Swetha Kannan- LookingOutwards – 1

The project Listening to the Ocean on a Shore of Gypsum Sand is a collaboration between Gene Kogan, Phillip Stearns, and Dan Tesene. By using a software they themselves had created they were able to make interesting forms of shells as digital models and then print them. These shells were created for the purpose of hearing ocean waves and to me, that feels really poetic and inspirational when you think of all this work being put in for such a simplistic and humble goal. The shells themselves are also very beautiful and look organic just as the artist probably intended. However, it also looks as if some of the shells that they made were obviously fake and made digitally. If these shells could look more organic, then I feel as if the overall project can be strengthened much more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykmBWptOaGc&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL6C1909B96FB79A2A

This video shows a project by Daniel Rozin entitled ‘snow ‘mirrors’. Initially, I did not like this project because of how slow and static it seemed (when you thick of technical media you think of fast pace progression). It sort of irked me a bit when I saw that the audience were posing absolutely still in order to be able to interact with the piece. However, as I learned more about the project I was surprised to find that I came to appreciate it since the artist had based all of his concepts upon the ideas of monochrome, sedate, slow, etc. I believe he was trying to capture that same feeling in nature after the first snow fall when everything is silent and it feels as if the whole world is resting under a sheet of white pure virgin snow. I came to appreciate the more organic concepts of this piece.

 

Yuri Suzuki’s “Color Chaser” is an art piece that I really admire yet could have been much better with a simple change. It incorporates a lot of the elements of play, interaction, community, and fun that I like seeing in art. The small machine that Suzuki created is made from old records and can follow the path of color in front of it while simultaneously turning this color into music. In a way, it presents the audience with an opportunity to listen to color; the audience is encouraged to draw more and more paths for the machine to follow. I love how beautiful the pictures the audience ends up drawing can be; they are full of color and are reminiscent of childhood play. However, the machine itself looks to me like an electric sharpener of some sort. If Suzuki had put more effort into making the appearance of the box more colorful and inviting, then perhaps it would have hinted more at it’s purpose and remained as vibrant and powerful even when it was not in use.