Carla's+Page


 * Week I Homework**

There is such a fine and blurry line when it comes to copyright and plagiarism lawsuits. Besides the morals that come with appreciating and respecting an artist's work, there are many cases where unintentional incidents have been taken to court. As mentioned in the comic book, it is difficult to take into consideration the copyright of every single occurrence in the work, hence the reason to the waiting time for a work to be processed and published. Most people want to protect their creations as much as they can to avoid misinterpretation of their works. The copyright laws, like most laws and regulations, have their pros and cons; while they are capable of protecting one's work they also have the power to destroy it.

Everything taken to extremes is damaging, as mentioned in the comic book "overprotecting intellectual property is as harmful as under protecting it". Everything comes from something, as cliche as it sounds, if there is no original source or "raw content" because it is over protected, then there is no improvement or evolution of a product. If there is no protection at all then there is a lack of creativity and originality that may result as an overuse of content. I personally believe that although the United State's government may be considered by many as overprotective, or sometimes exaggerated, it does a very good job in these specific subjects. Yes, it must be tedious trying to capture the essence of what the city of Manhattan really is by visuals and sound, yet it would not be the city it is without the composition and input of all these artists that have worked hard to create an influence in specific locations, therefore completing the right process of copyright laws and regulations is essential. Some might think to themselves why address the minimal things if the overall idea is much more than a "just a song"(for example), but its audience might associate the minimal song that played in the background for seven seconds with the production as a whole, giving that production an advantage through the use of someone else's work.

Although the rules and regulations have gotten better, and more secured with time; I personally think that plagiarism has become a bigger problem in today's world. With the usage of technology plagiarism has become such a common issue, specially in al social media platforms, that is not easy to control. When scrolling through Instagram, for example, people are not only cautious with when appropriating others works, but people post and share their creativity with others recklessly. As a result to these impulsive and many times unconscious decisions there is no way to demand for copy right issues since there was no legal patenting involved.


 * Presence Absence**

** National Portrait Gallery Exhibitions ** Every single video exhibited portrayed a story, some through pictures that created motion and generated a film, others with video footage. However, they each depicted very human characteristics and stories.

Personally //Underscan,// was one that caught my attention. I stayed there quietly listening and observing the images that formed a short video clip. This exhibition was composed of a narrative that gave it a soliloquy tone, although the narrator was just reading letters written by another woman. The way the letters were narrated and the images (demonstrating different parts of a home) made the ambiance feel like one was reading a diary. The exhibition was also composed by an old looking screen and video effects that gave it a vintage look. Furthermore, the clip concluded with lost signal, the images slowly blurred out, the narrator quit talking, and one can assume the main character passed from a mental breakdown.

//Face in the Crowd// was the biggest installation exhibited. It was very unique in the sense its layout, where a projector faced an enclosed space of three walls and projected different clips of people telling personal stories. The communication between the projectors allowed for the exhibition to have a conversation-like feel, very human and real.


 * Krauss Narcissism Response**

In her article //Video: The Aesthetics of Narcissism//, Krauss portrays video art as an egocentric medium, where an artist uses his or her body as a platform of art. She argues that the “critical distance it (video art) maintains on its own subject” is what makes this form of art narcissist. According to Krauss the subject of the video is detached from the world itself, which she refers to this video art as more of a “psychological situation” where the artist uses the body to convey “art”. //Video: The Aesthetics of Narcissism// was an article published in 1976, therefore it is fair to say that Krauss’ response regarding video art making and “art” itself was a narcissistic platform, yet in today’s contemporary world video art is much more than that.

There are different ways to make and portray video art than just the human body itself; there are different digital and graphic programs developed over the years that allow for scripted art, animations and special effects to be generated (as opposed to Krauss’ argument where an artist’s concocts a message with no text or script). Video art is now a medium that serves people to spread a message, convey emotions, express feelings, as opposed to the original purpose in video art which tied down to exalt its subject.

Furthermore, if Krauss where to live in today’s world she would argue on other modern mediums of art (portrayed on social media platforms) as narcissistic. Although the word “art” is one of the broadest terms with no specific boundaries, I personally consider that images shared with a specific edit on social media are a form of art. I think that one of the main uses of Social Media these day is a egocentric platform where humans share their lives with others. Krauss’s argument on reflection, screening and mirrors made me think on the mobile device monitors, where people now a day can see their reflection being mirrored on their screens and furthermore capture it.


 * Old Blue Black and Blue**


 * Cinemagraph**


 * //The poetics of augmented space// response**

Today’s new generations are already growing up alongside of several technological devices. These generations are not only growing up seeing technology develop, but they are also developing using various technological devices at a very early age. Technology has its pros and cons, and like everything else, if overused it can have many more negative effects on humans. It is a shame to see people misuse technology because if properly used it can provide so many benefits, and facilitate mediums from simply delivering a message and connecting with others to teaching children how to read and write. The important thing in this situation is knowing how to use it, and although adults did not grow up with these devices, it is their duty and responsibility to educate children to have a balance in life with everything (including the use of technology).

With pagers to phones to cellphones to smartphones and typewriters to computers to laptops to once again smartphones, it is fair to say that technology is a platform with the fastest and most extreme advances. Areas within technology that have taken several years to develop, such as: as augmented reality, are nowadays easily accessed by anyone through social networks on their own cellular devices. Snapchat, in my opinion, is the social network with the most technological advancements. It is not only a social network where people can connect, chat, and exchange information, but it has now become an informational medium (featuring large corporations such as: CNN, The Food Network, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, and many other informational companies). Large magazines, as previously mentioned, can be accessed through Snapchat; here people are able to not only read about various subjects, but they can also watch videos and interact in surveys and “quizzes” regarding different themes. Additionally, Snapchat is a social media platform that allows for augmented reality to be easily accessed, captured as an image or video, and immediately processed and shared. Snapchat also provides a location service where users have the option to allow others to see their exact location on the map.

With all this overwhelming amount of options in only one social media platform, many can argue that it is impossible to not spend so much time attached to their devices. Although smart phones have many things to offer, no matter how “real” of a reality they can generate, it is still not the same to interact with a person face to face (despite the attempts such as FaceTime, and Skype). A hand shake, a hug, a smile are just some small examples of all the things hat can not be seen the same as through the eye of a technical device, and should therefore not be taken for granted or forgotten of. Technology is there to better the human experience, to connect with people living in different continents, for long distances, for sharing positivity with others, for sending a message and spreading awareness etc. In conclusion, technology’s purpose is not there to worsen the human experience by disconnecting people from reality and connecting them to a “fake reality”, it is there to facilitate relationships, to allow one hear and be heard; with the proper use, technology can make the impossible happen.