Class Notes from September 15, 2009

Text in media has always been a problem. Chaplin introduced sound in films, then they had to have subtitles in other languages to be shown in non-English speaking venues.

Beat Poets: Burroughs, Kerouak, Ginsberg

William S. Burroughs predates the idea of hypertext

Who was the true hero of “Star Wars”? In the classical sense of the idea of a hero (see Joseph Campbell), it would have been Darth Vader because he went through the greatest transformation. When developing “Star Wars”, Lucas studied poet William Carlos Williams. The name Obi Wan Kenobi is taken from the idea “obey one master.”

Musician Ravi Shankar said that the difference between the Beats and the Hippies was that Beats already had ideas before drug use started in both groups. Beats included American poet Alan Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouak, Brian Gysin.

Non-Linear Narrative- the “cut up method”

Gysin is famous for introducing the idea of the “Dream Machine”

These ideas were based in the literary, the conscious, drama, against the grain, artistic impetus

John Cage- American composer and theorist

“Orientalia”, the idea of Zen which holds that silence is just as important as sound, the unphotographed image outside the frame is just as important as what’s in the photograph

Everything cool happened before 1965- set stage for everything afterward

In 1965 filmaker D. A. Pennabaker made films that prefigured film 40 yrs. later, before web cams and mini-cams. Now we have handheld HD camers.

Dylan- “Subterranean Homeick Blues”

said that truth has been stolen, so you can now take your own

Musician Woody Guthrie- protested what’s going on in Society for his ART!

Make an artist statement with your art

In the 1960’s independent film just started coming in (made possible by increased portability of cameras). Independent films usually promlematize something going on in Society and disseminate the idea globally.

The recent incident of calling the President a liar is veiled racism.

Dylan: “You don’t need a weatherman to show you where the wind blows”

Means that you don’t need someone else to tell you the truth.

John Cage- back to the Wagnerian idea, in 1962-63 used multiple tape recorders in a performance, arts unified.

Fluxus group, Yoko Ono, Robert Rauchenberg, Merce Cunningham-

these people created the art, noise as soundtrack

Cunningham- modern dance, incorporated Yoga (it was entering into the arts mentality of the West)

David Tutor- electronic musician

multiple screen projections, idea of taped music, no longer performed live.

After WWII, audio taping used against spies, people used it to record their environment- what there was before sound cards in computers

Merce Cunningham- one of the very first to use computers to help him in designing dances

William S. Burroughs- American novelist, painter, poet, performer, opiate addict, Beat Generation. Beats and Fluxus both important to Digital Media.

Burroughs and Dyson- cutting up a text and making new text from it, folding to create new text. Burroughs tried to create spaces and gaps, used idea of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein that everything is “pre-recorded”.

Cage stated, “Now that everything’s so easy, there’s so much to do.”

related to ease of media appropriation as useable elements in digital culture.

William S. Burroughs- “Nova Express”, could do a visual representation, response, Naked Lunch film- could review

predates idea of hypertext, non-linear narrative, text montage. Influenced films like “American Beauty” told by character after he has died, narrative reversed from standard plot line.

Brion Gysin- video showing painting about Process, text becomes montage.

the Fluxus ubuweb:sound ubuweb: film

Vito Acconci, Matthew Barney, Laurie Anderson

Fluxus Films- can download and use as source for project

Nam June Paik (rhymes with “cake”) - “all there is is nothing”

pick out 1 or 2 films and write something

George Maciunas- “End After 9” playing with expectations of viewer.

Fair Use- if it’s for educational or research purposes, you can use

Choice for Thursday: 1) download open source images and make a text and image combination 2) download films from Ubuweb and make something

Think about what you want to say, what you want to do with your life. Are you going to be a consumer and swallow things?

Tuesday- start your project, Thursday- work day

Tuesday- next Tuesday show something

you can use Adobbe Premiere to cut and export video

Remember the Wagnerian idea- add elements and think conceptually

Can deploy on a webpage, Flash animation, 3D (Pure Data)

Homework- go to Pure Data, replace text under GEM>Text>Change Text, change font and/or background color for extra credit.