Hacking pacemakers, programmable vasectomies (with on/off buttons), and plenty more to think about in the link below. This is TED.com: download the podcasts, listen a one while you exercise or walk to class. They give some of the world's smartest and most important people only 17 minutes to be as profound as possible. Even Obama only got 17 minutes. This one site contains some of the best cultural research and analysis out there.

http://www.ted.com/talks/avi_rubin_all_your_devices_can_be_hacked.html

If you watch this, make a comment. I'd like to hear about this video and also other podcasts you find interesting.

Ashley and Madison



Song of the Landscape


This piece is nothing like you have ever seen before. It is a masterpiece of sorts that could be a useful conversation starter if you’re hanging out with a tiresome or boring person. This piece makes any clean-cut space look chaotic. It has attitude, it has emotion, and it most certainly perfects the trait of individuality. It is like an abstract piece of nature made out of brass and iron. The square pieces at the top look like a doorway into a new cycle. It could relate to your own life and how you may want a fresh start and try new things. Therefore, this piece can be an example of solid motivation; a piece of art that can relate the changes of nature to the changes in your own life. Nothing compares to the industrial beauty of this piece that almost “sings” to you. The abstract shapes take place on brass lines almost in the way of a music staff with notes on it ready to be played. The great thing about this piece of art is that its true meaning is up for interpretation. Everyone can find their own sense of meaning within this piece. When I look at this artwork, I see energy, light, and change. It has an interesting rhythm of insanity. If you need some wicked crazy in your life, check this thing out. It’s boss! It almost looks rebellious. who cares about straight lines and thinking “inside” the box. Trust me, this thing looks like nothing you’ve ever seen!

Fifteen Planes by David Smith

Lyndsay Martinelli

Alex Boyes

An interesting piece that we found at the exhibit was called “Fifteen Planes”, created in 1958 by David Smith. The entire piece is made out of stainless steel and is comprised of fifteen steel, rectangular sheets. The sheets, or planes, are welded together and are attached to one another by a small portion, allowing the entire piece to branch out as the individual pieces build off of one another. The piece is supported by two long poles, both of which are actually two very long and skinny steel sheets, making the tallest part of the structure reach about ten feet tall. These poles attach to the fifteen smaller, connected planes. The two poles are attached to a large, flat base which is what holds the entire structure to the floor. This very plane work of art exudes simplicity, but to us, seemed to take the shape of a flamingo or similar bird dipping its head into the water. The planes are basically plain, taking steel’s natural silvery color. However, upon observing more closely, we noticed that the sheets had a random pattern on them that  resembled the look of finger smears in a squiggly formation on the surface. Most of the sheets of steel face vertically, so our view was that of the base.The only exceptions were three planes that lie on a horizontal axis, allowing us the view of the planes’ edges. The piece as a whole exhibits parts that are only rectangular shaped; there is no roundness to the piece at all.

    This piece stuck out to us because even though the structure is made out of so many individual little pieces, when these pieces are combined, they create a bigger picture. We thought it resembled a flamingo. The long poles resemble the flamingo’s legs and the square steel sheets are arranged in a way that resemble the shape of a flamingo’s body bending over as if the flamingo was drinking from a creek. Overall, what we found most interesting and appealing Aleis that if taken apart, this structure would be nothing more but fifteen sheets of stainless steel. But the artist put the pieces together in a way that allowed them to form another shape entirely. Whether it was our imagination or the artist’s intent, a flamingo drinking from a creek stood before us.

why you should see the hero

Why you should see The Hero sculpture

The Hero sculpture is captivating because it represents the importance of mind over body in our hero’s. The head or top of the sculpture is solid representing its value and importance opposed to the body which is just an empty rectangular frame. Since the body has no arms or legs this represents the importance of contributing through thoughts and Ideas more than physical actions done with the body. This means that doesn’t matter how strong of a body someone, if that person has a mind like a hero then they are a hero. The sculpture is a rusty color and is placed over an hour glass structure which reminds me of how my hero’s are getting older and that even though there is nothing left of their bodies their memories still provide me with strength... Since the sculpture is made of steal it represents strength and permanence which is true of many hero’s in that they live in our hearts and minds long after they have gone physically. So, if a society or a person has a mind like a hero, it would last a long time and would be a standard of their lives.. So you should visit this sculpture to see the significance it could have to you since hero’s are important to everyone because we all want to be like our hero’s. The hero’s we wish to emulate represent the actions we will make as individuals and as societies.

Nelson and Yongbo

BIG DIAMOND!!

Calderon
Blunn
Dzingel

No rules. “Big Diamond” follows David Smith’s theme of cubes and anarchy. In a world without gravity and where time is in-existent, geometrical figures rule the day. This sculpture is interesting because of the curious manner this piece comes together. Everything is connected through the metal work.

In addition, the color scheme of this sculpture is not the most fascinating. Dull colors are  for the most part utilized with exception to bright orange and white. As seen by a number of smears and dripping, the paint was carelessly thrown on. Clearly, the metal work is the true focus of this artwork - not the overlay.

Behind the sculpture was the letter T. Serving almost like a spine to the piece, this T was seemingly had the purpose of balance and foundation. Although reiterating David Smith’s theme of cubes and anarchy, “Big Diamond” oddly enough carried an aspect of unity.

Overall, this piece brought out endless thoughts and ideas. David Smith had this in mind while constructing this brilliant mixture of shapes and colors. Even though this piece was extremely simple, the possibilities of discussion range from the circle of life to a children's jungle gym. This piece can be as deep and complex that one wants to make it. Without deep thought while looking at it, it could seem to be a useless piece of art.

Untitled 1962 David Smith Painting

Austin Thees
David Renner
We chose to examine an untitled painting by David Smith, painted in 1962 using spray paint and paper. This artwork had several objects created in the negative space of the painting. The painting is very abstract in the sense that one could take many different meanings from it. The only way know the true meaning of the painting would be to ask the artist himself. Through observation, we have come up with a couple possible meanings for what this painting could mean and why it is important.
The clearly defined quadrilaterals are put into contrast with the free flowing shapes shapes which are in the focal point of the painting. It appears that the rectangles are trying to escape the darkness and mystery of the center, and seek refuge among the lighter colors in the corners of the piece.

Another interpretation we had of this painting is that two people are standing on a platform in a time machine. The rectangle in the top right corner is a calender, and the one on the far left is a digital clock, both are flipping back and forth through time. The center is blurred because the objects inside the machine are beginning to phase into a different time period. The colors are all distorted due to the travel through time and space.

This painting shows a desire for knowledge and concrete ideas, in opposition to the ambiguity. It is important because it represents a unique style utilized in the 1960’s. It’s a unique painting because of the several meanings it could have behind it such as showing movement toward the unknown with time travel, or escaping the norm.

Untitled David Smith

David Smith was fascinated with geometrical shapes and the balance of the world around him. He believed that circles were more primary than squares, having being used for wheels and then improved for various purposes. He used circles and other various shapes largely throughout his art, as can be seen in his picture of his sculpture “Untitled.” David Smith gives no specific title to his work of art to give people the opportunity to interpret the “people” as they would like. This sculpture depicted several objects composed of different shapes and forms. These forms seemed to create people. The picture showed that though people may be different, they are still people. People are all original, just like the different shapes that made up the different people in the photograph. For instance, one person was depicted having an empty head, while another had an enclosed circle for a head. This shows that even though they look different they can still be themselves and not have to worry about outside judgment. David Smith used this piece to encourage people to appreciate who everyone is, even if they are different from ourselves. The people in the picture conquered their differences and were still able to come together, as we should be able to. The sculpture also had one person holding a piece that looked like an eye in the front. This serves to show how everyone has a different way of seeing the world and that we should be open to other people’s point of view because our view is not the only possible one. 

Kellen and Stefanie