Blog # 18

While other schools took the more conventional route of promoting their school to prospective students, The University of British Columbia decided to do a lipdub to the songs Raise Your Glass by Pink and Celebrity Status by Marianas Trench to show students why they should choose UBC.

The video was amazing and looked tons of fun.  The best way to attract students who are all probably tired of the old mundane school routine is to show school in the best possible way.  I understand schools that showcase their libraries and multiple buildings and prestige but I think showing off student life is the smartest thing to do.  University, I think, is more about the experience of it than the books and studying, because anybody can learn things out of books without having to go to university.  

I won't be going to UBC, although after seeing this video I kind of wished I had applied in the first place, but seeing things like this makes me excited for my own upcoming university experience.     

Blog # 17

Is music just the songs a person hears on the radio or that piece composed by Mozart?  Or can music be anything?  "The Stupid Orchestra" arranged by Micheal Petermann shows us that music doesn't always come in the most conventional forms. 

Yes, it does sound a bit strange and many can argue that it just sounds like noise but it must be music to someone, right?  It must be because live performances of the Stupid Orchestra were played at the MKG Hamburg until the end of April with people attending them.

I watched this video in amusement while pondering what makes something music and something just noise.  I've come to believe that  what makes something music is all about perspectives.  People see (and hear) things differently.  While one person might see bird chirping as music another could just find it to be a nuisance.  Music is like visual arts where what defines something as a work of art is just opinions.  

Blog # 16

Art can take the form of many mediums, including feathers.

Artist Kate Mccgwire uses feathers quite often in her work.  Her piece have won her many awards and has showcased her work in many exhibits.  

  

When I first saw picture of one of her pieces I didn't know that they were feathers, actually I wasn't sure what they were at all until I read the description.  I like how unconventional the material she uses is.  I don't think I've ever seen someone use feather in this way to make a sculpture.  Usually when you think of art, or at least when I think of art, it is always very conventional (photography, painting, drawing, sculpted marble etc.,).  So, I like how her work reminds me that anything can be art and anything can be used to make art.  

Blog # 15

Chiditarod is an annual shopping-cart race/food-drive held in Chicago to help the disadvantaged and needy people of the city.  It is a race through the windy city stopping at 11 check points to collect, at the very least, 42 pounds of non-perishable food in their shopping cart.

Here are some pictures of the event:

Needless to say, the people participating in the race dress up in crazy outfits and decorate their shopping carts accordingly.  The event ended up raising a lot of food and money for the people of Chicago.    

I think this is a great way to run a charity event.  It gets everyone participating and having fun.  It brings people together for a great cause.  Not only that but it is a rather unique way to hold a food drive.  I think getting people to be creative is why this works so well.  

Blog # 14

Street photography is photography that features subjects, such as people, in candid situations in public places.  Matt Stuart is a street photographer.  He takes pictures of genuine moments in the lives of everyday people.

Quite often, the moments that he captures are quite funny and sometimes you'll have to look closely at the photograph to understand why the picture was taken or to get its charm.

Street photography is able to capture those fleeting moments, ones that will probably never come around again.  Also, street photography showcases people when they are most real.  That is because they don't know they are being photographed.  When people don't know they are being observed they are more  themselves but when a person knows they are being looked at, they tend to act differently.  People act in a different way for many reasons: to fit in, to seem more interesting, etc,.  As well, people can act differently in front of different sorts of people.  You may act one way when you are with your parents and another way when you are with your  friends.  I think rarely does a person actually show who they really are to another person unless they are truly comfortable with them.  But street photography is able to show people for what they really are, I think that's why I like it so much.  

Blog # 13

Symmetry is something that is just inherently attractive to the human eye.  How symmetric a person's face is usually dictates how attractive they are, but is a perfectly symmetrical face always beautiful?

Muggum, a iPhone/iPod touch app can show you.  The app bisects a photo of a face down the middle then doubles the image letting you see what a person would look like if either side of their face were completely symmetrical.  The app has already been used on photos of many celebrities, people who are considered to be attractive, to varying results.  

Both are, by general consensus, attractive women but their completely symmetrical faces are not quite what their "imperfect" face is.  In my opinion, neither women need the symmetry.  

This app is obviously not perfect and is probably highly ineffective due to camera angle, a person's expression, etc., but what I'm trying to say is, I think being perfectly symmetrical is not all it's made out to be.  In fact, I think it's impossible.  Everybody has something that makes them "imperfect" but I don't think that is a bad thing.  If you have a crooked smile or maybe one of your eyes is a tiny bit bigger than the other you shouldn't be self-conscious but I know that not being self-conscious is hard in today's society where beauty is everything.  

Blog # 12

It's an ad to promote World Water Day and to spread awareness about how unclean water causes countless deaths and how journalists are trying to spread the word about this.

The water, invisible on the piece of paper at first, represents how safe and clean water appears to be but the ink shows what's really underneath the seemingly clean surface.  The ink is supposed to represent the journalists, ink being a journalist's chosen tool, who uncover the truth and make the facts about how bad unclean water is known.

I personally find this ad to be very well done and quite effective.  Visually it's very pretty and although I have seen art done using ink and water before, I have yet to see it done so well, like this.  The images that the ink and water make really show who is being affected by this (the face of a child) and what happens when you drink unclean water (the grave markers and skull).  Although the ad is in French, the message still makes itself quite clear.  I think smart advertising, like this, is a very good way to get the message about a cause out there.

Blog # 11

Be Your Own Souvenir was an installation in Barcelona for two weekends in January of this year.  Located near a museum and washrooms, the machine allows tourists to take away from their trip to the beautiful city, a souvenir that is of their own likeness.  All one has to do is insert a dollar and the machine comes to life.  One would have to stand where the sensors are located and the machine will film the person using three kinetic sensors for a full 360-degree scan.  Afterwards, the machine spits out a miniature figure of yourself to take home.

I think something like this quite neat.  It's amazing that this sort of technology is so accessible to people that all they would have to do is forfeit a dollar to enjoy this experience and that, I think, it's a whole lot cooler than just having your portrait painted or your photograph taken.  I also like how interactive it is.  I believe that art is something that everyone should be able to particpate in.  If I saw this on a trip, or even here where I live, I'd definitely want to try it out.

Blog # 10

Recently, I've taken a look at a series of photographs taken by photographer, Kevin Van Aelst.  A lot of his works feature him taking pictures of quite ordinary things and defamiliarizing them in such a way that makes them look very interesting.  


Take, for example, this picture of a roll of tape made to look like the ocean with sharks swimming around in it.   

http://www.kevinvanaelst.com/photoocean.html

   
As well, he also takes a few photos that I'm not all too entirely sure what they are or what they mean., but I guess art is up to interpretation.  Anyway, I'm always quite impressed when I see pictures like these because it amazes me how people are able to look at one simple thing and see something else that is completely unrelated.  I'll admit, I don't have the most creative mind so I personally find it difficult to see these sorts of things in everyday objects.  But seeing these pictures makes me want to try more often to look for the extraordinary in the ordinary.  

Blog # 9

The Sears Tower unveiled, in the summer of last year, their 103rd floor balconies.  Now, this may seem boring but these aren't just any old balconies 103 floor above ground.  These balconies are made of one-and-a-half inch thick glass. 



Supposedly, the glass balcony can support up to five tonnes and was inspired by the forehead prints left behind on the windows of the sky deck from visitors wanting a better view of the city.  The people who have visited the site say that taking the first step out onto the balcony was the hardest step.  However, one gets used to it after venturing out a few times. 

I think that this is a neat way to test people's comfort zones.  See how courageous you are or how well you are able to deal with heights.  Or, you know, just a great way to get a small thrill in people's normally average and mundane lives.  It seems like a fun addition to an already iconic tower.  I also like that it's different and exciting.

 I think would like to visit this balcony in the future, maybe even take a step or two onto the glass floors.

Blog # 8

Exciting news for Sailor Moon fans!  Kodansha USA, the American publishers of the manga, have decided to bring back our beloved childhood heroine to America after a long six year hiatus.  Starting in September of this year the series will be re-released along with a two volume prequel.  The series has been around since 1992 and  been one of the most popular and well-known series of all time.

Currently, their seems to be a trend where things are being brought back, re-released or re-done.  It's a good way for companies to make money., to appeal to people's nostalgia.  I don't mind it if I get to see the things I've missed from my childhood.

I'll admit that I have never read the manga series but have seen the show when it aired many years ago.  I have to say that it was a significant part of my childhood.  I remember watching it religiously and making my parents buy Sailor Moon related merchandise.  And I feel that even though they are just bringing back the manga, it still feels like they are bringing back a part of my childhood.  It may be a bit optimistic of me but I'm quite hopeful that they'll bring back the show as well.

Blog # 7

If anyone looked outside their window on the evening of March 19, then they would have been able to see a “Supermoon”.  



http://www.cbc.ca/photos/galleries/219/219_2313_web_8column.jpg



A supermoon is when a full or new moon coincides with when it is closest to the Earth.  The result of this is that the moon appears much larger than it normally does.  This is something that has not occurred since 1993, eighteen years ago.  Many have speculated that supermoons are responsible for natural disasters, as the moon's gravity is responsible for the creation of tides and especially in the light of the recent tsunami in Japan, and while some will agree with this, many experts stress that this is definitely not the case.  The closeness of the moon will, however, cause a dramatically large range of high and low tides.    

If you want to know my theory on supermoons: people born in the light of a supermoon will be born with super powers.   

Blog # 6

http://candychang.com/before-i-die-in-nola/

This is something similar to that of the gum wall I blogged about earlier.  It is yet another piece of art on a wall that is made by everyday people.  It is a blackboard-esque wall on the streets of New Orleans that is free for anyone passing by to write on.  You simply use one of the large pieces of chalk provided and write down the thing that you want to do before you die.  It can be anything.  Once the wall is filled with responses, it is then washed away to be started again.  But this does not happen until all the responses are documented as the responses will be included into a book.

I think it's great because not only does anyone get to participate in this, it shows everyone the things that are most important people.  Maybe it will even help somebody realize what they want to do with their life.  A lot of people say that a person won't try to achieve their goals until it goes from brain to paper, or in this case wall, and gets written down.

Blog # 5

Lego art is something I really enjoy.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/9563/nathan-sawaya-brick-by-brick.html

A gallery of Lego brick art was held at the Agora gallery in New York just March-April of last year to showcase the works of Nathan Sawaya.  Sawaya, who used to be a lawyer, quit his job to pursue art with a medium which he has always been fascinated with as a child.

I think to do something like that, give up a possibly well-paying and stable job, to follow your passion to be an incredibly brave and risky decision.  It might not have worked out as well as it did for him.  If only everyone could pursue what they really wanted to do in life, but most people are too scared and not willing to give up the lifestyle that they currently lead to follow a dream that may or may not happen. 

Legos are something I loved to play with as a child but could never imagine doing something like what these this artist has.  I can only imagine the time and effort that went into this.  I also like this because I think something like this really brings forward the notion that just about anything can be art, even children's toy.

Blog # 4

This YouTube video is about a man who collects photographs of people he doesn't know.  It sounds strange but is actually quite interesting.  He buys these photos from people selling them at flea markets.  As well, they aren't just any old  photographs but each photographs he owns tells a story who is in the photo or what has occured in the photo.  I think it's incredible, the stories that a single photograph can tell.  They talk to him, he says. 

It's hard for me to really think about it now, because of how young I am, but when I die what will be left of me probably will just be photographs.  It makes me hope that my life tells an interesting enough story that someone would pick it up were it to end up being sold in some place like a garage sale or flea market.  We all want to be remembered for something, don't we?

Either way, it's a hobby I've never thought about but after seeing this video, something I might take up.

Blog # 3

There are as few as ten countries in the world that have legalized same-sex marriage.  Canada is one of them but so is Argentina, which is the latest country to have legalized same-sex marriage.  The legalization that happened on July 15th 2010, which also includes full adoption rights, makes Argentina the first Latin American country to do so.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2010/07/15/GR2010071506850.html



I do support gay rights and seeing news of something like this gives me hope for the future.  Society seems to be progressing, even if it is only by a little bit.  Hopefully, we'll see more countries joining the likes of Argentina.

Blog # 2

Though some may not consider the Gum Wall art, most likely due to obvious disgusting nature and that it looks like vandalism, it is still an interesting way that the citizens and tourists of downtown Seattle can leave their mark on the busy city.  The Gum Wall is what it sounds like: a wall or rather a brick alleyway covered with pieces chewed gum.  

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/25/news/la-trb-your-scene-market-theater-gum-wall-in-seattle-20110224

I think one reason why this tourist attraction is so popular is because, besides that fact that it is a bit of an oddity, people can literally leave something of theirs behind and it will stay there for decades to come, I'm sure.  I think people want to be remembered, even it is is just a piece of their used gum on a wall plastered with many other people's chewed gum.  People have even left messages written in gum on that wall.  Who knows, maybe the only evidence of somebody's life is stuck on that wall.  It's sort of like living forever, sort of.

Blog # 1



http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2010/11/22/arts-tim-burton-584.jpg



He is the creator and director of countless classics that many of us hold near and dear; my personal favourite being Edward Scissorhands.  People have often wondered what goes on inside that head of his for him to create the wonders that we see on the silver screen. Now, with the opening of his exhibit in Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lighthouse running from now until April 2011, the general public may finally get to see that.  The exhibit, named after himself, showcases his artwork, almost like a 3D sketchbook and will include his "paintings, drawings, puppets, costumes and storyboards". 

I have not seen the exhibit but I still think that the concept is a great.  I think that to showcase the artwork of someone well known will appeal to a wider audience and may get them interested and inspired to learn about more artwork and different artists.  As well, I think it would be pretty (for lack of a better word)cool to see lesser known works of an artist and to see the things that inspired them.