yesi's

Yesenia Flores

Major: B.S. in Biology with a minor in Political Science Experience:
 * Computers: I have a strong background in hardware troubleshooting and have some experience with digital software due to a lot of personal projects.
 * Art: The most recent art course I have taken was art history and that was about 6 years ago. I only work with art when I have to promote events and create pamphlets. That is about it.
 * Something Interesting about me: I have an obsession with monkeys.

= ABSENCE/PRESENCE WORK =



=In class Masking=

Puppy Dreams

=**MASKING PROJECT**=

Mice and Cheese

[[image:Plays for Freedom.jpg width="800" height="600"]]
Must I play for Freedom?



Too Much Time Spent



Only in dreams

Reality = = =**Response to Kinetic Typography Article**: //After Effects//=


 * This article put what I know as animation and digital art into perspective. It was definitely difficult to visualize spending so much time trying to create a visual image perhaps due to the advancements at the beginning of our generation. If anything, this article made me appreciate the developments of the technology we have today. However, I also found many similarities between how //After Effects// created the images and how Adobe works, particularly when it comes to layers. I suppers that at the end of the day, the beginning of digital art still serves as a foundation to the modern technology and interfaces. I would argue that the technique continues to be the same but now we are gifted with efficiency. In fact, towards the end of the article Manovich argues that if we look at history, many of the characteristics of new media are found in older media technologies. **
 * In addition, Manovich specifically mentions how the identity of media has changed very dramatically. He seems to qualify new media as any object that is composed of digital code. Thus breaking new media down to simple mathematical functions and algorithmic manipulations, and while that is true, when I think of new media art I have a hard time believing it is that simple. In addition, the new media he discusses is very vulnerable. In fact, the ability to have all of the new media go viral and appropriated or tweaked is proof of the vulnerability of this type of art. While before art had almost a fingerprint of the creator, now it is nearly impossible to verify originality, perhaps this is because new media is nothing more than algorithms, as evident by its composition. **
 * This made me think that in reality, new media art now is a combination of mathematical equations and pixels that are really not something original but a universal language. This universality has clearly proven to be a double edge sword. On the one hand, people are exponentially having more and more access to the creation of new media, something unthinkable decades before. On the other, originality is something very difficult to have now a days and I would even argue that the value of these pieces are slowly losing value, similar to what is happening in the realm of news media. **
 * I find Manovich’s article very interesting. He seems to be incredibly excited about the new technology, but the more I read and work on this type of art, I can’t help but think about the actual interaction I have with the art. It seems as though because of the barrier of physical contact between audiences/creators and the “object” itself, interaction has developed a more complicated meaning. According to Manovich, in his other article “Language of New Media”, we should consider the psychological interaction with new media as. I find this very troubling because in reality we have stripped down all of human interaction down to what happens in the mind as an important enough qualifier for appreciation art. So in reality we have come down to simple neuronal firings to define human reasoning. I mean what distinguishes humans from other animals is that ability to logically reason, but what about those who are no longer able to do this? What about the reaction that animals show when they see digital images? Personally, new media is such an integral part of my generation that I find it very hard to think that it is simply math and the psychological effects this has on a person. For some reason I always thought of art as much more than that. Perhaps in the future, when people come up with an even more advanced type of new media art, we will be able to look back and truly analyze the art of the generation we live in. **

=** Response to //The Poetry of Augmented Space:// **=

At one point in the interview the question of whether “real space and the dynamically presented information add up to one single coherent phenomenological gestalt or are they processes as separate layers?” After reading //The Poetics of Augmented Space,// I am not sure Lev Manovich would have a straightforward response to this. In fact in the article, Manovich guides us through the transition of graphics throughout the history of the media industry. His argument is grounded in the idea that at the beginning the graphics or available advertisements were hybrids of man made and computer graphics. Manovich also goes in depth about how now with the idea of augmentation, we have an interaction of many different mediums and experiences. In fact with his example of Janett Cardiff’s audio walks, it is clear that when he is looking at different mediums it can be interpreted as the audience sees it. It is a highly interactional medium. Whether we differentiate layers or not is ultimately up to us. His concept of “Media Remixability” is something that we are specifically fond of in this class. In fact, it is incredibly fascinating that we can merge all of the mediums we do merge to create one final product. At times, I think we take for granted the advancements of our time. It’s funny how meanings of an image can change so much with the ambiance you create. In fact, you can take something and make it completely yours if you are able to manipulate it enough.

Another question that was asked in the interview phase was: what makes augmented reality special? This, of course, calls for more of a personal response. The reporter mentions how she does not find augmented space as something very special since it dates back centuries, and while this might be true, it seems that now in this age where there is so much emphasis on making a rapid impact due to the pace of our society, AR becomes extremely important. The more distinct you are able to market your product or make your audiences experience, the more likely you are to succeed this day in age. Also, I think that this concept is the driving force of many innovations since we are no longer limited to one medium. People are encouraged more and more to explore innovative ways to capture people’s attention. I mean we no longer even need a screen to project our ideas. Manovich would definitely acknowledge the flexibility that this new mentality brings about.

With all of this said, I found Manovich’s article very interesting. I think his article, //The Poetics of Augmented Space,// is the type of literature that helps younger generations, like ours, truly understand the evolution of media. For me at least, it is hard to visualize having advertisements that do not combine various mediums or to live in a time where technology is not a big part of your every day experience. If we have gotten to this point now, I wonder what the future generations will come up with. What other mediums, what spaces will they use to convey their messages? = =

=**Network Awesome Ideas Sketchbook**=