Final Project

Website - Final Project

For my final iteration of this project, I had to overhaul a couple of things. The biggest thing was that I had to finish two entirely new pages and I had to set up a new way of organizing my gallery. It's now organized a bit more by content than it is by medium, which is more so what I'm going for. It definitely could still use some polishing, but I fully intend to continue to use this website, so any out of place quirks will be corrected at some point.

Most of the things I had to do were more tedious than anything. I implemented a Lightbox which took awhile just because once I got it working I had to add it to every single image. It was absolutely worth it, though. The biggest thing I still want to change is Project 2. It's kind of an ugly stain on the whole site. I need to get it in some divs, I need to remake all of the art, and I need to add navigation - all of which is currently impossible without me basically redoing a lot of the project. It'll just take some extra TLC. 

I wasn't the most sure how to go about a resume, but I looked up some online examples. Perhaps I shouldn't have given it the same starry aesthetic as everything else, but it looked so strange and out of place without it. For now I'm keeping it thematically aligned. Although, I've never been one to feel ashamed of making mundane things colorful. I'll have to get some more information on acceptable resume producing. If it's not a good idea I'll probably convert this page into something else and link the resume in the form of a google doc or something. 

I think it would also be cool for the "contact me" page to have a way to directly message me from the site, but it looks a lot more involved so I probably won't mess with it for now. 

Interactive Art Installation - Long Blog Post

Installation Website

When it comes to art in general, all things art, light, color, and sound are particularly captivating to me. I explored the globe installation before, where sound and light are influenced through a person's movements. This installation is similar but gives the user more direct control and almost feels like an instrument in itself. 

The installation in question is called "LENSES." This installation involves the use of prisms to move and twist around on a lit surface. Manipulating these prisms creates unique light reflections and sets of sound cues, so each and every person who experiences it will do so on an individual level. Aside from being very beautiful visually, the inclusion of auditory stimulus draws me to this piece in particular. The sounds these prisms make aren't necessarily conventionally musical but are reminiscent of something like twinkling stars or any perceived sound that we apply to lights otherwise. This is referred to by the creators as a "warm, ambient soundscape." There is only one video of this piece I can find, so it would seem that the best way to experience it is to go and see it for yourself. 

Prisms, in general, allow for a lot of freedom when moving them around, not just in how light reflects but in how white light is split into individual spectral colors. They can reflect on each other and the surface they're on, bend light, and distinguish it. That instinctual attraction to bright moving colors makes it incredibly easy to get lost in a piece like this. They're bright, colorful, flashy, and dance across the surface as you move things, giving your brain an instant dose of happy chemicals. 

The sound aspect of this adds a second layer of complexity. The choice to go with ambient and "twinkly" sounds was optimal, in my opinion, as it's the kind of sound that fits perfectly with the subject. When you see the light refracting and colors bouncing, you expect something in particular. The sparkling and twinkling is a less literal representation of sound and more relates to the sounds we've created for them. Stars do not make twinkle sounds, but they look like they should. The other sound choice adds a lot more to the ambiance they're going for in that it's very echoey and rings. The best comparison would be tapping glasses filled with water - but with less control over the specific pitch of the sound. It's mesmerizing, to say the least, especially when directly working with light and color. 

Something like this would be interesting no matter what, but the interactive nature definitely appeals more to the average person. Humans like creating things, and this is a conduit for that. It's not an instrument in the traditional sense, but it's something that can be played around with a lot and with very little chance of someone doing the exact same thing as another person. Watching it be used feels like magic which is always exciting to experience from something that's essentially just using the laws of physics to create unexpected results. 

Gallery Testing

Test (Vertical Scrolling)

Test (Horizontal Scrolling) 

Test (Centered Gallery)

Some tests for class. 

Project 3

 Project 3 Link

For this project, I didn't actually have any ideas at first. I found my concept by messing around with the program until it clicked. Every time I would figure something new out, I would waste far too much time playing with it instead of utilizing it. Getting anything to work came with the danger of being distracted by it like some kind of fidget toy. After realizing this, I decided to theme the project around the ADHD experience. It's meant to essentially trap you a little bit with all of the different things you can mess with and stare at while also communicating certain feelings. 

Everything has a purpose here, but I'll explain the most significant things. The keyboard, eyes, and background setup is supposed to simulate sitting at a computer and working. The eyes blink with more intensity the closer the mouse moves to the keyboard and fades out the further away from it the mouse moves. The idea is that you need to find the perfect in-between without becoming too overwhelmed but also not wholly spacing out. Hitting any letter key will trigger a light show in the background, and each subsequent key press flashes one out of an assortment of images. These are meant to simulate either memories or passing thoughts as they only appear for about 2 seconds before fading out too much to see. This is also a reference to holding onto an idea once you have it. 

Interactive Light Art Display

 In this piece, fittingly called "DJ Light," guests can interact with globes through gestures such as gesturing, pointing, and even dancing. These globes produce light, color, and sound. This setup wasn't created by just one artist, but rather a team of people - some working on the concept and others working on the coding. I really like these collaborative approaches to art, and I think it makes otherwise much more time-consuming projects more immediately achievable. In this case, there isn't emphasis on the artists so much as there is an emphasis on each person experiencing the piece. Each individual will make something different, making it almost a conduit for more people to be artists. I chose to share this installation in particular because of this collaborative method and focus on the audience as individuals. I also just really love light, color, and music.  Anything that features all three is going to catch my eye by default. All art forms interest me somehow, so the idea that you can create your own visual and musical piece here through dancing is fantastic. 

p5 Project Update

                                            

(Please note that this project changed completely in between now and the final product.) 

Not much has changed since this project was posted, but I know what I want to do with it. This will be an ocean scene where the user hitting different keys will cause other things to change in the environment. The significance of these changes depends on anything new I pick up between now and when the project is due.

function setup() {

  createCanvas(1280, 720);

  background(129, 201, 255);

  

  //Ocean Background 

  noStroke();

  fill (127, 255, 245);

  rect (0, 0, 1280, 144);

  fill (120, 241, 255);

  rect (0, 144, 1280, 144);

  fill (128, 153, 255);

  rect (0, 432, 1280, 144);

  fill (143, 130, 255);

  rect (0, 576, 1280, 144);

}

function draw() {

  

  fill(227,252, 254, 102);

  ellipse(mouseX, mouseY, 15, 15);

  

  //Ocean Bubbles

  

  if (mouseIsPressed){

      stroke(255);

  }

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (400, 150, 100, 100);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (800, 300, 200, 200);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (200, 300, 50, 50);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (1100, 100, 50, 50);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (1100, 600, 100, 100);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (350, 600, 150, 150);

}

p5 Project Start

 function setup() {

  createCanvas(1280, 720);

  background(129, 201, 255);

  

  //Ocean Background 

  noStroke();

  fill (127, 255, 245);

  rect (0, 0, 1280, 144);

  fill (120, 241, 255);

  rect (0, 144, 1280, 144);

  fill (128, 153, 255);

  rect (0, 432, 1280, 144);

  fill (143, 130, 255);

  rect (0, 576, 1280, 144);

}

function draw() {

  

  fill(227,252, 254, 102);

  ellipse(mouseX, mouseY, 15, 15);

  

  //Ocean Bubbles

  

  if (mouseIsPressed){

      stroke(255);

  }

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (400, 150, 100, 100);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (800, 300, 200, 200);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (200, 300, 50, 50);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (1100, 100, 50, 50);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (1100, 600, 100, 100);

  

  fill (227, 252, 254, 2);

  ellipse (350, 600, 150, 150);

}

p5 Example

 

function setup() {

  

  

  createCanvas(600, 600);

  background(193, 39, 255);

  

  //Sky Background

  noStroke();

  fill(157, 39, 246);

  rect (0, 120, 600, 120);

  fill (131, 43, 255);

  rect (0, 240, 600, 240);

  fill (98, 42, 245);

  rect (0, 360, 600, 360);

  fill(71, 46, 255);

  rect (0, 480, 600, 480);

  

  //Clouds

  fill(40, 46, 240, 100);

  ellipse(400, 350, 100, 100)

  ellipse(450, 400, 100, 100)

  ellipse(350, 400, 100, 100)

  ellipse(350, 350, 100, 100)

  ellipse(400, 400, 100, 100)

  ellipse(300, 400, 100, 100)

  

  fill(98, 42, 245, 100);

  ellipse(200, 100, 100, 100)

  ellipse(250, 150, 100, 100)

  ellipse(150, 150, 100, 100)

  ellipse(150, 100, 100, 100)

  ellipse(200, 150, 100, 100)

  ellipse(100, 150, 100, 100)

}

function draw() {

}

Artist Website

 https://homepages.utoledo.edu/amoser5/ 

For my website, the main thing I was concerned with besides functionality was how the layout of the whole thing would complement the art I put on it. Basically, I wanted it to feel like the site was also art, but not in an overwhelming way. I still have some things that I need to add and tweak, but I'm happy with the color scheme I chose and the starry sky background I used. I think it's enough detail to be pretty and fit in, but not so much that it distracts heavily from the content. 

For my "Home" page, I put down my artist statement and the small image I use as a profile photo. I might change this, but so far, I like it. I also have two buttons, one leading to my blog and one leading to my gallery. After the in-class discussion we had, I will remove the gallery button and perhaps replace it with a link to a resume, which is currently kind of shoe-horned onto the "About Me" page. 

My "Gallery" is separated into sections based on the medium, which works to make everything look cohesive, but I may consider changing the categories up to pertain more to content. I haven't decided just yet. My "About Me" page is a short biography and a photo of me. I have a resume under it but am considering removing it and switching it to a google doc linked somewhere else. 

As for things I'm planning to change, I have been given a few ideas. I'm going to switch around my face on the "About Me" page to see how it looks flip-flopped. I'm going to move the resume somewhere else, probably on the "Home" page, for accessibility reasons. The text I have over labels is a bit too dim compared to the rest of the site, so I'll also be brightening up that periwinkle text. I also want to erase some stars from the button backgrounds that blend with some text. An ongoing issue that I'm not sure how to fix is that my background doesn't adhere to the page it's on, and It's basically all or nothing. I'll have to continue to tweak this. 

Response - The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

        The first thing I want to mention is that this reading is packed with a lot and was pretty difficult for me to interpret, so if I’ve entirely misread something, I want to apologize in advance. 

The author explores the replication of art and, by extension, a large portion of digitized media. He also discusses how that affects the perception of an art form or artwork, particularly on the public level. He touches upon many viewpoints, but the general idea is that you lose the original’s uniqueness and “authority” when you replicate it. I’m unsure where this viewpoint originates, but it seems to be intuitive. Naturally, when one duplicates something, the duplication is seen as inferior or artificial, regardless of medium or added content. I think that the distinction is more sentimental than anything, but I do sympathize a bit. As stated in the text, there are things that an original piece has that a recreation or alternative depiction may not—an original work undergoes things such as the natural aging process and particular artist quirks that aren’t always easy to portray otherwise. 

The author brings up another point, however. He rejects the idea that replicating is a lesser depiction of artwork and instead portrays it as an art form of its own. I find this especially compelling in the case of photography, film, and printmaking. I was initially surprised that some consider these mediums replications because I’m modernly used to viewing them as unique art forms. It’s hard to explain in detail, but the author describes it as taking art fragments and putting them together in a new and unique way. I’m not sure if I follow that logic altogether. Still, I do subscribe to the belief, for example, that a physical copy and a photographed copy of an art piece are individually and uniquely special. 

For example, when you take a picture of a sculpture, you control the specific way your audience perceives it. The author touches on this point in the case of lighting in filmmaking, which also applies to photography. Look no further than a museum’s photography exhibition. I recently visited an archaeology museum in Ann Arbor, and they had set up a tribute to the man who photographed all of the artifacts and ancient sculptures. The museum displayed the actual artifacts next to his photos, and they were scarcely the same thing. The photographer alters stuff like the angle of the object and the lighting. With editing, the colors even become more vibrant. It’s uniquely beautiful. I got the idea that the author was implying that replication is superior. I’m not inclined to agree with that as I think there are benefits and downsides to both. In my opinion, each is a matter of personal preference, and neither is objectively better. In most cases, replication is an entirely different medium from an original.  

I chose to bring my thoughts to this part of the article because it’s the only part I could wrap my head around entirely. When discussing films, human thought, and how everything I’ve already mentioned relates to politics, I think a class discussion would be a good idea if we have time. The first half of the text was easy enough to absorb, but it’s so hard to digest everything else wholly; at least it was for me.

Website Layout Sketch (Home Page)

 This is a very rough sketch and some written information on the side about my plans for it. Since my handwriting is terrible, I'll try and hit all of the critical points here as well. For one thing, the home page is the only thing that I've decided a lot on. This is mainly because I don't want to decide entirely on a setup for the other pages until I have a particular aesthetic figured out for the home page. I do have basic ideas for how they'll function, though. 

I went pretty simple for the navigation bar. I want it to be easy to see and understand immediately, with the most trafficked tabs closer to the bar's left. I think I'll likely switch around the "Commissions" and "About Me" tabs for that reason. 

I thought for a while about what I wanted on the "Home" page, and the main thing I came up with was an artist statement. I think this is distinct from the "About Me" page in that it's exclusively talking about my goals with the art I create and some things that are consistent with all of it. I thought it could be a neat idea and make the main page more than a directory to everything else. 

I think it's important to note that I want to go with categories separating the art into different groups for my gallery. I haven't decided if this will be by medium or content, but probably content. It'll then grid out the images so that you can see a lot of it right away and easily select something. The descriptions will appear with the image when one is interacted with. 

As far as aesthetics go, I want it to be colorful but not overwhelming. I was toying with the ideas of artistic sidebars, but I haven't decided on anything in particular yet. 

Previous Art Showcase

 

Artist Website Response

 When looking at an artist's website, the most important thing to me is how the structure and aesthetic fits the theme of their artwork, if there is one. I also take into account accessibility, but I think that's a given for most websites. I believe that all of my choices reflect this. I like it when it's almost as if the presentation is meant to be a part of the piece. 

https://shantellmartin.art/work/the-oculus/

My first choice is particularly interactive, which I love. The main page is entertaining because moving your mouse around manipulates the artwork on the screen. The artist in question does a lot of large-scale artwork containing bold lines and letters. The site mirrors this in color scheme, and the overall appearance is pretty interesting to look at by design alone. There is a lot of variation, but not much feels out of place. My only criticism is that the site logo is stuck to the top left of the screen and can be really distracting. 

https://wimdelvoye.be/

This website is also pretty unique. The whole thing is set up like a tycoon game. You can scroll and click on the different buildings to "enter" the next page. This doesn't necessarily match the art style but is more related to the artist being multi-media. It's as if you're walking through each building like it's a different gallery showcase. 

http://www.petracortright.com/hello.html

Before I say anything, I want to put a severe flashing warning on this one. This is actually my favorite out of the three. It's not aesthetically pleasing by any means but is tailored very specifically to be as uncanny and unsettling as possible. This perfectly reflects the artwork, which is a lot of absurd-looking pixel art and collages. The website bounces off of old internet nostalgia, so the uncanniness is actually more reflective of the early 2000's web as a whole. It reminds me of when Tumblr was brand new. I definitely recommend checking this one out for a good time because you can get completely lost in it.