Being Epic with the Roomies

For my final performance art video I went with my friends to AirHeads, an indoor trampoline park in Tampa.  We wanted to do some extreme stunts off the roof of our house into the pool, but we thought it would be smarter not to put that on the Internet.  Because I was already researching AirHeads for my capstone Management 431 class, it seemed like a practical yet safe way to kill two birds with one stone.  My roommates Owen, Sean, and I took a ride out to the facility and did some cool jumps and played some intense dodgeball and used Owen's GoPro to film the footage.  We got kicked out in about less than an hour because apparently flipping is against the rules, but beforehand we managed to get some cool shots of our tricks and jumps.

Here's the link to my video on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9y2tCELQTA

Anarchy with a potato gun

At first I was quite unclear about what exactly performance art is and how it's portrayed.  After watching a couple videos in class I was struck by once such performance, where a woman named Marina Abramović allowed an audience to come up and use various different objects she laid out on a table any way they wanted to on her.  One such object was a gun, which she knew was loaded.  She claimed she was ready to die if it came down to it, but thankfully nobody pulled the trigger.

While not as brave or daring as miss Abramović, this did give me an idea.  Would one of my friends pull the trigger on me if I asked?  Of course I don't own a loaded handgun, but instead a homemade potato launcher my roommate constructed using only a couple PVC pipes, a grill lighter, and cement glue.  When put together and infused with generic hairspray, the lighter ignites the flammable spray and shoots an object out of the pipe, with the capability of reaching a hundred yards. 

With this at our disposal, I thought why not shoot things at me and see how far we could go?My one roommate refused to shoot me, but my second one was more than willing.  We started out simple with just balled up toilet paper, nothing too sturdy but still enough to pack a punch, and believe me it did.  Then we moved on to grapes wrapped in napkins to keep them together.  This sprayed them everywhere  and hit me both on the head (protected with a lacrosse helmet) and on my thigh.  These were pretty hard but still weren't too dangerous (i think).  Finally, we attempted to launch a portion of a bagel.  Thankfully, my roommate was not too accurate and the bagel wizzed past my leg at no less than 30 miles an hour, but even the brush on my leg was enough to let me know this was as far as i wanted to go before we shot something really hard and actually made contact with my bones.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flgUJNapDlQ

Grid Art Project

For my grid art poster I created the Philadelphia Flyers Logo.  In order to make this I used Tootsie Rolls as the main color for the black section, marshmallows as the white border, and an orange peel as the center of the P.  First I drew the grid on the poster in order to align and center the design.  Then I laid out the materials to get a sense of how it would look before gluing everything down.

I chose the Flyers logo because I am a huge hockey fan and supporter of all Philadelphia sports teams.  I enjoyed this project as I'm not really an artistic person but this was pretty fun to make something out of different objects.

Glow in the Dark Detergent

From the makers of Tide comes a brand new detergent great for kids of all ages- Glow in the Dark Detergent! Not only will it clean those dirty grass and food stains from children's clothes, but now it will make them light up when they're playing outside late at night!  It looks just like regular laundry detergent, but when it's used it will actually attach an invisible chemical that won't stain clothes in the daylight.  However, when used in the dark, it will light up those clothes like a Christmas tree!  Now parents won't have to search for their kids late at night when they're running around the yard.  They'll be able to spot their kids a mile away without straining their eyes or yelling into the abyss. 

Also, now parents can save on the electric bill by getting rid of those night lights, as their kids pajamas will light up the bedroom enough for any kid to feel safe from those pesky monsters in the closet! This make for an exciting addition to any kid's wardrobe and make them the envy of all their friends.  This detergent is available for a limited time only and will be sold at the same price as your favorite Tide at participating super markets. 

Vaudeville Today

Vaudeville was quite controversial for its time, which made it so popular because it was like nothing that had ever been performed before and people liked the originality and freshness.  The combination of comedy, burlesque, song and dance, and specialty acts was quite original and a great spectacle to see.  I particularly liked how it wasn't a regular show, and the acts really had no storyline or relevance to anything else in the show, which made it all new and fun for the audience.  

Today, many shows and movies and comedians are attempting to be original and bring new entertainment to the table, all following the path started by vaudeville.  It created raunchy humor that today everyone is attempting to recreate, from shows like Family Guy and the hit musical The Book of Mormon, which may be the raunchiest comedy ever to make Broadway.  It's because of the trailblazers from vaudeville that raunchy outrageous humor today is possible.

Phantom of the Opera Video Game

When I heard we had to select an opera for our project, I immediately thought of Phantom.  Although it's more of a musical than traditional opera, I couldn't turn down an opportunity to use this as my topic.  I have sort of a personal connection to this show, as my girlfriend of two years is currently the leading lady Christine in the actual Broadway production.  Before she landed this role, she was Christine on the National Broadway tour the previous year.  So, not only have I been dating "Christine" for over a year, but I have seen both the new production and the classic production over a dozen times.

I have listened to the musical multiple times and although I know almost all the lyrics and dialogue I still am amazed at how timeless and beautiful it all is.  I think it will be a fun adventure trying to turn this into a video game.

Greek Drama VS Wrestling

It's always fascinating to compare something as historically brilliant and eternal as Greek theatre to something as simple and laughable as "professional" wrestling.  However, the similarities are quite prevalent if you actually pay attention and look for them.

As an avid Monday Night RAW viewer, I find wrestling extremely entertaining in all aspects of the show, despite the ridiculousness.  It's like a soap opera with people hitting each other with chairs, and it's hysterical as well as throughly entertaining.  The wild storylines for each character, the feuds, the comedic relief, constantly playing on the emotions of the crowd are all things that come from Greek dramas.

People in ancient Greece would flock to the theatre and Coliseum in order to witness something spectacular and bigger than their imaginations.  Much like wrestling, people knew it was fake yet they couldn't look away or get emotionally invested.  The thrill of the show they were witnessing was too good to not pretend it was real.  They're both about putting on a good show for the audience, and seldom do either disappoint in that feat.

Spectacular Spectacles

In class we have been discussing spectacles, their different forms, how people perceive different things as spectacles, and so forth.  It's interesting to think about how many things can be considered a spectacle that you may not have noticed before.  Something as simple as a rainbow or lighting storm can be thought of as nature's spectacles.  A beautiful new car design can be very spectacular to some vehicle enthusiast.  On the other hand, disasters like hurricanes and floods can create unimaginable and horrible spectacles.  The phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" really makes sense here, as we all look at the same thing yet we each can see something considerably different.

Brave New Digital World

10 years ago the iPhone was just a concept.  Think about that.  We all had different phones, if we had them at all.  Flip phones, Sidekicks, Blackberry, and whatever else we could afford or our parents bought for us. 

Today, we all have the infinite knowledge of the Internet and all the information we want right at our fingertips.  Technology is moving so fast that we can't even imagine what's going to be available to us, and how digital our world will be sooner than we think.  FaceTime today, and holograms tomorrow.  Those movies like Avatar or even Star Wars are closer to becoming reality than we think, and soon we will be able to do things digitally that we can't even do in reality.

This could become dangerous, as today we are already glued and obsessed with our smartphones and devices that we sometimes lose track of reality.  Only time will tell how good or bad the new digital age will become.

Makerbots

The Makerbot company is a brilliant new firm that is attempting to bring science fiction to real life.  They are trying to make 3-D printers affordable and available for people of all means and lifestyles.  People have their own ideas and want to bring them to life, and with the help of Makerbot that can become a reality. 

Their printers come in many styles with varying prices and sizes.  The possibilities are endless and soon people will be printing their own products at a touch of a button.  Aside from the fun stuff, the medical field is a major opportunity waiting to be tapped, creating affordable prosthetics and even organs eventually.

Similarities Between Music Videos and Operas

Today most music videos are made by pop stars with shallow lyrics and messages aimed at a younger demographic.  However, once in a while a video comes along that attempts to break through and convey a deeper meaning and has actual real life application.  Sometimes they show real artistic expression and try to make a difference through their music.

This is extremely similar to musicals and operas, which try to tell a story that people can relate to and understand on a personal level.  They are beautiful pieces of art that inspire and move people.  Seeing Katy Perry's video right after the opera show that despite their differences they both use dramatic scenery and intricate costumes to get their message across, and how important the setting is to the storyline. 

First Thoughts About Art and Technology

When I was selecting my classes for my final semester at UT I realized I have yet to fulfill my art requirement in order to graduate and finish my baccalaureate degree.  As a business major, I am not exactly the artistic type and anything to do with drawing has never gone well for me.  However, it is a requirement to graduate and therefore I was going to do my best to select a class I thought I could do well in.

Most people told me to take Form and Idea, however Art and Technology seemed to catch my eye and seemed much more interesting and compatible to my personality.  I like the idea of new age art and its application to the modern world utilizing new technology.

I believe I'll find more interesting and relevant topics in this class than I expected.  I'm looking forward to expanding my horizons and learning something new each class.