Hayley+Higgins

**hayley h. purcell ** ** major: ** BS in Finance and Economics  **art experience**: broad mix with little specialty in Drawing, Oil Paint, Watercolor, Pastels, Photography, Digital Media, Ceramics, Sculpture. Some experience with Photoshop in AP Studio Art class. I have an affinity for the financial markets and french films. ** Artistic interests... **    1. Numerical Representation 2. Modularity 3. Automation 4. Variability 5. Transcoding Photoshop Exercise Image Size: 2.89M | 12.778 in x 10.972 in | 1280 px x 790 px | Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Project 1 Presence/Absence part II




 * “After Effects or the Velvet Revolution” by Lev Manovich Response **

Lev Manovich’s article on After Effects is a comprehensive comparison of a the transformation of digital media to the subtle succession of Soviet Union satellite countries. This article shed light on how graphic design, and digital media in general, claimed its place in the modern world. I never understood the gradual steps that this form of art took until it reached more sophisticated levels which we are used to seeing around us everywhere today. Manovich brought my attention to a different way of thinking about how moving imagery used to be a much more broken and layered concept and how the process it took to create a piece was much more intensive and limited in the early 1990s. I found a few things Manovich pointed out to be most intriguing. For instance he writes, "the interactions of different media in the same software environment are cultural species" referencing how hybrids of software techniques are not simply a sum of parts but rather a new and evolved concept. This summarizes what happens in more advanced softwares and really explains how the finished product can be viewed. He also says in reference to technology available at the time; "In retrospect, we can see they were at odds with the flexibility, speed, and precision of data manipulation already available to most other professional fields which by that time were computerized - sciences, engineering, accounting, management, etc.". I find it interesting that the art field did not see these advancements as quickly as the rest of society. I also find it interesting that more advanced data processors and computerized programs were used as the norm in so many other fields while not even considered in art. Manovich outlined some interesting points about this transformation of art which has given me a new appreciation for the products that we use in class today. Software capabilities have come such a long way and I am very curious of where they will go in the near future.

Questions: Manovich speaks about how the technology was already present in the business world far before it was readily available in the art world. In what other ways has the art world experienced this lag in capabilities and how might this happen again in the future?

What do you think about the way in which Manovich compared an art movement to a political revolution? If you had to pick another concept or event to compare this to, what might you chose?

How do you anticipate the digital art movement to advance in the next 10 years, 50 years? What does this mean for traditionalists and how do experts in their chosen medium adapt to newfound approaches?

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 * “The Poetics of Augmented Space” by Lev Manovich, Response **

Lev Manovich's article, "The Poetics of Augmented Space" seeks to position the idea of an alternate reality as a form historical and cultural enrichment rather than just technological advancement. He speaks on the ways in which multimedia can be added to a pre-exisiting space through the use of a handheld device or other monitor. Manovich speaks about technological applications that "dynamically deliver data to, or extract data from, physical space". He talks about video surveillance and the ability to perform daily tasks by handheld device (checking into an airport, paying a toll). He also touches on the growing presence of electronic screens that convey information in common places in the presence of light and from far distances. Manovich's main point is that the previously static landscape we live in has turned into a space with many new dimensions and capabilities. Data is present around us everywhere and changes the way in which we receive and convey information.

**If we look at contemporary AR and compare that with other forms of new media, what's special about it and what isn't?** Augmented reality is a form of new media that allows the viewer to benefit from an addition to their already existing landscape. Other forms of New Media such as cinema and computer generated images allow the viewer to assess and analyze the work in front of them from a disconnected point of view. When the viewer is a participant in Augment Reality however, the image in front of them is seamlessly integrated into their own presence and enhances their experience in a way more personal and tangible than in a film or on a computer. Augmented Reality allows the viewer to appreciate a common object in a new way. Not only is new data presented to the viewer but they are also able to appreciate the cultural and aesthetic value of what they are seeing. Augmented Reality allows individuals to interact with many different parts of their life in quick and constant communications. No longer are there barriers between places near and far away or close or distant in time. Augmented Reality allows people to interact with the present, past and future, as well as any location through the use media presented through digital media devices over a physical space.

Overall Manovich's article really touches on the importance and the future of Augmented Reality and sheds light on how it has evolved over the years. It is interesting to think about how it may take over the population's lives in years to come. It has already claimed a large presence in our daily lives and continues to evolve with technology. There are many places in society that have remained untouched by this form of media which allows new innovations to appear as this form of art advances. Simple and static places are not nearly as present as in the past. It is rare to find a place that is not altered by the presence of some sort of virtual monitor. Even when in places in nature, people are often found with phones and GPS devices to navigate or to document their adventures. People are always connected and Augmented Reality can be more than just a visual enhancement to a viewer's life but can also become a new means of efficiency and communication. Augmented Reality may put into question the line between what we view as real and what is just an altered version of the physically tangible.