Art and Technology FA 2019 - REYNOLDS

After the Baroque period, opera became the main form of entertainment for the upper class. At times, the boys were castrated so their voices would not change - they became the castrato (like gods of the time). The church allowed these boys to come to sing in the choir for the church. This allowed them to move up to Opera and continue using their voices to entertain. We talked about how this relates to today to people putting themselves in harm's way for their passions/professions (ballerinas & military personnel). We watched clips from the Opera 'Madame Butterfly' and also watched an animated adaptation of the Opera. They were quite different and I enjoyed the real-life Opera more than the animated version. It is interesting to see the movement from church choirs that are all young boys to Operas that include both genders and even have women starring in them. I am interested to see how women's roles progress moving forward in the entertainment portion of the clas...

I learned from this opera how important it is for music to be included in the intense parts of the performance.  During the suicide scene in Madame Butterfly, if there was no music corresponding with it - it would not have had the same effect on the audience. Originally when this opera came out, I think there might have been mixed feelings about it, especially in the Japanese community. I think the way that she killed herself is so prominently connected with bringing shame to your family that viewers might have disagreed with the ending. She did not bring shame to her family - rather Pinkerton should be ashamed of his action. I think this piece is vital in the movement of opera/performance in general away from religion/religious purposes. The technology used includes the music that corresponds to the scene and also the scenery itself being able to move and change. The video game that I would create would be like Wii boxing but between Pinkerton and Madame Butterfly. Here Madame...

THE ANIMATION OF MADAME BUTTERFLY WAS NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS THE OPERA IN MY OPINION. I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT WAS MISSING FOR ME WAS THE BACKSTORY THAT THE OPERA PROVIDED. IN THE ANIMATION IT IS UNCLEAR WHY MADAME BUTTERFLY IS ALONE, WHO PINKERTON IS, HOW THEY CAME TO MEET, AND WHAT HIS INTENTION WAS WITH HER. IN THE OPERA I WAS GIVEN A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF THE STORY BEFORe MADAME BUTTERFLY'S CHILD WAS BORN. I DID REALLY ENJOY THE GRAPHICS IN THE ANIMATED VERSION OF THE STORY AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS DONE EXTREMELY WELL. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE ENDING - EVEN MORE THAN THE ENDING TO THE OPERA VERSION. I THINK THAT THE USE OF THE UMBILICAL CORD AND THAT PINKERTON WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE IT BEFORE GIVING THEIR CHILD TO HIS NEW WIFE DISPLAYED THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF ATTACHMENT TURNED SADNESS IN BUTTERFLY'S CHARACTER. THE MUSIC WAS APPEALING TO ME IN THE OPERA BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT MORE OF IT AND I ENJOYED LISTENING TO IT.

Istanbul - People were able to control the temperature inside of Hagia Sophia which is new technology compared to the other architecture we have looked at. It is a Gothic church with two levels, this means that people are being organized into gender and class. Turkeys Whirling Dervishes ritual is a ceremony where Muslims give praise to Allah by spinning in up to 2,000 circles keeping one hand to the sky and one to the ground. Basilica of St Denis  Gothic Cathedral must have a rose window, stained glass windows, and a relic. Choirs of young boys would produce the celestial sound of heaven before their voices changed. The church was used for r eligious and entertainment purposes. There were business meetings, town meetings, and money exchanged. This was the entertainment of the day for the wealthy. This went on from the twelfth  century to the sixteenth century. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written to save the church when others wanted to tear it down....

Today in class we went over the advancement of public performance and places it was performed. It stared out with Native American performance where everyone worked together to create something very beautiful and peaceful. From there, it evolved to more advanced societies and with that came an advancement in violence. We ended with the Roman Colosseum where people were subjugated to fighting against other people as well as animals until someone died. We watched a clip from Gladitor which I did not enjoy and will never watch because it was very violent.

Today in class, we viewed Raul Cuero’s interview with Patricia Gras. He explained the nature of his childhood and how that effected his journey to where he is today. He highlighted that people are hesitant to take risks when others tell them not to. This fear is sometimes detrimental to their success and can lead them down a path that is more unsuccessful than the path they originally wanted to take. He was asked if children were in a disadvantage today because of the technology that they have compared to what he had when he was a child. My opinion on this is that controlled technology can help children find their passion. Growing up, I was horrible at drawing and painting and I hated going to art class because I was insecure about my lack of talent. When I came to college, I started working on Adobe programs like InDesign and Photoshop. This was my 'creative passion' and I wish that I could've start working on programs like these in grade school. I would much rather have t...