Final

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvgyjLCsSq0&feature=youtu.be

http://vimeo.com/38187611

When we were assigned this project I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew I
wanted it to be something different than anything else I had done so far but I
was having a hard time coming up with anything. So what was the result… I
started day dreaming about my girlfriends surprise birthday party that I threw
the previous weekend. And it made me realize that I day dream A LOT, so I
thought it might be fun to do something related to day dreaming. So as I
thought, I started wondering what a day dream was. And I decided that a day
dream is almost like an illusion and is often something I wish was happening at
the present moment. So for my project I decided to bring the party to me.

I decided the best way to replicate the party would be to replicate the setting
in which the party took place. So I took the bright lights I bought for the
party and started putting them up in my room, recording as I went. It took me
seven hours, during which a lot of profanity was yelled but I was very happy
with how my room resembled that of the party. I finished my room by adding some
paper lanterns which I also had at the party and decided the only thing left to
do was edit my clips into a story. So at this point I was feeling good, but
that was when all hell hit! I could have done a whole other project on getting
my video from the video camera to the computer to edit. For some reason the normal
steps I would take to do this seemed to fail me, so I left home searching for
an answer to my problem. The result was driving over 200 miles going from place
to place, I was assured the next place could help me. Class on Wednesday wasn’t
even on the agenda if I was to finish so I put it on the back burner and
decided that I could make up that work later. And after 5 hours of driving
around a family friend finally returned my call and told me he could help. And
luckily after about another 2 hours of finagling we were able to get it on the
computer. And the only thing I was missing at home…. A high def cord…. Gosh I
hate technology… But the only thing I could do was trudge on, so I started
editing and decided that the main thing I wanted my clip to do was elude the
viewer. I wanted the viewer to wonder whether what they were seeing was taking
place or not, so I decided to show a picture of me thinking at the beginning of
the clip and at the end, that way the video came full circle.

Having completed the project I am pretty happy with how it ended up. I am personally
very self conscious about how I appear to people, so there were several times I
thought I looked like an idiot but overall I was very happy with it. The one
thing I didn’t like at all was how the clips I used to narrate my video came
out. For some reason I thought that the quality of these clips just wasn’t very
good and everything I did just seemed to make it worse. So that is definitely
something I would have liked to come out better, but I don’t feel like I can
really complain when that’s the only thing that I was unhappy with. I was also
very happy with just how the story as a whole progressed. I thought that my
narrative showed what I wanted it to do, and when I added the music I was
personally very proud of myself because I felt like it just made the video so
much more complete. Overall I would say that I was very happy with how my
project turned out!

Final project, idea

Carver Cathedral

I really liked the story, it literally blew my mind!!! At the beginning I was very
intrigued when he talked about not liking a blind man in his house. I totally
agree with him that people often have this pre conceived notion that blind men
to walk slowly and never laugh. The one thing I didn’t like about the piece was
how hard it was to follow, I don’t know if it was just me or what but I felt
like I had to reread this thing like 30 times… The cathedral drawling was
probably my favorite, I had never thought that way or even considered anything
like that. I honestly would have probably freaked out with some blind guy
holding my hand as I drew, but hey that’s just me, more power to him. But the
man and keeping is eyes closed and how he felt like he wasn’t inside anything
yet he knew he was in his house, and really just the whole thing was very
unique.

Bending Water

The words I started the project with were to lift and to bend. So I started thinking that to lift would be not as interesting as to bend, so I started thinking of what are things that I use every day that are not meant to be bent, and I came up with water! Water is something that I use everyday and don't even really think abt it. Its something that is liquid, fluid, and in a way uncontrollable. By saying uncontrollable I'm thinking that its something that isn't easily manipulated. So I started wondering what would be the hardest property of water to manipulate and I thought that manipulating the path of water without touching it would be an awesome idea. So I went to meet with an old science teacher I knew to ask if she had any interesting ideas for how I might do this and she gave me the experiment you see in my video. I started with a thin black comb and ran it through my hair for about a minute, during this minute the electrons move from my hair to the comb. I then turned my faucet on so that I had a very thin stream of water, next I took my comb and placed it near the water. As the comb approaches the water the protons from the water and the extra electrons from the comb are drawn towards each other, resulting in the bending of the water. As the combs moves the water responds and I am able to control the path of the water. I later also took some individual shots in addition to the video and edited them to highlight the water being bent. Overall I thought the idea of water bending was conflicting with the natural properties of water and am happy with how I was able to manipulate the water to bend.

Micro Project 4

So let me start out by saying that I spent more time on this
project than any I have done to this point, and at the same time I also feel
least satisfied with how it turned out! So when I was thinking about what kind
of super hero I wanted to be I was thinking of what I wanted most. I realized
that there were two things that I wanted to be able to do, firstly I wanted to
be able to so wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. I often want to be somewhere
else, so if I could be elsewhere in a blink of an eye than that is a power I
want. Secondly, I would want to be invisible! I hate being seen and often walk
around with my hoody up or wearing a hat. I hate drawing attention to myself,
finding that most people I come into contact with do be kinda annoying … So to
show my ability to be anywhere I decided to show myself in space, watching over
earth with the ability to go anywhere. I know the project was supposed to show
me on campus but I decided if I had these powers, I wouldn’t be on campus. This
part of the project I thought came out okay. The second part really made me
angry! I had no idea how to show invisibility so I decided to go the fantastic
four route and show it as the light bending around my body. I started by taking
a picture of me and added colors so that the whole color pallet was in me. From
here I decided to blur my image so that the colors blended and it appeared the
colors were bending. I finished it off by throwing a color spiral behind me to
further show the bending color but I was VERY disappointed with how this worked
out. I really wish I just could have shown being invisible better but I just couldn’t
think of a good idea besides having a blank landscape, and I had the feeling
that just wouldn’t fly.

Micro Project 3

For my personal spot on campus I chose the parking
garage off Lane, near the business school. I chose this spot because I commute
and the parking spot on the fifth floor I use is really the one place on campus
I think belongs to me. I love sitting here in my car looking out over the
business school, so for my first picture I chose to show this. It’s the view I
have from my parking spot and if you look closely on the pillar you’ll see my
Irish cross. I chose this as my statue because I have had it since I was 5
years old and it is something that I believe defines me. I also didn’t want it
to be very big since I feel that religion is not something that is to be
flaunted. I feel instead that it is something that people should be able to see
but not feel overcome by. For my second picture I chose the view you would see
if you were standing beside my statue. The view looks out over campus and I
find it to be incredibly beautiful, so I decided to give it a “rustic” olden
day photograph type feel. I feel like it freezes the picture in time and
increases the beauty of it. My third picture is supposed to show how I feel
every morning approaching my spot. I am often confused and tired in the morning
so I decided to blur the photo by rotating it over on top of itself several
times. I also chose to paint on the bottom left wall, “I’m already there.” I
wanted this to show how I might be physically here but mentally somewhere off
in the distance. So while my personal spot is a place I find beautiful, it is
also a place I go and think about being somewhere else.

Micro project 2

Layer 1: The first layer of my project was the United States flag that hangs beside my bed. This is very important to me as I take great pride in being an American. I have it in the back ground since I wake up every morning and see it, however I don’t often think about it. At the same time I chose to centrally locate it as it does symbolize what I am and what I stand for.

Layer 2: The second layer of my project was Irelands flag which also hangs beside my bed next to the United States flag. I choose to have it overlapping the United States flag, as I am Irish and Irish traditions are a huge part of my family and how I was raised. It is also the biggest picture I have as its meaning has shaped the person I am today.

Layer 3: The third layer of my project is my iPhone, which appears more than anything else (3 times). This is because I am on the phone more than anyone I know. It is literally my life line and connects me to my girlfriend who lives in Tennessee. I am sporadically on the phone for about a total of 5 hours a day, and I chose to sporadically place my pictures a bunch because of this. It is also one of the biggest pictures in my project because of the impact it has in my life.

Layer 4: The fourth layer of my project is the picture frame of my girlfriend dancing. This is the first this I see when I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to bed, because of this I also choose to have it in my project twice. I also choose to make the one on the bottom of my project big since it was the first gift my girlfriend ever gave me and because of that it holds a lot of meaning to me. I decided to place one at the top and one at the bottom since it’s the first and last thing I see each day.

Layer 5: The fifth layer is another picture frame that includes four pictures of my girlfriend and I and was a Christmas gift from her. In the center of the frame is a replica of a bracelet that we both wear. I also choose to put this picture on opposite ends twice as I wake up and go to sleep to it everyday. It is also pretty large as it is very important to me. I choose to place it next to my phone and next to a pink box, since those are also both things that are tied to my girlfriend.

Layer 6: The sixth layer of my project is a pink shoebox that holds all the letters my girlfriend has sent me. I choose to put this twice once on each side of my project like it is holding the rest of the project together, much like it holds all my letters. I also choose to place it beneath my picture since that is where it sits in my room. I also wanted it to appear more than once because it means so much to me.

Layer 7: The seventh layer of my project is my Oakley book bag that is located in the bottom left of my project. I choose to put it in the bottom left since the bottom and the left for some reason seem quote on quote “bad” to me and much like that my book bag reminds me of exams which also seem “bad.” More importantly I wanted the book bag to go unnoticed since I try to be unnoticed while at school. I try to not draw attention to myself and I wanted the book bag to have a similar effect.

Layer 8: The eighth layer of my project is my basketball shoe that is in the center of my project. I wanted this to be in the center since I love to play all kinds of sports and for the majority of my life sports have been in the center of my life. I also wanted the image itself to be big because of this.

Layer 9: The ninth layer is my Irish cross that is located in the center on top of my Irish flag. I wanted this to be big because it is a huge part of my life. The cross has literally never left my neck in the last 10 years. I also choose to place it in the center as god is the center of my life. I also wanted to place it on top of my Irish flag so that the Irish flag could be seen shining through my cross. This is perhaps the most important object in my project and I wanted it to be seen because of that.

Layer 10: The tenth layer is my car and is located right above my cross. I absolutely love my car and have always wanted a sports car, which is why I was so happy when I got it. However the reason it is above my cross and located where it is, is so it hides the chain of my cross.

Layer 11: The eleventh and final layer of my project is my pillow that is centered at the top of my project. I wanted to include this because it is literally the most comfortable pillow ever and I would definitely run into a burning building to save it. I know this sounds silly but if you had ever slept with it you’d understand! I wanted it to be located next to things that it might be with in real life. Because of this I choose to put it next to my phone (which charges next to my pillow at night), my picture frame (which I look at while laying on my pillow), and my Irish flag (which hangs above my bed and pillow).

Micro Project #2

Cross necklace
~I choose this because I wear it every second of everyday; it has become a part of me. It symbolizes my love for Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.
~Love



Christmas tree
~I choose this because it shows how much the spirit of Christmas means to me. To me it represents hope, as Jesus Christ the Savior of man was born.
~Hope



Collage Kenzie gave me
~I choose this because this is something Kenzie (my girl friend) gave me. It contains memorable moments Kenzie and I shared.
~My life



Picture of Kenzie gave me
~I choose this because this is the first gift Kenzie ever gave me. It was a picture of her I told her I loved so she surprised me with it. It was a time of great excitement for me.
~Overwhelming joy



American flag
~The flag in my room is important to me, as it represents my pride in being an American. To me it represents strength and freedom.
~Strength



Ireland flag
~The Irish flag in my room is important to me as it represents where I’m from. It’s a tribute to my ancestors and to me shows perseverance.
~Perseverance



Pink shoe box
~This pink shoe box holds all the letters Kenzie has sent me. The box itself is a box which Kenzie used for my Christmas present. The reason this box is important to me is the feeling I get when I see it and read what is in it. It’s almost like an escape for me on rough days.
~Pick-me-up



Basketball shoes
~My basketball shoes are important to me as it represents my love for sports. Sports are an important part of my life, and have taught me many things such as teamwork, leadership, and hard work.
~Leadership



Book bag
~My bookbag is important to me as it shows how important learning is to me. I want to always continue to learn, even when I’m out of school. I’ve always thought if you’re not moving forward you’re moving backwards and to me continuing to learn and adapt is part of moving forward. Lastly school has also taught me about responsibility and how important it is to be responsible.
~Responsibility



IPhone
~My IPhone is probably the most important thing I own. My girlfriend lives in Tennessee and it is the way we keep in contact. It allows me to almost be in two places at once. It is vital as it connects the pieces of my life!
~Life line

Micro Project 1

Every morning to get to campus I drive 30 minutes from Lewis Center. The drive is extremely frustrating and chaotic!!! I start off by taking US route 23 before stopping at Starbucks, the only peaceful part of my drive. From there I take 315 which leads me straight to campus. However 315 is no joke at 9 in the morning, the water beside me is constantly running and on rainy days water liters the road, creating lines of brake lights. Cars starting and stopping, honking and firing off the line to get ahead of another car. It doesn’t get any better though the closer you get to the city, the traffic gets denser and the sign by riverside tells your estimated drive time. However once you finally make it to the exit to get off on campus, the traffic becomes lighter, almost as if the sky has brightened saying “YOU’RE HERE!!!!!!!!!!” To show this I choose to use obscene street signs that show the extreme emotions of my trip. I originally had 8 layers for my project but when I saved my project to post them I unfortunately merged the layers (not knowing what it meant to merge). Having learned this I will know how to save my files properly in the future. I originally started my project with a car going through a tunnel towards a bright light, but ended up scrapping this project when my photos merged when I tried to save them and open them at home. I wasn't happy with how my idea was coming to form so I decided to scrap it all together. I didn't think that the car heading through the tunnel was displaying the emotion I wanted (rage and all most anger). As a result I didn't think that scrapping it was a big deal. For my final result however I used a lot of different tools in photoshop. I was able to change the size of the pictures to highlight their importance or significance, and then place them accordingly. I also used a tool which allowed me to rotate my pictures, I thought that this added to the confusion that I feel on my morning drive. I think that the viewer is forced to turn there head and really view the photo in a different way then if all the photos were the same way. Another thing I did was use the spray paint tool to spray out words on certain signs. I thought this was almost comical as it completely changes the meaning of the signs and is something that we also see all the time when driving. Lastly I used several tools to create one sign that said stop, don't go; left, right, forward, or backwards. I did this because its completely ridiculous, yet we see all kinds of ridiculous things when driving. The sign makes the viewer think, "what do I do???" and I feel like there are so many times when people feel this way when driving. Overall my goal was to use the tools on photoshop to create a image that screamed confusion and contradiction, since that is exactly how my morning drives feel.

Reading #3

Kimmelmans' article was very interesting. Kimmelman claimed that art is “about opening our eyes—about encouraging people to look more closely at what's around them.” I thought this was really interesting. I had never thought that art encouraged others to “open their eyes” to the world around them. However the more I thought about it I realized that one rarely looks at a piece of art without reflecting on their own experiences. Even when one leaves the gallery it seems like that piece encourages them to challenge what they know or hold as truth. Perhaps that’s what arts purpose is, to challenge what we hold as truth….

The one thing I found very confusing was the story about the authors friend who disposed of a book every time he got a new one. I realize that when he dies his father recreated it as a memorial to his son, which in a way is a form of art, however I wasn’t completely sure at what the author was getting at.

Second reading (blog 3)

In the Walker article, I found the idea that big ideas can engage students in deeper level thinking to be an intriguing idea. At first I wasn’t so sure that I thought this was such a big deal, however the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I find myself doing this often. For example I’m planning on throwing my girlfriend a party for her birthday (this being the big idea), and from this it led me to thinking about who should be invited, what there should be to eat, what time the party should be, where the party should be. While this is a very basic example I feel the author brought up an excellent point.

One thing that I found confusing in the walker article was the distinction between subject matter and the big idea. To me I found that the subject matter was more specific and more of a local idea, where as the big idea to me seemed to be more of a general overall theme or maybe I should say a global idea. However I am not sure that this is correct.

In the Barrett article, I found the idea of denotation and connotation very confusing. To me it seemed as if denotation was more of an explicit, where the idea is as seen. And then connotation is more of an implicit idea or an idea that can have more than one meaning depending on who is interpreting the piece. However it seemed like there may have been more to what these two things mean and I was unsure what those things might be.

One thing that this article however did do a good job of was examples. From tee-shirts, teddy bears, and cereal boxes to the cover Rolling Stones Magazine. So while I did have a hard time understanding the difference between denotation and connotation, the examples were very helpful in helping understand what the author was trying to show. I was able to make out some of what was being said, and had there been no examples I’m not sure that would have been the case.

First readings

After reading, “THE HERESY OF ZONE DEFENSE,” it is clear that the author is using basketball as a way to show conformity in the way people hold ideas and behave. However while reading this I cannot help but disagree with some of what the author is saying. At one point the author says that the rules that once elevated us into joy now govern us, and to me those things don’t necessarily have to work against each other. For example I believe that some people find joy in being governed, yes these might not be the smartest individuals but I think there are quite a few individuals who feel this way.

One thing that I really liked about this piece was the analogy the author used. By using basketball and the rule changes the game has seen as a way to show how people conform or allow rules to govern them was a very creative idea by the writer.

Reading the article, “The Cheese Monkeys” was actually surprisingly enjoyable. I found the piece very refreshing and the various ways the author used common situations (your enemy) was quite clever. I thought the way they introduced the ideas first before showing how to apply them was also quite unique.

The one thing I didn’t necessarily understand was what “form” technically means. The author addresses it at the end, only to say that we have been talking about it the whole time. So while I have a general idea of what it means I still don’t know what all it encompasses.

Introduction

Hi, I am Aaron Cunningham, a sophomore at the Ohio State University. I grew up right down the road and went to Olentangy High School where I enjoyed playing sports. I am the youngest of three with two older sisters, there is a nine year difference between me and my younger sister which made it seem like I was an only child growing up. Both of my sisters are married and I am constantly teased that I’m next. I have been dating the same girl for 5 years which only eggs on my family. I am currently working on a duel major in business and mathematics, and plan on minoring in philosophy. I enjoy playing sports, listening to music, hanging out with friends, and if I’m not doing one of those things you’ll probably find me in barns and nobles reading. Once I graduate from school I plan on going immediately back, and getting a bachelors degree in sports management. After graduating for a second time I would like to move to Nashville Tennessee where I would like to pursue a career managing a professional football team.
Top five favorite sports teams
1. Ohio State
2. Wake Forest
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Oklahoma City Thunder