Having spent a lot of time on the internet the last few years, I have seen a countless number of memes. When we got this assignment, however, I realized I didn't exactly have a definition for what a meme is. So I researched it, and found that a meme is something that carries cultural ideas between people, societies, and even generations. People make them to display an idea or a theme, and then more people edit them and share them. It is basically an easy way to get the word out about something that inspires you. My favorite meme is definitely "condescending wonka". It is basically a picture of Willy Wonka with an almost bored looking smile, and I love the captions because they are usually things I would say. I'm a very sarcastic person, and I love how condescending wonka isn't afraid to call people out when they say ridiculous things.
My favorite pre-internet meme is the calculator that is flipped upside down to spell words. I did this all the time when I was younger, and sometimes I still do because it's stupid yet entertaining. My ID number in high school was 1134, which typed into an upside down calculator spells "hell", and I used to think this meant I am damned to hell. I just think it's hilarious how people can find the simplest things so entertaining.
Seeing as Chapter 8 was not even a full page long, I thought I would have trouble finding a quote to write about. But Hitchens mentions something that stood out to me. He describes how the New York Times has a motto that says "All the News That's Fit To Print". The thoughts I had about this statement didn't exactly follow where Hitchens goes with the rest of the page, but this small quote made me think about the media and what it chooses to show us. What makes a piece of news "Fit to Print"? How do those in charge of the media decide what the general public can and can't see? Surely if there was an uprising or a protest saying that the New York Times is corrupt and no one should ever buy their papers, the newspaper would refrain from writing a story about that. The media revolves around its image; if the public doesn't like the image a newspaper or a magazine puts out, then they won't buy it. I think this quote emphasizes how most media is less concerned with informing our society with truthful information, and more concerned with how much money they make. Chapter 9 mostly talks about religion, and I found that Hitchens and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to religion. I don't really have a religion; I'm not exactly sure what I believe in, but I believe there is some type of universal faith that all humans subconsciously believe in. Hitchens perfectly summed up my thinking when he said, "I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches, and the effect of religious belief, is positively harmful". Personally, the thought of going to church and studying the Bible and devoting my life to God never appealed to me. I'm okay with other people actively worshipping a higher power, but I don't think it is necessary to living a full life. People discriminate too much based on religion, and I think Hitchens is right when he says "all religions are versions of the same untruth". No matter what the details of your religion may be, everyone who has a religion is just looking for answers to the tangled web of life. I think if a person just focuses on themselves, their goals, their passions, and the people around them, then they will be fine.
Here is the link to my mixbit video! I wanted to get a sort of candid, caught-in-the-act feel to this to show how often people use technology. I was actually surprised how many people were really using their phones or computers when I randomly walked in and started filming them. I wasn't sure what other clips that aren't mine I should incorporate, so I picked the fireworks almost as a celebration that my video came out well. I also picked the random kid saying "wow" to show how amazing it is that everyone was actually using technology.
I'm actually having a lot of trouble with the remix video. I have some general ideas, but I've been trying to narrow down to a specific topic and I also can't decide what actual videos/songs to use. I started thinking about what issues I feel strongly about, and one that keeps sticking in my mind is the idea of natural beauty. Today's society puts too much pressure on people (especially girls) to look a certain way, and this causes a lot of personal issues with people who may not look like models on TV. Using that theme, there's a few directions I was thinking of going. The first one has to do with America's Next Top Model, which is one of my favorite shows. Although I love this show and I love Tyra Banks, I've always noticed some flaws with the way the show works. Every cycle they do "makeovers", where Tyra and hair stylists design new looks for the contestants, and then change their appearance to make them look more like top models. I'm not necessarily criticizing Tyra for doing this, I'm criticizing the whole fashion industry. Tyra only wants her girls to be successful models, so she is justified in changing their looks. But the fact that the girls need to change the way they look to be noticed in the fashion industry is horrible. I would take clips from the makeover episode of different seasons of ANTM and show how all the girls are used as canvases to create appearences that will make money, regardless of the girl's personality, desires, or natural beauty. Another direction I could go with the theme of natural beauty is to focus on commercials. Beauty advertisements are constantly shoving makeup and beauty products down our throats, and for what? To make us more beautiful? To help us? To simply enhance what we have naturally? No, they only want us to buy their products to make money. Covergirl would be delighted if an insecure thirteen year old girl caked makeup on her face everyday in hopes of looking like Taylor Swift is it meant that they just sold ten products. Commercials and superstars on TV have made girls feel like they need all these products to look as beautiful as their idols, which is absurd. I would take different clips from beauty commercials and mix them with clips of the same models in the commercials but without makeup, to show that beauty ads can be misleading.
In chapter 6, I was drawn to the following quote from page 41: "The universe may well be Absurd, and one's life is in any case certain to be a short one. However, this need not mean that we do not reserve the term 'absurd' for the self-evidently irrational or unjustifiable." First of all, I was confused as to why Hitchens capitalized "Absurd" in the first sentence. But as I read the rest of the quote and the entire chapter, it made more sense. In previous chapters, Hitchens talks about how it is our duty as inhabitants of this earth to improve and change the world around us to avoid "Perfection". I think "Absurd" is a term to describe the nature of the world. How often have you sat around and pondered what life is? Why are we here? What is our relationship to our surroundings? Hitchens encourages us to question human nature, and it seems that the more we question the world, the less answers we get. That is because life is 'Absurd". It is a mystery, there are no answers or definitions or explanations to define our reality. All we can do is observe and learn from our existence, and use what we learn to make the world a better place. Another topic arises in chapter 7 on page 49, "I said, quite simply, that if the main subject of Castro was off-limits then, in effect, there could be no real satire or criticism at all". The way this is worded shows Hitchens was full of surprise and almost disbelief when he realized there could be no satire or criticism of Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution. When people censor or forbid the public to speak out against a ruler, they are diminishing the expression of human nature. Hitchens would obviously be appalled at the restriction of conflict or argument, and most people should feel the same. Criticizing rulers when they deserve it is a pivotal part of any strong nation, as it proves unity of the people and awareness of their government. When governments put restrictions on the freedom of speech of people, they stop the people from having a say in the society they live in, which hinders Hitchens goal of conflict and argument for the sake of bettering a community.
I love all the remixes we watched in class, some of them are hilarious and others have powerful messages. One of my favorites was the "It's Raining Men" remix with 300 the movie. It makes perfect sense because that movie is literally all about fighting, shirtless, raging men. I found a similar video that remixes the same song with the Avengers. It takes clips from the Avengers the movie and other individual superhero movies, and mixes them. Similarly to the video we watched in class, it exploits the stereotype that superheros have to be muscular, attractive men. It shows how most superhero movies consist of a male lead with a female lover who just swoons helplessly over the sight of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4wzTwkaQ2k Another remix I've liked for a while is one called Bill O'Rielly Freakout Dubstep Remix. It basically takes a video of Bill O'Rielly freaking out and put it to dubstep music. The original video is already absurd and hilarious since Bill O'Rielly gets so mad and makes a big deal out of nothing, and the remixed version just makes fun of him even more. This video doesn't so much send a message as it is just funny and entertaining. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxxR8JFsvlc The Usual Suspects remix we watched in class of the "black male in a black hoodie" is a remix that send more of a political/social message than the Bill O-Rielly freakout. It isn't necessarily saying they news reporters are racist, but that people tend to stereotype black men as criminals, more so if they are wearing a scary black hoodie. Whoever made this remix spent a respectable amount of time finding and cutting clips to emphasize something they think is a real problem in society today, and I think that is amazing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpI6dp83EbA&feature=youtu.be I'm not positive if this next video is necessarily a remix video because it was created for Conan O'Brien's show, but I think it has the same qualities that a remix has. It has a similar structure to the "black male/black hoodie" video because it takes clips from a variety of different newscasts and shows how they are corrupted. I think this video is actually shocking because the newscasts aren't just saying a similar thing, they are using the exact same phrase with the same wording. The purpose of this remix is to show how the media is scripted and more of a performance than an actual display of information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8L7bdwVaA The last remix that I think is awesome is one called "Why Is The Rum Gone". It takes different parts of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean and creates a catchy song. At the beginning, the artist actually used sounds that a character makes in the movie to create music, which takes a lot of talent and attention to detail. This one doesn't have a message, it is much just for entertainment. But nonetheless, I love it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JImcvtJzIK8
A quote that stood out to me in chapter four was on page 27, "Injustice and irrationality are inevitable parts of the human condition, but that challenges to them are inevitable also". I see a lot of truth in this statement, and also a call to action. Looking at the world around you, unjust or unfair actions happen all the time. There is no such thing as a world where everything is perfect, so obviously there are going to be faults in the decisions made. So as Hitchens said, injustice is "inevitable", but that doesn't mean we should accept everything that goes wrong. If no one took a stand against injustice, then there would be no such thing as justice. Hitchens points out that even when things aren't perfect in the world, the only way things are going to get better is if people challenge the injustice. This same idea appears in another quote from chapter four on page 32, "In rejecting Perfectionism, I don't want you to fall into the opposite error, which is that of taking human nature just as you find it". This reinforces the idea that humans actually don't want to live in a perfect world. If everything were perfect, then perfect would become normal and nothing would be extraordinary. But if one accepts that the world isn't perfect and proceeds to accept everything as it is, then there would be no progress. It is the people that chose to change or improve the world around them that made an impact on the world, and everyone needs to strive to be like those people.
I've seen many videos on Youtube similar to Kreisinger's video in this article. We even watched some of them in class (the Obama "99 Problems" and the Remixes to "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That"), and I think they're amazing. First of all, the amount of time it must have taken any video artist to scan through hours and hours of footage to find the perfect clips to fit a song must have been so tedious and tiresome, so I have a lot of respect for people with that dedication.
More importantly, the concept of remixing is exactly what all artists try to accomplish in a sense. Any form of art, whether it be music, painting, writing, or videos, requires taking bits and pieces of material from around them and create something new. A writer doesn't invent words and writing styles; they use preexisting language and formulate writing that is unique, but not completely original. A composer doesn't come up with their own chord progressions and rhythms; they take preexisting notes and create a new sequence. After centuries and centuries of art, it is almost impossible for artists to create material that has never been seen before. They have to work with what already exists, but reinvent it in a new form. So essentially, remixing is what all artists do. Incorporating different parts of songs (whether it be lyrics, instrumentals, or even music video footage) and mixing them together to make something unique is awesome and it takes just as much talent and commitment as filming a movie, creating a sculpture, or painting a portrait.
Personally, I loved this project. I love taking pictures, editing pictures, making collages, and representing concepts in artistic ways, so this project incorporated all of that. I was actually surprised at how easy it was to find over 20 images to represent who I am as a person because I thought I would have a lot more trouble with that. I have photos of places that have impacted me, my favorite hobbies, my inspirations, and my family; all of these things shape the person I am and it was pretty easy to come up with a solid list. Some of the photos are straightforward, and some represent a deeper meaning. For example, the photo of the battery shows the positive end of the battery so symbolize the positive outlook on life I try to uphold and the positive energy I always try to have.
It was a little more difficult/time consuming to choose the perfect photo for each concept. Some I had to go through all my old photo albums on my computer(the photos of places), some I scrolled through all my old Instagram posts(photos of sushi, palm trees, etc.), and some I took this week(the playing cards, the iPod etc). Some photos were already edited through Instagram, and some I edited on iPhoto. Once I made all the photos perfect and the same size, I ordered them to be printed in wallet size at Walgreens. After I picked up the photos, I cut them into small circles. Then I copied the sheet music for "Who's To Say" by Vanessa Carlton onto poster board, since that's the first song I learned on piano and I still play it to this day. Music has been such a huge part of my life that I couldn't think of a better way to display my photos. After I drew the music notes, glued on the photos, and colored the background, my project was finished :)
Above are the 22 pictures I used to represent myself. The photo of Christina Aguilera, the drama masks, and the SNL logo are images I found online because I couldn't take them myself I thought I needed them for the project.
The evolution of the personal computer is incredible, and there were many different components to it. The Xerox Alto computer was basically the first computer to use the model we are familiar with today. Not only did it have a monitor, a mouse, a keyboard, and a disk drive with data storage that could be removed and saved, it also introduced the idea of printing documents exactly as they were seen on the screen. The Xerox was the first personal computer with graphics and icons that could be understood and used easily by the general public. Unfortunately, the Xerox was not a commercial product, so it faded into history.
However, the Xerox was a huge stepping stone that led to the design and production of the IBM PC. This personal computer had a different marketing strategy than the Xerox did, so it became widely popular. Along with the IBM PC, the Macintosh and the Windows OS personal computer were introduced to society. The Macintosh was created by Steve Jobs, and the idea and setup for Microsoft was essentially stolen from Apple. Nonetheless, the Mac, the IBM PC, and Windows OS were all successful inventions that brought the idea of the personal computer to life. The Macintosh used an operating system that was only compatible with other Apple products, whereas the Windows software could be used by different types of personal computers. This caused increased popularity for Windows, but obviously as time went on, Apple began to take over. Today, people use all different types of personal computers and they have become an essential part of our daily lives. It is amazing that all we have today started with the inventions of the Xerox and other personal computer inventions.
After reading the Introduction of "Internet Art" and having the lecture in class, I first wanted to research Nam June Paik. We learned about him last semester in ART211, so I already have a general idea of what he does as an artist. He is known everywhere as the "father of video art", and his experiments in art fit one of the themes I picked up from "Internet Art". Artists are encouraged to break trends, try new things, make people stop and think "wow, I've never seen that before". That is exactly what Nam June Paik did.
In the mid-late 1900s, televisions were first coming out as a brand new invention that was considered a priviledge. They served the purpose of a broadcast station distributing information and entertainment to the general public. Nam June Paik transformed the TV from a simple machine into works of art. He dove into unexplored territory, which was using an electronic box as a canvas for his artistic expression. The two photos above show Paik's "Magnet TV" and "Electronic Superhighway". In the first piece, Paik made the statement that people have the ability to control television. Using a magnet, the artist is able to manipulate the image on the screen and create their own visual. In the second one, Paik sends the message that the television is taking over our country and becoming as prominent as highways in our society. People will soon use TVs just as much as they use transportation, and he actually used physical televisions to represent this idea.
In the documentary "Play It Again, Nam", Fargier describes Paik's artistic backgrounds in electroacoustic music and how he incorporated that into his art. Paik is an incredibly talented artist who combines different forms of art to create masterpieces. He was also the first to utilize the television in an artistic way, and that is what makes him the father of video art.
The next artist I researched was Yoko Ono. She is an incredible artist who has often been inspired by the Dada movement. Her most famous piece is the performance art called "Cut Piece. She performed this piece in Japan, in Paris, and in London, getting different results from the different cultures of people. The purpose of this piece is to experiment with the trust of people; will someone aggressively cut off all her clothe instantly or will they be respectful and try to keep her covered?
Similarly to Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono stretched the boundaries of art and its relationship to the artist. While Paik experimented this using televisions as a medium to communicate with the audience, Yoko Ono used a more raw, personal medium: her body. She isn't just painting a picture or doing another conventional type of art, she is showing that anything can be art. Like Marcel Duchamp used a urinal as a piece of art and raised controversy over whether that was even art, Yoko Ono is using her body as art and showing that anything can be artistic depending on interpretation. I think that is what "Internet Art" is talking about so far. Artists are meant to go above and beyond what society is used to; the break comfort zones and experiment to get new ideas into the minds of the public. Yoko Ono and Nam June Paik both did this in different ways, but they will always be remembered for the risks they took for their art.
Chapter 2 talked about the effect that different cultures, religions, and movements have on people's perceptions of other people. The quote that stood out to me about this was on page 13-14, "I am always and at once on the defensive, for example, when people speak of races and nations as if they were personalities and had souls and destinies and suchlike". Christopher Hitchens seems to be describing the tendency of the general public to label an entire culture of people as one thing. This relates to the idea of stereotypes, and how often people use them. I think Hitchens is justified in being skeptical of those that give an entire nation one personality or one soul. Someone who would do that must have a very skewed view of humanity to think that everyone of a certain race has the same soul and the same destiny. Every human has his own ideas, goals, and personality traits regardless of where they are from or what color their skin is. While culture and geographical location does help shape a person, the real essence of their being comes from within. A quote I found in chapter 3 seemed to sum up what Hitchens has been preaching throughout his book so far. On page 20, he says " There must be confrontation and opposition, in order that sparks may be kindled". Earlier on this same page, it describes that most humans don't want to live in a fantasy world where everything is perfect and there are no problems. Obviously this is impossible, as Hitchens describes, but this is not a life that most people want to live. As much as the idea of no war and no disease and no poverty sounds amazing, the truth is that without the dark, there can be no light. It relates to the idea of yin-and-yang. People need to suffer so that they may overcome that suffering and grow stronger. You can never truly appreciate the good things in life until you have experienced bad. If everything in the world was perfect, then perfect would simply become normal, and there would be nothing extraordinary.
