Research Assignment

ROBERTO MATTA

By: Jeff Smith

In Roberto Matta’s fluid drawings and painting between 1936 to 1959 are obsessed with the terrain of the mind and the nature’s shifting microcosms are closely brought together. During the 1940s in New York, Matta's Surrealist visions provided much of the connective tissue linking the Surrealist exiles with the burgeoning School of Abstract Expressionism
Matta was born in Chile in 1912. Originally he was trained in his native country as an architect and interior designer. He left for Paris in 1932 to work as a draftsman in the Paris studio of Le Corbousier. Through a letter of introduction from Frederico Garcia Lorca he met Salvador Dali, who suggested he show his drawings to Andre Breton. Matta joined the Surrealists in 1937, and exhibited in the major international Surrealist exhibit that opened in Paris in 1938. Because of the ominous threat of war, Matta left for New York in 1938--and produced his strongest works ever. Although a relative latecomer to Surrealism, Matta's eerie depictions of inner space highly influenced pivotal Abstract Expressionist painters such as Arshile Gorky and Robert Motherwell.

http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles1997/Articles0497/RMatta.html

As always, Matta's vision is a free flowing tribute to the ambiguities of the subconscious mind and to the complex web of the cosmos. The meandering beauty of his line makes his drawing a pleasure to behold. His paintings are replete with glowing colors and a biomorphic fluidity. All of his works transform and change with meditative viewing, revealing the rich inner life of a Surrealist artist immersed in the poetry of line, space, color and motion.

4a. His inspiration is the terrain of the mind and the nature’s shifting microcosms are closely brought together.
4b. He was trained as a architect and interior designer. And then he turned to painting.
5a. His paintings appear to people in many different ways. This is similar to the way that New Media is viewed today.
5b. The way he uses color really blows me away. And some of the drawings that I have seen of his is really great as well.
5c. What surprised me about this artist is that he was an architect and interior designer first and then went to painting.
5d. I could not find any thing that disappointed me about him.
5e. He changed my view of New Media by showing us how to use to bright colors.


Art work:
http://ia.utep.edu/Portals/304/Robert%20Matta%204.10.jpg
http://www.thecityreview.com/s00lats17.gif
http://web.ncf.ca/ek867/matta.lets.jpg
http://www.steamshovelpress.com/images/mattatheearth.jpg

Bliss Assignment

{First Part}

I spent my three hours of bliss playing tennis on the Hartru clay courts over at the Indianapolis Tennis Center. I haven't been playing as much due to the classes I am taking. I hadn't played on clay since 1996, but it didn't take long to get adjusted to what was at one time my favorite surface. I forgot how much fun it was to play on clay. Sliding into shots, rallies lasting two times longer than hard courts, preparing for balls that hit the line (you never know what they are going to do...it is a guessing game), and hitting drop shots that barely go over the net. It was quite enjoyable to get in an extra three hours of stress relief not to mention the exercise.

{Second Part}

The following question is regarding my final project....

What if....Flash is not the best solution for what I am trying to do.

What if Flash doesn't provide the slick user interface and components that we need to complete our project. If there is a better solution then what is it? What would provide the features we desire for our project? Does Adobe AIR, Ruby on Rails, or Microsoft Expression have the tools we need? That is something to ponder....

I appreciate the flexibility and the freedom of this assignment...however it can be daunting when you have all these choices.

{Third Part}

Upon further review, I started the final project in each of the programs and determined that Adobe Flex is our best option for the final project because it has the components and functionality that we need for our project. However we only have a few days to learn what we can and develop a prototype. So I had better get cracking on learning this stuff.....

What if...? Part deux

OK I am going to try and answer Elizabeth's question of....have to return the favor since she completed one of mine :-)

What if....we lived in a society of giant sequoia treehouses where you swing on thick vines from house to house?

{Introduction}

When I first read this question I was instantly reminded of the Ewoks on Endor, but in a more modern set up possibly. In Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks used bridges to walk between tree houses and I think we can improve upon that here. The main question would be how modern we would want the settlement. Trees produce pure oxygen so I am not sure adding an airport or helipad would be a good idea ;)

{Ideas}

Here are some ideas I have for the Sequoia project.

• The utopia would be set up in Northern California.
  
• Elevators to reach the upper Canopy of the forest.
• Three levels of structures (Upper Canopy, Crown, and lower Canopy).
• Upper Canopy would have your observation posts, helicopter pads, and other things that should be on the top level
• Crown would be the residential and commercial area.
• Lower Canopy would contain the entrances to the elevators and sanitation servies
• Oxygen containment system that would naturally pipe the pure oxygen through the settlement.
• Sanitation system which siphoned waste to the lower levels of the forest which could be used as fertilizer to help grow food and other products.
• Livestock would be raised at the foot of the trees
  
• Schools the utopia would contain its own educational system and would be certified by the state of California
• Transportation would consist of vines that would allow you to go between dwellings and elevators to enter or exit the upper levels.
• 
  

{Conclusion}

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Sequoia treehouse society:

Advantages:

• Pure Oxygen to promote well-being.
• A self-contained society they would be able to survive on goods imported from other areas and if they needed to get things
• Low-crime levels within the utopia
• 
  

Disadvantages:

• If the settlement becomes too modern it could upset the production of pure oxygen or even contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer.
• How would they make money to purchase things they needed from the outside? What goods produced would be exportable.
• Inbreeding would be a problem so a solution to introduce new genes would have to be discussed and mandated.
• 
  

In conclusion, I think a society in the treetops is possible and could come to fruition. It would need to be well-planned and need funding to get off the ground...pardon the pun ;)

"Research" assignment

Place holder

What If.......

These might change over the next couple of days....purely random thinking here

1. What if...I had never quit playing tennis
2. What if...the only colors were shades of blue
3. What if...animals could talk and what would they say?
4. What if...my college choice would have been the correct one (the initial choice)
5. What if...I knew you in a previous life...were we friends?
6. What if...they found a cure for cancer
7. What if...Doctors could replace organs
8. What if...my job had nothing to do with computers
9. What if...I hadn't been adopted
10. What if...Corporate America treated their employees better?
11. What if...World of Warcraft was reality and we all had to upgrade our stats by running instances?
12. What if...I found a job doing what I love to do...could I handle it?
13. What if...Randy Rhoads were still alive would he still be with Ozzy?
14. What if...everything in life "Needed more cowbell"?
15. What if...I concentrated on Flash developement instead of C#?
16. What if...Lee Harvey Oswald actually killed Kennedy by himself?
17. What if...the New Media program had more night classes
18. What if...I actually felt appreciated at work?
19. What if...cars drove themselves
20. What if...Ruby on Rails is the next biggest web development platform
21. What if...knowing Ajax will assure I get a good job
22. What if...the phone had never invented
23. What if...if I don't get a better job after I am finished with classes?
24. What if...my wifes back doesn't get any better after surgery
25. What if...I would have taken more CIT classes because I am learning more in them
26. What if...if MCSE was worth more than the paper it is printed on?
27. What if...I would think and it would type
28. What if...if I didn't just spill my coffee everywhere
29. What if...I had never started smoking
30. What if...if we could fly?
31. What if...I had an office instead of a cube
32. What if...Lotus Notes was worth a shit and wasn't slow as molasses
33. What if...redrum redrum if I see another "What if......" today
34. What if...this week never ends....
35. What if...what if never happens
36. What if...we sent troops to Dafur instead of Iraq
37. What if...I could see what will happen in the future
38. What if...I wasn't so burnt out on classes?
39. What if...I had time to learn more Photoshop
40. What if...I would have concentrated on programming at Ivy Tech
41. What if...things would have worked out better of the Technical Support side of things
42. What if...I worked for a company that promoted from within?
43. What if...Adobe Flex was easier than C#
44. What if...we caught Osama Bin Laden?
45. What if...Saddam had Weapons of Mass destruction?
46. What if...it retail chains protected customer information correctly
47. What if...what if IIIII
48. What if...Mac's were more affordable?
49. What if...there were more than 50 questions
50. What if...I did understand why I am doing this...

Questions to try and answer

1. Share something (or multiple things) with the class that moves or inspires you. These can be things to which you have positive or negative reaction, but they need to be things that you react to strongly. Be ready to discuss how they move you.

JFK Assasination

Vietnam

I meant to grab a couple of more, but I didn't have time to do so at work. I am not sure I like these so I will find something else.

2. What do you consider to be sacred?

I consider family, friendship, and trust to be sacred. I hold all three of them close to my heart and if you cross me on any of these fronts it will not be pretty.

3. What is an image?

I will answer later

4. What is music?

Music is an artistic way of telling a story or expressing an emotion. As a guitarist, my songs often reflect what type of motion I am feeling at any given moment. It is a unique expression because the next time you play a piece you might not react the same way or feel the same feelings.

5. What is new media?

I will answer this later

6. Why did you chose to go into New Media?

Originally, I wanted to learn all I could about color and design theory then transfer that knowledge to my work. Sadly after a semester into the program, I realized I could not take the classes needed for my design track because three quarters of them were offered during the day and because I work forty plus hours a week it was going to happen. I then decided to go with the Application design track because with my work schedule it was only way I would be able to graduate and I could pick up a Certificate in Computer Science very easily. I love web development, but I am disappointed that there has been very little done about the lack of classes for working students whether you are a traditional or non-traditional student such as myself. If I had it to do all over again I would probably went after a BS in Computer Information Technology while getting a minor in Informatics/New Media. In 2003, the draw to this degree for me was an updated curriculum working with the hottest technologies and it was stated the purpose was to upgrade the current technology worker in Indiana with new skills to help the companies in this state. I do not find that to be the case at all and it is a bit disappointing.

7. Who am I?

Another question that would take a long time for me to think about and include the relevant information.

8. How is this class impacting you and your approach to New Media? Have you seen any changes in your approach to projects or how you think about New Media? Consider the discussions, projects, and examples we have experienced when you are considering this question.

I will answer this later

Assignment 2

1. Go to a movie and document the smells you encounter

I went to a matinée today and watched Spiderman 3. Some of the smells I encountered included:

Popcorn, mildew, perfume (enough to kill something or somebody for that matter), someone cutting wind (definitely came from behind me some where), pretzel, ketchup, mustard, hot dog, pepperoni, and chewing gum.

2. Go out to dinner and document the sounds you hear

I went out to eat with my wife, her dad, and stepmother at Famous Dan's Barbecue. Some of the sounds I heard include:

cell phone, conversations around me, dishes hitting the floor then breaking, someone using a straw when there glass is empty, father in law chewing his food, waitress taking orders around me, and laughter

3. Listen to music and document what you see

This is what I saw while listening to disk #5 in my car:

"In the End" by Linkin Park

Oh boy this one is rough.....it reminds of a girl I was that I thought was the "one". She was Bipolar (yeah...I know), but for the first 8 months of our relationship you wouldn't know it. She stopped taking her meds and it was an endless spiral into the depths. This song reminds me of the fact that I tried so hard to keep the relationship going that I hit rock bottom in other areas of my life. Anyway enough of that....

4. Get ready for your day and document what you physically feel

This is how I felt this morning:

I am sore from playing tennis yesterday. The shower is helping with the soreness and it is waking me up. While running through my stretches before I play tennis I think I might have over done it because my shoulder is hurting a bit.

5. Go to a grocery store and document what you taste going up and down the aisle

I am thinking I am inept when it comes to this short of thing because I went twice and didn't taste anything :-(

My Egg Part Deux

So my wife had Terrell come over and help her move some things while I was gone. She fixed him brownies. These weren't your "normal" brownies you see as I called my wife and told her to put something special in them :) She agreed to go along with the plan as long as jewelry was involved. So I drove to Terrell's apartment and waited anxiously for the plan to unfold. I scaled his balcony and peered through the dining room window to watch the action. He fired up the stove, grabbed his condiments, and placed his egg on the counter. He then gripped his stomach and proceeded to the bathroom. I waited until I heard the door close, climbed through his window, and grabbed the egg. It was finally mine and I left him a note.

To Whom It May Concern:

You shall only see your egg again if you swear not to eat it. Such a fine egg should be admired not consumed.

Yours Truly.

The Egg Cruelty Board

My Egg...err sort of

Terrell called me while I was out in Oklahoma and told me that he received an egg in class. I was beside myself with envy that he received an egg while I did not. So I started laying out the plans for procuring his egg for my own purposes. After thirteen hours driving back from Lawton, I went over the plan in my head and devise a solid plan. Stayed tuned.....

Testing

Testing 1 2 3