Update on Brian Knep

After hearing Brian Knep speak, I am all the more intrigued by his work.  It was very interesting to hear about how he makes the organic looking forms that are so prominent in the majority of his pieces.  I had no idea the extent at which he relies on math and science, as well as technology.  It amazes me that the bulk of these organic looking forms were based off of a series of code that make up small particles, which then form the blobs themselves.  I found all of that to be very fascinating and innovative.  I also enjoyed hearing about his past and what jobs and studies he had partaken in before he took on the path of becoming an artist.  This helped me to understand a majority of where his inspiration and skill level had originally formed.  It was also neat to get an inside look on what he was getting ready to pursue and make in the future.  I enjoyed hearing his explanation for his plans with the nematodes; something that I would have a hard time making into an art form, but then seemed to make perfect sense once he described his visions for them.  Overall, it was a very insightful visit.  It was an excellent look into what his works really meant to him and the complexities of how they were created.  I look forward to seeing what he does next.  

Response to the Yesmen

I found the Yesmen to be absolutely hilarious!  I agree with the ethics of what they’re doing, but not quite 100%.  The only qualm I have about their practical jokes, are when they may cause false hope for those who do not deserve it, like in the situation with Dow and Bhopal.  However, I find it an excellent and comical way to expose major corporations to their faults and stupidity.  I find it to be very believable that these institutions would fall for the Yesmen’s hijinks.  Why wouldn’t they?  These men have such convincing tactics to fool them with.  I do however; find it amusing that they take the Yesmen so seriously.  How could they not even begin to consider that it is all a joke, when they are presenting such ludicrous ideas and speeches with so much sincerity?  Nonetheless, I am now hooked, and am looking forward to revisiting their site and maybe even renting one of their movies! 

 

Thoughts on New Media Artist Brian Knep

After viewing Brian Knep’s website and doing some research on the artist, I found him to be very interesting and like nothing I have ever seen before.  I really liked how he combined technology, science, and interactive art into the majority of his work.  I also enjoyed his incorporation of organic elements within his pieces and found it ironic that he relied on a computer to produce these elements.  I also found his works that made the viewer apart of the piece to be really intriguing.  However, I feel like watching videos of this kind of art almost doesn’t do it justice because these pieces change depending on how the audience interacts with them and they respond to different environments, therefore every interaction with the piece, changes it.  In a lot of Knep’s works, he also incorporates wounds, healing, and scarring.  I am curious to know what turned his attention to such ideas and how/if these ideas will continue to inspire his work in the future.  

Artist Research

The artist that I researched is Theo Jansen.  He is a Dutch artist who has been creating kinetic sculptures for the past 16 years.  He has most recently been creating a series of land walking creatures that he refers to as “Strandbeests”.  These creatures are constructed out of plastic tubing and are assembled with wings and bottles that capture the air and power them effortlessly across the beach.  The creatures are able to remain balanced at all times and can even move backward and forward if they sense loose sand or water.  Originally a science major, Jansen became bored and started painting.  After painting for a number of years, he became interested in sculpture.  He now applies his scientific background in his work today.

 

"A self-styled god, Jansen is evolving an entirely new line of animals: immense multi-legged walking critters designed to roam the Dutch coastline, feeding on gusts of wind."

Wired News

 

 

TED:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/theo_jansen_creates_new_creatures.html

 

BMW commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcR7U2tuNoY

 

Interview with Theo Jansen:

http://rhizome.org/discuss/view/19106

 

Theo’s Website:

http://www.strandbeest.com/

 

 

 

My Thoughts on Second Life

Second Life is a place where virtually anything can happen, but in my opinion that is in no way as meaningful or as enlightening as it could be if it actually happened. In other words, I do not think that it is possible for a person to have a life changing experience that was not actually physically real. I think ideas of exploring infinite space within Second Life could be comparable to the desires to travel the real world. Although, you would be avoiding the expenses, I do not think that the two experiences are in anyway the same. I also do not think that one could get as much out of exploring a virtual world while remaining stagnant, as they could from physically exploring, moving, sensing, and feeling a real world.
I do, however, think that the creative aspects of this virtual world are definitely a plus. I can understand the aspiration to create and not being unable to do so because of a lack of materials or the inability to acquire the necessary skills. I also agree that the use of an image over text to illustrate a universal symbol can be more easily done through something like Second Life. Like Rosedale’s use of the chair for example, there is a greater likely hood of a universal understanding of what a chair is simply based off of its image rather than it’s spelling. With the use of the image, one would not have to translate the spelling into other languages. I also think that the ability to virtually create something in order to see how it looks, works, etc. is a great feature for the virtual world.
Second Life is a place where one can create an ideal being. However, this may not be a positive thing, because it is not the real world, that is not what you look like, and you cannot avoid who you really are by hiding behind a virtual creation of your own. In general, the whole ideal of a virtual life is not appealing to me. I would be interested in the ability to create using Second Life, but I cannot see myself having any other intentions for it. I feel that if something of this nature is used too much it could potentially detach a person from the real life. I also feel that it almost promotes laziness and antisocial qualities in a person. I can also see it affecting ones ambitions all together. I for one prefer the real life and would not consider living in Second Life.