http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC2baKLXCzM
I was originally inspired to do this performance art piece because of a video I saw years ago. In this video, the artist attached a camera to a balloon and viewed himself through video goggles. The point behind it was that he was experimenting with the idea of a soul and what it would be like to see yourself through your following soul.
I liked this idea and wanted to view the world through the lens of technology. I connected my two iPhones via Bluetooth which allowed me to look at the world through the iPhone's point of view. This was one of my favorite projects to create and perform and it taught me that maybe in our world, there needs more humanity and maybe less computers!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
MS CopyCat
It's not surprising that Paul Allen is coming forth in his memoir saying that Microsoft's game plan was to emulate the competition. This idea was mentioned in the documentary, "Revenge of the Nerds" when Steve Jobs mentioned this same sentiment when competing with Bill Gates and company.
"[The competition] can be taken. But the only way we're going to take them is to study them, know what they know, do what they do, watch them, watch them, watch them. Look for every angle, stay on their shoulders, clone them, take every one of their good ideas and make it one of our good ideas."
- Steve Ballmer
While most people would look down on this type of strategy, I think it is actually necessary. If you think about it, if a company is copied in their work, they will be angry. When this anger passes, I think they would be motivated to rise above their competition to be better than them. With this, innovation is born. With this, companies are able to grow and evolve, which is always a good thing.
While this is fine and well, it would be nice to see some original creative content from one of the biggest companies in the world!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Post-Modern Song Alteration
Beethoven - "Fur Elise" (Original)
The original by Beethoven is rumored to have been written for one of his female pupils. In German it translates to "for Elise". It is said he gave it to her because she was struggling with learning piano, so he composed something easy for her to start out on.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BCr_Elise
Nas - "I Can"
Nas samples Beethoven's "Fur Elise" in this song. I think he chose this sample because of the idea that "Fur Elise" is a beginner's song, but if you keep with it you can achieve even more. I say this because, the beginning of Beethoven's piece is very simple, but it progressively gets harder. I think this is a metaphor for living in harsh living conditions, which Nas raps about. Overall, the message is positive, which I think plays into what the original song's story represents.
Tears For Fears - "Mad World" (Original)
In this heavily synthesized song, the band touches on looking out at the craziness of the world through the eyes of a youth.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_world
Gary Jules - "Mad World"
In this remade version, Gary Jules strips most of the accompaniment down and leaves the track bare, with only a little bit of voice modulation in some parts. I think this makes the track more poignant and compelling, allowing you to really focus on what's being said. They most likely used this track to represent the whirlwind and random nature of the world. If you think about it, in 2001, there were a lot of things happening that made the world seem like it was "mad".
Smokey Robinson - "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (Original)
Smokey Robinson's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" asks the obvious, will you love me? It's a love song about longing for someone's affection. As the song progresses, the singer seems to be more and more paranoid with the fact that their lover will leave them.
KanYe West - "Devil in a New Dress"
KanYe West's song is a more modern take on love and relationships. He quips about the fickleness of a female, and how they argue because of petty things. There's a sense that he is wondering if she'll leave him tomorrow, and that's a direct relationship to the meaning of Smokey Robinson's song. He definitely choose this sample because of what it represents, and that is the soul of a relationship. I believe that maybe he modified and changed the sample because he wanted to portray the fact that there is still this type of soul in relationships, but it's different from old soul.
The original by Beethoven is rumored to have been written for one of his female pupils. In German it translates to "for Elise". It is said he gave it to her because she was struggling with learning piano, so he composed something easy for her to start out on.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BCr_Elise
Nas - "I Can"
Nas samples Beethoven's "Fur Elise" in this song. I think he chose this sample because of the idea that "Fur Elise" is a beginner's song, but if you keep with it you can achieve even more. I say this because, the beginning of Beethoven's piece is very simple, but it progressively gets harder. I think this is a metaphor for living in harsh living conditions, which Nas raps about. Overall, the message is positive, which I think plays into what the original song's story represents.
Tears For Fears - "Mad World" (Original)
In this heavily synthesized song, the band touches on looking out at the craziness of the world through the eyes of a youth.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_world
Gary Jules - "Mad World"
In this remade version, Gary Jules strips most of the accompaniment down and leaves the track bare, with only a little bit of voice modulation in some parts. I think this makes the track more poignant and compelling, allowing you to really focus on what's being said. They most likely used this track to represent the whirlwind and random nature of the world. If you think about it, in 2001, there were a lot of things happening that made the world seem like it was "mad".
Smokey Robinson - "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (Original)
Smokey Robinson's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" asks the obvious, will you love me? It's a love song about longing for someone's affection. As the song progresses, the singer seems to be more and more paranoid with the fact that their lover will leave them.
KanYe West - "Devil in a New Dress"
KanYe West's song is a more modern take on love and relationships. He quips about the fickleness of a female, and how they argue because of petty things. There's a sense that he is wondering if she'll leave him tomorrow, and that's a direct relationship to the meaning of Smokey Robinson's song. He definitely choose this sample because of what it represents, and that is the soul of a relationship. I believe that maybe he modified and changed the sample because he wanted to portray the fact that there is still this type of soul in relationships, but it's different from old soul.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Xerox Project
For my Xerox project, I wanted to focus on my identity. I decided that I would scan all those things that made me up. For instance, if you have known me for a decent amount of time you would come to recognize the fact that I only chew one type of gum, or that I have used the same cologne for years, or that I love my iPhone and Xbox. Then I decided to place these constituent parts together in such a way that seemed to reflect a perfect symmetry. This is because I am always striving for perfection, but even if I don't achieve it, there will always be beauty in trying. I decided to keep it black and white, because I thought it gave it this "yin and yang" appeal. Finally, I covered the majority of my face because it would challenge a viewer to guess who it is, but it becomes easy once you clue into the surrounding prints.
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