Reading 5: Locative-Media Artists

While reading Locative-Media Artists in the Contested-Aware City, I came across the explanation of top-down systems and bottom-up systems. I became very confused with both aspects, the examples that were giving were difficult to apprehend. For the bottom-up system, I feel it reference to search engines like google or yahoo where you can type something in on the fly and find results. I'm not too sure if that's what it was referring to. As well for the top-down system I'm still confused as for the example.

Continuing the reading it makes the statement of the rise of mobile phones and/or smart phones creating awareness for many users. I myself use my phone to find a navigate my way through any situations. If I see a billboard that promotes a new movie, out of curiosity, I would jump on my phone and look it up either watching a trailer or reading a synopses. I even would then look for the closest theater and get directions leading me to that same theater.

Next what I found interesting of what could be possible in the near future is the invention of "Geo-Annotation." Geo-Annotation could possible be the future for advertisement, when walking by a restaurant or even an outlet store you can access deals or sales that the store is promoting. This evolution can bring a new change in society and how it operates. To be able to receive knowledge on a location will be amazing and very productive as well as fortunate to businesses to the average visitor.

Reading 4: Critical Vehicles

While reading Wodiczko's Critical Vechicles, I came across an interesting social norm in between the concept of strangers and infants/children. Stranger to stranger they treat each other the same, they have these protective barriers where they have this discriminatory alien outlook between each other. They view each other as hopeless, voiceless infants shielded from the "New" world. While the children don't have those barriers and they are free of those social norms. They can go up to a random homeless guy and get to know them by asking way too many questions, but they are the one's who care enough to approach another complete stranger.

Concerning the State hybrid, Wodiczko uses a quote from John Holusha describing how mixing metals together can help obtain different properties making a new material altogether. "The new materials represent a new state of matter that was previously unavailable." Fussing these social differences can later mix and form a hybrid of what is already there, and for the better with none of it's flaws, so to say.

I also found interesting the cry for help to de-alienation toward society. To change and bend the minds of society is absolutely impossible. The image of this utopia, just like every other utopia, is a dream far out of reach. The value is just, in the way it can open up the minds to many others creating a new feel of society. The main obstacle for this utopia is human's nature to protect it's self from leaving their space around them.

Reading 3: Site-Specifics and Media Artist

In "Site-specifics," there was a phrase underlined reading, "exchanges between the work of art and the places in which its meaning are defined." Right when I read that, it made me think of this one photographer (don't remember the name) took pictures of fabrics that people have stained after their deaths of either suicide, murder, or sickness. From looking at each photo, you can receive a sense of a story or a happening that has taking place on that specific fabric.

As I read "Locative-Media Artists..." the idea of of having collective information on the fly in the near future could change our society as a whole. For people to be able to have this technology at their expense would probably have us glued to our phones even more then we are right now. Information would own our lives where ever we go.

On the subject of Social Authoring, I feel that movement is already in the process of becoming a reality. I wouldn't be surprised if locational advertisement already exist, whether it's to promote a store or an aspiring musician. I remember recalling a commercial of a singer standing on top of a building, and it would clip to people in the streets downloading a song of his and listening to hit. This quality can be really useful to music lovers, seekers, and bands to help get their music out there.

Am I an Artist?

Well first of all you have to define "what is an artist"? In my opinion there is a branch of types of people who are considered artist. From singers to painters, to actors to writers. There is a very thin line between all these categories. People can say that a certain movie scene was a piece of art more so then a crappy painting of nothing. I feel like the piece would have to blow your mind upon experience as the emotions you get from two actors or the thought that one sculpture might give off. So now the question is, Am I an Artist? If someone asked me that question on the street, I honestly wouldn't say yes. I really don't fall in the stereotype or social aspect of what people consider an artist. I love making films, either to amuse or entertain my audience. Thats my goal in my life and if people consider my stories to be art then so be it and then I would be considered and artist to those who think so.

Reading 2: Wayfinding to Signal to Noise

In "A Brief History of Wayfinding," It explains how ants take mental snapshots of their nest and along their path take note of landmarks to help trace their path back to their nest. Now knowing this I was very surprised and oblivious to the nature of something so small. But I also have a similar mind set when it comes to finding a place I've been to before, like someone's house or a certain restaurant. When I begin my drive, I would try and remember certain things that I've once seen before the last time I went to a certain destination.

Through the reading, a method sailors would use to compute distance traveled at sea was known as "knots." I never knew that this was how they determined their speed: The use of an 18 inch chip wood had a rope tied to it and it would have a knot tied every 47 feet 3 inches. This would trail the boat and the number of knots that would pass over, were counted until thirty seconds of sand from an hour glass was counted, thus producing the amount of knots a boat is going. This method helped sailors in their navigation in mapping out their direction through the seas and one of many tools to support nautical exploration.

While reading "Signal to Noise," one of the large foot notes read, the free temporal flux of television signals convinced Cage and other artistes that life processes could now turn into art. Not knowing what they were meaning of free temporal flux, I looked it up: it is used to lubricate the time applied durning a timing operation. What ponders me is, in what way or how does Cage and other artist use lubricate T.V signals as a means of "art"?