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