Juan Carlos Delgado

Juan Carlos Delgado has so much great work. I completely loved going through the website I found so many interesting artwork. I believe his perception of multimedia and art is futuristic. I love the way he twisted the picture and some of his work with the help of a computer which I believe makes it multimedia. The fact that the artwork needed to go through to some type of technology to come to life made it multimedia.

3 Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina is quite common in science fiction and fantasy movies or series.

One memorable example for me was in The Matrix Revolutions. How the supercomputer helped solve Neo's problem when it was ask too. I thought it was brilliant and powerful at the same time. And just for the anecdote the name of the supercomputer was actually deus ex machina which I found Ironic.

Another memorable example of the deus ex machina usage was in 300 Rise of an empire when throughout the end I thought they were going to be defeated but the lady came with the spartiates army from spartia.

Also in Prince Of Persia Warrior from within . I thought they used perfectly the deus ex machina when after killing kaileena he found a mural that shows him that he can go back in time to change its fate.

The Birth and Life of Opera

Watching this video was so important, especially in terms of the content. In fact, before watching the video I had a weird perception of opera. Prior watching the video, I thought opera was boring and although I admired their work I never understood their vision. I was clueless of the effort that it took to put an opera together. The video gave me great insight of the opera world. Watching the video showed me the bigger picture of opera. In terms of acting, singing, and execution. I know understand how many details are put into an opera. Also, the fact that it is a way of living, and everything has a point. From the decor, the mise en scene, the make up. Each and everything plays and important role and contribute to a great opera. I also, understood the importance of opera throughout time and how affected movies, videos, also the way we entertain our selves. Some opera were controversial, provocative, but they never failed to have the artistic power and impact. For me opera is something that needs to reinvent itself especially with all the modern technology that is now available.

Stop Motion

The first video that caught my attention is the Almeria video.  The video was simple straight forward and wonderfully executed. I want to direct music videos and I really like how the video came out. I really enjoy this stop motion and I believe there is a lot of potential.

http://vimeo.com/2910853

The second video that got me was the Letter A video. Wow!!This video was just impressive. It was so conceptual and well executed. I love the story telling aspect of it. I thought it was really deep and powerful as it depicted our lives in a new perspective. I love the effect and how it was executed. Also, the loop brought more depth to the whole video.

http://vimeo.com/427043

The third video was the still moving one. I thought it was interesting especially in the sense that it was new perspective on our environment. It was interesting to experience and to rediscover the environment. I thought it was creative straightforward and meaningful.

http://vimeo.com/3619284 

South Pacific

This play is one my favorite. I really enjoyed the mise en scene and the story line. It was really relevant and the fact that it was that controversial makes it even more interesting. I thought it was really well executed. Knowing the story behind it made me appreciate it even more. I respected the fact, that it was based on the ongoing situation. I also, respected the fact that engaged so many people. Moreover, the fact that U.S troops were that enthusiastic about it. I believe it definitely has its place in Broadway all time classic.

Alan Turing

I much admire Alan Turing as a person and as a thinker. He was such a great mind. Alan Turing is mostly known for his contribution to the decoding of the enigma code. Also, he participated greatly in uncoding important messages from the Nazis. He was of major help to the U.S during World War II. Although he had helped the U.S government, he was found "guilty" of being gay by the U.S government. Afterwards, his life became hell. Forced to be chemically castrated, he was fired not long after. This part of his life made me respect him even more. I believe his was great soul, and he served greater purposes. It's really sad that he went through all that.

UK underground music + Smiths

The UK underground music is by far my favorite. I enjoy the way their work. I like their vision and their perspective on live. Even back in days they were countless movements that started there. It's interesting to see now how impactful their underground music scene was. I like their free and reckless spirit.
One major band to breakthrough was the Smiths. In fact, not a lot of artists did breakthrough that scene for various reasons. The Smiths one of the few that broke and that went through the boundaries and stigma that came with that scene. Mainly due to their creativity and approach. I have much respect for them and their work.

Art Final

I'm in a long distance relationship and this is based on my own experience. The idea was inspired by Victor Hugo's poem "Je respire òu tu palpites". The lights in the background are synchronized to my girlfriend's voice. And I had an Ipad strapped on my friend's face. The poem is deep and fits my story. 

Graphene

I believe technology is endless and has not yet finished surprising me. This is by far one of the coolest thing that has happened to our technology. In fact, although we may have advanced devices, most of the time we face the hard reality of battery life. In today's world have a long battery life is crucial. Even though companies are finding to expand the battery life they are still limited. With this in hand, companies and devices developers could actually push their vision a step further and it represents a big step for mobile devices such as phones, computer, ipad, and what not.

Dada Manifiesto

I found Dada manifiesto to be rather interesting. I respect and admire their values. I believe the whole thing was born  out of need of independence. In my opinion it is the most interesting movement. They did not follow any rules. They were just being creative and expressing themselves. They were bold and crazy. To be honest the movement matched what I thought of art. In my opinion they perfectly represented the art spirit; fearless and hungry for freedom. This is the movement I respect the most and I really enjoyed the way article went in depth as far as explaining the movement.

Performance Critique

Bryan: Bryan was definitely powerful. I really like the idea and the fact he was in such a vulnerable position. I really believe it was a great performance. However, a hidden camera would've work perfectly.

Andrea:  I really like the enjoyed the performance. It ended up being good and interesting as she managed to get people's reaction. It was nice interesting to see her go through it.

Spencer: Definitely the best performance. The execution was on point. We got a chance to see everybody's reaction. It was interesting to see the interaction. It was deep and powerful.

Katelyn: Creative as usual she nailed it. I really enjoyed her approach and idea. I thought it was well executed as well.

Kirbi: I like her idea. I thought it was really bold. I really like the setup and how she stayed focus the whole time. It was powerful and I enjoyed it.

Ralph: Really great idea. If he had only pursued the idea of the shark eating him it would have been perfect. The photos made up though. I really like the how he manage the space and the environment.

Kyle: It was definitely my favorite art wise. I like how he dealt with the environment. I thought it was bold and vulnerable from his part. It was a statement and it was really powerful and deep.

Leah : I like the whole experiment. It was more experimental in my opinion and it was definitely well executed.

Sight

I found the the sight video to be rather intriguing. First of, I had no idea what to expect from the video from the beginning. I thought the concept of the video was interesting. The way the video depicted a new way of interacting with the environment. Following that perspective, he was interacting with its environment rediscovering its environment everyday. I thought it was fun. I believe that's were we are headed especially with the oculus rift or google glass. I believe it represents the future. However, as I was watching the video I started questioning myself if that's the type of interaction I wanted to have with my own environment every day. Although the opportunities are endless, and it represents the future; I believe this type of innovation could be detrimental to the way we experience life as a whole.  

Golan Levin's Website

This website was the most surprising website I had visited. First of, because of the context. When I thought of art I never pictured or imagined it in numbers and codes. A lot of his work was futuristic and digital, and the vision I had of art was more traditional. I was really surprised by the content, and all the great art work displayed in it. Furthermore the understanding that he had years ago was surprising. Some of his art pieces were not recent, but yet he already approached it digitally pushing it to the fullest.  I now understand that Art is infinite and it can also be expressed digitally and in numbers which I believe it's the future.  

Video Mapping

I was really amazed by the things that you can do with video mapping. I found a lot of interesting projects that were well executed in my opinion. I believe it's a field that has not yet been fully exploited. The first video I found was the 3D video mapping projection brings buildings alive. A lot of different perspectives in this one especially with how the utilize the size of each building.

Another video is this one which I believe is also interesting since it's displayed on a mannequin.

Really interesting video especially with how they played with the space around the mannequin bringing him to life.


The last one I thought it was cool especially since it was used for commercial purposes. I love the way they interacted with the car making a strong statement at each animation.

Video Artes

First off I want to thank the incredible minds that participated to this website. This website gathers different perspectives different visions. It's crazy the amount of videos I was amazed with. Especially considering the fact, that I am interested in video editing and the effects were just mind blowing.

My first interest was in Slow motion. I found this video by Julio Taubkin it's just beautiful, the montage is on point. The video is called 1000 fps ballerina. Here is the link.
http://vimeo.com/2515033


The second video I found quite interesting was this short 2D animation by Nick Howes it's called Phys2D Test in processing. I thought it was simple straight to the point and rather interesting. Here is the link.
http://vimeo.com/2123924

The third one that caught my attention was in the 3D animation section. The video is called Sebastian's Voodoo by  Joaquin Baldwin. I thought the video was so powerful. It was not only an experimentation with 3D, but it was a piece of art powerful and engaging. Here is the link.
http://vimeo.com/3534334

Golan Levin's

That is by far the most mind-blowing interview have ever seen. Apart from the puzzling effects of this video, I agree and I really enjoyed Golan Levin's interview. I agreed with him on the fact that us the new generation in general needs to be knowledgeable of the tools of the computerization. Technology has become so embedded in our culture that it is un-thinkable to be lost in it.  The parallel between the abstract, and figurative computing was very enlightening. The evolution of kinnect was also really interesting especially the fact that it can still evolve is something better. Overall, I thought it was an interesting interview and he laid out some valid points. Really fun experience too with the effects.

5 Artists

Disco- Nile Rodgers

He might not be the most famous one, but Nile Rodgers deserves his star in the disco hall of fame. While he did not have a solo career as successful, as a composer Nile Rodgers help contribute to the sound of the disco era. Behind hits such as Diana Ross Upside Down or Coming Out he brought his undeniable "chic" touch to that whole era. Most recently featured in Daft Punk's album Random Access Memories I believe Nile Rodgers is a legend in the way he understood sound, and how he always impacted songs with his unique personality.

This is a link for a song he produced for Diana Ross Coming Out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-mjl63e0ms

Dubstep: Adventure Club

Not as influential like the other big names, Adventure Club is probably my favorite dustep group. They are from canada and while not a lot of people are familiar with their work I just love their music. I like how funky and soulful their music gets. Unlike most dubstep artists Adventure Club is always trying to incorporate samples and voices in their songs like at the beginning of the house era.

This song is one is my favorite it's called Do I See Colors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrahGdLCWjU


Techno: Calvin Harris

I believe he is probably the most influential techno artists of these past 2 years. He has dominated the techno charts and dance floors  with hits like Rihanna -We Found Love, or Sweet Nothing Ft FlorenceWelch. Calvin Harris is as comfortable in his solo career than composing and producing for others. I like his sound and his UK touch. He has that good vibe that I can't find in US dance and techno.

This one is a little bit old but it does the work for me great song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1y_wo_4fuQ


House: Disclosure

Oh my God!!!They have to be my favorite group of the past year. Disclosure is just out there. There sound reminds me of that old house with that new touch. They are just great and you should definitely check their album settle out. It's just a great album if you like deep house.

This song is one of my favorite from their album : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkk2H3Ztrfk


Latin World: Michel Telo

I think for the incredible success he's had with his jam Ai Se Tu Pego. This song was a whole movement itself. Everybody has tried those moves. From celebrities to athletes, to the most regular human being on earth. Even though, I do not believe it is the best song ever, I thought it did the deal on the dance floors.

Here the link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcm55lU9knw

Massive Attack

For a lot of artists music is not only about selling records, it is way to express themselves, a way to transcend and innovate. On that particular perspective there is the Massive Attack's group standouts in my opinion. The Massive Attack's group is an English musical group that consists of Robert Del Naja(3D) and Grant Marshall (Daddy G). After meeting in the collective the Wild Bunch the two members of the group started the group in 1988. Bringing their unique touch and art background to music, the group won several awards and had critically acclaimed albums. Pretty eclectic, their genres vary from trip hop, to alternative rock, or even experimental rock. Breaking videos boundaries with refreshing and new concepts, the group is definitely an avant garde when it comes to music. The group landscape did not only focus on music, but they were quite active politically with Del Naja protesting against war in Iraq. After their most successful Mezzanine's album the group splits, and Daddy G started getting less involved with the group's projects and eventually quit the group. Even though, Del Naja inherit the lead of the group, the sound and creativity of the future albums were not affected. Most recently, the group leader Del Naja confirmed rumors of the group reunion for next year. Needless to say how influential the group has been to the musical culture as a whole, but especially for dance music. Their work will always inspire and it's timeless. Their creativity, was just through the roof and the practically never failed to impress. Massive Attack probably represents one of the biggest dance group that ever existed in my opinion. 

Art Perfomance

This was inspired by Marina Abramovic's work. It was shot in John Sykes Computer lab. It was to depict how busy the business world is. The crazy thing is that most of the people did not even notice the performance. 

808 Songs

As a music head I was really enthusiastic about this topic. I made some great discoveries and it made me want to learn about music composition as a whole. One song that uses perfectly the 808 in my opinion is Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing. That song is a standout for me because I think the way the 808 are used in there are unique. Another song is by The SOS Band - Just Be Good To Me. I just like the vibe of the song. I know I am a little bit old school, but still this is just so nice. I really enjoyed that album in general and I would definitely advised it to everybody that is looking for a good vibe. The last song is a more recent. It is from Lil Wayne - Let The Beat Build from its album Tha Carter 3 which was a huge commercial success. This song is produced by Kanye West, and it is just crazy. I loved the rhythm and the way it sounds. These are just few songs but 808 have impacted the whole musical culture and up until now it still does. So many songs are build around 808 especially in the Rap and RNB culture. Kanye West even put an album called 808s and Heartbreak. 808s are one of the most impactful contribution to the musical culture.

Commercial vs Propaganda

Commercial and propaganda are two pretty similar concepts. They are often hard to differentiate. I believe the difference between these two concepts lies in the core objective of each. I believe that commercial is designed for consumers use. Its main objective is to ignite an incentive to buy. Commercial uses multimedia techniques and means to promote products in general. Commercial is done through the internet, television, radio, or newspapers. Commercial is used to motivate consumers to buy a product or a service. Propaganda on the other hand, is more like a supplement to commercial. Propaganda focuses more on the consumers emotion. Propaganda influences the consumers after the commercial is done. In my opinion, propaganda can either drive a consumer to buy a product or can deter him to do so. Propaganda is sometimes sneaky and can be used in a good or bad way. Propaganda is more to convey an idea and it is often overuse to emphasize the idea that is being conveyed. Despite some similarities, I believe that they are different and it all depends in the way they are used.

Xerox Project

Andreas: The idea of the T-shirt, so creative!!Really loved the idea and the execution. I thought it was simple, but creative at the same time. Really great concept.
Bryan: I believe your idea was really good. I really loved the conceptual side. I thought it was deeper that just eyes. It had some kind of meaning.
Spencer: The execution was nice. Really like the idea. I thought it was subtle but creative at the same time. If I was not in class for the explanation I would never known about the silent language, which I believe was great.
Kirby: Woww!!Really great idea both conceptually and execution wise. I loved the connection to the GOD even though it was unconscious. I liked the execution and the concept of it.
Holy: Your idea was just amazing so was the execution. I thought it was great. It was like a movie explaining your life. In a matter of minutes I felt like I was in your life.
Katelyn: In my opinion it was the best in terms of concept. I love the experiment aspect which I believe made a huge difference among the other ones.
Leah: Love the idea. The concept behind was interesting and I believe it was really nice executed.
Kyle: The idea and the details were on point. I thought it was well executed.
Gina: The only thing I would say is that I wish it was mine. So creative and well executed nothing more to add.

XEROX Project

I Wish to Say by Sheryl Oring

Going through Sheryl Oring's files "I wish to say" was a good learning experience. First of, I admire her innovative approach to hear people's voices regarding various social issues. For me her approach is really groundbreaking, because it allows you to record people's thoughts at a certain point and time. Also, the fact that she allows people to speak their mind in such settings is a plus. I was really surprised by the variety of topics, and the genuine answers of the people that she interviewed. While going through her files, the one called "Rights" immediately caught my attention. In this particular file, she interviews people about various topics such as freedom of books, religion, and freedom of speech. I was amazed by the various point of views. It was a good way of having an inside look of people minds. I really enjoyed a particular statement about religion from New York, but unfortunately I could not read the name of the author. I really enjoyed this, and I only hope she had continued to do more interviews till today.

Grid Project

MOM

The Mother of All Demos

This video by Douglas Engelbart is really special. Douglas Engelbart was a genius. His work on computer programing was definitely break ground. As the name of the video suggests, this video his like a tutorial of his program called  WYSIWYG. The program is very similar to excel in the sense that it allowed the user to manage and organize data. Also, the futuristic program allowed the user to copy and paste text like windows and macs do. The program was really futuristic, and I was amazed by how much details were put into it. While watching the video I realized that there is always ground for innovation and most of the technology that we use today come from innovation, but to create or invent something is never an easy task. Furthermore, even if you do succeed you might not necessarily have positive responds. 

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Steve Jobs commencement address is probably the most inspirational speech I ever heard. He was such a genius, charismatic persona. His life was filled with courage and determination. During the speech, he touches three major points of his life. With honesty, he talked about having faith and believing in whatever you're doing. He wanted more and he knew what he wanted. He gave the attendance a great overview of his life at his lowest and highest points. For instance, him being abandoned by his biological parents, or him being dropped from Apple. This speech is not only amazing because it is by the genius Steve Jobs, it is amazing because it gives great advice about life in general. I like the fact that he humbled himself enough to give us such details about his lowest points and believing in himself. Most of the time we want things too fast and we are not willing to sacrifice. This speech gave me faith because through him I definitely know that no matter how harsh life can be sometimes we never know where it's going to get us. As he said we connect the dots backward. He was a free and undisputed genius. His vision impacted so many lives, not only by the outcomes and the products he came up with, but mostly because of his spirit and the spirit he spread through his persona.

Mark J. Stock

Mark J. Stock really blew my mind!!!Going through his work was just amazing to me. His art and vision are just extraordinary amazing. All his pieces were just out there. The way he integrated science work in his art are just brillant to me. The piece that really got my attention is the Inside The Bomb piece. This piece is not only brillant because of its looks, but also the idea behind it. Reading the description made this piece even more relevant and made me respect it even more. I thought it was just perfect because I agree with vision. Sometimes life is just fast and we don't realize what is underneath the result, but we are just quick to judge or we don't take in consideration the process of creation and this apply to pretty much everything around us.

Link

Raymond Kurzweil

Watching videos on him was inspirational to me. As I was watching bunch of videos, I couldn't helped myself think that man is a true genius. A lot of his videos are really realistic and based on technology and how it will affect future society. The one that got my attention is the one on immortality. In that video he explains how immortality will eventually be possible through the advancement of technology. How we will feel and see things. I thought it was a pretty realistic view of the evolution of actual society. Those videos made me more aware of the evolution of technology and realize how far we came from and what's to come in terms of future society.

Triumph Of The Nerds

Watching this video was a great experience. As I was watching I learned a lot about how computers work, or how and who is behind computer in general. This video gave great insights on the birth and the evolution of computers throughout years. While the first part touches on the genesis of the computer and how it originally started while showing how it actually worked. What I found interesting here is the fact that the first personal computer was not as successful as I thought. Moreover, the fact that most people didn't originally believed in its future. Another fact that caught my attention is the number of hours and how much passion was put into it. The apple two for instance was considered a masterpiece, and how it impacted the personal computer industry was even more amazing. Through gigantic sales, and the product itself, a legend was born Apple. Setting new standards for personal computer, apple two was the leader of the revolution. Moving forward, another legend was on the making: Microsoft and Bill Gates. The wily Bill Gates was not only a great programmer, but also a great businessman. With his friends and their cunning minds they settled a deal with IBM another legend in the personal computer industry, the rest is history. After then, nothing was the same. The personal computer industry was soon filled with dozens of other companies that were doing the exact same thing as IBM computer wise, sometimes even faster. Soon enough IBM was stock up with rivals which benefited Microsoft. Probably every computers back then was running on a Microsoft system. One key moment that caught my attention is when IBM developed their OS alongside with Microsoft building their new but soon successful operating system Windows. That particular is even more important because it is the defining moment that marked up the dominance of Microsoft and windows system in the computer industry. IBM now belonged to the past and Microsoft to the future. Deep into the third part I figured that most of the innovation in the personal computer were about tweaking and editing existing system. Xerox for instance, had the idea of the PC way ahead before both Apple and Microsoft. They just didn't believe in the idea. Apple came up with the revolutionary Macintosh. The biggest issue that I came across was the fact that Macintosh wasn't taylorized for cooperation, but much for personal and simple used. Also, as mentioned the scarcity of application and the price. Even though the end was mostly about the competition between Apple and Microsoft, I believe this was a great learning experience. Using computers now days is so common that we tend to forget the effort and passion that drove the first developers and it was great way of understanding. 

Persuasive Games

Games are part of our daily basis. No matter what or what platform of games we deal with, it is part of today's society. As I was scrolling down this persuasive games website I was surprisingly in chock to see the variety of games that are out there without us necessarily noticing them. What I even found more interesting is to see the variety of purposes those games serve. The first one that stood out for me was the game Stone City from the ice cream brand Cold Stone. I was amazed by the way they embedded this game in their training system. It was interesting to see a company acknowledge the efficiency of games in the learning process so much that they would pursue such initiative. Another game that caught my attention was the game Project Connect. I thought this game was a brilliant idea and a great opportunity to learn and understand how these communication ways work. It is a great way of having kids acknowledging their environment and learn how things work around them. Last but not least was the game Windfall. Similar as the ones previously mentioned, this game offers a good learning experience. Overall, I thought these games are proof of how games could be embedded in our lifestyle to learn. Also, as I noticed these games do a good job at engaging the audience which I believe is the key of any game.

Video Game Revolution

The video game revolution has come a long way. This unpredictable success have made the video games industry one if not the most lucrative industry when it comes to entertainment. The video game revolution has not only changed the way we consume video game, but also the way we entertain and see entertainment. Many argue how and who started the movement of video games. In fact, pong was the first game but didn’t really gather a lot of attention unlike odyssey games which were the first home video games. Space invader, pac man had quite an impact on the gaming experience. Until then, the video game industry had grown quite fast, but the biggest breakthrough was Shigeru Miyamoto and his creation. Shigeru Miyamoto is the father of Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers two of the biggest hits of the time. These games were not only revolutionary because of their content but also because of their aspects that allowed you to delve in the crazy mind of their father Shigeru. Allowing the player to fully experience the game as the character, Shigeru is most definitely a pioneer of video game. Shigeru made Nintendo one of the most successful video game back then creating new platforms such as the Game Boy. Despite couple backlashes with violent content, the video games industry continued its growth reaching new stratosphere with the Playstation by Sony and Nintendo 64 by Nintendo. It’s interesting to see the impact of video game on society. Through schools and feminism, the video games industry has encountered various barriers slowing its integration process. Furthermore, the impact of video games on psychology through violent games have created a lot of controversy and the way games are played through new rating system. Social gaming has become trendy because of their ability of gathering gamers sharing the same interest. Overall, video games are undeniably very impactful grossing billions of dollars every year. The impact is even more considerable considering the evolution of technology and internet which all brought together are probably the future of the way we will experience video games.

War of The Worlds Radio Broadcast

Listening to this broadcast was interesting. Where I am from radio is still a big part of the society. It was interesting to listen to part of the history of the USA. It was interesting to hear and experience their mindsets at the time of the broadcast. Obviously, radio has evolved tremendously to get to its actual state. As I was listening to the broadcast I noticed that back then, it was less commercial driven. In fact, the radio host at the programs were more for entertainment purposes, and were focus on creating an experience for the listeners. Moreover, you could feel the excitement as the hosts were presenting various programs. It was new, innovative and it was to become one of the biggest invention of the 21st century.

A Clockwork Orange

This movie has to be the most disturbing movie I've ever watched. The violent scenes throughout the movie are unbearable. Despite the obvious violence of the movie, I thought it was an amazing satire of life. Very well directed, I felt like it touched on various issues of the society as a whole. The used of the song "singing in the rain" as I learned later on was not originally in the book. It was just an improved when making the actual movie to make the violent scenes more bearable. In fact the song "singing in the rain" is very representative of the hollywood society in the late 20's. I thought it was the perfect song to balance out the unbearable violence of the movie. In fact the song itself is quite cheerful. Despite couple backlashes the end result happened to be great and added some type of derision to those violent scenes.

Concert with Mark Snyder and Brad Blackburn

When attending this concert I literally did not know what to expect. When the concert started I felt confused to be honest. I felt like it was some experimental music pieces. The first half of the show consisted of unique sounds composition mixed with interesting videos montage. All the pieces were very personal. Retrieving either an experience or were inspired by his kids paintings or moments. Although, for some pieces I was a little bit off because I did not really like the song it was still interesting to feel his passion in his work. Ultimately, it is the last part of the show that definitely caught my attention. It was such a beautiful experience. First with the accordion accompanying him while playing the guitar. Secondly, with the lady that gave a mesmerizing and incredible performance at the end. It was electrifying, everything was on point. Even though I did not know what to expect at first, I was most definitely impressed. It was such an experience and probably one of my stand out moments here at UT; filled with emotion and passion and I believe that's what art is about. That's why I want to address a special thanks to my professor for giving us such an opportunity to encounter artists and experiencing their art with them.

No world Flip Book Project

As the title suggests, my flip book is about a "No world". What I meant by it is that we are under controlled in the deepest way. Throughout the whole book, the reader can see the eye everywhere. The book is inspired by the way I perceived life in general. The book touches on several aspects of life from the internet(Facebook, Instagram), relationships as a whole, and furthermore Africa, and the pyramid of needs by Maslow. In brief, the eye controls everything; from relationships with other and ourselves, through internet. Also what is happening throughout the world, with the crisis in Africa. Moreover, the eye affects the way we perceive things. Another point that I was trying to make is that money is around us and it blurs the way see things like ART, and Society. This flip book gave me a great opportunity to express my inner self and express the way I see the world through Art. 

Wicked Behind the Scenes

This video is Wicked Behind The Scenes. As the name might suggests, it is a closer look at the monster production that Wicked was. Pretty straight forward, it shows us the complexity of the process of making such production. In fact, the video have several members of the production staff explaining how far they are coming from. From the initial idea to the stage and the universe that they wanted to create. I think it is interesting to see where it is coming from because when watching such plays we often forget that it takes a lot of work and dedication. The play is amazing and this excerpt makes me even enjoy the actual play more.

A Trip to The Moon

Today's video is a short film called A Trip to The Moon by Georges Melies. Directed in 1902, the video is a story about scientists that gathered in an attempt to figure a way to get to the moon. Very well directed, the video focuses on the acting and the decor, unlike today's videos which are way more focus on special effects. The special effects in the video are used to accompany and to help tell the story. The special effects in today's video are more to embellish the reality. It's interesting to see how futuristic it was especially considering the fact that we were only in 1902. Overall it is a really interesting video, very technical and it is a good way to see the past from a futuristic perspective. 

Angel Stage Door (Titanic and A Perfect Year)

Titanic No Moon

So I scrolled this blog that goes by the name of angel-stagedoor.blogspot.com and I found some interesting videos. The ones that got my attention were Titanic and A Perfect Year. The titanic mise en scene was amazing and it just drew my attention. The dominant boat was there like a symbol of the mythic romanticism of the story. Another thing that I found really interesting was the moving camera with different angles that focused on several characters that just the main ones but with the lightning key you would always have a sense of the main characters of the scene. Globally it was a very enjoyable play to watch.

A Perfect Year

The Perfect Year another play that I really enjoyed. The mise en scene here is pretty simplistic and pretty straight forward. The dominant feature of the play would be the stairs. The lightning key makes you always keep track of the main characters. The scenes in which the two characters are together are very strong in terms of emotion. Overall I really liked the simplicity of this play and it was pretty straightforward.

Oculus Is Awesome for Games, But it's The Future of Movies

Today's article is called " Oculus Is Awesome for Games, But Its the Future of Movies ". It is a really interesting article. Men have always been interested in developing new tools to experience life and our senses to the fullest. Here is another one which is set to revolutionize our visual experience and it is called the Oculus. The Oculus was first launched as a prototype and created quite a buzz back in the summer 2012.
Although, the reception was greater from the videogames industry the developers of the tool see a lot more potential in it.  They believe it can do a lot more for documentaries and movies as a whole. Even though no ones know when it is going to be used in the movies and documentaries industry, it is said to be long awaited. Personally I can not wait to live that experience which seems to be great. I must admit that I have some concerns with the eye's condition after using the oculus, but apart from that I am pretty excited. 

Jono Vaughnan's Presentation

Today's subject is the presentation by Jono Vaughnan. The presentation was a really nice experience. Throughout the presentation he discussed various topics : Gender Identity, creative process, amongst some. It is always good to have the artist presenting and explaining the underlying meaning of his art. One topic that came back a lot was the gender identity. I thought it was interesting that he uses art to express his inner self and his perception of society. Also, the fact he uses his art as a social tool to raise awareness about transgender issues in today's society. A lot of his work is personal. A good example for that would probably be the paintings of him with just the hair and no faces. As explained by him they represent him and his anonymity as a transgender.  Overall, it was a really good experience and the thing that really inspired me is when he said that making art is not always successful and the simplest pieces are often the most successful. 

Madama Butterfly

Today's video is none other than the opera Madama Butterfly. The opera takes place in 1898 in Japan and depicts the complicated love story of a geisha and her american client. The opera which is based on a novel emphasizes certain issues like : religion, love between a prostitute and her client. The mise en scene is very typical to Japan since it's taking place. With the dominant house and tree which are proper to Japan. The costumes and the background are also very representative of the Japanese culture. What I found interesting is that most of the acts take place in a somber lightning background. Another thing that I found very interesting is the fact that madama butterfly her self is dressed with a white gown for most of the time. So is her lover.  Overall, this was a very nice experience. The opera does a good job at discussing taboo issues that usually are not well seen in society. Also, the mise en scene is very important  for the emphasis that is upon the main characters from the dress to the lightning.

Creativity

So today's video is about the microbiologist Raul Cuero interesting path to success. The video touches several points such as creativity, being open minded, and different hurdles in life. Raul Cuero, lays out couple anecdotes about his childhood. The most interesting concept that I grasped was that creativity is not about how smart or intellectual you are, but it is just being a good observant of the nature while trying to come up with some solutions. Also, another interesting point is that you should always try to exceed expectations because most of the time people try to limit your in boxes. It does not matter where you are from, but we all have to strive for success even if not monetary.