ambmesa

=__ About Me __=
 * Name: Ambar Mesa
 * Major: Economics
 * [[image:Ambar Mesa Headshot.jpg width="183" height="148"]]
 * I'm pretty average with technology, but as far as digital art software my knowledge is as basic as iMovie.
 * The last time I remember taking a visual art course was 5th grade, but I've enjoyed being on the consumer side and exploring the different galleries/museums in DC.
 * I used to collect notebooks...and never write in them.
 * Based on the first class, I'm looking forward to the augmented reality portion of the course.

__** Week 1 Homework - Article Response **__ The article certainly revealed aspects of copyright law that I had no idea existed. I thought back to all the school projects I have seen (and possibly my own) that may have used a song or alluded to a pop culture reference. While not intentional, could these have been a violation of copyright law? While the article throws around “fair use” and “public domain,” I’m willing to bet that artists (to be specific, documentary filmmakers, as the article seeks to target) and even general readers of this article are stuck in a state of perpetual confusion in the gray area of these terms.

First, I clashed with the idea that artists and filmmakers had to renew or re-seek permissions for works on a regular basis. Specifically, when the actual work of art ends up suffering because of these laws. The article gives a great example of a documentary that was taken out of circulation because it was unable to keep up with the copyright costs. The main character consistently brings up whether these policies aid or deter creativity and I can’t help but agree with her every time she questions the guide. This might be cynical, but I immediately think of all the other works of art that could have flourished from works taken out of circulation.

I was pleasantly surprised when I came across the quote from the Judge Kozinski, where he stated that overprotecting works via law is just as bad as under-protecting. I completely agree that at the risk of lacking a rich and diverse public domain, the world could be missing out on a lot of inspiration and critical discussions. For example, it would be incredibly difficult for an artist to create a piece that criticizes the soda industry as it relates to global health and obesity without major soda brands like Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Pepsi.

As I reached the end of the article, I couldn’t help but think how artists feel about the topic. I know the purpose of the documentary filmmaker as a protagonist is to summarize the sentiments, but I do believe there are more extreme viewpoints on either end. I’d be interested to hear from professional artists from both sides on how they have been able to navigate the world of copyright law and whether it has impeded on their creativity.

In my own interaction with popular culture, I’ve seen may TV shows where brands are blurred, but the customer can concretely tell what the product is. The biggest example being Apple - their products have a distinct, recognizable look. From my understanding, bad appropriation could include creating a piece of advertising and including a song, photograph, or other logo without permission. Because, evidently, the advertising piece is for commercial purposes, it is in violation of copy right law. Overall, the piece was an interesting an easy read on the topic. I know have a better surface-level understanding on copyright law, or at least enough not to get myself into any trouble!

__** Exercise 1 Presence Absence **__

__** Project 1: Surrealist Composite **__



__** Cinemagraph **__

__** [|Project 2: Short Video] **__

__** Project 3: Painting AR **__

__** Project 4: Self-Portrait AR **__ For my self-portrait project I wanted the viewer to experience the time I sprained my ankle in the way I handled it: dramatic. The AR experience starts of with a gloomy and intense scene of a woman carrying a box down the hallway. The video is supposed to help build suspense and come off a bit theatrical with the images of the shocked audience. I hurt my foot because I decided it was a good idea to carry a stack of boxes so high that I couldn't see where I was walking and I took a tumble. Not only are there dramatic points in the experience but at one point I try to juxtapose one of the audience images with a comical video of a woman falling down the steps. At the end there is a compilation of images of my foot...I loved taking pictures of it!