Art to Ponder this Weekend

This weekend I plan to explore the nature of power as depicted in art.  Join me if you like.

http://www.yangyongliang.com is the site of the artist who created the following image:

Via

The image above is actually a still from a 9 minute long video available here.  I really like the dysutopic feeling evoked in me by this work that depicts an endless series of buildings and new construction that blots out any green from the landscape.  Skip ahead to 6:20 into the video to see when it starts to get weird.  I see the beauty of this work.

I found the following image on a tumblr that should come with a warning:

[Insert warning image here]

If the guy in the photo above were in a video game, 

he would be one of bosses.

According to some, the black leather jacket is a symbol of power.  The EMP Museum is doing an exhibit on the black leather jacket.  Their website points to The Wild One as the origin of the rebellious nature of wearing a black leather jacket.  Here is the scene that made it famous:

Skip ahead to the 38 second to get the famous

exchange regarding rebellion

Also, here is a link to four online shorts that might be worth watching.

Since computing and using a computer is almost always on my mind, I wonder how art can influence the act of computing to a greater degree.  I spend a lot of time typing in Microsoft Word because it has a good spell  check function and the formatting options for printing to a single piece of standard sized 8.5" x 11" paper make sense to me.  What I would like is for smoke to rise on the screen as I type growing more intense as the words per minute count increases and for the smoke to curl and change colors when the computer senses that my punctuation and the length of my words are used correctly and with great complexity.  I would like visual feedback the way Guitar Hero provided feedback when one was on a streak of notes.  Smoke is, of course, only one example of the type of visual feedback I would like.  Growing trees, intertwining chains, mountains or all sorts of visuals overlaid on an opaque background.

Game for the Weekend
Here is a link to a free game that revolves around growing your power as an artist living in 19th Century Paris, which can be played online - no download required:

One of the first challenges of the game sends the player to his or her atelier!  Anyone who uses that word is cool with me.

Updated on March 18, 2013: I really like this game!  All I have managed to do in the game is get drunk on absinthe, plunge deep into debt and produce mainly sub-par artwork, which is probably what being an artist in the 19th Century was all about.  Still everyone I have told about this game gets a kick out of the concept.  The way I heard this game described is like Oregon Trail for the art world and that seems to me to be a very apt description.  Congratulations to the creator(s) of this gem!

Home Decor

Home Decor:
In my kitchen I have space above the built-in cabinets which is mostly empty. One of the people I live with found a black metal birdcage, which take up about 20%ish of the space available.  Here is a terribly grainy photo of the space:

Not the most inspiring thing to look at

I'm thinking about including one or more of the following to fill up the rest of the space:

• Large wooden letters spelling out "Create", "Dream", "Imagine", "Conquer" or something else.
• Chalkboard made of plywood covered in store bought chalkboard paint
• Vintage Scales
• Clear Glass Things
• Long slender oil painting and a clock next to it. 
• Graphic print fabric mounted on a board
• Pitchers
• Globe
• A row of books of the same color
• Small scale chairs or bikes in black metal 
• Vintage signage
• Wooden Boxes
• Large black and white photo

Portable Chalkboard Building Instructions:

• Cut a thin piece of plywood to fit inside a picture frame.  
• Paint one side of the plywood with chalkboard paint.
• Remove the glass from the frame and slip the homemade chalkboard inside.
• Enjoy your analog iPad.

Note: chalkboard paint - should be about $15 per quart.

If any internet denizens have strong feelings I will try to make it happen and will post photos of the results. I make no promises as I want to keep the costs of this project down to a minimum and will have to rely on what home improvement stores and thrift shops have to offer.


Perhaps I could use the extra chalkboard paint to create something similar to this:

With a magnet glued to the back it could hang on the fridge

Source: http://aestheticoutburst.blogspot.com/2011/03/20-in-20-giveaway-day-14.html

TL;DR: Just random thoughts on home decor and directions for making a portable chalkboard.