danielcutajarcontextualstudies

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Heiroglyphs

This is my name in Heiroglyphics where each symbol represents a letter. The following link is where you can find out your own name if interested.

http://www.guardians.net/egypt/hieroglyphs/hiero-translator.htm

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Emojis

Emojis originated in Japan where Japanese phone users were obsessed with sending picture messaged to each other and the Japanese phone companies noticed this. Instead of ignoring it though they embraced this trend and appeased their users by giving them what we call emojis.

The father of the emojis was Shigetaka Kurita who believed that messaging robbed people from being able to communicate emotion which was quite important in Japan. So because of this lack of personal communication Kurita developed symbols to display different feelings and objects which he dubbed emojis. Emoji litereally means “picture” (e) “character” (moji). Kurita commented on why he was so inspired to make text images saying

“Everything was shown by text. Even the weather forecast was displayed as ‘fine’. When I saw it, I found it difficult to understand. Japanese TV weather forecasts have always included pictures or symbols to describe the weather—for example, a picture of sun meant ‘sunny’. I’d rather see a picture of the sun, instead of a text saying ‘fine’.”

Creative use of emojis to portray the pixar movie Up showing how one their own these images portray one thing but put together a whole new context is given with a different meaning making emojis very powerful symbols.

The above image is a graphic art piece from the “good” animated movie ‘The Emoji Movie’ showcasing the popularity of emojis in today's media. The director was influenced by thinking how it must feel for the characters portrayed in each emote to constantly portray the same emotion and what if that is not what they really identify as. The movie attempts to take the defined meanings of each emoji and change the connotation behind them.

References:

Schenker, M. 2016. WebDesignerDepot: The surprising history of emojis. [online] Available at: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2016/10/the-surprising-history-of-emojis/ [Accessed 15 December 2017]

Strauss, B. 2017. TheMercruyNews: Here’s what prompted ‘The Emoji Movie’ director to make the movie.  [online] Available at: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/25/heres-what-prompted-the-emoji-movie-director-to-make-the-movie-3/ [Accessed 15 December 2017]

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Person of Interest : Carolyn Davidson

Carolyn Davidson was the designer of the iconic swoosh logo used by Nike to this day. She attented Portland State University as a graphic design student where she met the co-founder of a startup company soon to be known as Nike, Phil Knight. Knight used her skills to get some design work done for his company in order for her to get money for an oil painting class she couldn’t afford.

Her initial work included graphs and charts for his meetings but when Knight decided to create his own product “cleated shoes for football or soccer” he turned to her for a brand logo.

The logo above was her most preferred sketch and though not entirely fond of it, pressed for time, Knight accepted it and took it to the patent office solidifying it as the logo of the international company we now know as Nike. Looking at the logo we can clearly see motion as it makes use of specific methods to portray said motion:

The Swoosh is at an angle

Lines get thinner at the edges

Wave like motion

This is the logo of Today. It is fascinating how a simple design is so well known and has such an imprint on the minds of people today. Anybody looking at this logo instantly can recognize the company behind it and what they sell from the motion in the “swoosh”.

References:

WYSK. 2016. Women You Should Know. Meet The Woman Who Designed The Iconic Nike Swoosh While She Was A College Student. [online] Available at: http://womenyoushouldknow.net/meet-the-woman-who-designed-the-iconic-nike-swoosh-while-she-was-a-college-student/ [Accessed 15 December 2017]

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Propaganda Posters

 Propaganda is  defined as “information that is spread for the purpose of promoting a cause or belief”. They were used for many reasons such as to get men to join the forces and women to join the factories as well as boost morale.

The reason propagandize posters originated though was because during World War 1 the British army was severely lacking in soldiers and desperately needed men to join the fight. With radios and television being a rarity the must widespread method of getting the message out was through posters stuck on the walls throughout the city influencing men to join the army.

Propaganda Techniques:

Glittering Generalities - praising the product with compliments and patriotism

Name Calling - insulting and pointing out flaws in competitors products

Testimonial - Famous person backs product or political endorsement

Plain Folks - Targets regular people and their values

Bandwagon - Encouraging people to be part of the larger group

Transfer - Appeals to people to imagine themselves in that position

Card-Stacking - Manipulating information to increase the reputation of the product usually by unfair comparison or leaving out important facts

Above is a propaganda poster that was made in World War 2 featuring Hitler with his pants down in an attempt to up the morale of the American industrial workers. Seeing such a villainous character in such an embarrassing position creates a positive atmosphere for the workers as it allows them to laugh and relate to the humor in the poster.

Poster showing Barrack Obama in homage to political propaganda of previous times. Only colours shown are white, red and blue, the colours of the american flag showcasing patriotism and loyalty to the united states. The purpose of the poster was to inspire citizens to vote for Obama during the elections.

With the invention of radio and television, methods of propaganda shifted and posters were no longer the most common method of influencing the public. The above image is a screenshot from the famous propaganda animation Education to death made by Walt Disney.

References:

Rose, S. 2014. LinkedIn. 7 Propaganda Techniques for Students to Understand. [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140815205902-57567806-7-propaganda-techniques-all-students-should-learn [Accessed 15 December 2017]

Edubuzz. Propoganda Posters of World War 1. [online] Available at: https://www.edubuzz.org/dgs_english/wp-content/blogs.dir/1336/files/2013/05/Propaganda-Posters-Task-Sheet.pdf [Accessed 15 December 2017]

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Person of Interest : Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha was a Czech Art Nouveau artist known best for his painting style which became synonymous with the Art Nouveau style which can be seen above. He was dubbed  “Master of the Art Nouveau poster” due to his magnificent skill at giving life to his posters. 

He designed posters that were cheap and widely accessible to the public in order to create art for the people rather than commercial success. Christian Brinton comments that:  “[Mucha’s] art is a sumptuous art, floral, astral, feminine; it reflects with tender nonchalance the fluid beauty of form and the delicately veiled secrets of the soul.”  

Mucha believes that his art communicates a spiritual message, nothing more and that was the inspiration behind most of his artwork.

Analyzing the characteristics of his artwork:

Prominently featured women

Women portrayed in elegant poses

Women commonly have halo like shapes behind their heads

Made us of pastel colors

Thick black outlines

Hair transforms into his signature whip like appearance

Modern takes on Alphonse Mucha’s style

Steven Universe characters portrayed in Art Nouveau style by positioning said characters in elegant poses with halos in the background along with each character containing a unique type of flower linked to how Mucha would commonly show nature in his work.

Much more futuristic style of Iron Man linked with the Art Nouveau style. Rather than hair turning into whips the wires on his back take on the same appearance. Pastel colours are in use along with the halo in classic Mucha style.

References: Mucha Foundation: Art Posters [online] Available at: http://www.muchafoundation.org/gallery/themes/theme/art-posters [Accessed 14 December 2017]

TheArtStory: Alphonse Mucha [online] Available at http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mucha-alphonse.htm [Accessed 14 December 2017]

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Lithography

Lithography is a printing process which takes advantage of the fact that grease and water cannot mix. The earliest knowledge of lithography involved the use of a block of porous limestone. With the advancements in lithography came chromolithography where multiple colours were added to each lithograph through the use of different coloured stones placed on the same image. The outcomes can be so detailed and realistic they look like an oil painting

The Process of Lithography

The image is first processed through multiple addition of chemicals in order to prepare the stone for printing. The stone is marked with greasy crayon in the design the artists wishes to print. After this is complete a thin layer of water is spread over the complete top of the stone. When ink is applied to the stone, only the greasy image gets covered as the grease attracts the ink whilst the water repels it allowing only the desired area to be inked. When an even layer of ink is applied the sheet of paper to be printed on is placed with newspaper and tempered glass are added so that the pressure is distributed evenly when passed through the press. After this is all done the sheet is removed with the print left on the sheet of paper complete. 

In this day and age with digital art being a prevailing art form lithography has a lot to compete with. But for those who still desire printed art in their hands, lithography is a worthy contender and thus is still used today. An example of modern lithography is below where colours are used strategically to create an effect in the image rather than to just fill it in.

References:

B&B Press.(2017). WHAT IS LITHO PRINTING AND IS IT STILL RELEVANT? [online] Available at: <https://www.bbpress.co.uk/news/what-is-litho-printing-and-is-it-still-relevant> [Accessed 8th December 2017]

Minneapolis Institute of Art.(2008). Printmaking Processes: Lithography . [video online] <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHw5_1Hopsc> [Accessed 8th December 2017]

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Movable Type

Movable type was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in around 1450. The reason Gutenberg sought to bring this creation to life was to create an industry in type casting where easy, error-free type would become the norm. The most famous piece of text created by Gutenberg was the printed Bible which had the black text printed by means of the movable type with rubrication being done by hand for a more aesthetic look.

How to Cast Movable Type

In movable type each letter (lowercase and uppercase), number and form of punctuation had to be cast onto a metal bar to create a stamp.

The process to create said metal bar is created with the help of a handcaster which is the metal device seen in the image above. The mold of the letter would be attached to the bottom with the area to be filled being placed in the empty area which is to be filled. Melded metal which is left at 600 degrees is then taken out and poured into the handcaster. Whilst pouring the welder would thrust the handcaster upwards to force the metal into the mold. This is called throwing for face. After a few seconds the hancaster can be removed from the type and the mold pulled off leaving the finished piece of type.

Above is a demonstration of how Moveable type was used in graphic design using letters and shapes of different size, colour and heaviness to turn text into an image.

References:

The Mechanization of Writing. [online] Available at: <http://www.designhistory.org/Type_milestones_pages/Gutenberg.html> [Accessed 29th November 2017]

Sabrina Huyett.(2014).How Gutenberg cast moveable type. [video online] <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwsrqXmNeCY> [Accessed 29th November 2017]

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Art History Timeline (pre 19th Century)

This blog will show a vague outline of the art timeline

Pre-Historic   (30,000 b.c.–2500 b.c.)

Hall of Bulls - Lascaux Caves

This era is the first time period where art was found. Artwork primarily consisted of cave paintings and sculptures. The people represented their world through visual images where the majority of people were hunter gatherers. Another piece of artwork is the Venus of Willendorf sculpture which gave us insight about how the primitives values on women and taste.

Mesopotamian (3500 b.c.–539 b.c.)

Relief Sculpture on the Ishtar Gate

After the development of civilization a new style of art began known as Mesopotamian art consisting of warrior art sculptures or architecture. The preferred style of this era was front-on or side-on such as the image above being completely profile fitting in with their style.

Egyptian (3100 b.c.–30 b.c.)

Detail from the sarcophagus of Ankhnesneferibre

The Egyptians focused on the afterlife and thus their artwork were made to portray their beliefs. Art would be found in pyramids and tomb paintings and the hieroglyphs are a strong representation of where Graphic Design originated where symbols were used as an alphabet but to someone like us the artwork is admired rather than the message. 

Greek and Hellenistic (850 b.c.–31 b.c.)

Dying Gaul

In the time of Greeks their conquering of many empires far and wide exposed them to a multitude of cultures and exotic influences causing them to begin their legacy in art and architecture. Sculptures were erected for propaganda and religious purposes in a realistic style which became the hallmarks of the Hellenistic period. The Greeks are also worshiped for their accomplishments in architecture.

Roman (500 b.c.– a.d. 476)

One of the many mosaics of Santa Costanza

The Romans were captivated by the art of the Greeks borrowing freely from their designs with the addition of their own forms and techniques.. The most important legacies of the Romans were the fresco technique where paint is put on wet plaster mixing together to become part of the wall. This method was regularly used in their mosaics such as the Bear Hunt mosaic.

Indian, Chinese, and Japanese(653 b.c.–a.d. 1900)

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Asian art is heavily influenced by various cultures and religions as seen through similar developments occurring in Asian art and western art.  The spiritual and natural are also high characteristics in their art.

Byzantine and Islamic (a.d. 476–a.d.1453)

Jesus Christ Ravenna Mosaic

With the fall of Rome, Byzantium maintained the religious and artistic values of its people creating new images and icons concentrating on Christian art. Influenced by Greek and Egyptian art, this style rapidly spread across the Byzantine empire. The designs were maze like and mosaics exploded with colour making itself the face of Byzantine art.

Early and High Renaissance (1400–1550) 

The Creation of Adam - Michelangelo

At this point Art began to received a lot of attention with many artists discovering new techniques and improvements to all the visual arts which revolutionized art. The High Renaissance was fittingly called so to name the high point of this movement later on in the century.

Mannerism (1527–1580) 

Vertrumnus the god of seasons - Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Mannerism is seen as a bridge connecting Renaissance art’s idealized style and the Baroque’s theatricality. Subjects in paintings and sculptures have much more artificial and unrealistic poses along with strong expressions and a strange use of perspective and colour. Early Mannerism was known for its “anti-Renaissance” style later developing into High Mannerism.

Baroque (1600–1750)

The Triumph of the Immaculate -  Paolo de Matteis

Baroque art was commonly large-scale works of public art place in palaces and churches. Elements related to Catholic dogma were prominent in said art with a strong sense of movement being portrayed. Propoganda was the main driver of this art style with the Catholic Churches commissioning artists to create art to glorify their own divine grandeur.

Neoclassical (1750–1850) 

Jason with the Golden Fleece - Bertel Thorvaldsen

As a reaction to the Baroque movement a desire to revive the spirit and forms of classical art from ancient Greece and Rome. These works were serious and heroice in attitude and posture accompanied by sombre colours with occasional highlights.

References :

Wilder,J,B.(n/d). ART HISTORY TIMELINE [online] Available at:<http://www.dummies.com/education/art-appreciation/art-history-timeline/> [Accessed 27th November 2017]

Visual Arts Cork. [online] Available at: <http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/> [Accessed 27th November 2017]

Aldokkan. Egyptian Writing[online] Available at: <http://www.aldokkan.com/art/hieroglyphics.htm> [Accessed 27th November 2017]

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Oswald The Lucky Rabbit: Trolley Troubles

Trolley Troubles is a 1927 animated short produced by Charles Mintz and George Winkler and directed by Walt Disney. It is the first animated short to include Oswald as a character and the first short in the Walt Disney Treasures volume The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

The short surrounds Oswald who is attempting to transport his children by means of a trolley. Many obstacles obstruct his path and Oswald uses out of the box and entertaining methods to overcome them.

The most obvious influence on the animated short is that of the trolley used by Oswald. The trolley is based off of the actual electric trolley cars that existed in that time which were developed in around 1880. They had been implemented in many countries during the time Trolley Troubles came out and as being such an innovative advancement in transport technology it had a big impact.

According to Ashe(2013) the Fleischer brothers and Messmer were clear influences on Disney when animating Trolley Troubles. He was inspired by the wavy motion done by characters in the Fleischer brothers animations and Messmer’s idea of character using their own body as props such as Oswald popping off his lucky rabbit foot.

The kissing of the rabbit’s foot is a nice little tidbit included as a reference to superstition where the kissing of a rabbits foot is seen as good luck and is a belief that is held by individuals in a great number of places around the world, including Europe, China, Africa, and North and South America.

References: Ashe, B.2013.Animation Craze: The Convoluted History of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. [online] Available at: https://www.classicflix.com/blog/2013/12/04/animation-craze-the-convoluted-history-of-oswald-the-lucky-rabbit [Accessed 19 November 2017]

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Conversation with an A.I.

For this blog post I will be having a conversation with a chatbot and logging the highlights of the conversation pointing out what could have fooled me and what was too obvious. 

The introduction phase was pretty believable mainly due to the use of the ellipsis. The stray away from fullstops makes it seem very humanlike. After doing a few conversations I began to realise the best most believable part of the Cleverbot is the introduction phase and this is for a very obvious reason. No matter who is talking to the cleverbot every person begins with an introduction saying Hello in many formats thus the Cleverbot has many datalogs to search through to find the best response. It is only when the conversations become topic based do they became easily sussed out.

As can be seen above the conversation seems stiff but could pass as believable, but continue on and things become very forced and almost laughable if trying to fool someone with this A.I.

At this point the flow of conversation is completely lost and that is one huge flaw of this A.I. program. When you ask a question its responses are very accurate and believable but when you comment an answer with no fixed flow of conversation it completely loses it and says something that to a human would be completely random.

In this conversation I even replied the question to Cleverbot in hopes of getting an answer and still the conversation went south. I already know had I just replied what? which is a human response to a joke to let them say their punchline since what is such a vague response cleverbot would steer off topic but even repeating the question did not cause the conversation to continue. Although I will give the bot mad props for using the ** to show an action as seen below because I do that myself A LOT in online conversations so I would have really believed that was another person (If the rest of the conversation wasn’t completely random and impossible to sit through)

As much as I tried to sit through this pretending I thought I was talking to a real person I quickly grew irritated with the program for being over all terrible performance especially considering their motto.

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Wilhelm Schickard

Wilhelm Schickard, born in 1592 was a German professor of Hebrew and Astronomy who became well known after the first calculating clock was found to be his invention. Due to this discovery he has been dubbed the “Father of the computer age”.

Schickard grew up in Herrenberg, Germany near Tübingen where he studied and later received his master degree in theology. In 1613 he became a Lutheran minister and this choice led him to meet the great astronomer Johannes Kepler, a previous Lutheran minister, by recommendation from his patron Michael Mastlin. Kepler saw something in Schickard and this led to a working relationship between the two with Schickard assisting Kepler in his work, one being the famous mechanical calculating clock. Unfortunately much of Schickard’s work got lost including most of the details on the mechanical calculator. Even general knowledge of this clock was lost when Schickard and his family died. This lead Blaise Pascal to be falsely named the inventor for three centuries despite inventing it twenty years later. Schickard is now properly recognized as Kepler’s biographer, Max Casper, found two letters dating back to 1623 and 1624 where Schickard explained his idea including the design and construction of the mechanical calculating clock.

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Why I chose Interactive Media

I had taken both computing and art at school and found a liking for both subjects. Due to this my preferred career path was something that took both elements and mixed them together and i felt that Interactive Media was the best option for me considering the job opportunities. What I would like to learn in this course is how to design and also code to bring my ideas to life.