Montagnard Documentary Project

      For the documentary project, I worked with my roommate, Katelin Perry. We wanted to know more about Montagnard food and cooking. Nathaniel Hendricks and I went to a cooking event and gathered information. Khin and Kwol taught us how to prepare traditional spring rolls and they talked to us a little bit about their culture and what it was like living in Vietnam.
      Originally, I was planning on doing my project on dance and storytelling, but then I attended the cooking event. Just hearing these women talk about themselves was so fascinating. I decided to change my project to food because Khin and Kwol seemed to open up once they started cooking. I learned a lot from observing them.
      I think the product represents what we wanted to accomplish with this project. It shares a little bit of Montagnard culture with others and we learned something while making the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79QEwOABS0Q

Is Digital Media Bad For Us?

     This is a question that I don't think will ever be answered. Digital media has had such a positive impact in so many ways and made so many new technologies available. It has allowed so many advancements and it has helped us come a long way. There are many things that we wouldn't be able to do without it. Butin some ways, it hurts us. Despite the fact that through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube we can be in contact with other human beings 24/7, from nearly anywhere, we don't communicate the way we used to. People rarely talk on the phone because texting is so much more convenient. We spend so much of our time on the computer rather than talking face to face. So maybe digital media is bad for us, but it is balanced out by the benefits. As long as we don't let it get out of control, digital media can be a good thing.

Video Remix

     For my video remix project, I decided to focus on something that I feel pretty strongly about. I hate the way that Italian Americans are depicted in the media thanks to shows like Jersey Shore. I decided to explore how they were depicted in the past, starting with silent film star Rudolph Valentino and the quintessential Dean Martin.
     The process went about how I planned it. I had no problem finding the clips that I was looking for to make my point.
     I am happy with how the product turned out. I wanted to juxtapose the past with the present and I think this video accomplishes that.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGDCww5ECw0

Art in the Digital Age: Part 2

    I didn't realize how many artists have begun to take advantage of digital technology until I looked at these resources. 

     Issa's idea is a really good one and she has inspired other artists to follow in her footsteps. She says herself, "The response from people is so positive that it confirms that it's the right way to go, and I'll sink or swim by it".

     Atomic Tom is also utilizing the internet to gain a following. Rather than only the people on the subway at the time getting to see his art, millions can watch it online. I probably would never have known about him had the video not been on Youtube, but I'm glad I was able see it. 

    I didn't really understand how the cosmetics video fit in with the rest of the material, but I was still shocked by the information about how many chemicals we put into our bodies. 

     The wikipedia article on remixes was really interesting. I had no idea that remixes originated in Jamaica., and I also didn't know that they have been around since the sixties. I'm used to modern remixes, such as the one here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAA15lkGg48

     One part of the article on copyrights stood out to me in particular; "The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission". It's no wonder that people are so confused as to what material is copyrighted and what is open to the public. 

      I had never heard of creative commons before ,but I think it’s a very innovative idea. It emphasizes creativity and sharing rather than worrying about copyright infringement.

     Bound by Law is also a good idea. By putting copyright laws in plain English, it makes the specifics easier to understand and helps fix the problem mentioned above.

     The article on American lawbreaking was also very informative. I think laws need to be more clearly defined to avoid confusion and unnecessary arguments.

     The Donald Duck video was creative and well put together. The idea is inventive and original, despite the fact that it is a remix of other material. 

     I dont' think it's fair that Pogo is being sued for his videos, especially if what he claims about the videos being made for Disney is true. If he was hired by them to make the videos, copyrights shouldn't be an issue. 

     

Art in the Digital Age

      It’s hard to say which ideas are original anymore. Now that we have access to so many readily available digital resources, almost anyone can make and share art. With so many ideas floating around, some are bound to be repeated or reused. One idea might inspire another, or one person may want to expand on another person's original concept. It seems pretty simple. But when the issue of copyrights enters the picture, things get a little more complicated. It raises the question, what is the difference between material that's "borrowed" and material that's "stolen"? 

     First, it is important to consider why copyrights have become such an issue. With digital media becoming a bigger and bigger global phenomena, the way we think of art and the possession of art has been affected. If someone were to walk into a music store and take a CD without paying for it, it's stealing. The owner of the store has one less CD than they had before and no profit. But if you download an mp3 from the internet, it's not as if the mp3 disappears. The artist has an infinite number of digital files, therefore it's harder to determine where the line is. In his article, Manovich says, "the computer media revolution affects all stages of communication, including acquisition, manipulation, storage, and distribution". In other words, digital media has changed the way we view ownership. 

     Another trend that has been shaped by the influence of digital media is, as Lethem calls it, collage. According to Dixon, "the computer is commonly employed as an agent for the remediation of old and established artistic forms...rather than as a means for originating authentically new performance processes and phenomena". I don't fully agree with this statement, but it lends to the idea of collage art. Some artists have begun using other peoples' material to supplement their own. One of the most well known is Girl Talk, who creates dance mixes using samples from popular songs. His entire livelihood-the music he creates- is grounds for a lawsuit. Some people view what he does as art, but others call it plagiarism and believe Girl Talk should be prosecuted. Lessig discusses this call to increase copyrights. He says, "I believe we should not be waging this war...instead, I believe in peace because the costs of this war wildly exceed any benefit". I have to say I agree with him. Ideally artists would be able to share ideas with each other without worrying about copyrights and without taking advantage of such a system, but the system we have now could also be much worse, so we might as well stick with it.

     

Montagnard Project Brief

    1) Two aspects of the Montagnard culture that interest me are literature and music. I would like to explore traditional storytelling through music and dance, which can also be used to tell stories. It may be difficult to find many of their stories, because they have passed them down orally through generations and have only recently begun to write them down, so I am going to focus on music and dance. I want to compare Montagnard traditions to the music and dance of other cultures.
    2) http://www.cal.org/co/montagnards/vlife.html
    http://my.opera.com/haidanmoi/blog/2010/02/28/tran-quang-hai-music-of-the-montagnards-of-vietnam-part-2
    3) The diagram represents the things I plan in compare in order to reach a better understanding of the Montagnard culture.

     4) I think I still need to complete more research for my project to be successful. I am going to listen to some traditional music, then learn about the instruments used to create the music and the meaning behind their music and dance.
     5) I would be interested in meeting or talking with both a traditional and young Montagnard musician in order to see how their music has changed. I might also talk with a music student here at school. My mom is part of an African drum circle, so she has some knowledge of traditional African music and dance. I would like to talk to her as well.
                     

Framing

Framing is essentially a point of view. It is the way in which an individual observes and assesses a situation. Since everyone has different ways of seeing things, one person’s framing can differ from another. For example, someone watching basketball may frame the players as individual people. They are all playing against each other, and if one person makes a mistake or a good play it is completely their doing. Somebody else watching the same game might frame the teams as two units working against one another, since the entire team is affected by the outcome of each individual’s decisions.

George Lakoff studies linguistic framing. He points out how crucial a role language plays in changing public opinion. Sometimes it goes unnoticed because the simplest change in wording can make a substantial difference. According to the article about Lakoff, “Language itself is a kind of technology that can in turn be used to shape, sculpt, or manipulate public opinion”. I believe this to be true. Language use plays such a huge part in politics today. If you listen to the language used by politicians speaking about themselves, it is always in positive terms. When the talk about their opponents, however, their language becomes much more negative.

I found the article about Donna Harraway and her argument to be less persuasive. The “cyborg theory” is interesting, but in my opinion a little extreme. In one of her books Harraway states that “we are all chimeras, theorized and fabricated hybrids of machine and organism”. This has some truth to it. She is referring to the extent to which technology has become a part of our daily lives. However, it seems as if technology has become an extension of ourselves rather than an amalgamation of human and machine.

Possibly one of the most effective applications of framing came from Marshall McLuhan. In his time he was pop culture icon. He used framing to change the perception of media and commercials; “Rather than seeing the flood of advertisements, commercial-speak, and television programming as insignificant background, McLuhan and the Pop Artists instead brought such materials front-and-center so that folks might re-consider and examine the significance and grammar of such things more deeply”.

In effect, framing is a useful tool that can be used to expand our awareness and change the way we look at things.