Mapper on Disney Castle

Scopitones

I think that the invention of scopitones was definitely a good marketing plan for the time that it was released. I'm not sure if the invention would work as well in the world of today when everyone has their own personal scopitone in their pocket with youtube on the cell phones. Although, on the website, there are t-shirts being sold which could really fly with the hipster scene right now, seeing as the scopitone could be considered about as vintage as a rotary phone. Also found on the website are tons of videos that I assume used to be available on Scoptiones. What I don't understand about the machine is if each machine came with its own set of videos, or if the videos could be interchangeable from time to time, or if every time a new video was released it was automatically added to each Scopitone that was out on the streets. I think American Pickers would have a field day if a scopitone was found somewhere. Scopitones even have a Facebook, hows that for modern marketing.

Advertising vs. Propaganda

As an advertising major, I feel as if I must defend advertising and say that there is a difference between propaganda and advertising. Although many people may think that both are evil ways to persuade people to buy things that are falsely presented, I believe that advertising is a less harsh version of propaganda. I feel as if a lot of propaganda is in fact, a lie, and very in your face about how it is presented. For example, war propaganda, is extremely persuasive because it is aggressive and points Uncle Sam directly at your face. Some advertisements may do that, but they are convincing you to buy a certain type of cereal, that is probably good for you, rather than attempting to convince you to join the army and possibly get killed. Both advertising and propaganda could lie to you, but the difference is the way you feel if you do not buy what the poster is selling. If you don't buy that certain cereal, your life is probably not affected in the long run, whereas if you pass up that opportunity to buy war bonds, you may feel guilty for a really long time if your country ends up losing the war.

Performance Art

For my performance art piece I took the rotary phone, that still works, into a large mall around my hometown. I decided on this rotary phone because of the lack of technological skill in my life. You could say that, like the rotary phone, I'm kind of outdated when it comes to technology. Of course I always use my phone and my laptop, but compared to kids that can, for example, create apps, code a website, or create 3D video games, I reside way back in the caveman era of technology. I not only talked on the phone in different areas of the mall, but I also approached technology stores, like the Mac store, and most people had never even seen a rotary phone before. I enjoyed getting a laugh out of people while making this project.

Favorite Flashmob

Eva and Adele

Different from those artists that involve their work in plastic surgery, couple, Eva and Adele take an approach that is less under the knife. Rather than getting cut open and transformed to look like each other, Eva and Adele use make-up, clothing, and accessories to appear as twins. After looking over some pictures, I feel as if this approach works somewhat better than the plastic surgery approach because they still remain a human physique rather than a barbie doll. After reading about Eva and Adele, I find the most interesting aspect about them to be that they have never and will never reveal their real names or age. I think that this is a very special characteristic about the couple because once you know the name or age of someone, your perception of that person may be skewed forever. They may call themselves Eva and Adele, but say their real names were Bob and Joe. Would you think about them differently? I know I would look at them and probably see a Bob and a Joe, average middle-aged guys dressing up as women, rather than their special alter-egos that they desire to embody.

Xerox Project

For my Xerox project, I did an installation in my bathroom. I tried to reenact what would happen if I came home blacked out, threw up, and passed out on the floor. 

Iconoclast

Iconoclast is a term coined to refer to the purposeful destruction of religious icons and figures. Iconoclasm does not always have to refer to the destruction of just religious icons though, it can also refer to the destruction of other important symbols and figures. Iconoclasm surprisingly has been going on for centuries. Past cultures were deconstructing the religious figures and gods from the olden days to say a political or religious statement. I feel as if iconoclasm as become a lot more harsh in the modern era. With shock art, artists are not afraid to express their deepest inner feelings regarding their dissatisfaction towards politics or religion. Modern iconoclasts also have the technology and ways to really trashify religious figures. For example, when Orlan did her piece "Madonna of the Garage, she turned the religious figure into a part of a mechanic shop, although good art, it was a trashy statement towards religion.

Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist who is famous for locking himself in a cage with a coyote. Beuys did performance art because he believed that art could play a large role in society, especially his art. Along with social art, Beuys also was a political advocate, creating several different groups with platforms. Beuys' most famous performance is called, "I Like America and America Likes Me". For a grand total of eight hours over three days, Beuys put himself into a cage with a live coyote. During the time span of staying with the coyote, Beuys would stand away from the coyote as the coyote would either rip things apart with its' mouth or stare cautiously at Beuys, preying on him. At other times, Beuys would actually interact with the coyote, sitting extremely close to the coyote or tempting the coyote with a stick or a rag. Beuys put himself at a large risk for his performance artwork. By the end of the three days, Beuys was actually able to give the coyote a hug before he left. This means that the coyote became comfortable with Beuys. I think Beuys' message in this piece of performance art is to express how the everyday world can interact with the wild and grow to become tolerant of one another.

I Wish to Say

Iwishtosay.org is a website, created by Sheryl Oring, that has a lot of different social movements. The I Wish to Say movement was created in order to allow citizens to send the White House particular things that they well, wish to say. The movement was created when Oring decided that citizens of America did not have as much say in decisions as we believe we do. The majority of Oring's movements have to do with politics and allowing random citizens to be able to speak their minds to the President and other government officials. Creative fix, Birthday Party, and I Wish to Say are all dedicated to allowing freedom of speech to citizens. I enjoy all of Oring's social movements that she has created. They are direct to the government, yet still very peaceful, allowing the thoughts of all citizens to peacefully make their way into the hands of the White House. I like social art movements because they allow interactions between the artist and absolutely anybody that feels they need to have a say in the matter. Another social art movement that I really enjoy is PostSecret. In PostSecret, Frank Warren allows anybody that wants to share an anonymous secret to write it on a postcard and send it to his headquarters. He then makes exhibits out of the postcards for the public to see, but all secrets are completely anonymous. It makes everyone feel as if they are not the only ones with a problem, there are other people that can be by their side.