7/2 Reflections on Sound

I immediately noticed that sound has become a thing to tune out, especially in the city.  We cram headphones into our ears, hurry past jackhammers, and fall asleep to the sound of sirens and car alarms.  We hear people talk, but we often don’t listen to their conversations.  Background noise is just that- in the background.  Sound, however, becomes a living, fluid thing, and a generous medium.  There is so much sound, but it is difficult to know what to do with it. 

I really enjoyed working in Audacity, because it helped me find the music in the sound.  Repetition, looping, mixing, and remixing all have a concrete value in the creative process.  The work here is reactive- you listen, and then you change something.  The sound is transformed.  This is an interesting approach in the classroom and in art making in general, because it provides a different way of making art, one that is reflective and intuitive, and one that is easily changed.  It can be musical, which appeals to modern culture and youth interest, or it can be conceptual, because it is an often unused, but potent, artistic form of communication.  The arts tend to be highly immersive when using sound, and the installation-like quality of sound and its uses is not to be ignored.  Sound, when used to transform a space, can speak in a stronger voice, and with a deeper clarity.        

7/1 Audio

This is my collaborative sound project with Nebular, and Yina.

6/3 Impact 25

Stephanie and I contacted over 25 women, asking them what advice they would give their 21 year old selves.  We focused on that positivity and retrospection amongst both friends and strangers.  Their textual responses have been recorded on our Tumblr site, here:

Twenty Five 21s

There is a submission box for more advice-collecting.  A different piece of advice is presented when you refresh the page.  The answers are sometimes surprising, but always thoughtful.

The tactile element of large form printed texts allows the advice to be "blown up" and made more tangible.  I liked that it made me take the advice more seriously when I saw it in my hands, and not on a screen.  I really hope we will receive responses online and continue the process!

6/2 Video Takeaways

Video is great for art classrooms because it offers multiple roles and approaches to making. In a varied classroom of different types of learners, video becomes a powerful message-making tool for anyone. Those comfortable in front of the camera can work for attention in a positive way. Those comfortable behind the scenes can record, or edit. All modes require creativity applied in unique ways. Different applications of filming present their own challenges, such as cinematography and audio-synching. Utilizing video in the classroom allows for problem-solving, and collaborative work- very important skills to acquire.

Video is also excellent at relating to youth speak- namely Youtube and Internet culture. Many teenagers and children are making their own video blogs and Youtube channels to communicate with their peers. Snapchat is gaining speed as video “stories” are projected to larger and larger audiences. Instagram and Vine both collect user videos as their base content, often with hilarious results. Video is one more tool to establishing comfortable creativity in the art classroom.

6/1 Video

Before
After

5/3 Take-Aways

     In New Literacies, by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel, I resonated with the concept of writing as a remixed medium.  Writing can be so intimidating to a variety of students, including those with language disabilities or speaking English as a second language.  If we expand our concept of writing to include sound and video, imagery and other repurposed objects, we can connect with a wider student base. 

     I was also particularly interested in two points made in Peppler's text.  Firstly, there are many online communities that make sharing art easy.  With huge user bases on sites like DeviantArt and even Facebook, there is an undeniable young artist culture on the Internet.  Educators stand to learn so much from this culture, which taps into uniquely personal (and often anonymous) creativities that students may not have felt comfortable sharing in the classroom.

     Secondly, Peppler speaks about comics and manga as a potentially meaningful exploration in the classroom.  It is reasonable to say that most children garner an interest in either subject as they get older; a fellow classmate in our cohort mentioned that most of her 4th grade students knew only one way to make a face, in the style of an anime character.  The obsessions that can emerge are not necessarily conducive to exploration; however, it seems mindful to acknowledge this popular art form.  There may be opportunities to discuss cultural styles and historical nuances in the Japanese art.

5/2 Scanography in the Classroom

     Scanography allows for accessible, immediate, and high-quality image making. The static nature of the medium also allows for critical planning of your project. To this end, working with a specific theme or story is much easier. Students can go back and rework a certain idea until it says what it needs to say. There is also a very sensory element to the work. Tactile objects read differently in a scanner, and movement is very important (whether it is your full body or the objects in front of you). This appeals to multiple types of learners in the classroom. Lastly, storytelling can be connected to literacy, and providing one more element to engaging students in conversation.

5/1 EBooks

4/3 Digital Photography- Connections to Children

1.    Digital photography is immediate.  Children can quickly see results without being discouraged by technical challenges.  Many digital cameras do the mechanical decision-making for you, and post processing with filters helps give basic autonomy after the image is taken.  This is similar to limiting the materials a child has access to in order to focus their exploration effectively; in a way, digital photography reduces options by taking away technicalities and allowing children to focus just on the picture.  Children can also take the learning process into their own hands and explore more at home, outside of the classroom.         

2.    Digital photography is empowering.  It is easy to understand, and this boosts the confidence of young artists.  Ease also motivates exploration and risk taking (with the help and guidance of a great teacher).  Digital photography can take many forms; it can be abstract, or documentary, or introspective.  This appeals to different types of learners with different interests.  Children can learn about activist photography and photojournalism, and use their work to make sense of current events. 

 

3.    Digital photography speaks a universally modern language.  We are bombarded with photographs on social media, and society has a heavy emphasis on image as communication (for example, the popular use of Snapchat and instant image messaging).  In this way, taking pictures may be the most comfortable art form for many students, serving as a gateway into creative work.  Photography is also a language all its own, understood by students of all backgrounds.  The implications of being able to connect around the world through digital photography are exciting.    

4/2 Impact 25 Status: Twenty Five 21s

I am working with Stephanie on our Impact 25 project.  We agreed that we wanted to take control of the narrative around what we tell women, with a focus on positivity and making an optimistic and constructive impact, specifically in our friends’ lives and beyond.

We are planning on asking 25 women what advice they would like to give their 21-year-old selves.  At 21, I was very hard on myself and I had a lot of questions about growing up.  The hope is that we can eventually engage people of all ages, whether they are looking for the advice or reflecting on the advice they should share. 

We are considering an online space where this advice can be shared.  It may take the form of a blog site, or a simple HTML site.  We would like to have a physical aspect as well- a tactile representation of the advice received.  We are open to evolution in sharing our responses based on what we hear and what we learn.