website links

portfolio site

behindthetype.com

behind the type process critique

http://www.stefanskicreations.com

Activity Paper: Deborah Aschheim’s presentation 10-26-11

Deborah’s presentation of her work was awesome! She first showed her piece titled “Neural Architecture.” Using hand-sewn bags, bath mats, bulbs, cord and other objects, Deborah created forms similar to what a nervous system looks like. The piece was in response to September 11^th, in which society became infused with surveillance and peoples’ every move was watched. Deborah posed the questions of what it means to be around machines and what it would look like if these machines grew a nervous system. Each installation was based around the five senses, where motion sensors were used to make the bulbs light up from human body temperature. She was interested in making the invisible visible as well as the interaction between people and machine. Through this, her work became art as research.

Next, she showed some drawings that were maps of her memories; everything from family members, friends, classmates, places and smells were mapped out. One drawing, People Who Are Interesting Because They Died, depicts people in Deborah’s life who died, drawn as red cells. The amazing thing as she showed these drawings was that some of the drawings were not labeled, and yet she could recite what each element represented, whether it was a certain person, feeling or place. The drawings were an exercise in showing what memory would physically look like; the theme of making the invisible visible comes up again.

We were shown a fascinating video of Deborah as a baby who is looking at herself in the mirror, capturing the very first moment that she learns of her own existence. Watching her reaction as her dad tells her that the person in the mirror is herself was quite interesting and the whole thing was profound on so many levels. I found it interesting that a machine was capturing this moment of existence and it ties in with Deborah’s interest between machine memory and human memory. They both can have the same memory, but are from completely different perspectives; one is artificial, factual, and indifferent. The other is emotional, lively and conscious.

Deborah talked about her work as autobiographical, but yet the work reminds people of their own memories rather than them focusing on her own feelings. Before she had said this, the very same thing happened to me. As I looked at her work, I kept thinking about my own life and how my memories would look as if they were on her drawings. The amazing thing about Deborah’s work is it not only makes a connection between her and other people, the idea of memory is something that everyone can relate to, thereby connecting all of us. Her work is not just an extension of herself, but also an extension of us, as if everyone was a part of it. This characteristic in art is extremely rare and difficult to pull off successfully and Deborah does this very well.

The theme of memory and memories lost or obscured is a fascinating topic for me. I am a nostalgic person at heart; I am always reminiscing about the good times in the past and remembering moments from my childhood. It is important for me to reflect on my memories because they help me grow into a better person and help me get through life’s difficulties. Deborah Aschheim’s work is a powerful reminder of the importance of memory for me and I am really glad I went to her presentation.

homework site

http://www.stefanskicreations.com

Against the Machine Chap. 5

Lee Siegel brings up some good points in this chapter. He discusses originality, how it comes from the inside-out based upon how someone reacts and responds to the environment around them. He does contradict himself however; in one sentence Siegel says that originality is impossible because we are overwhelmingly influenced by the environment and by others. He also wonders why anyone would want to take the risk of doing something original. Then, he goes on to explain that originality is an essential part of pop culture, and gives examples of originality from Elvis’ pelvis thrusting to Keith Jarrett’s piano playing style. If originality is impossible, how can he talk about it as if it exists? It left me scratching my head a bit.

The point about American Idol and how it goes against originality is a good one. The contestants sing other peoples songs, they are packaged and presented in predetermined ways and their fate rests in the hands of voters. It is a glorified popularity contest where the winner does not win solely based upon level of talent. Siegel makes an excellent point when he says that what makes American Idol unique is that it fuses privacy with publicity and exposes them for the world to see. This ties in with earlier points about how the Internet has made privacy public. Whether it is YouTube, social media sites or reality television, things that are probably left behind closed doors are put on a digital pedestal on display for all of us to see.

Siegel also brings up television shows and how actors are no longer characters who are disconnected entities from the viewer. Because of the Internet, viewer interaction via websites of television shows allows them to become part of the show, changing outcomes and participating in situations. In essence, they become the character and play a part in the narrative. Not only has the Internet drastically changed the way we view entertainment, but it also changes how we receive our news and what kind of news we want to receive, all because of user interaction and customization.

Behind the Type pages

The images on the home page and history page will be animated slide shows of various ancient writing/inscriptions. For the A page and every other letter page, the plan is to have an animation in the lower right section of the page showing how each letter evolved, starting with their original form in the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet, through the Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan and Roman alphabets. The idea is to do something like a shape tween in Flash so each form morphs into the next, showing the evolution of each letterform. If I can't get that to work, I will probably just do an animated slideshow showing each form. In addition, the words on the A page (man, primal energy, strength, etc...) are derivative meanings for the letter that were attributed to it throughout history. I plan to do this for each letter, but can't decide which type to use, Arial (man, primal energy, strength are in Arial) or Sujeta, the type used for the big red A and for my logo.

home page

letter A page (in progress)

the history page

Behind the Type Revised

Stuck making a "contemporary" navigation bar, could use some suggestions! The letters on the lower left will be gone and I want to put a slide show of images of various ancient inscriptions and writing

Behind the Type Revised Identity & Homepage

identity

homepage

Behind the Type

home page mock up


identity

inspiration

Chap. 4 Response

What would the future look like if it only consisted of the Internet, as Douglas Rushkoff suggests? Probably not much different than today. People would still use it to connect to one another, they would still use it to go shopping or pay bills, or catch up on the latest news. The way in which people do these things might evolve, but the primary activities that people do on the Internet would remain the same.

I’m having trouble figuring out what is meant by Web “culture.” I have yet to see how Lee Siegel defines it. Is this culture defined by the web sites that are visited? Is it a present day society where people spend more time online than any other activity?  Is it a new generation that doesn’t know what its like to live in a world without the World Wide Web? I find it hard to be able to explain how Web culture has been shaped when it isn’t really clear what that culture is. When Siegel says things like “Web culture, as it exists today, has been shaped by some of slickest, most utilitarian forces in the larger culture,” it doesn’t make much sense as he doesn’t expound on what he means. How does web culture exist today? How is it being shaped, and who are these slick, utilitarian forces in the larger culture? It just comes across like a general statement where the author fails to convince the reader. When reading a book like this, I want to be convinced of what the author is trying to say, not just reading conjecture.

I fail to see how the Internet “plays to the lowest common denominator of youth.” Is he referring to sites like YouTube where people do stupid stunts and post videos of it? I’ve seen plenty of videos like that with adults in them, so does the net play to the lowest common denominator of adults too? While I do agree with Siegel that success is typically determined by popularity, I find it a bit offensive when he says that a person who seeks popularity is the most basic kind of human. If popularity equals success, then wanting to become successful sounds like an ambitious person in my opinion.

Proposal, Research Summary & Site Map

behindthetype

Chap. 3 Response

"The user is the content." This concept is rampant in today's world, not just through the Internet, but also in design, especially through technology. Everyday you see ads on TV that focus on the consumer as content. One that comes to mind is Microsoft's Windows 7 ads where they show different people saying "Windows 7 was my idea," or "I'm so-and-so and I'm a PC." Commercials urge the consumer to go to a website and upload a video of themselves or post their thoughts, essentially making them the content. The Internet, as Siegel has pointed out, has most definitely turned consumers into producers. YouTube is the online mecca for producing content, useful or otherwise. If you want to know how to do something, say how to make a rubber mold sculpture, there are tons of instructional videos that will teach you. Instead of just buying things, people can now produce them and perhaps sell them on ebay. This certainly reinforces the idea that economics is the driving force behind the Internet; it seems like everything you see online can make money in some shape or form.

Siegel brings up an interesting point. When people are online, they are focused on the task at hand. On ebay, shoppers are engaged in a shopping experience that forces them to pay attention and not let the mind wander. It is much different than shopping at a retail store where there are many things that can be distracting. The "vivid colors and colorful choices" of ebay that Siegel describes is interesting because the design gives the appearance that someone is playing a game or that the ebay experience is leisurely. But in reality, it is anything but. People aren't really shopping, they are performing functions on a website that are controlled by its designers. We look up an item, browse through the available listings, then bid on them in hopes of winning. There is no human interaction, nor is there any interaction with the items we want to buy. We cannot pick it up, feel it, try it out. Instead, we rely on a description typed up by a complete stranger and on static images. When you think about it, it doesn't sound like a fun shopping experience, but somehow it tends to be wildly addicting.

project proposal

My website will be called behindthetype.com, which will be an informational website that explores the history and origins of the alphabet and letterforms. The purpose is go beyond typography and its history and look at where our letters came from. An understanding of why letters look the way they do could give designers a deeper understanding and appreciation for the art of typography. The site will have images that show the different forms of letters, from their beginnings of glyphs, through the Roman and Greek alphabets, to their current form today. I want to experiment with typographic design, presenting the content in a visually stimulating manner so that the content is not so static.

Against the Machine Chap. 2 Response

This chapter is all over the place and it is hard to grasp the point Lee Siegel is trying to get across. He begins talking about Bill Gates' view of the Internet in economic terms, then goes on to discuss pornography and then about certain people's beliefs about the future of commerce. One of the main points I was able to deduce was the idea that because of the Internet, what once was personal and intimate is now public and exposed. In this day and age, there is no privacy; anything you do can end up on Facebook or YouTube for the world to see without you even knowing about it. It is a pretty scary thought. In terms of economics, the Internet has certainly changed the way people do business. It has made commerce much more convenient, accessible and wide spread. For better or worse, the Web has allowed people to create more businesses than ever before. Just about any idea can be transformed into a form of business online, whether it be a porn site, online community for swingers, or the next greatest social network.

The most interesting idea from this chapter is the one about "packaging interiority." This entails producing private thoughts and generating income through them. This is an example of how the Internet has broken the barrier between the private and public. Although the Internet has allowed this to increase exponentially, this idea of packaging interiority would still continue; an example of this would be something like phone sex operators. I don't think the Web has reshaped how people make money off their private thoughts, but it has certainly made it more accessible.

link to domain

http://www.stefanskicreations.com

Websites

Not sure if these are "inspiring" per se, but here are two of my favorite sites that I visit daily due to their content:

http://www.sott.net/

Like the heading says, Signs of the Times is a site for people who think. It contains various content including current events, politics, science, archaeology and various other topics. It is not a biased media outlet; the articles posted on the site discuss many things that are not shown by the media. Some of the material could be viewed as conspiracy theorist, but all of the content is backed by compelling evidence, not speculation that someone just made up.

http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/

This site is my one stop shop for music needs. It posts the latest news on bands, concert info, album releases, etc... You can listen to some songs before they are released as singles and you can vote on your favorites which are then kept on the top 20 singles list. It is also a good place to listen to music from bands that are not well known who are unsigned to a label. The site also has album reviews which are generally pretty good and you can buy the music from the site's store. There are also interviews that you can listen to that are very enjoyable.

Against the Machine Chap. 1 Response

The beginning of the chapter reminded me of a couple weeks ago, when I met a client at a Starbucks and I remember looking around noticing that almost every person inside was busy with a laptop. I remember looking over to see three people sitting next to each other, all looking at their computers and I thought how funny it was where a place of "social interaction" became a place of isolation. I agree with the author that the Internet has cut us off socially and psychologically from others. The invention of forums and chat rooms, while they are useful in communicating with people from across the country and around the globe, have created a social barrier between people. Typing out thoughts, feelings and ideas isn't the same as being in the same room with people. Those clever acronyms that everyone loves to use, you know, like LOL, WTF?, OMG! are the closest thing to human emotion as you're going to experience over the internet. The net is not very socially engaging when sitting in front of a screen that acts as a barrier that shields or deflects humanity.

The author brings up an interesting thought: "The sudden onset of Web culture is really a dramatic turn in the timeless question of what it means to be a human being (pg.18)." I think it can also be said that Web culture can transform the notion of identity and the self. The internet allows people to create their own identity, one that is completely different than who they really are. If I want to be a six foot, two-hundred pound rockstar with bulging biceps and a rock-hard eight pack, then I can be. The computer screen can hide our most unflattering features, masking our identity. It can transform our notion of the self so much that we might actually start to believe in our created identities. And if that is the case, what does it mean to be a human being? When we interact with others over the internet, are we really interacting? Is the person who they say they are? Do bitmaps and pixels determine who we are as people? These are just some of the thoughts that ran through my mind as I read the chapter. I love the internet and the convenience it provides, but I wonder: what kind of people would we be if there was no internet. Would we live in a less violent society, would we appreciate our family and friends more, would the lack of a computer screen enrich the social interactions that we have? Lee Siegel's book raises some interesting questions.