Category: LookingOutwards-10

SPUTNIKO!

Oh, Sputniko! How do I properly explain Sputniko!? I don’t think I’ll be able to even pick one project. First off, her real name is Hiromi Ozaki, but we’ll keep calling her Sputniko! She’s well… incredible, if you couldn’t tell from the exclamation point in her name. She is a half Japanese half British  artist that has her hand in every type of art: music, film, performance, visual, technological. Her art is focused on”exploring technology’s impact on everyday life and imagine alternative futures.” Alongside her wide range of art projects and installations, she is an assistant professor at the MIT Media Lab. Though she is an incredible interdisciplinary artist now, she studied primarily math and science at Imperial College London.  She was awarded the Vogue Japan’s women of the year in 2015, and listed in a french magazine this past year as one  30 talented women under 30. Here’s why:

 

1. Spuntiko! is hilarious. I’m not really sure why I find this so funny, but she is hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoYcp5xbEzc

 

2. She is crazy creative. She creates amazing videos that incorporate tech, media, original song, and J-pop flair.

3. She is poignant. Her works, though funny and original, have serious messages that get their points across.

 

4. She creates such a wide range of hilarious, creative, and poignant works, that it is near impossible to find one that you don’t like. From her high heals that reseed the planet, to her glowing silk project, to her curiosity caused prosthetic penis experiment, she is absolutely a fantastic person, with a broad and exciting take on media art.  She created her own software to operate the shoe, to control the prosthetic penis based on her heart rate, and to change the “silk” in her glowing project based on body motion.

 

 

 

 

All of her works blend technology, performance, and art. She

 

http://sputniko.com

Claudia Hart’s piece The Dolls, A Media Ballet for Fashion Runway, is a performance art created for the runway of the Fashion Walk 2015 at The School of Art Institute Millenium Park, Chicago. The Dolls is inspired by the notion of “eternal return,” an idea that history renews itself through decadence, decay, and rebirth. The piece is presented through Claudia used mathematical formulas that creates animated and rhythmic patterns that are then projected onto models who wear white paper tutus that act as a “movie screen” for the audience. The dynamic nature of the wearables become something unachievable by most mediums, and the jarring image of these over the top dresses from different eras take runway fashion to a whole new level.

Claudia Hart studied architecture at a graduate level in the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture. She is also an artist, curator and critic. She is fascinated with 3D imagery integrated into photography in cooperation with animated loops, and multi-channel animation installations.

http://www.claudiahart.com/portfolio/thedolls/

Manami Matsumae is a Japanese video game music composer for Capcom. She has worked on the soundtracks for quite few classic video games. The one I want to talk about is Mega Man. Mega Man is known for having (probably) the best 8-bit NES music ever. I’ve linked a video to Air Man’s theme, one of the most memorable (and catchy) tunes from Mega Man II. She has also composed for other games such as Shovel Knight and the upcoming Mighty No. 9. I really like her composing style since she seems to capture the atmosphere of whatever level she’s composing for with such a limited range of sounds to choose from. She is currently working on her first solo album, which will most likely contain some original 8-bit compositions.

Throughout most of the Looking Outwards that we have done, there was not a physical thing that once could buy, or for the most part even have. Most of the programmers and designers created websites, graphics, or different ways to visualize data digitally – very rarely was it for the purpose of something handheld. The only one that came to me earlier in this semester was a souvenir that was created out of your own pose, which I found very interesting. However, this practitioner, Jessica Rozenkratz, utilized both programming and 3d printing skills to create jewelry out of scientific, everyday patterns.

There was literally a “Wave Bracelet”, where she calculated the patterns of the waves, transforming that pattern into a 3D graphic design that was eventually printed and formed into a bracelet for one to wear. This site isn’t limited to bracelets – lamps imitating the structure of pollen, cuffs resembling the curves of bamboo, and anything else one could possibly imagine, are all items on sale on her website. Being able to express oneself not only by the appearance of what they have, but what it is “made out of”, is an aspect that I really find to be amazing. I found myself looking through many of the items she created just to see how creative one could possibly be when it comes to understanding patterns and overall compositions of everyday items. The link to the website, along with a picture of the Wave Bracelet, is below:

http://n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/shop/search_tags.php?search=3dprint

Filipa Valente is an architect that focuses on user experience. One of her recent projects, Filtered Transparencies, focuses on the relationship between the user and light. Valente uses layered light, sound, and space to create a unique, immersive experience. The projected light and imagery creates a maze and “blurs the physical spacial boundaries”. This installation compels users to interact with space, and transverse into the architectural void.

One of the most interesting elements about this project is that it gives off the sense of space without using physical objects. Instead, the project relies on light instead to define a space. Valente uses the users senses to create intangible boundaries.