Month: May 2010

thurs april 29th was a great day.  The School of Journalism,…

Posted on by karenjj@uoregon.edu

thurs april 29th was a great day.  The School of Journalism, Product Design and Digital Arts collaborated on a workshop headed by Glenn Cole from 72andSunny.  A brain storming whirlwind thought-storm whipped throughout the day, ignited by a kinship of creatives that left us all amazed and rewarded.  If there is a firm that exemplifies the Digital Arts philosophy it is 72andSunny.  It appears to me, Director Salter, that their practice is dynamic and as inter-media as we consider ourselves.  Students from all 3 areas collaborated seamlessly as they attacked Glenn’s project briefs.  A major Texas salute of gratitude to Deb Morrison, Ad Professor, who corralled us all together knowing it would be a creativity rodeo.  Thanks to all involved, and I speak for the whole of Digital Arts when I testify that there is no reason or argument left for not collaborating across schools and areas.  The outcome never fails to be rich…from the monstrous success of 72andSunny’s practice to the simple and beautiful success of the experience in the workshop.  This is hard data, proof, evidence that we think better when asked to share with like minded people.

students present their ideas to the group…

tools of the creative thinker; ipad, sketchbooks, sharpie, coffee

lunch + human connection

students present their 2nd session ideas...was this the paddle-boat surfing pitch?

Hacking as Art Practice:Part of the curriculum of…

Posted on by karenjj@uoregon.edu

Hacking as Art Practice:
Part of the curriculum of ‘Interactive Digital Arts (ARTD252)’ at the University of Oregon is to teach students that tools aren’t confined to their intended purposes. Digital Arts instructor John Park holds six workshops per year in re-purposing electronics for more creative uses than were initially intended. Such projects include removing the circuitry from $10 USB keyboards to bridge the physical world with computer interfaces (as seen in the images above), using Nintendo Wii-Remotes to create interactive projected animations using its built-in infrared camera, and connecting up sensors to Arduino microcontrollers so students can merge Flash animations with physical-space interactions.

These workshops are offered to all students in the Interactive Digital Arts class, which is a foundations digital arts course open to all majors.

Photo notes: Above photos taken on April 30th, 2010 for the USB Keyboard Hacking workshop held in Eugene, OR. Picture in photos from left to right, top to bottom: Ethan Ouimet, Kento Yuasa, Peter Pazderski, Aaron Alstott, Charly McCombs, & Andi Castle.

Donald Judd: April 25 – May 21

Posted on by edparker@uoregon.edu

Donald Judd
White Box
April 25-May 21
UO in Portland
24 NW First Ave.

From the outside, the work of artist Donald Judd is seamless. But each piece tells a story of how one of the most influential American minimalist artist used others to fabricate his work. An exhibition of Donald Judd works are featured in the University of Oregon in Portland’s White Box through May 21.

In addition to two floor and two wooden wall pieces, the exhibit features the personal archives of Peter Ballantine, Judd’s longtime fabricator. The archives include Judd’s drawings, instructions, photos and letters. A short documentary about Judd’s life and work is also being screened in the Gray Box.

The exhibition will be part of the First Thursday art walk from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 6.

The works, from 1963 to 1989, include a bright red floorpiece constructed of Douglas Fir plywood with 27 dividers, a stainless steel, wire and amber-colored transparent plexiglas floorpiece, an unpainted single-unit Douglas fir wallpiece and a two-unit unpainted Douglas fir wallpiece.

The White Box is open from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesdays to Saturdays.