CULTURE JAM. IS THAT SIMILAR TO STRAWBERRY?

As stated in Art and Electronic Media, "artist Peter D'Agostino has noted, Brecht sought to change radio "from its sole function as a distribution medium to a vehicle of communication [with] two-way send/receive capability..." (Shanken 32). In reading this section, I continually thought about how advances technologies have or have not changed the predominant one-way communication mediums of radio and television. Podcasts, for instance, are a newer form of radio broadcasting, sometimes allowing listener feedback. The podcast itself, however, is still a prefabricated form of entertainment where the user has no impact on that particular broadcast itself. Because people are acclimating to a culture based highly on communicating through technology, people are also becoming more apt to share information. Seemingly silly information, like a "dream wedding" Pinterest, can be linked to a person's Facebook profile or blog, allowing other users to access more personal information than many think.

When considering the use of Facebook and privacy issues, I keep thinking of the various surveillance methods associated with social media and modern technologies. In addition, which types information people choose to keep private, and which they do not. Photo mapping, for instance, can allow internet users to access not only images, but locations of another person's whereabouts. In addition, people can "check in" through various social media networks, many of which can be linked together. Users may not think of this as a form of surveillance, but more as a bragging outlet or way to inform their friends. However, it is possible for other users to view who has been to a specific location using sites/apps such as Yelp and Foursquare. This fact made me recall a piece I saw in which the artist hacked in to a parking garage security camera and projected the video feed on the side of a wall in a city center. This idea of using seemingly secure information and using it for a different, very public purpose can make a person feel uneasy and reconsider the control of various monitoring systems. This illustrates the power of art through the use of networks, surveillance, and culture jamming.

...Thoughts on the topic?

PRE-PANTONE

As a fan of color and its applications, this book sent me into high design nerd territory.

Prior to the now well-known Pantone Color Guide, an 800 page guide to color was created by a person identified as "A. Boogert". What is most amnot well azing about this guide, aside from the fact that it is over 270 years old, is that each hue and tone variant is also explained in seemingly perfect handwritten script.

The work was not widely circulated until recently, but can nowvbe seen in its entirety (and in high resolution) by viewers worldwide here.

I'M GRADUATING! NOW WHAT??

I cannot believe that graduation is around the corner for me. I was excited for a moment, but fear is setting in. I am waiting to hear about a scholarship from a great design school but have no definite plan for myself in the meantime.

Summer will be spent researching and trying to do small freelance jobs to refine my web portfolio, but I am also trying to learn more about "getting into the business" of design.

Designer David Airey offers helpful advise for design students based on frequent questions readers ask. A good read for those not graduating as well!

Click the image to follow the link and be ready to take notes!

PARTICIPATING IN ART

One thing I enjoy about participatory art, as opposed to art simply meant to be observed, is the role of the viewer in defining the art itself and the art experience. Not only was the physical canvas changed with this new approach, but also the environment as a whole. A work may take up room in a space or be the space itself. The open nature of this art form also allows for wider interpretation, dependent more on the viewer than traditional art. This changed the viewer-art relationship, requiring viewers to complete the piece as intended. As author Edward A. Shanken stated in Art and Electronic Media, "Philosopher John Dewey stressed the viewer's role in the production of meaning in art" (28). A strong example of this user-dependent interpretation is in the piece Beobachtung der Beobachtung: Unbestimmtheit by Peter Weibel. In this art installation, only one viewer can experience the art at a time. The viewer sees three views of themselves captured in real time, but never from the front. This may cause the viewer to consider topics such as how others see us, societal status, and isolation.

Participatory art can make non-biological objects "come alive", in a sense. Open source projects allow beginners to utilize simple circuits and code to create an equally visually charged artwork using technology. This allows the sharing of technology with the idea in mind that various thought-provoking approaches can be made using one open-source circuit and/or code. The ability to create pieces that viewers don't just react to- but interact with- is a beautiful opportunity. This digital technology is key, but I think that the approach, reasoning, and what precisely the viewer absorbs from the piece is even more important.

THE BUSINESS OF ART

[ The topic today is a great kick-off post and resource for future discussion! ]

A recent New York Times article, titled Lost in the Gallery-Industrial Complex, brings up the power of money in the art industry and the small pocket of artists that benefit from the current art circulation system. Author Holland Cotter brings up many points in his analysis, but I will focus on the three that stuck most with me:

1. Art Education: The "struggling artist" is a character we all know, or maybe we are one. The range of art education has erupted in the past fifty years, along with tuition rates. Limited funding and highly competitive scholarships leave many students indebted to their institutions. Then, upon matriculation, students are faced with a money-minded industry and very few (if any) job opportunities. 

So, is the business behind art preventing many new talents from being recognized? I think there is some truth in such an assumption. Luckily, more students also learning the value in branding and utilizing available technologies in today's world.

2. Community: This past summer I took design classes in Manhattan and got a taste of New York's "artsy" neighborhoods. Brooklyn's Dumbo, Bushwick, Williamsburg, and many others were once littered with abandoned warehouses with inexpensive rent in which artists took refuge. Over time, the influx of artists increased the development and attraction of the areas and therefore created an economic shift. The resulting spike in the cost of living is too high for most artists- for the people who helped in stimulating the neighborhood- who are now being driven out. I find this both interesting and disconcerting because it happened in a very short time period (most artist influx during the 1990s.) Examples like this are great for the local economy, but I feel that both support and assets should cycle back to the artists.

3. Voice: With advancements in technology and connectivity, it is easier for artists to find, create, and share art communities. I think this is a good point to close on, because this is my sort of call-for-action to artists and viewers everywhere. Please: Research lesser-known artists. Support your local art community however that may be. And, lastly, take the time to create pieces for the purpose of enjoyment and not for profit.

What are your thoughts on these topics or others mentioned in the article?

Nick Kuszyk's Williamsburg mural; Photo by: Alissa Petersen