Difference between revisions of "Students/KimBeswick"

Revision as of 13:20, 18 March 2010

Hey, my name is Kim and I'm a senior Vis Media student. So far my emphasis has been film, but I'm really interested in computing which is one reason why I want to take this class. I figure college is for learning, not repeating things you can already do, so hopefully I'll learn a lot. It seems pretty hands-on, which is pleasantly surprising. As for my art practices, I film, paint, draw, and things like that. I have mixed feelings about postmodern art, but I think it should be either viscerally or cerebrally compelling within a social context (doesn't have to be the local context) as opposed to self-serving. Also I think computers are a very interesting new medium for art practices and allow for original implementations of old ideas.

Midterm Project: I want to make a small fan for hot beverages. It will involve a pressure sensor which will be attached on the underside of a table coaster. When the sensor is activated, it will turn on the small motor included in the kit (which I'll need to slow down), which will have fan blades attached to it. In effect, this tiny fan will provide a huge leap in hot beverage drinking technology, preventing both pain and anguish.

(sorry for the ms paint; I can't upload any real illustrations at the moment)

Final Project: I want to make a tongue-in-cheek commentary on President Yudof's yearly salary, which is 540,000 a year (while President Obama makes 400,000).

I got a sound chip from a greeting card that plays the song "Taking Care of Business," the meaning of which is that Yudof treats the UC system like a business, raising student fees by 15 percent instead of cutting administrative salaries or cutting back on construction. I chose the cookie jar because of the saying of "having one's hand in the cookie jar." In my opinion Yudof is taking too many cookies.

The project is metaphorical, the technology of the speaker serving image and the image serving language, so really, it's an old-fashioned sort of project. The cookie jar is meant to have a very kitschy quality, Yudof looking rosy cheeked and benevolent like he knows what's best for everyone.

Here is the sound chip:

Here's the cookie jar. I wanted it to have a hand-crafted look, so I painted Yudof's portrait in acrylic. It reminds me of the "raisin girl."

Here's the whole system, including the arduino, breadboard, soundchip and speaker all layered onto each other.

Here's the final portrait of Yudof on his cookie jar. He looks like a friendly grandpa.