Art and Technology

Filmed by: Kaley Gatlin Directed/Edited by: Michaela Dooley

***NOTE*** This video is NOT my own. I wanted to share this for any who might be interested. If so, please let me know your thoughts and if you found it healing or positive in a way. Thank you!

I was so excited about the grid project originally. I had at least five different ideas instantly ranging from hand drawing a portrait in different colors for each grid piece to pouring resin layers for a "floating" picture effect. I realized, I spent so much time thinking about what to do, and how excited I was to do it, that I began to run out of time. The idea that I went with was still exciting to me but my execution of the project fell a little flat of my expectations...  I wanted to make an image transfer.  I began by printing out five images of special moments that I had. four images were in black and white and one was in color. The four b+w images were good memories, but the color was my favorite of them. I cut all of the pictures into inch squares and mixed them together so I wouldn't know which pieces I was grabbing. Then I spread gloss heavy gel on a blank canvas sheet and began placing the squares around the canvas in random order. I wanted to repre

This project was interesting because it brought different viewpoints and creative styles to the paper that we were working with. I always have an interest in collaboration projects, because when multiple people come together with the resources at hand, beautiful and raw work can come from it. I'd really like to look more into projects like this one, where people can collaborate and build together with hints of what the other has left. I think it would be even more rewarding to work with people who are excited about the project and want to bring their styles into view.

"cam·er·a ob·scu·ra ˌkam(ə)rə əbˈskyo͝orə / noun a darkened box with a convex lens or aperture for projecting the image of an external object onto a screen inside. It is important historically in the development of photography." If you want the basic definition of a camera obscura, this is what you'll get when you ask Google. If you want to witness something amazing, however, you'll get some friends, 21 giant black trash bags, and a LOT of tape. This collaboration started out as a somewhat doubtful experience. While talking about the process, we all kept saying "I hope this works, I hope this works," crossing our fingers that we could get some good photos for this assignment. At first, once we got all the layers of our trash bags up, we stood in the dark room discussing how big the aperture should've been. We started with a pinprick.... nothing. We moved on to a dime size... it got a little brighter, but still no image.

On September 12th, I attended the International Videoarts Festival that we heard about in class. I wasn't sure what to expect from the start, but I was very excited about what I'd see. What I encountered there though, was nothing I could've thought of. Most of the audio was high pitched and scratching, and I was a little caught off guard. It was beautiful to see how the art went along with the music, but it was more of a scratching voice than any type of song I'd heard before. The first few videos, I felt very exposed and small compared to the loud pitches that echoed around me.  Later on in the show, there was a softer video that had warmer and brighter colors. There was a flute playing in this one, and it was a song that made me feel very at ease compared to all the rest. This one was my favorite, as I found it very different from the rest. I don't recall what it was called, but I took pictures while I was there and it is the one with bright, angular colors. 

Still working on the audio and details of pages, but here is the majority of my flipbook for class. The concept of a wineglass girl was one I've been thinking about since high school, and I'm glad I was able to do something involving it finally. The girl, glass, vase and candle are all supposed to be representative of a romanticized and idealized feeling. The girl seems fragile and is made of glass, but then later blooms flowers because she holds such beauty. Strength is held in this beauty, which is why most of the images are in black and white, until it comes to the fire on the candle and the flowers from her mind.

On a college campus, you can almost always find every nook and bench taken up with swarms of studying busybodies. To be in such an empty, yet very open area, felt very exposing and secluded at the same time. It's rare for me to find a place where I can be with myself in such a busy location, and it felt like a mini safe haven that had one foot in the present, and one in another place all together.

I've done an exercise similar to this once before in the past while in a theatre class. The group was supposed to stand in a circle and keep eye contact with the person directly across from us while singing a song that was prompted to us. When I sat down with Kaley, at first it was hard to fully make an observational discernment based on the two minutes that we maintained eye contact. For the first minute of our staring contest, we both had a hard time not looking elsewhere. Staring at her felt intrusive. It felt as though I was looking for something that I knew I wouldn't find in two minutes. After the first minute passed, however, it became slightly less uncomfortable, and I found myself studying her features. In my free time, I love to draw portraits, and I could imagine myself shading certain parts of her face. My favorite things to draw are eyes, and I felt like that's what I should've been doing during the exercise. I think, given more time, the activity wo

At first, I didn't understand the short at all. Even so, I felt sympathetic towards Butterfly, as she was betrayed by her 'love.' I felt longing as she waited and sadness as she wept. Butterfly waited for Pinkerton, her happiness depending on him. Although he was all she knew, it just shows how innocent/naive she was. Regardless, she intended on sharing her future with him. When he tossed her aside, however, the one person who she viewed the world of, she didn't see any validity in her joy. I interpret the short to explain the way that life, love, happiness, trust... it's all so fragile at the end of the day. If a person can live with love in their hearts, happiness in their souls, and still manage to place trust in others around them, then they put themselves in a vulnerable state. At the end of the day though, aren't those some of the key components of living?

"The intellectual culture in academia has been lost[....]we should not send the children to school just to learn to get a job. We should send the children to school to be exposed to knowledge, to gain knowing[...] most of the jobs are mechanical, and when it is mechanical it's very limited, so you limit the kids..." -Cuero After watching Raul Cuero's interview about Creativity, I was caught up in this part of it. This has always been a topic that I have felt strongly about. Children are supposed to be the future of our society, yet they have traditionally been taught in such a structured style that it would sometimes leave little room for creativity. That creativity needs to be cultivated and grown into ideas and beliefs that can open the future for so much more. I would love to see the education system evolve into a setting where all children feel they have the opportunities to learn to their fullest extent. It is also my hope that the schools steer away from

A girl's gotta have her coffee! Hello to all! My name is Michaela, or Mickey, or Mic, or Mouse, or Mikka (take your pick, and if you don't like those I've got lots more where that came from.) I'm currently a transfer student in my first year at University of Tampa, and I'm thrilled for all the new opportunities I'll encounter while here. A sample of Michaela's digital art. I'm generally a very happy person but, just as anyone else, I have my off days too. Mainly though, you'll be able to find me smiling!  I may start out a bit reserved and quiet, but give me a few minutes and you'll realize I'm a pretty colorful person. I'm an Advertising and Public Relations (creative) major and Studio Art minor. As a student who loves the arts, please don't be surprised if you find my clothes covered in paint one day! Throughout this course, I'm very excited to learn about different ways that art and technology work together