Destruction piece

Destruction Piece Video Link 

Performance Art

 https://youtu.be/Nd-NuMcImKQ

Performance art is an artform in which the artist combines visual art and dramatic performances. Most of the time, these performance art pieces are designed with a hidden meaning, one that might not be obvious to the audience. This could either be a comment on daily life or question the values that people hold in today’s society. There have been many performance artists throughout history, some of which comment on similar aspects. For instance, Wafaa Bilal, Mireille Astore, and Ai Weiwei. All three of these performance artists deal with political issues. Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi-American artist, is known mostly for his piece ...and Counting. In this performance art piece, Bilal cuts his back with 5,000 red ink dots to represent the American casualties in the Iraq war and tattooed 100,000 dots for the forgotten Iraqi victims. This art piece deals with a general issue while also having a personal reasoning, being his heritage. A similar artist is Mireille Astore, known for her performance piece Tampa. This piece is similar to Bilal’s because they both use their cultural background to explain their reasoning behind the piece. In her performance, she places tall sticks in a ship-like shape that also resembles a jail cell. She stands there in silence as others watch, almost as if she is an exhibit in a zoo. This is meant to represent the ship that Afghan refugees were on when they attempted to seek asylum in Australia in 2001. Thus, this piece shows the artist political activism on the issue with refugees and our conception about the Middle East. The third artist, Ai Weiwei, performed a Study of Perspective  series in which he takes photographs of his middle finger in front of various monuments and political buildings. This shows his civil disobedience against political institutions. However, it can also represent his separation from any form of government completely. While all three of these artists performed different acts for their performance pieces, they all dealt with politics and how they view the perfect world should be. In the context of technology, only Ai Weiwei’s had as essential technological aspect, being that the artpice was the montage of pictures of the monuments. However, technology can be a big aspect of every performance art piece since an audience member can can video documentation and easily spread the artist’s work through the internet with the help of social media. When asking the question “what is to be done?”, it is all up to the artist themselves. They could comment of politics, cultures, social values, and many more. In the cases of these three artists, political institutions are questioned on the basis of if the government is actually affecting the general population in a positive manner. On the basis of what the artist can do to perform these questions, that is all up to the artist. Art could be anything, simple or complex, thus anything the artist does can be considered a form of art itself.

Flyer Extra Credit

MISSING PHONE

IF FOUND

CALL ME

Xerox project

While these may just be copies of my arms and hands xeroxed and taped to a door, it also has a hidden meaning. This could go off of the way art is almost trapped by standards. There are so many pieces of art that people question because they believe it is too simple and anybody could have made it. In this art piece, the arms could represent these pieces of art that people judge as such and the door could represent those standards. Nowadays, there could be so many possible artists if the general public didn't look down upon certain forms of art they see as "immature" or "basic". Thus, this artifice questions that concept. The arms are reaching out, almost to escape these standards and be able to show itself to the outside world. Art could be anything the artist wants it to be. Art isn't only a picture or a sculpture, it is anything that holds meaning beyond the obvious.

Grid Art

Originally, this isn't what a pictured in my head when I planned to make this grid. However, everything has a purpose so, in a way, it was meant to be like this. My first idea was to get a 30" X 30" piece of construction paper and cut out one inch squares from either a magazine or just plain colored paper. However, I wasn't able to find construction paper, so I went with what I had at my expense, notebook paper and tape. To get the 30" by 30" template, I had to measure each piece and ensure that when taped together it would make a perfect square with he dimensions I wanted. Then, once I made the template, I had to color the squares in. Instead of cutting out colored squares as I planned, I decided to use markers instead to make it more vibrant and lively. Behind the grid art, there are hidden messages that one has to look closely to make out. For instance, when one thinks about a grid piece, they think of something organized and steady. However, I challenged that idea, and by using notebook paper and markers that aren't perfectly colored in, it shows that art doesn't have to be perfect. Art shouldn't be perfect. This piece is still art but it shows plenty of signs of disorder. In fact, the colors can even represent the world around us. Typically blue represents life. In this piece, the blue dies out and moves to purple, showing that life eventually ends, but it isn't and end to everything, as it moves to something new.

Electronics Statement

The 21st century has been full of technological advances, using past technologies to invent a new product incorporating the same ideas. Possibly the biggest advancement was the invention of the iPhone in 2007. The creation the iPhone used many other products to design the perfect format. One of these are walkie-talkies. Walkie-talkies were used to communicate with other people over a large distance. However, there are many limitations when communicating with them, one of them being that there is a maximum distance that can separate the walkie-talkies in order for them to work. Another limitation includes the fact that the walkie-talkies can only be connected to a certain number of channels at a time. These aspects were used to then improve upon, bringing the iPhone into existence. Like the walkie-talkie, the iPhone is used to communicate with people over large distances, with almost none of the limitations faced by using a walkie-talkie. Unlike the walkie-talkies, you can call other people across the globe and there is no limitation on how many conversations, or “channels” the product can withstand. Another technology that had a major influence on the iPhone was the telegraph. This device was used to send a physical message to another person in a short period of time. Similarly, the iPhone can send texts, physical messages that another person can read and respond in the matter of seconds. The telegraph, however, would need much more time to send the same message. While the iPhone has used aspects from various other technologies, there are still many more technological advancements we will witness, some of which could use aspects of the iPhone. We can see this happening today, not with new products entirely, but with updates to itself. Apple is constantly working on new ways to improve the iPhone, coming up with updates and new versions every year. In the broad spectrum, another company can “revise” the iPhone and possibly invent a new way of communicating. Going into an even bigger age of technology, our next step could possibly go into the realm of holograms and virtual reality. If sending a hologram, there wouldn’t be the need for screens. The hologram could also possibly be used to give someone the feeling of being somewhere they aren't. This idea is similar to that of virtual reality. Now in virtual reality people can play games that appear to be the real world. Instead, they could be updated and be used to place them anywhere in the world. They would feel like they are traveling anywhere they want, all in their own home. Everyday people are coming up with new ways to make life simpler and more enjoyable. That, all in all, is what the purpose of technology is. Each technological advancement used another advancement to influence its invention. No technology was invented randomly, they all had a purpose and an influence. The iPhone, in this case, is a great example. Past technologies influenced its invention and in the future, the iPhone will influence a new technology to be invented.

Combined photo extra credit

In class, we were split up into groups and were told to perform a challenge where one person starts a drawing and leaves a "hint" for the next person to continue. This would then make one whole piece or art that has different components, showing each person's artistic ability. In our group, I started on the top with the "head" of the art piece. I decided to draw something completely random and went with an octopus in space. Them, using the little piece of the sketch, the next person drew a UFO, that shows it abducting another creature. The third square then went in a completely different direction, with a car, using the beam-like lines as the exhaust for the car.

Flip Book

When making this flip book I had to make sure every small detail on each page was similar and slightly in the same position as the previous page. To make the objects on the page to appear to be moving in a flowing motion, I had to draw the same pictures over and over agin, just in slightly different positions. What might take a couple seconds to flip through could be over 50 pictures. My idea in the flip book was a simple one, which I then added to to make a story line. It first starts with a giant cloud, then it rains making the water level rise and the clouds to disappear. Waves start to appear and we see characters such as surfers, a sailor, and the lastly the shark.

Trash pic

For this assignment, I was told to take a picture in a location that seems invisible to most people. This would be something that people take for granted. What is something that people don't typically think about and take for granted; trashcans. The reason for this is because people don't find trash "attractive", so they end up ignoring it without noticing.

Don Giovanni video game

While many people believe that art and technology are completely different concepts, technology is actually a helpful tool in creating certain pieces of art. Art isn’t just painting and sculptures, it also includes digital graphics, imovies, and other technological pieces. Art and technology go hand-in-hand; physical art can be turned into a digital piece and visa versa. For instance, an opera, can be turned into a virtual piece of art such as a video game. Don Giovanni is a great example of such a transition. When turning an opera into a video game, it is important to preserve the main focus of the opera. In the case of Don Giovanni, it was betrayal and vengeance. Every detail of the opera can be used to add to the video game. These can include the camera angle, props, costumes, and facial expressions. In the opera, the camera shots are positioned in such a way that it influences how the audience interprets the character’s feelings. For instance, when there was a close up shot of Donna Anna when she found her father dead, it showed vulnerability and pain. This happens again when there is a close up of Donna Elvira, showing her sense of abandonment at the hands of Don Giovanni. Using these major points from the opera, the video game then can be made. The storyline of the video game would be completely different depending on the perspective; who is the gamer playing and who is the opposing character, as each video game must have one. Since the opera played more on how Don Giovanni emotionally and physically affected the people around him, he will be the opposing character or “enemy” in this sense. Since Donna Elvira was the one who followed Don Giovanni to warm everyone of his true intentions, she will be the main character in the storyline of the video game. To preserve the meaning of the opera, Donna Elvira’s “mission” must be to get vengeance. To do so she would need to recruit support. This is where side characters such as Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, Masetto, and Zerlina. Each character has their own reason to go after Don Giovanni, but they all want vengeance. Now that the character list is made, the next step of making a video game is the setting. Since the opera was set in Italy before the 1920s, we will keep that setting. Unlike the opera, the video game would start with a cut scene where it shows Don Giovanni and Donna Elvira in love before he abandons her. It will then cut to him running out on her and a close up shot of Donna Elvira to show her vulnerability. Now, the video game can start, the first objective being to recruit support on the player’s quest for vengeance. The first people to add to the player’s “team” would be Donna Anna and Don Ottavio. Once achieved in getting to the destination, the player would see a cutscene similar to the opening scene of the opera. That is when the player would learn that Don Giovanni physically assaulted Donna Anna and then murdered her father. While the main goal of the video game would be to get vengeance on Don Giovanni, there would be side missions, most of which isn’t in the opera. A video game and an opera are completely different forms of art, so there must be some differences. A video game has to have more than one objective while an opera can have only one message. In the video game, the side missions can include helping other villagers that are facing troubles, either from natural events such as a fire or social troubles such as an intruder. At this point in the video game, Donna Elvira only recruited two companions, not enough to face Don Giovanni. As the three of them follow him, they see him at a wedding celebration, showing strong signs of attraction towards the soon-to-be bride. The video game then goes into another cutscene where Don Giovanni seduces the woman and tries to do the same act he did with Donna Anna. The next objective for the player would be to recruit the bride, Zerlina, and the groom, Masetto to join the cause against Don Giovanni. Now that the player has recruited enough people, they are ready to seek the vengeance they deserve. Like every video game, the opposing character must have other people on their side. That could be in the form of a teammate if the video game is based on sports, a sidekick if the video game is based off superheros, or in this case, a servant who is bound to them. Eventually, the characters would be face to face with Don Giovanni. This would be the final scene, almost like the “boss fight”. The whole video game has built up to this moment and it is the player’s duty to end the deed and get vengeance on him. In the opera, it shows devil-like figures around him, showing that they did achieve their goal. Similarly, in the video game, the characters would achieve their goal in ending Don Giovanni’s life. The deed is done, the characters finally feel free of his grasp on their life. Thus, the player has finished the game.

Aria animation

While Aria might just seem like a weird animation at first glance, there is actually a deeper meaning behind it. This could be as general as the meaning of life or as simple as the importance of family. In the general terms, Butterfly learns her meaning of life after sailor Pinkerton impregnates her. After she gives birth, her life turns around when she spreads her love to her son. Near the end of the video, the audience gets a sense of the simpler meaning. After sailor Pinkerton and the other woman take her son away, she becomes heartbroken and realizes that her only escape from the pain is death. This illustrates the importance of family, specifically her son, in her life.

Extra credit staring contest

The extra credit assignment was exactly what I though it was going to be; awkward. Sitting across the table from each other, no talking, just staring at each other, for two minutes. It felt longer than two minutes, as the awkwardness of the situation took its affect. I could not help myself from laughing since that was the only way to break the silence. Silence was the hardest part of the two minutes. Just sitting there in silence.

Raul Cuero's interview about creativity comments

During the interview, Raul Cuero had many concepts on his perspective on creativity and how it can affect one's life. One of these was that creativity is a process, meaning that people aren't born creative and that one doesn't instantly become creative. Instead, the environment around them influence them in such a way that it alters how they view life and how to go through everyday life. For instance, the people that they interact with on an everyday basic will have an impact on how they view life. Another concept from Raul Cuero in the video is that people can be placed at a disadvantage in creativity depending on the lifestyle they grew up in. However, he states that it isn't the poor who are at the disadvantage, but they are actually at an advantage compared to the upper class. While children born in wealthy families are accustomed to being served and not having to think for themselves, children of poorer families ofter have to make more choices for themselves and have to think of creative ways to entertain themselves. All together, creativity is something you have to work for, while it is also something that can be easier to achieve depending on the lifestyle you are born into.

Introduction

My name is Brett Schwartz. I'm a first-year at the University of Tampa, majoring in finance. During high school, I was part of the cross country team and track teams. In the art and technology class I expect to learn about how technology affects art in the modern era. I am interested to learn more about graphic design and digital art. My first feelings about the class was that it would be an interesting class to take that isn't specifically designed for my major.