Experiments with Kinect

The Kinect may not be doing all that well for the home console market, but the amount of other uses people have found for it on the PC are amazing. Below, I've provided two examples that I came across that were relevant to some of the things I enjoyed doing.

As someone who has played around with Source Filmmaker, seeing just how easy it is for the Kinect to provide motion capture that can be ported to Maya for use on 3D models, then SFM for filming is quite amazing. The video available through this link gives a better look at the process of actually getting the motion into SFM.

Garry's Mod is a game that allows the player to create their own world in a sense, using props and tools provided by content creators, and already established items provided by compatible games on Steam. Here, the creator of the game is testing live capture from the Kinect into the game world through the use of ragdolls.

Guerrilla Girls

The Guerrilla Girl Movement started after an outcry caused by an exhibition in 1985, in which only 13 female artists were considered the most important contemporary artists of the time out of 165, and the curator mentioned that "anyone who wasn't in the show should rethink his career." Through artwork, posters, and protests, the Guerrilla Girls have anonymously taken up the cause to fight sexism and racism in the art world. Personally, I find the way that they are protesting very unique. They create their own art to combat the discrimination that is found in art. Using the medium to combat the issues of the medium seems like one of the best ways to get the point across, at least personally. While some of their actions may be unusual in an attempt to protest, it still helps to get their point across and known. Inequality can be found in many different parts of our society through racism and sexism, and it's great to see that the art world is no stranger to activists trying to fight for the equality that all people deserve.

Performance Piece

Here is my performance piece for the class, entitled All Work and No Play; Business is a Well Oiled Machine. The performance was done in downtown Tampa in which I put on a disheveled business suit and one shoe, a mask of Ronald Reagan, and played a soundclip that I had created for the piece itself. As I marched down the streets, focusing only on my watch with my phone to my ear, people were able to hear the speech that I had created, which was just a cacophony of business words and stress, being thrown from the subconscious mind of the character into the real world. The point was to show the stress induced from the everyday work environment that honestly could be said is slowly killing some of us. It's the story of a man so overworked that he has forgotten conventional ways, brought down by the work he does, day in and day out. The soundclip that I was using has been provided below. One thing that came very clear after doing this piece was that the timing in which I had done it could have probably been better. I had performed this piece on April 21st, 2013, in the wake of the bombing and other issues in Boston. It seems that this may have caused a large amount of paranoia in other cities, as moments after I finished my piece I was stopped by a police car. Then, two more squad cars parked behind me to also question what I had just been doing. According to one of the officers, they had actually planned on even getting two more cars on the scene because of the calls they had been getting. I was completely honest with them, showed them everything I had used and told them that it was a school project, and they were very polite and let me on my way. This was definitely an experience that I will not soon forget.

The Postmodern Crisis of Bioshock Infinite

I recently played through Bioshock Infinite, a game that came out about a month ago to great reviews and was an overall great experience. The story takes place in a fantastical world in which the year about 1912 and tears in the fabric of space-time has allowed the creation of a puritan colony in the skies. The most interesting part of these tears in time is that it seemed that according to the game's lore, one of the minor characters profited off of them by taking songs that he heard through the tears and writing them for the time. This is a wink at the audience playing the game, as the characters mention that they have never heard the songs, but the player may know them from their own past. I've provided a couple of the songs below, and they honestly give me goosebumps when I listen to them again. It's interesting to see a game take an old song for a new era, and make it sound even older!

The Surrealist Movement

Growing out of Dada, the surrealist movement gave rise to some of my favorite kinds of art. Surreal seemed to focus on the twists and turns of the mind, using more of the imagination or subconscious to create art rather than focusing on copying things out of nature and attempting to refine them. Surrealism allowed artists to focus on some of the most basic carnal instincts of man, while also allowing them to freely explore their own mind, whether this leads to dark, uncovered areas, or large, bright flights of fancy. Dali had the biggest personal effect on me when I was first getting into art. I was never big into the arts, but his work just seemed to speak to me. His work allowed me to explore my own imagination and possibilities. Though I may not plan on going into any artistic field of work, I've always taken inspiration in the surreal and absurd.

Speaking of surreal and absurd, the music videos that we have been watching in class reminded me of a video that was recently directed by Eric Warheim, of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! fame. The video seems as though it cannot be embedded, so check it out here.

Alan Turing

Alan Turing, through his work during World War II, ultimately led to the creation of the first computers. In Bletchley Park, Turing helped develop the "Bombe" to decipher messages sent during the war. Thanks to his ingenious work, the German Enigma codes were able to be deciphered, greatly aiding the Allies in their advances in the war. Basically, his work not only helped turn the tide of war, but also lead to the computer revolution. In his personal life, it was reported that he was homosexual, and persecuted greatly for it, to the point of actually being given a chemical castration. It is said that this persecution and operation may have been the reason that he took his life at 41, but a petition was signed around the entire United Kingdom that actually led to an official government apology after his death for the inhumane treatment Turing was put through. Though he may have not been as celebrated for his accomplishments after the war at the time, his memory and achievements still live on today.

Final Project, First Draft

I was definitely excited when I heard that "piratage" would be an acceptable form of video art for our final ART211 project. Though I still need to record my performance piece, I used much of the free time I had this weekend to start on the final project, just because of how exciting I find the medium to be. The task ended up being a bit more daunting than I expected. I've yet to go through all 7 hours of content that I plan to scan for usable clips, but I'm pretty happy with what I've extracted and created so far. This isn't some project I'm doing just for class, but rather this is something I'm also doing for myself. I've always been fascinated with videos like these but I've just been too lazy to try it myself, but now I have the push I needed to finally try it out.

Anything I've finished so far is subject to change, especially the visuals. I'll probably try to make it more lively later, but for now I'm focusing on getting the audio itself down, then worry about the visual aspect. Even so, the audio I've created so far may also change along the course of working on it more. As for the source, it's an anime series I've really enjoyed that I happened to own on DVD.

Sheryl Oring and Tom Geoghegan

It's amazing what a single person can do with a typewriter. Sheryl Oring has many performance pieces in which she dresses the part and dictates letters of those who stop by. This included creating a birthday party feel and typing up letters to the President for his 60th birthday, going to German cities and asking people what they would do if "they were chancellor" while dressed in a formal secretary outfit, and the infamous "I Wish To Say" performance that led to over 2,000 postcards being sent to the White House from concerned citizens who approached her and her interesting piece. "Writer's Block" is one of Oring's artpieces that really took my breath away. Collecting donated vintage typewriters, Oring caged them as a symbol of the caging of free expression. Originally shown off on the anniversary and same place as the "Nazi book-burning" in Berlin, the piece really spoke of censorship, especially during that era in Germany. I would love to be able to experience this piece myself, as while it may seem simple, the point that it expresses really amplifies the piece. Through Oring, the typewriter lives on, even in our growing digital world that we sometimes take for granted.

Now, Tom Geoghegan on the other hand, was a bit more difficult to find than a simple Google search. This is a classic example of just how new and unique performance art can be. Other than the documentary that we saw in class, Geoghegan's work seems to be limited to those who are able to actually experience it themselves. His pieces are very interesting, especially "Hanging Fruit", and it really is a shame that unless a conscious effort is made to seek out his work, many may never get to view Geoghegan's pieces. It really takes commitment to the craft and a peaceful mind to do what he does, staying still for hours on end for the sake of art. Here's hoping that he never stops what he is doing and continues to share his performances that perhaps eventually we will all be able to view and appreciate.

Old Computers Die Hard

There's something awe-inspiring about old computers. Whether it's simply their interesting builds and mechanisms or the realization that times truly have changed, old computers are in their own rights pieces of art. The Computer History Museum in California has a "1401" room, housing old IBM computers and other vintage beauties. Honestly, I feel that the pictures probably do not do the display justice. There's just something about being able to intently study old technologies. You're able to see what people of the time had to work with, and how much it has changed since then in design and function. From supercomputers and punchcards to CPUs that can fit in the palm of your hand available at any store selling computer parts, computers have evolved so much in such a small amount of time. Sometimes, you just have to step back and appreciate what was created in the past that led to our current advances in technology.

Code.Org

With the technological world growing as fast as it is, code is quickly becoming the official language of the world. With the amount of technology we use on a daily basis, haven't a majority of us once thought about the time and effort that goes into creating the software and applications that we hold so dear? Code.Org is a movement to teach kids programming. I for one fully support this movement. As I mentioned before, we have such a firm grasp on technology these days that it can do nothing but benefit a person to learn to code. As a friend once said to me while talking about college majors and jobs in the future, "If you know how to program, you pretty much have a job by the time you get out of college." Of course this is a bit of an exaggeration, but as mentioned in the movement, tech companies are a huge necessity in our growing world and can be pretty lofty careers. I also was pleasantly surprised to see that Gabe Newell was one of the many people supporting this movement, as I have used his social gaming program, Steam, for the last couple of years now. While we may not need a whole generation of code monkeys, programming is definitely something that everyone should at least understand in our expanding business world revolving around the latest tech fascinations and gadgets.

Mega64

Though much of their stuff is made for the sake of entertainment for the audience rather than simply putting on a meaningful performance, the skits of Mega64 have always been some of my favorite videos for the past couple of years. This group has been recreating scenes from video games in public as well as making their own bits on the side. While it may not be performance art, their ability to put themselves out there for the sake of a laugh is something that keeps me coming back.

Mega64: Uncharted 3

Mega64: Hotline Miami

Mega64: Oregon Trail

Back in a Flash

The idea of flashmobs is an interesting phenomenon that I feel we have been seeing more and more of lately. The idea is simple: coerograph with a bunch of other people, then release your performance on the unsuspecting masses. Sometimes these can end up being amazingly complex, adding to the awe it creates for a normal everyday stroll through the city becoming a once-in-a-lifetime viewing of a seemingly spontaneous dance number. Below are a couple of videos of flashmobs that I have found and enjoyed in the past:

By "Improv Everywhere", Mute Button takes a normal day in a park in Brooklyn and turns it on its head. People got together and completely stopped making any noise the moment the host gave his signal.

Mall Santa Musical is another video by "Improv Everywhere", creating a musical scene in the middle of a mall that even a special someone ends up being in on, delighting adults and children alike.

From one lone player to many, a girl's single donation to a musician turns into a full-on orchestral score, complete with an astounded audience.

Xerox Art Project

The Xerox Art Project was a very peculiar one. I had an idea in my head for it, but when I finally began to put it in action, I found that it would have been much more complex than I had expected. To avoid any issues or possibly being stopped and questioned, I stuck to using my roommate's scanner in our room. After that, I headed over to the library in order to print. While it was a bit odd to print out pictures of my body parts in the library, I felt that the end result was definitely worth the work, and ultimately the project was pretty enjoyable.

 Here's the tree with just the branches. Personally, this was my favorite part of my project. I love the way it turned out, even without adding the leaves yet.

 Just putting on the finishing touches. Originally, I had planned to have the tree full of leaves with "fruits" hanging from it (pictures of my eyes hanging from stems made out of my eyebrows). I did not have enough time or scans to finish this idea, and I felt as if it would have also taken away from the detail I had put in the branches.

The final product, presented to the class.

Her Morning Elegance

Honestly, I was not expecting to be so impressed by this video. I saw the amount of views and just assumed it was another one of those music videos for a song that everyone had been clamoring for. Instead, I was treated to an amazing display of stop-motion animation. It definitely complimented song, and really drew me in. One of the most interesting parts of it were the fact that they even incorporated the movement of her hair, and this was all done on the same mattress. It really was stunning and I'm glad I did not pass it up.

August Sings Carmen

I am in love with this video. It starts with a classic opera song and takes a turn to the surreal. It's just so unique in its presentation and seems to start off so innocent. The use of CG for the robot in the video was astounding for what seems like a simple YouTube video. My love for the absurd is really what helped me enjoy this video as much as I did. It gave me the same vibe as something out from Tim & Eric, but it took itself more seriously and presented itself in a much more refined manner. I feel that the fact that it seems to take itself so seriously without taking away from the original song is what really lends to the awe and power of this video.

Raymond Kurzweil and the Futurists

The term "futurist" seemed like such an interesting thing to be called. What's so special about it? Well, it seems that futurists are actually people who, through keen observation of our current society and technological capabilities, attempt to predict future trends and possible global changes. They are walking think-tanks, constantly taking in their surroundings and making rational advising decisions to help those in the public and private sector prepare for possible scenarios and changes in the future. This just seems so fascinating to me to actually pay someone to help imagine our coming future. At the very least, it is safe to assume that the predictions that futurists are making are not simply pipe dreams. These are not people being paid to tell tales of their wildest dreams of flying cars and machines doing all of our work, but rather basing their assumptions on scientific fact and trends in our society that can actually be seen and studied. Raymond Kurzweil is one of these futurists. Apparently he is actually touted as a true genius in the innovations that he has made and explained, being called "the next Thomas Edison". In fact, he's received honors from three different U.S. Presidents and nineteen honorary Doctorates according to his biography on KurzweilTech. It seems as if futurists serve as more than just fortune tellers, but rather they are the innovators of our generation, using technology to further benefit our society.