abouttimeandlife

[abouttimeandlife]

Hacked was sponsored by MR. ROBOT, USA Network's Golden Globe® Award winning series, DEF CON, the world's premier hacker conference, founded by Dark Tangent, AKA information security expert Jeff Moss.

At Hacked, visitors were called on to test their skills in the immersive fSociety Recruitment experience, a series of skills based obstacles designed to test and inspire participants to discover beyond tools and tactics such as: Lock Picking Hardware Hacking Privacy Biohacking Soldering 

Top Picks for HACKED

Environmental or Social change (most focused on bringing awareness to a specific cause) – Biohacking – freaked me out. The fact that some hackers can take a water bottle you used, pull the saliva and run a facial recognition make up of you is nuts!!

Storytelling (most rich in story and artist craft) – The Whole Hacked Event – was truly revolutionary in it’s approach and showing consumers how they can be a little rebellious while still staying within the laws we are governed by. You feel like you are a part of an inner circle.

Socially engaging (best use of sharing through social media) – Privacy – This made me think twice about what I put on the internet and how it is being used. We all have heard of the dangers but this shots them out. 

Fun (hopefully there is more than one but this one is the one that stands above the rest.) -  Defcon Soldering kits– When I was a kid me and my dad use to have projects and one of them was soldering. This exercise brought back those memories and I became so into it I made two bugs (Jack and Weevil Eye) that light up when circuitry is done correctly.

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STORYSCAPES   includes projects that grapple with issues of racism, violence and harm inflicted on our planet, combining the excitement of these new immersive mediums tempered with the urgency of a world on fire. It is in turns thrilling, upsetting, shocking, and wonderful, much like the world we live in.

Top Picks for Storyscape

Environmental or Social change (most focused on bringing awareness to a specific cause) - The Ark – This story was about 6 minutes long but within those six minutes the creators leave the viewers with a dilemma; do we wait and hope nature will keep the three remaining White Rhinos alive or safe from poaching or do we allow science to intervene by using embryos to produce more? Extinction is closer than we can think. 

Storytelling (most rich in story and artist craft) - The Turning Forest – When you first walk in to hut to put on your VR gear, you know this is going to be a full immersive adventure. This story is whimsical, imaginative, light hearted, and it is told in a epic narrative which makes you feel like you are on the journey with this little boy. (Think Harry Potter)   

Socially engaging (best use of sharing through social media) – Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness – Out of all of the experiences I wanted to see at Storyscape, this one was top on my list. Being in VR, you witness John Hull’s new found world and it is both breath taking and frightening. This piece is a promotional piece to a movie which is coming out this summer. I will be telling people on social and highly encourage everyone to see it. 

Fun (hopefully there is more than one but this one is the one that stands above the rest.) – SENS – The moment I went in to the Black and White VR world, I thought Noir. Simple gestures move you, the character, along the ever changing landscape. At times I felt I was falling, flying, skimming through a narrow passage, etc. This game test the boundaries of the VR world so much so that I kept bumping in to people.

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Inside the Interactive Festival By Jon Wilson

Through out this immersive playground, artist redefine the method of story telling while introducing technology that is leading the way towards turning a passive consumer in to an active one.

The HUB Tribeca Interactive Playground was the location where artist and students who developed interactive experiences, showcased their works. Some of the topics that were discussed were the following: 

Sensory cognition Social injustice Virtual Reality immersion Digital forms of painting/drawing Interactive and social game play   

Top Picks for Hub

Environmental or Social change (most focused on bringing awareness to a specific cause) – Injustice – This piece gives an interesting perspective on racial profiling where the witness (you) can verbally chose the course of the narrative. The environment, actors, and transitional verbal animated cues add up to a thought provoking story. 

Storytelling (most rich in story and artist craft) Pearl – Hands down this piece moved me to tears. There were very few words said between the animated characters that were full of heart. The story drives (pun intend) itself and you are left with a sense of nostalgia and a yearning for home. Beyond all of this this, the animation is stunning and award worthy.

Socially engaging (best use of sharing through social media) Famous Deaths – Most of the experiences at the hub had lines but this one had the most people waiting. It is unique because it uses smells to engage the mind during the experience. Personally I found it very Macabre but it is defiantly a conversation starter. 

Fun (hopefully there is more than one but this one is the one that stands above the rest.) Playthings – If Katy Perry had a game, this would be it. Techno-colors, beach theme, food and candy floating around and music all cumulate in to a very fun and interactive experience. Hands down…Amazing!  

[abouttimeandlife]

I really love the architecture you have started with and I look forward to seeing more. Might I suggest seeing if there is a way to get 3D extrapolations of the modeling of these or blueprints. When I think about architecture I think about the base of where things start to the finished product and it would be helpful and insightful to see some of those modelings. Another thing would be getting the insights of the design. i.e. a written or video interview would be fantastic. 

The first architecture I’m going to introduce is Jeffrey Inaba’s firm INABA. It by the Red Bull Music Academy will be vacant four-story building teaching learning environment in New York ’s Chelsea neighborhood. INABA have created a unique areas of cooperation instead of the traditional classroom walls and the use of dramatic lighting. Curved wall in 38,000 square feet of space to different shapes. Regional activities include performances, private workshops, music production and broadcasting, other space is used as shops, galleries, cafes. Central area suitable for large gatherings or performances. 

The second one is a house in southern Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Thong House. The owner is a nuclear family, including parents and two children. They want every family member can naturally resonate. NISHIZAWAARCHITECTS Architects, by Japanese architect shunrinishizawa, he was leading architectural firm in Vietnam, at the completion of this multi- townhouse project. 

Located in the center of the staircase and along the corridor covered space around the house owner can let the natural meditation. 

Roof garden provides a family to enjoy the nightlife in this new urban outdoor space. From the beginning until the end, stairs - because the house ’s spine let us participate stop adventure, the entire residential unusual place. 

Final one is the local Japanese teaching materials wholesale company building, the first floor was asked to inventory the warehouse, second and third floors were asked 16 people maximum utilization of floor space and operations to implement and conference rooms. HMAA construction team will use the construction area to the extreme, to understand the comfort of business space and privacy issues, the afternoon sun, garden set forth by the perforated metal screen.

[abouttimeandlife]

Did you pull the compilation together? It is very powerful and speaks volumes of a nation in divide. Now more than ever we need this message to rise to the surface so that we do not forget the importance of equally especially in justice and law. We must all (especially law enforces) must be held accountable for our actions. There are too many people dying and not enough people listening to messages like these. Looking forward to seeing how this evolves. 

#BlackLives Matter

My final project ~ work in progress

For my final project, I am going to focus on social identity and power. Social life in the United States continues to be categorized by significant racial stratification In the media, rap artists have become associated with a particular brand (way of life): foul language, drugs, sex, the objectification of women, and violence. Black people are marginalized due to negative stereotypical depictions and images that are perpetuated throughout the media.

Through the compilation of songs rappers created as a tribute to the killing of unarmed black men, I plan to create a video featuring clips from riots in Ferguson and movie clips portraying police brutality and racial profiling, in hopes of challenging the negative perception and stigma surrounding black rappers that is then bequeathed upon the black community.

[abouttimeandlife]

I tend to be a very visual person and I love that you captured (in so many ways) the beauty of ballet. You also have been able to not only give us a history lesson about the art form but also show us the trajectory of where it is going. Another thing you made me thing about is how one art informs another. Fashion in itself developed a certain couture from the angles these dances used with their bodies. 

Final Project - (First Draft)            The Media and Ballet

Ballet begins way back in the 1400s with court dancing and Louis XIII, but I’m going to skip ahead to the 1930s to when ballet truly became involved with American culture. Ballet dancers have evolved into celebrities and trendsetters because of the media. 

(George Balanchine and Suzanne Farrell)

George Balanchine is one of the most innovative choreographers and one of the founders of American ballet. He was born in 1904 and studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1933 Lincoln Kirstein invited Balanchine to America. They started the School of American Ballet in Hartford, Connecticut, and then moved to New York City the next year (1).

(Balanchine and the dancers of Jewels, which is being performed by NYCB right now)

The School of American Ballet is the foundation of New York City Ballet. Balanchine wanted to start with a school to create the dancers he was to set pieces on and see performing. He has created some of the most recognized works in the ballet world. 

Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the most well-known ballet dancers of our time. He was born in Latvia and began studying ballet at the age of 16 at the Vagonova Choreographic Institute in Russia. While on tour with the Bolshoi Ballet in Toronto in 1974, he defected to Canada and left communist Russia (2). No one would have ever thought of leaving the Soviet Union at that time. It was pretty much unheard of. He joined one of the best American ballet companies, American Ballet Theatre. While at ABT a critic wrote that he was the “Beethoven of the body” (3), which is completely accurate.

Shortly after, in 1977 he starred in The Turning Point, which he was nominated for an Academy Award. This was just the beginning of Baryshnikov’s acting career and time in the limelight. He won two Emmys in 1979 and 1980 for dance specials on television. Then he starred in another quite famous movie; White Nights in 1985 with Gregory Hines (2).

(Baryshnikov and Hines in White Nights)

This dancer who defected from a country he grew up in, had paved the way for ballet during this time. Making him this sort of cultural celebrity. Baryshnikov broke barriers within the ballet community and worldwide. In 2004 he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City through his foundation (2). It is a place where any artist can have the opportunity to express him or herself. They have a theater, another performance space, multiple studios, and offices. He continued to dance through his 50s and 60s despite knee problems. In 2011 and 2012 he starred in the play, then the following year was featured in an experimental theater production. Baryshnikov’s love for modern dance continues. Most recently, in 2015 he was featured dancing in a Rag & Bone commercial, along with street artist Lil Buck. Nothing will ever stop Baryshnikov from expressing himself. He will continue to break barriers and inspire future generations for as long as he lives.

1. http://www.coreofculture.org/ballet.html

2. http://www.biography.com/people/mikhail-baryshnikov-9201142#early-life-and-career

3. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/10133374/Mikhail-Baryshnikov-Everything-in-Russia-is-a-damn-soap-opera.html

(From her recent shoot with Harper’s Bazaar)

Misty Copeland has become one the most well known dancers of this generation. She has broken barriers beyond belief. This dancer started out dancing in a small studio in San Pedro, California at the age of thirteen. Copeland went through a terrible custody battle between her mother and ballet teacher, which was eventually dropped. She won first place the Music Center Spotlight Awards in Los Angeles two years later. 

Copeland joined ABT Studio Company in 2000 and became apart of the company the year after (4). As she continued dancing with the company she was promoted to Soloist and performed many roles.  In 2012 innovative choreographer Alexei Ratmansky created the main role in Firebird on her. This was her breakthrough role and a huge moment for African American ballerinas. She was the first black woman to perform the famous principal role of “Odette/Odile” in American Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake in 2014 (4). Copeland reprised the role the next Met Season and performed the role of “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet during the 2015 season. In June 2015 Copeland became ABT’s first African American female principal dancer ever in the company’s life span of 75 years (4).

(Copeland’s “I Will What I Want” campaign for Under Armor from 2014)

Today, Copeland continues to inspire others with her multiple endorsements by designer, athletic wear, and credit card companies. She has won countless awards for being the celebrity she is and has appeared on a number of talk shows. She, along with Baryshnikov, will continue to inspire dancers and other artists with their power to push through boundaries and barriers that they were not initially suppose to break according to society. Because of their level of fame they will motivate others in this difficult art form no matter who they are.

4. http://mistycopeland.com/about/

(Natalie Portman and Artistic Director of the Paris Opera Ballet Benjamin Milliped attend the Fall 2013 NYCB Gala)

More and more celebrities have become involved with this art form. Ballet companies need all of the funding they can get, so they hold galas each year to raise the money they need. Celebrities have the fame and power to keep these ballet companies alive and thriving. 

New York City Ballet holds two galas each year, one in the fall and the other in spring. It has become one of the biggest events filled with celebrities and socialites. American Ballet Theatre hold galas as well with the same reputation.

Dancers nowadays have also become more involved in the media. They participate in fashion campaigns and short films, as well as TV shows. Above is an image from Cole Haan’s recent shoe campaign with dancers from New York City Ballet. Instead of just being in a company and performing seven days a week, these artists are making names for themselves and inspiring who ever will pay attention to this performance art. They are becoming celebrities to promote themselves and this dance form because they have to.

[abouttimeandlife]

This is a slight disconnect between the photo’s and the poem. I wonder if you can incorporate a pop-up coding to your photos and link them to your words so that way whenever you scroll across something say “flowers” the image appears. I know the technology exist because they use it now a days to annoy the hell out of us all with ads. Just something to consider. By the way, your words and photos are breath taking. 

DEAD DREAMS

this town is where dreams go to die where my bones will turn to ashes and the only fire that won’t burn everything it touches is the fire in my soul

I’ve lost time to people who never cared and spent too much money on hollow insecurities

sometimes I think I am living in a world that no one else is living in where flowers grow from concrete and those flowers don’t need to be pink to be beautiful

all of this driving is driving me out of my mind caught up on a million melodies that will never be sung but I’d rather be black and blue than alone with the silence of what could have been

I yearn to be remembered but I’ve locked my feelings in my chest and cast my lungs in gold freeze time in a box that can never be melted ‘cause that’s the only way my love for you will last forever

[abouttimeandlife]

I really like the message but think that you should look at the approach of delivery since you mentioned engagement. This might mean pulling in other messages, finding other sources or generating new media to post more often which would in turn meaning casting a wider net. 

The Lush Campaign

I created a campaign on Instagram supporting the cause on fighting against animal testing. The purpose was to share facts and information about Lush and animal testing to teach people who do not know much about it, and attracting their attention about this ongoing issue. I made the hashtag #thelushcampaign and included it in each post, hoping to get people to do the same and join the movement. 

The first day the account was created with the first post.

The third day.

Current day.

I noticed that the amount of followers have slowly stopped increasing after a few days, and that it is not as easy as I thought to attract people to follow the account. Although there are a number of the same people who like every single post, it does not mean that they end up following the account. But, I do see how it has grasped the attention of people because of the likes and tags. 

[abouttimeandlife]

I love the concept for WeforWe. Afterall we are all humans just trying to find our way in the world and we need to be reminded that though we are unique, it is our humanity that binds us all. 

Final Project Proposal

For the final project, I would like to explore more into the idea of the #HeforShe campaign, but as well use the new campaign going around called #WeforWe and focus more on this new idea about equality with all. The first time I started seeing the new campaign #WeforWe, I began speculating about it and actually not agreeing to it, but after a while, when I began to understand more their aim, it was much more understandable than the #HeforShe. In this case, I would like to create a small mini documentary for it, interviewing people about their opinion on this new approach. Comparing the different answers will be interesting to compare. 

Keep reading

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Found this gem today in Harlem. 

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Art I found around New York City!! 

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It is lovely to be walking along and come upon a piece of art that is out in the great, big open world. And what better place than to witness works of street art then the Big Apple. About two years ago (when I was leaving the MOMA in Queens, I heard this bass-tastic music coming from what seemed to be the heavens. A party at 2:00 PM in the middle of Queens…sweet, I thought. As I let the music guide me, I came to a place that only dreams are made of; 5 PointZ.

If any of you have had the honor (like myself) to have had a chance to see this place you will know why it is just so special. I am sad to say that the original place was torn down do to greedy real-estate agents but the community still survives in different parts of New York. Like a drifter, 5 PointZ is trying to find it’s next home where the artist can take root, and do what they do best…inspire other artist. In tribute to 5 Pointz, I posted below some links about this amazing place and it’s history.

It is extremely important that projects like the Street Art Project exist because these artist work are captured in a way that is both respectful of the artist as well as gives them historical value since the work might not maintain it’s location due to many reasons.

I have also included some photos (two from the web and four from my trip) so you can see how glorious a place it was.

5 Points Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Pointz (Links to an external site.)

5 Pointz (RIP)- http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2014/0826/5-Pointz-down-NYC-demolishes-storied-graffiti-shrine-video (Links to an external site.)

5 Points lives again - http://ny.curbed.com/2015/9/29/9916136/in-a-brooklyn-lumber-yard-graffiti-mecca-5pointz-lives-on (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)

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I love exploring different cities and one of the first things I notice is the architecture which I find so fascinating. I have went to Paris, Barcelona, Peru, Greece (to name a few) and I marvel in the way these artist have built homes, businesses, churches, and landmarks while incorporating who they are in their pieces. I wish I had that type of talent.

For my final project, I will do  the well-researched multimedia blog posts on a artistic t architecture topic, including hotlinks, video embeds, GIFs, and images. I would like to introduce a few architecture that interested me a lot, I will research them in details. Such as, location, artist, material, inspiration, furniture, etc.

[abouttimeandlife]

I love that you are exploring this industry. A dear friend of mine has been trying to break in to mainstream DJ’ing for some time now and has talked about the competitive nature for well know male DJ’s and also trying to show she distinctive qualities in mixing music while trying to reinvent herself. You project could also make for a very interesting documentary.

Final

For my final project I will create well-research blog posts about female identifying DJs and women participating in dance music culture. Dance music is always thought of as this boy’s club, which is because those are the people majorly represented. The lack of representation of women in dance music is where we fall flat. Men do make more money in this field and they are booked over women. If there’s more representation for the history of women in dance music this wouldn’t be a problem. Now there are groups like Discwoman and Siren who represent women and stand up for the microaggressions that occur in clubs on a regular basis. I want to dedicate posts to specific women from history and then also talk about what it means to be a woman in dance music.

[abouttimeandlife]

This sounds right around the lines of something I have been working on which incorporates a story of someone in a multimedia my (Photos, poem, music, vidoe, etc.) to paint the experience they had in order to recreate the moment. Really excited to see where you go with this.

Final Project Proposal

For my final project, I would like to create a photo story as well as a poem of sorts that accompanies the photos. I am very interested in exploring my own self and feelings in the context of the environment in which I grew up in ( a very small town on the eastern end of Long Island called Mattituck.) I would like to choose a young person who will be the subject of my photos, and link their experience growing up in our town to my experience in the form of a poem + photo series. Living in such a small town where I was surrounded by many narrow minded people, I often found myself feeling very isolated in many ways. I think that living in such an environment caused me to retract inward in order to escape my surroundings, and thus made me an even more reflective and thoughtful person. My hopes is to capture my experience (as well as that of the subject I choose) living in Mattituck in the most honest form.

[abouttimeandlife]

What a wonderful idea! My kids (Link and Lily which are cats) are my world and I never understand how anyone could test on animals. Every living thing on this planet should have it’s rights protected. Thank you for champion this charge and I look forward to seeing your results.

Final Project Proposal

For the final project, I would like to design a campaign on Twitter or Instagram for The Lush Campaign fighting against animal testing. I have always been a supporter of campaigns helping stop animal testing because I believe that there are other ways to test products, without harming the lives of animals. And, I am interested in looking in to that, as well as learning more about animal rights and how it effects different kinds of businesses.

[abouttimeandlife]

This seems like a lovely idea. I am a big proponent of protection of art especially within education where it should be fostered most of all. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this. One step at a time :)

Final Project Proposal

For my Final Project I will create well-researched blog posts about multiple celebrities supporting the art of ballet. Ballet has been around for centuries, but is a very unappreciated art form. In recent years celebrities have been donating and attending galas to support this performing art. I will research the budgets of some of the most well known ballet companies and all the work it takes to create a full-length ballet. My posts will include behind the scenes videos of ballet companies and their daily schedules, GIFs, photos, etc. I believe it is important to keep this performing art alive and show people how much hard work is put into this effortless sport.