Project 2 proposal - Aeon

I`m gonna post here my proposal. Still working on my ideas, but at least I`ve got a name: and it means "cycle".
Download full proposal here:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/37474321/Proposal.ppsx
Low res images here:

In class-Map Exercise

Reading questions

Stilgoe encourages us to explore our local landscape. Describe the ways that you explore 

where you live. What does exploring mean to you? What might be the possible role of outdoor 

exploration in your art practice?

I explore my surroundings daily. I bike mostly for commuting, so I do tend to notice many 

things you miss if you are driving--as the reading talked about walking and biking for 

exploration--I tend to find the most interest in different residential dwellings, and their 

placement in neighborhoods, and things that you might find in different yards in different 

areas of the city. As far as outdoor exploration in my art practice, this meticulous 

inspection of subtle changes within the landscape could be key to my making. 

On page 13, Stilgoe talks about the visual education in the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

What sorts of interactions relevant to our time and technologies could inform how we perceiveour natural environment? Be very specific and give at least two examples. Speculate as to howapproaches to observing the natural world in an art context differ from that of a science 

context. 

Today we have all sorts of references to our natural environment. There are in depth television shows depicting every aspect of nature on the science channel. One could essentially watchthis show and never go outdoors, and think they were educated on every area of nature. Its just not so though. In scientific context, one must actually physically experience the space, and make inspections and do tests to create some sort of hypothesis. One must ask questions asto why and search for an answer that reveals its self empirically. 

 Stilgoe proposes that traces of the past/history surround us in our everyday landscape, 

giving us clues towards a better understanding of where we live. Please give an example of 

two traces that Stilgoe discusses in the reading. Locate and visually record a little noticedtrace of the past in your immediate environment. Give us some background on this trace and a short narrative on how you came to notice this trace. 

Stilgoe speaks of noticing dates on storm drain grates and fire hydrants. He links these directly to "portals of the past of industrialization".  I often notice engravings in sidewalks from when the cement was still wet, thinking of the time when it was established, and what it may have been used for originally if it seems to have a different use now, or realize the importance of its development and realize what it must have been before its arrival. 

In This American Life, 5 different strategies of mapping are discussed. Please choose 2 of them that appealed to you in particular and describe each in about 3-4 sentence.

Sight Inspection and research was first and foremost the most interesting right off, simply because I am a visual artist. He spoke of inspection of small things like sidewalk cracks in acity, or mapping pumpkins on porches in his neighborhood. Upon doing further research into 

the homes involved in local newspaper and neighborhood events, he found links between the 

homes festively decoratedand homes heavily involved politically in the town. 

Smell I found quite interesting, because Its one that I don't think of that often when inspecting for things. They talked of this electronic nose in the making. Its similarity to a humannose with its sensors, and compared it to that of a dog's nose as well. It has the ability toidentify smells,as long as they have been programmed in, and can be linked used in medicine practices linking smells to certain diseases, or for identification purposes in crimes. 

Please write a paragraph about what you are thinking to do for the project on mapping.

I plan on exploring the forest more thoroughly...seeing the different divided sections and finding a particular thing of interest within each set, focusing on the smaller interest and documenting it through photographs. I then want to inner connect each of the explored areas visually, literally connecting lines. This should produce a layering effect, and an almost literal map of my findings, but not one that can be read, only observed. This idea very much is influenced by the chapter talking about lines in the reading done previously. These inspections of power lines and railroads interconnecting the country. 

Topographic Map Exercise 1 Q&A's

Nisa and I answered these questions together for Exercise 1 - Here they are below:

Introduction to Topographic Maps - Exercise One

What is the name of your quadrangle?

 - Gainesville West

What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?

1 - High Springs

2 - Alachua

3 - Monteocha

4 - Newberry

5 - Gainesville East

6 - Archer

7 - Arredondo

8 - Micanopy

When was your quadrangle first made into a topographic map?

 - 1964

Has it been revised?

  - Yes

What datum was used to create your map? 

 - North American Datum (NAD), 1983

What is the contour interval on your map?

 - 5 feet

Are there supplemental contours? 

What are the geographic coordinates (i.e. latitude and longitude) of the upper left-hand corner of your map? 

 - 82*30', 29*45'

What are the (UTM coordinates) of the lower right hand corner of your map? 

 - 29*37'30", 82*22'30"

**BONUS QUESTION**: What is the UTM zone in which you are located? 

 - Zone 17

Pick a prominent name feature on your map and give its coordinates in PLS coordinates. Be sure to include the name of the feature ( such as Cedar Butte, Rocky Point, etc.) 

 - University of Florida Agricultural Experimental Station

   Coordinates: N29.72372*, W82. 41589*

How many different types of roads are there in your map area? 

 - 4 types of roads and 3 routes

What is the highest point in your map area? 

 - 175

What is the lowest point? 

 - 90

 What is the total relief?

Cool Place around where I live?

Westside Park

29*39'40"N    82*22'15"W

Topographic Map Exercise

* What is the name of your quadrangle? - Gainesville East Quadrangle

* What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles? (You should have eight of them) - 1. Alachua 2. Monteocha 3. Waldo 4. Gainesville West 5. Orange Heights 6. Arredondo 7. Micanopy 8. Rochelle

* When was your quadrangle first made into a topographic map? - 1964

* Has it been revised? - 1994

* What datum was used to create your map? - National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929

* What is the contour interval on your map? - 5 ft

* Are there supplemental contours? - No?

* What are the geographic coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude) of the upper left-hand corner of your map? - 29* 45' and 82* 22' 30"

* What are the (UTM coordinates) of the lower right hand corner of your map? - 32 78 000mN

* What is the UTM zone in which you are located? -  Zone 17

* Pick a prominent named feature on your map and give its coordinates in PLS coordinates. Be sure to include the name of the feature (such as Cedar Butte, Rocky Point, etc.) -

* How many different types of roads are there in your map area? - 4

* What is the highest point in your map area? - 195 ft

* What is the lowest point? - 75 ft

Near my house is interesting to see in a topographic map since around 8th Ave has some of the highest points in the area of the map but they are also the most increasing in a small area.

Topographic Map Exercise

* What is the name of your quadrangle?

Gainesville East

* What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles? (You should have eight of them)

Alachua, Monteocha, Waldo, Gainesville West, Orange Heights, Arredondo, Micanopy, Rochelle

* When was your quadrangle first made into a topographic map?

1964

* Has it been revised?

yes

* What datum was used to create your map?

NAD 83

* What is the contour interval on your map?

5 feet

* Are there supplemental contours?

yes

* What are the geographic coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude) of the upper left-hand corner of your map?

82 22'30" 29 45' or would it be the 319000mN

* What are the (UTM coordinates) of the lower right hand corner of your map?

29 37'30" or would it be the 3278000mN

* What is the UTM zone in which you are located?

Between 3280 and 3281

* Pick a prominent named feature on your map and give its coordinates in PLS coordinates. Be sure to include the name of the feature (such as Cedar Butte, Rocky Point, etc.)

* How many different types of roads are there in your map area?

4

* What is the highest point in your map area?

around 35-45ft

* What is the lowest point?

around 40-50ft

* What is the total relief?

10


Extra Question
Whats the most interesting thing near where you live

There are a lot of changes in elevation right where I live

Topographic Map Exercise

* What is the name of your quadrangle?

The name of quadrangle was West Gainesville. 

* What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles? (You should have eight of them)

The adjacent quadrangles in order were: Alachua, Monteocha, Waldo, Gainesville West, Orange Heights, Arrendo, Micanopy, and Rochelle.

* When was your quadrangle first made into a topographic map?

It was first made into a map in 1964.

* Has it been revised?

The map was revised in 1966 for landmark verifications and in 1994.

* What datum was used to create your map?

I found two datums cited on the map: North American datum of 1983 and National Geodetic of 1929.

* What is the contour interval on your map?

5 feet

* Are there supplemental contours?

* What are the geographic coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude) of the upper left-hand corner of your map?

82 degrees 22 feet and 30 inches & 29 degrees and 45 feet

* What are the (UTM coordinates) of the lower right hand corner of your map?

78

* What is the UTM zone in which you are located?

* Pick a prominent named feature on your map and give its coordinates in PLS coordinates. Be sure to include the name of the feature (such as Cedar Butte, Rocky Point, etc.)

US Naval Reserve Training Center: 81.5 degrees and 73 degrees

* How many different types of roads are there in your map area?

There are four different road types: primary highway and secondary highway (hard surface) and light duty road and unimproved road

* What is the highest point in your map area?

paynes praire

* What is the lowest point?

Gainesville Substation

* What is the total relief?

85,000 meters

The most interesting part of the topographic map for me so the lines denoting the elevation of the area. This created really interesting shapes and patterns. 

map activity

1)

East Gainesville

2) 

1Alachua

2Monteocha

3Waldo

4Gainesville West

5Orange Heights

6Arredondo

7Miconopy

8Rachelle

3)

1964

4)

yes 1994

5)

North American Datum

6)

5 feet

7)

-

8)

68 E 91 N

9)

29degrees37'30"

82 degrees15'

10)

-

11)

Newnan's Lake

78 E, 79

12)

4

primary highway, hard surface

secondary highway hard surface

light duty, improved surface

unimproved road

13)

Kincade hills

14)

Hatchet Creek

15)

-

Trees

I want to do a project on the cloned trees, display cross sections of tree stumps on the wall and have QR codes or RFID or some sort of identification method that will list the individual atributes of the each tree and predict which one will be cut down, how the environment can influence the same sequence of DNA. I want to pick 9 sets of trees and display them in a grid and I want people to be abe go up and scan each tree and view the profile of each tree and predict which one will survive. Competition, which one survives

Map Exercise

For my map I followed all the places you could sit around Fine arts and Architecture in a loop. 

I exchanged maps with Kim, hers was written out by steps with a starting point and ending point at a bench. She counted out how many steps and where to turn to get to each point to get to the end at the right place.

map exercise

I created a written map of the closest places from FAC where you can find quick food and water in an emergency:

starting from the VENDING MACHINES at the end of the hallway walk 42 steps to the WATER FOUNTAIN

walk 96 steps down the stairs to the first floor and to your right you will find a WATER FOUNTAIN

walk 154 steps out FAC to the school of architecture past the stairs you will find a WATER FOUNTAIN

walk 32 steps to your left and you will find VENDING MACHINES

walk left 94 steps past the stairs to the end of the hallway

walk 13 steps to your right and you will find a WATER FOUNTAIN

Mapping Project 2

     For this project I would like to do something involving hunting/wildlife. First I need to find out if they keep track of the traveling, breeding, or nesting patterns of any of the wildlife (especially the deer and bears). Any signs of wildlife as well; tracks, beds, paths, excrements.  Back home I have a box full of deer antlers and a bag full of deer hide, it would be nice to involve these into the project somehow (maybe in a performative action). Both of my parents work at the Department of Transportation (my step dad works for the wildlife section and helps with sound walls and animal underpasses (the bridges under highways so animals can cross safely without getting hit) so maybe he will be able to find out some information into this forrest). As of now I'm planning on going back on Friday to photograph the different areas and hopefully get further inspiration into what I want to do. These images will also allow me to look back on them over spring break to plan out any further ideas I have.

Mapping In Class

Zaina and I made two visual renditions of our mapping of picnic tables around the fine arts buildings on campus.

Symbolic Map

Shaina and I had Nezla's and Alisyn's map which used text (mostly posters) to guide us around FAC. It was pretty much clear, for the most part, until we reached the library and were not sure whether we needed to go through the library or turn around. We went through the library and ended up at the Focus Gallery (which was the last stop on our map). We then back tracked to the point we got lost at, had no problem doing that.

Symbolic Map

We decided to map out the text in FAC.

map exercise

We had Shaina and Zaina's map of tables located around Fine Arts. They made two maps, which were helpful because when we got confused we could compare the two. One was more of a general location overview and the other was the order in which we were supposed to follow them. We thinki we were pretty successful except for the last step, we are not sure we ended where we were supposed to.

Pictures from our symbolic map

Here are the pics from the symbolic mapping exercise.

Project 2 ideas

The idea of sound mapping inspired me to make a piece that relies heavily on sound and has very few visuals. I think i would like to make a video installation with one or two projections on a wall. The videos would give very few glimpses of where in the forest the person is and the viewer would have to rely on the sounds to deduce what is happening. I plan to do an exploration of the forest by recording very specific sounds that the viewer might recognize to create memories of various places in the forest and consequently creating a map of the whole forest itself. For example, I might record the sound of water and show one part of the river for one second in the video. To me one of the best parts of a natural landscape is the sounds. If you close your eyes you can hear the wind, trees, birds, etc. and it is very relaxing. I want to create a very calm sound environment experience and immerse the viewer in the piece with the two video projections and surround sound.

Readings

NOTES

old readings:

mapping of every burrow of NY
if you trip you cannot sue the city unless the depression was reported
hire a mapping company to map the entirety of NY
Maps have meaning because they filter out all unnecessary information
maps on TV, weather maps

for new readings:

derive-drifting
drawn by the attractions of the terrain
tadpoles- truly independent from one another

QUESTIONS

Stilgoe encourages us to explore our local landscape. Describe the ways that you explore where you live. What does exploring mean to you? What might be the possible role of outdoor exploration in your art practice?

Recently I have been exploring trying to find alternate routes home than my daily routine. The other day I left my keys in my jacket in studio so I stolled around my neighborhood and the surrounding streets until a roommate got home. I had about a half hour where I wasn't concerned about school or work or life and just wandered because I mistakenly gave myself the opportunity.

On page 13, Stilgoe talks about the visual education in the 19th and early 20th centuries. What sorts of interactions relevant to our time and technologies could inform how we perceive our natural environment? Be very specific and give at least two examples. Speculate as to how approaches to observing the natural world in an art context differ from that of a science context.

Stilgoe talks about

 Stilgoe proposes that traces of the past/history surround us in our everyday landscape, giving us clues towards a better understanding of where we live. Please give an example of two traces that Stilgoe discusses in the reading. Locate and visually record a little noticed trace of the past in your immediate environment. Give us some background on this trace and a short narrative on how you came to notice this trace.

In This American Life, 5 different strategies of mapping are discussed. Please choose 2 of them that appealed to you in particular and describe each in about 3-4 sentence.

Map of gas and sewer lines that you would not normally see below the surface- intestines, telephone wires like capillaries,  map of light casted by streetlights, map of pumpkins. The neighborhood becomes a living organism. Attention to detail allows for further discovery.

We do not notice ambient noise. There is always background noise. In new situations we are hyper aware of everything. Once you become aware of a noise you cannot not hear it. Synthesize the key the hums are in to create a composition.

Please write a paragraph about what you are thinking to do for the project on mapping.

I am very interested in the cloning and grafting research with the pair of trees and wanted to focus my project on the comparison of the two trees in each pair and their relationship with one another, picking probably  9 or 16 sets of trees in a grid. I wanted to calculate the distance between them, their height, width, coloring, and any other characteristics. I am also interested in how these clones are in competition with one another and that the weaker one will eventually die or be cut down. This idea of presence and absence as well as the divergence between the same genetic make up due to nature and environmental causes. This makes me think of twins and the relationships to family members as well. I want to uses this data to make some sort of grid-like map, possibly with cross sections of trees so that the rings are visible and placing them in a grid along with another element. RFID tagging could be interesting.

Questions

1. Stilgoe encourages us to explore our local landscape. Describe the ways that you explore where you live. What does exploring mean to you? What might be the possible role of outdoor exploration in your art practice?

There are just so many ways that I explore, my whole life is an exploration. Driving around in a car and getting lost in a new place is amazing, I have been doing that randomly since getting my drivers license. I also love to skate and learn the surrounding areas. I've moved several times since coming to Gainesville, and each time I explore my immediate surrounding area all over on my skateboard. Exploring to me means discovering something that I previously wasn't aware existed.

2. On page 13, Stilgoe talks about the visual education in the 19th and early 20th centuries. What sorts of interactions relevant to our time and technologies could inform how we perceive our natural environment? Be very specific and give at least two examples. Speculate as to how approaches to observing the natural world in an art context differ from that of a science context.

Stilgoe talks about the introduction of the printing press and typography, and how that drove much of the art that was coming out around that time. People were constantly fed inexpensive lithography images, usually advertisements, black and white photography, or typeset and typography.

I feel like in this technological age, we are just bombarded with color video and imagery, and that really influences how we perceive the world. I look at an interactive map of Gainesville on my iPhone on probably a daily basis. Would my understanding and impression of Gainesville as a city be the same if I only experienced Gainesville… as a human, on the floor, with no technology. (I have heard what makes humans human is technology, and that we are technology, but that is kind of a side topic.) My understanding and experience of this city is fundamentally built on the fact that I use technology every day and I experience this city first hand: through my eyes, and at my fingertips.

Not only does technology change the way we perceive our natural environment through a literal sense, a literal understanding of the area, it challenges the entire way I look at the land in an artistic sense as well.

3. Stilgoe proposes that traces of the past/history surround us in our everyday landscape, giving us clues towards a better understanding of where we live. Please give an example of two traces that Stilgoe discusses in the reading. Locate and visually record a little noticed trace of the past in your immediate environment. Give us some background on this trace and a short narrative on how you came to notice this trace.


4. In This American Life, 5 different strategies of mapping are discussed. Please choose 2 of them that appealed to you in particular and describe each in about 3-4 sentence.

1st reading questions

Write about a visual experience that recalled an aural or sound experience. Then write about an aural experience that recalled a visual experience. Describe each of the modalities was related to the other for you. Think about the way that Rilke and Kaprow thought about or apprehended vision in terms of sound. What parallels if any are there between your experiences the ideas or methods of Rilke and Kaprow?


One visual experience that I had that made me remember a sound was when I walked by an aisle in a store that had many types of wind chimes. The only wind chime I had seen and heard before was in my grandma's house. When I saw them, they reminded me of the sound my grandma's wind chime makes but I was also reminded of the usual sounds that are in my grandma's house like the frogs and the sound of cars driving by.
One aural experience that I had that made me remember a visual was when I heard a specific tool at a car shop (I don't know what it is) because it made the same sound of a tool that my dad used to use to fix things, so I remembered a visual of my dad working on things at my house a long time ago.

Russolo questions

Russolo questions

What noise that you have personally heard based in the natural world has had the most impact on you?

Every time I go to the zoo down in Miami I see a red ruffed lemur called Javi. He is mostly quiet except when he gets scared he makes this gutural sound that always surprises me. I would describe it as screeching mixed with gutural and it is very strange. 

Please describe a noise that you originally perceived as annoying, but then became background or even pleasant?

I used to hate the sound of a fan. It's constant and quiet like a mosquito and that's what bothered me about it. However, now every time I can I sleep with a fan on because silence scares me and I like sleeping with a background sound.

Russolo talks about sound being a thing or becoming a thing. What is an instance in your personal experience where sound was embodied?

I guess one sound that became part of something or someone was my brother's breathing. He has breathing problems so he inhales loudly very often. Every time I hear someone inhale loudly I think of him. He kind of embodied the sound.

Please draw a diagram that shows the evolution of sound over the course of history according to Russolo.

Primitive-greeks-Middle ages-modern

What is Russolo prescription for how we should apprehend sound?

We should get away from the cliched definition of sound (like a song) and start considering noises sounds too. Building new instruments to make new sounds is an option and creating different "noises" we can create rhythms that can be music. Nine inch nails is one of my favorite bands that first started experimenting with replacing common sounds with strange noises.

listening activity in class

Casual Listening
By YOURSELF ALONE do the following

Go sit somewhere with your laptop or a sheet of paper and writing utensil.
Pick three sounds in the environment where you are sitting.

Collect information about each such as:
Can you physically see the source of the sound? If so, describe and record textually.
Can you identify the precise cause of the sound? If so identify it.
How would you categorize this sound? 
Keep listening to the sound or relisten. How does it evolve or progress over time? How does it change?
After "identifying" the sound, what DON"T you know about it?
How many sources can you attribute to this particular sound? Think about how Chion writes that listening to sound is like the stages of rocket and used the example of writing using a felt tip marker.

Semantic Listening
Position yourself so you are near people.
Describe the process that you went through moving from the casual listening of knowing that there are humans talking to people speaking language and the language forming words which you understand.  And finally, what are the people actually saying? Do you understand the story or because you lack context, you only understand the words?

Reduced Listening
Think about the Pierre Schaeffer piece on trains that we just listened to.

This time pick one sound. It can be the same sound, but you can not listen causally and reductively at the same time. If you are able, record the sound on your phone and relisten to it over and over again.

"Participants quickly realize that in speaking about sounds they shuttle constantly between a sound's actual content its source, and its meaning."

Describe the sorts of pitches (high or low) characterize this sound?
Describe the volume of the sound?
Describe the kind of space the sound creates?
Are you able to feel this sound? What parts of your body does this sound impact and how?
What sorts of silence if any are found in this sound?
How many different sounds comprise this sound and describe those sounds?
What is the texture of this sound? 
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Casual listening:

1^st sound: birds

2^nd sound: cars

3^rd sound: footsteps.

I can’t see the first two sounds but I can see the third one. They are dynamic so they change depending on how far away they are from me. I would categorize these sounds as rhythmic because they have a sequence that always keeps going. I don't know where the first two sounds are and I can't really attribute an amount of sources for the sounds because there are too many of them.

Semantic listening:

the process of moving from the casual listening to semantic listening was interesting because now i know that the humans are making those sounds and I know how to make the same sounds too so it changes my perspective. I understand the words. They are talking about a guy that kept calling one of the girls but I don't understand the story because I think I missed an important part when I wasn't listening.

Reduced listening:

the sound I picked is the footsteps. I think all the pitches are low and they dont change. the volume changes depending on where the person is (the closer to me the louder). they create a big space because there is no echo. i can feel the sound with my feet and legs because i feel the ground vibrate as the person's feet hit the ground. i think there are various sounds that compose this sound: the heel of the foot makes a different sound than the toes when they hit the ground and together they make another sound. I think the heel makes a stronger and louder sound than the toes.