Michael Mikho_ Food is Love

Weiss_Zelda_Performance

Grant Weiss

GD300

11/4/12

Zelda The Symphony of Goddesses:

An inside eye

Front and slightly to the left of the stage we sat for what was soon to be the show of my life. As the curtain raised the 138-chair orchestra and full choir was revealed in perfect luminance with regard to contrast and balance. The lights above the stage conformed together creating entire light spectrums. All of this just to ensure the balance of the overall Hogue of the stage itself. As I was sitting there only gazing at the stage, before the performance even had started, I only found myself thinking of my brother and our childhood’s growing up together, playing this game. And now it was in front of me. It was real, an actual document of performance! Soon after my eyes would not stop watering, and I noticed that I was crying. So this was more than just a performance; artistically it was beyond incredible.

            Behind the performers was a video screen the size of the massive Chicago Theater stage. On this screen Zelda was played from the 16-bit start to finish.

Scored completely in time with the live performance happening inches in front of the screen. Therefore the quality of art was amazing. When taking criteria we learned from class such as integration, geometric, and deconstructive into consideration watching this performance, I could correlate all of it to the visual game performance.

            The visualizer carried on with the performance-depicting Link (Zelda) fighting through the worlds of pixels. It is a very geometric world, only using basic graphics to define most environments. And of course characters. Link himself is composed of rough rectangles and squares which are easily notable to the eye as he moves and tweens across the screen. This adds a sense of sincerity, and delight to the performance. A quality that is tough to find these days. We can also apply integration when thinking of the actual performers and their juxtaposition with the visuals of Zelda in the background. The performers and conductor are perfectly in time with all of the elements of the performance, lights, sound, and visual. Thus creating balance within the score. And not only balance but an actual tangible real life expression and representation, of what is playing on the screen. Which is a perfect juxtaposition of emotional and visual stimulation for the viewers. When taking deconstructive qualities into consideration we see lots of overlap, screen shaking, and disorientation. Textures in the game are clearly rendered well but it is 16-bit. So textures in the game are overlapped to create shading and depth to the wireframe of the game. But that is passed over by the viewer as the screen shakes when Link is in trembling terror evoking more emotion, putting the viewer in Links disoriented shoes!

Absolutely conceptually amazing! All of this plus a one time performance with one of the world’s most renowned orchestras, (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), was second to none and an unforgettable experience. It was refreshing to see material I was learning in class that could be conceptually applied to something like a performance, as I am a musician myself. With out a doubt the single most impressive, thought provoking, emotional experience I have ever had.

Emily Ryan - Dating Project - 2nd Version

Leung - Dating Final

Clark Final

Chels Henshaw: Final Dating Identity

For the Dating Identity Project, I created three pieces that are meant to be viewed as a triptych. Each of the pieces contain a set of two opposite characteristics. The positioning of the text illustrates the characteristic that I prefer in a relationship. Each piece reads as follows: “Brains over Braun,” “Ambition over Apathy,” and “Crazy over Calm.” These medium for these pieces is digital projection. The specific subject of each piece is the text. The secondary subjects are the lines that are positioned in the center of pieces and fade from black to gray. The simplicity of these images strengthen the message that I was trying to convey with these pieces. In addition, the repetition of each piece and geometric design structure help to reinforce my intention to create a piece that reflects the honest and concise nature that I possess in relationships.

This work is quite straightforward. I felt that this style was only fitting for this project because I tend to be quite candid when in a relationship. I do not filter my thoughts and this makes for an uncomplicated relationship. I feel that the most efficient method to display my thoughts on relationships would be to strip the meaning behind my project to the most basic elements. Therefore, instead of illustrating the characteristics, I choose to solely use type and modify the position and color of the word to create emphasis on the characteristic that I prefer. Further, in order to convey the hierarchy of these characteristics, I simply used a series of bars that faded in color to divide the page. 

The inspiration that I drew for this project was from a past experience where my blunt nature caused more harm than good. Although this experience bummed me out for a minute, I can look back now without regret because I was completely upfront with all my thoughts. I feel that this is why I opted to remain true to my honest roots and create a piece with an uncomplicated design approach that mimics my approach to relationships. 

The subtext that emerges from this piece came in the form of levels. Visually, as each piece is lined up next to each other, a set of steps emerges from blended lines on each image. As cliché as it sounds, I feel that all of the posters together signify all the steps that one would need to climb to hypothetically “get to my heart.” The subtext that is derived from the combination of these poster intrigues me, and I feel that although originally unintentional, the levels that are created added a bit more complexity to my simple pieces. 

I feel that this project is successful because it completely encompasses my personality and further, my demeanor when I am in a relationship. One of the strengths of this project was the typeface that I chose. I have been wanting to use this beautiful typeface for quite some time, and finally the right project came around! One of the weaknesses of this project would have to be rooted in the challenge to position the text correctly. Many of the projects that I have created for this class have been heavily based in illustrations. I really enjoyed creating a piece that was simpler. I feel that this piece is just as effective as my previous pieces, and it was fun to explore a different approach to design.

Fane Final