consumer vision

consumer vision, originally uploaded by digtem.

are robots in or out this year?

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

consumer vision, originally uploaded by digtem.

image Toy Tokyo N.Y.C. by Joseph Stengel

Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the consumer year, and the parking lots are dangerous and the check out lines are long at Wal-Mart and Target. So why not try shoping at a unique unknown store like Toy Tokyo in N.Y.C. Don't live in NY then check out thier web site at http://www.kidrobot.com/

Dead birds all around. [Part 3]

Bird 12, originally uploaded by digtem.

Birds : Signs Book pg num. 12

I came upon this bird in the spring while walking to the town offices in Moscow Idaho. It was a warm day even though the clouds blocked the sun. As I walked by a large historic old house a dog barked and startled me. I looked over towards the house with the dog and there on the driveway was this bird, intact and beautiful. What was the cause of its death?

Dead birds all around. [Part 2]

Bird 11, originally uploaded by digtem.

Birds : Signs Book page num. 11
by Joseph Stengel

A couple of summers ago I stayed with a good friend who lives in a cabin in the Catskill Mountains near the reservoir for NYC. My plane came in late at night and the drive back from the airport took an hour or so. Once at the cabin we sat down, had a few beers and exchanged some stories. It was very late when we finally decided to get some sleep. I was asleep for about 45 minuets when all of a sudden the birds started chirping and cawing. The woods seemed to come alive when the sun crested the horizon and the birds signaled the event.

Dead birds all around.

Bird_04, originally uploaded by digtem.

Bird : Signs Book pg num. 7

As I have walked around many towns in America, I have often come across the bodies of dead birds. This has both fascinated and scared me. What killed the birds and why did I come across so many bodies? One day I decided to take photographs of the birds to document the event.

Miner birds used to be used in mines as indicators to the quality of the environment in the mine. If the bird died, miners knew they had to get out of the mine fast. I wonder if the dead birds I find are an indicator of some greater environmental issue?

Tue Nov 28th

by Joseph Stengel

Manipulation

Once we import media into the computer everything is converted into 1's & 0's. This means that in the mind of the computer everything is just on or off. Digitization empowers the computer to alter or manipulate almost anything that is imported into it. Manipulation is one of the computers most important abilities. Imagine writing a research paper and not having an undo function or the ability to cut and paste.

Where do we see the use of manipulation in American culture? What has computer manipulation changed in film, music or politics?

Claiming my Blog

Technorati Profile

Mon Nov 27th

Appropriation

A major aspect of digital art is appropriation. A computer, the main tool of the digital artist, is empty. It requires some form of media to be useful. A photograph can be scanned, a DVD and audio CD can be ripped. These media formats are used by large corporations to create (& sell) the visual and audio culture we interact with everyday. The computer allows artists (and everyone else) to take control of the media from mass culture and re-process it through our own unique filters. The mashed-up music album "the Grey album" and "Star Wars the Phantom Edit" are two popular examples that show the re-working of media through appropriation. Of course with the use of media comes power, the power to sway thought and implant ideas. The fear of relinquishing this power is what drives the increasing lockdown of media content by large corporations (along with the fear of loosing money).

Sat Nov 25th

by Joseph Stengel

Recycling

American culture is full of 'Re'. We Re-produce, Re-use, Re-create and Re-design. Our industries Re-package, Re-sell, Re-distributes and Re-releases. Our experiences are Re-membered, Re-called, Re-experienced and Re-captured. Nostalgia is experienced through Re-cycling the past. Both Photoshop and Hip Hop Re-mix media.

Fri Nov 24th

by Joseph Stengel

Looping

The loop is like the infinity symbol, a beautiful set of curves that twist and bend back into itself continuing forever. A moment in time captured like a phtotograph, yet containing many seconds instead of just a fragment of a second. Where do we see the loop in American culture? How does the idea of the loop affect painting or sculpture? What does it mean to create a loop if 'the medium is the message' ? (quote by Marshall McLuhan)

Thur Nov 23rd

image by Joseph Stengel

Layering

What happens when something is layered? How does point of view play a roll? Where do we see layering in other aspects of our culture? Why do both Photoshop and Hip Hop contain layering and what is its attachment to generation X?

Wed Nov 22nd

image by Joseph Stengel part of the Birds : Signs Book

Aspects found in Digital Media

Layering
Recycling
Looping
Manipulation
Appropriation

Re-Thinking Art

Art in the new century. [Part 1]

With each new generation of artists comes a reassessment of what art means and how it should function in society. How do we assess art in modern society? What influences are found within our culture and technology that affect our ideas toward art and art creating? I believe that Photoshop, Hip Hop and the Internet are cultural indicators towards what art must encompass to have an impact in (post)modern society. So, what can Photoshop, Hip Hop and the Internet tell us about art in relationship to our culture?

Tue Nov 21st

image by Joseph Stengel