Scopitones

The early examples of music videos embodied the true motivation of the music industry.  The sneak peek into a performance made consumers want to own the music displayed in the videos.  This gave listeners something to remember while listening to the record.  This also gave the listener the illusion that they were seeing a live performance.  This money maker enhanced the experience of music for everyone.

Advertising vs Propoganda

   

     We all know what advertising is.  We see television ads, bilboards, and pop-ups daily.
     But how do we define propaganda? What do we think of when we hear that word?  The first thing that pops up in my mind is political campaigning.  The propaganda that we have just been relieved from in this last election has given us all a headache.  The negative and generally incorrect ads displayed about the presidential candidates did not encourage positivity, it encouraged negativity.  Thusfar, advertisements show what is positive about a product, person, or event.  Propaganda, whether negative or positive, pushes an opinion on a community or a group of people.  We were just unfortunate enough to be recently bombarded by their negative side. 

Sex on the Beach - Flash Mob

This is my favorite flash mob because of the scenery.  The crowded beach was not expecting a multitude of dancing spurring from one colorful character.  The first character is another reason why this flash mob is so amazing.  This is the only one that I have seen where one of the dancers is obviously out of place from the beginning of their appearance.  Not to mention the dynamite performance.

Performance Art

My performance art piece captures how I feel technology has influenced me. I had my friend Jacy bind herself with wire in public. The idea was that she knew exactly what she was doing and how the connectivity of technology physically bogs us down. Regardless of what gadget we have, we always need another. Whether we are weighed down by a laptop, cell phones, ipods, or a gps, we always crave for something more. But what happens when we pile on too much? How can we harness technology without tying ourselves up? Even though technology has gotten smaller physically, I feel mentally caught up with some form of technology all the time. Thats why I chose to go to the beach. Despite the idea that many go there to relax, most are still connected to the virtual web somehow. If our mind is tied up, how can we explore whats really in front of us?

Eva and Adele

These artists are incredibly influential to not only the art world, but also the expansion of conciousness in general. Eva, who is biologically male, who legally was able to be married to Adele, made it known that they were to be married as two women together. The idea that these two people are inseperable is not only incredibly romantic, but also a form of art in itself. Their appearance at a gallery is automatically a performance in itself. The research that I have found on this couple brings the reality that love and romance  can be artistic. The unbridled expression is admirable.

Brion Gysin

This is well known for using the "cut up" technique. This was an interesting movement because it questioned and gave words in a paragraph new purpose. While this was coming around, the pop art movement had begun. The hybridization of these two methods take pop art and create meaning with typography.
Gysin is also known for his creation of the dream machine. This device allowed someone to experience art with their eyes closed. His innovative way if thinking is what inspired many contemporary artists today.

Xerox battle

Iconoclasm

While researching this subject, I immediately related iconoclasm with the art created by Orlan. Iconoclasm is  the purposeful destruction and reconstruction of religious icons.  Even though Orlan was not intending to offend any particular religion, her self hybridization portraits emphasize beauty in different cultures.  This would be considered iconoclastic because it makes the viewers wonder and criticize those cultures.

McCarthyism

The crucible, a historic witch hunt brought about by chaos and horrible accusations. The Salem witch trials conducted in America's dark corner of history emphasizes the hysteria that Americans are so susceptible to. McCarthyism is the term which defines the suspicion in the air from the early 1950's. Neighbors turned against each other, isolation of anyone who voiced alternate political opinions. 

We all know that as Americans, we should be able to comfortably voice our beliefs. The insane hysteria displayed at the salem witch trials, and in the era of McCarthyism, is even apparent today. With the evolution of the terror scares in the USA, I have personally seen anyone with muslim heritage not only be shunned by the population, but also discriminated against by the government. It is no coincidence that we generally see a certain type of person searched extra carefully in the TSA line at the airports. I have heard it personally from people that I trusted.  The suspicion exemplified in the McCarthyism era is still happening, we have just shifted our focus to make an entire culture our scapegoat. 

Bauhaus

Bauhaus was an incredible influence on the art world during the first world war.  While he not only nudged art toward the future, he also greatly defined modernist architecture. His efforts resulted in multiple schools for the arts in Germany and an irreversible change to the dynamics of art.  His style embraced modernism and pushed it into something that had been slow moving for a long time.  The way that he constructed buildings was similar to the cubist movement that was happening in traditional art. 

His biggest struggle was with the Nazi rule. However, with their defeat in WWI, censorship was abolished and art could really leap forward.  Bauhaus has influenced architecture everywhere and has made incredible art functional.