So, we're done?

Oh the joy TGJ 201 has brought this year. No, really, I enjoyed this course! All the tasks we embarked on this year were interesting and new to me. Each unit had required much thought, application of skill, test of ability, and a creative element that we could let shine through. As I stroll down memory lane, I take the opportunity to think about trials, errors, strong component and the though process behind them.

Multiple Exposures

We started off easily with our multiple exposures. So I was a little apprehensive at first about taking on this project because I simply could not think of a cohesive idea. This was the difficult part of the assignment. I've learned to crop with precision using a variety of tools available on Photoshop. Many will agree when I say, bless the Magic Lasso tool. Add in a few masks and it was easier than I thought! Eventually I pasted together a "masterpiece" involving multiple pictures of myself as if I had split personality. Lurking in the corner was an eccentrick quirky Sonya, a vain Sonya looking in the mirror with her fashion magazines, a version of myself "arting out" with a camera while another social Sonya poses for the picture. A struggle I had with this was getting the images to blend and fit well together. The lighting in my room changed through the shoot and some versions of myself just wouldn't blend it. I tried adjusting the overall colour levels and saturation which helped with this.

The Circus

For this assignment I created a circus with me being at the centre as a ring leader. I used a cornucopia of personal pictures to create a collage with a variety of colours. Many of these images were cropped, re sized, re-coloured, and edited using Photoshop. I tried to encompass large parts of my life into this collage such as my family, friends, and favourite things. It took about 6 hours to complete this piece and to make sure each image perfectly fit together. I feel the strongest component of this work is the relevancy of the images used, and the way in which they were edited to become cohesive. It was difficult to create a collage of the circus that surrounds me while maintaining the circus theme, so I tried adding a circus tent background to help with this. Overall I found the project to not only be relatively easy, but I had a lot of fun copy and pasting the Comm Tech way. (NOTE: When saving as a .jpeg the image turned blue as it was originally done in CMYK for print use)

The Pattern

At the suggestion of others, I used three objects in combination to create my patter. Though hard to tell I used a telephone receiver, lip gloss, and a red pump to create my final pattern. I vectored these objects till perfection using Illustrator's pen, zoom, fill, and eye dropper tools (primarily). This was an extensive project due to complications with saving. The file was often to large to save it onto my desktop with these computers, but after several trials I finally finished. I was both surprised and proud of the outcome. I didn't think I would be able to create a pattern out of my vectored images. It was hard to imagine how those items would come together, and after a couple attempts, and much cropping and rotating, I created my pattern. The strongest component was the way I arranged the thumbnail image to be pleasing to the eye and not straining.


The Eccentrick Inspiration

For my eccentrick inspiration, I channeled the multi-talented David Macklovitch. Using my pattern as a background fill layer, I vectorized all the highlights in white to create my final image. Due to complications I had to do the whole project twice. In the second time I made the error of not getting the pattern to tessellate perfectly. Overall I am still happy with the result. The strongest component is the minuscule details I made sure to vectorise. David Macklovitch has reached a level I aspire to be. Not only is he an accomplished musician, but he also expanded his works to running a business, producing, remixing, and getting a PhD in French literature. The photograph originally used was eccentrick, and I feel I did his personality justice.
Weccentrick Video

This had to be the funnest project to date. Working with my zealous partner Samantha, we went back to our childhood roots and created PLAY! This original video echoed our eccentrick attributes in a fun and playful manner that everyone can relate to. We had a lot of fun with our 5 hours of filming in different locations, and 6 hours of editing the videos. We put forth a lot of effort to finish our video in time for the art show as we were really keen and showing it to the world (or at least the Mary Ward community). We strived to shoot and experimented with angles and different types of shots. Much planning was also involved before we set up our tripod to shoot. I feel a strong component of our video is the cohesiveness and variety we provided. We stuck to our child like aesthetic and used a variety of firming shots to provide contrast and an int resting display. We did have errors along the way, but we went back to fix them as soon as we saw it needed it. We worked well together and hope you enjoyed PLAY!, and our personalities shawn through.

(NOTE: Cover done in CMYK)

Eccentrick at Ward? Oh my!

Mary Ward's Art and Technology departments certainly kicked it up a notch for this years art show. The theme was Eccentrick, and boy was it ever! Students put aside their units and stopped by the basement to truly experience it. I for one, found myself there for several hours wondering around, winding in between displays, or sitting in a room watching some fabulous videos. An art show at Ward really is an experience. It is an interactive gallery that lets you view the creations of those in your school. You get the chance to finally see all the creative talents Ward has as they strive to impress just in time for the show. A lot of the time, these displays involve some interaction which is always a plus. Some may say an hour is all you need, but that really isn't enough time to take it all in. Students work so hard throughout the year, so noticing every detail or reading all the associated text is worth it. Photography, drawings, installations, paintings, stuffed animals, jewelry design galore. The works featured this year by all students were quite impressive, and there are a few worth mentioning.

The senior design students all had fantastic designs to share. As a future design student, seeing what others are capable of makes me hopeful. In particular, I loved the February 14th collection. The fabric choices were exquisite and construction was impressive also. The senior video students also made some very entertaining videos. I was sad I didn't have the chance to see all of them, but I was impressed with the ones I did. Another memorable piece was the grade 10 art student's Eccentrick circus train. Each train caravan was something different, and really did reflect the artist. I felt this piece best brought out the Eccentrick theme. I loved its diversity, complexity of thoughts put into it, and the detail work. I have seen a few friends struggle with their clay pieces working on it, and it definitely paid off!

Congratulations to Ward for putting forth yet another fantastic show. I personally enjoyed it, and I sure am excited for next year.

Exuse me while I attend to my cellular device

Cell phones have come a long way since the big bulky phones as seen on favourite sitcoms from the past. They dominate the hands of many and are arguably the most innovative piece of technology we use daily. Nowadays, everyone pulls out a cell phone to check the time, make a call, send an email, or even snap a picture. Cell phone usage in public places are inevitable and almost unavoidable. While this is a normal part of life in 2009, some forget that manners are applicable. Enter cell phone etiquette (the not so sacred laws) that some may or may not follow. Fear not, for I have conjured up simple rules to keep in mind. My five cell phone commandments are as follows:

1. 
   Thou shall turn off phones in movie theatres - Cell phones are common noise polluters in public places, but nothing is worse than hearing a colorful ring tone go off in a movie theatre. This rule generally applies to most public places where alien sound is not permitted such as museums, plays, theatres etc. The least a person can do is put it on vibrate. This rule is important as not only can it cause a nuisance but the interruption to a train of thought, movie, or anything is just plain annoying. This can be a safety issue as well.
2. 
   Thou shall return all text messages - Generally when someone takes the time out of their way to type up a text message for you, they are awaiting your reply so you can answer their question or tell them how much you enjoyed their wit with an "LOL". Unless you possible cannot reply, it is common courtesy to reply or give them a callback.
3. 
   Thou shall excuse themselves when a call interrupts - If you get a phone call you must absolutely answer, be kind and excuse yourself. Stopping mid conversation with someone to answer a call is impolite. Excuse yourself and ask permission to take the call or step aside.
4. 
   Thou shall not be text crazy – If you find yourself at a social gathering, avoid sitting in a corner texting. Do not cut yourself from social interaction beyond the SMS world. Others who wish to talk to you will feel as if getting your attention isn’t worth the effort.
5. 
   Thou shall not yell – Whilst on the phone, use your indoor voice. Unless of course you are outside in a very noisy area in which the person on the other end cannot hear you.

"Everything is Amazing and Nobody's Happy"

The video clip featuring comedian Louis C.K is not only humorous but also insightful. Society today is endowed with technologies that are far less appreciated than in the past. Louis makes a good point in discussing how technology has developed throughout the years and how individuals now have become so accustomed to such incredible machinery that when there is a lack of it, the world almost seems impossible to live in. I found the entire clip fascinating but I particularly enjoyed his personal experience with technology when he was a kid. Louis stated that he used rotary phones and how he found it difficult dialing a number especially the zeroes. Now, society uses cell phones that have speaker phone, touch-dial, Bluetooth, and are voice activated yet we still complain when the phone is slow in loading and such. This is a perfect example of how technology is so amazing, yet we are still not completely satisfied. Due to the fact that technology is so accessible, we take advantage of it, however, we must learn to appreciate it.

Technology is a very important tool in my life. Without it, I would have a harder time communicating, learning, expressing my creativity, entertaining myself, and living in general. My life everyday consists of technology whether it is getting woken up by my clock radio, brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush, calling my friends using my cell phone, educating myself through the Internet encyclopedia, or relaxing in front the television. Technology brings ease and imagination in my life and although, I sometimes forget to show my appreciation, I am so thankful for the amazing technologically-savvy world we live in.

Technology is advancing at such a fast rate that when baby boomers were growing up, they would have never imagined machinery and electronics progressing to such a level. When my parents were my age, they played records and cassettes whereas now we are introduced to iPod’s and digital tracks. There was no convenient way of banking, shopping or doing ones taxes whereas now we have online banking, shopping and tax software. Communication during my parent’s time consisted of conversing in person or on a land line phone but today we communicate through online instant messaging, wireless phones, social networking websites and webcams. It is mind-blowing to see how far technology has come and how fast its advancing. It is quite difficult to imagine that one day even our iPohones will be outdated.