metablog

Is taking a picture of yourself everyday for 8, 10, or 20 years really becoming a discipline or a genre? As we know, the true litmus test for these kinds of things is The Simpsons, our cultural barometer.

Karl Baden teaches photography at Boston College, and has been taking his own photo for 20 years. He says “the idea, basically, is to take all the variables, except one [the passage of time], and turn them into constants…I try not to change physically. I don’t grow a mustache or beard. I pretty much cut my hair the same way.” However, his project is a photo installation, not a video.

Since Ahree Lee posted her video on YouTube, we have seen a growing trend of self-portrait movies, or video portraits. Artists, voyeurs, self-obsessed, or simply curious, people are taking pictures of themselves simply because they can.

While not a self-portrait, Luke Dubois’ awesome video piece, Playboy, depicts change over time in a more dramatic fashion. He shows different playboy models over a span of 50 year. Using max/msp, he manages to place their eyes in the same place, much like Lee does.

Related Links:
A New York Times article on this trend includes links to other artists and shows working with this idea

Noah Kalina‘s blog – the artist The Simpsons parodied.
The music in the piece is by Carly Comando, which Simpsons producers did not compensate. Sounds like a case of copy-WRONG to me.

The original video that was parodied on YouTube.

John Keller, another “video portrait artist” includes a list of similar projects on his site. John has photographed himself for 8 years, 2 more than Noah and 6 more than Lee.

As of this writing, these projects are still works in progress.

I’ll soon be working on a multi-screen project. This is some of my inspiration from Dan Shiffman.

Run Lola Run Lola Run Lola Run Lola Run from shiffman and Vimeo.
(see the homesite: shiffman.net

Beautiful Particles:

Multi-Screen Video Particles from shiffman and Vimeo

or is it the other way around? She made a book, and THIS SITE to promote it. For those that don’t know, Miranda July is an interesting person (most of us are). But the difference is: she has a history of making interesting things (see the site: learning to love you more).

I know Edward Tufte as a map guy. Cartographer. Cartography. I guess he also does data-visualisation and informatics, though, I do not really know what that is…

Either way, this sounds pretty interesting. A 1-day course AND you get 4 books (worth about $200).

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses

fundamental strategies of information design
evaluating evidence used in presentations
statistical data: tables, graphics, and semi-graphics
business, scientific, legal, financial presentations
complexity and clarity
effective presentations: on paper and in person
use of video, overheads, computers, and handouts
multi-media, internet, and websites
credibility of presentations
design of information displays in public spaces
animation and scientific visualizations
design of computer interfaces and manuals

Has anyone had personal encounters? Should I read anything before hand?

From the site
A ficlet is a short story that enables you to collaborate with the world.


Once you’ve written and shared your ficlet, any other user can pick up the narrative thread by adding a prequel or sequel. In this manner, you may know where the story begins, but you’ll never guess where (or even if!) it ends.

ficlets are shorter than short stories. Well, no, actually, they are short stories, but they’re really short stories. Really short, as in there’s not a maximum word count … there’s actually a maximum character count (1,024). There is also a minimum character count, and the number of that beast is 64.

From the site: Interactive Architecture.org

Friday 7pm Jan. 26
EyeBeam, 540 W 21st Street, New York.
Organised by Ruairi Glynn of www.interactivearchitecture.org , Eyebeam is pleased to co-host, with the Bartlett School of Architecture, an evening of presentations on Interactive Architecture. Presenters will include Phil Ayres of Sixteen Makers, Eyebeam residents Carmen Trudell and Jennifer Broutin, Marek Walczak of MW2MW and David Benjamin and Soo-in Yang of the NYC architecture firm, The Living. Presenters will discuss their work for 15 minutes followed by a panel discussion moderated by Professor Stephen Gage of the Bartlett with a reception from 9-10pm. This event is open to the public free of charge with a suggested donation. This evening symposium will be the culmination of a two day “work in progress” International Jury held at Eyebeam between final year students of the Bartlett’s Interactive Architecture Workshop, and Parsons The New School of Design. The Interactive Architecture Workshop would like to thank the Stuart Murphy Travel Award Trustees for their generous sponsorship

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In the growing field of ubiquitous computing, and interactive screens comes interactive architecture.

A growing field in which architecture, theory, and technology come together to build new buildings. Yet, i am still working in the old paradigm of buildings.

What if buildings were invisible? Ubiquitous, but invisible.
I know I will be there with a great amount of hopefulness that interactive architecture can move Deleuze into the realm of a world-wide real-world practice.

Ah- one can dream.

when things begin to interact, we begin to see more people. i think they call it animism – when things take on spiritual qualities. a traffic light feels sorry for holding everyone up. personally, i think NYC is already too crowded. do we need more things that are people? if those people are nice, then why not?

For more info, see ::
Lev Manovich’s Augmented Spaces
Tom Igoe’s Networked Objects
Julian Bleecker’s Internet of Things