Retinal Persistence*

As we talked about multimedia earlier today, the perfect definition of the word would be a type of medium that tries to target all your senses at the same time. Retinal Persistence plays a big role with senses especially your eyes, the word retinal derives from retina. What I understood from researching about this concept is that when you watch a film an area in your brain(perception of motion)that allows you to store a visual impression in memory for a few hundred milliseconds after the visual stimulus has disappeared. The first theories that came up about Retinal persistence were that retinal persistence was caused by a slow movement of the frames in the camera and that the mind sees flashing pictures. These theories were proven wrong by new psychologists. Flipbooks are an example of Retinal persistence, when flipped at a fast enough speed, the illusion of smooth motion is created.

One of the first movies to come out!

Display Technology*

Amazing video I found & thought I would share!

Abelardo Morell*

The cuban native photographer Abelardo Morell has a great eye for pictures. He is a very talented and creative photographer using many different techniques to capture the perfect moment. As we watched in the documentary "Shadow Of The House" Abelardo Morell used the Camera Obscura to take pictures of specific things upside down leaving other objects still. 

Camera Obscura : An apparatus in which the images of external objects, formed by a convex lens or a concave mirror, are thrown on a paper or other white surface placed in the focus of the lens or mirror within a darkened chamber, or box, so that the outlines may be traced.

Here are some pictures that he took using this technique:

Abelardo Morell is a very talented artist influenced by magic realism in Latin American literature. Abelardo Morell just like most artists are inspired by the popular story Alice in Wonderland. I believe he did a great job representing the story by combining cut outs of the original book edition that came out in 1865 with pictures he took himself to come up with this amazing creation. In the photograph below you can read a lot about the story and can imagine what the artist is trying to convey by his art pieces.

"The Loveliest Garden You Ever Saw, 1998"

My favorite quote from Alice In Wonderland 

Mad Hatter : Have I Gone Mad?

Alice: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are. 

Angel DeQuinta*

The spotlight is on the main character the whole time trying to keep the concentration on her speicifically because she is the main singer in the video excerpt. The use of this technology is to distinguish who is the person you should keep your attention on through out a musical because in most musicals there are more than twenty people on the stage singing and performing and the spotlight is used for you to understand the story more by paying attention to the right person.

The technologies that I found in this video are the lights in the background of the stage that spell out Cabaret used in the famous broadway. This method of technology is used in order for the audience to remember the name of the play or musical and by the lights being visible in the background designed in a special way people will remember it for a long time. 

Stage lights - At 2: 05 you can clearly see the stage lights that are blue red and white while the stage background are the same colors. The reason why stage lights are so important in modern day is because it plays a huge role in setting a mood depending on the scene. Stage lights are also important because different colors symbolize different things for example red can represent broad daylight while blue can represent night time. 

La Cage Aux Folles - The man speaking in the video has a microphone attached to his blazer jacket. Wireless microphones are used to be placed on your body or either on your clothing. The advantage of using the wireless microphone instead of the normal microphone is that the person talking or performing has more space and can freely move around without having to hold anything in their hands. 

La Cage Aux Folles - In this Video excerpt, at 1 minute and 20 seconds you can see the type of technology used in this musical broadway as something comes down from the ceiling towards the performers and lifts them back up with different outfits. I believe that this is a very creative way to let the less important characters or back up dancers to leave the stage so that the attention is focused on the rest of the performers which will stay down. Technology has made it easier for us to create transitions in our plays, movies, videos or anything possible.

Wicked Broadway Musical - at 2: 50 in the clip the wizard flies with the help of technology while the song Defying Gravity plays. The writers make us believe that the wizard flew up on her broom while obviously we can see something black lifting her up to the air. If you closely concentrate while she is in the air there are two ropes holding her up on her left and right hand side. The reason why this technology is used is so that the audience could picture and imagine the essence of a fantasy and to relive the musical. 

42nd Street - The use of technology used in this broadway musical are the lights found on the stairs and the lit up signs in the background spelling out different words and entertainment areas. This method is used for different scenes and to illuminate the stage so that the audience can see the characters clearly. Another important factor would be composition, lighting may be used to show only the areas of the stage which the producer or director wants the audience to see, and to "paint a picture".

Depression & Recession*

When i started to think about art and technology that was used in the late 20's through out the 30's during the depression, the first thing that popped in my mind was music and the way it was used and the effect it had on people. Record Players and Phonographs were popular in late twenties 'till the thirties. In the late 20's people would buy records because the technology wasn't as advanced as it is today, instead records were bought for as cheap as less than a dollar and music distracted people from all the problems that they were being faced with such as the war and people losing all their belongings and money. 
Today with all the technological advancements, we can download music, videos, or anything from the internet which is absolutely for free. During the recession people would download music without having to waste any money, but download directly from their computers or laptops whatever they want to watch or listen to. I believe that by going to the movies or listening to a simple song you enter another world and forget about all your worries and life . Technology has made our lives easier in a lot of ways and we are always surprised with new technologies that are arising at this moment. 

Madama Butterfly Animation*

When i first started watching the animation video by Pjotr Sapegin I honestly thought it was very weird and creative at the same time because it looked like they were real people and they showed real emotions we experience and see everyday. What i understood was that the main character had met a guy from a different culture and devoted all of her life to him. He promises that he will come back and she believes every word he says and then she realizes that she was pregnant with his baby and realizes that she will never give up on him and will come back eventually. From what I learned and saw from our classes, not all Operas are fun and have happy endings like what we see today on a daily basis. The original song from the opera was perfect for the scene and it really made me feel what the main character (woman/mum) felt and i believe the music had a big role in it. I realized that the music started to change when the daughter grew up and while they were standing on the hill waiting for the father to come back. Then we realize that she's been waiting all this time and all her hopes were killed when the father showed up with the new woman and just takes the child away from her that she has raised all by herself. 

I thought that the music box played a big role in the animation video, as a way of symbolizing her life, when the mother was first seeing the man in the beginning, as she was giving birth, playing with her child and while she was waiting for her husband to come back. The butterfly, wind, and the umbilical cord played big roles in the animation as well using the butterfly to describe her as one and the umbilical cord as a form of a strong bond and connection to her daughter and by not cutting it from the beginning shows us how she doesn't want to leave a part of him. 

I believe that the metaphor of the fish tank and the fish is to narrowly explain the process of birth without showing any visuals and to explain that reproduction isn't only for human beings but also mammals. It has evolutionary undertones when i first saw the fish i got confused and wondered what it had to do with the woman and then i began to understand that they were relating to how a fetus grows from a tiny dot into a beautiful human being.

Pares Et Circenses*

In the 21st Century the saying "Bread & Entertainment" highly differentiates from the 17th or 18th century. When I talk about the differences what i mean is that earlier in the 17th and 18th century they used to "fill" up the audience's stomachs no matter what kind of entertaintment it was so that the people and audience wouldnt overthrow the government and as a means to gain political power.  When they came up with this phrase it was a perfect idea because no one can say no to free food and great entertainment without being distracted.

    In my opinion, today the only place they actually use this saying "bread and entertainment" is in television, music, video games, cellphones and other types of medias. Today we live in a consumer culture where everybody wants the new "product" or want to try out the newest brand that came out or own the newest piece of technology. It is all given to us from each angle and all we have to do is just supply the money. My example might be kind of going into another direction since its not a "free" item, but it is an object that we demand on a daily basis and they are actually produced daily. What we seem to forget are the very important issues that are being faced today in our world and that is one way we are distracted, with all the new high technology games and devices we own today. As a population, we are easily distracted from horrible events such as natural disasters, crimes, political issues, revolutions, enviromental issues, and many more. These issues are not as important as they once were to people because they are distracted by other gadgets that are taking over people's lives.

BaroqueCommercials*

Heinz Ketchup Commercial with Byron Music

Pantene Advertisement with the classical song Canon D' Major by Pachelbel 

Juan-Carlos Delgado-Latest Show*

It's amazing how Juan-Carlos Delgado had transformed snow/ice into a real life sculpture. From what I understood was that he was going with the snow/winter theme for his last show.

i'm very impressed and inspired with Delgado's latest work and the way every detail shows and how the snow shines on the kid's face not leaving any detail behind. The mood of Juan's sculpture reminds me of winter and of the Roman statues that you see everywhere that was built years and years ago leaving them looking ancient. It seems that the artist has a personal experience or connection with his work like most artists do, maybe its about his childhood, or somewhere he has traveled that inspired him to make such a  great sculpture. The othe project he had were the jail bars that also had snow on them and represented the whole theme. Some bars did have snow while others looked rusty, I found this project kind of depressing because of the way it looks and because of the concept as well, maybe the artist went to jail himself and was just rememebring his experiences or that it represented stillness and calmess when youre alone. I understood by looking at these photos that Delgado was trying to send out a message with his artistic ways and trying to prove a point. I liked the first project more and found it more artistic than the second because you need talent and knowledge to sculpt something like that.

http://www.revistaexclama.com/arte/

Farinelli*

While researching and reading about the famous castrati singer Farinelli, i was very shocked and intrigued at the same time with how the "castrating" started and for what reasons. When i first heard of the disease I thought it was something that only occurred in a womans body because of the word "menopausal". Carlos Farinelli was castrated while he was a young man due to the purpose of the opera. I believe that around the 1700s the opera was a very important part of people's cultures and the citizens did not know what kind of medical risks they would put their performers under to keep the Opera alive and going. Not only did Farinelli sing, but he also wrote songs and played many different instruments. While reading about Farinelli it reminded me of the Greek Theatre and how women weren't allowed to act or sing in theaters or plays just because they weren't allowed to so men would have to dress up as women and wear masks if they were playing a role of a woman. They would also hire young men to sing and play roles of women before they hit puberty because of their voices they were similar to those of womens. In my opinion what they used to do to young men in the 1700s was very wrong and against any human right possible. The post menopausal disease effected him badly and killed him.