the way I live. The instant access to any and all information has taken my daily routine and molded it into a wealth of knowledge and then additionally has “improved” my life for the most part. I now can wirelessly accomplish most of any tasks through a GUI that is smaller than my hand with a couple touches on a screen. Through the over abundance of applications I can find any answer to any question I may seek and solve any problem that I face. However this is not a new idea as Manovich so eloquently stated. The general dynamic between spatial form and how information functions has been a problem faced throughout generations. The difference now is this concept of overlaying digital data space over an already existing physical space in through which we interact in a daily basis. Artists of past have tried to enhance this physical space through numerous means and attempts via 2d art and architecture basically trying to improve on or “augment’ the already living world. Thus far these artists of past have been successful in there attempts but with the information age quickly and at an exponential rate embracing us and passing us in our era, artists are now posed with a new phenomenon with the idea of how far can we stretch the boundaries of this new dimension. Well before reading this article I started to realize that the space through which I interacted was rapidly changing. From the simple concept that I used to own a collection of encyclopedias that took up a significant amount of physical space and to some extent were limited, to now being able to access any and all of that information plus an infinite amount surpassing that on a device smaller than my hand and with more efficiency. It is a phenomena that I never had to think twice about, I just naturally adapted to the culture that was being created around me. I could go on for great lengths about these revelations I have had. But the real question and proposed quandary of today’s day and age is does the culture drive the augmented space or vice versa, and how can we as artists begin to combine the new functioning of these spaces to augment the already existing physical. This is a difficult problem to assess and then eventually resolve. Because of the fact that information is personalized for each individual, and the fact that this can change dynamically over time poses a complex task at hand. Although I have never considered Data as its own space or dimension, even though I am immersed in it on a daily basis, mainly due to natural cultural adaptation, I am realizing that this data precisely takes on an identity of its own. Because of this revelation it is only fitting to begin to think of the augmented space in a new light and not only be immersed and adapt accordingly, but to begin to process how this information and space can be improved upon. Thinking outside the box is most assuredly the way to begin to think when contemplating augmented space. We can learn from artists past and more importantly the experimental aspect of the arts. It is through this experimental process and hypothesis that these great artists breached many gaps of the past. Through removing oneself from the information and culture presented and “consider the invisible space of electronic data flow as substance rather than a void,” we can begin to expound upon not only the architectural and aesthetic aspects of our informational lives, but we can begin to change the way the world works. We as artists can continue, like many past, to give this ever changing phenomena of augmented space, “a structure, a politics, and a poetics,” and continue to move through this information age with the intent on making an impact on culture in the physical and non-physical dimensions and alter or “improve” reality as we know it.
JJerik

You can make this noise box yourself!

2009-10-01T18:38:00.002-05:00

I stumbled upon this video, looking for something else actually, but I found it very appropriate for class. It's a noise box that makes sine, sawtooth and square tone just like the ones we saw in clas last Friday. It can produce different frequencies and pitches of these tones. I think all it's made of is an arduino, a box, some LED lights and a battery. Now I really want to make one for myself.

~Veronika Trishyna

a-gig-in-tokyo

2009-10-01T11:28:00.001-05:00

Woah! This was soo fun, the things people are able to create in pure data never cease to amaze me. I played on this for quite sometime, and I really enjoyed the sounds that were included already. On the bottom of the readme it says the 'audioloops' folder is autoloaded on startup, put any loops you want to use in there... where is that folder? It might be cool to add some of our own sounds to make it a little more interesting.

patchPlay

2009-10-01T00:39:00.002-05:00

I thought the patch, a-gig-in-tokyo, was very interesting and produced some really good sounds that blended well together. I think the easy step by step on what buttons do what when pressed was very helpful and easy to learn how it works. I think this really shows how pure data allows you to do anything you want as long as you have to the necessary tools to do so.

As for the first help reference we were given in the e-mail, it looks like a pretty useful tool, but i haven't quite grasped the concept of it. I understand it can "smooth out the dead spot in the middle," which I can see by scrolling the slider. Yet, I dont think I will be able to fully understand it's purpose until I see it used in a piece effectively.

The PD patch

2009-09-30T19:51:00.002-05:00

Not sure if we're supposed to post or not. But, the pd patch we had to download was interesting. I really liked that most of the sounds reminded me of an old 8-bit game or an early CG game from the mid '90s. It was enormously complex, I doubt that I could ever do that. Any way, I thought it was cool.

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

2009-09-29T20:09:00.005-05:00

Not sure if this is considered responsive arts, but it's cool any way. It's done by this guy on youtube, I think his name is James Cochrane...but I digress. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht96HJ01SE4&feature=player_embedded

The Universal Pentatonic Scale

2009-09-27T23:06:00.001-05:00

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation, at the event "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus", from the 2009 World Science Festival, June 12, 2009.

Response to Augmented Space (KATREENA DYREK)

2009-09-25T09:07:00.001-05:00

This article made me think about how technology has changed over time. I thought of the way things used to be for my parents and grandparents and how things have changed over my lifetime. In a span of 20 years I've seen computers go from a green screen to something that has a crisp life like image that you almost cant leave home without. Now we have the cell phone which is a miniature version of the computer. GPS comes into play and is the next jump in technology. Now we are able to track what we want and be tracked ourselves. With that comes our responsive arts that takes the newest technologies and manipulates them into an art form. Artists now use me and you as pawns in their pieces. We can now touch screens and use our phones to control things from afar (Blinkenlights).
Reading about the different artists that changed the playing field of art put some things in perspective. Looking up the artists seeing their work and the time period they were produced made it more interesting. I liked looking at Rodchenko's work because it had a lot of social commentary within it. He made posters did photography and sculpted. All of their work lead up to the art and technology we have today.
In Architecture, technology plays a big roll. Now architects have to think of media and how it will be placed within the space. Places like shopping centers, airports, hotels, and street corners all use projections, LCD screens, HDTV cameras to stimulate consumers. Surveillance and GPS are used to track people and is used to interact with them weather it be advertisement art or just a functional aspect of the building.
The same is happening in the gallery world. Artists are using the space around them to the fullest. Anything goes in the gallery and anything can be manipulated and used for the means of expression. Projectors are used in made up viewing rooms for people to soak up their work. Lights powered by sensors make the viewer apart of the piece. Cameras can surveillance people without them knowing so that the artist has control over where people go and what happens to them.
Artists are thinking like architects and are using technology and space to create work. Architects have to be creative and work with layers of data that need to be clean and flawless. The two mediums are different but have intentions that are similar. Technology is glueing them together and making them work together.

The Poetics of Augmented Space

2009-09-24T23:52:00.002-05:00

What was interesting about the article was how he dicussed the "general dynamics" of spacial forms. It helped me realize that it has always been here on earth for many years. It can be seen just about everywhere usually in multimedia form. I can connect to this article alot because it envovles things that "everyday" people tend to see. Multimedia and subjects related to the topic stands out the most in today's society. Things like this are typically the norm in society so the advances that a person makes through technology only continues to grow alot better.

This article also helped me realize how people interact with physical space such as the usage of cellphones and the popular usage of computers. Without technology this far advanced, things would be alot different. Cars wouldn't have LCD screens to show them how to get from point A to point B. People would be forced to "not" use atm machines and find an alternative to deposit and withdraw money. It almost seemed to me that at one point in the article the author, Lev Manovich, was comparing physical space to what many of today's computer do. I thought it was interesting on how he explained physical space is related to data space. I concured that these to connected in a very invovled way.

For example, Manovich states "data space: extracting data from it (surveillance) or augmenting it with data (cell space computer displays)" The article helped me gain the importance of how data can be used in physical space, which in a way helps technology advance. Just by me being alive today allows me to witness first hand how rapidly technology changes.

~Claude Dockery~

Augmentation

2009-09-24T22:11:00.002-05:00

Its fascinating how people of the 20th century try to create something that seemed impossible for them to achieve like the "virtual world". People in the 90's experimented the phenomenon of cyberspace by changing the media into an "electronica suburb"as Norman Klein expressed. Its funny how the military used to use the internet for video surveillance purposes but now the people of today use the internet as a form of entertainment and checking e-mails; what makes the history of the internet most interesting is how a simple idea can create a bridge of opportunities for advertisement and communication. Most cities are decorated with bill boards and advertisements, but people don't stop and think about the augmented space it takes from the city. Augmentation is every where starting from cell phones to flat screen T.V.s to PSP's because it takes space and it varies the size of the object. What these object have in common is that these electronic devises emerge you away from reality and introduces you into another world that interprets something similar to reality but in a more fantasy matter. Augmentation is present in many places like in architecture and in the arts because of the physical space and sometimes the use of the media.
This reading is interesting because we are surrounded by many things that we sometimes forget to appreciate whats around us. There are many technological advances throughout the years in which there is no doubt that this type of media would progress in the future.

Hanslee Garcia

Augmented Space!

2009-09-24T17:27:00.000-05:00

From the history to many different examples, Lev Manovich explained in great depth every aspect of augmented space. The essay was very difficult to read and comprehend. Once I reached the end of the essay two or three times I finally received what Manovich was telling the audience about the physical space superimposed with data that can sometimes alter very rapidly.

What I gained from this essay is that the notion of using data from devices that can analyze a physical space and displaying them back on a specified area gives artist, including architects, an infinite range of work to produce. Just between creating a tangible interface or an intellectual space the artist can portray many different themes in different styles.

As said in the article, this can sometimes be challenging for artist. As for me I see it as an opportunity to create many exciting works of art.

- deonte welton

The poetics of augmented space

2009-09-24T15:14:00.002-05:00

The Article itself was quite an eye opener to me, it revealed that data in all forms is perceived differently through the manner in which it is displayed. The article was interesting because it explained how architecture can support networks of data, which seemed like a new and exciting frontier, smart buildings that would assist in displaying and networking data.

Its interesting that the article explained the history of how this vision of data came to be, it seems like right now we are in the middle of the first original ideas and the actual realization of such a revolutionary method of perceiving data.

While the practical applications are endless and beneficial, they were brought upon by art, and design. Art that ventured from just virtual 2-d into virtual 3-d, and now it has broken the barrier between both dimensions creating a new way of perceiving not only art data but practical data as well. the article brings the whole process into focus.

Edward Dignan

Thoughts of Augmented Space

2009-09-24T14:51:00.002-05:00

As English is my third language, after Ukrainian and Russian, I had to look up the meaning of the word Augmented, which I found out means improved, increased, better, etc. After I finished the reading I would like to change the term augmented to the opposite of the meaning as disabling, controlled, diminishing, artificial. I understand the reason why the author used that word as information is readily available to us and much more accessible, many places we're being bombarded with images and information, but I don't necessarily see that as beneficial or useful. It's quite the contrary, as constant increased surveillance and information being picked up from us to be converted into info making choices for us or at least trying to. There's a lack of control and freedom, also a lack of self discovery or discovery of the world. I believe that people make themselves better by discovering and learning new things themselves, not a screen telling them and showing them information. Another sad realization is that augmented space is mostly used for advertising purposes, such as malls or places like Times Square, which is basically an outdoor mall in NYC. A few interesting examples of how artists use augmented space were mentioned and public projects as well, but those are rare in our everyday lives.
The most interesting part of the article I found was towards the end and also dealing with advertisement. It discussed the Prada store being designed like a church, which I thought was the saddest part for me. In todays age people worship and idealize the images they see on the screen, they are defined by these objects they buy and clothes they wear trying to become their idols; whereas, before in history people were defined by the God believed in, fought and died fro their freedom and beliefs. Now God is replaced by these material possesions like trendy clothes, fancy electronics and these things are what people strive for, long for and believe in. I believe this is a huge problem in today's society and I'm not exactly sure what a solution would be. I enjoyed reading this article though it brought up some very key points.

~Veronika Trishyna

Apparently, you're never alone.

2009-09-24T11:25:00.002-05:00

I’m currently inhaling little tiny bits of internet that are whirring and whooshing around my dorm room. Data, images, text messages, phone conversations, music, and all other forms of digital “stuff” is hanging in the air around me, quietly invading this green earth, broken down into fragments that I often wonder are nothing more than figments of our imaginations. Of course, this is preposterous. The very fact I’m posting on this blog is a testament to the permeation of Augmented Space, and the existence of the digital world.

I loved this reading. Well, as much as a person can “love” a ridiculously long essay about a slightly confusing topic. But, I was engaged from the beginning, curious about this new subject that has such relevance in daily life and in our futures. I had never really thought about the layer of information that blankets most of our spaces. Cell phones and portable internet allow data to be transmitted almost anywhere, and the result is this new concept of Augmented space, physical reality overlaid with dynamic information.

Architecture is undergoing many renovations in thinking as of late, with the sudden realization that the earth’s resources must be conserved. Additionally, architecture is changing, as I found out, to accommodate the now needed flow of digital information. We’re becoming increasingly technological, and pretty soon the Jetsons will be envious of the fabulous new ways information is provided to the masses, via electronic displays and other such gadgets. Outside the art world, where augmented space is being used to create really cool installtions, I am curious to see how the new dimmesion and use of physical surroundings will impact our daily lives in the future. It is already so prevalent, yet hardly anyone has considered exactly what is happening each time we update our facebook status, or check BusTracker from our iPhones.

All this to say, the article captured my attention and imagination, raising a curiosity and awareness about the new (to me) term of Augmented Space. I want to see how media changes over the course of my lifetime, and am excited now to tune in to how humans are coexisting with all of this dynamic data streaming around us.

Augmented Space

2009-09-24T09:39:00.002-05:00

This reading about augmented space was very informative, not only are there many different forms of augmented space but then it is further explained through various examples that really help me wrap my mind around certain topics. For instance the way that the writer explains the combination surveillance, cell space, and electronic displays. It is explained that these different aspects of a space are constantly interacting with one another. Surveillance is explained as the cameras that are constantly watching people throughout their everyday lives, on street corners, cabs, and while in businesses. These add augmentation by 'extracting data' from the space and then processing the information. Then there is the cell space which is the interface operated by a hand held device of some kind such as a cell phone or a PDA. This works in conjunction with the electronic displays which are data information that can be presented on a thin sheet of plastic if so desired. This two are working together since they are both the actual 'augmenters of the data.' These then all explained to be working together to present a space to a view that is interacting with the view personally because they are being feed the visual data while they are being monitored by the cameras.
There was another part of this paper that I really found interesting, when the writer is explaining the difference between immersion and augmentation. It is explained as immersion is in affect when a viewer is watching a movie or playing a video game on a large TV and they are so focused on what they are viewing that they are unaware of their surrounding space, and it mention even speech is something that can seemingly slip the mind. This is opposed to the way that a person could be playing a game on a phone or watching a movie on an iPod, and in this case the viewer is still completely aware of the surrounding space of which the view occupies. This is because the interaction is on a smaller scale which is somewhat less affective when it comes to capturing the entire focus of a view. This explanation was really interesting to me because it is completely understandable and yet something that i have never thought about or realized before. i really enjoyed how easy it was to understand these complex interactions by the way the writer was able to constantly give detailed examples and i would not mind reading another by this author.

-Peter McGregory

Argumented Space

2009-09-23T23:02:00.002-05:00

I kind of had a hard time getting into this essay, however, as a studio arts major I liked how the author tied in how the concept of the white cube as gallery space has changed over time. For many years art was two dimensional and, for the most part, hung only on the walls of a space. Today it's fairly common to visit an art gallery and an artist transform an entire room, but, as the author mentions the progression of using an entire space to display work was a slow process and didn't really come about until the 1960's when minimalist sculptors began thinking of the gallery as a 3d space. "Finally, the white cube becomes a cube – rather than just a collection of 2-D surfaces. "

Augmented Space

2009-09-23T21:50:00.002-05:00

This article was difficult to read, to say the least. And I felt that his point could have been made much sooner along in the essay. Interesting enough, he brought to my attention the never-ending growth of augmented space, virtual reality, and intelligent spaces to my attention. As I was reading the article I was constantly recalling experiences that I have had throughout my lifetime. As an 18 year old, I grew up with the abundance of new technologies sprouting up around me and I remember clearly going to Disney Quest in downtown Chicago when I was 10 and being amazed by this technology “I can build my own rollercoaster----And then I can pretend to ride it!” (8-year-old Emily).
I would have never thought that 8 years later I would be studying this subject matter would be part of the focus in my college career. I also found it interesting the author really illuminates the fact that this creative knowledge will continue to affect our world for the rest of our lives, whether it is in architecture, visual arts or advances in computer technologies and research, we’ll never live a day without it.

Emily Racine

Downtown Light Installation

2009-09-17T14:52:00.005-05:00

There is a great light installation on Randolph in between Dearborn and LaSalle. I've seen it in the early evening when I was driving downtown. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stop for very long but it is a really nice site to see. I couldn't find any information about who installed it or how long it will be up for but i did include a link that shows a video of what I'm talking about. Check it out! It's just off the blue line if you get off at Washington and walk north on Dearborn then go west on Randolph.

Spatial Research

2009-09-14T19:35:00.008-05:00

Beauty, Olafur Eliasson, 1993

When asked about his art works, Olafur Eliasson says, “I think in my work, the way you engage in the work is very constitutional for what you then see or perceive or experience.” I think that that is a very fundamental idea to all of Olafur Eliasson's works of art. His works constantly invite the viewer to not just see the piece as one would a painting, but to experience the works; to become a part of the environment.

Olafur experiments with this idea in many ways. He creates pieces such as Beauty, which is a dark room that has a spotlight near the ceiling and a fine mist of water showering down to the floor. The spotlight shining through the water creates a rainbow, which not only is incredibly beautiful, but is also completely interactive and unique to each person. Not only can you walk through the rainbow; touch the water; feel it on your skin, but also the rainbow appears in slightly different places within the room depending on the perspective of the person looking at it. Beauty was my favorite piece of Eliasson's that I saw at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The thing that I find most intriguing about Eliasson's work is the idea that his works are so collective, so universal. Whether he is creating an artificial, yet stunningly beautiful, environment, or augmenting the actual environment by creating waterfalls off of man-made bridges, Eliasson never fails to create incredibly interesting experiences that are meant to be experienced as a group; unifying his diverse audience.

I enjoyed seeing, feeling and being in Olafur Eliasson's works at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the works of such a unique artist.

Smart laser Tracking Technology

2009-09-11T14:26:00.002-05:00

Smart Laser Scanner For Human-Computer Interface - A funny movie is a click away

This laser tracking technology offers a precise method of gathering data from one or two points, it can also record three dimensional data by tracking not only the x and y axis but the depth as well. Edward Dignan.

Olafur Eliasson

2009-09-10T22:12:00.002-05:00

being a fan of olafur eliasson, since when i read about his weather project, i was really excited to see his show at the mca.

my favorite works was Room for one colour 1997 and Inverted Berlin sphere 2005.

Room for one colour 1997- when i first walked threw the hall way i thought i lost my vision for second. then i noticed how i didn't see any color other then black/gray tones. i was amazed with how the yellow fluorescent lights could play around with the viewers visions.

Inverted Berlin sphere 2005- when i saw this i was really excited and happy at the same time. reading eliassons books i saw pictures before and wished that when ever i got the chance i wanted to see it in person.

i loved how the reflection of the light against the triangular mirrors casted a beautiful shadows on the walls.

Nature Meets City

2009-09-10T17:54:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder if mother nature could thrive within an urban environment? The interactive public installment is set up in Adelaide, Australia and its purpose is to find out if nature could survive and grow in an city setting. Amensalism refers to how an organism is affected by another being, so each organism within the installment was effected by the pedistrians shadows, and the longer the shadow stayed there, the more they decomposed and the more noise they encountered, the slower they spread. So the lichen grows quickly, but is destroyed by every passerby and city noise.

Emily Racine

2009-09-10T15:44:00.002-05:00

I thought the article was interesting. The talk of virtual reality was something that caught my attention. I remember in the mid nineties a few movies coming out that capitalized on the use of virtual reality as the main theme of the movie. These movies are probably my only experience with virtual reality.

I can see augmented space being in used in many potential applications. Military uses seem to be a good fit for augmented space type enhancements. Night vision goggles and optical sights would be more effective if they included some sort of Heads Up Display (HUD) like we see on fighter jets. A ground troop could greatly use an integrated laser range finder for example and have distance to target calculations displayed in his night vision goggles.

Within the near future we should also be seeing better computer interfaces as a result of augmented space considerations. I also think we will be using more networked devices at home and perhaps some sort of home graphical user interface. For instance maybe we will be able to control everything in our home with a touch screen LCD TV. Temperature controls, appliances and etc.

Paul Chan (The 7 Lights)

2009-09-10T15:14:00.002-05:00

This is one of seven projected video pieces created by Paul Chan. This project began in 2005 and began showing in 2007 (when he finished the last light). He manipulates computer technology, light and imagery to create works of art. He uses silhouettes and intense color to portray destruction and rebirth.

Lecture On Augmented Space

2009-09-10T14:51:00.004-05:00

In all honesty, when someone writes an essay that long with language that is above the understanding of a typical American student, it means that the writer is angry about something, is over compensating for something, or both. There had to be an easier and shorter way of explaining his opinion rather than a long winded lecture that MERELY SOUNDS INTELLIGENT. However, something was to be learned from the writer's observations in regards to augmented space, virtual realities, etc. Personally, I have never looked at my living space or the basic technological advances I use every day such as bluetooth tech. or the internet, as augmented spaces or virtual realities. Even things such as speakers placed in a room he noted can be augmented spaces. Well, I can see some application to my current coursework in regards to this reading, but hearing it in this format was droll at best. It was hard to want to continue reading it. It was an eye opener once its main point was made. It is true that one day almost all space around us shall be composed of screens or monitors of colossal and microscopic sizes where entire buildings will be an interactive and ever changing space. The same can be said of side walks or roads. This future is enticing and is already unfolding in cities like Vegas, New York, and Tokyo.