What's so great about the female body anyway?

For my final video I decided to explore the visuals of the female body aspired in the American society. Skinny used to be the thing, but now being fit is the in look. I am naturally very thin so I too aspire to be fit, but I am also very comfortable in the body that I am in. 

This video is here to show the extremes that females will do to aspire the perfect female body...or at least what society sees as that. While one can simply work out to get abs it is not always that easy to do so. 

The questions my video leaves are: 

Why isn't she comfortable in her own skin?

Is she comfortable in her own skin?

Why does she care about what society thinks?

Flip-books are the most tedious forms of art....

While creating this flip book I had learned that this is one of the most tedious forms of art in the entire world. I wanted to create something with a lot of power behind it so I decided to focus on the Chakra Chart. The 7 Chakras in the Chakra system are the energy centers of the human body. I paired this theme with a book about meditation and Qigong, also known as Chi Kung. This is a form exercise and breathing techniques related to Tai Chi. I am realizing as I get older that being at peace is the best state that one can be in. Qigong and the 7 Chakras are important factors in becoming at peace and so that is why I chose them as my main subjects for this time based media project. 

I'm a Christmas Tree, and I am Proud

For my performance art piece I decided to go Christmas tree shopping, and pretend that I was one with the trees. I am very terrible at keeping a straight face, but tried very hard to do so. While there was not many people out shopping for trees at this time, I did get passed by some Home Depot workers that looked at me as if I was mental. I continued my trek to Plant High School's Christmas tree stands where one of the workers actually came up and heard was I was doing so he actually tagged me like a Christmas tree. I was only worth $100 to him apparently, haha. Definitely a great way to build up some confidence though. 

Boop-Dop-Doo-Dah-Doop-Dop-Doo-Dah-Doo

The music artists that I will add to the Electronic-Producer/DJ culture category would have the be Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, otherwise known as The Chainsmokers. I choose this DJ duo because they have been a favorite of mine since their first song released back in 2013. Their song "#Selfie" took the charts in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. About a year after the release of that song is when I went to go see them live for the first time. 

Their work is considered Electronic Dance Music, also known as EDM. EDM is a percussive dance music that is largely created for clubs, raves, and festivals. Andrew Taggart describes their music as "blurring the lines between indie, pop music, dance music, and hip-hop." The Chainsmokers ad vocals to their soundtracks to make them more original, and to engage their audience more. If you have ever experienced one of their shows, the audience is always singing in sync with each other. 

Below is their first song, "#Selfie", along with the song that made them famous, "Kanye", and their most recent release, "Closer." 

You can see that in their first song it is kind of annoying, and not as appealing as the other two songs are. I believe that as they built their status in the music industry they realized that they needed to be different and pursue different music styles. While sticking with the EDM genre they have also made their music a little more low-key. This way their music isn't stuck in the club or at a rave, but is played at bars, outdoor events, and even on pop radio. The way that they create music is clever because it is hard to get sick of their songs playing due to how low-key and catchy they are.

It's all a part of the Good Vibe Tribe

The artwork that I created was one about hand symbols, and specifically symbols I see around music and fashion. Peace, thumbs up, high-five, rock on, and even the triangular shape one makes between their own two hands are involved heavily in these themes. I felt as though centering these images around a triangular mirror with a mosaic all seeing eye would be aesthetically pleasing, and suitable for the theme of my bedroom. I included the use of light to portray many things including fireworks, lighters, LED's, and the fact that there will always be light in the darkness. While you can't see it in the photos the words Good Vibe Tribe are written in a triangular shape around the photo in the middle of the image which is supposed to be a face coming out of the darkness. 

2,304 squares, 15 colors, 10 hours of sleep, 6 days to work, 2 complete meals and no water (but lots of coffee) later I have successfully completed an incomplete art project while starving and dehydrating myself at the same time.

This work is on a 48x48 0.5in. grid, and contains 2,304 squares. It was extremely tedious, and took a lot of time to produce. However, while it was a pain in the ass to create, I am proud of it. I am obsessed with this self portrait, and have been trying to find a way to put it a less provocative version of it on my wall. Now I can have this picture hanging without the awkwardness of family or friends staring at a picture of my bare back. 

Electronics Paper Text

Samantha Michie
18 October 2016

The smartphone, specifically the iPhone, is the most widely known 21st century technology. Many things have influenced this technology, including: computers, the original cellphones, cameras, futuristic devices from older movies (Star Trek), as well as the human mind. Smartphones are the combination of a cell phone, a camera, and a computer into one device. We have even taken it as far as putting a personified voice response system into more recent smartphones.

The newest iPhone, the iPhone 7, has taken all of these features to the next level. They have integrated two cameras into the iPhone 7 in order to produce a better picture than that of an actual camera. Not only is the camera even better, but the iPhone 7’s processor has a higher capacity than any of its predecessors. This “smartphone” can quickly look up information, and give the user more knowledge than is in their own mind. This knowledge has made life easier for humans, as we do not have to memorize as much information as we used to.

Another feature of the iPhone 7 that has had the most impact on every day lives is the personified voice response system. Human conscience and technologies of the human voice have influenced this part of the 21st century technology. One of the most basic forms of technology has influenced one of the most complex. Siri, the name given to this technology of the iPhone 7, can communicate clearly with the person who is using it. It can answer questions, access the internet, and even send text messages on the person’s behalf.

The iPhone 7 and other smartphones are predecessors of smartphone like devices being implanted into the human brain. In the 2002 novel Feed, written by Matthew Anderson, humans have these devices implanted in them that are similar to smartphones. I could imagine this happening in the not so far future, where kids no longer will have to go to school to become knowledgable. Soon everything will be faster than a type and a swipe away, soon we will be able to just glance at or think of something, and the information will bombard our minds with information. Soon everyone will be “all knowing.”

How T.V.s, Cameras, and Computers have Influenced the iPhone 7, and how the iPhone 7 has Influenced the Feed

STAGE DOOR Angel de Quinta

While this blog was written in Spanish, my computer actually took the time out of translating the entire script for me by simply asking me if I wanted to translate the webpage. While the translation was not perfect I was able to read what Angel de Quinta was saying, and I got a lot of insight on broadway. This blog was very informative about the many things that Broadway is about. I learned a lot about what Broadway is about, some of the things that influence it, and things that Broadway has influenced.
My favorite show that they discussed was a show about the life of Coco Chanel that starred Katharine Hepburn, titled Coco. While the translation made the blog post a bit difficult to understand, I got the basics of it. The best actress of the time was about to play the most famous designer! Hepburn had to go through intense voice lessons with Roger Eden.
While critics of the show showed an indifference towards the music, Coco still played for about a year. The public would kill to have a seat to see Hepburn showcase her vocal skills, and soon Paramount bought out the rights to make a film. However, after Hepburn left the production the show began to die out, and soon became forgotten. While the show was not a failure, it was not a large success.

A Village Romeo and Juliet Paper Text

A Village Romeo and Juliet
Written by: Frederick Delius
Samantha Michie
Art 211-LN



 A Village Romeo and Juliet, 1907, is an opera by English composer Frederick Delius. The opera is based off of a short story, Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe, written by Gottfried Keller, a Swiss author. Preformed in 2012 at The National Opera House, the forgotten opera was brought back to life with modern performance and technology at the Wexford Festival Opera. So much energy was exerted into making this performance a memorable one for its audiences as well as the people working and performing in this amazing work.

 The story is much like that of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, in which two young characters fall in love, but are not allowed to be together due to a family rivalry. A few years after being apart the two find love in each other again, and go against their families wishes by running away and getting married. A man known as the Dark Fiddler suggests that the two characters join him in a life in the mountains, but the two decide to commit suicide together instead.

 The stage performance was absolutely incredible, and the use of colour to match the mood of the music was precise. The yellow tones used in the beginning of the performance match the innocence of the young love that is beginning to bloom, while also portraying the idea that they are outdoors experiencing nature. Blogger wondersinthedark writes that Delius is, “often categorized as a pastoral composer, which is a term used for the type of music being created – that which conveys a oneness with nature.” This ties in the use of the mostly outdoors scenes and yellow tones in the lighting. However, later on in the film we begin to see some foreshadowing in the use of colours. This red lighted tones portray anger and fighting among the rivaling families, while the black tones foreshadow the deaths of the main characters.

 The technology used in this specific performance includes a hydraulic lift that helps the stage crew change the scene quickly, as well as a travelator that is a major part of the ending scene. The hydraulic lift was installed in the middle of the stage, and is the key component of the changing scenery. This lift is easily covered by a wall that is lowered from the ceiling, and then the lift descends into the room below the stage where the stage crew quickly moves to change the scenery. The new props are then lifted back up to the stage, and the wall ascends revealing the new scenery of the performance. The use of a travelator is another important technical feature of The National Opera House’s performance of A Village Romeo and Juliet. The travelator is the main feature of the final scene in which the final song has no singing and so the performers must show connection with the music without performing it themselves. The travelator creates this floating affect for the performers, and the use of smoke enhances the experience for the audience. Then the hydraulic lift comes back into play by taking the sinking boat of the lovers down below the stage finishing Delius’s opera.

 Compared to the modern performance of this opera I believe that the original audience of this piece would have been just as amazed with the original performance as the modern audience is amazed with the modern performance. This opera is one that is based off of a very well known story, and while it creates its own emotions it reflects the emotions of other works. Audiences are over powered by beautifully ranged soprano notes that evoke pleasure, hate, and fear. While the original audience did not get to experience the amazing modern technology there must have been technologies that were advanced for their time that could have portrayed the same feeling as the modern performance.

 Romantic opera is probably one of the most well known types of opera, while it has helped to shape the romantic genre of movies we watch nowadays. This form of opera really evokes its audiences emotions, and tries to connect all the audience members with the characters on the stage. The use of large orchestras and choirs as well as strong lead performers are what romantic operas really wanted to bring to the artistic table. The music in A Village Romeo and Juliet really evokes all the emotions one can feel during this performance, and shows us why romantic opera was such an important piece of the operatic timeline.

 While this opera is not one I would typically see as getting turned into a video game, I could imagine it would be one like The Legend of Zelda. The main, male, character would go on missions in nature to rescue his “princess” while avoiding the call of the Dark Fiddler. The Dark Fiddler has the “princess” captured, and is hiding her in the mountains somewhere. The main character must then fight his way through the mountains while also ignoring the tempting calls of the Dark Fiddler himself. Just as The Legend of Zelda has a strong nature theme to it, I would like the game about A Village Romeo and Juliet to as well. The music from the opera will be the main soundtrack for the video game, and will connect the use of nature as the central scenery.

 A Village Romeo and Juliet is an amazing work that is not noted enough for the incredible music, and the amazing performance. While I had never heard of this piece before this project I wish it was something that I could have witnessed myself at The National Opera House in 2012. I will be following up with this piece, and try to find my way to a live performance of it.

Works Cited

"A Village Romeo and Juliet by Frederick Delius - Wexford Festival Opera 2012."    Vimeo. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

"Technical Overview of A Village Romeo and Juliet.” Vimeo. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

"99. A Village Romeo and Juliet." Wonders in the Dark. Wondersinthedark, 21 May   2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

"Opera's History." Opera History. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

A Village Romeo and Juliet

What the F*** is Madama Butterfly?

The first thing I have to say is, what the f*** did I just watch? The Madama Butterfly animation created by Pjotr Sapegin is something that really has one sitting here confused and feeling awkward. The way that Sapegin portrays an entire opera in a ten minute period is talented, yet disturbing. The use of the Opera's music is where we get our emotional connection with the main character. In the beginning of the animation the music is intense as the characters "make love". After the male character leaves, the female character gives birth to his daughter. The music becomes slower with a more depressed feeling to it. When the male character returns he takes his child to raise with his new American wife, and this is where the music intensifies again. The main character commits suicide, and this scene is enhanced by the louder and higher notes of the Opera. A terrible story of love that is portrayed through the use of music with picture.

Applying Creativity to your Everyday Life

Applying the concepts of creativity to my everyday life is something that I have always taken advantage of. According to Raul Cuero's interview on creativity he explains to us that creativity is how we perceive nature. I do agree that this is true, but not so much in the observation of trees and animals, but in our own natures. We view ourselves and the nature of our mind everyday, and through these interactions we come up with our own ideas. Interacting with other people is another way he states to create ideas. We interact with each other by conversing or doing physical activity and this can spark our ideas to flow in the brain.

Learning everything by doing is another thing that Cuero talks about in this interview. While we may sit in classrooms every day to learn new things, and to teach one another to survive in the world, we do not actually have a full grip on something until we experience it ourselves. By doing something we get to experience the thought, emotion, and physical labor of it which brings me to discuss Cuero's statement, "do everything with intensity." Always try your hardest and preform in the best way that you possibly can to achieve a goal or experience an activity. We do not get the full affect of something until we put our absolute heart and soul into it.

ASCII Art Generator

For the ASCII art generator I decided to use this photo of myself to experiment with. Personally I really like this generator because it gives the photo enough detail that you can tell what it is. While I am not a fan of ASCII art I do appreciate what it has to offer. It is a fun thing to mess around with, but not something that I take much interest in myself.

Who is Namasammy?

Born in Florida, but raised in South Carolina, I made my return to Florida six years ago. I am very close with my family, and have grown up in many different areas in the South East United States. At a young age I became interested in the arts, and took up singing. As I grew older I had realized my love for art needed to be expanded and so painting became a hobby of mine as well as other forms of art. My first year at the University of Tampa I took my first Opera class, and found a passion for something I had no idea I would ever be interested in. Fine Art was my original major in school, but as time progressed I had become a Digital Arts major. Finally when my senior year was approaching I had changed my mind for what I wanted to do with my life.

Double majoring in Advertising and Public Relations with a concentration in Creative Brief and Communications with a concentration in Critical Media Practice, I have also taken on two minors, those being Digital Art and Art. I have been through three major changes at the University of Tampa, and with being my Senior year, I have made my final decision in what I want to do with my life. I have wanted to work in the fashion industry for most of my life, and while I had originally intended to be a fashion designer, i have made my final decision to work on the advertising creative side of fashion. 

The first day of the Art and Technology class with Professor Roundtree was a memorable one. As I found out she had collaborated with one of my favorite professors, Santi, I knew I would be very interested in the class. I am always up for a challenge, and I'm sure this class will bring them. I expect to be artistically, mentally, and physically challenged by this course, and hope that I gain much knowledge and many experiences. I like to stay busy, and having classes only two days a week this semester will give me plenty of time to spend on projects and other assignments for the course. I cannot wait for this experience.