Reading Assignment 1

In Erkki Huhtamo’s, "Trouble at the Interface or the Identity Crisis of Interactive Art" (2004), begins by writing about some of his first experiences with “interactive art” in 1989. He states that the artworks, “were publicly exhibited as installations, used computer technology, images and sound, and were supposed to be ‘activated’ by the user – they required a physical effort from the part of the visitor to function and to reveal their meanings. Simply put, the works of art required interaction to be complete. Although one can claim that any art viewing is interactive, ‘interactive art’ requires physical as well as mental action on the part of the spectator.

In, Lev Manovich’s, "Database as Symbolic Form" (1999), he asks questions as to why the database is important to computational processes and digital media? For starters, many digital art forms don’t have sequential logic, like a beginning and an end. Digital media relies on being able to find information fast, so a database of well-organized information arranged such that it can be easily and quickly accessed is essential. He continues by showing examples of how databases are used in many forms, from digital processes, to books on shelves in a library.

In Florian Cramer’s, "Concepts, Notations, Software, Art" (2002), he explains how the algorithmic coding in the software that runs digital artworks on computers is just as artistic as the artwork itself. The algorithms are sets of rules that direct the data. He shows how pretty much any process, computational or otherwise, can be made into an algorithm.

In, Casey Reas’, "Software Structures" (2004), he relates programming to drawing. He is well known for his work in creating Processing, a Java-based programming environment that allows artist to ‘sketch’ programming ideas in an easy to use language and interface for maximum ease. It is projects like these that create a link between drawing and programming and integrate the ideas of how easy and accessible drawing is into programming language and software development.

Project 1: Software

Dog Vision 3000! is one of my first attempts at creating interactive art. The project is still in development stages but I think that it illustrates the idea of interactive art well. By seeing things through the eyes of a dog, the viewer acts differently within their environment and actually takes over the role of a dog. The result is pretty trippy and it's fun to discover how dogs see colors compared to how humans do.

I have been working on this project for a while now and I have recently updated it for this class.

Reading Assignment 2

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi’s text, "The random universe" (excerpt from Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means) (2003), starts out with a lesson on history and the life of Leonhard Euler. I think that it is interesting that Euler inadvertently created a field of mathematics called ‘graph theory’ by trying to solve a problem about how seven bridges can logically connect to roads. This field of mathematics is what led to the creation of modern networks, or the ideas behind it anyway. Later Barabasi goes on to inform us on random networks and how they were brought about in a completely random method. I believe that it is very odd that networks, a means that I use for organization, spawned from a completely random set of scenarios and that modern networks come from these principles.

Roland Barthes’ text, "The Death of The Author" (1977), is about authors and writers and their usage of text. Barthes’ term, Jouissance, refers to the pleasure in reading. It describes the network beteewn the reader and the writer in what he calls, ‘readerly text,’ and ‘writerly text.’ Perhaps his most famous use of networking is his network of the denoted signifier and signified and how the sign leads to a connotation of the same. This continues in an endless semiosis.

Pierre Levy’s, "The Art of Cyberspace" (1994), is very interesting because of the fact that he is one of the first proprietors of the idea that cyberspace art is attractive and engages the viewer in a unique way. He creates connections between the artist and the way their message is received and how the dynamics of author and reader become construed and the activity of one leads to the activity of the other and how authorship and signature disappear.

Nicolas Bourriaud’s, "Relational Aesthetics" (1998), also describes the relationships like the ones mentioned above but he goes into more detail about the ‘relational aesthetics.’ He describes how the networks of human interaction via new form of communication create a whole new realm of aesthetics in art.

Project 2: Network

I have created a network of people consisting of members of my family and of course myself. I decided that I wanted to be able to communicate with them without using text or language. Instead my idea was for us to communicate solely using pictures sent via email, instant messaging, and text messaging. The pictures are meant to convey certain activities, emotions, and ideas. I feel that a network like this is more personal and therefore excellent for distant family interaction. The messages that the pictures convey are not always very clear as to the intentality, but nonetheless it creates a different kind of communication on a more personal level.

Here I have included a couple of the pictures that were sent to me, by family members of mine. I am still awaiting forwarded emails of pictures that they sent to each other…

As of right now, my family network has 11 members, 5 of which(including myself) are very active and participate regularly... especially my mother who loved the idea. I was surprised that even my 88 year-old grandfather was able to join the network and participate with the family, attesting to the simplicity of the concept and process involved in the communications.

Reading Assignment 3

Robert L Herbert’s text, "The Arrival of the Machine in Europe 1910-1925" (1997), describes how machines changed the face of warfare. He states, “With the onset of World War I in August 1914, the machine took on a new and terrifying presence, so much that the war itself (and postwar references to it) was embodied in the airplane, aerial balloons, the submarine, and the motorized vehicles of all sorts…” Although he uses the word terrifying, he goes on to say that journals and news reports had much praise for new design. This is an interesting concept because although the new machines were used for death and destruction, they created a new vision for the future of machines and how the creation of them can benefit.

At the conclusion of Eduardo Kac’s text, "The Origin and Development of Robotic Art" (2001), he states, “Today, as artistic freedom promotes robotic diversity, the understanding of this triangular framework is essential to enable us to continue to explore the history, the theory, and the creation of robotic art.” He is obviously a proponent for the advancement of robotic art and believes that the emergence of the use of robots in other art forms creates a new definition for the use of robots. I would agree with him that robots in art definitely add a new aspect and form to art and that exploiting this form usually concludes with a very interesting piece of art.

Anthony Dunne’s and Fiona Raby’s, excerpt from Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects (2001) is very interesting because it describes the experience of the art form they call ‘Design Noir.’ In the text, they write, “The mental interface between the individual and the product is where the ‘experience’ lies. Electronic technology makes this meeting more fluid, more complex and more interesting.” I would also agree with this. I, being a web developer and designer, face the challenge of creating usable and interesting interfaces everyday. The experience that the user or viewer experiences, is mostly dependent upon how they are able to interact with the interface I put before them.

Gustav Metzger’s "Auto Destructive Art Manifesto" (1961) is a very short but intense piece of propaganda. It appears that this new art form developed in the early 1960’s has a pessimistic view of the future of the world. At the end of the manifesto he states, “Auto-destructive art is an attack on capitalist values and the drive to nuclear annihilation.” Yes… very interesting. I’m guessing that this art form came about due to the pressures brought on by the Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation.

Project 3: Hardware

Enter the SafeSnail...

The SafeSnail is a very small, compact device, which securely and safely sticks to the shell of a snail, and emits pulsing red and white LED lights. The purpose of this device is to monitor and secure the safety of a snail crossing a sidewalk. Because they are very slow creatures and some people find them to be rather repulsive, snails can become the target, inadvertently or not, of the bottom end of a shoe.

(CAUTION!) The SafeSnail may TEMPORARILY protect the snail from sudden death due to crushing. Due to the temporary nature of this device, the person implementing this device may be require to play the part of a 'crossing guard,' whereas upon the snail reaching its destination the device should be removed from the snail's shell. Furthermore, it is very important that the device be removed after safe crossing because this device may inhibit the snail from blending in to its natural environment and attract the attention of predators of many sorts.