Censorship in Wyoming

I saw this today and all I could say was wow. Art has a long history of depending on benefactors, and thus having to cater to them. The response from Thomas Hart Benton was I think exactly the type of response that should always be given in this kind of situation.http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/10/carbon_sink_sculpture_at_university_of_wyoming_mining_and_energy_donors.html

DVC pg 110

These questions are tough (duh) and important to discuss but I have to wonder if we are trying too hard to keep "art" confined to a specific space. Not only that though, but does anyone wrestle with similar questions in regard to non digital work?

digital Art pgs. 232-237

Issues of ownership are a very obvious problem with digital works, art outside of the gallery is wonderful but in a way an artist is leaving their baby out unprotected and vulnerable which is a frightening thing. Over the past couple of days I have been educated on some aspects to this issue that have forced me to broaden my understanding a bit. First, on Merlin's blog she presents some work that the artist created by taking apart some elements of a gaming system. She rightly points out that this in fact destroys another artists work, despite being mass produced. Then I read this part in our book on blogs and look at The Dumpster which really gets me thinking, Are a person's written words public domain by default or like photography are individuals afforded a certain right to control how their image is used? Or by putting something online do people relinquish that right? I suppose in a way they do, like hanging a letter on a bulletin board would. I guess, as with any new technology, people tend to get caught up in the novelty of it before truly thinking about the consequences of improper use.

  http://merlindtcfa.blogspot.com/2012/10/landscape-study-4-cory-arcangel.html    

another idea for display

I found this article on art thread that is a fun idea for the gallery space. It would be a lot of work obviously but some of Duran's photos a really nice, and we already have a strong photography element to DTC. Maybe this could be an addition to any sculptural pieces we may add.
http://artthreat.net/2011/11/litter-made-lovely-washed-up/

Digital Art pg. 219

This has a really neat concept to it. The whole community being able to recognize the overall emotion of their environment. I have to ask though, when someone is driving down the street and they see the color indicates some sort of negative emotion, be it sadness anger or fear, does that not in turn affect their own outlook? How much does the color of the statue determine others feeling rather than just communicating them?

Digital Art pgs. 204-211

The Town Square truly is digital. While reading about internet activists overwhelming government servers in an act of protest I was reminded of the group "Anonymous". As I researched it I began to realize how the redefinition of Space has forced our language to change. Instead of marching to raise awareness for a cause or blocking access to a building, which may or may not have a direct affect on operations, activists are instead able to effectively shut something down. If people have to worry about their information being stolen then networks such as Facebook or Sony will be forced to change their operating procedures, or if the CIA can have its system breached, then what faith will people have in its ability to protect the nation from cyber attacks?
Their is one thing, though, that bothers me more than anything, and that is responsibility. I am a fan of people who are willing to sacrifice much in order to inform the public or draw attention of weaknesses in systems we rely on, but if this is being done in someones living room and they never have to stand up for their beliefs does it not cheapen their stand? American's right to assemble peacefully is something that we must never take for granted, and if we are able to do this without ever having to truly defend what we believe then I think that is exactly what we are doing.
So many people in countries that lack freedom of speech and expression sacrifice their lives in order to take a stand, and even though so much of internet activism can be more effective at getting your point across I cant help but wonder if we are changing the very definition of protest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LulzSec
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group)

Censorship

http://www.thefileroom.org/documents/dyn/DisplayCase.cfm/id/97

In issues of censorship I often find myself torn. While obviously our freedom of speech is an integral aspect of our culture and national identity, sometimes I feel that we lack a respect for this right. This article that I found on the File Room website is a perfect example of a time when censorship may be appropriate, but then when a reporter discovers evidence of a general's war criminal actions maybe that is a topic that the public should be aware of in order to hold him accountable, regardless of "national security" concerns. This is definitely a difficult question that deserves serious thought.

Talmud Project

David Small's Talmud is really interesting on many fronts. First, the thought of seeing architecture in the written word is a new approach to reading, but then to use a spiritual text in order to present it adds a new dimension. People tend to look at anything that involves "scripture" with a different eye, I guess the way someone understands any particular religion paints things that represent that religion any sometime objectivity gets thrown out the window. I wonder why he chose the talmud instead of another  type of book.
Then again, displaying this in a way that puts the whole thing right in front of the viewer adds new insight into the reading of scripture. I have no idea if this was his intent but I know that people have a tendency to "proof text" when looking at religious texts, pick versus up individually to prove a point even if the full context makes it mean something very different. This presentation makes that a little more difficult I think.

Text Rain

The piece Text Rain on page191 of Digital Art is an interesting way of using type in art. I would love to see this in action, and see how people interact with it.

vector exercise

I had never worked with Illustrator before this project so I had more than a little trouble with it. To do this exercise I started with AQA and just figured out what tools had an effect that I found a little fun. I started with the first A on the left hand side of the canvas and just played and by accident thought I made some sort of spaceship. Then I used the swirl tool to make the Q look like a black hole.  Then I used the warp tool to make the A on the right look like it is getting sucked in.

I think my head is about to explode

After reading, and rereading, about McLuhan's Hot or Cold medium I feel like I just ran circles in my brain. It filled me more with questions than understanding I guess. I understand, I think, the basic idea and agree that the theory does not find a solid place in our "high-definition" world the same way it may have fit with the times in which it was first developed, I wonder though if the very nature of any media being hot or cold is so closely determined by the person(s) who are experiencing(?) it that the very act of defining it is futile, or further the defining requires so much additional user interaction that it unavoidably becomes cool. I seriously am still a little dumbfounded by the essay, even after sleeping on it before writing this. I would appreciate a little more class discussion on this if we have the time, I wonder if I am the only one who feels that this one went right over their head.

Can you see me now?

Blast Theory's Can you see me now? is an interesting look not only into presence/absence, but also a look into culture as a whole through simple observation. As the runners go about chasing the players through their perspective cities I wonder what people just walking down the street think. People in general seem to enjoy acting in the role, albeit unwittingly, of observers while others participate in what is undeniably some sort of game. I am reminded of filling this role of the inadvertent audience member turned participant while I was on vacation this summer in Portland.
 I was with my husband and his parents when we found ourselves right in the middle of, what turned out to be, a city wide scavenger hunt and we happened to have sitting in front of us one of the items on the scavenger list, a box of voodoo doughnuts. My in-laws, who live in Oklahoma City (a far cry from downtown Portland), got a chance to show their wackier side helping dozens of participants take pictures with the iconic box. I would like to imagine people in the cities with CYSMN? runners not only acted as unwitting audience members, but maybe even offered a helping hand now and then.
 I checked out the website for this game and they had a player's thoughts on her experience and it made me wish that there were more statements from both players and runners, I was unable to find any more information though.