Current Event #7

Interactive Art Installation Allows Public To 'Paint' Vancouver Skies

Those who attended the 30th anniversary of the Technology, Entertainment & Design Conference in Vancouver, Canada, were privileged to see a giant art display called 'Skies Painted With Unnumbered Sparks'. During the day the display almost blended in with the city's blue skies. At night, the display transformed into a canvas of multiple designs and colors. The canvas spanned at about 745 feet, which is almost half the size of the main section of New York City's Brooklyn Bridge. 

The designs that were designed in the beautiful canvas were not created by artist, but by visitors. The awesome art display was made possibly by Janet Echelman and the help of Google's Inc.'s lab artist Aaron Koblin and his team. Visitors were asked to log into a special website that allowed them to select a color and then finger paint their artwork. As the visitors would paint, their artwork would instantaneously reflect on the giant canvas above. It was possible for hundreds of people to paint at the same time, causing an array of colors and designs.

This art display seems really cool. It looks like a huge colorful constellation. I think its a really creative idea to have visitors interact with the display and be able to add their own artwork to the canvas. It must have taken a lot of hard work and determination to create something so amazing! I wish I could be as artistic and creative as the artist who created this. I would love to go to Vancouver, Canada and encounter this beautiful sight.

This could be connected to the drawings we are making with our Russian literature. The artwork that we are creating is nowhere close to as astonishing as this, however. We have to put our creativity into our drawings, though. I'm not very artistic, but I could be creative.

The heading of the article says, "Interactive Art Installation Allows Public To 'Paint' Vancouver Skies" (Liu). By using this heading, the author captures readers attention. In the heading, the author put quotation marks around paint. which hints that the public is not literally painting the skies. This makes the reader curious and wanting to read more on how the public could paint the skies. As readers read they are informed that "with the help of a special website and some finger painting skills", the public can paint the canvas above them (Liu). The heading impacts the readers desire to read the article, leaving them interested in the topic.


Liu, June.  "Interactive Art Installation Allows Public To 'Paint' Vancouver Skies."  Dogonews.  Dogo Media, 13 Apr. 2014.  Web.  13 Apr. 2014.  <https://www.dogonews.com/2014/4/13/interactive-art-installation-allows-public-to-paint-vancouver-skies>.

Dooley, Kevin.  "Christmas #25."  Photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 18 Dec. 2008.  Web.  13 Apr.  2014.  <https://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/3121844717/in/photostream/>.

Current Event #4

Cute Circuit Debuts Wearable Technology

CuteCircuit, a company well known for light-up designs, have came up with 'wearable technology'. Stars like Nicole Scherzinger and Katy Perry have been seen proudly showing off this new creation. CuteCircuit has received some public recognition and got the opportunity to debut its wearable technology at The New York Fashion Week. The New York Fashion Week was the first time wearable technology has been featured on a runway at a major international fashion week.

Each outfit has some type of technology that is built into it. A plain-looking skirt could be transformed into a unqie piece of clothing with a live video feed featuring a tiger. Another dress could have the illusion of it erupting in flames, similar to the dress worn by Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. In addition, there were shirts with live tweets and even the world's first interactive handbag. Some dresses had LED's embedded inside. CuteCircuit's technology allows the wearer to be in full control of when to shine. This allows the outfit to be both for a serious day at work or for a night out with some friends. 

On the runway, CuteCircuit also demonstrated their HugShirt. It allows people from two locations to send and receive hugs. The shirt has built -in sensors and actuators, which allows it to have the sensation similar to that of a real hug. In order for a hug to be sent both participants must use Bluetooth technology. The receiver could either own a HugShirt or have it sent to them using a special computer software. 

I think that this is really cool and creative. I would love to own an article of clothing from CuteCircuit's wearable technology. Technology is being incorporated into various aspects of our daily lives and it's really advancing. The only problem I see with there being built in technology inside an outfit is the risk of electrocution. What if someone gets stuck in the rain by accident and end up being electrocuted? Also, I'm not exactly sure how the HugShirt really works, but I think its kind of weird. I don't think that a shirt could ever imitate the sensations of a hug. It just wouldn't feel the same. It's a really cool concept, but it could never stand in the place of a real hug.

I can't really connect this to what we're doing in class since we're talking about the Holocaust. However, I remember that during freshmen year we discussed a lot about technology. We even created technology current events. Technology is really advancing. Lately, there has been a lot of inventions and creations involving technology. Wearable technology never crossed my mind, that's why its such a unique and creative creation. 

The author uses promotive language throughout the entire article to advance her point of view. The author states in the first sentence of the article, "CuteCircuit, a company known for its exquisite light-up designs dubbed 'wearable technology', has slowly but surely, been making its way into the mainstreammarket" (Liu). The word exquisite describes to readers how admirable this new line of fashion is, which advances her point of view. In another sentence the author describes the creation as, " haute couture" (Liu). Describing it in such a manner furthers the authors point of view that CuteCircuit  is the most fashionable design out there. 

Liu, June.  "Cute Circuit Debuts Wearable Technology At New York Fashion Week."  Dogonews.  DOGO Media, 2 Mar. 2014.  Web.  3 March 2014.  <https://www.dogonews.com/2014/3/2/cute-circuit-debuts-wearable-technology-at-new-york-fashion-week>

Art Comments.  "Miss Sixty Fall 2007 New York Show."  photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 1 Feb. 2007.  Web.  3 Mar. 2014.