Performance Art Two: Dress for Success

Performance Art Video

For this assignment, I decide to write degrading words on my body, to show how critical of ourselves the world has made us. The point of this video is to ask the viewer, "When do we come to the realization, that the only way for us to be happy is to love ourselves no matter how we look?" 

Flip Book

Grid Project

For my grid project I did cross-stitch.  Cross-stitch is a form of counted thread

embroidery in which x-shaped stitches are used to form a picture.  Counted cross-stitch transfers

a design from a printed graph onto a weave fabric.   This fabric is called aida cloth.  Embroidery

thread is used to place x’s on the fabric corresponding to symbols on the chart.  You first do a

row of half stitches (///) then you work back (\\\) to complete the x’s.  You count the threads in

each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size.  This is called counted cross-stitch.  Each

symbol on the chart represents one x on the fabric.  The different styles of symbols on the chart

represent different colors of thread.  Cross-stitch projects are worked from a gridded pattern. 

Cross-stitch is the oldest form of embroidery.

Consumer Product: Shadow Cam

            Do you ever wonder what the shadows in your room are when you lay in bed at night?

Do you wonder what these shapes could say about you?

With the Shadow Cam all these answers can be revealed.

Here’s how it works.  You install the camera in the center of the ceiling so it can scan the whole room with its 360 degree rotation.  When the lights go out, you can have the camera set to automatically turn on.  Infer red scanners will scan your room and look into a data base to see what these shapes reveal about you.  Sleep all night and wake up to see what the shapes really were.

Call now and we will throw in the Shadow Cam meaning book to let you know what the shapes reveal about you.  And if you call in the next 20 seconds we will throw in an additional camera worth $99.99. 

Call now and you can receive all of this for only 3 payments of $24.99 plus shipping and handling.  This is a remarkable value that you cannot miss out on.

Technology Over the Years

                  Technology has evolved over the years.  To get a message to someone, has changed drastically with advanced technology.  To send a message across the country years ago was done by pony express and took days for the person to receive it.  Then the invention of the telegraph made sending a message easier.  When the telephone was introduced, communication amongst individuals became much easier.  With the telephone, people were able to communicate verbally with each other and not have to write it down.  Instead of taking days to get your message to someone, now just took picking up the phone and dialing.  Then the television came which included not only audio but visual communication.  With the drastic advancement in technology a person now can communicate with an individual across the country in mere seconds.

From Shadows to Film: Time Based Media

​Art can be expressed in many different ways.  Through different types of media, a person can express their point of view or tell a story.  This is shown in the Indonesian culture with “Wayang Kulit”.  These puppets, that are intricately cut, perform a story with the use of oil lamps that flicker shadows through the cutouts.  No words need to be spoken for a story to be told with the use of these puppets.

​When movies first came out, no words were spoken in the films.  People were still able to understand what was being expressed in the film.  Since the snapshot or film was invented, high tech media has been invented to better express stories and show experiences of individuals.  With the use of these different types of media, stories can be passed down from generation to generation.

Vaudeville, Burlesque and Cabaret

  I enjoy going to see live stage productions.  Since I was a child, I've grown up watching all the Disney movies and many times pretended I was one of the characters in it.  One of the top places I would like to travel to is New York City. While I'm there I would like to see a Broadway play.  I have seen a few Broadway musicals when they came to Orlando but I feel nothing can compare to actually seeing one in the Big Apple.  One of my favorite shows I saw was Wicked.  Musical productions seem to mesmerize me.  Although vaudeville, burlesque and cabaret were before my time, viewing these shows was entertaining.  The way these shows were performed back in the 19th and 20th century would not be as popular today.  People today want to see more action, violence and nudity I feel.  I have often considered getting a minor degree in theatre production.

Evewright

I have to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of the Evewright presentation today. I felt the video itself was repetitive. He could have cut some of the scenes out and still have gotten his message across. I thought the actually design he made in the sand was beautiful. My favorite part of his presentation was when there was a close up shot of the horses running in the sand. I would have liked to see more close up shots like that throughout the film. Over all, it wasn't my favorite thing to watch.

Black Facing

      Black facing lasted for many years in the U.S. before people started to realize how offensive it really was. In the past it was not really frowned upon because it was the norm. In today's society however, doing such things would be consider racist.  African americas realized that if they wanted to be a part of "the industry" that they would have to go along with this trend.

       Joséphine Baker was one of these individuals. In order for her to have a career in America, she had to paint her face to fit the norm of society. Over time though, she made a name of herself in Paris. I feel happy that people like Joséphine were able to make names for themselves and move past the unjust action that our society had placed on her. In the end, today's society would never let such a thing as "black facing" last as long as it did.

Gawain Opera

    The reason I chose Gawain as my opera, was because I have alwaysed loved the stories of king King Arthur and the round table. After doing a little research into which opera I would have liked to do, I stumbled across this one. I felt that I could really go into this while writing the paper on the video game with ease. I figured since this opera is set in the Medieval, I would have a lot of material to use.

Madama Butterfly

         The opera Madama Butterfly tells the story to two individuals from two different cultures who fall in love.  The man, who is in the navy must leave but promises to return for his love.  She conceives his child and years pass.  She does not give up faith that her love will return for her and their child.  When he does return, he arrives with his wife and family and takes his child from Madama Butterfly to live with him and his wife and children.  Madama Butterfly is devastated and ends her life.  This opera portrays the message that things do not always turn out the way we plan in life.

Panopticon

      The Panopticon is a building or room that is circular where one person can view and observe everything going on inside it. The meaning of Panopticon is, all (pan-) to observe (- opticon). The designer, Jeremy Bentham, felt this type of building would be perfect for prisons where there would be a central tower in the middle to watch the prisoners. Even though one person could never watch all the prisoners at one time, the prisoners could not see if there was anyone in the tower and believed they were being watched. Bentham felt society should function the same. People should believe that they could be surveilled anytime and anywhere. With new technology, a person’s movements are able to be tracked throughout the day by cell phones, internet, credit cards, etc.

        This type of circular structure is not only effective in prisons, but hospitals, schools, daycares, auditoriums and sports. In society today we are always being observed. As Michel Foucault stated, “We now live in the panoptic machine”. Just as in wrestling the ring is set up with this in mind. Performers compete in a ring that is surrounded by an audience. They must perform a show and project their fight throughout the audience. All this is like the ancient Greek and Roman coliseums and theaters. The stage is in the middle and the building is set up so the acoustics can extend throughout the audience. 

There was a lot of interesting things in the technology exhibit. From 3d movies to vibrating gravel. Everything was thoroughly done. The thing I found the most interesting was a tossup between the vibrating gravel, and the animated movie with the dragons. While looking through the microscope, it was amazing to see how the little gravel was moving. Almost like it was on the moon. The animated movie was interesting to me because of all the detail that went into it. From the numerous colors, to all the detail in the characters. The one thing that I didn't really care for was the video with the porn stars acting out stories. I felt that it wasn't well produced and the message wasn't coming across. Over all, I was thoroughly impressed by all the work in the exhibit.

Makerbot

​Makerbot is a type of 3D printer brand.  With this printer you can build 3D models of cities and even a globe of the world.  I feel this is a good way to advance because we can have 3D models of houses and cities.  Also, it will help be an inexpensive way to make artificial limbs for people.  However, there is a down side to this technology.  People can make hand held weapons, such as guns, in their homes and start selling them.  All in this entire product can be used to better or worse mankind.  We have to remember that it is not the technology causing the problem; it is the person operating it.

RAUL CUERO’S INTERVIEW

Raul Cuero grew up in a poor society and did not have toys and games to play with. He used his imagination and created things to occupy himself with. He feels that people today should be outdoors more because everything comes from nature. People depend too much on technology, he states. Conversation he feels is also important. Creativity comes from conversation between individuals. By carrying on a conversation with someone, creates new thinking. People learn many things through conversations with others. Even facebook and blogs on computers are interaction amongst individuals where they are learning things. In society today, people need to be creative in many aspects of their life. To get a job, you must be creative in your interview to be the one who stands out amongst all the other individuals being interviewed. Everyone can follow directions to get by, but the people who have many questions are creating new ideas and are successful in everyday life. 

Art work can be done in a variety of forms. Years ago when you would think of someone’s artwork, you would think of a painting or sculpture. As Juan Carlos Delgado’s work show, art is not just colors on canvas anymore. His work makes you feel like you can reach out and touch it. Throughout the centuries art has changed in many ways. Technology has been a major component of the changes. With computers, graphic design and animation have evolved. Art has no boundaries. Juan Carlos Delgado shows this in his art work. People express themselves through their form of art. In society today, people are more creative with the objects used in their work. Art means many different things to each person. Whether a painting on canvas, a photographic picture, a 3-D display or animation, this is all an expression of art. 

Introduction

I really wasn't sure what this class was going to be like when first walking into it. I wasn't sure how this class would tie art and technology together while there wasn't really any computers in this bulding. 

My name is John Riggs Gay, however I go by J.R. I was born and raised in the Orlando area and decided to transfer to University of Tampa my Junior year. Right now my major is New Media Production. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do with it however.  I'm looking forward to learn more about this topic throughout the semester.