13/3 Trash Sounds

We throw away everything these days, and the way we treat recyclable materials is also a big problem.  I wanted to take something that we view as "trash" and make it treasurable.  I also wanted people to think about how easily we take things from packages without questioning it.  Our throwaway culture is strong, fueled by commercials and branding.

My project was laser cutting, sound, and found objects.  It occurred to me then that the commercial jingle is so comfortable to listen to: what happens when I deconstruct it?

I recorded several famous jingles, such as Rice Krispies, Chock Full O Nuts, DoubleMint Gum, Campbell's Soup, etc in Audacity.

The sound waves varied widely depending on the volume and sound.  I figured a variety would be a nice way to start.  I took screenshots of interesting parts that also coincided with important parts of each jingle (pictured above).

I then laser cut these images as engravings into cardboard.  I worked with Andrew in the Thingspace to figure out a good power with which to engrave.  My images also needed to be prepped for engraving, which I did in Gimp, a free! resource that mimics Photoshop.

This was a matter of changing the mode of the image to indexed and black and white.  This took out all the grey space in the background.  I decided to keep the thin lines since they seemed to anchor each sound wave in place visually.

Once each piece was engraved (power 60, speed 100%), I began arranging and ripping back layers of cardboard to bring a real material feel to the piece, and assembling the pieces together like a quilt.  

As I worked, I began thinking more about turning the images of the sound waves back into actual sound.  I was sure I had seen someone try this before, and to my surprise, Audacity has the ability!

Importing images as raw data allows you to play around with different settings and transform your images into new sound.  The sounds become quite jarring, and totally reconstruct the recognizable jingle.  

I wanted in class to bring my classmates into the project with me, so I played the music that I got inspiration from, as well as the sound of an image taken in class.  It was really fun to work with a project that meant a lot to me but also brought in elements (namely sound and laser cutting) that I would not normally use in my own practice.  There are lots of explorations to come!

Here is the final product:

Here is a sound clip of some of the jingles:

  

13/1 Taking a SELFIE

Technology in the art classroom is not only exciting and inviting, it is essential.  We need technology to expand our students' horizons and better prepare them for our technology-dependent world.  Learning photoshop or digital photography has a real concrete basis in many of the creative jobs available today.  Moreover, creative problem-solving and tinkering have become necessary for children in order to navigate any challenges they may face- in a supportive and engaging environment.  I felt a little bit like a child in a classroom when we tackled intimidating circuitry or robotics.  However, because we took it from an artistic view and with the hope of empowering each other in our own personal strengths, I felt encouraged to try out new things.  This brings in the power of collaboration, as well.  When we all made music on the makey makey, it was almost magical.  I feel a particular bond with my classmates because we all learned these things together and from each other.  There is great excitement here for students in the art classroom- we need to bridge boundaries now more than ever.

For my own personal work, I was especially taken this semester with doing things for myself, and pursuing ideas that interested me.  I made some works of which I am very fond.  When I spoke about my work or documented it, I stayed true to what I was feeling and what struck me as interesting.  

I will try to address my learning objectives and my selfie here:

1. Understand fluently the various tools and methods of researching new media. 

I wrote this without ever imagining I would confidently work with robotics without shying away.  I feel empowered enough to take my learning and push it further, through research and also feedback/collaboration.

2.  Eradicate any media biases I may have to subjects that seem either too difficult or not relevant to particular age groups.  

I think now that they sky is the limit with materials in the art classroom- I am in the process of writing a lesson plan for my 3rd graders using stop-motion animation that feels much easier and natural to the class and their inquisitive nature.

3. Explore literacy and storytelling and how it may relate to technology and media.  


I definitely try to tell a story in my works- especially my scanographies and photography.  I also think that it is very fun to take something lighthearted and enjoyable and run with it- like the paper cockroach.  I really enjoyed having a bit of humor in my explorations that I do not want to discount.

4. Explore mathematics in how it relates to new media.  

This I approached from a coding mentality- the logical order of code is very much mathematic by nature.  However, I would love to open more doors into integrated art lessons with math, coding, 3D modeling, and robotics/circuitry.  

5.  Think with a critical awareness of the different avenues new media provides.  

I am open to any ideas within new media, as it seems to be a mindset rather than a skill set to utilize.

S- This was the most challenging piece for me; I love talking about my process and sharing my ideas, but I struggle in showing them- it is a real art form in itself!  I think I am learning how to clearly show my work.  I love Instructables.  I even had a stranger favorite my project!

E- The blog has been a great way to show outcomes.  I like choosing what I want to say about each project as well.  It becomes a bit of a performance and adds meaning when I am sharing with my peers.  I enjoyed using this as an opportunity to explain challenges or next steps as well.   

L- Vocabulary has been unavoidable, since I am using what I am learning.  A great example is the word "tinker." It implies a culture of thinking outside of the box and I can't stop using it in my practice!  I also enjoy learning about the technical nuances in 3D printing (rafts are not just for boats!) and robotics.

F- This was the most fun for me.  Multiple possibilities allowed me to pursue my own interests while still working with the group.  My scratch video game started as a simple catch game, but through remixing and thinking of different possibilities, it became something I genuinely had a blast creating.

I- Perseverance is so important, and I used this through some of the more challenging projects- although, I enjoyed each one of them.  I think I learned more that perseverance is a mindset when making projects relevant to your own learning.  I had to constantly think about what was important to me. 

E- Carelessness goes hand in hand with relevance in making, and I needed to be careful in order to always think of my classrooms and how I will use my knowledge to teach.  In this way, connecting back to the classroom has safeguarded me from carelessness!

12/2 Reading Takeaways

1. Daniel Charny points out that making is powerful, and can help us see problems in new ways.  The art classroom can really use this perspective, in order to best prepare its students for the challenges of our world.  Creative critical thinking is a skill that can be used across curricula, and I see value in this when advocating for arts in the schools.

2. Michael Dieter and Geert Lovink state that making is never a solo job.  I love this, because it promotes collaboration and unity in the classroom.  Art classes can be seen as creative problem solving hubs, even when working with traditional media.  The skills learned when working together to tinker can easily be applied to any art form in the classroom.  Collaboration is an excellent thing to promote, and it helps students gain new perspectives and widen their possibilities.

3. Gary Stager's work shows how Piaget and other development psychologists support the process of making, because it allows for actual problem solving in interesting ways.  Applied learning can appeal to all types of learners and allow them to experience creative making in new and challenging ways.

12/1 Circuit Instructable

Here is my circuit Instructable.

I will update this post if I can figure out a good way to embed the link.

Edit: It seems that videos are not supported on Instructable, so I will post them here: