Illustrator project I: "peanut Butter and Culture Jam

Responce: mark Dery "culture Jamming"

 
Having grown up in America during the technology boom, culture jamming has had a large impact on the way I see the media today. Although in the article "Culture Jamming" Dery makes it very clear that the media is calling the shots as far as what we buy, what music we like, and which type of cola to drink, I can't help but feel that since I have been around the media so long, I am getting use to their tricks. I know this is hard to say since the media has become as ubiquitous as God, but it seems as though culture jamming along with many warnings from the Internet, friends, family members, and college professors have helped me to take whatever I gather from the media with a grain of salt. This may However, have something to do with the fact that I live in San Francisco, the city where you can find Adbusters magazine in grocery stores and where culture jamming has made its way off the streets and into fine arts gallery space. Like most young adults who have grown up with a cell phone in their hand, it would be hard to imagine life without an electronic umbilical chord connecting me to my computer, yet due to this constant exposure, it has become easy for me to see how maniacal the media has become. I feel that the problem doesn't lie with our ability to recognize when we are being manipulated, its how to get the population off their couch and become more motivated and demanding. However, until the America can come to an agreement on what we want from out leaders and our news source, there will be no revolution where people stop buying useless items and start throwing their televisions into the tire fire.

Culture Jammin

I saw this image in Reno as I stepped out of the theater after watching The Dark Knight. After being affected by the movie, thoughts of Heath ledgers death and the up and coming elections, this image stirred up a lot of confusion. Although I was never able to make full sense of the poster since the joker isn't exactly known for his socialist ideals, the timing of this poster could not have been better. Although I don't necessarily agree with the image, I think that using the hype from an extremely popular movie to create anti-Obama propaganda was genius.

LUDO street art
  LUDO is a Paris based artist who uses real advertisements and then creates art over them to create a narrative which hits consumerism and nature head on. I like how he incorporates the brand names from the advertisements underneath the artwork. It makes it seem as though these companies are sponsoring anti-capitalistic commentary.

signs

  A 'sign' can mean many things. From a stop light to a facial expression or gesture, it is impossible to be devoid of signs in any culture. signs tell us when to go, when to stop, what to buy, and how we interacted with certain people. However, when I think of the word 'sign' I immediately think of advertisements. So much of what we perceive as basic ads are actually complex signs designed to get some sort of reaction, whether it be to buy a certain label or donate to a worthy foundation. They might be subtle, but they are still signs. When most people see a red hexagon, stop is their first reaction. This same method is used in advertisements but in a way that might be a little harder to notice at first. Beautiful women in designer clothes signs success, beauty, and sex appeal if you obey their rules. This is why it is important to understand all signs and how they can affect you on a very personal level.

Indeterminant art

Indeterminant art

Instructions:
1) buy a disposable camera
2) From 11am to 8pm locate the horizon (or where buildings, trees, etc meet sky) and take a picture every hour on the hour no matter where you are or what you are doing.

3) develop your 10 photos
4) attach you pictures together in order (from 11am to 8pm) by the horizon line so that there is one continuous thread connecting the pictures

Extended body research: 'blue tooth?...blue molar' and 'the three eyed man.'

"blue tooth"

this new piece of technology has been recently exhibited at the Science museum in London and due to its simplicity and low cost installation, is said to be on the market shortly. Essentially this micro technology will turn your blue tooth device into a "blue molar" in which you will be able to internalize sound and receive calls through bone resonance. Imagine being able to hear your alarm clock without waking up your partner, or being able to walk around speaking non stop like a crazy person when really you are on an important business call with Donald Trump. The installation procedure is comparable to getting a filling which isn't too bad and lets face it, everyone loves laughing gas. My main concern with this product would be a sort of combination between Y2K, that Steven king movie Christine (where the possessed car comes to life), and that terrible M. Night Shayamalan movie, The happening, that no one saw. we would be living in a world where our teeth dictated our every move. The Hershey chocolate factory would be the fist to go. people would be squeezing tubes of toothpaste down their throats as if it was the elixer of life. main cause of death in this dental-driven future: spearmint overdose.

imagine this shit in your mouth. its on in 2012

 

camera man

    Another art project that I found to be equally as terrifying is the work of artist and photography professor at NYU,  Wafaa Bilal. By surgically implanting a camera into the back of his head which will take a picture every minute, Bilal has created a sort of commentary on how our privacy has been compromised by technology. Binal explains that with this new generation comes a level of comfort in having our picture taken unknowingly at any given time. These pictures are streamed live to an exhibit in Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar for the entire year that the camera is attached to his dome. I'm not sure if compromising my sleep for an entire year would be worth countless pictures of blank walls and pillows but I understand  the point that Bilal is making and I applaud the extent to which he has gone in order to exploit his surrounding to the fullest. However, I fear the day that overbearing mothers catch wind of this operation. There will be no hope for the hand in the cookie jar. 

Extended body: ibody

With Apple dominating the technological world with its sleek design and user-friendly interface, it is easy to see why most Americans own at least one product that Steve Jobs has blessed with his gift of outstanding marketing. Apple products have dominated technology in my life so much so that I dont even think twice when I ask myself the question 'where is my Apple USP cord so I can plug in my Apple iphone to my Apple macbook and update my itunes.' gross. So I have proposed a revolutionary idea that may be as useless yet as shinny and sleek as the ipad: the ibody. With this new body make-over you will never have to be away form any of your Apple products again because you will become one. Built-in speakers will be implanted in your head so that you can listed to itunes internally or play Beethoven's concerto no. 4 for the friends around you. A remote control on your right arm will quickly and efficiently monitor the volume of your speakers or can be synced to other electronics around you, such as your television or microwave oven for your own convenience. In your left forearm you will have access to a 3 USB ports so that you can share and store information such as reminders, as well as an ethernet jack just in case the 3G network you are currently standing in isn't loading pages at the speed of light. These will all operate from a large 9x7 inch touchscreen which also acts as a projector to show movies or simply project your screen onto a large surface for more work space. Hurry and get your body-update now because like most Apple products, it will be obsolete in 2 months!