My avatar

This was a super fun project.  I had a lot of trouble with buying the products and finding out it is actually just a big board or something.  I am a bit upset that I was introduced to SecondLife, because I want to keep playing and perfecting my avatar.  Thank you. :)

Second life process

Sculpture project

  I hsave been working on this for the fast few days, and I have no clue as to how to make the flowers of wire without it looking hideous.  But the glass vase full of water came out pretty decent.

Reading #6

1) He mentions that interactive art is not physical art.  But how is it not, interactive means to play with the art or be part of the art in a way. Isn't that physical?
2)Manovich states that new media is not too different from old media.  Well of course it isn't, it made from one idea, it just got more advanced and easier.  He compares video recording from now to then, and explains that it was possible, just took a lot longer and only few with the skills could do it.  So what exactly is Manovich arguing?

Final Essay

I am a dual major in Mathematics and Art.  I love doing math problems and anything in general that has to do with math.  I also love art, the feeling of art in general is amazing to me.  I love to paint, make sculptures, and make clothing, those are my favorite forms of art and of course movies.  Which is why I have decided to write this paper on these two particular artists.  Pipilotti Rist and Bogdan Soban each represent what I love most about art and seem to imagine it the way I do and hope to demonstrate in my voyage of becoming an artist.

    Elisabeth Charlotte Rist aka Pipilotti Rist was born in 1962 in Rheintal, Switzerland. Pipilotti mainly focused on video work making odd yet interesting videos and playing with projectors. She loved to make videos because she could incorporate everything she loved about art, such as painting, music, acting and language among many other things. Pipilotti believed in avoiding clichés and regular ideas and make odd artwork that stroke curiosity as soon as one of her pieces are seen.

    Pipilottis’ work is very impressing to me, she did not seem to care what others thought and truly did what she wanted to without a care in the world, yet she included beauty. Personally, when I look at art, I want to see some sort of beauty. It does not have to be obvious beauty that just stands out, any kind of beauty works. Her artwork is colorful and intriguing. Another piece of hers that I would love to see for myself is “Layers Mama Layers.” This piece of art consists of 4 projectors (2 moving, 2 fixed) on curtains, 2 moving mirrors, 4 players and a sound system. At first glance it looks like a beautiful space ocean of some sort; colors of bright blue, green and purple. You are able to walk through the maze of curtains and feel the art piece; possibly not exactly physically but in a mental way that feels physical.  

    The curtains are made with a soft, cooling fabric that gives you the chills once your arm or hands graze the curtain; however, as soon as you get the chills you begin to feel comfortable and at peace therefore causing your temperature to rise again.  The lighting is absolutely perfect, not too distracting or obnoxious, but set up so that you feel like you are in the sea at peace.  To me it reminds me of the Little Mermaid due to the colors and ambience.  I have not seen it in person but I would love to experience the emotions that come with the beautiful sight.

    I love this art piece in particular due to the fact that it is interactive and the colors.  The colors one uses means a lot in art pieces in so many different ways.  Obviously if you want to give your audience the sense of fear or anger, you’d use a bold, chilling red or piercing black that gives one the chills. The colors she uses give one a sense of comfort yet awe. They are not so bright that it may be hard to look at, and they are not so dull that they will lose your attention after five minutes. You want to wander in the maze of curtain and lights for hours and just take in everything she is trying to convey.  Which is a tactic I truly try to stick to in my own paintings and sculptures. Her art works are also beautiful in a subtle way, which draws even more people to look closely at her art work.

Bogdan Sobans’ artwork also shows beauty, uniqueness, and intelligence. He makes beautiful art work solely with his computer and algorithms.  His main medium of art is Digital Media.  He never plans out what he is going to do next, there are no storyboards or even meaning behind his artworks.  Although I feel all art should have actual meaning (and if not then absolute beauty), he still does make the art with another form of art; mathematical algorithms.  Math alone is quite complicated for many people, and even for those who do seem to understand it.  Although one is very good at math, does not mean it is easy for them, it just means that they love the challenge and the complexity of it all.  

Bogdan Soban was born in Vrtojba in Slovenia on December 10, 1949.  After graduating from grammar school, he earned a degree in engineering.  He always worked as a computer programmer and it never left his mind.  He began to play with the idea that he could program the computer to make amazing, unique artworks that could never be recreated due to the program and could be lost forever if not saved or printed.  Bogdan never really named any of his artworks due to the fact that they weren’t exactly made out of his own inspirations but made from algorithms.  There are a few pieces that are titled, but are titled after what picture he manipulated. For example, he manipulated a picture of the statue of liberty and a picture of the coliseum.  

My favorite piece from Bogdan is entitled, abstraction C/08.  It contains beautiful colors of violet, plum, electric blue, sunrise orange, and bright yellow.  All swirled together joining in a center focal point of bright yellow.  The picture looks like you are looking up at the surface from under the sea.  Sorry to reference Little Mermaid once more, but it truly looks like a drawing from the movie.  The colors are blended in layers and give an allusion of rippled water. I understand as to why he called the piece an abstract due to its lack of form and layout; however, it is so beautiful and entertaining to look at that I feel it truly could be a painting made with purpose and form.  

I would truly love to make artwork out of mathematical equations, that is truly a dream of mine.  The fact that he is so advanced in math and computing is so inspiring to me, also that he took his love and created a new love for art. The designs will never be repeated and cannot be repeated, therefore making them truly unique. I am sure there are many other artists that have created programs to make artwork like Bogdan; however, the equations would not be the same unless shared identically, and even so, it could not be recreated due to the way the computer programming works.

    Pipilotti focuses more on representation, pop culture, and emotions.  She physically plays with her artwork and creates them by herself trying to portray how she feels and how she wants the audience to feel. She incorporates her heart and soul into her artwork in a very obvious way; however, the beauty and meaning are a little less obvious and need several different views to truly grasp what she is trying to say.

    Bogdan focuses more on the algorithms that create the artwork.  He may not physically touch his artwork and create the masterpiece; however he does put his heart and soul into the thought process of building the program and the algorithms.  Unlike Pipilotti, Bogdan incorporates his logic and intellectual mind into his art work.  It may seem as if it were created on photoshop or another program like that; however, it is a much more intricate process than that.

These two artist portray their uniqueness and talents in two very different ways, yet they both make their artwork with their unique passions.  Pipilottis’ passion for the lack of cliches and capturing her odd ideas and Bogdans’ passion for computers, mathematical equations, and art  is quite unique as well.  They both create beautiful artworks, with vibrant colors, and the ability to give you sense of emotion and reference pop culture.  Learning more about these artists has influenced me to think a certain way and gave me ideas on how I can combine my two loves. Although I am studying to make a career as an Actuary, I will never give up my love of art, nor will I give up my love of math.  Bogdan has showed me that you can combine both, and Pipilotti has shown me to not be embarrassed to make any odd art.  Such as my desire to make sculptures and paintings from human teeth.

I tried to contact both Bogdan and Pipilotti to thank them for the inspiration they have given me and to learn a little more about both of them.  Sadly, neither of them has written me back.  I asked Pipilotti and Bogdan when they first began to truly realize their talents and exploit them.   I know I would be able to find when their first exhibit happened;however, that is not what I am looking for.  I have loved art ever since I can remember; however, I did not know that it was my absolute desire to become an artist.  I also asked if they ever truly desired to become famous artists?  Although it would be nice to become famous, if I do not, I would still paint and love art no less.  

Works Cited

Augustine, Luhring. “Pipilotti Rist”. Luhring Augustine. n.p. 2010. Web. 23 April 2012.

Yelen, Dave.  "Portfolio of Bogdan Soban". Gallery Portfolio.  n.p. n.d. Web.  1 April 2012.