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When I attended my first day of Art and Technology class, I was freaked out. With all of the blog topics and the previews of projects I knew I would have to do, I didn't think I had the creativity and computer skills to successfully complete them. However, when previous students came in to speak about there experience, they encouraged us to stick with it. I am glad I did. With everything I have learned from my other classes, this is the only class that forced me to step 100 percent out of my comfort zone, both in class and out of class. I now know the true definition of art, and that if you put your mind to it, anything can be made into art. I am now an overall more creative person, as these projects have stretched the outskirts of my mind and have forced me to become openminded about everything in life. Before this class, I have never blogged, used iMovie, or been any kind of artist (except maybe in art class when I was seven). I believe I have become well-rounded and have expanded my horizon to great lengths, and I thank this class for that.

Massive Attack

Massive attack was one of the most influential groups of their generation, and set the trend for a lot of the (then) upcoming dance music that emerged in the 1990s. Through my research, I found that their music gave way to many artists such as Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Beth Orton, and Tricky. Massive Attack formed in 1883 in Bristol England, and were actually originally called the "Wild Bunch." I thought this was funny because it's very similar to the name they later developed..so I wondered to myself why they changed it in the first place. Maybe they wanted to sound more sharp, or scary? Their signature sound was a combination of many different genres, and their music brought about the drug era of their time, included the usage of cocaine, crack, and speed, drugs that are much different than the average ones used in today's generation.

Video Art Project

I used myself and accessories to create a difference between overall presentation, and then the little things that can you can use represent yourself. When it's just you, you are present. You can always present yourself wherever you are. But to represent you may need other objects that may not naturally be there, and they can each mean different things. It I had a more advanced software, I would have made the second half of the video a different shade or filter, to add on to the representation. Hopefully I will have access to some in the future and add to it!

Critique:

Gina- I liked how she came up with her own music. I actually enjoyed it and I think it amplified the video very well since there wasn't too much going on. I also love the idea of using a mirror, and I'm surprised she's the only one who used one for her video!

Kyle- Loved it! He definitely had access to software that made his video awesome, but his overall idea of representing himself through his resume was extremely creative..didn't know he had it in him! I also agree that it would come to more of a shocker if he wore the resume at the end instead of the beginning. From the title, we already know he is doing something with the resume, so we wouldn't be completely confused. Awesome job.

Spencer- I like how the video was consistent and kept speeding up. If I hadn't heard his explanation, I would think he may be trying to show the presentation of representing a video game that we didn't see. Cool idea.

Andrea- I loved this idea. The fact that the whole thing was a dream made clear of the ultimate reality vs non reality. We have dreams all the time and wake up from them not know if they are real or not, so it was a really great, relatable concept.

Ralph- So cool! My favorite part was how he pored red paint on the "falling soldiers," relating it to the past reality of himself in the army/marines. I also liked how he used the needle in between his fingers, but then layered it out for the camera to get a glimpse of what it was he was holding. Good videoing!

Marvin- This was my overall favorite! I had no idea what it was about until he explained, but once he did it all came together. I was not expecting this from him and he made an amazingly powerful video. If it were anyone else besides his girlfriend behind the iPad, it would have worked as a "presentation vs representation" but it wouldn't have been nearly as powerful. AWESOME!!!!!

Brian- I thought his idea was comical in a way. It was funny how he presented the oranges in the beginning but than represented them with facial expressions. I was waiting for something more to happen about half way through, and it did (the water bottle poring). Good job.

Kaitlyn- This was also one of my favorite videos. I don't know if I wasn't paying close enough attention but I had no idea she was holding up a picture until I saw the side of the screen when her hand moved a little. I also made no connection between the title and the video until I saw the flames. So I was surprised and shocked when she lit the picture on fire. This was EXTREMELY creative, I loved it!

Holly- I like how she made her video out of something that she actually was planning to do. If she didn't film the beginning of the purchasing of the ticket, it wouldn't have worked. It was well planned out!

Leah- Creeeeepy! I was startled when I first saw her face. But when she began talking about the negative aspects of technology, everything made complete sense. I really liked how she added a theme on top of the "presentation vs representation" theme. Also, I didn't hear anyone mention this..her face looked like it was half normal, adding to what is reality and what isn't reality. Nice job.

Sight Short Film

I was really confused when I first started watching this, but when it started showing the video game aspect of it I thought it was awesome! After falling for a short period of time, it started to make daily tasks like a game. Isn't life fun!!! It was almost comical when the character was on a date and the technology was telling him how well he was doing. Overall, the clip was creepy because I feel like this is what is going to happen in the near future, if not to us then to our kids or grandkids. Technology is moving so fast and after taking this class, I have learned how fast it will continue to progress.

UK Underground Music and Smiths

This Smiths were the definitive indie rock band of the 80s, marking the beginning of guitar rock in England. Known for their rebellious songs and after listening to a few of their pieces, I can tell they were a very influential group of their time. I have come to actually really like some of their music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiFzKNmeeSw


http://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/see-the-smiths-discography-as-a-transit-map
Here is something I found about their discovery that's pretty interesting as it compares it with others.

Video Art Examples

http://www.videoartes.com/videoartes/Macro.html

This video was awesome and creepy in a way because it almost looked like the insides of the human body (maybe the cells and organs), but it was actually the inside of a flower (shown in the beginning). It was strange because all of a sudden, the camera changed/jumped to what looked like the solar system, and then back down to where the video began. Weird!!!!

http://www.videoartes.com/videoartes/Arte_Publicitario.html

This video was unique in that it took different sea creatures and intermingled them within each other. It also mixed our human life within theirs, since they came out of the ocean and started performing a massive orchestra. Very interesting idea.

http://www.videoartes.com/videoartes/Video_Arte_Familiar.html

This video was different from the other videos I have been exploring because it had two screens. At first I thought it was going to be the same play, just filming two different times when they performed, but then the second screen skipped to a more specific person or thing, when the screen on the left was more of an overview.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWOxArn3L_4

This is just another video are piece I found on youtube that I thought was funny and cute. It features someone in a very colorful, goofy outfit, dancing around what looks like some type of balcony. Technology is used to make the character jump around from place to place. He even bounces a soccer ball without even touching it! I would really like to learn how to use software to do something like this sometime in the near future.

TR 808 Examples

Video Mapping Examples

Sheryl Oring

Oring's work focuses on critical social issues through projects with a goal of telling stories and examining the publics opinion (mostly political). She receives the public's opinions via typewriter, and sends them off to the president. I think it is a great way to get voices heard that wouldn't have had any type of oppionion otherwise. I think she is an extremely worthy artist that wants to make a healthy difference and is using her creativity in positive ways. She's awesome!

http://iwishtosay.blogspot.com

Here is the link to one of my favorite letters that I found, focusing on funding of the arts at a school in Arizona, where the writer's job was just eliminated due to lack of funding.

Persuasive Games

I thought it was cool how some of the games target a specific audience. For example, the game "Jetset," targets business travelers who are continuously waiting at airports. I found the game "Fatworld" very interesting because it connected politics and nutrition together in the United States, since our obesity rate here is over 30 percent. The game's goal is not to tell people how to eat well or how often they should workout, but it demonstrates the connection between having money and BEING ABLE to eat well. These games were intriguing because they all had meaning and could be in someway educational.

Advertising vs Propaganda

Advertising can encourage your desire for consumer goods using images and captions that lure you in. An advertiser's main goal is to sell, and to sell they have to make the product look desirable, and make you think you want/need it. Advertising uses multimedia techniques to promote products, and persuade the audience. However, the motivation to buy the products comes from propaganda. While propaganda is also a powerful media tool, it does not try to encourage the sale of a product. It is usually used to change or promote attitudes about a particular person or subject, most commonly used in politics.

Video Game Revolution

Over the past few decades, video games have become a HUGE part of our culture. As kids, we begged our parents to play games for a few minutes, and today there are kids playing the games all day long! The game industry has become a multi-billion dollar behemoth. The coming about of video games was very similar to that of computers, sort of like a fascination that turned into billions of dollars and spread all over the world. Through this I've learned that these video games create false realities for the consumers, and start up a line of addicts. These games may be fun and kill time, but they may trick kids into not know what is real verses what is not real.

Triumph of the Nerds

I had no idea there was so much behind the making of computers before watching this documentary. Even though I didn't think I had much interest in the subject, it was so interesting to expose myself to the competitiveness behind these computer companies, and the fact that what happens behind the scenes really does relate to us, because we are the consumers. This documentary was very detailed and offered opinions from VERY useful resources, included the top CEO of many companies. I thought it was interesting to see how these computer companies started off from nothing, basically as only a dream or fascination, to almost ruling the world.

I had no idea the Steve Wozniak was the big brains behind Apple, and that Steve Jobs was more of the marketer. It's funny how the name we recognize is Steve Jobs, not Wozniak, because everything is about selling. If you don't know how to sell, you can't succeed.

Bill Gates' goal was to have his software running on every computer existing. He cut down people who got in his way, and his promotional launch of Windows 95 was amazingly successful. He used pictures instead of words in order to make OS more intriguing, which ultimately worked. Steve Jobs became an icon in the "personal computer" world, while Bill Gates was a developer of Operating Systems. However they still competed with each other. Jobs predicted that soon all computers would have graphical interfaces, and was correct.

I thought it was mainly interesting to watch this movie now that it's almost two decades later. Computers and technology have advanced so much, included iPods, iPads, iPhones, Driods, etc. It is so amazing to see the rapid progression of technology and how its affecting the world/its consumers, and how it will continue to affect the future.

Flip Book Projects

Brian- I liked how he had an overall theme of basing his flip book around the history of the operas. It was extremely creative and well though out. You could tell that he knew what he was going to do before he started drawing, where some of us just started drawing with no plan.

Gina- I like her idea of basing the book on nature because it was very similar to mine. The colors were very vibrant, especially when you get to the pages with the tree, sun, and water.

Leah- I thought her idea was very cute. It was almost comical how the bugs had conversations with each other, and I really like how she created dialog.

Holly- Her book was extremely well drawn and detailed. There were very cool elements of nature and she tied the themes and ideas of the pages together very well.

Kaitlyn- My favorite part was the rope in the beginning, and how the little frog character popped out. It was drawn so well that it seemed realistic. However I thought she got burnt out after that and lost the detail and creativity. After an AWESOME beginning I was expecting more.

Andrea- Amazing! I liked how she basically made a picture story-book. It was not only EXTREMELY well drawn, but very easy to follow along with because you kept wanting to know what happened next.  Awesome job.

Kyle- I liked his Boston themed book, because you could tell it is a city that means a lot to him by the Red Sox logo (he was obviously "repping"). My favorite part was how the building grew and became very detailed, and I also like the handwritten fonts.

Raph- Loved the colors! The hot air balloon and circus theme really lit up the book and made it vibrant and attracted. The colors matched the theme perfectly. I could tell all of the pictures took great patients because they were so well colored-in.

Spencer- Nice job! I loved the skateboard idea (similar to mine) and my favorite part was when the pokeman character stuck out it's tongue. Very well detailed and thought out.

Stop Motion Animations

Stop motion animation is one of the most influential and/or trendy film-making techniques today. It is a type of art that makes a physically animated object appear as if it's moving on it's own. It works by shooting a single frame of an object and then slightly moving the object, and then shooting an other frame. This then creates an illusion that the objects (that are still frames) are actually moving. Here are a few videos I found through my research that I found as interesting examples.

This animation called "Gulp," is the world's largest stop animation set, stretching over 11,000 square feet. I like how they used live characters, but my only question is how they filmed sideways, because the person looks as if he is standing. My favorite part is how they drew in the sand to create what looked like real life nature and/or animals, and changed it after every frame to make the surrounding sand look untouched. I thought that was fascinating.

This video, "Post-it Note Arcade," took great patience and creativity. I like how the artists took two of his favorite arcade games and and made the video look like an actual arcade game. It kind of felt like you were actually playing it!

Stage Door Broadway

Stage door broadway offers the audience to get up close and personal with the broadway cast after the performance. This has given broadway a uniqueness that has attracted people from all over the world when they come to New York City, and is intended to create a level of closeness with the audience. This also gives the audience an opportunity to see what the real character under the custom looks like.

Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull in the Broadway play Matilda.

Lindsay Mendez as Elphaba in Wicked.

Peter Joback as the Phantom in The Phantom of Opera.

Joey Calveri as Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages.

Golan Levin Interview

I found Levin to be extremely knowledgable not only on new technologies, but how to predict the newest ones. He spoke about how you can just go to a technology conference, which are there to go over everything in general, and easily predict what the next "big thing" is yourself. I thought his visual effects were very cool and in context with his interview, but I also felt it took away from my concentration. Especially when the camera went below his hands and was showing his hand gestures. I found it interesting how he predicted that the year 2012 would be a year of 3 Dimensioning, and we can look back now and see that it actually was. I thought it was even more helpful watching this interview years after it was filmed rather than right then, so we are able to compare and contrast.

5 Artists

R&B
Billy Ocean is a British recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s, and was the most popular British R&B singer-songwriter of the early to mid-1980s.Ocean's period of greatest success began with the releases, during 1984, of the album "Suddenly" and its main single, "Caribbean Queen." The song's title were changed for different regions, so the song is also known as "African Queen" or "European Queen." The song won Ocean the Grammy Award for best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards.

Pop

As an American recording artist and entertainer, Brittany Spears Signed with Jive Records in 1997, kicking off the beginning of her outstanding pop career. Spears' first and second studio albums, "Baby One More Time" and "Oops!….I Did it again," became international successes, and made Spears have the best-selling albumen by a teenage solo artist. I have always found this interesting because her career has been long and successful. She was very popular and people idolized her when I was young, and many still do today. Those songs were just the starting point for her.

Links to her two most famous songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduA0TULnow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-u5WLJ9Yk4

Dub Step
"Zeds Dead" is a Canadian dub step duo from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Dylan Mamid, known as DC, and Zach Rapp-Rovan, known as hooks. DC and Hooks have been producing music together since 2004, formerly as "Mass Productions." The two recently held a concert at Hogans beach yesterday, April 27th which was a huge success. 

Punk
"Minor threat" was a hardcore rock (punk) band that formed in 1980 in Washington D.C. Even though the band didn't last long and broke up not long after they came together, they had a large influence on the punk scene in the 1980s. In fact, their song "Straight Edge," became the basis of the Straight Edge movement, a subculture movement when people restrained from using alcohol and tobacco. I thought this was very interesting in that everyone always has stereotypes against punk rock bands, thinking they drink and do too many drugs.

The Link to their famous song "Straight Edge"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OSnAPxyMzo&feature=kp

Girl Power
"The Spice Girls" were a British pop girl group that formed together in 1994. The group consisted of five members, who each later adopted nicknames initially ascribed to them, based on their actions and appearance. Their many songs including "If you wanna be my lover," about how the man in the relationship needs to be friends with their friends before anything gets serious. This symbolized the saying feminists often say, "chicks before dicks."

Performance Art Project

My performance art project consisted of having my friend lie on the sidewalk while I traced him with sidewalk chalk. As a journalism student,  I have to interview various people and ask them questions/get to know them at different dimensions and every angle. I decided to use the tracing as a metaphor for getting to know the person in their entirety.

My friend laid sprawled out on his back by one of the busiest streets in Tampa right by a traffic light, so people could stop and stare when the light was red. Someone walked by and gave us a few glances, and others honked from their car. After a couple of minutes, a woman (from UT) pulled up to us in a golf cart to make sure we were okay. (I guess my friend looked like he may be unconscious). I know that this is also similar to what people do to a dead body at a crime scene, so I understand why it may have worried people. I just smiled and said that we were okay. Overall, I think it was successful and got a lot of attention from the street.

Steve Jobs-205 Commencement Address

Jobs was the perfect person for this speech because he made his living off of the selling of products. Commencement speeches are used to serve as a motivational boost to get a college class to strive in their careers out in the real world. I thought it was a little ironic how he dropped out of college and then came to deliver a commencement ceremony speech. However, he really did motivate the crown and used a few personal stories to deliver a strong persuasive side. I also thought it was a little funny out he brought up how Microsoft stole from him. He used it to serve a positive message towards

the crowd, but I didn't think it was necessary. 

The fact that he went from sleeping on friends' floors and returning coke bottles and cans for five cents, to being one of the richest people in the country amazes me. I think seeing and hearing about people who really did come from "rock bottom" serve a huge motivational purpose, and help a crown of thriving college students want to become something important.

Douglas Engelbart

After researching Douglas Engelbart, I have learned that he is fascinating in that he seems like he is always ahead of his time. This helped him strive in his career in developing technology to augment human intellect. One of his inventions that I find that most relevant today in that we still use them, is the computer mouse, which was developed in the 1960s but not commercially developed until the 1980s. Weird! The fact that computer mouses are still used in the 2014 makes it amazing that they were not used for 20 years after the initial invention. One of his quotes I found most inspiring is when he said,
        "How can my career maximize my contribution to mankind?"
He is one of the most motivated role models that prove that the sky is the limit. Don't settle for marriage, a family and a steady job, contribute to the world and make your life worth living.

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Mark Snyder Performance

Mark Snyder created an awesome performance using multimedia compositions. I thought both aspects, along with a dark room, brought about a smooth, emotional performance. Snyder produced soundscapes that enveloped the audience and charged arrangements that came straight from the moving image. Even though his original tunes didn't come from any type of music I normally listen to, the power of music and colored-design can really set someone in a mental place they wouldn't have gone otherwise. I thought the final performers who played the harp and sang vocals really hyphened the environment that Snyder had already created. They played perfectly together and everything was insyc, like they all had a decent amount experience working with one another, even though I believe the other performers were students. I thought the performance was amazing and would love to research Snyder more in-depth to expose myself to his other performances and teaching methods.

Alan Turing-"The Gay Man Who Saved the World" (Extra Credit)

Alan Turing was not only a British mathematician. He was a logician, cryptanalyst, computer scientist and philosopher, that not only stood up to the Nazi Enigma code but also helped break it. I think the pardoning of this mans accusations after he committed suicide creates a strong and powerful meaning, not only given to his life but to many others that have acted out similarly. This article featured served as a clear pathway to other people to do what is right, giving a perfect example that you will never be forgotten for these actions. In a way it makes me sad because he was never able to see what a role model he is today, and that he died not knowing that the act of cracking the German Enigma messages did any good. In reality, he saved not only gay people from the Nazi but many others who were being targeted. These people need to be more frequently recognized in our society.

Xerox Project

I originally got this idea from my passion for the ocean. I had brought down my scuba mask from home to take on spring break with me, so I had the idea of making a human-type octopus in between my surrounding sea posters, giving the scans a little context. I scanned a different bracelet on each arm, and moved my tattoo up to the center of each palm since the bracelets were covering a permanent part of me. I also used a crown that I made for my sorority's bid night last year. 

What I found interesting was that my roommate told me it reminded her of Kali, a Hindu goddess. When I researched her I realized my arms, jewelry and crown looked very much like it resembled her. I thought it was cool when Prof. Echeverry told me I may have subconsciously done this because I was her in another life. It's amazing what can happen when I try and get creative!

CLASS COMMENTS:

Gina- Very cute idea! I liked how she used the scans to actually make something she can use in the future. Even though it would be a little weird to wear on a normal night out, it is stylish in her own way because it reflects extremely well who she is. Maybe it could make this years halloween costume!

Andrea- I also liked Andreas in that she can wear her scans and use the shirt in the future. My favorite part were her lip scans, sort of reminding me of the rolling stones logo. I would have like to see more scans on the shirt, there was a lot more space and she had some really cool ideas!

Bryan- I really liked how creepy he made the toilet look. Even though I couldn't tell what that the eyes were actually eyes and the toilet was actually a toilet at first, it had an interesting concept. I would have liked to see a connection between the eyes and the toilet..did he have an uncovered idea that no one new about/could see?

Holly- Her overall idea and representation of her good and bad sides of college was awesome. It was interesting how she had money scanned in the middle because it was a mix of both. 

Spencer- Really cool, complex idea. There was so much to it and I loved the sign language stating "when one door closes, another opens." The fact that his scans were actually on a physical door made it in perfect context.

Kyle- I loved how his hat had a the Boston logo on the front, making it seem like an actual Boston hat when the scan he used was of his tattoo. It was an interesting thing to put in the middle to base all of his other body parts around. Even though the hat was small, I liked the hat idea because it can be used as some type of costume in the future (like Gina and Andrea's).

Marvin- This was an awesome African mask! It's cool that he related it to his background of African decent; it made his piece personalized and meaningful. I also loved how the hands reached out at different angles to make a design.

Ralph- Awesome! It's funny how we were just talking about "rotten fruit," and it was so cool how he made his project based around Easter (because it is Easter time). What made it even better was the fact that he hung them all from the tree, putting it in the "rotten fruit" context. Congrats on the art show!!!

Flip book

Grid Art Project

Mark J Stock

I find Mark J Stock fascinating in that he mixes art with science, self-organizing complex structures who's ensemble motion is greater that the sum of their original parts.  Similarities in all of his works on his website included details that looked like they were flowing/mixing together.  For example, in "Magma 19"  the different shades of red circle and twist into each other in a strict, sharp manner.  Even the "Wave for Hokusai," that features the same gray circles, still somehow swivels into each other throughout the picture.  I also find it interesting that Stock finds influences from all over the world, even Japan!

War of the Worlds

One thing I noticed about the War of the Worlds radio broadcast is that it ran without commercial breaks, which I thought added to the realism of the 60 minute drama.  As the broadcast went on, I realized how real this would sound to someone not listening from the beginning.  When the broadcasters spoke of Martians and intense alien attacks on our country/ the world, it sounded like a real news broadcast that definitely could send the listeners into a state of panic.  Overall, I enjoyed listening to the original broadcast and thought they did a good job with the entertainment aspect.

Raymond Kurzweil

Considered one of the world's leading inventors, thinkers and futurist, I think it is amazing how Kurzweil has a 30- year track record of accurate predictions.  One of the things I found most fascinating are his ability to create software that creates art.  These paintings have and are being displayed all around the world, including San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum, London Tate's Modern Gallery and Brooklyn Museum. This shows how much his modern creations attract different audiences from all over the world. 

Singin' in the Rain

The difference between the 1952 film Singin’ in the Rain and the use of the song in the 1971 move A Clockwork Orange differ by happiness and violence. The first movie was a love story, and the Singin’ in the Rain song was sung when the main character was in love. Two decades later the song was sung by a man while raping a woman, reversing the context of the song. The disturbing scene surprisingly was made light by the “happy” song, possibly creating a lighter feel for the audience while watching such a troubling scene. It also proved how sick and twisted the character was, singing such a happy song while performing such disturbing acts. 

Trip to the Mood

This time based form of media featured a mixed of both animation and real people, making it almost comical at a serious time in history. Going to the moon was a serious matter, but the characters and surroundings together made it almost like an interesting, more advanced children's cartoon. I also noticed that the clip became more and more animated as the story went on. More cartoon-like objects began to appear, often even in random places.

I thought the music to this video was odd and even slightly out of place. The people in the clip are jittery, smiley, rapidly talking and quickly rearranging their clothes. In the next scene they are doing hard labor work with hammers and different types of machinery. The music was almost sad and mellow in the beginning acts and I didn't think they matched. However, the music mad a turnaround when the rocket shot off and it became more victorious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNVmYxc6iZ4&feature=youtu.be

Dr. Raul Cuero's Interview

Dr. Raul Cuero's interview was inspiring in that it gave me so much to be thankful for. The fact that he grew up with no bed and had to sleep on the floor made me feel like a spoiled brat when I begged my parents for a queen sized bed when I had a twin. It's amazing that he changed the international discrimination he faced into a positive contribution to his life. It gave him a reason to get better at whatever he was doing, whether it be school, soccer or basketball. Dr. Cuero's success serves as an example that no matter where you come from, anything is possible. He came from being illiterate to becoming a microbiologist who speaks four languages and making major contributions to the science world with his research.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZugtaO85T_Y&feature=youtu.be

Juan Carlos Delgado

Many of Delgado's pictures were a statue of the same person/head, but each picture showed a little different angle or coating on the object. Some of the artwork had ice layering the object, which I found unique because face figures don't naturally have ice chunks coating them. There were also other iced objects in other art pieces, mainly bars that looked like they would be separating a jail sell from a hallway. I thought it was strange that the last picture presented was a fire flame, when most of the previous pictures featured some type of ice. This showed a major contradiction in his artwork. This is multimedia because Delgado used more than one medium of expression, and his work varied in variety.

http://www.revistaexclama.com/cuarto-norte/

Behind the Scenes of Wicked

Seeing what the actors dealt with behind stage in this documentary gave me a completely different view of broadway plays. I didn't realize how much the opening night was stressed and it was interesting experiencing the cast's view on the whole phenomenon and listening to their explanations and opinions. Wicked is one of my favorite broadway shows, and it was amazing to watch the practices and auditions that the cast worked so hard on. I can't imagine how many times they replay each act to get every scene to reach perfection.

Madama Butterfly

The Madama Butterfly animation was an extremely sad story, but the characters made it seem less realistic. With out facial expressions and words, the audience cannot relate or show much emotion for the characters. It also had a sarcastic twist to the performance. When the man came back to steel the child, he excitedly waved back at Madama like everything was fine and that him taking the baby with his new wife and other children was completely normal.

Jono Vaughan Presentation

Jono Vaughan's presentation was unique in that he mixed gender identity and social engagement into his work. His work seemed to express transgender issues and I liked that he used his art production as a "social tool." There is a deeper meaning to his work and he has done a great job expressing himself through personalized art. For example, he started "Rather Pretty Pictures," in an attempt to understand the constructs of masculinity through various historical art references. My favorite craft was the colored pencil drawing projects that he started in 2009. The drawings were beautiful and expressed Vaughan's artistic talent.

The Birth and Life of the Opera

The Birth and Life of Opera documentary was fascinating in that it went over all of the stages of this type of entertainment from the 1500s to today. It was interesting to see all of the places that famous opera composers practiced and performed. For example, the narrator and camera crew for the film traveled to Monte Verdi's practice studio where he practiced his pieces to perform for the Duke. I was also interested in all of the royalty mentioned, which proved opera is/was an elite type of entertainment. Since I've always believed Mozzart was extremely important to the life of opera, I was surprised that the documentary didn't talk about him more. Overall, it was an interesting film and it's amazing that we can date back and find so much relevant information to music today from so long ago.

A Deus Ex Machina is when some new event, character, ability, or object solves an seemingly insolvable problem in a sudden and unexpected way. A real life example of this type of solution could be someone falling from the top of a building, hanging from the bars just as another person comes out of nowhere and pulls the victim to safety. Another example is in the movie Mean Girls, when the four girls are doing the Christmas dance and one of them kicks the boom box off the stage and the music stops. Lindsay Lohan then starts singing the words to the song and suddenly saves their performance. In another movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean," Keira Knightley falls off of a cliff into the water after passing out in result her dress being too tight. The Deus Ex Machina is when Johnny Depp dives in after her, saving her and himself (from jail).

My name is Kirby Jay. I do not know much about the class "Art and Technology" but after the first class session I was excited to be introduced to something outside of my normal range. I have never been great with computers or any form of technology, so I assume the class may come as a challenge to me. I expect to learn new concepts and ideas from the class that will help me excel as a well rounded journalism student.