Creative Technology Symposium Response

Unfortunately, I had to work for most of the day during the symposium, but I was very happy that I was able to at least make it to the Pecha Kucha Sessions. I had never before seen presentations in that format, and found them very interesting and inspiring. These vignettes of the various experiences with digital art and the digital world were so interesting to me, and somewhat foreign. I made many notes on some of the artists and programmers I would like to follow up on and continue to learn about their process. I was most interested in Alfredo Salazar-Caro's work with DiMoDa and Lilia Ziamou's experiences with sculpture and 3D printing. 

Lilia Ziamou

DiMoDa

Homework 14-4: Brush Bot

Sam Berman and I partnered up to work with the brush bot in class. I think the best part of this class was how excited everyone was once all the brushes started moving around the table. I can absolutely see how a project like this could connect to students, especially in an elementary setting. 

Homework 14-3: Semester Reflection

My personal learning objectives for this course were:

1. Do not be afraid of technology
2. Useful application in my art practice
3. Useful application in the classroom

I think these objectives were certainly met throughout the semester, but I would like to explore many areas of the course further. I connected most with the units from earlier on in the semester such as digital drawing, scanography, and stop motion. I think these areas of new media were a great bridge between my previously existing ideas on digital art and my first learning objective (do not be afraid of technology). As far as my second and third objectives (application), I found these earlier materials to be both personally exciting, and could also see them working well in an elementary and high school setting. In fact, I have become so interested in these topics that I chose to take point on the digital art lesson plans that need to be created for a curriculum I was writing in another class. I am very excited to get into a classroom and see how these materials are, or can be, applied.

While I absolutely plan on continuing to use the materials mentioned above, I would also like to further explore what we covered on circuitry, programming, and physical computing. I believe there is great potential in these materials that I have not yet been able to really uncover. These areas of the course were the most foreign to me, so I approached these materials on an introductory level. I was very interested in what some of my classmates were able to achieve with these materials in their final projects, and I hope to continue to explore them beyond the parameters of this course.

Homework 14-1 & 14-2: Final Project & Process

For my final project, I rolled Sculpture, Robotics, and Justice. As we discussed at great lengths, I struggled quite a bit with this assignment. I had been looking forward to the final since we covered the purpose of the dice in the first class. However, I was not very excited about the theme of justice, and robotics were completely foreign to me. Although I would have preferred to deeply explore a material that we had covered in class, this project gave me a great opportunity to utilize some materials I was not able to previously explore in class, as well as tinker around with some new elements of robotics.

My final is called "Time For Peace." It's a very basic sculpture that features a clock face, overlaid with a spinning peace sign and clock hands. Currently, the clock hand and peace sign are all connected to the same DC motor, and therefore spin at the same rate. If I were to pursue this project further, I would invest in creating a way to slow the rate of the spinning, as well as install an actual clock mechanism.

My favorite aspect of this project was how much time I got to spend in the Thingspace. Throughout the semester, studio time was a challenge for me, but I was able to utilize a number of tools and materials for this project. I was able to finally explore both raster and vector cutting on the laser cutter, as well as troubleshoot some issues. (The polystyrene used for the peace sign and clock hands was being somewhat difficult for the vector cut, so Andrew was very helpful in trying some methods to fully cut the piece.) I was also able to work in the back of the studio for a while and use the band saw, belt sander, and drill press. It was a great opportunity to "get messy" while still using our new materials, which is something I consider to be a big part of my traditional art making.

Homework 13-4: Blog Design

I spent quite a bit of time designing and re-designing my blog in February and March. I went through about four different looks and themes before deciding on the design and color scheme I currently have. I do not wish to change my blog's appearance at this time.

Homework 13-1: IFTTT

During the workshop, my group tried creating a recipe wherein every time someone would use the hashtag #ArtStudent on Instagram, the LED light would flash. As you know, the groups were not able to successfully do this in class, so I took the Photon Particle home and was able to continue trying it out. I was able to get the lamp we made in class work right away, so I used that same lamp to continue working on the IFTTT process. Unfortunately, I was not able to get it to work with my basic circuit lamp. However, I did explore the IFTTT website and was able to experiment with creating internet based recipes. For example, I tried out some recipes that made Facebook posts appear on Instagram or Blogger. I was not previously familiar with the IFTTT website, and had a lot of fun trying out recipes. I think there is great potential for this kind of tool in public artworks, and also the classroom, especially since so much of the high school classroom exists online these days.

Homework 12-3: Final Project Ideas

For my final project I rolled Robotics, Sculpture, and Justice.

I have begun acquiring materials for the sculpture I am going to create. The idea is based on the large number of unarmed black men that are killed by police officers in this country. 

I need to print or laser cut a few images, and need to get one of the spinning motors from the department. 

Homework 12-2: Physical Computing Research

2) Research an artist who uses physical computing in her practice. Describe what makes its approach particularly creative. 

Homework 12-1: Basic Circuit Greeting Card

I really enjoyed working on this project in class. I think the circuitry can get a little frustrating on occasion and may often require some troubleshooting, so it was very helpful to have the shared studio time to work together on getting each card to light up. I started to work on my card in class and was able to finish it at home. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted the photos from my phone and cannot upload them here. I was able to create a Mother's Day card that had five LED lights in a row across the lower middle of the card. I used tissue paper to embellish the lights make them look like flowers. When the lower right corner was pressed, the flowers all lit up. It was a very cute card and a great introduction to circuitry!

Homework 11-5: Response to Student Teachers

I felt the student teachers were a great resource, but would have liked to hear more about how to enact Digital Media lesson plans in the classroom. However, it sounded as if their experience did not really contribute to that kind of discussion. Additionally, the class right before New Media also had visiting student teachers. Many of our concerns were able to be addressed in the previous class, and limited the number of questions we had. Going forward, I would love to hear more about what new media they utilize in the classroom, or what lesson plans they have in mind for their future classes.

Homework 11-4: Lesson Plan

Class Audience: 9th and 10th Grade Foundations Art Class

Lesson Title: "Still-Life In Reverse"

Activity: Using a 3D Printer to create objects based on individual student drawings

Learning Objective: Through using drawings to digitally model objects into a 3D format, students will learn how to understand space and form from the inside out. Students will also be able to explore 3D modeling software, such as Tinkercad, and experiment with potential used for 3D printing. 

Materials: Student drawings, 3D Modeling Software, 3D printer

Motivation: Who here likes drawing still-lives? Do you think you would like it more if you could create your own still life with personal belongings? Do you think you would like it even more if you could literally create those belongings from nothing?  Think about an object you think would be cool or interesting to look at for many hours. Think about the shapes and curves of that object. Think about how tall or short, or how wide or skinny the object is. Is the object stable? Does it need to be propped on something? Now sketch that object. Next we are going to use these sketched as inspiration to create our very own objects in the 3D printer!

Homework 11-3: Blank Assignment

For my blank assignment, I have been working on various items I plan to laser cut. I have not been able to spend time in the studio actually cutting them yet, but I am looking forward to exploring how these images look on various materials. Some of the images I have been working with are artworks of my own, and some are just ideas I would like to see cut. I think there is great potential in the laser cutter and can certainly see how it could be applied to not only my own art practice, but also the classroom. Beyond these images below, I would also like to explore creating original vector cut surfaces, that I could then use as a canvas for painting. 

  

Homework 11-2: 3D Printer Artist Research

Giles Azzara is multi-media digital artist. He began his career as a sound artist, but then moved into sculpture and then 3D printing. He was interested in exploring sound as a visual medium, and created a system that could materialize sound into something one could see. In 2006, he produced his first works of laser engravings of audio clips. More recently, he participated at the first White House Maker Faire (2014) and presented his piece "Next Industrial Revolution." The piece features a 3D printed voiceprint and accompanying audio of President Obama speaking on the future of technology and 3D printing.

Homework 11-1: 3D Printing

I chose to make a miniature sculpture for my 3D print. I would like to imagine that this little figurine is a small scale model of a very large outdoor sculpture. I could see it as a towering stainless steel piece in a park, where people could climb on it trying to make it up to the platform for a seat. 

The actual printing process was challenging at first because I had some issues creating a raft. However, Kwantaeck was incredibly helpful and we were able to print the item together. He was also happy to show me how to change the filament color on the Makerbot. 

Homework 10-4: Blank Assignment

I would actually like to further explore the laser cutter. Although this material was just covered this week, I was not able to cut my image in class and would certainly like to return to the Thingspace to do so. I think there is a lot of potential in the laser cutter, both as its own entity and also in conjunction with traditional or other materials. 

Homework 10-1: Laser Cutter Project

I had a very difficult time getting into the studios throughout the semester due to my challenging work schedule and limited studio hours. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete the laser cut project during the class with Andrew and Sohee, nor was I able to get back to the studio in the following weeks. As a result, I made sure to include something that was laser cut on my final (video below). I absolutely loved using the machine and the quality of the project. I hope to get to the Thingspace over the summer because I would love to go ahead and cut the items I prepared in class, as well as a few additional objects I worked on later in the semester. 

Homework 9-2: Scratch Experience

I have mixed feelings about Scratch. Firstly, I love that it is a free program that can introduce children to programming. I can certainly see how Scratch can be a stepping stone for more advanced computing programs, as well as just sparking a child's interest in programming. I also appreciate how easily Scratch lends itself to exploration. A student can easily try out a variety of sprites or actions with just a few clicks, and the ability to instantly preview the video is quite satisfying. However, I did not actually enjoy using the program as much as I had hoped to. I found myself becoming somewhat frustrated or unhappy with the quality of the product. I imagine these feelings would dissipate over greater use of Scratch, but unfortunately I am not very excited to return to the program.

Students would be able to use Scratch in a classroom by creating a game of their own. Although I was not very interested in the game myself, I certainly think it would be a great additional to an elementary art classroom. I also think Scratch could be applied in a more complex way at a high school level. Students would be able to create a variety of interactive videos that could potentially be used in a collaborative public artwork.

Homework 9-1: Scratch Animation

In Class Scratch Exercise

Homework 8-3: Sound in My Life

In My Home:

Growing up in a family of five, with a large and rambunctious dog- I would say I come from what I consider to be a loud home. My parents have generally loud voices, my sister and I always watched movies while doing homework, and my other sister was musician and opera singer. Additionally, the piano my father refinished for her turned out to be the loudest upright grand piano we had ever heard. It had a very full and beautiful sound, but if she kept the windows open I could hear her practicing halfway down the block.

I was never aware of the general volume in my home until my older sisters went to college and our dog passed away. The house was a much quieter and calmer place, which my mother and I interpreted as simply “too quiet.” My father was adamant about not getting another dog, but less than five months later we brought Marley home from the shelter. The sound of his collar tags filling up the house was one of the most comforting sounds to all three of us. The quietness of our home was equated with loss and sadness. Even today, over 15 years later, we still talk about "The Quiet Period" as if it was some dark period in my family history.       

In The Classroom:

The sound of a classroom is crucial to many aspects of the students’ learning and engagement. When you walk past a very loud classroom, you instinctively know if the loud volume is the result of either excitement and interest, or distraction and disruption. Similarly, you can sense if a silent classroom is full of students engulfed in their work, or just  bored and disinterested. The volume at which a teacher speaks, the methods he/she uses to quiet the class, the volume the students are expected to maintain... these elements are all unique to each and every classroom and can affect each students experience. Similarly to the way people may say they are "visual learners," others can also say they learn better in loud, active settings, or quiet environments.

Homework 8-2: Sound Artist Research

Christopher Janney is a sound artist that, as New Yorkers, we are probably all very familiar will. Janney’s REACH installation was added to the Herald Square subway stop in 1996. The piece is a metal bar that features lights and sensors. When someone “reaches” their hand in front of a sensor, it plays a recorded sound. Visually, the piece is somewhat inconspicuous and I would not be surprised if it was mistaken for some part of the subway architecture. While some passers by may not even notice it, you can spot the true New Yorkers as they wave their hand in the air while running to their train.

Janney’s background is in music and participatory art. He has created various other multi-media and sound sculptures and performance pieces. One of his most notable works, Heartbeat, was famously danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Heartbeat later was re-worked to become part of an entire concert performed in New York in 2014:

Homework 8-1: Manipulating Sound with Audacity

I titled this audio clip "Creepy Monkey" because it reminded me of vintage metal toys, specifically something like the image above with a monkey playing the symbols. I had heard a number of my classmates had virus issues with Audacity, so I chose to work with Garage Band. I was able to take simple sounds of my apartment and my cats, and manipulate them into something completely unrelated.

Homework 7-6: S.E.L.F.I.E.

• Showed My Process: There is definitely room for improvement when I examine my "Selfie." I did not show my process with this assignment, and honestly- I'm not sure how I would for a video assignment? This is definitely something I would want to address in class.

• Explained My Outcome: I did not include any description with my video post, but I included the source video, which I believes indicates the process in and of itself. I used the audio from a clip of the movie Fight Club and pieced clips from the movie The Fox and The Hound into the audio.

• Linked to Vocabulary: By using the tools effectively, I believe this assignment does link to the vocabulary. However, I do need to focus on the vocabulary more in future works so that it becomes a more integral part of my internal dialogue.

• Found Multiple Possibilities: I think video has an almost infinite number of possibilities, so much so- that it can be intimidating. As a result of the large number of possibilities, I chose to keep my video somewhat simple.   

• I Persevered Through the Work: This certainly applies to my video, as I struggled quite a bit with this assignment. Although the audio does not line up as well as I wanted it too, I felt it was important to continue on and think about how to improve on this kind of assignment in the future.

• Eliminated Carelessness: Although my video appears to be somewhat careless, I did put quite of bit of effort into the work. I was aware that there were quite a few flaws, but I given that I have never worked with iMovie or video, I was not entirely unhappy with the product.

Homework 7-4: Impact 100

Sam and I created a Digital Time Capsule for our Impact 100 project. We requested participants to submit a photo with their age, gender, and location. There were no restrictions on what the image could be- "just something important to you." We received images such as landscapes, pets, some political cartoons or images, travel destinations, etc. Many of the images were submitted by friends or acquaintances we emailed the request to, but we also made several efforts to attain a more global audience. The request for submissions was posted on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Craigslist (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Austin, Taiwan, Shanghai, London, Mumbai, Moscow, etc.). We also passed out small flyers in the hopes that something tangible would lead to a greater response. Although we are still approaching our 100 image submissions, the blog has had over 700 page views.

Digital Time Capsule

Homework 7-3: Classroom Potential

I think the potential for video in a classroom is limitless. Given that younger people are becoming more and more comfortable with photos and video due to the popularity of smartphones, turning this commonplace interest into an assignment could be a great way to connect with your students and learn what they appreciate. 

I think the most beneficial aspect of video is that it so easily contributes itself to a collaborative setting. Given that film and video have so many aspects, it would be a great way to have students get to know each other and learn social skills. Some basic lesson plan ideas could include:

• Filming students sharing their favorite joke or story
• Creating a documentary of their school or neighborhood
• Create a music video
• Edit a video to represent a different meaning

Homework 7-2: Video Artist Research

Bill Viola is a video artist that was recommended to me by my painting professor last year. I was working on a series of oil paintings that featured imagery of drowning people, and Prof. Byrne thought I would find Bill Viola’s work inspiring- he was absolutely correct.

Viola is a New York based artist who creates videos that center around the human experience. He explores concepts of birth, death, and the human consciousness, while often using large amounts of water in some way. He created a symbolic display that can features water trickling or a complete deluge.     

Bill Viola: l'exposition

Bill Viola: Acceptance

Homework 7-1: iMovie Video

The Fox and The Hound, inspired by Fight Club

Homework 6-5: Impact 100 Status Update

I have been working with Samantha Berman on our Impact 100 project and we are progressing along quite well. For our project, we are creating a Digital Time Capsule. We are requesting participants to submit an image or video, and to include their age, gender, and location. The submissions are being posted at DigitalTimeCapsule2016.blogspot.com. 

We have just started soliciting submissions, but they are beginning to flow in. The request for submissions has been posted on Facebook, Instagram, Craigslist (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Mumbai), Reddit, and has been emailed to a number of contacts. We would like to continue posting in places that may offer a more global reach.

Homework 6-4: Scanography Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Self Portrait Collage through Scanography

Age Group: 11th - 12th Graders, High School Digital Arts Course (previous experience with Photoshop)

Learning Objective: Through arranging and scanning items and images that are considered important to the student, he or she student will create a collage that represents a portrait of themselves through metaphor.

Materials: Scanner, found items, Photoshop

Motivation: What are your most special belongings? Think about why those items are important to you? How do those items reflect who you are? How can you use these items to create an image? Do you want to distort them? Is it important to see the item clearly? Do you relate more to specific shapes or colors, rather than specific items?    

Demonstration: Use student volunteers to create scans that show how movement, light, and depth affect the resulting image. Encourage students to experiment and explore the properties of scanography as much as possible.

Reflection: Discuss what process each student explored in order to create their scans. Request the students elaborate on how their scan reflects their identity and values. Discuss how the students could take their work further.

Homework 6-3: Research

Adam Elliot has been one of my favorite artists and filmmakers for many years. I was first introduced to his works Uncle, Cousin, and Brother many years ago through a collection of short films called The Animation Show (2003, curated by Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt). Elliot's three short claymation films are among the most touching films I have ever seen. They are extremely sincere, and extremely heart-wrenching. The following year, Elliot won an Academy Award for his short animated film Harvie Krumpet, and then later created the feature length film Mary and Max in 2009. 

Please check his website to see these wonderful films!

Homework 6-2: Stop Motion Process

Carianna and I worked together on our stop motion film. I think the collaboration was hugely beneficial not only to the creative process, but also to the logistical elements of what stop motion entails. It was a much smoother production to have one person control the clay figures, while the other person controls the camera and computer responsibilities. 

Firstly, Carianna and I decided we wanted to work with clay that was available in the Meyers studio.

After reviewing the homework and thinking about the project from a lesson planning perspective, we decided to create a scene the mirrored a color mixing lesson. We wanted to have two different colored figures come together to create a new figure in the resulting color. We then got to work and each sculpted figures for the scene. 

In setting up the scene, we used two pieces of white paper for the background. We felt the white background was the best choice so that it would not distract from the color mixing element of the film.

One of the greatest challenges in the process was the lighting in the Meyers Media Art Studio. We did not have access to an additional light source, and used only the room lighting. However, since it was not a very strong light, there are variations across each shot.

We elected to embrace the primitive aspects of our film and starting shooting. We worked together in directing the characters and planning how they would come together and mix. We took two shots per scene and created a Gif of 197 shots. Although it was a very difficult project, it was also quite a satisfying process to see the film come together. I would certainly consider creating another film for future blank projects. 

Homework 6-1: Stop Motion Animation

(created with Carianna)

In Class iBook

Dinosaur by Casey Gallagher

Homework 5-3: Blank Assignment

Prior to working on the scanography homework, I intended to create another digital painting or collage. I wanted to pursue digital painting further, and after completing the additional previously posted piece for my diversity class, I was excited to keep moving in that direction. However, once we started scanning, I couldn’t stop. Between the time spent scanning in the Meyers studio at at my own home, I completed well over a hundred scans. While scanning at my home I was able to play with factors such as light and other materials that may have compromised the scanners at school. I scanned everything I thought could be interesting- my clothing, my jewelry, my books- I even scanned my cat! It was so interesting to see how the slightest change in light or speed could change a picture so drastically. For my blank assignment I included another series of the dinosaur scans. I felt that this series best exemplified the changes that can occur by adjusting one element, which in this case was light. The scans posted earlier were completed in a completely dark room, while the scans below were in the same room with bright lights on. I chose the scans that featured only the single item of the dinosaur, rather than the various other items I scanned with the dinosaur. I appreciate the simplicity of these images. I’m excited that this class is offering such great opportunities for material exploration and I’m looking forward to learning what else scanners are capable of.   

Homework 5-2: Research

Rebecca Wild is a British painter, scanographer, and self proclaimed “experimentalist.” Her scanography work blends methods of painting and scanning, and features imagery of fluids and bright colors. Her scans are very complex and have qualities that are both organic and celestial- reminiscent of underwater photography, or Hubble telescope images. Rebecca creates her work by applying liquids (or painting) directly to the glass of the scanner. She protects the scanner by sealing the edges with tape. She then adds layers of glass on top of the paint to create air bubbles, and applies additional layers of paint.

Homework 5-1: Scanography

 Series 1: Bags

Series 2: Dinosaur