Class 2: Mimesis

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” —Charles Mingus (who is mingus?)

Goals/Discussion: Mimesis
Nature creates similarities.  One need only think of mimicry.  The highest capacity for producing similarities, however, is man’s.  His gift of seeing resemblances is nothing other than a rudiment of the powerful compulsion in former times to become and behave like something else.  Perhaps there is none of his higher functions in which his mimetic faculty does not play a decisive role.
— Walter Benjamin, “On the Mimetic Faculty” 1933

Mimesis: What is fascinating about this dance, explain to me why it is compelling (or not) and what that might mean for your work.

What is our calling as artists, is it to faithfully reflect and report the world, to change the world, to interpret it, to find patterns in it, to reject it, to use it for our own purposes, or it is something altogether different?  These are some of the questions that arise in digital environments.

1. Go out and take some digital photos of the MICA campus / local area
2. Import images of campus into photoshop
3. PHOTOSHOP: Techniques
4. In Class: Create “destroyed city” images of the MICA campus.  It will look as if a terrible calamity had struck, like a storm, a flood or a comet.
   Lets look at an example: Anthony Goicolea

   Some random “destruction” tutorials 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

I was trying to find someone actually known for their intense use of photoshop, and I found Ron Crabb.

Ron Crab (site)
“Ron Crabb’s art is almost undetectable, yet it has been seen by millions. He is a matte painter for major Hollywood films, such as X-Men, The Bucket List, and Speed Racer, and it is a compliment to say his work is undetectable. As a matte painter, Ron’s role is to create imaginary scenes that look entirely real. Building on an early career in motion graphics, he has developed his incredible photorealistic style. He spent twenty years working with digital painting systems beginning well before the advent of Photoshop. Today, Ron uses a combination of Photoshop, CGI, photographs, and good old-fashioned painting skills to create stunningly realistic matte paintings, special visual effects, title sequences, and concept art for movies. He also creates fine art using the same set of skills.”
http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=690

A thought.

How to quiet the Lizard Brain.

Artistic or Critical Concept: Narrative
Sit back and look at one of the following and see if you can describe it.  Is it a narrative, what does “Narrative” mean if the story is collaboratively built through your interaction?

• http://www.worldofawe.net/thejournal/landing/#
• http://www.markamerika.com/filmtext/
• http://www.artbrush.net/cynetart/
• http://www.superbad.com/

1. Homework:
   1. Continue to work on your “MICA destruction” photoshopped image(s).
   2. Blog: the Internet as a medium for production, publication, distribution,
   promotion, dialogue, consumption and critique. Post an entry on your blog about your favorite images on the Worth 1000
   photoshopping contests. ( http://www.worth1000.com/galleries.asp? display=photoshop )
   3. Please convert your destruction image to CMYK and go to the print lab and print this image on and 8.5 by 11 piece of paper.  Please bring it into class next week so we can
   discuss it and the printing experience. word and there is no limits to the dialogic context”

Along the lines of our synesthesia discussion: Digital synesthesia.

Brand U.0: David Armano, on personal branding, social media and managing your brand online.

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