Music Blog Entry

The five different music movements I chose are techno, dubstep, disco, nineties, and latin. I chose these because they are popular movements, or genres, some related, but all unique. A techno group that is familiar to me is Daft Punk. My roommate is a fan of theirs. Their song One More Time is fast paced, fun, and very abstract using technology to achieve certain sounds of the beat and voice. A music program was most likely used to get quick sounds and a distortion of the singer's singing, which can be considered electronic music. Skrillex is another artist that I am familiar with, as his songs are popularly played on the radio and at clubs. He is not a traditional singer, but rather a "music producer" with electronic music and his music cannot be created using common instruments. His song First Of The Year is a great example of his work. Disco music was more celebrated years ago, however it is heard occasionally in today's music scene. I know that the disco song I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor is well-known by many even though it is outdated. It has a techno beat to it, but it is not completely computerized and can be played from instruments solely. I'm not sure I would consider Gloria's music electronic, however technology was certainly used in its making. Radiohead is a group that exemplifies nineties music. Their song Just is one I have never heard, until recently, and I wouldn't say that is is electronic music or that a lot of technology is used for it, besides an electric guitar. Finally, a Latin artist that creates music using technology is Silverio. After exploring latin world music, his stood out because it's not typically something I would think of when imagining latin music with a tropical rhythm. His song yepa yepa yepa has an electronic beat similar to techno music.

Video Project

This is my video titled Chip The Clip. It's inspired by Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. It is meant to be a comedy about a binder clip in a girl's dorm room. Enjoy. Link is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G56NXO7rU60&feature=youtu.be

Performance Project

For my performance project, I decided to make a "Free Hugs" sign and hold it up at the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, Florida. Although this seems unrelated to topics discussed in class, while thinking about what to do, I realized that I was very curious about the Guerrilla Girls movement. They are an anonymous group of girls who raise awareness for racism and sexism in art, politics, and the world itself. While conducting my "Free Hugs" performance, I was looking at the people who responded to my act and why they would react in that manner. I got a larger response from women than men, contrary to what I expected. The men who passed me by gave me strange looks and were skeptical to what I was doing. Some teenage guys hugged me, probably due to my age. The women and younger girls who hugged me were more accepting of so called "art" by another woman in a public area. If I were to do this again, for more information on the audience response, I would probably wear something different, or even have someone of a different gender or race accompany me, and see if that changes anything. The link to the video is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctJ-jnLy0K0


My three favorite performance artists would have to be Marina Abramovic, Yoko Ono, and Vito Acconci. All three were artists in the mid-20th century. Marina Abramovic pushed the boundaries of contemporary art by performing risky, dangerous, and oftentimes gruesome pieces. While some people found it outrageous, she was making a statement that art has few limitations. She moved art away from paintings and sculptures and closer to the body; as she believed it was "point of departure for any spiritual development." Yoko Ono promoted peace through her art, much like her husband John Lennon. Her "Cut Piece" was an interesting and unconventional way to defy sexism, racism, agism, and violence. Finally, Vito Acconci began his performance art to get out of his art studio, redefining his style of art. As this type of work progressed for him, his performances became more disturbing or chilling, much like Abramovic. He had an interest in the human body and his art changed the way people looked themselves and others. 
All three artists were influential and experimental with many social and political messages beginning with the definition of art itself. They used technology because it was available, not because it was anywhere essential to their success. For example, each artist used photography or sound to portray ideas, but they could have all been executed without those technological aspects. There is still much to be done in the way of performance art. Performance art is attention capturing and powerful. Now, more than ever, out world has many controversial issues that can be changed or even resolved with a moving performance art piece. Today's artists should follow in the footsteps of the performance artists from our past to make an impact in this world. 

Xerox project

Meet Hurkey, The Human Turkey.
He is made of human ears, eyes, arms, hands, toes, and a nose. His creator copied parts of her body and glued them to a poster board, arranged as a 'Picasso turkey'. For his thanksgiving meal, he prefers a vegan diet because he doesn't support the consumption of animals. Hurkey loves fall and is excited to go home and visit his family tomorrow.



   

Pixel Project

For my pixel project, I decided to use paint samples from Lowe's and cut them out into 1 inch squares for the 30x30 piece. After many hours of hard work, determination, improvising (and crying), I managed to finish my pixelated take on Drake's Nothing Was The Same album cover. See photos below.

Vacuum Tubes

The Vacuum Tube controls electric current flows in electronics (electrons). It's invention was a crucial step for the development of the radio, TV, and computer. The first vacuum tube was invented in 1904 by John Fleming. Then, the thermionic vacuum tube was invented and made electronic devices much smaller and more practical. These superior tubes allow for better radio transmission and frequency receivers. Even radio stations today still use this technology. In the television, the tubes are more energy efficient than LCD and LED. The electrons in the tube hit a fluorescent coating on the screen causing the glow of a TV. Before the invention of the tube, computers were made with electronic relays which was much slower than the tubes. After the invention of the tube, and while inventors began using them more frequently, speed, lifetime and reliability increased to make it clearly a better choice in design.

Flipbook

The book I decided to create a flipbook for is The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. I have learned about the Holocaust since I was little, as a young Jewish girl attending a Jewish school. I wanted to show my interpretation of the outcomes of the Holocaust. Although many people died, we have learned from our mistakes to promote peace for the future. We also obtained the state of Israel. We must remember what happened so it will never happen again.

Link to the flipbook is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv4ne6WRP0Y

Assignment 4

While exploring Angel de Quinta's Stage Door blog, I found a few broadway performances that I really enjoyed. I appreciated reading about the beginning of the Tony awards, however a highlight for me was Liza Minnelli's performance on the show in 1978. It was upbeat and happy throughout with her spectacular vocals accompanying the unique dancing. I prefer it over a performance like "The Eleven O'clock Number." Quinta's review on "The Color Purple" included details on its evolution from a book, to movie, to broadway production. The videos he posted included beautiful songs, each with different styles, the next more modern than the one before. He was correct to say that the cast of the original broadway production was the show's ticket to success. They were phenomenal in the videos I saw. I've also appreciated the blue's style ever since learning about it in a music history class I took. Finally, Quinta mentions that the world has always had wars, injustice, racism, hunger, and inequality, but during the rise of broadway, people began to mention it. The entertainment industry is a great outlet to express political issues and reach the audiences emotions. He explained how "Cabaret" showed the hardships during Nazi Germany and that is has become one of the most important musicals in history. After reading about it, I will be sure to watch it sometime in the near future. (And "The Color Purple," too!)

Assignment 3

Pjotr Sapegin's Aria, inspired by Madame Butterfly, tells the writer's story in a concise, but effective manner. I thought Pjotr's style was quite unique. The short film did not contain dialogue and portrayed its meaning without the use of words; something that is no longer common in films. The video ended with the doll disembodying herself which breaks the fourth wall. It was a sad end, non-conforming to the usual "happy ending" seen in most movies and stories. Finally, the creator's use of lighting and music was a great way to prompt the viewer's emotions. Because it's a sad story, that is an important aspect of the success of this work.

Assignment 2

First, I watched a video of Marina Abramovic explaining how she realized she can use any medium for her art. She realized it while painting two-dimensional clouds and military planes flew through the sky creating artwork in the sky. She was inspired to use different techniques to create dimensional art, one of them being the human body. I think art has many forms and creating three-dimensional art can feel more freeing because you're not limited to a canvas. However, she mentioned something that stuck out to me: if she were to make a hierarchy of art, music would be on top, then performers, then any other art. That is interesting because it is an unconventional opinion and, at least personally, music and performance would be in a different category altogether than paintings and sculptures. I think she was saying that they are all forms of expression and in comparison to each other, music and performance are superior. 
Then, I watched Pierre Huyghe in "Romance". Huyghe mentioned how thresholds can be redefined or overall removed from artwork and he tried to display that in his museum exhibit. It was an interesting play on the idea with literal doors moving throughout the exhibit that he related to the idea of culture and its boundaries. He uses music, landscape, lights, parades, puppets, and more to portray his ideas to others. He says he is trying to reach emotions in his techniques rather than a simple narration. Something that was interesting to me is that he is not interested in filming reality as it is given or creating fiction, he wishes to create a reality and to film his reality. That is a very out-of-the-box idea and its something very unique to try and construct. 
Neither of these artists are ordinary and it is interesting to hear the stories of nonconventional artists and their points of view. 

Assignment 1

After learning Cuero's points on how creativity and determination can result in getting the most out of life, I realized how his ideas can relate to my everyday life. I never thought of myself as a creative person, however I noticed that creativity is not a difficult thing to have and it can appear in simple thoughts in my life. Finding new goals and dreams requires an experimental and innovative mindset, aspects of creativity and an active imagination. 
The first thing I noticed that was relatable to me is that he was inspired and motivated by what his parents didn't accomplish and promised himself he wouldn't be like them. I am a first generation college student, avoiding what my parents call their regrets. They never made it to college and I promised them and myself that I would reach my highest potential and work hard to earn a degree.
In his work, he connects science and imagination, things that I never would have expected to go hand in hand. I always assumed that since science is work based on facts, that creativity had nothing to do with it. That is where I was proved wrong. To create new inventions, Cuero used his imagination and the idea that anything is possible to find new scientific breakthroughs and technology. 
Cuero also says that you can’t have the fear of failing when pursuing something. He advises us to pursue things with intensity and focus in order to succeed. He relates creativity to finding new goals and strategies to achieve them, as well as, enjoying the process to reaching a goal. This can relate to anyone’s life, especially mine. It is difficult to be a full time student, with a job and numerous responsibilities. However, as a young student, the possibilities of what I could become are endless. Cuero proves that anything I desire to be is within reach with an open mind and attention. 
Finally, he mentions that he does not overreact to prejudice. We live in a very judge-mental world and as the president of a religious organization, I come across prejudice often. I am learning how to accept it, but trying to change it, as well. People are afraid of what they don’t know so if I raise awareness for my organization and the way religions can coexist peacefully, I can make a change in my community using his thought processes.

Link to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZugtaO85T_Y&feature=youtu.be