Final Project.

  OK so for my final project I wanted to sort of show what I interpret the mind set of my roommates cat to be. She is kind of psycho and unlike any other cat I've ever been in contact with. She hisses and bites her tail and bites people when you pet her multiple times (which is unusual for cats). At first I wanted to show her daily activities which mostly consists of eating, pooping, and sun bathing. Then I was thinking of showing how she hides from me when I start to bother her. Its funny because she literally serves no purpose in our apartment but she is fun to mess with regardless. She is a lazy fat cat and it is funny to me to image what is on her mind all the time. 
  Once I started making the project I tried to think of different scenarios that she would possibly be thinking of as she is sun bathing or just hanging out. To me cats seem so quiet and sneaky so I wanted to show how her thoughts were exactly the OPPOSITE of what it appears she does on a day to day basis. I originally wanted to show her having a blast on a roller coaster or sailing in a boat. Pretty much doing things that no cat will ever do unless they are just extremely privileged.
   It is sort of a joke with my roommate and I that Elsie (that's the cat) is plotting to kill me. She is just not very nice and the fact that I harass her doesn't help either. Also when I take pictures of her her eyes glow and it looks completely creepy. My final project is Elsie day dreaming about the time where she will take over Hell and have all the dogs in chains under her command. In Elsie's Hell clones of her are the rulers and they rule over the dogs. Its ironic because usually people tend to have this notion that cats and dogs don't get along and that dogs are the dominant animal. In Elsie's version she is the ruler and the dogs are the submissive ones. I think she would be very pleased with this fantasy that I have conjured up :)

Blog entry 10.

For this project I was thinking of either making it about me or completely NOT about me. I first got the idea of capturing the view if I had eyes on the back of my head, from Mr. Kellner. I thought this could turn out pretty interesting. I changed my mind about this idea when I realized that I didn't really have an eventful week to capture....at all lol. I also had ideas of doing a photo narrative of my journey through school each day (also boring). Eventually I thought it would be interesting to involve my dog in the project. I had ideas of doing a narrative from his eyes or point of view. That idea changed to me capturing his play sessions in which he goes from completely calm to totally amped up to exhausted in a matter of like 15 minutes. I toyed with this idea and the idea to capture his bathing session because it is HILARIOUS how much he hates getting in the bath. Its really funny to watch. Needless to say the ONE time I needed Playboy's cooperation, he chose not to participate in the fetch/play session and I wasn't going to take the chance with giving him a bath.

I ended up taking photos of my roommates cat. She is sort of mean and psycho so I mess with her from time to time. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of cats but their purpose in life amuses me. This cat literally eats, poops, chases her tail, and chills 24/7. That is all. Her name is Elsie and she does absolutely nothing but lay around and get fat. As a hobby when I'm extremely bored me and my dog will chase Elsie around the house and make her crazy (she is not harmed in this just annoyed mostly). So I decided to capture our "hide and seek" game. At this point I'm not sure if I want to make sort of a comic book narrative or add graphics....I'm still deciding how to make it more interesting and comical.

Failures for the semester.

I think I had 2 "failures" this semester. Both MP 2 and MP 5 didn't really turn out the way I had originally imagined it.

I wanted MP 2 to flow more naturally. I feel like the photos looked choppy and amateur. I also could have improved the graphics that were on the photos. They weren't as distinguished as I wanted.

The fact that I was (am still..) pretty inexperienced with PhotoShop, GarageBand, and ANY Mac product, was the main reason I had such issues during MP 2. I feel like I have improved and been able to learn more with these programs as I became more familiar.

For MP 5 I had also another technical issue. I was unaware that it's not as easy to transfer songs from an iPhone to a computer as it is to transfer songs from a computer to the iPhone. So my project ended up being silent instead of having a rather obnoxious song in the background. I actually liked it and it set a different mood with the silence.

My most successful project was MP 3. I had just downloaded PhotoShop on my personal laptop and was able to experiment more. I definitely improved my computer skills and PhotoShop skills. I learned that these programs aren't that difficult and actually pretty beneficial for what I am trying to do in the future.

If I could do any project over again I would have to choose MP 2. It just looks so amateur now compared to what I have done and seen in class from classmates or videos we have watched. Obviously I'm not an expert (yet) but I think anyone could definitely tell that the "artist" was inexperienced with this project.
I would change the flow of the photographs together.I don't care for the square pictures and sharp edges, I would have preferred rounded photos fading into each other. This would make it seem dreamlike and cohesive. I would have also improved on the graphics. I know how to basically cut shapes or photos out and layer them on backgrounds now. This is what I would have chosen to do if I knew how. Again I feel like this could have improved the look/quality of my project. The graphics would have been significantly viewable compared to my crappy drawings. (lol)

Micro Project 5

Action words: curve, roll


I chose a garbage can as my "mundane" object. I chose this because everyone uses this at least once a day and I guarantee most of us don't even think of this act or what it says about a person. I think to use a garbage can verses just throwing trash on the ground or wherever shows that you have a care for the Earth and your surroundings. Obviously people who don't use a garbage can probably could care less about how littering affects the Earth and everyone living on it. 


I wanted to show the garbage can "rolling" down a hill full of garbage at first then becoming empty as the garbage falls out. The video shows what the ground would look like if we did not use garbage cans and what it would look like if we always used garbage cans. I think this is important because taking care of our only Earth is vital to humans survival. 


There was supposed to be a song included as well but because of technical difficulties was unable to be used. The song actually had a very pro-nature message but was also kind of violent as well. I wanted to make a statement with the sound and be attention grabbing. I think the silent video works as well, making a statement but not as strong of one as with my music choice. 

Wallace This is Water

  This is actually a very good article for me at this point in time. Me and my roommate have been having conflicting views on living situations in the apartment and it seems as though we can't compromise. Both of us have the "my way makes more sense than your way" or "you are wrong and I am right" type of deal.  In the article it talks about "blind certainty, a close-mindedness that amounts to an imprisonment so total that the prisoner doesn't even know he's locked up." I feel this is EXACTLY how we as humans think and especially in my case with my roommate. I can relate very strongly with this article and I am going to try and have my roommate read it if she can be more open minded. 

  I guess the one thing I was confused about at first was the fish metaphor. I didn't really understand what the older fish was getting at when he asked the two younger fish how the water was. Now that I have thought about the article a little more, I guess he was asking the fish how their life was. The author does elaborate and says that the most obvious things in life are often the ones we overlook or don't pay much attention to. I do understand the concept but that particular example with the fish didn't make that point obvious to me.

Micro Project 4

The area I chose was right outside of Scott Laboratory. I liked this spot because sometimes I sit at the bench right across from the building and just people watch and enjoy the scenery for a few moments before class. I liked the noises around this area because there are usually a few different sounds I hear on a daily basis. From birds chirping, to construction, and the underground noises that the Ohio State buildings make, there is a lot going on. 


Originally I liked the birds chirping so I wanted to incorporate them into my movie. All of the other sounds I picked up were sort of opposite of the birds chirping so I decided to make an erie kind of horror film. This is the scene in the movie where someone is running from the killer and everything out looks nice but the person knows they are being chased and its only a matter of time before they are caught. At the end I did a slow motion shot of the underground vents where most of the "scary" noise is coming from and that is the place where the killer hides his victims. Very creepy...

Kaprow

I liked this reading because it made me think about things that I normally wouldn't think about. Brushing my teeth as an art form. I thought about walking or showering as an art form. I guess the way we do things can be seen as art. Movies are considered an art form which means that the actions the characters in movies do is also art. Our life is sort of an ongoing movie; in other words life in general is art.

This reading made me see normal everyday things as art which is interesting BUT if that is the case what in the world is not art? I can see what the author is getting at when he talks about paying attention to the movements and the feelings while doing everyday things. Normally we wouldn't pay attention to things that come second nature to us but everything can't be art. Or can it?

Wexner.

I thought the Wexner was very interesting and different. My favorite piece was the 18 minute loop video in the fake living room. It was ironic what the newscasters were saying because they were supposed to be speaking to us. Its funny that they wanted so much from the listeners yet the listeners watch them (news) to become informed about things happening in the world. I think it must have taken the artist quite some time to come up with all the correct news clips with the certain words to make this video.

The one area that sort of freaked me out was the last room upstairs. The pieces were made out of different materials but they resembled masks from Halloween to me. It was a little disturbing and reminded me of Michael Myers. Some of these art pieces looked like something anyone could buy at a Halloween store. They actually would have made really great Halloween costumes but not my favorite art pieces. I also thought the random heads in the gravel area was creepy as well.

Sullivan...Feet in Smoke

I liked this story because it was filled with comedy. The beginning was sort of sad to hear about Worthe being electrocuted and almost dying but when his brother starts talking about the month where Worthe was "tripping on acid" it is hilarious! I like when a sad story doesn't always dwell on the negative. The random things John said Worthe was saying and doing I could totally picture and it would be funny to witness these things in real life.

The only thing I was the most confused about was how the references to "Shatner" and the TV show were relevant to the story. He only talks about them a few times and doesn't really go into much detail so it did confuse me as to how they got on the show or how they got picked. I understand that the chances of getting electrocuted by a microphone before a performance is a pretty rare occurrence. I just think there should have been more details about this to fully explain the point of the Shatner references.

Micro Project 3

My Iphone: This is a huge part of my life because I pretty much use it for EVERYTHING!!I honestly do not know if I could go without my phone. I use this for talking, surfing the web, music, pictures, etc. This object probably says that I really care a lot about being in the "know" and having a way to get day to day things accomplished.
Iphone= Everything!

Sunglasses: I included these because you can almost always catch me with a pair on. I look cool wearing them AND they are also good to wear for anti-ageing purposes.
Sunglasses= Cool anti-ageing

Lip gloss: This is an absolute must have for me. Lip gloss makes me happy and usually my day goes wayyyy better when I have it as opposed to not having it. I love anything involving glamour and lip gloss goes hand in hand with it.
Lip gloss= Love glamour

Money: I don't know anyone who doesn't love money to be honest. I like money and I am always trying to figure out ways to get more money more effectively (hence, why I'm going to college...hopefully). Money isn't all that matters BUT you do need money to pretty much get anything in this world.
Money= Get more

Keys: I chose my car keys because they are what I use to travel from place to place. I am always on the go and if I didn't have my keys I would not be able to get anywhere or do anything. This says that it is important for me to be mobile.
Keys= Mobility

Face wash: This is one of the random objects I had with me because I care a great deal about taking care of my skin/body. When I am expected to have a long day I need this to feel refreshed.
Face wash= Refreshed skin

Glass pig sculpture: I chose this before I knew exactly what the project was soo its also random. I like pigs because they are fun, cute, and very smart. I do have a thing with collecting pigs so my mom got me this to add to my collection. This says that I like pig things and cherish gifts from my family.
Pigs= Fun cute 

Shark: This object was extremely random. I brought it because it was a small object that I had laying around my room. This was from a bar on campus and it came with a shot of liquor in it. This probably shows that I like shots and that I keep a lot of random things around my home.
Shark= Random shots

I think this image shows people that I am very concerned with having contact with the world. It shows that I love to look nice and that I actually do put in an effort to do so. I think it shows that my life is somewhat cluttered and there is a lot going on. It also shows that I do keep things that remind me of events in my life or family.

I feel that most of these objects may make it appear that I am a bit superficial. I think this image does not show that I am not superficial. I am a real down to earth goofy girl who loves to have fun enjoying life. It isn't ALWAYS about money, being on the go, and looking good to me. I do appreciate other aspects of life as well.

Micro Project 2

     So my typical morning consists of feeding/taking my dog out and packing/preparing for my ten hour days on campus. This particular morning I was rushing because the night prior I had fallen asleep studying for the exam I had to take the next evening. To say the least it was sort of a chaotic morning and I was filled with anxiety because of my exam.

      As I stepped outside, Im still partially asleep so things are a bit hazy for me as I lock my door. Im still kind of adjusting to the light as I walk down my hallway and down the stairs. I hear birds chirping and can hear lawnmowers going. I also smell the grass and fresh air. My parking area is a little rough and bumpy so I felt the ground underneath me as I drove off. I also felt the smooth steering well and the nice smooth streets as I got to the main roads. At one point I am trying to study so my view was my note cards (prob not the safest idea...). There was some beeping as well because a driver pulled out in front of me and cut me off. The last photo I wanted to show that I was glad that I safely made it to school and while waiting for the bus that was my calm "take a breather" moment.

Hornby.

  I actually did like this article the most so far. It was more of a story and I enjoy reading stories. Also it kind of showed how art can influence people in different ways. Dave, the bouncer, had no clue about art and he became more and more interested in this nipple Jesus painting although almost everyone else saw this painting as something horrific. I thought it was funny that Dave did everything in his power to protect this painting and it ended up being for nothing.
   I did like this story for the most part. I guess if I had to disagree about something it would probably be the fact that poor Dave kind of looked like a moron in the end for protecting the art. Martha, the artist, was just trying to provoke a reaction out of people so she would have that footage for the real art. The nipple Jesus was just a platform for her real display which Dave was totally a part of. Its Ironic and I like that. 

Walker and Barrett articles.

Walker:
   I actually did like this article. I understood what the author was saying when he referred to "The big idea". Being in textiles and clothing at Ohio State, I have seen collections from designers that represented their "Big Idea" and some designers who have an overall theme that kind of stays with all of their collections. Having a big idea actually gives artists some sort of direction to go with each new collection of art or clothing collections.
    I didn't really understand where the essential rules came in to be honest. I took it as these "Big ideas" come about while following these essential rules? If that is the case I don't agree on having to follow rules when it comes to art. I don't like being restricted to do things a certain way. Maybe I am completely not understanding what the writer means with these essential questions. I'm sure I'm way off base....

Barrett:
   This article was interesting because it was based on " denotations and connotations" which actually makes sense to me. I think when people see photos, art, or any other visually stimulating work they automatically have connotations based on the denotations they see. They had good examples with the Destiny's Child magazine cover, the cereal choices, and the teddy bear. This was proof that at any age, people view things with the same process.
    I didn't really particularly dislike or misunderstand any certain aspect of this article. I did think that the critiquing of the Rolling Stone magazine cover was maybe a bit much. I think the female singing group were just trying to be popular and successful at that time. Sex sells. To be successful in the music industry, one must be pleasing to the eye in most cases.    

Micro Project 1

1. Asymmetrical

2. Symmetrical

3. Radial

4. Person and surrounding space

                   
5. Person up close

 6. Point of view of an ant

7. Point of view of a bird

8. A stable image

9. An unstable image

10. My name on campus

       Both of these picture taking assignments were similar because I had the choice to be as creative as I wanted to with each. The main difference with these two assignemnts was that the second assignment required me to take photos with some sort of specific instruction and the first assignement could have been anything I wanted.

   I actually did most of my first assignement photos on a run around my neighborhood. It was enjoyable just because I like nice scenery and excercising but I will say that the second assignment was more enjoyable for me. It was just really random and fun. My up close was a photo of a bouncer at a bar and he really had no clue what was going on when I took this photo.I liked that we could do whatever we wanted but there was still some sort of criteria.

    My favorite pictures have to be ones with my pup (of course), I liked the one from the point of view from an ant (just because it made me think of what it would be like to be an ant lol), and I thought the unstable image looked pretty cool as well!

My Ten Photos.

Kidd, Hickey, Weschler

Kidd:
     I had a hard time understanding who "the enemy" was. Are they the people trying to oppose the way artistic people think? The article referred to "the enemy" as viruses so they are not a good thing obviously. I don't understand what/who these "enemies" are and how they are so different from everyone else.  According to this reading the non enemies are to make the "enemies" obsessed with their thoughts. I like this line but I want to know more about these so-called "enemies".
    What I did like about this reading was how the author made us think about the order in which we do things just because it is always how we have been taught. Writing from left to right comes so natural to us and we never think about why we do it that way. Also the writing from top to bottom, it kind of makes me want to write something that way just to see how interesting it could be. In the article it even says that writing from top to bottom was originally un-American.

Hickey:
     I liked the part of this reading where he says "...the trick of civilization lies in recognizing the moment when a rule ceases to liberate and begins to govern". I know this author is mostly referring to the game of basketball but I would like to think of this quote in terms of the many laws that people in this country or other countries have to obey. In every country laws are made to govern, so can anyone in the world really truly be liberated if they are constantly having to follow rules? This makes me wonder how "civilized" humans would be without rules or laws in general.
    I do not really agree with basketball or other sports not having rules or guidelines. It is clear that the author of this writing is very interested in sports so I can understand why he would be aggravated that rules are put in place to limit the "beauty" of the game. I think that there should be specific rules for any sport. To me it makes it more competitive and entertaining. I think if there weren't rules for sports games, it would not be as fun to watch.

Weschler:
     I found it interesting that according to this article we have 44 facial muscles and with them we are able to make around 5,000 facial expressions. Digital programmers are trying to replicate these expressions on video games and movies. It is amazing how much can be done with the computer and how closely the programmers get these digital characters to actual human mannerisms. It is interesting to think about how far technology has come.
     I got sort of confused when the article talked about Jensen's views about milk. I was totally lost when he said that 'Dinosaurs are easy, compared to milk'. I would think that milk would be more simple to make digitally because it doesn't have much of a shape as opposed to a dinosaur. He says that soft is hard, referring to the milk. This whole thing throws my mind through a loop.