Pedagogical Playlist

https://www.tes.com/lessons/CXMgctJoUfmYMw/space-exploration

For my Pedagogical Playlist, I chose the subject of space exploration, one that is technically considered a social issue but doesn't get a lot of attention or information shared because it isn't pressing. I'm aware that it may not be the most important issue at the time, but that is why I wanted to explore it - Space exploration typically takes a back burner and yet may become increasingly important in the future. For my playlist, I tried to create a logical progression of steps and resources. The first was to visit the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City and become familiar with space and space travel as a subject. Because so many people really don't know all that much about our history with space or the possibilities it holds, I felt that visiting a Planetarium and participating in at least three different modes of learning (IMAX Theater, Hansen Dome, Interactive Exhibits) would be enough to familiarize the participant with outer space. My second resource, The TED Talk "Why We Need to Go Back To Mars" by Joel Levine, builds on the knowledge of the first, as he lays out advantages and solutions for living on another planet. The participant is instructed to find the solutions that stand out to her and the possible setbacks. From there, the resources become more self-directed. The participant goes to ISideWith to explore the issue from his/her political perspective, and then attends a political meeting wherein he/she brings up the subject. The participant reads different explanations online from groups such as NASA or SpaceX as to why space travel is important and what scientific discoveries we've made because of it, and then he/she asks for an online poll of why friends and family think it's important. The participant identifies their top three livable planets from the Kepler discoveries, and picks one of seven online tools that allow him to contribute to Space Exploration. My hope is that by the time the participant is done with the playlist, he/she has learned about and tasted enough of this issue as to want to pursue it on their own. 
Creating this playlist sort of felt like an online, interactive "Magic School Bus." In the children's show, Mrs. Frizzle teaches students about various subjects by physically taking them there and showing them firsthand the subject matter. In the same vein, this sort of teaching in the digital age encourages the participant to be part of a conversation rather than lend a listening ear. Young adults can develop valuable political opinions and contributions through their own metaphorical "Magic School Bus"--the internet. Even creating the playlist helped me become more informed on the subject, and caused me to want to act rather than just understand. Teaching methods that require you to act are the first step toward activism. They allow you as the participant to have a voice, and one that you soon realize is able to be recognized. I really struggled with this assignment at first, as I was unsure of the direction I wanted to take it. But once I got going, my lesson plan sort of developed itself. It just felt natural for the subject to come full circle through physical trips, political interactions, and locating online tools. 

YouTube Sculpting

This assignment grew to be particularly meaningful for me, more so than I expected. For my YouTube Sculpture, I searched for terms relating to themes of Mormonism and Cinema and found some really interesting and unique stuff. My searches evolved from being related to film representations of Joseph Smith or Brigham Young to Mormons in Media to "Mormon Media"; there were all sorts of things out there. Far more than I expected. The assignment took a lot longer than I expected, and I found that while there were tons and tons of results, simply combing through them and finding the part of the clip I wanted that I could relate in my compilation of clips took time. After actually doing the project, I see some major advantages and disadvantages to this sort of appropriation art. An affordance is that it's really easy to find material. There is an abundance of it. It may be time consuming to shift through to find something you really like, but the content is all there at your fingertips. Unintended new meanings may be formed by combining related but different material. For example, the beginning clips of different versions of Joseph Smith happened to take on an "origin story" and even "militaristic" tone. This was unintentional, but when I noticed it in my clips, I rearranged them to give it that meaning. In fact, the same thing was true of my entire project. Although I had variation in my searches, I found that once I had all the clips I needed, I could rearrange them to give the piece more flow and meaning. 
A possible limitation to this sort of art is that, while surrounded by options, the artist is still limited to what's available. Perhaps this artistic approach is not as inherently limited as the artist's intent may be, depending on what the intent it. For example, if someone were to approach this assignment trying to envision or predetermine what they wanted their video to be like, they might run into some problems. You are dictated by what's available, and that may take a very different direction. Using someone else's art or content to create your own new artwork still puts you at the mercy of the original artist to some extent. Another limitation is the fact that one cannot do too much with the art or content of someone else. Sure, you can create it, you can copy it, you can even sample it, but once you start to use it in its copyrighted form, things get tricky. A great example of this is the famous "Hope" poster of President Obama from his first campaign. While the red and blue poster has become iconic, it is based off of a photograph of Obama that someone else took, and that person had major issues with their work being appropriated without permission being given. 



As I previously stated, this project was meaningful for me because it dealt with and dabbled in Mormon Cinema, some of the ways it's been explored, represented, self-represented, etc. That's a very important issue to me. But I also know that the project was dictated by my findings on YouTube, and may not be the best representation of a cinematic movement within a religion as much as it's a representation of what people upload to YouTube when they think "Mormon Movie". I also know that I can't do too much with this art other than keep it on YouTube since the subject I picked in particular deals with other people's copyrighted content. Overall, I really enjoyed the assignment, and especially enjoyed the reactions and insights when I tested my video on different people, such as my wife or cousin. 

Twine Poetry

Artist's Statement:

Creating my twine poem game was an extremely new and challenging experience for me. I've never been the best at creating twine games in the first place, but adding the additional components of aesthetic elements and poetic themes made this assignment pretty pressing for a non-programmer. However, I feel like I was able to develop a game that accurately expresses the ideas behind the poem Do not go gentle into that goodnight and that it is an accurate reflection of the best of my abilities.
Because the poem is about resisting death and holding tight to life, the background is an electrocardiogram, indicating to the player that he/she is on the verge of death. The options the player is given throughout the game are evolving segments of the poem itself and poetic options that contradict fighting to stay alive. Any option that is not a part of the poem itself will lead the player to die, and the options are enticing, reminding the player of the pain it is to fight for survival and the peace that comes with death. Eventually, the player reaches the end of the first stanza of the poem, only to start over in an endless loop, again reminding the player that fighting against death is not an enjoyable or invigorating experience. Unlike, say, Super Mario Bros., where dying is frustrating, there is sort of a relief in death for this game.
There were several other components I wanted to include, such as sound, but after hours of research and trying to make it work, I ended up having to settle with what I was able to implement. I've come to the conclusion that while the idea was interesting, twine just isn't meant to be an immersive, aesthetic experience; it's not what the program is designed for. Trying to make those elements work with the programming felt like going against the grain. From this experience I realized that while new media is the blending of different elements to create new and innovative possibilities, it's also unproductive to try and force a square cog into a round hole. New media seems to have developed naturally, and David's point about VR being a gimmick has some real validity, especially if the technology doesn't end up being as entertaining or useful.
Ultimately, this was a great learning assignment for me, and I'm pleased with the game. I tested it on my wife, and found that she had a lot of thoughts based on the themes. In that way, I feel it was effective, and may be inspired to keep trying to develop more intricate games on twine.

GIF Cinema

Hill.

Artist's Statement:

As a writer and director who is used to the moving image, exploring this medium, specifically when the actors are completely still, was a new experience for me. In creating cinemagraphs, the actors needed to hold totally still while conveying an emotion, and those of us behind the camera needed to make sure whatever was moving was in a circular motion. This was new and interesting for both parties. With gifs, I am of the strong opinion that the motion within should not repeat itself unless it is an action that is designed to be circular, especially when it's within an a narrative. For example, someone running down the stairs over and over doesn't make sense within a narrative, but someone running in a circle using revolving doors might, especially if it plays into the story in a productive way. I tried to use those rules and limitations for my own cinemagraphs, and I think we were able to pull it off. 
Another insight I had while working within this medium was it's interpretive nature. There is a lot of room for looking at a narrative made from gifs and interpreting it in whatever way the audience cares to, be that emotionally or aesthetically or what have you. For example, someone can rush through the narrative or take their time. Someone could look at my story called "Hill" and pull any number of meanings from it. This flexibility was helpful in shooting the story when some of our elements weren't working. I decided to go a completely different direction, and because the photos we had taken thus far could be up for interpretation, they still fit with the new meaning I wanted to convey.
Overall, this approach to storytelling was very satisfying, and combined elements from multiple mediums. It's something I would be very interesting in exploring further, pulling in even more new media possibilities such as sound design or interactive options.