Thursday, December 15, 2011
Grabbing My Work by the Tail.....
Teaching can be an insidious business. As primarily an elementary visual art art teacher I hope to instill a sense of the wonder and appreciation for what I can only say is an outright passion. Fairly daunting when you think that if I am not successful, my knowledge will be completely lost to the next generation of visual artists. Worse yet none of my students may find what I have to say interesting enough to carry on in any capacity. Sounds narcissistic, doesn't it? But let's be honest, each one of us hopes to instill something into our society. Something that will live on...a permanent contribution.
So here is the rub. Lately I have been so engrossed in my teaching, that I have neglected my own creative process. While certainly there are those that can successfully teach art without being a practicing artist, I simply can't. My art making has become spotty. Of course I can always create things that are designed and executed with a fair amount of skill, but like riding a bike after many months, it's always a shaky start. And brilliance? Well, that has been a bit elusive. It requires time.
Sure I would like to have the discipline that I used to have. Set hours for studio every day, with no exceptions. Now it seems impossible. I often think that the successes of the past will never revisit themselves. So in my self-pity I decided to steal a grain of wisdom from someone else in the hope that it might give me the "kick in the pants" that I so desperately feel I need. That's when I came across this wonderful video by Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity.
Hopefully my genius will partner with me while I begin my "mule-ish" ways once again!
So here is the rub. Lately I have been so engrossed in my teaching, that I have neglected my own creative process. While certainly there are those that can successfully teach art without being a practicing artist, I simply can't. My art making has become spotty. Of course I can always create things that are designed and executed with a fair amount of skill, but like riding a bike after many months, it's always a shaky start. And brilliance? Well, that has been a bit elusive. It requires time.
Sure I would like to have the discipline that I used to have. Set hours for studio every day, with no exceptions. Now it seems impossible. I often think that the successes of the past will never revisit themselves. So in my self-pity I decided to steal a grain of wisdom from someone else in the hope that it might give me the "kick in the pants" that I so desperately feel I need. That's when I came across this wonderful video by Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity.
Hopefully my genius will partner with me while I begin my "mule-ish" ways once again!
Monday, February 28, 2011
A New Day, A New Creation
Lately I've been thinking about the best ways to incorporate art across the curriculum in my classes. I am constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the human mind in design, as well as science and math.
A couple of weeks ago the game show Jeopardy had human contestants competing against an IBM super-computer named Watson. From what I understand Watson and his 'superior intellect' have moved on from what was basically a parlor trick broadcast on TV to diagnosing patients at the University of Maryland. This is both fascinating and disturbing. Very reminiscent of the movie I, Robot.
So what is missing from Watson? Biomorphic movement.
Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen is in the process of solving this little problem.
Jansen uses technology in order to replicate the movements of living beings. He calls his creations "animals", presumably because they are self fueling, can store energy, and avert perceived threats. Mr. Jansen even gives his creations faux-scientific names like the Animaris Umerus, and claims that each animal will become extinct when a better design 'evolves'. Eventually Jansen claims that he would like herds of these beasts to roam the beaches of his home country.
The question is: At what point will these two technologies merge? When will we create an 'animal' that can self-diagnose , repair and (dare I say it) replicate?
And just as important, what are our options for using this technology?
A couple of weeks ago the game show Jeopardy had human contestants competing against an IBM super-computer named Watson. From what I understand Watson and his 'superior intellect' have moved on from what was basically a parlor trick broadcast on TV to diagnosing patients at the University of Maryland. This is both fascinating and disturbing. Very reminiscent of the movie I, Robot.
So what is missing from Watson? Biomorphic movement.
Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen is in the process of solving this little problem.
Jansen uses technology in order to replicate the movements of living beings. He calls his creations "animals", presumably because they are self fueling, can store energy, and avert perceived threats. Mr. Jansen even gives his creations faux-scientific names like the Animaris Umerus, and claims that each animal will become extinct when a better design 'evolves'. Eventually Jansen claims that he would like herds of these beasts to roam the beaches of his home country.
The question is: At what point will these two technologies merge? When will we create an 'animal' that can self-diagnose , repair and (dare I say it) replicate?
And just as important, what are our options for using this technology?
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