When I asked one of my teacher, how can I have visual experience and how can I improve myself, his answer was; “choose some examples, and influence from them”.  It seams like influencing is best way to develope something. You can not do the exactly same thing when you are influencing from something, but it will be something like your reaction to that piece.

I listen to music, nearly 5-6 hours in a day. I listen many different genrees. I can say, I have quite good experience in this. When you start to listen too much, and different genrees, you will understand, many songs influenced by different songs. I guess the reason is, we have limited amount of resource in our hands (until someone comes with a new idea), so we are using same things in different variations, but at the same time, we are creating our way of artistic communication.

Before reading this book, we should think about an endless loop: “what is art? what makes something art?”

Those questions are very important to me now a days. According to the book it seems like “electric” has changed the art.

Technological developments and inventions changed the art “concept”. Especially in last 100 years, people started to think, imagine differently. Of course, many things have buildup during this period and which are really art( according to my ideas ), but there are many things which means nothing to me.

Now a days people, understand the importance of medium, and I guess that makes their life easier. People, who are lazy are using the concept or medium as to cover up their meaningles “art” pieces.

For me, something beautiful, something disgusting, something scary can be art, but it has to give me its message by just looking at it or listening to it ( I am not talking about literature, it is completely different story ), but those lazy or incapable people, that I mentioned before, that can not transfer their message, are using the word “concept” as to cover their “things”. So, during the contemporary art period, people start using medium of literal in their visual art pieces. Well, if they can give their message, literally stronger then visual, why those people use visuals as their art? Now a days, people doing “something” and call it art. However if anybody asks them “what makes this art?”, their only answer is “because I feel like this is art”.

Changing how you transfer medium of art might be good or bad; “it is the way they are used that determines their value*”.
*Understanding Media-Lewis H. Lapham

This weeks assignment was, to create a comic. We (Mike & me) thought about many things such as fetus world. Finally, on saturday we came up with the idea of changing Scott McCloud’s The Google Chrome Comic. Our comics is about the internet & porn.

Enjoy it….

“In all the arts there is a physical component which can no longer be considered or treated as it used to be, which cannot remain unaffected by our modern knowledge and power. For the last twenty years neither matter nor space nor time has been what it was from time immemorial. We must expect great innovations to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting artistic invention itself and perhaps even bringing about an amazing change in our very notion of art.” Paul Valéry, Pièces sur L’Art

Article starts with this quote. It makes a lot sense to me. What we are trying to do this days is, trying to create a new way to art. Most of us has some ideas about combining the arts with technology. Well, combining the arts with technology is not a new idea. For example, after invention of printers they used that technology in writing and mass production of new books. By saying technology, I want to mention that, technology with computers and sensors. Those new tech. makes computers(dumb machines) very close to humans(by giving them ability to sensing). So, we are getting ready to see new formations in arts. 

Also according to writer, people who witnesses in something will become an expert on that subject. Also, he mentioned that, now a days people become more involved in printed news issues like news paper. I tried to mention to paragraphs quickly. The reason behind is, everyday we are witnessing many things. At the same times, we have our blogs, accounts on web sites(such as news papers), video sharing accounts, and they are all global resources. Maybe many people haven’t realized that but we are building a new society, which is more global, aware, and open to sharing. I am really wondering about the future. I believe that globalization on the internet will effect nationalities, economies and politics in the near future. Also, I am wondering that, what is going to happen in the future, if we keep sharing everything in our life, on social sources like Facebook. 

Also, I am surprised that, while he was comparing cameraman and painter, he says, painters have some distance from reality but cameramen are penetrates directly in to realty. Well, it might seem like, painters draws the objects in a way they see them, but cameramen can show the realties in an angle they see them. I mean, they can hide realities or they can show good sides of the truth by their cameras, without event touching the bad sides. For example; a cameraman can show that their country in a good shape during a war by showing their guns, tanks and some soldiers who are holding a gun in their hands happy about the situation, but other one can show like they are loosing a war by showing death bodies etc.

One of the this weeks assignment was, documenting one of our projects. However, I have one assignment this week. So, documented it. It was an assignment of visualizing the 5 senses class. Assignment was about, deciding what to do as next project with electro microscope, and start to code your ideas. So, this project has not finished yet.

Click To Play

During installation process, my basic problem was finding right FTP program to upload my files. I have tried CuteFTP and FUGU. I think, I will go on with FUGU. It seems easier and it is free. However, I could not delete my folders by using FUGU.

After installation, I found a theme which is called black and red theme.

I started to edit its CSS folder. First problem that I have faced was, I forgot to change port number to 777 which lets to make changes on a file. Afterwards, I have changed the header, menu bar, bullets and some colors on site. Now, you see the page that I have edited.

NYC Waterfalls

NYC Waterfalls are made by Olafur Eliasson. The ide behind the project was, we see the river in one dimention, what happens if we change it? I watched some videos of it. They said technologicaly it is to hard to design it, because they need to design a pool which keeps the water in it clean, and huge plumbers for the waterfall.

According to my ideas, I can’t see those waterfalls as an art piece. Maybe that is because I have an engineering background, but it seems like they don’t have any function to me. When I first heard about them, I thought they were something which has interaction with anything around them or they might have lights which make them beautiful, but I was wrong. To me, they look like some steal constructions, and they drop some water over constructions with the help of plumbers. I guess this is more likely something for the city kids who never saw a naturel waterfall.

There are lots of naturel waterfalls around world and I believe that they much beatiful. They are more beautiful because they are natural. I am a big fan of technological developments and I think there has to be technolgical and artistic projects which are affected by nature, but this one is exactly the same. So I want to talk about my day, and my experinces.

When I come to the Brooklyn Bridge there were lots of interesting things except waterfalls. There was an interesting market place. I think they were selling realy delicious things. I walked in to the park and it was crowded. I walked a little and see yeloow canoes in the river. They sem so interesting to me. I wonders how do they pass the river, because at the same time there are some boat around, which makes traveling in the river dangerous to them. Then I saw a waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge. I checked if there is anything interesting for me, because I am a mediterranean and I have a different waterfall image in my mind. By the way, I really don’t understand why people call it a art piece? I took some photos and walk back to the subway. Then I realize another waterfall on the otherside. Well, the one which is under the Brooklyn Bridge seems more interesting then this one, because it was under the bridge and maybe I can fit it in to a concept.

I have still questions in my mind like, why did they do this, why this is an art piece etc. If I see it in the evening with some lights, it might seem interesting to me. However, now it seems like plumbing some water.

Literacy and Orality

First of all I want to say that, Walter Ong’s Orality and Literacy book is a bit boring. I heard many complaints about the book from my friends. I think, it is really easy to fall a sleep while reading it. I spend someday on it but I cannot finish the 4 chapters. Also it is so hard for me to understand everything in the book.

Writer starts with describing the differences between oral literature and written literature. According to writer oral literature created before written literature. Written literature is visualization of the oral literature. He says ” Writing makes ‘ words appear similar to things because we think of words as the visible marks signaling words to decoders: we can see and touch such inscribed ‘ words’ in texts and books. This idea is really explains it perfectly. Also, my peronal idea is, language is something personal, because when we say something or write something we visualize it in our brains and try to explain it to others. This may create different figures in everyones mind.

Also Ong talked about ancient cultures, which has effects on development of writing. He talked about Greek alphabet and Homeric poems. He says Homeric poems are mix of early and late Aeolic and Ionic written literature and it developed in several years, which shows development of language. Also he says that, if something is written it won’t be lost.

According to Ong, oral culture is not just words and sounds, also it includes thoughts. Also giving references or finding a reliable base to ideas is easier in written literacy. This is important because we can see its effects on mostly development of laws. Before the written law judges can penalize people according to what they have in their hands. So, it can make differences in different parts of the country. However after written literacy, they had examples in judge’s hands, which have limitation effect on them.

As I said it is very hard for me to read this book and understand the concepts, because I cannot get into the subject. Also he makes lots of citation, which are really iritates me. I will update my page when ever I understand more or read more chapters…