Hey people. Here's what's up:
Meetings:
Meetings will commence again when we start having work to show. I think that I have made everyone nervous with my lofty expectations and visions of elaborate projects, etc. As soon as we find an affordable format (size), then that along with colors and theme will be the only guidelines for content. That should make things earlier.
Printing:
I've been trying to get to the bottom of this printing thing. The format we had previously thought was awesome (tabloid-sized newsprint) is a bit out of price range. Do not panic! We will find a solution.
After getting some quotes from printers, I wondered if just buying a press for less than the first run would cost was a feasible option. I searched craigslist, I searched Google. I searched Facebook even. I found some good options. So I think that's what I'm going to try and do: buy a small-format, one-color, offset press. I've found a couple options in the $300 range not terribly far away and a local one that could go for cheaper but require some repair. I'll keep you guys updated but this could be a major breakthrough in our funding of future issues and printing fun.
I'm looking at a press tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Collaboration Quote
I know that our topic is space, but I still wanted to write a bit about collaboration. I finally have a bit of time now that my senior project is done. I'll start with a quote that I like:
"It marks a big step in a man's development when he comes to realize that others can be called in to help him do a better job than he can do alone."
- Andrew Carnegie
"It marks a big step in a man's development when he comes to realize that others can be called in to help him do a better job than he can do alone."
- Andrew Carnegie
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Space
Here's what I've been thinking about concerning space (besides those auto-tune videos I posted earlier):
1. Space as the distance between A and B:
These "sound objects" were made using this and one of these.. I know not all of them use distance as a factor (okay, only the bottle-cap one does) but think about things that change based on how far away something is from another thing. That is space
FINE COLLECTION OF CURIOUS SOUND OBJECTS from Georg Reil on Vimeo.
Space is part part of an unavoidable systematic framework for organizing our experiences (Kant) but it's the invisible part. This specific demonstration makes the invisible audible, and even though it mixes senses there is something interesting about trying to make the invisible space something more perceivable to human bodies. It's magic!
Have you read the wikipedia article on space yet? It will make you think.
2. outer space
Biosphere 2 was built in 1991 to serve as a model for a human colony on the moon or Mars. It was bankrolled by Texan/oil tycoon Edward P Bass and John Allen, aka Johnny Dolphin—a "new age visionary" with a Harvard MBA. It was named after the original Biosphere: Earth. Biosphere means sphere in which life survives.
Biosphere 2 has seven distinct biomes: human habitat, tropical rainforest, desert, savanna, marsh, and a million-gallon ocean. And before being locked in, four men and four women traveled the world to collect 3,800 plant and animal species, to inhabit the biosphere with them
To make a long story short, their first of two years started with El Niño clouds caused reduced sunshine, which slowed photosynthesis in the Biosphere's oxygen-generating plants. When hummingbirds and bees started to die, plants were not pollinated and expected crops failed. The pigs invaded the vegetable garden, until they too died. Mr Allen's friend William S. Burroughs suggested that they take a little monkey called a galagos that screeched through the night during the famine, causing the participants to loose sleep. The chickens laid only 256 eggs in the first year, and only produced more when they were fed cockroaches, which had become ubiquitous.
All the participants lost a bunch of weight, and there was so little oxygen in the biosphere that they had a hard time just completing the day's tasks. (Oxygen was eventually secretly pumped into the biosphere, which ended up tarnishing the whole project's credibility). Jane Goodall visited to observe the inhabitants on the experiment's first anniversary. She saw them hoarding food and noticed that they had split into two separate camps due to feud. They wouldn't even watch their televisions because they couldn't bear the McDonald's commercials.
After the first disaster, they tried again but ended it after 6 months.
I originally read about it in a book from 2000 that said that it was up for sale and I pictured it in ruins—a creepy old building with lemurs and cacti and sharks all just surviving without the humans.. but it is now owned by some ranchers. I can only assume that they're using it to test GMO's resilience to pesticides and lemurs, but apparently they do have tours and there is a whole book out that was written by one of the guinea pigs involved in Experiment 1. It's in AZ, should we go?!?!
View Larger Map
Just that they tried to simulate what (they thought) life in outer space was like by putting everything that they knew was important on earth in the same space, and then everyone starved (el niño's fault or not) and lack of space became a major issue. What Kant said is right: that space and time are not discovered by humans to be objective features of the world, but are part of an unavoidable systematic framework for organizing our experiences. It's hard for humans to grasp the importance of something that is "just the absence of something" but it makes all the difference. Something you don't know is there until you don't have any left.
Come to the meeting tonight. I talked to the printer, and have a lot to talk about with you guys about the project. See you soon!
1. Space as the distance between A and B:
These "sound objects" were made using this and one of these.. I know not all of them use distance as a factor (okay, only the bottle-cap one does) but think about things that change based on how far away something is from another thing. That is space
FINE COLLECTION OF CURIOUS SOUND OBJECTS from Georg Reil on Vimeo.
Space is part part of an unavoidable systematic framework for organizing our experiences (Kant) but it's the invisible part. This specific demonstration makes the invisible audible, and even though it mixes senses there is something interesting about trying to make the invisible space something more perceivable to human bodies. It's magic!
Have you read the wikipedia article on space yet? It will make you think.
2. outer space
Biosphere 2 was built in 1991 to serve as a model for a human colony on the moon or Mars. It was bankrolled by Texan/oil tycoon Edward P Bass and John Allen, aka Johnny Dolphin—a "new age visionary" with a Harvard MBA. It was named after the original Biosphere: Earth. Biosphere means sphere in which life survives.
Biosphere 2 has seven distinct biomes: human habitat, tropical rainforest, desert, savanna, marsh, and a million-gallon ocean. And before being locked in, four men and four women traveled the world to collect 3,800 plant and animal species, to inhabit the biosphere with them
To make a long story short, their first of two years started with El Niño clouds caused reduced sunshine, which slowed photosynthesis in the Biosphere's oxygen-generating plants. When hummingbirds and bees started to die, plants were not pollinated and expected crops failed. The pigs invaded the vegetable garden, until they too died. Mr Allen's friend William S. Burroughs suggested that they take a little monkey called a galagos that screeched through the night during the famine, causing the participants to loose sleep. The chickens laid only 256 eggs in the first year, and only produced more when they were fed cockroaches, which had become ubiquitous.
All the participants lost a bunch of weight, and there was so little oxygen in the biosphere that they had a hard time just completing the day's tasks. (Oxygen was eventually secretly pumped into the biosphere, which ended up tarnishing the whole project's credibility). Jane Goodall visited to observe the inhabitants on the experiment's first anniversary. She saw them hoarding food and noticed that they had split into two separate camps due to feud. They wouldn't even watch their televisions because they couldn't bear the McDonald's commercials.
After the first disaster, they tried again but ended it after 6 months.
I originally read about it in a book from 2000 that said that it was up for sale and I pictured it in ruins—a creepy old building with lemurs and cacti and sharks all just surviving without the humans.. but it is now owned by some ranchers. I can only assume that they're using it to test GMO's resilience to pesticides and lemurs, but apparently they do have tours and there is a whole book out that was written by one of the guinea pigs involved in Experiment 1. It's in AZ, should we go?!?!
View Larger Map
Just that they tried to simulate what (they thought) life in outer space was like by putting everything that they knew was important on earth in the same space, and then everyone starved (el niño's fault or not) and lack of space became a major issue. What Kant said is right: that space and time are not discovered by humans to be objective features of the world, but are part of an unavoidable systematic framework for organizing our experiences. It's hard for humans to grasp the importance of something that is "just the absence of something" but it makes all the difference. Something you don't know is there until you don't have any left.
Come to the meeting tonight. I talked to the printer, and have a lot to talk about with you guys about the project. See you soon!
Monday, April 11, 2011
a lot of interrobangs
I made a bunch of interrobangs. (the animated gif wouldn't upload.) If anyone can think of any use for them for anything I can send you the files or something. Street art/advertising? Or maybe you want an interrobang in a different style to go along with your piece? I could do that.
Great Inspiration
http://nozine.com/index.html
I think this is great and could serve as inspiration for how we could put all of our collaborations into a really cohesive zine. It looks awesome and I feel like it's aim is really similar to what we're going for.
I think this is great and could serve as inspiration for how we could put all of our collaborations into a really cohesive zine. It looks awesome and I feel like it's aim is really similar to what we're going for.
Friday, April 8, 2011
NOT SO MUCH SPACE, BUT COLLABORATION + THE STRANGER
Next time you want to watch a documentary, I have a couple along ‽ lines.
Here are their trailers:
On Collaboration: Pixar is an awesome example of great collabos. John Lasseter describes its greatness, "Art challenges technology; technology inspires art."
On The Stranger: Apparently this Vik guy is renowned but I'd never heard of him. If you have to pick one doc, choose this one for sure; it's really well-done. It reminds me of the "giving back" theme from a certain group show a while back.
Here are their trailers:
On Collaboration: Pixar is an awesome example of great collabos. John Lasseter describes its greatness, "Art challenges technology; technology inspires art."
On The Stranger: Apparently this Vik guy is renowned but I'd never heard of him. If you have to pick one doc, choose this one for sure; it's really well-done. It reminds me of the "giving back" theme from a certain group show a while back.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
minutes from the last meeting
What happened on Wednesday was exciting. We made some changes to and clarified what was currently happening which will hopefully spark some participation into most of you and get this thing rolling in the right direction. Several things were decided:
1) the topic was confusing to a lot of people, so we changed it. Collaborating about collaborating had a confusing infinity hold on most of us and we decided changing the topic would help people out. The topic is now "space"
2) we looked at a lot of formats and existing magazines that helped us get a better feel for the format and materials we're using. I will be calling some presses around and getting ballpark estimates for what we want to/can do. For all you motionographers (moceanographers?), we will find a way to mix moving media into the publication as well, DVDs and websites are going to happen, as well as an iPad version (thanks to our newest members).
3) i am trying to figure out the best way to get a list of skill-sets put together, so we will have ready-access to exactly what resources we have at our disposal. Look for that soon!
4) this was decided prior to the meeting, but we are going to start the every-other-week meeting schedule. That puts our next meeting on the 6th of April. Plan ahead. We can get yogurtland afterwards.
5) think of a great group project you want to do. I'm going to start designing a mural/urban art piece. to paint on something.
The excitement level seems high for almost everyone I talk to, so I'm really excited about what is coming. Let's keep using the blog between meetings so that our physical meetings will be productive and focused. Post anything: thoughts, feelings, ideas, random stuff—just keep posting!
Also, my BFA show is up in the HFAC. Go see it and come to the reception on the 30th at 7:00pm.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Exquisite Corpse concept
Julia Rothman is a fave of mine; she headed up this book.
I had no idea, but The Exquisite Corpse game (A piece of paper is folded into three parts. Each participant draws a different section of a body (head, torso, legs), but doesn’t let the other artists see what they have created. The big reveal comes when the piece of paper is unfolded and everyone gets to see the “corpse” they’ve created.) was invented by the Surrealists at the turn of the century...
Seems like this concept is used a lot.
ACCORDION FOLDS are classic.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Voltaire
"Twenty-volume folios will never make a revolution. It is the little pocket pamphlets of thirty sous that are to be feared."
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
attn: people
1) We're getting a lot of random lurkers looking for traffic to their blogs (I would do anything to rid the internet of SEO) so I think we should make this private, or I'll figure out how to moderate comments or something.
2) The next meeting will be next wednesday, the 23rd of March. I am really sorry about the delay in meetings, but my BFA show is going up this weekend and I've been out of town a lot (I would do anything to rid myself of procrastination) so we've had too long of a hiatus. My fault, but I'll make it up to you.
At that meeting we're going to reflect on ideas mentioned on the blog/facebook, talk about more stuff, plan a big team-building activity, and get things done! More instruction for the meeting to come. Can't Wait!!!!!!
2) The next meeting will be next wednesday, the 23rd of March. I am really sorry about the delay in meetings, but my BFA show is going up this weekend and I've been out of town a lot (I would do anything to rid myself of procrastination) so we've had too long of a hiatus. My fault, but I'll make it up to you.
At that meeting we're going to reflect on ideas mentioned on the blog/facebook, talk about more stuff, plan a big team-building activity, and get things done! More instruction for the meeting to come. Can't Wait!!!!!!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
and example w/strangers
This looks like it was fun for everyone involved, and there were so many skill-sets utilized! (I would embed it if I could, I promise):
http://www.commarts.com/interactive/cai11/video/bludot-vid.html
World: has problem
Person: thinks of experiment
Architect: designs sweet chair
Friend: loans rapist-van
Graphic Designer: makes fake logo-magnet-disguise
Cartographer: decides where to drop chairs
Photographer: films
Stranger: picks up free chair
Nerd: make GPS tilt-switch (smart!)
Technology: tracks person home
Interviewer: conducts interview
Photographer: films interview
Stranger: provides interesting insight, etc.
Stranger: gets free chair
All: uplifted
How can we get that stranger involved?
http://www.commarts.com/interactive/cai11/video/bludot-vid.html
World: has problem
Person: thinks of experiment
Architect: designs sweet chair
Friend: loans rapist-van
Graphic Designer: makes fake logo-magnet-disguise
Cartographer: decides where to drop chairs
Photographer: films
Stranger: picks up free chair
Nerd: make GPS tilt-switch (smart!)
Technology: tracks person home
Interviewer: conducts interview
Photographer: films interview
Stranger: provides interesting insight, etc.
Stranger: gets free chair
All: uplifted
How can we get that stranger involved?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Example and Resource
Just browsing the interweb and I saw some famous people collaborating: A studio is doing a project "centered on the theme of collaboration" for the next ten months. One person writes an article, one then designs a poster. It is similar to what Austin shared earlier. Wish they had done more already but you can read about their project here and see the one they've done here.
Also, I just happened upon an account to lynda.com. They teach you stuff about computer programs. Let me know if it would be useful for you to use, and I'll pass you the magic words.
I like that people other than me and my little sisters are posting on the blog!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
If this is my day of harvest, in what fields have I sown my seeds?
Friends,
Here are links to two of my favorite ideas...
Guerrilla Art
and
Guerrilla Gardening
The love child of these two....
MOSS GRAFFITI
Here's a recipe for moss graffiti. Let me know if you're interested....because I am.
Here are links to two of my favorite ideas...
Guerrilla Art
and
Guerrilla Gardening
The love child of these two....
MOSS GRAFFITI
Here's a recipe for moss graffiti. Let me know if you're interested....because I am.
Friday, March 4, 2011
A blog I like
All of you are probably much more into the blogging scene, but this is a blog I enjoy, and a particular quote I loved....A COLLECTION OF
fun essay game
DEAR EVERYBODY: i want to write (coordinate) a collaborative essay on collaboration. i don't want to spoil my whole idea by telling you everything about it, but i want everyone to email me at least one paragraph based (loosely or tightly) on the theme. then i will do something will all of it that may or may not work. but it seems pretty exciting in my brain right now. email your paragraph to austinroryhackett@gmail.com and put the subject as "fun essay game." do it right now before you forget. it doesn't even have to be clever or well-written cuz i'm gonna slice it up anyways. it can also be a very short story. ok thanks. xoxo ♥ ♥ ♥
here's a literary magazine that exclusively uses collaboration. writers submit poetry and then artists create something based on (and to accompany) the poetry.
wrong = right
Ira Glass on the importance of being wrong:
"One of the reasons I was interested in doing this interview is because I feel like being wrong is really important to doing decent work. To do any kind of creative work well, you have to run at stuff knowing that it’s usually going to fail. You have to take that into account and you have to make peace with it. We spend a lot of money and time on stuff that goes nowhere. It’s not unusual for us to go through 25 or 30 ideas and then go into production on eight or 10 and then kill everything but three or four. In my experience, most stuff that you start is mediocre for a really long time before it actually gets good. And you can’t tell if it’s going to be good until you’re really late in the process. So the only thing you can do is have faith that if you do enough stuff, something will turn out great and really surprise you."
I ripped this from an anonymous design crush's bloggins. I like his insight:
"I love the idea of inexperience — the idea that you can develop a skill set that transcends any formal discipline, and move from project to project as both an experienced problem solver, but also a complete rookie in that realm. There are so many aspects of a successful idea that are just unmasterable..."
I love this idea too. I think inexperience is one of the most unique things we have, because where did it come from? It isn't learned. It isn't gained. It's a non-thing (or no-thing), a void. If we can somehow accept inexperience as a way to approach things (which I think coincides with embracing failure) then we might embark on some new frontiers.
(thanks keenan)
⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫
Another thing, Wikipedia (the ultimate freesource) has taught me a lot about collaboration. Read at least the opening few paragraphs. It says in here that collaboration is "a deep collective, determination to reach an identical objective—for example an intruiging [sic] endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus." Beautiful.
"One of the reasons I was interested in doing this interview is because I feel like being wrong is really important to doing decent work. To do any kind of creative work well, you have to run at stuff knowing that it’s usually going to fail. You have to take that into account and you have to make peace with it. We spend a lot of money and time on stuff that goes nowhere. It’s not unusual for us to go through 25 or 30 ideas and then go into production on eight or 10 and then kill everything but three or four. In my experience, most stuff that you start is mediocre for a really long time before it actually gets good. And you can’t tell if it’s going to be good until you’re really late in the process. So the only thing you can do is have faith that if you do enough stuff, something will turn out great and really surprise you."
I ripped this from an anonymous design crush's bloggins. I like his insight:
"I love the idea of inexperience — the idea that you can develop a skill set that transcends any formal discipline, and move from project to project as both an experienced problem solver, but also a complete rookie in that realm. There are so many aspects of a successful idea that are just unmasterable..."
I love this idea too. I think inexperience is one of the most unique things we have, because where did it come from? It isn't learned. It isn't gained. It's a non-thing (or no-thing), a void. If we can somehow accept inexperience as a way to approach things (which I think coincides with embracing failure) then we might embark on some new frontiers.
(thanks keenan)
⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫⸪⸫
Another thing, Wikipedia (the ultimate freesource) has taught me a lot about collaboration. Read at least the opening few paragraphs. It says in here that collaboration is "a deep collective, determination to reach an identical objective—for example an intruiging [sic] endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus." Beautiful.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Just a Thought...
So, I'm definitely not the most creative in this group, but I did have a small idea (better developed with help from Kev and Ana) for a possibly on-going feature in the magazine. I thought there could be a "Top 25 Collaborations" article in each issue spotlighting some of the best collaborations that have taken place throughout the past 50 years or so (the details are still in the works). Kev and Ana helped me think up a few and we decided that to make it easier to more fully highlight the best collaborations in various areas, each month could have a different theme (like politics, fashion, music, etc.). This is where I need help, anyone who wants to suggest a theme or a "collaboration" that they think should be spotlighted, please let me, Ana, or Kev know, or if you would just like to plain help us out, we would love it!! Leave a comment or send me an email with any thoughts.
allison.pinegar@gmail.com
allison.pinegar@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Help
I'm kind of feeling like this:
I was raised up believing
I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes
Unique in each way you can see.
And now after some thinking
I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery
Serving some thing beyond me.
But I don't I don't know what that will be.
I'll get back to you someday
Soon you will see.
(Helplessness Blues, verse 1, Fleet Foxes)
I want to collaborate, but I don't know where to start.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Some Resources
Hey guys. It seems like everyone is a little blog-shy. Don't be.
I just wanted to share some resources that others might find helpful.
aaaaarg.org is a site that has tons of scanned papers and pamphlets and books on topics like feminism, anarchy, and monkeywrenching. It's free to join, and free to access material once you're a member.
inventables.com has cool experimental materials that I never thought existed, and you can buy samples of it (sometimes for cheap). Things like glow-in-the-dark thread, heat-sensitive tiles, and LED fabric.
instructables.com is a site that has really cool DIY projects on there, like MIDI shoes, homemade breads, 2-part silicone molds, and how to make your own underwear. I have a Pro Membership which lets you download PDFs and view all the pictures in the directions, and I'll give you the username and password if you just email me.
Enjoy.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Hindu Philosophy
"As the raindrop falls from heaven, it is afraid of being lost in the stream. As one stream merges into another, it is afraid of being lost into the river. As the river flows faster downhill, it is afraid of merging into the sea. But the process is inevitable, and when the river finally does merge, the raindrop discovers to its great surprise, that nothing has been lost—it remains a drop, while yet becoming the sea. With this realization comes supreme joy. Once you know that your identity is not going to be sacrificed for the benefit of the whole, being the whole sounds absolutely ideal. Who would remain a drop if he could have the unbounded status of the ocean? Our society is so fixated on individuality at any price, that it has taught us practically nothing about the joy of merging into the totality of pure awareness."
The relics propose that realizing the self and realizing the whole happens at the same time. Why is it that our society is so fixated on individuality? Does individuality even exist? Did it ever exist? If it does, is it worth pursuing?
The relics propose that realizing the self and realizing the whole happens at the same time. Why is it that our society is so fixated on individuality? Does individuality even exist? Did it ever exist? If it does, is it worth pursuing?
Welcome
Thanks again everyone for coming out or chatting in to the meeting Wednesday. I hope you are excited to work together.
This is the blog. I named it interrobang collective because I thought it was fitting and interrobang.blogspot.com is a weird car insurance site. Hopefully, along with the facebook group, we can have some good discussion about the current topic and about the finished piece itself (i.e. share examples of similar publications that we might draw inspiration from). I will be adding you all soon enough. Let's be proactive! Add this to your reader, and contribute often.
I hope none of you mind being called a "collective"
Don't forget to let others know about the project as well. Let's try and get people involved.
This is the blog. I named it interrobang collective because I thought it was fitting and interrobang.blogspot.com is a weird car insurance site. Hopefully, along with the facebook group, we can have some good discussion about the current topic and about the finished piece itself (i.e. share examples of similar publications that we might draw inspiration from). I will be adding you all soon enough. Let's be proactive! Add this to your reader, and contribute often.
I hope none of you mind being called a "collective"
Don't forget to let others know about the project as well. Let's try and get people involved.
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