| Ulises Carión- Mail Art and the Big Monster from Second Thoughts Carrión prompted me to think about how we can redefine art through systems, such as the system of the postal services. I have always believed the purpose of art is for the creator to convey some sort of message, so I can see Carrión's point of the postal system supporting the communication of messages in Mail Art. When he mentions the difference in control for producing and posting art, I can relate that two the overall process of making art of other mediums as well; I feel that we can control what we make, but not which audiences can or will receive the message of the work because of the systems and unspoken rules of the art world. |
Laurel Schwulst & Édouard U- Selections from Creative Independent and Arena How Do You
Use the Internet Mindefully As an artist, this made me reconsider the purpose of the web, and the ways that we can use the internet to share our dreams, ideas, beliefs, and personalities. I found the different metaphors helpful in redefining how we can choose to view the web and how we can go about bringing our ideas to life through it. 1.) How can we approach websites with individuality that sets us apart from the others? 2.) How does society treat the web; why are there certain unspoken rules or requisites for building a website that society places on us? Does aestheticism outweigh functionality? Is there a world where both can exist? |
Olia Lialina- STILL THERE Ruins and Templates of Geocities from Lost and Living (in)
Archives I learned from this article that every website will eventually have an expiration date. But, it is interesting to see web archivists were able to autopsy Geocites and find a "jungle" of web pages. They were able to dissect the interconnections of the web and gather valuable information such as age, aesthetics, and third spaces on the internet. 1.) Was anyone able to access the hyper-links in the article today? What were you able to find? 2.) How do we image what web activity will look like 10, 20, or even 50 years from now? |
| Alessandro Ludovico & Florian Cramer - Selections from Publishing from
Post-Digital-Print This week's reading made me think about the ways that digital and print medias can coexist. We saw a shift in media publishing with the introduction of the internet, but both forms of media share the same purpose, a form of social networking across individuals and communities. We see this today with the example given in the reading about QR codes, and how users can scan printed codes to get access to digital content. 1.) Would you say that there is more monitoring on the web today? Is print making a comeback to spread information? 2.) Do we believe that printed media will diminish completely now that everything is online? |
Bojana Coklyat & Shannon Finnegan - Selections from Alt-Text as Poetry
Workbook Before reading this piece, I had little knowledge about how alt-text is used and how we as designers and artists can use alt-text as a form of poetic art. I was surprised that when creating poetic alt text, is similar using descriptive language in narrative writing. 1.) Have you ever experienced or recognized alt-text? Did you find it to be useful as a person that is able to see? 2.) What are ways that we can include alt-text or image description for other forms of media(ie. TikTok, Instagram Reels, movies)? |
David Reinfurt - Selections from A *New* Program for Graphic Design I was already pretty familiar with the Gestalt principles from previous design courses, but I never made the connection to how they apply to graphic design. Looking back on the work of different designers, there is a clear system of visual hierarchy that grabs our attention, even if we don’t notice it primarily. 1.) Does Gestalt philosophy influence how we see or how we think? 2.) Do these principles still hold up in digital or interactive design? Do screens demand new perceptual rules? |
| Ben Duvall - Selections from New Modernism(s) This reading explores the movement of design through modernism, post-modernism, and hyper-modernism, developing the notion of sign and the signified and how these subcategories of semiotics convey political and socioeconomic ideologies. I found it interesting to see the various uses of Disney's iconography throughout the various movements, and how critical designers utilize iconic symbols to reflect and criticize politics. 1.) If hyper-modernism acts as a hyperlink for signs, then is the signified defined by the designer, or is it defined by the audience it reaches? 2.) Does hyper-modernism make space for commercial designers, or does this only apply to critical design? How does this affect our view of contemporary design culture? |
Dot Tuer - Beyond the New Media Frame The Poetics of Absence in Vera Frenkel’s String
Games What I found intriguing about Tuer's analysis, is the interpretation of Sting Games as a precedent of how new media operates and how that shapes our memory through our interactions, both individual and collective, with technology. I also enjoyed reading the juxtaposition of Frenkel's String Games and Body Missing, showing the works in similar contexts despite them being in different formats. 1.) What are your thoughts on connectivity in the digital realm? Do you think we are closer or removed from social interaction? 2.) What role does memory play? Is it more prominent in the past when it's being created, the present when we actively recognize it, or in the future when it shapes what to do next? |
Boris Groys - Art on the Internet This chapter made me reconsider the Internet as an archive for artists and authors, and the nuances that are in consideration of creating juxtaposed to publishing. I found the comparison of the Internet to Jean-Paul Sartre's definition of "hell" interesting, and I connected this to artists, and even others online, who spend time working on their craft outside of the audience's view for an element of surprise. 1.) Is there art, or anything else, on the internet that reshapes your perspective on what society deems as "art"? 2.) Do you view your own publishing on the internet as a form of art? What about others? |