Art and Technology

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?