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.