Second Life

I had more problems with the second life project then any other project.

Representational Avatar/Self
Problems: The PhotoShop file for the cloning became corrupted. Working to re-clone the model.  

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The outfit is one that I wear very often, jeans green sweatshirt. There were some limitations I can into with using the program. I was unable to find away to add a logo or hood to the sweatshirt. When trying to add a logo, over take the whole body. I was unable to find a way to add a hood using the build tool. The backpack resembles my work bag, black with green stripes.

:Build Tool Item:

 

Elmo breastplate.
The item I made using the build tool was a breastplate. I used build tool to make a square, and then change the sizing to make it fit best to my body. The depth of the object is big enough to when it is attached to the body it is obvious that is an attached object. Using the texture tool, I added an Elmo face.

:Second Self:

 

For the Second Self, I wanted to try and recreate Elmo. I stared with the monkey avatar because it had the closest body make and size. I tried to add red fur to the body and change the head but ran into many problems. The fur would not stick to the body and the head would not render.

Cup of Coffee and the Special: Recording

Grad Project: Blurred Lines on McCarran

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Blurred Lines on McCarran
Video and Soundscape By Timmy Chatwood
There are always two sides to a story in any situation. Even with all the facts, the second side can be blurred by the other story. McCarran Boulevard runs around the city of Reno and Sparks. You can be driving and not even know that you have entered Sparks. As a result of the other side of the story, a boundary line was drawn around Sparks and parts of McCarran Boulevard. The film shows some familiar parts of Sparks that many people drive everyday. The blurry frames depict uncertainty of an area. The soundscape for the film gives the viewer a sense of fear or panic about simply being in a place where you feel you have every right to be. This film shows how blurred lines can be drawn for the wrong reasons. All video and natural sounds were filmed or recorded on areas of McCarran Boulevard.

BLM-Final from Timmy Chatwood on Vimeo.

Project 7 3D

Made into 3D Model
Hands of Technology is an assemblage sculpture made out of items that every stagehand uses daily. Technology of all kinds has become an integral part of our lives. PowerPoint slide shows are the preferred way to give presentations. A live concert is not complete without a breathtaking light show. To have all of this technology work, skilled stagehands/AV Techs are needed. Like any profession, there are tools of the trade. The sculpture is centered around a work glove. The glove has a green stripe. The significance of this is, I work as a stagehand and green is the color of all my tools. Wrapped around the glove is an RCA to 1/8in cable. This is a commonly used cable in the AV industry. Between the cable is a small flashlight. Stagehands/AV Techs often work in the dark, so a flashlight is necessary tool. Around the glove is black tape. This tape is gaffers tape. What makes this tape unique is that when placed on a floor, it does not leave any residue. This makes it an excellent tool for taping down cables. Around the glove is white tape with handwritten words. The tape is a special tape used to mark consoles and controllers. The words are those commonly found on a sound mixer. (Kick, Bass, Vox, and Gux1) Another thing written on the white tape is a date and location. (July 11 to 16 N.J.) The significance of this date is, it is my next touring event. Stagehands are often traveling and away from their families. The next time you are at an event or concert, remember that it would not be possible without the hard work of stagehands.

:Problems with making the 3D model:
One of the main problems I had with this project was trying to recreate the real Hands of Technology. The model is made up of many items that are straight black. When I first made the model, it looked like a black box. To fix this problem, I used different colors to show the construction of the model. Different shades of gray are used for the body of the glove and flashlight. Black is only used to show the cables and the gaff tape. In the original model, the labels are on white tape with black writing. In the 3D model, the writing is white. When black was used for the text, it was lost in the model. To help the text be seen, there is elevation. These are the changes that were needed to be made to make the model work in a 3D environment.     

3D

Original

Digital Media: Destructive Acts

Digital Media: Destructive Acts

            Since the beginning of art, artists have been finding new ways to be creative. This could be experimenting with new colors, different materials, or making art out of something never done before. Artists are always looking for new outlets to express their ideas. With the invention of the computer, very few thought creativity could come from it. The early computers were used for solving complex problems or for military activities. As the technology and computers improved, new programs were developed. Soon a tool once used for solving math problems was being used for creativity. Artists soon began to use computers to construct new works of art. This new age of anything and everything digital infiltrated every part of our lives. People that were once unable to make art by drawing could now create art on a computer using programs such as Photoshop. Some artists embraced these new tools, while others preferred to keep the nostalgia of doing things the old fashioned way.  No matter what tools are used, digital media is art and shows creativity from its artist.

            Bill Viola and Jean-Paul Perrotte are both digital artists that produce works of video and sound. Even with the similarities, each artist has a different way of doing things. Bill Viola uses older techniques when producing his works. Analog editing machines, tape video cameras, and reel-to-reel tape sound recorders are used instead of modern hard drive capturing devices. Jean-Paul Perrotte is the opposite. He utilizes modern technology to its fullest potential. In his works, modern digital audio workstation programs such as Logic and Final Cut Pro are used. Whenever he has a camera, it certainly has a digital memory device in it. Even with their differing opinions of tools used to create art, both produce high quality digital art. Sometimes even on the same topic. That topic is sadly about destructive disasters.

            Bill Viola was born in New York in 1951. His birthplace would play a major part in the creation of one of his video pieces. As a child, he had a fascination with television. During high school, he was a member of the TV Squad. Viola attended Syracuse University where he was a member of the Experimental Studios of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. In 1973, he graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Experimental Studios. His first job after his undergrad was as a video technician at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. He then spent time in Europe and was involved in a number of projects. Viola was invited to be artist-in-residence at the WNET Channel 13 Television Laboratory in New York from 1976-1980 where he created a series of works, many of which were premiered on television.  Like artist Jean-Paul Perrotte, he was also involved in experimental music/art. Viola performed with avant-garde composer David Tudor as a member of his Rainforest ensemble from 1973-1980. The group was later called Composers Inside Electronics. He was also involved with modern rock group Nine Inch Nails composing a three-song video suite for their world tour in 2000.

            Disaster that one of Bill Viola piece is related to is one that no one will ever forget. On September 11, 2001, the city of New York suffered the most tragic terrorist attack on U.S. soil. In 2002 a video work entitled Observance was premiered. The work is thought by many to be in response to the September 11 attacks. Him being a native of New York, many believe this to be true. An attempt was made by me to contact Bill Viola to obtain more information for this report. No response was received. After more research, Observance is actually apart of a larger series of works. It is not a stand-alone piece. Observance is the third piece apart of a series of The Passions. The Passions was made for exhibition in Los Angeles, London and Munich. Observance is based upon Albrecht Dürer's pair of altar wings, 'Four Apostles', 1526 (Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek, Munich.) The painting is a spiritual evocation of shared grief. With this explained, the idea that the piece is a base off grief felt by the people of New York was formed.

            Observance is made up of eighteen performers spanning all ages, genders, and race. The actors were arranged in a narrow row. Viola would asked them to step forward to look at, “something they'd rather not see...to say goodbye to someone who'd left them”(Viola). During casting Viola red a poem by Rumi: “The human shape is a ghost made of distraction and pain, Sometimes pure light, sometimes cruel, Trying wildly to open, This image held tightly within itself.” The piece is presented in a single screen with a composition of even greater depth. In the compressed view because of a long lens and narrowly confined by the ends of the screen. This mix presented a richer picture of continuous movement and change. Across eight takes, each of one hundred seconds, Viola encouraged the actors to stay within the frame. As each person moves to the front they pause, overcome with emotion. They look downwards, out of the frame. Sometimes a figure glances out at the viewer, as if to seek a shared response, others are more solitary. Some touch or exchange glances, offering physical or emotional support. There is no jostling, but they appear to be driven by an urgent desire to be at the front. That the figures are trapped in this cycle of grief serves to make the experience all the more heart-rending.

            Keeping with Viola style of not using any digital technology, only analog editing machines and 35mm film was used for Observance. The film is slowed give a more haunting feeling of grief. Even when the piece is shown at an exhibit, it is shown on film projected on a flat screen. By showing the piece on like this, expressions of the performers are felt. Unlike the works of Jean-Paul Perrotte, none of Viola works can be seen online. There are no excerpt of any of his works on his website. There is some recording of Observance made illegally and posted on YouTube. Viola prefers to keep his works in analog form. As said in What New Media Is Not, “The digitization inevitably involves the loss of information”(Manovich).  This is also the option of Viola. He what’s is works to be shown in the way he wants. Observance, is meant to be shown on a large flat screen, not on a small computer. Even with the lack of digital technology used by Viola, the works created by him warrant awards he has received.

            Jean-Paul Perrotte was born in Washington D.C. in 1964. His path to art and digital media was not a conventional one. It came as a result of his love for another form of art, music.  As a musician, he played guitar. At an early age, he became interested in music technology and recording while playing a variety of music. He went on to study Jazz Composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. After receiving his undergrad, he went on to study Composition at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA, where he was a member of the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios. Under the direction of Dr. Fritts, Perrotte began to compose electronic soundscapes and video pieces. His pieces used a variety of digital media technology. During his studies there, Perrotte composed River On A Snowy Afternoon for video and electroacoustic music in 2007.

            River On A Snowy Afternoon was inspired by the views overlooking the Iowa River from the Arts Campus at the University of Iowa. During an interview, Perrotte explained the inspiration for the piece. “While studying for quals in studio 3, sometimes the walls would feel like they were closing in on me. I needed to get out of there, so I would grab my coat and walk down the back stairs. Once out the door, a rush of cold air would hit me and I would see the Iowa River.”  The piece is made up of electroacoustic music and video of the Iowa River. The audio portion of the piece is made up of sounds created using the digital audio workstation program Logic. There is a constant low drone sound that is used as the base of the piece. A leading melody sound adds to the growth of the piece. The chord progressions of the drone sound keep the motion of the piece moving forward. Drone sounds, if not used properly, can hold the piece motionless. Sounds in the higher range add a mysterious feeling to the melody. The video portion of the piece is made up of still images from around the Iowa River and video taken of the movement of water. The still images are interlaced with the water movement. The pace of images changing is slow. This is to portray the calming effect that Perrotte felt when escaping his studies there. The components of the piece are all very simple, but when put together, create a calming feeling of a winter day. River On A Snowy Afternoon was performed at the 2011 Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) National Conference at the University of Miami, FL.

            The disaster that this piece is related to is not nearly as destructive as the September 11 attacks, but devastated the University of Iowa Arts Campus and Iowa City. In June of 2008, six months after completing the piece, River On A Snowy Afternoon, the Iowa River flooded. The natural disaster was declared a national emergency by then President George W. Bush. The flood caused major damage to the Arts Campus. The Voxman Music Building where Perrotte studied had its first floor entirely under water. Because of the damage, summer classes were cancelled.  The communities around the University of Iowa were also heavily devastated. The University of Iowa and the surrounding communities were able to rebuild and reopen for fall semester.

            Both Bill Viola and Jean-Paul Perrotte use very different techniques to create digital media. Both men show a high level of expertise and knowledge in their field of study. I have had the pleasure of studying with Jean-Paul Perrotte at the University of Nevada, Reno. I have taken the skills he has given me and applied it to my own works. I hope to one day see works of Bill Viola in person or possibly meet him. Both pieces discussed have a relation with two of the biggest disasters during the 2000-decade. One was made as a response to a disaster, and the other one has a relation by pure coincidence. No matter how and what techniques you use to create your art, make it the best you can. This is certainly what these two men have done.   

Video Links

River On A Snowy Afternoon

Observance

The Voxman Music Building Flooding

 Works Cited

Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2002. Print.

"Observance: Bill Viola." Observance, Bill Viola. Walker Art Gallery, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.             <http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/billviola/observance.aspx>.

Perrotte, Jean-Paul. "Jean-Paul Perrotte Biography." Jean-Paul Perrotte Biography.

Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://jeanpaulperrotte.com/Bio.htm>.

Perrotte, , Jean-Paul , Jean-Paul. "Perrotte, Jean-Paul." Jean-Paul Perrotte Curriculum Vitae.Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://jeanpaulperrotte.com/JP CV.html>.

River On A Snowy Afternoon (Excerpt). Jean-Paul Perrotte, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.  <http://jeanpaulperrotte.com/Video/Internet%20version%20of%20River%20.mov>.

Pradarelli, Stephen. Voxman Music Building Flooded. 2008. Photograph. Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa  Now. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/10/homeland-security-reaffirms-federal-funding-flooded-art-buildings>.

Schoon, Tim. Voxman Music Building Flooded. 2008. Photograph. Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa Digital Library. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.  <http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/flood/id/231/rec/10>.

Viola, Bill. "Bill Viola Official Website." Welcome to the Official BILL VIOLA Website. N.p.,  n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.billviola.com/>

Viola, Bill. "Bibliography." Bibliography. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.billviola.com/bibliogr.htm>.

Viola, Bill. "Bibliography." Bibliography. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.  <http://www.billviola.com/bibliogr.htm>.

Viola, Bill. "Interviews and Writings." Interviews and Writings. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.             <http://www.billviola.com/interviews.htm>.

"Observance: Bill Viola." Observance, Bill Viola. Walker Art Gallery, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013.             <http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/billviola/observance.aspx>.

Two By Land: Review

Two By Land
By Katherine Sandoz & Nicole Donnelly

Two By Land is a contemporary collaboration between artists Katherine Sandoz & Nicole Donnelly. The works are made up of acrylic, oil, and water based on canvas are on display at the Sheppard Contemporary Gallery. Two By Land portrays the experience of landscape. Each different landscape can provoke different responses and emotions. The two artists use abstraction, but each has a different approach in creating landscape pieces. Sandoz is painter of detail. Her landscape abstractions are of actual places invoking in the viewer intimate feelings and memories. Places such as coastal waters and the Deep South are used. Donnelly’s works are of imaginary landscapes depicting chaos and disarray. Using recognizable things in an uncomfortable and frightening manner does this. A tree is overturned. A sky is horizonless, giving the feeling of no end in sight. Each artist uses a similar color palette but different techniques to achieve their works.

This Ship By Nicole Donnelly

This ship by Nicole Donnelly is a landscape piece using oil and acrylic on canvas. The size of the piece plays a big part in its effectiveness. At a size of 44 x 64 in. the piece can be overwhelming and as the artist says “information overload.” The piece is an outline of an old sailing ship. The mast and sails can be seen in a thin white color outline. The body and no other part of the ship is present. The piece is divided in two with two different colors. At the bottom of the piece, a gray green is used. The color is depicting dark mud like water. A darker blue color is used for the upper part of the piece. The blue resembles a storm or coming doom. The sky looks as if lightning could strike at any second. Around the white outline of the ship’s mast, a red color is used. It looks as if the mast and sails are on fire and the ship is going to be lost at sea. The emotion this piece provokes in me is that of chaos and danger. In other works of Donnelly, the same apocalypse and all out disasters are portrayed. Even with this piece’s minimalist approach, this feeling is present.

(Snowscape) Big Moose Lake By Katherine Sandoz

Snowscape by Katherine Sandoz is a landscape piece using water-based media on panel. Unlike the works of Nicole Donnelly in this showing, Sandoz’s pieces are much smaller. Snowscape is only 18 x 18 in. This helps her theme of intimacy and emotion be achieved. The piece used the color palette of grays with a mixture of blue and white. Like other pieces in the showing, the piece is divided. From the middle to the bottom of the piece, a gray-blue water feature is shown. The mixture of colors shows movement of the water in various places. No area in this section of the piece looks the same. Just as with the movement of water on a shoreline or beach, no area of water looks the same. At the top of the piece, a rise in the land is depicted. This could be portraying a hill or mountain. Above that, a cloudless gray sky is present.  This piece could be portraying a number of places. I have no memories of being at a place like this, but I’m sure someone visiting the gallery has. In seeing the piece, the emotion of being there will be remembered. Even with the minimal use of colors, a large amount of detail is present. By presenting this piece in a smaller size, all of the details can be observed. I don’t feel that this piece would be effective in a larger format.

Each artist in this showing presented landscapes of different fashions. Even with their similarities, each are very different is their construction and viewer response.  As with any collaboration, it was enjoyable to see two different depictions of the same theme. This gallery shows that artists can present their own ideas and creativity on the same topic.

Persuasion: Galleria Review

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Persuasion
By Priscilla B Varner

The display Persuasion by Priscilla B Varner shown in the McNamara Galleria is a series of photographs that addresses persuasion with the use of text. Persuasion is “to induce or believe by appealing to reasons or understanding.” Every day people are bombarded with a constant flow of things trying to persuade you in different ways. This is most true with advertising in all forms. How does text add to persuasion? The use of text and its placement can affect the perception of an image.

Each image in this series has a number of words associated with the image. These words are displayed next to them. When viewing the series, read the image titles before looking at the image. This could influence your opinion of the piece. Read each word carefully. Try to picture an image for each word, and then look at the display. See how close you were to imagining the final image.  Word choices can have a major impact on the reader or viewer. Varner has done this with the word selection.

In one of the images, the words shown are: dynamic, formal, luxurious, opulent, strength, and warm. As shown, the words dynamic and warm are in italics. In just reading these words, I would associate them with high society and music. The word, dynamic, is defined as “constant change”. The word is also used in classical music to determine the sound volume of a selection. Classical music is just one activity of high society. People go to concert houses for symphonies or operas dressed in their finest attire. The image portrays the seats in a high-class theater or concert house. The seats are in a dark red with a stitching design around the seams. This combination is associated with formal and luxurious. Seats like these would not be found in a low budget or average theater.  One must be opulent to sit in seats like these displayed.  

In another image, the words shown are, cold dreamy, historic, soft, somber, unhurried, whispers. As shown, the words cold and whispers are in italics. In reading these words, I would associate them with an older part of a town during winter. An older generation lives there and it is surrounded with nostalgic buildings. The image is over a park in Paris, France. The Eiffel Tower can be seen in the background. This is an historic landmark. The people in the park are talking to each other and dressed for the cold in soft gloves and hats. Snow is on the ground and still falling. Even with this, people are unhurried. Children play and the older generation watches. This gives a somber feeling. The image itself can easily resemble a dream or postcard. The Eiffel Tower poking through the falling snow gives an accurate depiction of France during winter.

The display Persuasion by Priscilla B Varner is a great example of how words can be used to depict an image. Next time you’re at a display, read the program/display notes first. This could help influence your opinion of a piece.  Many things can influence a person’s persuasion. Words are just one of them.