response to readings

The two articles focused on two key themes, "presence" and "interaction". I really appreciated what Rokeby noted about interactive art. The idea that the art changes as the spectator changes is a concept that I hadn't thought about before. It's a super interesting concept that really incorporates the viewer into the piece. This is how the notion of the mirror came up as the piece goes spectator-artist- and then back to spectator. This is so interesting to me because it guarantees that then end will never be the same depending on the spectator. Rokeby than goes on to talk about how we search out human connection, recently through technology. The prevalence of social networking sites such as facebook and twitter demonstrate this reality.

sketches

TDR-sound art project

For my sound piece I chose TDR as my location. I wanted to highlight the mechanical nature of the "TDR process" as I'm calling it. The notion of having to stand in line at the different buffet stands reminded me of an assembly line so I used an electric sewing machine to simulate the sound I imagined an assembly line might make. Also I wanted to highlight the chaos of TDR. At a busy time when it is packed TDR is pretty jumbled and noisy. There's lots of things going on at once. I wanted to demonstrate that by encorporating these different elements such as people talking in the back ground, the clinking of silverware and plates, a fryer, back ground music, running water and even the sound of someone chewing. All these things together make up the typical auditory experience in AU's dining hall.

Reading response

The most interesting part of the What is Sound Art? article is on page 41 when they talk about the difference between recorded sound and live sound. I was really intrigued by what they depicted as "the home listeners (ability to) enjoy the piece of music but also through volume and equalization on a hi-fi system he effectively becomes an executive conductor/producer". I really appreciated the idea of the "egalitarian attitude" because as described, "in the home, everyone had the best seat in the house". I think this is really interesting because it makes the listener able to be an artist as well. Its a really interesting way to think about recorded music, i never thought of the volume or the playback as being an integral part of the music construct, but it terms of sound it does make a big difference. That really made me realize the difference between music and sound.

Final First Video

I based my video off of the piece ‘Four Colors, Four Words’ by Joseph Kosuth which is being featured at the Hirshorn Museum in Downtown DC. Anyone who sees the piece will notice that the artist’s strategy is to make obvious the connection between the visual and the verbal. By making all the words different colors you dually, see what Kosuth is representing visually as well as being able to read it. It makes the viewer wonder what made them notice the significance first, the visual or verbal stimulation. I took this strategy and applied it to gender among my roommates. In a similar way you can see which roommate is male or female visually, as well as read the sign AND hear their declaration of gender. I decided to turn it into a statement about identity at the end by switching up what many would assume to be a boy sign with a “George” sign. This is intended to relate the fact that you can’t judge him off the bat, while everyone expects him to hold up his boy sign, instead the George one is thrust in front of him. It is also meant to demonstrate the fact that when you get rid of the context or the girls, his only option is not just to be a guy, even deeper than that he’s George, and no one has the right to label him anything else.

For the original inspiration piece by Joseph Kosuth: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixteen-miles/4177314269/

krauss response

Alex Mandel
1/17/10
Krauss Response

       Overall I found this article very difficult to follow because of its
complex structure and use of artistic vocabulary.  However one section
of the article  that had an impact on my was when Krauss was talking
about Richard Serra’s video called Boomerang, featuring Nancy Holt. In
the video Nancy is hooked up with a pair of headphones that are
repeating exactly what she’s saying with a minor delay. She describes
a world in her head where she is surrounded by her words and thoughts
and literally by herself. In Krauss’s article she details, “the prison
Holt both describes and enacts, from which there is no escape, could
be called the prison of a collapsed present, that is, a present time
which completely severed from a sense of its own past” (53).  This was
fascinated because as describes, “the prison” makes one question what
is real and what is false or simply repeated or replicated for the
viewer(s). In that way it relates to daily television where one has to
wonder whether they are being reflected in the TV characters and their
lives or whether the characters are reflected within us.
       Another fascinating subject that Krauss touched on was Johns American
Flag. I loved the thinking about the notion of a painting versus
simply an object hanging on the wall. Due to the piece not having
margins, it looked more like a flag or object hanging on the wall
rather than a painting. This is interesting because it makes one
question whether its being featured as a painting diminishes the
symbolism of the flag. Is the flag still a flag and the symbol of the
United States if it is no longer a flag but a painting? These are
fascinating questions being evoked by Johns work.