Blog Post 4

After reading The Language of the New Media by Manovich, I was interested in his idea of numerical representation. Numerical representation is the idea that all media objects are composed of digital code and can be described as a mathematical function. By using various mathematical formulas, we can improve an image or alter its properties. We can change its resolution, quality and type of file. This reminds me of Photoshop; images are uploaded and can be changed by the user. By modifying the pixels and layers, the image will change and adjust accordingly. Manovich also mentions the two steps of digitization, sampling and quantization. Sampling is assigns parts of the image to distinct units such as pixels where as quantization assigns a numerical value from a set range. In Photoshop, the image can be isolated in certain areas using the lasso tool. After reading numerical representation, I began to notice that the lasso tool is using sampling and quantization. The area that is selected is assigned values and when I drag on that area, only identical values are being moved.

Manovich then mentions how modern media uses a language which contains levels of discrete units and how without these units there is no language. I interpreted this in terms of Photoshop. In Photoshop there are layers which an image or images can be edited and modified. The numerous layers represent discrete language where as the one layer does not. If the image was one layer, I would have to edit the entire image but if it was composed of several layers, I would be able to edit specific and discrete parts without changing the entire image

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Project 1

Self-Portrait-Project

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Artist Statement

My work is influenced by Japanese anime and Japanese manga. I enjoy the bright color palettes that Japanese artists use to amplify anime and the poweful shading in manga that brings each panel to life.

I mainly draw inspiration from popular Japanese artists such as Kazuki Nakashima,  one of the creators of the anime Kill La Kill. In this anime, Kazuki used a color scheme of a bright shade of red. This red was seened almost everywhere and it boosted the overall feel of the anime.

In order to adapt to the unique style of Japanese artists, I also utilize a wide range of color and use the color to “pop out” at viewers. I mainly create sketches or portraits using the traditional method such as using a pencil and color the sketch using the digital method such as photoshop. In my works I tend to use a lot of gradient in order to amplify the overall feel of the work and the emotion that I want to augment.

Future art styles that I will adapt to in the future will be Japanese manga. I seek to incorporate the use of dramatic lines and shading in my future works to complement the bright colors of Japanese anime.

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Blog 03

Many artists were mentioned in chapter 1 of “Digital Technologies as Tool”. Of the artists mentioned, the one that caught my attention was Patricia Piccinini. She combines the elements of the familiar and the alien in her works. After searching more of her peculiar creations, I noticed the recurring theme of humanoids in each art piece; she would use the general image of something familiar such as a shape, object or setting and modify the image into something else entirely. I found some of the art to be offsetting and even repulsive at times. However, each art piece utilizes a familiar theme of human flesh combined with different sections of animals. One example that I found was a digital reconstructed image of what appeared to be a child. It had the physique of a child, similar features such as hair, eyes and a face. What differentiated this child from looking like a child was its strange skin, bat nose and prime ape hands and feet. As I looked at the artwork, I found myself forcibly changing the artwork into a picture of a normal child. I could not actually look at it for a prolonged period of time before turning my head away. The picture was almost incomprehensible in my eyes. The appearance of the skin, and animal features were very grotesque. However, after giving the artwork some time and analysis, I questioned the goal of Piccinini and why she would overlap the boundaries of human and alien. My answer was that it was to draw the viewer in and perhaps to offset him or her with alien features. By presenting the general image of something familiar, it attracts the viewer and gains his or her attention. At that point, the viewer would then notice the strange additions to the image and react to it. Regardless of how the viewer may react, either in confusion or in my case repulsiveness, the artwork has acquired the attention of the viewer and the image will remain in their thoughts. patricia-piccinini-sculptures (11)

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A new Pokemon has Arrived

Untitled-2

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Landfill Club

The meeting with the Landfill club was a new experience. It was the first time that i met artists in person. I had always pictured artists to be individuals interested in peculiar things and style. After meeting with the landfill artists, I noticed that artists do not necessarily have to be focused on solely aesthetics but also on practical methods as well. From the speakers, I have also noticed that science can take a major role for art. They  were quite passionate on what they were speaking about. They spoke about the effects of plastic, the extent it is used and what we can do to help. Until listening to the artists, I did not think that plastic would be that much of a problem on the environment despite knowing that plastic takes an extensive time to break down. What surprised me was the amount of plastic that surrounds us in our daily lives. Not once did i stop to notice or think about the plastic utensils or plastic appliances next to me as I proceed with my daily schedule. The part where we researched our plastic object was not the most interesting activity but from it I have learned a little about plastics and certain types of plastics such as PET plastics, a common component of water bottles.

I feel that plastic is more beneficial to humans than harmful to us humans. The only problem with plastic is the extensive time that it takes in order to decompose. It would clump together underwater and cause damage to the surrounding aquatic life. Without plastic, we would lack certain items such as disposable utensils. There is research on making biodegradable plastic as mentioned by the guest speakers. This would solve the problem of extensive decomposing time and damage to aquatic life as well as human life.

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Homer on a Cloud

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Extension of the Mind

I found the “your education” section of McLuhan’s The Medium is in the Massage to be more interesting than the other sections. In this section of McLuhan’s book, he states that “Today’s child is growing up absurd, because he lives in two worlds, and neither of them inclines him to grow up.”. The two worlds that come to mind are reality and cyberspace. In reality, the child has restrictions on what he can and cannot do. Whereas in cyberspace, the child is free from almost any restrictions and can do whatever he or she pleases. This can cause the child to have one personality in reality and another in cyberspace. One particular example would be social networks such as Facebook. The majority of user profiles are genuine and are used to network with other people. However, others were created to troll, and to mislead. This can hinder a child growth potential as to which world to follow and thrive in.    Blog-1-Header-Graphic_IoEMcLuhan defines extension by any one sense altering the way we thing, act, and perceive the world. The image above is the internet. The internet is an extension of the mind; it alters the way we perceive information. The internet holds an infinite amount of information. However, this information can be truthful, fabricated, obsolete or misleading. Due to these characteristics of information on the internet, different viewpoints of the same subject are possible. News websites are a perfect example; they all report the same news but have different viewpoints as to what happened and who is to blame.

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Lets all sing an arousing song of kumbayaasuna_by_kursedkittenz-d78jwsn

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