Audio/Video Hardware/Software Responses

Reflect on your experiences working with the audio/video hardware and software in this class. Answer the following in a word processor or text editor:

1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.

2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?

3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

4. How was your experience with the digital/video camera you chose to use in this course? How did it compare with other still or video cameras you have previously used? Were you able to successfully implement your Image Capturing Strategies using the features of this camera? In an ideal world, how would your still/video camera of choice function?

5. Discuss your choice of video-editing software and describe your history with this software. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

Copy/paste/publish as a single comment to this post on the Course Blog.

Drift Assessment and Ten Questions

Make sure your answers to the following questions exist as self-contained statements.

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.

These questions must be related directly to your experiences walking the specific landscapes of your Drift 1, and should be specifically worded enough to generate possible strategies and solutions for executing Drift 2. Note that you will not be ANSWERING these questions right away. They will serve as inspiration for areas to explore on Drift 2.

Here are some examples:

1. Are there any back roads that lead to something interesting?
2. Is there a house that has a very unique and interesting architecture?
3. Are there any places where sound takes on a strange quality?
4. Where can I find the strangest sight within my Drift area?
5. What differences are there on Lake Michigan between night and day?
6. Are there any places where one can make a complete 180 degree turn and only see nature?
7. Are there any buildings that will give me access to a high and panoramic view?
8. Is there some kind of elaborate garden in the area?
9. Are there any kind of monuments in the area?
10. Are there any bodies of water (other than Lake Michigan) in the area?

You may want to copy and paste the Drift Assessment questions into a Word or TextEdit/Notepad document, and then copy/paste into the comment field when you are done. Publish as a comment to this post on the Course Blog.

Reading Responses

Reading responses on assigned readings will be due throughout the semester as comments to selected posts on the Course Blog. The responses will consist of three-paragraph statements on the readings or screenings, answering the following three questions (one paragraph per question):

1. Identify the article you have selected and why you chose it.

2. What are the main points of the essay?

3. How are the ideas or arguments in this article relevant to your own practice as a media artist?

READINGS ON PLACE, LANDSCAPE, MAPPING

Cosgrove, Denis. "Carto-City." (PDF)
Cresswell, Tim. Excerpt from: Place: A Short Introduction. (PDF)
Cross, Jennifer. "What is 'Sense of Place'?"
Cuper, Kenny. "Walking As Do-It Yourself Urbanism." (PDF)
Debord, Guy. "Theory of the Dérive."
Fitch, Andy. Sixty Morning Walks.
Hall, Stephen S. "I, Mercator." (PDF)
Hansen, Anders Hund. "Walking Through a Liquid Forest of Symbols." (PDF)
Hart, Joseph. "A New Way of Walking."
Hiss, Tony. Excerpt from: The Experience of Place. (PDF)
Interview: "Will Self: On ‘Psychogeography’ and the Places That Choose You.'"
Lopate, Philip. "On the Aesthetics of Urban Walking and Writing."
Lippard, Lucy. Excerpt from: The Lure of the Local: Senses of Place in a Multicultural Society. (PDF)
Sant, Alison. "Redefining the Basemap" (PDF)
Spirn, Anne Whiston. Excerpt from: The Language of Landscape. (PDF)
This American Life: Mapping.
Wrights & Sites. "A Manifesto for a New Walking Culture."

READINGS ON SOUND

Cage, John. "The Future of Music: Credo"
Daniel, Diane. "The Sound of a Sitka Spruce." (PDF)
Delehanty, Suzanne. "Soundings."
Ferrington, Gary. "On A Clear Day I Can Hear Forever."
Hill, S. Arden. "Listening to Myself Listening."
Oliveros, Pauline. "Deep Listening: Bridge to Collaboration"
Peterson, Ivars. "Sounds of the Seasons."
Pinkowish, Mary Desmond. "Quiet, Please!" (PDF)
Russolo, Luigi. "The Art of Noises."
Toop, David. "The Art of Noise."
Westerkamp, Hildegard. "Soundwalking."
Ximm, Aaron. "Sound, Art, Music." (PDF)

READINGS ON IMAGE AND MEDIA

MacDonald, Scott. "Introduction to Avant-Garde Film."
Miller, Paul D. (DJ Spooky). "Material Memories: Time and the Cinematic Image."
Sontag, Susan. "Excerpt from On Photography." (PDF)
Trachtenberg, Stephen Joel. "The Art of Instant Gratification."