Klaus Obermeier + Gideon Obarzaneks + Kevin Warwick

Klaus Obermeier 

This performance (seen below) was so beautiful and creative. I absolutely loved how the lights, projections, the stage, sound, and the dancers bodies all worked together to create a very compelling and visually stimulating performance.

 Gideon Obarzaneks

Beautiful and creative. I love that this is created in real time, and that the performance is highly unique each time it is preformed. The angled stage is also an interesting choice, utilizing an old theater trick, to help the audience see what is going on on the stage. He took what already existed and made it that much more beautiful. I like that he admits that working with a team is what made him and his art stronger, not taking all the credit makes him admirable.  

Kevin Warwick

Cybernetics and human modification with technology. Not sure how I feel about that. While I understand the potential medical benefits, I have watched maybe a few too many science fiction movies to full trust a technology like this. If it gets too powerful, we could end up in a situation where people could control us a little too much. Now, for things like giving people the ability to walk again, or maybe even a way to cure cancer, I am on boar, but stay away from my brain personally. 

Josh Walton and Golan Levin

Josh Walton

Very interesting video! He defiantly is a creative and open minded thinker when it comes to interactive spaces. I love the way he says that technology and social interaction go together, because as a hopeful digital artist, I understand how much digital art can engage people. He utilizes social media as well in order to make spaces that much more interactive for people. Things like this really inspire me, and I am honestly excited about the future of this medium.



Josh Walton: Digital Storytelling Through Physical Space from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo.

Golan Levin

Creative way to film the interview! That sure is one way to get your point across. He has some really good suggestions for future digital artists, and ways to really expand your knowledge.  I would love to have a talk with someone like him, because he really does know his stuff. I want to follow a few of his tips, and have even begun talks with computer programmer friends about maybe doing projects together.



Golan Levin's AMA Video Uses Experimental 3D Cinema from FITC on Vimeo.

Die Antwoord

A very interesting group. They are a south african rap/rave group. Their members consist of Ninja
Yo-Landi Vi$$er, DJ Hi-Tek. Their lyrics are performed in Afrikaans, Xhosa, and English.  They produce numerous music videos, and video projects. I've heard that they are quite amazing live, but I have not had the chance to go to a show. They are very controversial, and often do things to get a shock value out of them. Famously, they have a controversy with American pop star, Lady Gaga, where in their video "Fatty Boom Boom" they made an obscene reference to her. (seen in the second video below). Also, the use of "black face" or what may be seen as that, has brought them alot of negative attention. They have countered by stating that they used full body white paint as well.

Seen in the 3rd video is their response to "Fatty Boom Boom"'s negative criticism.

Performance Art

My performance piece was a statement against sexual abuse and sexual slavery. My costume I used to draw sexual attention to myself, but it was marked by the makeup that simulated bruises and cuts. The rope was the symbol of the restriction of the literal slavery, and how abusive relationships can be just as restrictive as slavery. The makeup was done with all of my own supplies collected from halloween and just what I have for everyday. I think the bruises were effective, and were harsh enough to communicate my message. I wanted to put sexual slavery and abuse in peoples faces, in a way where they could not ignore it, and it had to be confronted. I chose to stand and walk up and down that corner on Kennedy because I knew it was a highly visible place, and during rush-hour  people sitting in their cars would have a hard time ignoring me. People's reactions were interesting. They would openly gawk and stare, but no one seemed to be overly concerned. I even had one very creepy guy say hello. Numerous cops drove by, but none felt the need to stop. When walking back to campus I silenced quite a few conversations. I found this all very interesting. 

Video Art

This is a very well thought out and well executed stop motion. It is about a woman who sleeps with a  guy, who is famous, and then finds out about him being engaged. So she tries to forget about him and move on, but, she finds it difficult at first. Finally, she does move on, and shows him who is boss. This is video art because it uses video editing techniques, and stop motion animation though the capture of still and moving images to create a compelling narrative. The images are taken out of their original context and used to create an animation style video.







In this, a hand seemingly moves the cars and pedestrians around a parking lot. A film of a parking lot and a film of a hand following the movements in the parking lot are combined to create a new image, and thus video art.





Wherever the woman touches on the corner of the wall, a stream of ink is created and flows sideways across the wall. It is quite beautiful. Similar to the previous video, two films are combined to create a new image. The interesting part is that the ink is flowing in the wrong direction (hence the title "irregular flow"). This adds an visually interesting element to the composition, and its simple concept is partially why I like it.

Magnetic Recording

Its amazing how much magnets, and magnetizing have contributed to electronics, especially with recording and playback. I had no idea about the wire magnetizing that started magnetic recording. It can be so incredible how simple things we take for granted in everyday life can be used for these advancements and technologies that progress so far in just a few hundred years.

Xerox Art Project

This was my xerox art project. I used about 3 glue sticks to make it. I love the way my hair turned out, it gives a very interesting effect. In alot of my art projects that involve my own image I love to use makeup and costumes to change my appearance. In this project I found this difficult, because even in the images that I used heavy makeup, it was difficult to see, and seemed to make little diference. I am happy with the way it turned out, minus the white spaces, where things refused to stick or I didn't fill with images. A funny thing happened on the way to the parking garage after we showed these projects in class. I was walking with this project, when a guy asked me what it was. I told him the basic premise of the project. He nodded his head and then commented "that one chick (in the center bottom of the sign) looks like she's eating someone out" I laughed and explained that that was not the intention, and he nodded but he held his opinion of it looking like a sex act. I thought this was interesting, and thought it would be good to share, because not everyone interprets art the way you intend.

Guerrilla Girls

I kinda love what these women stand for. As a woman, Its hard not to be a feminist. Women have been held back and treated as less than equals for much of history. Nowadays, however, women have made great advances in equality. While things still aren't completely equal, I believe that because of groups like the Guerrilla Girls have helped progress equality for people. They really point out the lopsided nature of the art world, and bring awareness to the people. I also love how clever their name is. The double meaning of "gorilla" and its homonym "guerrilla" say alot about the women in this group. They are using their guerrilla warfare to attack the inequality of the art world, for women and people of color. They use the gorilla masks to obscure their faces, because it is not important who they are, but what their message is. It also draws attention to their message.

Flash Mobs

 Let me just say, I really enjoy flash mobs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE
Hallelujah Cafeteria
This is cool because no one expects a Hallelujah Choir in a Food Court at a mall. Clever use of the holiday pianist!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYyAa0VnyY
Anti-Bullying Day
This was a very cute and touching, Its amazing that all these students came together to spread awareness about bullying and how we should be more accepting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyHQLyZUuM
Engineering Failure
Hilarious, I love that the Professor acts like hes upset at first then pops up later with a violin. I have so many high-school friends who are engineers, and I always hear how hard the freshman classes are. These people choose a very creative way to express it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNxVLVHGlTk
Wash Your Hands!
 This one I find very amusing because my mom is a nursing educator, and she teaches classes and helps educate the staff and visitors about the importance of hand washing. I have even been her assistant at community events to help teach people how to properly wash their hands. I think its cute and creative that this hospital put this together to help spread awareness about something so small, that can really save lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gww9_S4PNV0 
Flash mob in the Copenhagen Metro. Copenhagen Phil playing Peer Gynt.

So beautiful! If this happened when I was on a train I would be so happy.  This was a great way to remind people about classical music, and how beautiful it really is.

Performance Artists

Tom Geoghegan

I find the works that Mr. Geoghegan does very interesting and thought provoking. They seem to be real commentary on society, which in my mind is impressive. Not to mention his amazing ability to sit still for that long. Due to a medical condition, sitting still for longer than an hour or two would be very hazardous for me. It is impressive that any human being could stay still for hours, in such awkward positions. It shows that he is dedicated to his work, and what he is trying to say with his art. The two pieces, "Rubbish" and "Strange Fruit", that we saw in class, were extremely interesting. They really made me think about society. In "Rubbish," it was compelling to see the way people reacted to the human arm in the pile of trash. Most of them kicked it, and from the footage I saw, no one bothered to take a pulse, or anything else to see if it was real, or maybe a person in need of help. This was an interesting view on the way society reacts to situations like that. I hope that personally, I would react differently then the people in the film, and that I would at least check to see if the arm was real, and if it was attached to a person who needed help. In "Strange Fruit", Mr. Geohegan hung himself from a tree in a public park, dressed in all white. This was a rather fascinating piece because it seemed to be a direct commentary on Abel Meeropol's poem, turned famous song, "Strange Fruit." This song was about the lynchings of blacks that occurred in the mainly in the south of the United States. What is compelling about Mr. Geoghegan's performance, was that he was dressed all in white, in stark contrast to the poem's strange fruit (black bodies swinging in the southern breeze). What that is supposed to symbolize is let up to the viewer, but it certainly makes one think, especially, if you are familiar with the poem and song.

Sheryl Oring

Her very political performance art is very interesting as well. I went to the website and read many of the cards that she has written to the presidents from ordinary Americans. Many of them, especially the ones from children were very moving. I remember one child thanked the president for bringing his Uncle home from the war in Iraq safe. This was very close to home for me, because I grew up in a very high military area. I remember kids like myself having close family members go to war, and it was always cause for a big celebration if they came home, because many did not. Children lost fathers and mothers and aunts and uncles, siblings, cousins, and as we got older, friends in the war. And the children's innocent gratitude in the post card was just so touching, none of the angry ranting, and criticizing of many of the adults, just a simple, "Thank you for bringing Uncle Matt home safe." That child, and many of the others were good reminders to the American people of what was really important, family and loved ones. What is amazing about this postcard project that Ms. Oring does, is that it gets peoples real stories and thoughts down on paper, and other ordinary Americans, like myself, can see them. It is compelling to see how similar, and how different all of these stories are. It is also important to note how she, and those who help her, dress at these events. The 1950s secretary outfits hint at what they are doing, they are there to serve, to write down your words, in the way you want, Much like Secretary's in the 1950s were there to do whatever the bosses asked. The ordinary American people, however, are Ms. Oring's bosses, and she feels it is her job to get what they have to say out there. I admire her for having not only the willingness, but also the courage to get her message, the peoples message, out there.

Grid Art = Almost 8-Bit Me

Original

This project was very interesting. Obviously, the extreme simplification of the gradation and colors was a challenge. I loved this self portrait I took of myself, and the effect I added looked very interesting with my purple hair. I wanted to do this picture because I felt it would be an interesting challenge with the broad breath of colors. I chose the circle shape of cut paper because I wanted the colors to have white space between them, to make them distinct, but not too much white space, and the circle shape was perfect. I love the 8-bit videogame feel this project turned out with, the biggest difference is that the pieces are circular instead of square.  If I could do the project again I would use the Square cut paper shape, because the 8-bit feel would have been even stronger, and emphasized the texture of the paper. I liked this style of art, and may do other projects like this to emulate the 8-bit feel.

Surrealism

What Is Surrealism?

Lincoln in Dalivision

Salvator Dali

When I was first taught about Surrealism, I was told it was about exploring a dream, and trying to create a dream like reality where many impossible things would happen. I knew that is was an artistic movement, focusing in the fine arts, but having branches in things like writing as well.  But after some research, I have found that it was also a philosophy, and cultural movement. It was started by Andre Breton after WWI, and began with new ways of writing. It believed that imagination, dreams, and the unconscious were very important. This group included many Dadaist, and had some very talented artists among its ranks, such as Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp.

Her Morning Elegance

This music video was very pretty. I like that it used clothing and bedroom items to make the stop motion environment. The way the created the different kinds of movement, such as running or jumping is also impressive.

Why does it have so many views?

These kind of creative videos always seem to get a lot of views. People really seem to admire videos that use ordinary things, or environments in a creative way. It sparks our imaginations, and inspires us. Also, the music is pleasing to the ear. This also draws people to the video. So, to me, it makes sense as to why it has so many views. It is a pleasing and entertaining thing to experience, and so people share it, and it gets alot of views.

August sings Carmen

 This video was interesting to say the least. Trippy, some would say. This singer's interpretation of Carmen's Aria, Habanera,was very creative. I loved it when he dressed in drag, with a Spanish dancer inspired costume, and had two men all over him, because it was a representation of Carmen's story, with a twist. Being an aspiring animator, I also found the tape player that turned into a tiny dancing robot, not only creative and fun, but adorable. It engaged my attention very much. The older people he used throughout the video were also adorable, and they seemed to really enjoy being apart of his video. Very interesting version of Habanera.

Coding? What's That?

     This video is very interesting, as well as the article written about it "Gates, Zuckerberg: Kids, learn to code."  Unlike the majority of kids in the United States, if this video can be taken for its word, I actually did learn basic coding in High School. I was put in the class on accident, but it turned out to be pretty fun. I have forgotten alot of it, but this video does encourage me to maybe get back out there and do a little coding from time to time. Coding, can actually be very enjoyable. I did the "Hello World" project the man who created Valve (Gabe), discussed in the video, in the class I took in High School. It is a very satisfying feeling, seeing the thing you created pop up on screen. But I do have to comment on how they say coding is easy. While I am sure alot of it has changed in the 5 years since I first learned it, coding is not easy. Similar to learning math, or a new language, it can be very frustrating. Syntax errors are the bane of every programer's existence,  especially when you have pages and pages of code. Luckily, with really good sources on the internet, or even a friend who is familiar with programming, these errors can be found and solved reasonably quickly. 
I find it very amusing that they show these work places as such free and creative spaces. While alot of work places are becoming a lot more relaxed, it really does depend on where you work as to what your work environment will be like. I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that the programmers who work for the military and government aren't lounging around on couches playing video games and eating chips at work. But I understand the concept behind the video. It is a video trying to encourage kids and adults alike to try programming, and make it seem appealing. I have a few friends who are computer science majors, and from what I hear, the limited number of computer programmers is because it is not easy to get a degree in that field. It takes alot of hard work, and sometimes, alot more than just basic math skills to pass the kind of classes they have to take. It is a very positive message to spread, but it is important that the people who are interested in programming because of this video, be willing to take on a challenge if they wish to persue it as a career. 

Rebuilding Past Technologies

Photo: rebuilt Colossus, completed in 2007, John Robertson, for The National Museum of Computing.

Personally, I find this kind of stuff fascinating. It never ceases to amaze me how we have advanced from these room sized computers that weighted well over a ton, to tiny hand held computers that weigh only a few ounces. Rebuilding these old computers is an important reminder, especially to those of my generation, who have grown up with computers being apart of everyday life. It helps us to understand how much work and innovation went into computers, before we were alive, and in some cases, even before our parents were alive. The advancements made by these machines affect our daily life, whether we realize it or not. We use the technology that was started with these computers nearly every waking minute of our daily lives. By rebuilding these giant computers, we are able to study and learn from our past. Seeing how inventors of the past solved issues and made innovations we take for granted today can inspire us to create new and innovative ways to solves problems with modern computers. These old computers are an important part of society's past, and its great that museums full of rebuilt old computers exist, so that people will be able to remember the importance of these machines well into the future.

Video Game Violence?

Does Video Game Violence Promote Real Violence?

In my opinion, ultimately, no. If this were true, people all over not only the United States, but globally would be beating each other to a pulp, murdering one another and committing other acts of crime and violence at extremely high rates. Everyone, especially in my generation, would be very violent, because we grew up playing video games. Not to say that things don't happen, but video games are not the sole cause. Much of the violence that occurs, is for the same reason it has always occurred, ignorance. Bad parenting, psych issues, mental illness and even just plain old not knowing better are some leading causes for violence.
Violence, has always been a common part of western society. In ancient times, people would watch other people kill each other, and be killed, in an arena. This, known as gladiator competitions is what we base modern sporting events off of now. (Think of how most sporting arenas resemble the Colosseum). Humans, love watching competitions of physical strength, and ability, including and up to watching people kill each other. Sports are one of the most common forms of competition, but can lead to actual physical harm.Video games, just like sports, simulate this competition, but without any actual risk of harming one another. Video games are even less violent than sports, because players rarely actually interact in real life. 
In some ways, video games help to even prevent violence. Many of my friends use video games as a way to "vent their frustrations." Video games are a good way to do this, because they allow stress and tension to be relived with out any physical harm done to anyone. Many people with violent tendencies may find video games to be a release, or a way to fulfill their violent urges without actually harming someone. This may even prevent a lot of violent crime, by allowing violence to occur with out actual people being harmed. Also, it can be a discouraging factor. Someone I knew was playing a violent video game, where the main protagonist was a drug dealer. This discouraged him from being a drug dealer, because as he said "these guys go through alot of shit."
Where video games can promote violence, is with people who may having issues telling reality from virtual, such as people with mental illnesses and small, impressionable children. Unfortunately, it is often the case that these kinds of people can readily access violent video games that can negatively influence them. But this is more the minority than the majority.
Video games are not the outright cause of violence, but can be a factor when bad situations have already began to breed trouble. Video games may even help to release tension, or fill a void that may even help to keep violence under control.Video games, in and of themselves, do not cause violence.

Ray Kurtzweil

This man, Ray Kurtzweil is most defiantly a very intelligent man. His theories, many of which have been surprisingly accurate, are very interesting. From the research I have done, he defiantly is an optimist, seeing the future in a very positive light. He believes that there will not be a "showdown" between computers, artificial intelligence, and humans, as Hollywood has so readily taught us to believe. Instead, humans and AI will work together to improve the lives of humans, through advanced health care treatments and recreation of human bodies with Nano-robots. He even predicts that someday, we will all be able to live very long lives, to the point of being immortal.
 This I do have to disagree with, because, humans are not made to live forever. Life and death ha been the nominal cycle of things since human existence. To change this pattern as rapidly as he predicts would be hazardous to the mental health of many, and would not be an intelligent decision, due to earth's limited resources. Earth cannot support everyone living forever, if people wish to keep reproducing. While the benefits of future medical technology he predicts will be very useful in improving lives, living forever, in my opinion, is a little too optimistic.
 

Ignite Ia microprocessor.JPG, Wikimedia Commons, Mirko Raner

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/magazine/ray-kurzweil-says-were-going-to-live-forever.html?smid=pl-share

Stop Motion Animation

Very cool!
 
Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

I love this video! The use of such ordinary and every day objects in a creative way is to be admired in an artist, and this video exemplifies it. Everyone has pencils or colored pencils, and this video found a way to make pencils a very compelling medium. I love how it uses pencils to represent all different kinds of things. This keep the viewer very engaged. Stop motion animation often has the power to do this. Its unique style of movement, and the way many artists use objects in new and creative ways in these animations make them very entertaining, and compelling. As an artist, I always admire those who do stop motion, because of its complicated and time consuming nature. But the result is totally worth it!

BLU BLU

This artist creates very unique and different animations. His animation, MUTO, was a very interesting concept. He did graffiti art as stop motion animation. It was quite elaborate, encompassing many walls and quite a few different areas.This obviously took a lot of work and effort, and that is to be admired. The sheer scale of a number of the pieces used in the animation is astounding, and to create a stop motion animation using that scale is impressive. I did, however, find some the subject matter a little strange and disturbing. The bugs eating the mans face down to just the skull, was amazing art work, and very interesting, but also a little weird. I find this animation compelling, and obviously done by a talented artist.




MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Singing In The Rain

This scene is very disturbing, and not just because of the content. The way the actor sings "Singing In The Rain" is creepy. But why that song?

 "Singing In The Rain" was a song written in the 1950s. In that era, innocence and purity were admired, and consistently projected on movie and television screens. By singing this song during committing such a violent and brutal act, is a statement about society. "Singing in the Rain" was an idealization of things, the real world was not like that. The rape and beating in this scene of Clockwork Orange was the exact opposite. There was no idealization, but rather an exaggeration of society. The characters in the film are hyper-violent, and decided to commit this act randomly, out of boredom. This juxtaposition of innocence and hyper-violence draws the viewer's attention. This song being sung is a direct response to the covering up and polishing of society. It's as if this act was committed and shown just to make up for the lack of reality in the past. It is a direct attack against that projection of innocence, by projecting the opposite. It was made to be disturbing, and shake the viewer, the exact opposite of the pleasant feeling of the original song in its original film. It is a brilliant scene, that conveys so much more then what appears to be on the surface.

A Trip to the Moon

As one of the first science fiction films ever created, it is creative, innovative and imaginative. While slow by today's standards, it is still very entertaining and must have captivated audiences of the time. The special effects are quite amazing considering the technology at the time. One of my favorite scenes is when the bullet shaped space ship is landing on the moon. It amazes me how smooth they make the landing out to be, and how it appears to float to the surface. This effect entertains me greatly and I find it fascinating. The scene where the space ship falls off the cliff on the moon and onto earth is also interesting, because no one at the time really knew what space was like, and how to get to the moon, let alone get back from it. This was a very creative way to imagine how it might be done wit the technology at the time. And of course the face of the man on the mood scene is brilliant! No wonder it is famous!

Roger-Viollet, Screenshot from Le Voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902)

Angel de Quinta's STAGE DOOR Blog

These are 7 examples of Broadway plays that use technology in a creative way.

Jesus Christ Super Star

This Broadway musical uses an effect I found interesting.  In the section where the man in the red vinyl jacket is singing, the background is projected onto a screen. This allowed for a series of complicated images to be shown without curtain changes or backdrops. This means the image can be shown and changed very rapidly, which was very useful for the effect the director was trying to create. Another interesting detail I noticed was the use of Televisions as actual stage props. These TV's were actually on and showing images on the screen and were also actually broken. This added a level of reality to the musical which was nice.

Godspell

This musical had a fountain of sorts in the middle of the stage during a certain number. Water pours down from the ceiling unto a pool in the stage. This is an innovative way to use water in a production, especially one where the stage is in the center of the audience.

Mary Poppins

 This musical is cleverly able to make Mary Poppins fly. With elaborate special effects through stage design and stunt props, Mary Poppins convincingly takes to the sky, wowing the audience. What is amazing, and creative, is how it is done nearly invisibly. The wires, harnesses and other contraptions holding Mary up are almost unseen to the audience, making the illusion of flight that much stronger.

Avenue Q

Avenue Q uses puppets and puppet technology to create an interesting alternative to the usual musical. Instead of dressing up characters in costumes solely, the concept of this performance was to use puppet, controlled by people to do very over the top characters.

42nd Street

This musical utilized a myriad of lights and signs to simulate the lighted up feel of 42nd street in New York City and the infamous Broadway and Time Square. They simulate the signs in the city that never sleeps and the environment that it creates is very convincing.

CHAPLIN the Musical

 This musical has very interesting sets. It has moving pieces that simulate certain effects without the real objects actually being there. Take for example the gears in the background of one scene, moving separately from the other elements of the set and creating the illusion of machinery in the background.  

Oliver! 

 This musical has very elaborate sets that take a unique advantage of the lighting to create certain environments. It very intentionally creates night and day environments through the use of lighting behind and around the large intricate sets.


These Broadway musicals all cleverly use different kinds of technologies to create certain effects or events with in their plots.

Wicked, Behind the Emerald Curtain

Behind the scenes of Wicked

These videos were all very fascinating. I loved the make-up one (as seen below). I know how intricate and complicated theater make-up can be, and it actually is a small hobby of mine. I love how the makeup of Elphaba evolves as her character changes changes and matures into her own woman. Another interesting video was that of the "Time Dragon". Having seen the show a few years ago, I always wondered what the dragons purpose was in the show. This video helped to explain that it was an element from the novel that the set designer felt was an important creative point. The dragon adds to the over all astethic and feel of the musical (mise en scene!), making it feel like another world on stage. 

So much work and thought went into the creation of Wicked, its no wonder its such an amazing show!

The Ring Cycle at the MET

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeRwBiu4wfQ&feature=youtu.be
This stage is amazingly designed and executed, the innovative use of it exemplified in this scene with the ride of the Valkyries. They use the advanced set up in the middle of the stage in order to simulate the Valkyries riding their horses to a battlefield to transport fallen heroes to Valhalla. The set is later used to set up scenes and create environments. The versatility of the stage set is amazing. 

Minstrel Shows and Josephine Baker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agTF2E83AUY&feature=youtu.be

These documentaries, covering what it was like to be a black entertainer in the early 20th century, were fascinating.  In a society now, we can tend to forget what life was like for people who were not the majority. It is a shame that people got looked over, or under appreciated just because their skin was a different color. While I am well aware that discrimination of all kinds still is ongoing today, the abundance of it in popular culture into the 1960s still kind of amazes me. The fact that black face was used for so long is just crazy! While I understand makeup used to cover up and change one's appearance (I have done alot of theatrical performances) that kind of "mocking" and extreme stereotyping is very shocking, especially to society as it is today (being concerned with so called political correctness). I find it fascinating that Josephine Baker had to go to France to find super-stardom. Other women, such as Bessie Coleman, the first female African-american pilot, had also escaped to France to do what they loved. It is interesting to note that the "land of freedom," The United States of America, was so far behind many other countries, and in many ways, still is today.

Madama Butterfly Animation

I really enjoyed this animation. Its slight humor, playing upon its use of dolls was very amusing. Given what I know about this opera I felt it condensed the story well and told it in a compelling way. Despite it's humorous touch, I still felt it captured alot of the emotion in the aria. I was moved by some of the simple symbolism and beauty the animator used, while still managing to keep it from being too depressing. The butterfly, used as a connecting element from beginning to end was a very nice touch, and made it very cohesive over all. The suicide via dissembling was also a nice choice on the part of the animator, because it was emotional without being violent, which may have ruined the atmosphere created by the feel of the animation.   I liked this interpretation of this aria, very creative.

Nouveau Baroque

Baroque themes are echoed in modern society. 

By John Robert Charlton ([1]) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALady_Gaga_Government_Hooker.jpg 

The elaborate costuming of modern performers, such as Lady GaGa (seen above), echo the past Baroque era. They are large, intricate and over the top. Often the costumes utilize unique materials in order to help them stand out. Think Lady GaGa's infamous "meat dress" or Nicki Minaj's various costumes (see below). 

By Christopher Macsurak (Nicki Minaj) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANicki_Minaj%2C_2011.jpg

The modern musical artist also often puts on an intricate show, just as they did during the Baroque Era. These performances include a wide variety of special effects and props that help the artist's performance stand out. See the image of Britney Spear's Femme Fatale show below. 

 

By tamtam7683 (Flickr: IMG_7242) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABritney_DDB_FFT_Detroit.jpg 

This elaborate "showing off" resembles remarkably the baroque era's glitzy, overdone style. The bigger and more elaborate, the better and the same still hold true today for much of the popular music industry.

Getting to Know Me :)

Hello,
I am Emily Shultz. I am a Digital Arts and Film and Media Studies double major with a minor in Business Administration (yes, quite the mouthful). I am a junior credit hour wise, but year wise I am second semester sophomore. I am taking this class as apart of my Digital Arts major. I am hoping to expand my knowledge about the subject matter examined in this class, as it is very important to my future career path.