I Miss You - Video Art

I filmed home videos from VHS onto my iPhone from when I was a baby in 1994 to when I was a little older in 2001.  I took these videos and compiled them into one video.  The video is called "I Miss You" because it is about how I miss my grandparents.  My grandparents loved me to death and would do anything for me.  All four of my grandparents have passed now, and it was a really hard time for me.  They passed before I really accomplished anything and that killed me.  I think about them all the time because a lot of things happen to me that I wish I could share with them.  I chose videos from when I was younger because that was when my grandparents were the healthiest and we had the best footage of them.  Portions of the video include my father and my mother with me because even though my grandparents are gone, I still have them.  My parents carry on what their parents taught them, and I want to do the same.  I want my parents and my grandparents to be proud of me because I owe it to them and myself.  I miss my grandparents so much and it was extremely difficult to watch the videos of them.  But I know that they will always be with me because they live in my parents and me.

I embraced the error because I was filming footage from VHS tapes.  The tapes were very shaky and have a grainy look to them which I thought enhanced my video instead of being a distraction.  Overall, i thought this project was very enjoyable.  I like creating something that has a message that correlates personally to me.

In the video, I am the one singing the song by Miley Cyrus "I Miss You."  I thought that the lyrics said exactly how I feel, so I wanted to show that in my video.

Enjoy...

Lizzy Dellamonica Comment

I thought Lizzy did a great job with her performance piece.  I think one of her strongest aspects of her performance was that she really invaded a space.  By setting up in the middle of the store, she made people interact with the "mannequins" and that's what made her piece so good.  I also love the concept behind your piece about how our society is always seeking perfection.  I liked the connection you made between our quest for perfection and the mannequins, and I thought your performance art piece did a good job at expressing that.  Good job! :)

Sight

This video is very disturbing to me.  I hope something like this is never created, but I feel that eventually the Sight System will exist, just not in my lifetime.  Living with Sight is like living in a dream, nothing is real.  The characters really creeped me out to.  I didn't like how their eyes glowed, and the interaction between the guy and girl was so uncomfortable to watch.  It was as if they were robots being programmed what to say and how to act.  If that is our future, I want no part of it.  It is also scary to think that other people could control you with technology.  Those higher up can have a power over you and manipulate you.  That is an extremely scary thought.  That is not what I want.  Yes, the technology is a marvel and is really cool.  But when will people stop?  How far are people willing to go before they have gone to far past the point of no return?  Scary to think about.

A Scientist Predicts the Future- Michio Kaku

Michio Kaku predicts that the human race will not be able to survive without technology.  Technology is advancing little by little each and every day, and it is playing an even more important role in our society than it has in the past.  Technology is surpassing the human race because it is growing and evolving, and humans are not doing anything to evolve and become a better and more dominant species.  Technology will consume our society and people will not be able to function without it.  You can already see this occurring today because people rely so much on getting information from computers, calculating formulas on a calculator, and clinging to cell phones.  People need technology, and the bigger and better technology gets, the weaker and more small-minded people will get.  Robots are going to become part of our normal everyday life.  People will no longer need laptops or computers because there will be a interface put directly into your eye with a contact.  Our world is becoming technology dependent.  I believe that technology will be a great thing, but only for so long.  I think we are heading a down a path to be like the people in the Disney film Wall-e: lazy, unaware of the problems and the things around us, and relying on technology and the conveniences that it gives us.

Golan Levin

After watching Golan Levin's question and answer video, I received new information about a topic that I do not know anything about really.  Levin creates fascinating work by the use of computer programming, art, and technology.  He explains how mathematical formulas are used in order to create his works, and to me, that is just crazy to think about.  It amazes me how people, like Levin, have discovered ways to create beautiful pieces of art by using math.  So our high school teaches were right. You really do use math everyday, and Levin understands the math in order to manipulate it and create art.

Levin believes that everyone should learn how to program.  Levin states that as soon as his 4 year old son is a little older, he will start teaching him programming by using Scratch.  He feels that everyone should be familiar with programs such a Java, Frameworks, or C++.  Levin stresses that computer programming is popping up every where in our modern day society and that people need to be knowledgeable about it.  I agree with Levin, and I feel that it would be a very valuable and interesting topic to learn about in order to understand how things are working.

I found it interesting that Levin believes that eventually the computer's artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence and take over.  Computers are faster and can calculate and generate information in an instant.  So, what is stopping the computer from taking over?  People are becoming more dependent on computers.  We are so quick to go look it up on the computer instead of trying to think about the solution ourselves.  Levin believes that humans will always have the upper-hand on computers, but only time will tell.

Overall, I found this very interesting and enjoyed listening to Levin discuss an obvious passion of his.  I gained some good insight on a new topic and wish that I would have gotten into computer programming years ago because who knows where I could have been now.

Performance Art Piece: Dog On A Leash

My performance art piece is called "Dog On A Leash."  I was influenced and inspired by the painting "Dynamism of a Dog on a  Leash" by Giacomo Balla.  Learning about Balla and his work was one my favorite topics that we discussed in class.  I love how he captured motion in a still painting, and this is my favorite painting of Balla.  

I conducted my project at my local mall, The Galleria Mall, in York, Pennsylvania.  I stood indie one of the entrances into the mall on Black Friday, so there were lots of people.  I stood in the same location and had my best friend, Alyson Meloni, film me and people's reactions to me.  I stood motionless like a statue holding a leash that was attached to a toy dog.  I kept the same position and received some very interesting reactions.  Some people walked straight up to me trying to get me to move or to talk to them, but I resisted.  One woman thought that I was a mannequin.  Two girls thought that I was fake as well and stood trying to figure out if I was real or not.  Overall, watching people's reactions to me was hilarious and I enjoyed the project very much.  I enjoyed it so much that after I was done filming, I went up and stood again just to see how the people react to me.  

So enjoy my performance art  piece of "Dog on a Leash," inspired by the great Giacomo Balla. 

------> My Inspiration

   ------> The Final Product

Saturday Night Fever

I do not think that Saturday Night Fever killed disco.  If anything, I think it showcases the best songs of disco.  I really enjoy this movie and the soundtrack.  I watched the movie several times with my dad and have listened to the soundtrack with my grandmother, who is a big BeeGees fan, countless times.  The songs in the movie are what I believe to be the best in disco.  The dancing done by John Travolta in the film just makes the songs even better.  I'm not saying that disco is my favorite, but I think that this movie helped disco in a positive way.

If Saturday Night Fever would have truly killed disco, then we would not still be watching the movie and listening to the popular songs on the soundtrack like "Stayin' Alive."  This film is a big reason why people still know disco songs in our modern world.  Disco is not dead.  It keeps showing up in the world today and will always be a pinnacle moment in the history of music.