Valedictory Final

My project focuses on evolution and the connectivity of life. For me, eyes are the connection to everything. All humans and animals have them, they do not age, and they are the window to the soul. For my project, I wanted to portray eyes along with other items that look like eyes. I was inspired by the six steps of separation theory. Shown are eyes, lights, and beads. My goal was to pair eyes with the idea of eyes. Everything is connected. 

I only have a few pieces because they actually took me a long time to edit. The eye photos were extremely difficult for me, and I had to work with what I had. After I got a few good photographs of different models, I tried my best to make them look nice. I did different combinations of the photos so that I could see how they would look. The quad of photos is my favorite, because I think the lights really give the suggestion of vision. I am considering them all separate pieces, and if I printed them or hung them, they would be all separate. I edited them together for the purpose of the blog post, so that they all can be seen together as they should be seen. 

Ultimately, I think that I successfully portrayed my idea. The connectivity of life and evolution is something that I have used for my 3D works in the past, and am most likely using as my concentration next year. I am excited to add this to my collection of pieces inspired by this. 

If I could change anything, I would definitely give more practice on taking eye photography. My shots were kind of hit or miss, and if they were a little more successful, I think my project would have been amazing.

Valedictory Progress Check

Shrinking world[edit]

Theories on optimal design of cities, city traffic flows, neighborhoods and demographics were in vogue after World War I. These^{[citation needed]} conjectures were expanded in 1929 by Hungarianauthor Frigyes Karinthy, who published a volume of short stories titled Everything is Different. One of these pieces was titled "Chains," or "Chain-Links." The story investigated in abstract, conceptual, and fictional terms many of the problems that would captivate future generations of mathematicians, sociologists, and physicists within the field of network theory.^[1][2] Due to technological advances in communications and travel, friendship networks could grow larger and span greater distances. In particular, Karinthy believed that the modern world was 'shrinking' due to this ever-increasing connectedness of human beings. He posited that despite great physical distances between the globe's individuals, the growing density of human networks made the actual social distance far smaller.

As a result of this hypothesis, Karinthy's characters believed that any two individuals could be connected through at most five acquaintances. In his story, the characters create a game out of this notion. He writes:

A fascinating game grew out of this discussion. One of us suggested performing the following experiment to prove that the population of the Earth is closer together now than they have ever been before. We should select any person from the 1.5 billion inhabitants of the Earth – anyone, anywhere at all. He bet us that, using no more than five individuals, one of whom is a personal acquaintance, he could contact the selected individual using nothing except the network of personal acquaintances.^[3]

This idea both directly and indirectly influenced a great deal of early thought on social networks. Karinthy has been regarded as the originator of the notion of six degrees of separation.^[2] A related theory deals with the quality of connections, rather than their existence. The theory of three degrees of influence was created by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler.

Small world[edit]

Main article: Small-world experiment

Michael Gurevich conducted seminal work in his empirical study of the structure of social networks in his 1961 Massachusetts Institute of Technology PhD dissertation under Ithiel de Sola Pool.^[4]Mathematician Manfred Kochen, an Austrian who had been involved in urban design, extrapolated these empirical results in a mathematical manuscript, Contacts and Influences,^[5] concluding that in a U.S.-sized population without social structure, "it is practically certain that any two individuals can contact one another by means of at most two intermediaries. In a [socially] structured population it is less likely but still seems probable. And perhaps for the whole world's population, probably only one more bridging individual should be needed." They subsequently constructedMonte Carlo simulations based on Gurevich's data, which recognized that both weak and strong acquaintance links are needed to model social structure. The simulations, carried out on the relatively limited computers of 1973, were nonetheless able to predict that a more realistic three degrees of separation existed across the U.S. population, foreshadowing the findings of American psychologist Stanley Milgram.

Milgram continued Gurevich's experiments in acquaintanceship networks at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. Kochen and de Sola Pool's manuscript, Contacts and Influences,^[6] was conceived while both were working at the University of Paris in the early 1950s, during a time when Milgram visited and collaborated in their research. Their unpublished manuscript circulated among academics for over 20 years before publication in 1978. It formally articulated the mechanics of social networks, and explored the mathematical consequences of these (including the degree of connectedness). The manuscript left many significant questions about networks unresolved, and one of these was the number of degrees of separation in actual social networks. Milgram took up the challenge on his return from Paris, leading to the experiments reported in The Small World Problem ^[7] in popular science journal Psychology Today, with a more rigorous version of the paper appearing in Sociometry two years later.^[8] The Psychology Today article generated enormous publicity for the experiments, which are well known today, long after much of the formative work has been forgotten.

Milgram's article made famous ^[7] his 1967 set of experiments to investigate de Sola Pool and Kochen's "small world problem." Mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, born in Warsaw, growing up inPoland then France,was aware of the Statist rule of thumb, and was also a colleague of de Sola Pool, Kochen and Milgram at the University of Paris during the early 1950s (Kochen brought Mandelbrot to work at the Institute for Advanced Study and later IBM in the U.S.). This circle of researchers was fascinated by the interconnectedness and "social capital" of human networks. Milgram's study results showed that people in the United States seemed to be connected by approximately three friendship links, on average, without speculating on global linkages; he never actually used the term "six degrees of separation." Since the Psychology Today article gave the experiments wide publicity, Milgram, Kochen, and Karinthy all had been incorrectly attributed as the origin of the notion of six degrees; the most likely popularizer of the term "six degrees of separation" would be John Guare, who attributed the value 'six' to Marconi.^[9]

Continued research: Small World Project[edit]

In 2003, Columbia University conducted an analogous experiment on social connectedness amongst Internet email users. Their effort was named the Columbia Small World Project, and included 24,163 e-mail chains, aimed at 18 targets from 13 different countries around the world.^[10] Almost 100,000 people registered, but only 384 (3%) reached the final target. Amongst the successful chains, while shorter lengths were more common some only reached their target after 7, 8, 9 or 10 steps. Dodds et al. noted that participants (all of whom volunteers) were strongly biased towards existing models of Internet users^{[Note 1]} and that connectedness based on professional ties was much stronger than those within families or friendships. The authors cite "lack of interest" as the predominating factor in the high attrition rate,^{[Note 2]} a finding consistent with earlier studies.^[11]

Surrealism Final

For this photograph, I represented Elena as how I see her. I made the background gray because she is very dark, but I still chose this photo to be in color because it is much "brighter" than the other one. I chose a horizon line for this shot. Elena has depression and anxiety but I always like to remind her that there is absolutely a brighter future on the horizon. She does not always believe me, and this photo is basically the face she gives me when I tell her, so under the seriousness, it has a little bit of humor.

 I did this photo of myself, because I am seen as pretty happy, according to my friends. The photo is pretty bubbly, and I like to smile so this is represented here. There is more to me, however, so this is represented by the map. As much as I just like maps and collect them, I really enjoy the symbolism behind them and I think it also symbolizes me. Maps show that there is always something more, and looking at a map and really learning about it can open many doors.

 This photograph represents more how Elena sees herself. Her inner-self can best be represented by the black and white. This really reflects her nature as an individual. She took the secondary photograph at night time, which not only is symbolic, but also adds really cool depth and lighting to the photo.

For me, this photograph is another side of my personality, inside and out. When you don't know me that well, I can be seen as quiet an sheltered, which is why I covered up a lot of my face. However, I do have a big personality when I am with people I am comfortable with. This is why I chose to have my body take up a lot of the frame. This one is in black and white, which also represents this side of me. 

To be honest, I did not like this project. This is not really the type of thing that I enjoy, so I struggled to make them look good. I am not really happy with how any of them turned out, even after spending a lot of time of them. The process and concept behind the project is nice, but it just wasn't for me.

Inward Self Shots

Rene Magritte & Surrealism

What is surrealism?

surrealism is the making of art based on the ideas seen in dream, juxtaposing unrelated objects

What motif did Magritte use in many of his works? Why was this significant?

the man in the bowler hat is Margritte's main motif, and many people think that he is a self portrait, because in his first painting he was

In his work Golconda, why is it important that Magritte varied the image of the man in the bowler hat?  How does it add depth to the work?

repetition of the exact same figure would have made the painting boring, but the slight variation keeps the eye moving around the piece

Why did surreal artists choose to create strange worlds with their art?

since they were basing their art on dreams, they wanted to mimic this in the worlds they created. If a dream count be a new world, why can't art?

Explain how the techniques of juxtaposition, altered scale, and language help Magritte explore Surrealism. 
Magritte believed that juxtaposing unrelated objects can cause a response just as strong as waking up from a strange dream. The altered scale gives the pieces a sense of background, middle ground and foreground. He liked to make his art relatively unexplainable.

What would be a few reasons why Magritte would cover the faces of his subjects?
many critics believe that Magritte covers his subjects' faces because of his mothers death as a child. Her nightgown was covering her face when she was found. However, he denies that this is why he covers the faces.
Why did Magritte strive for realism & precision in his paintings?
Magritte believed that if painting have realism and precision, the viewer will focus more on what the painting is saying and less on the techniques used to create it.

These pieces display Magritte's use of covering the faces, which I like. They are very surreal. I like the shot on the left the best, because it has a very lucid dreamlike quality. The juxtaposition in the pieces adds to the sense of surrealism, despite the realist technique. 

Inspring Photographs

 

 

Studio Assignment- Outward Appearance

Posing Examples

 

 
 

Inward Versus Outward Appearance

Outward Appearance
colorful
quiet
unfriendly vibe
nice
eccentric
unique
put together
hipster
fun
smart
indie
funny
funky

Inward Appearance
opinionated
loving/concerned
positive
self conscious
anxious
stressed
tired
happy
mature
friendly

Dada Final Questions

I really like this project a lot. I am happy with my results, I just wish I had more time to create additional pieces. I really like the abstract nature. I learned a lot about photoshop in this unit, which I enjoy. I am pleased with how they turned out because I had a vision for them, and I think I executed my goals.
This project ties into a lot of the aspects of Dada. Dada utilizes a lot of text, so the text overlay pieces screams Dada. Also, when you first look at the composition it does not seem like art, but it is actually very interesting and pushes the bounds of what art is and can be.

Dada Final

c o l o r b l o c k s

t e x t o v e r l a y

h a l f t o n e s c r e e n

c u t c o p y r e a r r a n g e

Dada Studio Experimentation

MoMA & Dada

Dada is an art movement that started during World War II during a time of changing social structure.

Duchamp's readymades are manufactured objects that he said were pieces of art ready to be displayed. He was pressing the question, "what is art?" with his pieces. He was trying to show that anything can be art; if his pieces make you feel something (even confusion) it is therefore a work of art.

http://www.moma.org/collection_images/resized/009/w500h420/CRI_63009.jpg

Dada artists embraced chance events to make their art, along with accident and improvisation. They used this to protest traditional art making techniques. 

http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/jean-hans-arp-untitled

They said that the value of art was not in the finished work, but in the process of making it and collaborating with others to make new visions together.

They used word play to display the arbitrary nature of words and their meanings.

http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/francis-picabia-mamenez-y-1919-20

Dada Chance Poem

Original Quote: ALL I GOT IS NOTHING BUT A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE
Scrambled Quote: BUT NOTHING GOT LITTLE A LOVE I ALL BIT LOVE

Questions About Art

What is a work of art?
I think that a work of art is anything that someone has made with their hands to express something.

What should a work of art provide to both the maker and the viewer?
To the maker, they should be able to express something that cannot be expressed with words. It is something therapeutic and enjoyable to do. Art should make the viewer feel something. It does not definitely have to be what the artist intended, it could be anything at all.

Why do people make art?
I believe people make art to express themselves. Art is something much more than a pen on paper or the click of a camera. I believe that people make art for themselves.

Where does one encounter art?
Art is all around us all of the time. I am a firm believer that the wheel on a pole is art, because the man who put that together was expressing something by making it.

What is the role of the artist?
The role of the artist is to evoke a feeling or thought in the viewer of the piece.

Social Issue PSA

My social issue is Gender Based/ Domestic Violence. I think it is important to talk about and and have awareness for, because it is not talked about in school or in the media. Also, and most importantly, many people do not know what gender violence is and can be. I do not have a direct personal relation with this violence, but I wrote a paper about it and I know a lot about it, which means that I know what needs to be done to empower men and women across the world. My hope is that people see my ads and are inspired to either take control of their own lives, or help others. Whether that means leaving an abusive relationship or doing research about violence, it can all make a change. I have included the hot line and the domestic violence awareness website in the ads with the goal to give people a specific thing they can do so that there is a direct call to action. My target audience is essentially anyone, because anyone can experience gender based violence. This ad campaign could have an unlimited amount of models and types of people. These specific ads would be for women aged 16-30 in dangerous relationships, or people who know women of these ages who are in abusive relationships. My USP is that I am making the woman in the ad literally "owned" by the abuser, instead of the mental ownership that is often seen. 

Slogan/Tagline: "You Belong to No One", "Take control of your life. 35% of women don't. www.thehotline.org"

I am extremely pleased with how my advertisements turned out. I do not think that I would change anything about them.
If I were to give advise about this assignment, I would tell them to have a really good plan about everything that you are going to do before you shoot. Take the sketches seriously and do not make it up as you go along. It is also extremely important to find a good font, because it will make or break your ad. You want it to hold up against the image and be of equal importance.
I think the most challenging aspect of the assignment was editing the pieces. The photoshoot was not hard and I got results that I wanted, but once I went into editing, it was more difficult to get results that I was happy with.

Advertising Contact Sheet

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

I learned a lot from this article. It talked a lot about the do's and don't's of advertising in social media. The most important thing that I learned was to make sure to put a logo on the ad. The only case that you don't have to do that for is when the brand has a lot of brand recognition. It is also important to make the photo really big, and the text minimal. People are lazy and will have more interest in the ad this way. It is also important to have a really clear call to action. If you don't, people will be confused. Having two calls to action is just as bad as having no call to action.
The main things that I would say in what not to do would be-waste your sawdust, waste a good tagline with a bad photo and waste a good photo with a bad tagline.