Final Project

For my final I chose to continue the theme of “water use” from my Google Earth project. I focused on the beauty and joy of water. My project is not a manifesto of lifestyle change but an opportunity to think about water in a non-passive way. In order to alter the way water is hastily overused in the developed world we must first establish a respect and understanding of water in it’s natural form. My images are meant to provoke thought about water in a new way, and evoke passion and love for the element.  I included an intervention, my google map link, a motion sequence generated image panorama and several panoramas manipulated in Photoshop. My site celebrates water, approaching the subject with the positivism not negativeness. I believe by celebrating and learning to love water, a bigger impact is made than by demands or angry negative approaches. By appreciating what water does for us we will adjust our lifestyle according to what will save water and therefore life. The panorama images are manipulated to be beautiful and colorful, celebrating the beauty of h2o. I used images of valuables (jewelery) in a water glass to portray what our future may be like. Instead of caring about jewels and material things we will value water much more. I included inspiring quotes throughout. My site is made to allow and encourage the appreciation of the beauty of H2O and expose that water may be a more valuable resource than any other, which we must not take for granted.

This video displays the results of a study on the reactionary forms of water crystals to human words and music.

Here are some water crystals:

For information about canada’s water:

http://www.canadians.org/water/

Critical Review- Leila Sujir and Maria Lantin

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Art’s role in physical comfort­ and health                                                           Renske Wilson

DIVA 200

Carol Gigliotti

Dec. 2. 2009

Visual art can be a means of self-expression as well as fulfill a variety of religious, political, cultural, and (more recently) marketing, purposes. The visual arts employ a variety of means for the improvement of human and animal lives. The purpose of Leila Sujir and Maria Lantin work is the betterment of the human respiratory functionality. Often, art responds to the political, economic and social conditions of a given culture. During the1930’s depression in the United States, President Roosevelt launched the New Deal in an effort to generate economic reform, jobs, and a positive sense of National survival and strength. The visual arts were used to promote aspects of Roosevelt’s New Deal. The president established numerous government agencies to combat poverty and improve the lives of struggling Americans. One of these agencies was the Farm Security Administration (FSA) established in 1935, which commissioned photographers to record the social conditions of the American farmers affected by the economic depression and dust storms. Dorothea Lange and other photographers employed by the FSA did not use visual art only as a tool of self-expression, but as one that manifested social change. By evoking sympathetic emotion by the viewer for her subjects, Lange fought for those who struggled to survive the depression. Leila Sujir and Maria Lantin apply the idea of using art for human betterment in the form of visual stimulation for the viewer. They use interactive cinema for both self-expression and in an attempt to combat breathing difficulties of themselves and the viewer.

Dorothea Lange and others like her used photography to target an audience they hoped would assist in the improvement of the lives of those suffering during the 1930’s depression. Leila and Maria However, aim their efforts directly at the audience themselves. They prove that through visual stimulation, the human body may react in a positive physical way. The interactive cinema art they create serves as an antidote to troubled breathing, forcing the viewer to focus on inhaling and exhaling.  Sujir and Lantin use interactive cinema to investigate the physical and medical power of visual imagery.

Both having experienced respiratory difficulties in their lives, Leila and Maria are interested in using animated lungs with various videos juxtaposed on them to promote respiratory health. By presenting the videos of peaceful and relaxing scenes combined with the ebb and flow of the lungs breathing, the artists hope not only to relax, but to improve the respiratory health, of the viewer as well as themselves. Although their primary interest is in improving human breathing through art, they are interested also in the entire physical presence of the audience, which is why they chose to make the piece interactive. They have researched Buddhist practices involving antidotes and created their work in efforts to produce antidotal results.

The process of creating the work involved exploring the history of physical antidotes of different cultures and experimenting with health metaphors. They worked in a cave in Banff to begin assembling the video juxtapositions. The videos they chose to use were ones with ocean movement and sea birds. They used nature imagery because they felt that it had a soothing effect. They may have felt that ocean movement was an appropriate addition to the piece for the aspect of it’s natural ebb and flow that echoes human breathing.

I was drawn to the idea of improving physical well being through art, because I believe strongly in mental health being the foundation for physical health. Maria Lantin and Leila Sujir are altering the breathing of the audience without physically touching or vocally advising them. They are doing this purely through antidotal visual imagery and the soothing of the mind. By providing visual depictions of the physical action of breathing, they are providing a comfort and soothing of the mind and spirit, therefore allowing for the physically healing and soothing response of even and focused breathing.

“Lost Generation”

This video is inspiring and hope-filled for our generation. We are living in the most diverse world: culturally, artistically, and emotionally that has ever existed. We are living in a world full of life that is perhaps the most fragile and weak it has ever been and which relies on our actions and decisions more than ever to nuetralize it’s threats. I love the way the artist uses his/her words to make an impact on the viewer that really sticks and inspires. Take a look and enjoy!

Codelab videos

Alex and I chose to use the ladder that leads to the ocean as our edge zone. That is the first clip. The clip of the feet and cards is an interpretation of rarely seen public spaces. It was shot outside of the market by the ocean, yet it records the rarely observed ground, therefore becoming documentation of a rarely seen public space. The surveilance of the market sign was taken from above for the surveilance effect. This is our public space. The pidgeon shot is another example of public space rarely seen, playing with the idea that the space is never seen from that perspective and becomes a completely transformed space.

 

Active Urban Intervention

I placed my image on the North building garage right next to the entrance to the building and the elevator on Tuesday morning.  I watched for an hour while students and others walked by observing and staring at it to occupy their time while waiting for the elevator.  I chose this spot because when waiting for the elevator, people will willingly or unwillingly notice and observe it.  Also the image is in plain view to those entering the building from the garage or anywhere that direction, as well as for the students who caught the busses for the U-Bash in front of school. I believe that a representational image can be more powerful than many words. In this way, my image makes a very meaningful statement. There is no text distracting from what the image is speaking of itself. My image remains in that location for now. I took the risk of security or others removing it because I felt it was important for it to be displayed on the day of the U bash. Two of the buses windows were missing (I didn’t do the weeding, they did it at the lab.) but it is not a noticable difference. I am happy with the result. I hope that it inspires, and helps make bus fare affordable for those of us who struggle to purchase a pass every month.

This is a closer image of my intervention design:   

I attended the U-bash today and was excited to part of the huge crowd fighting for change.  There was a band, a few speakers, and hundreds of students waving signs and shouting. Hopefully this effort will result in the $25 U-pass including Emily Carr and other students who deserve to pay the same fare as UBC. I will post pictures of the Bash soon:

Other google earth projects and mapping sites

These are two projects I found interesting.  One is a where’s in the world is waldo project done as a grad project by an Emily Carr student! Very cool.

This Site offers weather information in a visual google earth application.  Although it’s not an artistic site, it displays the high quality applications possible with google earth.

I found this image/map at a website for mind mapping:

http://www.visual-mapping.com/

My google map

Vancouver\’s Drinking Water I chose to do a narrative of our drinking water for Vancouver.  The story follows the process of collecting and distributing our drinking water.  I believe knowing where our water comes from is important information no matter where you live, and I always try to be aware. I enjoyed working on this project.  I had other ideas but chose this one because of the narrative strength.  My other ideas would have included more photos, but the story would not have been of any importance.  This is a story that everyone in Vancouver is a part of and one that everyone should put some thought into.

Urban Intervention design

This is a copy of the design itself.  I am not yet fully satisfied with the exhaust forming the cash simbols, or the overall composition.  I may move the student figure behind the bus, where he/she is left in the exhaust as the bus drives away, clinging to the bike as their sole source of transportation.

Mockup

This is one idea of where I could post my urban intervention.  I like the look of it aesthetically in this location but am unsure of the audience that would see it here.  My targeted audience are people involved with Emily Carr University, but also others should be aware of the fact that we as students pay more than students from other schools for bus passes.  I may look into other places that are closer to campus.

Panorama Final