Worth1000.com Photoshop Contest

Worth100.com is a website based on Photoshop imaging. I entered a contest called "Caution," in which the assignment was to edit the below image in any way. Since the caution sign says "Caution: Angry Yellow Jackets," I decided to go along with the bee theme and include beekeepers. To access my entry, entitled "Bees," follow this link: http://www.worth1000.com/view.asp?entry=361367&display=photoshop.

Original piece

Photoshop edited piece
I received a C+ on this submition based on the voting on the site.

Cultural Event Response 2

Teatro Luna's S-E-X-Oh!

I was not sure what to expect from S-E-X-Oh!, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the tone was humorous and the atmosphere was informal. When the actresses came out and introduced the show in the beginning, they were very welcoming and created a relaxed atmosphere from the start. Before the show began, I had time to view the large images of each woman displayed on stage. The incorporation of photos, drawing, and text reminded me of the kind of work made by the Dada artists. In addition to the visual aspects of the performance, the skits, monologues, dialogues, and audio each helped to present the ideas about sex in a language that anyone can understand. For example, rather than having a woman tell the audience what her experience as a phone sex worker was like, we got to see for ourselves through her performance the good, bad, and ugly of her job.

I liked the use of audio when introducing each of the women individually. The way the speaker was not present- her voice came over a speaker- and the impersonal tone of her voice as she stated facts and generalizations about each woman made the women seem like they weren’t individuals. Similarly, the way that the women turned around so that we could see there front, profile, and back in the manner of a mug shot added to this idea that women can be thought of as objects, especially by men. My favorite part of the production was the scene where the women tell each other what makes them “hot.” This scene was very unique with the ideas they came up with and it was the funniest part of the show. “Trader Joe’s makes me hot” is a quote that will probably stick with me forever not only because it is hilarious, but because it stretches the boundaries of attraction. Sex is not all about the act itself- the women broadened the definition to things that we can recognize and access in everyday life.

The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin

The introduction talks about how the concept of cutting and pasting with poetry makes sense and is a good idea, but compares it with how the method has been applied in modern technology on the web and computer software. Surrealists such as Burroughs meant for the process of cutting up text and rearanging it to be used as an "intermediate step in composition." Furthermore, random text-generators are not meaningful alone; they must be used within the context of the individual and his or her society. As the passage from "Cybernetics and Ghosts" by Italo Calvino states, literature holds deeper meaning than the words do themselves; when they are taken in context the attitues and perspectives of the audience, new layers of meaning appear. Burroughs compares this cut-up method to other realms in life, other than art such as photography, film, military strategy, and writing in general. The article emphasizes the point that "all writing is cut-ups" because the ideas and words are usually obtained spontaneously, like the words in a cut-up poem.

Photoshop Presentation: Burn and Dodge Tools, and Paint Bucket

Let's use this image of my friends who visited from New Jersey and I to learn about how to utilize the following Photoshop tools: (a) Burn Tool and Dodge Tool, and (b) Paint Bucket Tool

Tasks to Complete:

1. Use the BURN TOOL to darken the values of the horizon in the distance and the sky

2. Use the DODGE TOOL to lighten the values of the dark, wet rocks in the foreground so that you can see the detail of the rocks

3. Use the PAINT BUCKET TOOL to color the sky very dark, so that it looks like it is late at night

Dada: Raoul Hausmann

Dada was an art movement involving several different techniques including photomontage, collage, assemblage, readymade, typography, sound poem, abstraction, chance, photography, and overpainting. Raoul Hausman was one of the influencial artists of the movement, contributing writings to antimilitaristic journals, organizing Dada events, and creating work using the above mentioned techniques.




Image on Top:
Der Kunstreporter (The Art Critic), 1919-1920, photomontage and collage with ink stamp and crayon on printed poster poem

Image on Bottom:
Ein burgerliches Pracisionsgehirn ruft eine Weltbewegung hervor (A Bourgeouis Precision Brain Incites World Movement) later known as Dada seigt (Dada Triumphs), 1920

The top piece exhibits usage of the Dada techniques of photomontage, collage, and typography. The background is made up of German characters from a printed poster poem, the middle ground is made up of cut out photos, probably obtained from media sources in Germany, and the foreground consists of a figure of a man (the art critic) that made up of photo and other added collage elements covering the man's eyes, mouth, forehead, and clothing. The textual background makes the images stand out while still forcing you to consider the text. The man is carrying a writing utensil, but from a distance may appear to be a weapon such as a spear instead. Hausmann, going along with the Dada perspective against the art establishment, is criticizing art critics in this bold representation.

The bottom peice is also an example of the usage of the photomontage and collage techniques. Each image stands out in this piece against the solid background of the walls and the floor. Hausmann created dimension in this piece by adding shadow behind each object or figure. This piece seems to include aspects of Hausmann's personal life as well as aspects of the Dada culture. For example, there are images of anatomy in this piece, both of the body and of the brain, connecting to Hausmann's past experience studying anatomy at a private art schol in Berlin. The piece also includes part of a world-map; the top part where the Dada culture was present. The background is made of watercolor on paper. While this composition is somewhat busy, it still allows the viewer to focus on each image individually because of their cut-out forms against the simple backgrounds.

Cultural Event Response 1

Heather McGuire's Talk on Concept Artist John Baldessari

It was interesting how much McGuire’s talk about Baldessari’s work tied in with what we had been discussing about detournement. Baldessari uses a combination of images and text, like in detournement, to create a new form of art. I also found the distinction between fine art and concept art that McGuire spoke of interesting. Looking at Baldessari’s work from the perspective of fine art will give you a different experience than looking at it from a concept perspective. For Baldessari, it is not the piece itself that is important; it is the idea that it represents. In fact, Baldessari had cremated all of his paintings once to show that it was the ideas that were important, not the piece itself.

Baldessari uses text a lot in his work, especially in his "Blasted Allegories" piece with the red image of a father in the top left corner. He uses text so much in his work because he feels there is such a strong connection between art and language, that it is appropriate to combine the two. In most pieces, however, it seemed as if the text was not necessary; the image tends to speak for itself and adding text seems to degrade the value of the piece as a whole. But, because Baldessari was so focused on the ideas and not the aesthetics of a piece, it is understandable how he would consider the use of text so appropriate for his work.

Sound Journey: Party

I created an audio journey that takes the listener to and from a party. All the sounds were recorded by myself and include clips of a car starting, glasses clinking together, people talking, and a knock on the door. The style is inspired in part by Janet Cardiff's audio walk, which has multiple layers and is produced in a way so that the listener really feels like they are engaged and present in the moment.

Party

Janet Cardiff: White Chapel Gallery in London

Artist Janet Cardiff creates audio walks that can be very intimate, intense, and evokative. She uses a technology that imitates the hearing of the human ear. In an interview with NPR radio, Cardiff explains, "When we're listening to the environment, we filter out probably 90% so that we don't hear the car pass or we don't even hear the brids. But, when we record sounds, everything gets excentuated." The three-level audio makes the experience seem so realistic, like you are really there.

Listening to the piece, you could almost imagine losing yourself in the sound of the nature and rythmic footsteps if it wasn't for Cardiff's continuous soft speaking. Some parts of the piece are a bit spooky, like when a man whispers to Cardiff and when Cardiff points out vague personal memories. By sharing her most intimate thoughts and experiences, the listener may feel as if Cardiff is actually there beside him or her. Some of the disturbing things she points out to the listener are a man hanging from a tree, someone following behind her in a dark park, and a dream that a man was following her and she wanted to shoot him.

Even as a listener not going on the giuded walk, the listener gets the sense that they are on a jounrney with Cardiff, wanderin through gardens, down the stars to a beach, through a park, and past houses. The experience is surpisingly calming most of the time, as walks normally are. The disturbing comments mentioned above are a little suprising, but they do not take away from the experience. This piece proves the power of an audio piece- it is able to engage the listener physically, emotionally, and mentally all at once.

Audio Project 1

This is my first audio project, made using three different sound clips and mixed with Audacity. The clips include people talking, a car trunk slamming, and a bicycle bell.

audioproject1

By patchen (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=6997)
car door slam 35 A.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=20187)

By stomachache (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=177850)
ridebell.wav (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=29792)

By m1rk0 (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=140756)
cafeteria.flac (http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=23213)