Thursday, April 26, 2018

Cool Events & Happenings





April 27th-29th Digital Arts Research Center, UCSC


End of Weeeeek 4 and Performance/Duration Time


This week, we focused on performance and duration as embodied time, using our own bodies to create the art. Our current project (due by Tuesday morning) is a self-actualized performance.

In section we looked at an endurance performance artist named Cassils, whose work is centralized around the body and gender. As a non-binary artist, Cassils is focused on shaping, distorting, and performing the body to extremes (also mentioned in last week's section):
Becoming An Image, Cassils

We have a group of readings/reading presenters for next week:
  • 10 Radical Women Video Artists (Found here), Presenter: Bryan
  • A Brief History of Women in Video Art (Found here), Presenter: Amber
  • In Defense of Performance Art (Found here), Presenter: Sunny
  • Zinesters, Ch. 4: Changing the Game, Presenter: Josefina


Only one week away from MidQuarter!

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Week 4 - Duration Performance!


Moving on from last week's found footage project, we concluded with a group exercise in giving feedback. The assignments looked incredible! Everyone seemed to really enjoy concentrating on intensity of sound, video, and mood. We also had reading presentations from the History of Early Cinema and Ch. 4 of Video Game Zinesters.


This week's focus is Body Time. Individual bodies experience time in different ways. The goal of our next assignment is create a performance that explores time as it relates to our bodies. The length of the performance will determine the length of the video. 

In lecture and readings this week, we will be exploring performance art as a time-based medium. Performance Art began during the 1960's in an attempt to break away from conventionally accepted art forms. Whether performances were staged live, recorded, or mixed with video software, many artists focused on the body as the means to create their work. 


Readers/Readings for next week:
  • 10 Radical Women Video Artists (Bryan)
  • A Brief History of Women in Video Art (Amber)
  • In Defense of Performance Art (Sunny)
  • Zinesters, Chapter 4: Changing the Game (Josefina)

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Finishing Up Week 3!

Today in section, students have been gathering materials for Assignment #3 - the Found Video (due 4/24 by 9am). The video must contain 3 found videos and 3 found audios with a maximum duration of 1 minute. Our theme for this assignment is INTENSITY.

Most students will be making their work in iMovie, so here are some tutorials in case you need assistance:
Once you have finished your assignment, be sure to post a link to your blogs so that I can find it and give you feedback!

Next week's readings and reading presenters are:
  • The History of Early Cinema (Found Here)
    • Presenter: Loey
  • Rise of The Video Game Zinesters, Chpt 3: What is it Good For?
    • Presenter: Palmer
Remember to post reading responses each week to your blogs before section! Good luck on your found videos!


Tuesday, April 17, 2018

First Assignment Due! Beginning of Week 3~

We are wrapping up our Week 2 Assignment on Time & Motion with a short in-class critique! We will form small crit groups. Each group will discuss everyone's assignment, then select a representative juror to walk around the room and select an artwork. Selected artworks are discussed by the entire section.

Featured Artworks:



Then, we have reading presentations from students on last week's readings: Busting the Tube; A Brief History of Video Art by Kate Horsfield and Chapter 2 of Rise of the Video Game Zinesters with Anna Anthropy.

As a group, we discussed the important of Marshall McLuhan's thoughts on media as extension of the body and mind, the history of video art, and the effects of widespread access to information and media. Our response to Chapter 2 of Rise of the Video Game Zinesters was a discussion of the history of games. Although not all of us have a history with video games, we are interested in games that give us different experiences and representations than we are used to.

Just as a reminder: Rise of the Video Game Zinesters is required reading for this course and you will have to purchase or rent the book for the remainder of the readings!

The theme of Week 3 is Narrative/Non-Narrative Time

Assignment: Using found material from Archive.org create a short video on a theme developed in section. Use the theme as a search term for the archive.

As a group, we have discussed and decided our theme for this assignment: opposites. We wrote several words that expressed our actions (with daily actions and longer actions): Eating/Drinking, Working, Searching, Walking, and Writing.
And emotions: Blissful, Flabbergasted/Overwhelmed, Curious, Ambitious, Relaxed

We decided that our actions are divided into two groups--daily rituals and long term actions--and our two emotional states--blissful/relaxed and overwhelmed/anxious

Using this theme, we will begin working on Assignment #2 (DUE April 24th @ 9AM)

Readings: 
  • The History of Early Cinema (Found Here)
    • Presenter: Loey
  • Rise of The Video Game Zinesters, Chpt 3: What is it Good For?
    • Presenter: Palmer

Thursday, April 12, 2018

End of Week 2!

Welcome to the end of week 2! In today's sections, we will be working on Assignment 1:
  • Part 1: Take a series of photos from your daily routine. DO NOT show images of yourself…just what you do. Create animation (Photoshop, iMovie). 
  • Part 2: Using the materials from the video of your day re-edit them so that the narrative becomes non-linear. 
The theme for this assignment is open! I want all of you to consider rituals you may perform in your daily life or methods of changing your mood and what they are. (You may also be interested in the meaning of a dérive and the situationists). The assignment does not have to be an entire day, but can be one small part.

To submit your assignment, you must post either the video or a link to the video in your blog. The limit size for files on your blog is 100MB, so you will likely have to upload a video to YouTube (or another platform). You can follow a tutorial here to upload video. You can choose whether you want your video to be public or unlisted but if the video is private, I won't be able to see it.

The assignment should be posted to your blog by this Tuesday (4/17) by 9AM.

Next week's readings and reading presenters are:
Reading presenters should prepare a short description of the text for class and ask at least 1-2 questions or make observations for their peers that are related to the reading. These questions can be something that interested you in the text, parts you did not quite understand, or ideas that you were inspired by. All students are still responsible for posting reading responses to their personal blog.

The response should be posted to your blog by this Tuesday (4/17) by 9AM.

Here is a link to a tutorial you may need: Move Your iMovie Library

As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me!

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Today's Tutorial: iMovie & Reaction Gif

In today's section, we responded last week's readings about time, memory, media, and representation. As a group, we are thinking about the details that make up our daily lives, how we see our experiences represented, and limitations on those experiences through media we are exposed to. 

In our work, we made a short film using iMovie and created a reaction gif from the video using Photoshop. Here are some tutorials if you missed it!



Additionally, we are thinking about Assignment #1 (due next Tuesday @9am): making a timeline of our routines and what rituals and daily practices we participate in. What are the important details in our daily lives that are part of who we are?

Monday, April 9, 2018

Week 1 - Introduction to Time Readings

Content


Reading

  • Funes, the Memorious (Funes el memorioso) by Jorges Luis Borges
  • 10-Point Plan for Video by Vito Acconci
  • Rise of the Videogame Zinesters - Chpt 1: The Problem with Video Games
Themes: Time, perception, accuracy, memory, creativity/artistry, representation


Thursday, April 5, 2018

First Section Day

Hello, my name is Colleen Jennings!

My preferred pronouns are she, her.
I am the TA for 4D Foundations at UCSC and my favorite movie is the Sound of Music.