Documentary Film

For the last project, we choose a topic that we wanted to investigate and make a documentary about the topic. My topic was weaving so I found some videos of the Montagnard Dega weavers, where they show us how to warp weave.
My music is "The Promise" by Michael Nyman. I hope you all enjoy the documentary.

Digital Media Good or Bad?

"Do virtual worlds really bring us together with others or do they just make being utterly alone a little bit more bearable” stated Douglas Rushkoff. Technology today is a way of life. Our computers, cell phones, and any other electronics consume our daily life no matter who you are. If we, as a society, rely on technology without learning the basic principals in school and life, then we might not have a future in the real world. Protecting our future is up to the youth in our society. Which could mean that one day we all might be avatars in a virtual world. Protecting does not always produce good results but we could teach our youth traditional ways of learning, communicating and being productive with out a computer then introduce computers when they are able to relate technology with a job instead of everyday life.

The creator of Second Life, Philip Rosedale, told Digital Nation that he created Second Life to rewrite the rules of interaction with others. He claims that our society has become alienated through technology. He used an example of how we use to watch movies together then we watched movies in our living rooms to now watching a movie on an IPod (Digital Nation). But one wonders if technology is alienating us or if we are doing it to ourselves. Most college students do a lot of different things together including homework, watching movies, and playing video games. Honestly all three of those things could or does involve technology but it does not isolate them. But we all know that one person who would rather watch a movie or do homework by themselves instead of with others but there could be a number of different reasons for that behavior. Alienating yourself does not mean you cannot communicate face to face with someone. It could be possible that a person who does not surround themselves with others, but still knows how to communicate is better off, mainly because they will not have temptations of craving that social acceptance. But for those that play video games, as an addiction, may not be able to communicate face to face as well as they do over line. Philip Rosedale lives in a virtual world of beautiful buildings, flying, and socializing through a headset and tells us, as human beings, that it is easier to communicate with each other through Second Life. Could it be possible that Philip Rosedale’s virtual world is protecting people who think life is too much to handle face to face? 

As for the children of our technology society, video games devour their lives like playing outside did only 10 years ago to the generation before them. So should our children be learning basic skills and knowledge off of video games? Katie found a school based in New York that shares technology and gaming to children in this school (Digital Nation). If a child is only learning one way their first couple of years in school then how will they succeed in a different school or even in real life? Today’s society is not all gaming, only a few jobs involve playing video games. Katie’s main reason for creating a learning environment with games was because it kept the students interested in their work. Should we worry about the next generation not knowing how to handle the real world? Yes and no. Technology has grown tremendously and us, as a society cannot keep up. The children today know phones, computers, and video games all too well, which can be scary to the older generations. Considering we already have people pretending to live in a virtual world who knows what the children of the future will create. In the other aspect maybe the younger children our going to be great inventors of cyber, but is that always a better way of life? Today’s children know nothing but what the computer tells them, where as even the generation before them know how to survive without the latest technology. Technology was invented to help us but one wonders if the younger generation is being destroyed by overwhelming advances of technology.

Technology is not at all a horrible invention but our society needs to stand up and say enough is enough. Teach the children how to survive and learn without games or computers, then give them computers. We as human beings are extremely intelligent, but we are extremely lazy. From virtual reality to video games in school, we have become too lazy to even learn how to ride a bike. Slowing down our technology crave is not always a bad idea or are the older generations just blown away from how children learn nowadays. Rachel Dretzin said, “Maybe there is something these kids are getting that we aren’t able to value yet.”

Traditional/Contemporary Remix

I had a hard time figuring out exactly what I wanted to do so I started to think about what I like and I came to the relations that I love dance but I am fascinated about history and how history brought us where we are today. So I focused my attention to art and how we take classical art and learn to make it contemporary. But I also wanted to show how contemporary art would not be here today if it was not for classical art. So I use Gertrude Steins poem to Picasso, and of course his art work being shown while Stein is speaking the poem. Then I found this amazing clip of contemporary art and this very contemporary song, unfortunately I do not know the artist name nor the song. But I decided that I needed more classical to show that everything eventually becomes classical. So I found all the famous women in art and Yo Yo Ma performing Bach! I hope you all enjoy!

Reaching Out to Others

Issa:

Issa is the renaissance of the new era of music downloading and the industry. Issa took her music off of a big label company and created her own. Not only does she own her own label and she also created her website to allow her fans to download her music for free and for other artist to connect with her website and do the same thing. Another great thing that Issa is doing on her own is letting fans show what they are doing in their communities to help people. This was set up to get other people in other communities to start a program or go to a program to help others that need it the most. I think Issa is an inspiration for all people but especially artist because one of the main reasons we are in this industry is to bring joy to those people that can not draw, dance, sing, or anything else that they desire. Plus it is a great way to communicate to fans and communities.

Atomic Tom:

I think this is a great way to bring music to the community without the sense of superior to the people of the community. The band could have been extremely pissed off about having their instruments stolen but instead they use the technology of the iPhone to bring their music to the light of people on this subway in New York. It is also a great way to show other people that creativity does not only happen in studios but can happen in every day life. 

The Story of Cosmetics:

Wow, I have never heard so much about cosmetics and how they are unhealthy. I am far from a girly girl. I do not wear make up, paint my nails, or straighten my hair everyday. So for me to find out that those are toxics are not to concerning to me personally but to find out that my favorite shampoo is extremely toxic is very frightening to me. It does not make sense to me that our government is destroying our earth with the technology already but they had to take it a step further and put toxin into everyday product. It is crazy that as long as you have money to back up any plan, rather it be deadly or not, you will be able to make more money on that product. As long as we do not back down on breaking big companies down to using natural products from the earth to give humans what we “need”, I think we will be okay but in all honesty I think this whole world is messed up by cosmetics. Girls do not think they are pretty anymore because the models on TV and in magazines do not look natural because professionals make them up and the photos get Photoshop! It is ashamed that girls cannot look around and see how beautiful they are without all these toxin chemicals. 

Remix:

Remixing is a way of life to most of us rather we are an older generations or a newer generations. People remix almost everything in life so that they are not the "same" as other people. Fashion gurus take a shirt and make some cuts in the sides and tie them and then it is a fashion statement that make other fashion designers or even people creating their own way of cutting the shirt. Nothing as really changed over generations except for the way people wear things, design their body (tattoo and piercing) and how they interact with people. But that is just one way that we remix things in our life. I do not even think we could list everything that we do that we try to do in a different way. People may think that we only remix old songs into new songs or old movies into new movies but we remix everyday in every way. 

Copyright: 

As much as it pains me to say this after reading the Fair Use- I was so confused that I did not even try to go back through and read it again. Sorry...

But to make the Fair Use article make sense was Duke U. example through a film in plain English without big words. Everyone can understand the message they are trying to provide to let people know. 

I honestly think that the whole Copyright business is going a little too far with everyone is stealing everyones stuff. If you do not want your stuff to be stolen or looked at on the internet then you should just take it off.. I just hate being blamed for watching videos on YouTube, if someone does not want their stuff being stolen than they need to just take it off.

                                                                                    Remix Videos:

Walt Disney

Both of these videos are just the best thing I have seen of remixing in a while! I do not understand why Disney would not allow Pogo to post his creations on the web. It is his video and he has the right to let every enjoy his videos. I guess really it comes down to who is writing your check but for Disney to sue someone for posting his creation online is beyond crazy! Disney, himself, put his creations out for the world to see why can't Pogo do the same! Donald Duck's video was awesome! To see all the clips of the old episodes in one place but the thing I like the most is Donald Duck is the average person in society at the moment. Glenn Beck shows the reality through Donald Duck! It is just brilliant!

Digital Media and the Digital Nation

What is digital media? Technically, digital media is a made up of broken signals or separate pieces of data (digits) that are brought together to look continuous. According to Lev Manovich, the Digital Age all started when the histories of mechanically produced images and mechanical devices that perform numerical processing intersected such as the camera and calculator. These images and numbers were brought together and industrialized/mechanized, which in time brought the computer. In relation to other times in history, the Digital Age can be seen as industrializing mental labor, compared with the Industrial Revolution in which new technology freed humans of manual/physical labor.

I think this information about digital media is all very interesting in relation to creativity, influence, ownership, and art in this day and age. Sometimes it seems as though technology interferes with our creativity. With so many resources available on the web it's hard to not be influenced by other people's works. It is also very easy to mimic these available works, thus opposing ownership. The Digital Age has definitely made it mentally easier to achieve things, which makes me wonder: How is our society going to be ran? Digitally?

PBS Frontline goes inside to show you the Digital Nation!

Montagnard Dega Weaving and Traditional Dances

The traditional Montagnard Dega weaving is practiced today in North Carolina to connect cultures together and also to tell the stories of the tribes in Central Highlands: Jarai, Bunong, Koho, Bahnar, Rhad. On the MDA (Montagnard Dega Association), they write about how the textiles are created, "The back-strap or body-tension loom has been used throughout Southeast Asia for thousands of years and is still used by Montagnard Dega in Vietnam and other hill tribes in neighboring countries. Weaving consists of interlacing horizontal threads, called the weft, within a vertical series of threads, called the warp. Back-strap looms are generally no wider than the weaver’s arm span so large textiles are made by joining several separate pieces together." 

As an artist, myself, I would really enjoy learning how to make any kind of textile and also the stories behind each of the tribes mentioned above. Being able to expand my horizons with the traditional weaving experience would not only become a part of my background to show other people who are interested. But it also connects two different cultures today. 

In the traditional style of weaving, they would  grow their own cotton to weave the textiles and use indigo plants to dye the cotton for color threads. Here in the U.S., they do not have the access to grow their own cotton or indigo plants so they have to resort to the manufactured cotton and colored cotton, which in some case is better since the expert weaver is not limited by the colors chosen. 

I am hoping to be able to meet with two different but related very closely to one another. The first person I would like to meet would be the Montagnard Dega weavers. My goal in meeting with the weavers would be to learn the connection between the textiles and the heritage behind them. I would also love to experience the traditional weaving technique. The other person I would like to meet would be the Montagnard Dega dancers. Just like the weavers, the dancers have a connection to their heritage through their traditional dances and I would be honor, as a dancer myself, to learn a few of the traditional dances. Along with learning the dances, I would also like to experience the knowledge and depth within the dance. I wish I could give you more information about the traditional dance and dancers but I have not been able to find a clear explanation on how and why they continue these dances. The most obvious reason would to keep their heritage connection with them, even when they do move away from their homeland. 

Framing

George Lakoff

"Language always comes with what is called "framing." Every word is defined relative to a conceptual framework. If you have something like "revolt," that implies a population that is being ruled unfairly, or assumes it is being ruled unfairly, and that they are throwing off their rulers, which would be considered a good thing. That's a frame." - George Lakoff.  

Would You Help?

We has humans are forced and/or crave to frame the world, our thoughts, and our words. If we did not frame things around us then every day would be the same mundane activity after another. Everyday we block out things that we do not want to see like a man standing on the side of the road holding a sign saying, “Homeless will work for food.” Do not get the wrong idea, I realize that most of us do realize and give the man something but most do not. We instead frame around him to make the world a better place. This is an example of humans seeing what they want to see and hearing want they want to hear. I am sure there are people who do not have the same view as I do but I honestly think most people agree with the fact that as humans we block unpleasant things out of our sight like a tunnel with the light at the end with nothing but enjoyable outcomes and happy endings.

Another way that we have became accustom to  framing is in advertisements. One of my favorite ads I have ever seen was a billboard that I saw with a Corona on one side and a lime on the other. In between the two items there was the words “Separation Anxiety” and from that moment on I have never seen someone with a Corona that did not have a lime in it. I know you are probably thinking that most people have a lime with their  Corona but it never clicked in my brain that that slice of lime was meant for the Corona.  I was watching the PBS Frontline: The Persuaders and one thing that jumped out to me was that advertisement companies are trying to break out of the clutter. Is advertising the only genre of businesses or even everyday life that is trying to break out of the clutter? Of course not!  Every corporate company is trying to be different to persuade people into a new trend, but when they are successful other companies join in and make something similar and then we have a whole world of clutter. For examples, we have the Android and iPhone, which in the end they are the exact same phone but different services. The other example would be the new iPad, Kindle, and the Nook. These incredible devices were invented to make travel with a computer, books, and movies more accessible.

 

Framing is the most common things known to humans but most of us do not even know we are experience framing in everyday life.

Self-Portrait

Standing on the Blue Ridge Parkway

My name is Sarah Stuart Towery and I am from High Point, North Carolina. I am currently attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as a contemporary dance major in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Going to school 20 minutes away from home as been extremely relieving for me because I am very family orientated. My sister, Taylor, is my best friend and she has definitely helped me a lot through hard times. My sister has a beautiful four-year-old named Anna, who is so creative and intelligent. My parents were both born and raised in High Point. My mother, Leigh, is currently living in Durham, North Carolina. She works for a company called United Guaranty as an underwriter. Unfortunately my father, Scott, passed away in 2008; he was an excellent carpenter and a very kind person, he is greatly missed.

My hometown High Point, NC

As for my heritage, I am not sure when exactly my family moved to the United States. I do know that I am mostly Scottish and English. I would love to do more research on where and when my family came to the United States, I just have never had the opportunity to discover much besides knowing that I am related to the Wright Brothers on my mother’s side.

For newcomers to the United States, the most important things to get across to young adults are to find something that interest you and follow your dream. The main reason for finding a hobby is because I have found that young adults that have a steady hobby and set their goal high, will not get in as much trouble as the ones who do not goals or hobbies they would like to pursue. Another thing to look out for are drugs, alcohol, and other people.

My Daddy and I 

On the beach of Scotland

Now that I am older and can look back on my life, I have realized a couple of things. First of all, I have always been a dancer. My sister, Taylor, was in dance lessons when I was around 2 and my parents told me that I would not leave the space and would want to take class with my sister. My whole life I have always dance and will also have the soul and passion of a dancer. The other thing I have realized is that media has grown as a lifestyle since my generation was born. For example, my four-year-old niece knows how to work my blackberry and my sister’s iPhone, which is crazy to me since I remember when my dad got his car phone.

My Life as a Whole 

When I was younger, my great grandmother had two gardens, which she planted until she was 85 years old and started to get sick.  We planted all types of food like: corn, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, and etc. Farming was a great way to spend time with the family as a whole. I feel like if every family had a small garden in their yard, it could possibly lure children to be outside instead of sitting on the computer or video games. It is the most amazing experience to watch a tiny seed turn into the most delicious food you have ever taste.