24 hour rule-based project: Local food drive

I want to volunteer or make a difference in some way but a lot of organizations require long period time commitments so I was thinking I can walk around my neighborhood one day over a couple of hours asking each neighbor if they could donate one can of food. Sort of like the saying “If I had a nickel every time _____ , I’d be rich,” a lot of small things can add up to something big. Then I can take these cans of food (along with some I give) and donate them to local food shelters. I have one in my town (which I didn’t even know about) and three others within a five-mile radius.

I’m hoping to be able to get at least fifty cans and match that number myself (up to a hundred?).

I can document the work by taking pictures before and after of the trunk of my car/boxes, by writing notes throughout the experience about my feelings, and with the receipt from the grocery store at the end of the day. However, this experience is more about other people than me and I'm not entirely sure how to document their view.

This project will allow me to interact with people in my community, help people who need basic essentials, and maybe get involved with a food shelter on a long-term basis.

Worst case scenario: I get no cans, am disappointed in society, and donate cans myself. I could still document empty boxes at the end of the day to show that there are obstacles in life but you should never be discouraged.

Best case scenario: People donate cans, they feel that they’ve made a positive impact and I know that collectively as a community we have helped other people :)

I would do this Saturday March 1^st.

Sound walk: "Meditation"

This is my sound walk around campus. It starts at the Admissions office.

How Fluxus videos change our preconceptions

25 Paul Sharits - Sears Catalogue 1-3 (1965), 8 mb

Paul Sharits' video is about consumerism and how all the stuff we are told we're supposed to buy and want and need influences our lives. The artist connects his idea to art by montaging quick snapshots of an originally leisurely read catalogue. The clip progresses from washed out to normal contrast to dark images. The beginning fadedness of the photo clippings eases the audience into the work, while the darker ending and the fast frame time evoke anxiety. The frames start to go by faster during the last couple seconds. Every time I watch it, towards the end my heart speeds up and I feel heavy. A lot of Fluxus videos make the audience nervous because of the suspense or because something unusual happens.

The artist uses something that already exists in the world and changes our notions about a simple, happy catalogue. He uses recognizable pictures and words like “fluoride,” men’s’ shoes and cameras. The title definitely helps the audience know right from the start what they are watching.

The ending starts getting creepy because the artist moves from showing pictures of stuff to photos of smiling women to a mix of tools and words like “surgical” and “messy.” The frames go by so quickly that I was nervous the first time I watched the video and it wasn’t until the 4^th time that I recognized how the subjects of the photos change. 
                 The artist manages to do all of this in just 47 seconds!

My 1st full animation movie

This is my 1st animated stop-motion movie. I was inspired by all the leftover toys my mom has held onto all these years and this article: 
http://lettersandlullabies.com/2014/01/07/the-trouble-with-made-in-china/ 

This is a lower quality format for the internet.