Comm Lab Final

here is my final flash
www.jodyzellen.com/a_life

I also worked on this
www.jodyzellen.com/comic

and this
www.jodyzellen.com/oog_news

Art Dec 8

First stop was the studio museum in harlem where there is an exhibition by the LA artist Kori Newkirk. It presents works form the last 10 years (1997-2007) and focuses on the beaded images as there are numerous works from the bead series in the exhibition. These works translate photographic images of the skyline, trees and landscape into threads of plastic beads. The beads become pixels and while the images are indentifiable, they are also disentegrated. Works in other mediums, pomade, video, collage and neon sculptures are also on view.

From there it was back to Chelsea to see Nina Katchadourian's video installation at Sara Meltzer. Inthe back room a 14 screen multi-channel work explored human and animal relationships, the confines zoo animals are kept in, and the attempt to make their domesticated habitats similar to their natural environments.

At Silverstein an exhibition entitled HOW TO HUNT features work by and Trine SondergaardNicolai Howait who photograph hunters in the lush Danish landscape. At first glance it seems possible but on close examination it becomes evident that each image is a composite of numerous shots that have been photoshopped together. The use of photoshop ...how dows it change things and with images that are heavily photoshopped...does it become more about that than the picture?

At Zwirner there was Jason Rhodes final work an installation entitled Black Pussy. It seems to be more about the happening that ocured than about the individual works left to view. A second visit to Thomas Ruff's blown up jpg images was a treat. They are beautiful and while they are about digital manipulation, it seems to be the point.

It was tragic to visit two exhibitions of young artists who recently died. Jeremy Blakes work continues to draw me in and appears fresh no matter how many times I see it.

Redacted

Redacted is a film by Brian DePalma that uses an incident where soldier committed a rape as its point of departure. What was interesting about the film, even though it was scripted and acted, was that it presented points of view of different mediated media. the soldiers own videos, surveillance footage, documentary footage as well as web testimonials. Moral consciousness and motivations about what is right and what is wrong, even in times of war, was at the heart of the film.

I'm Not There

A lover of Todd Haynes films, I was not as taken by I'm Not There as I thought I would be. The idea of representing Dylan as different individuals worked for me and I was engaged in most of the stories. I guess it just dint come together. The filing especially the black and white was beautiful.

What Would Jesus Buy

What Would Jesus Buy is a film about Reverend Billy aka Billy Talen. The films follows him and his choir on a roadtrip they took across the United States preaching the idea of less consumerism. The documentary tells a story, but not one that gives enough insight into the character that reverend Billy is. I wanted to learn more about his politics, his antics and his motivation as well as more about the make up of his interesting choir.

Walter Ong

Walter Ong is not a writer I was familiar with and was excited to delve into his writings. For some reason I found his prose unreadable so my comments are minimal. I guess for me the basics are between reading, interpreting and interfacing. While reading might have been new at one time, story telling was always practiced. Now we read, write and listen using the computer and our dependancy on technology has for sure changed our relationship to orality and literacy.
Storytelling is interactive as one hears what one ones, in a way, takes that and passes it along. The idea of new media allows for that possibility in that one can follow any path in a complex web of information to discern the meaning and the knowledge they are after.

Margot at the Wedding

Margot at the Wedding is a films with great actors who act out, but do not do much else. It is about disfunctional relationships and coming back together to try to bridge the past with the present.