Eat More Media

      This might have been my favorite project this year! I really enjoyed the process of magazine-making, especially because I've been wanting to do it for a while. Ever since I learned about street-wear and the underground house music of the 80s and 90s in Detroit, I've wanted to participate in some of the graphic design aspects of it. A lot of the underground scene moved on "good taste" and niche design, so I felt appropriately challenged to find my pocket in that process.      Blurb was not that difficult. Though, the app definitely has a bit of a learning curve, not too big, but there is a bit of jolt, it was easy to navigate through it, and it was decently easy to place and align my images too. I found myself playing with different text sizes and positions since I had decided to keep the same font for the entire magazine. Overall, blurb was just an awesome and fun place to explore.      For  the exhibition, I loved it! I have never been in an exhibition where I

  Gina Adams explores the harrowing, and often blurry, history of broken treaties in the United States. Through her art, Adams embodies the voices of her ancestors; She becomes a specialist exposing the language that erased and destroyed a large portion of Indigenous history. In essence, Gina Adams has rearranged the meaning of this complicated language. By purposely altering colors and using certain schemes, Adams is directly tinkering with a weapon of mass destruction, and she vehemently understands the power of this instrument.  By placing these treaties on the quilt, Adams creates a juxtaposition of hostility and peace. On one hand, you have the US and their genocidal tactics against the indigenous people of North America, and on the other, you have the indigenous people who have been ignored and oppressed for the sole fact that they exist. Gina Adams becomes a pivotal peace to the liberation of the indigenous peoples.  In connection to McLuhan, “The living room has become a vot

  Nam June Paik For this report, I focused on Nam June Paik. More specifically though, I focused on the way that his art facilitates human interaction, and how this interaction creates a ripple effect that allows for an honest discussion about the cultures that surround us.  Nam June Paik was an artist who was intrigued by the idea of breaking down the status quo that, to him, held the modern art world back. In order to prove himself, Paik, first, had to destroy revered symbols of germanic society.  To Paik, these symbols held more than they really showed. Paik understood that behind everything in the world there was a possibility for art. He also understood that there was no need for meaning in these art pieces; they were art for one reason, that he'd decided they were art.  After that, it was up to the viewer to interpret the "meaning" that surrounds the piece. I think it's important for the viewer to remain part of the entire process of art. Even though the art mi

  se fue el tiempo     I fell in love with a lot of the distorted examples that Johnie showed us in class, especially, The Red Crayola. As soon as I got back to my dorm for class that day, I got to work. I wanted it to feel fast, but I didn't want it to be fast, so I put my bpm on 68 and started programming the drums that you hear in the song. It's a pretty simple pattern. However, I went and reprogrammed them after, adding, removing, and repeating various elements, giving the drums a more chaotic element that sort of engulfs you into the song itself.  I am also a big fan of JPEGMafia, an independent rap artist who has dropped some of the most amazing music in the last few years.  I wanted the lead to reflect that, so I went for this guitar MIDI plug-in, and I got a version of the melody that you hear in the background. After this, I transposed it a bit so that darker more somber tone would come through, and then I added an amp to both the lead and the drums.  This is where all

      Window           My parents left Mexico when they were about 19-20 years old. They left their families and had me at the young age of 21. 20 years later, I left my home to go to college; I left my family too. I wonder what they thought when they walked around their new neighborhood, did they feel scared, did they feel angry?  As I walked around the Appleton houses shooting, I thought about the way I felt. I felt scared. I felt watched, as if at any moment an owner would yell at me to get off their property. Regardless, I embraced the discomfort. I found myself looking for ways to intrude. If you were a homeowner, and saw me in front of your house, mysteriously shooting multiple angles, would YOU feel scared? Why?  It might seem a bit insensitive and weird to go around shooting houses you've never been in, but I found this to be more therapeutic than anything. It felt good to explore. It felt good to intrude. I found myself thinking a bit deeper into what I was doing while sho

Through her minimalist approach to the genocide of the indigenous peoples in the US, Valeria Tatera shines a bright light at the underbelly of the beast who has tried to remain in its own shadow. She displays a blunt message, but it is that, which makes her a brave beacon of hope for the indigenous peoples of America. When McLuhan says “...minority groups can no longer be contained-- ignored,” this is what he means. As an indigenous woman, Tatera tackles major systems of governance and control, exposing and displaying their atrocities.  Some might say that her choice of medium is attached to minimalism, but I would actually pair it with something that is more complex. This piece is hidden in plain sight. Its message is coded with a language that not many might understand. Because of this, it becomes a link between several generations, not only in the past, since you’re linking to your history and culture by creating the art in the first place, but also in the future, leaving your art t