also, a website

Okay, so I couldn't pick just one program to work with and I didn't want to sell myself short.... I did those photos below and then reworked this website that I started for another class. It was fun getting back into it.

Portfolio Website

FINAL!

Ch. 3 in Digital Art

As I was reading Ch. 3 in Digital Art, really only one piece jumped out at me. Eduardo Kac's Teleporting an Unknown State is not only visually pleasing, but has a unique message and intent - the online community had an important role in the development of the project. I think it's really interesting that users on the Internet controlled how successful the project was and how much the seed would grow. This might be a stretch, but to me the seed and how it grows represents more than its physical representation within the project - it represents the knowledge sought after and gained through the use of the Internet, a community that flourishes together.

Project 01 Redo

After hearing some of the critique of this project, I decided it would make more sense to take the words out of the image. Sometimes words can end up making an image look like advertising or make it look "cute" - in other words, they can take away from the overall intent of the image itself. So here is the edited version of project 01. [Click to see full version]

Project 3

Flash Project: The Pianist

Ch. 2 in Digital Art

When reading Ch. 2, I was drawn by the idea of installations, especially in the context of digital art. Installations aim at creating certain 'environments' that act as different worlds for the viewer to interact with. The work of Erwin Redl attracted me immediately. His installations create a space that would otherwise be unknown to its viewers. It's large scale creates awe within the tiny onlookers. In fact, the largeness of his pieces seem to engulf the viewers into this world. Though his pieces, such as Matrix IV are very simplistic in their design, the simplicity seems to add to the inherent idea behind his works - space. Matrix IV is a wall made up of LEDs that seem to tower above the onlookers. I can't help but look at it, with awe, and realize the importance of space.

In regard to this chapter, there are a lot of artists who are tackling digital installation/interactive art. A lot of the innovative artists can be found at this website. They take into account things like space, scale, placement, etc. I especially enjoyed  The Reactable. I'm unsure really how it works, but it is amazing.

Ch. 3 Reading Response

Greene starts off Chapter 3 by explaining that the Internet increased not only interaction between users, but also increased communication, information and in turn the global economy. This easy access to information created a new breed of people: hackers. Hackers have a "sinister" reputation of gaining information for selfish reasons, like exploiting secret documents or corrupting data. They are popularly depicted as kids who are up to no good, like in the movie Hackers. However, Greene clarifies that the people engaged in this type of hacking are actually called 'crackers.' This bad reputation was wrongly gained through several high-profile cases.

I find it interesting that there were artists, Dominguez's project SWARM, who thought that gaining such information through hacking was actually considered 'art.' I have trouble believing fully that these projects are in fact art. Perhaps hacking can lead to a certain amount of revolution, but I would not consider it to be art. I can recognize that hacking takes a certain amount of creativity and ingenuity, but cannot really be placed in a gallery setting for others to view and identify with.