Color TV

I found the video we watched on the evolution of TV, followed by color TV, and then later the Internet, to be very interesting.  The amount of collaboration involved in the invention of television is truly astounding.  The legal technicalities that come into effect with these major inventions was also quite a hurtle to overcome for creators like David Sarnoff and Filo Farnsworth.  

The mechanical aspects of television involves things I had never heard of or known before.  What I found truly interesting is the concept of using lines to project and image on the screen.  How we have come to regularly use TVs with 1,080 lines of resolution from a mere 450 is amazing.  We definitely take for granted all the technological advances that have developed over time.

MZTV.com is an amazing website.  It is visually stunning and the website navigation is unlike anything I have seen yet.  The site is also extremely informative and to the point with what topics it is explaining.

RuPaul's Drag Race was fabulous!  Truly hilarious and unlike any show I have seen yet.  I love how progressive and innovative it is.  The contestants are amazing and the whole concept and idea behind it is wonderful.  I give it an A+ !  

Christina Nguyen Hung

Christina Hung is definitely a pioneer in art and technology.  Her work in biotechnology and information technology is unlike anything I have ever seen or heard of before.  The way she uses and manipulates cells and biological matter to create art is unbelievable.

I especially enjoyed the themes of her work.  The way she uses these petri dishes as a way to portray her political activism through her art, is simply genius.  The part of her lecture in which she discusses Steven Kurtz and the effect that the government in the aftermath of 9/11 had on his artistic freedom and ability to work, really moved me.  It is truly unbelievable the strong hold the U.S. government still has on the art world and what is allowed to be created and displayed.

Christina's U.S. border piece was one of my favorites from what she showed us.  I found it particularly interesting the ways she created it and what she used to create each part.  The outer border of the U.S.  is made from a different substance that contains no nutrients, unlike the inner part portraying the United States.  This is significant in showing her political views on border control and how lacking it is in so many different ways.

I am extremely interested in how Christina's work will progress in the future and how she will continue her research and work in the field of biotechnology.  She is definitely an artist I will choose to continue following and learning about in the future.

Flip Book Animation

My flip book animation is a simple and silly one.  It begins with eyes watching a present cross over the page and then disappear.  Next, grass begins to form on the page resulting in the growth of a leafy tree which then turns into a leafy monster.  The monster growls with his wide open mouth and devours two small fish who are swimming by.  Two balloons then appear and float off the page after slightly bumping into one another.  Next the sun comes out and then descends, followed by a cloud that finally ends the story.  

Let me say that drawing is not one of my fortes and I ended up choosing pictures I knew were easy for me to create and ones that would be legible to readers.  This project was interesting and extremely time consuming, but it was definitely an experience that had an enjoyable final result.

Radio

Radio has had an immense impact on the world since the beginning of its creation in the late 1800s.  The large collaboration of inventors that aided in its development is extremely extensive.  Every small advancement and addition to the machine led radio to be closer and closer to what we know it as today.  

H.G. Wells' broadcast of "War of the Worlds" on October 30th 1938 was a mile stone in the evolution of radio.  Wells used a brilliant approach to this particular show by creating a series of extremely realistic news reports played over a regular music broadcast from inside a studio.  The news broadcasters continue on to report a martian invasion in the United States, resulting in mass death and horror.  The show was so realistic and new to typical radio formats that it was mistaken for real news and caused widespread hysteria and panic.  Truly brilliant.

President Roosevelt was also a major proponent in radio expansion.  During WWII, he addressed the nation to explain developments.  He also used radio as a tool to calm the U.S. during the depression and instill optimism and hope in its citizens.

The wireless proponent of radio has led to the cell phone and wireless computer that we use today.  Radio has truly impacted technological growth and expansion and led to the invention of many other machines and devices we have grown so reliant on today.

Bruce Wands

Bruce Wands came to speak and present his work and ideas to UT students on February 12th.  He flew from New York City where he works at the School of Visual Arts.  He is an artist, musician, writer, and creator.  He wrote Art of the Digital Age 3 years ago, encompassing a wide variety of digital works of art and artists. 

The work he showed of his was quite interesting.  His Buddha Light Paintings was fascinating to learn about.  The explanation and inspiration behind the pieces is unique and original in itself.  

Wands' take on contemporary art and its definition was intriguing as well.  It's so interesting how one word or phrase can be interpreted in so many ways by such a wide range of people within its professional field.  Although I am not a huge fan of powerpoint presentations, Bruce Wands made his lecture both interesting and unique, teaching us all something new within the field of digital art.

Singin' In The Rain

1939 began a whole new era in the film industry.  Color was first introduced and the possibilities seemed endless to film makers.  Movies like The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind hit the big screen and showed the potential that films had to be both interesting and beautiful.

The 1952 film titled "Singin' in The Rain" turned into an extremely well-known movie classic.  The main song performed by Gene Kelly is still known of today and can be heard throughout different TV and media outlets.  It is one of the most recognizable songs known to date, all due to the historic impact the film had on society and film culture when it was first introduced almost 60 years ago.

This next led to the introduction of special effects in the 1960s.  Alfred Hitchcock is seen as a pioneer filmmaker whose work was both groundbreaking and electrifying.  He is still considered one of the most well-known and best filmmakers of all time.  His film "The Birds" is one of my own personal favorites, and one that will always pop into my mind whenever I see a flock of seagulls or crows.  His use of color, special effects, and stunts were truly monumental for the 60s and remains a true classic and widely appreciated film to this day.

The final film we viewed in class was "A Clockwork Orange".  Even though I have already seen this movie in its entirety many years ago, watching clips from it still truly disturbed and nauseated me.  The film was released in 1972, after the drug-induced sixties had come to an end, showing the repercussions of narcotics and social deviancy.  This film really pushed boundaries and told stories no one else was ready or willing to do at the time.  It kept no limits and exposed all the evils of the world in one 2 1/2 hour movie.  

All of these films were truly groundbreaking for their time and changed media to be what is it today.  Without these risk-takers and boundary-breakers we wouldn't be able to see and experience what we take granted for today.

A Sixth Human Sense?

After reading an article titled "TED: MIT Students Turn Internet Into A Sixth Human Sense" (wired.com), I finished feeling curious and slightly concerned of the potential advancements of technology in our everyday world.  Although this new invention seems like it could be extremely useful, I can also see how this might cross some lines of privacy and personal space.  

It also appears  to be more trouble than it's worth to me.  It seems like a lot of work to figure out and produce these images on different surfaces, and also seems a lot less private than looking at a personal computer or PDA.

I am interested to see how this develops and hope that it turns into a product that creates life a little easier, without compromising personal information and human contact.

The Birth of Photography and Film

It's funny how it only takes one or two people to truly make history and change our world with one invention.  Creators like Edison and MuyBridge came up with the idea of photography and moving pictures, later developing into the movie film and digital cameras we know and use so well today.

I definitely found the whole phenomenon of people filling in the gaps that photography would leave in order to give the illusion of motion, with images in their minds that had been burned in their retina.  It is truly fascinating how big of a role psychology and other related theories play into the invention of photography and film.  It is also interesting how these ideas are still used today in animation and other forms of entertainment.

Give My Regards to Broadway

The birth and history of Broadway and musical shows is quite an extensive and interesting one.  It began as Vaudeville, the voice of the city, allowing people to experience the forbidden; may it be sex, women, the human body, language, or promiscuous clothing, all of it was suddenly exhibited on stage for the world to see.  

New York City was the birth place of musical theater and the birth of a new era in entertainment and popular culture.  Being a true New Yorker myself, I am truly proud and thankful for being immersed in such a cultural melting pot.  

The main documentary film we watched on Broadway, explains it as an American musical.  After learning who the historical founders and primary contributors to Broadway were, I found it extremely interesting to find that they were immigrants from all over the world.  This is truly how the United States was primarily built and founded on; the idea of bringing people from all walks of life together to live in harmony.  Racial boundaries were also broken and contributed greatly in striving towards ending racism and ethnic stereotypes.  

Art and freedom of expression also truly came into play during the Broadway vaudeville era.  It broke free from conservative art forms and let musicians, dancers, costume artists, and all contributors, express themselves in ways they never thought possible.  This was truly a time for freedom and happy living.