So, this wraps up the artefact, just like Winter Wrap Up, except that is not Winter Wrap Up anymore, this is Spring. After working hard for hours and hours to perfect this artefact, I am pleased that the result turned out very well, and I hope that it does become successful one day.
Link here: http://minus.com/lbytZ3xmogx5dm
Showing posts with label artefact. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artefact. Show all posts
Monday, 30 April 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
DAT201: Artefact: How to stop hate, the Love and Tolerate way
The message of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a very clear one: we all need to learn about what friendship could be, and also, about how to love and tolerate, and how to increase the peace.
However, in this world, there doesn't seem to be that many peace around: there's countries fighting over other countries, there's still atrocity between governments and the people in certain countries around the world, and there's bad politics going on around the world.
The world of Equestria is portrayed as a peaceful, harmonious one, which contrasts with our world at the moment, although at the same time, there are other people that do not like the fandom at all, and that's when love and tolerance comes in.
Care was taken to ensure that Project Canterlot was not going to turn into a so-called 'in-your-face-evangelism guide', whilst at the same time, it still provides advice on how to use digital arts practices with the principles of the fandom and the series to make the message effective, and to promote peace, harmony and of course, the magic of friendship.
However, in this world, there doesn't seem to be that many peace around: there's countries fighting over other countries, there's still atrocity between governments and the people in certain countries around the world, and there's bad politics going on around the world.
The world of Equestria is portrayed as a peaceful, harmonious one, which contrasts with our world at the moment, although at the same time, there are other people that do not like the fandom at all, and that's when love and tolerance comes in.
Care was taken to ensure that Project Canterlot was not going to turn into a so-called 'in-your-face-evangelism guide', whilst at the same time, it still provides advice on how to use digital arts practices with the principles of the fandom and the series to make the message effective, and to promote peace, harmony and of course, the magic of friendship.
Monday, 9 April 2012
DAT201: Artefact: Memes
The origin of the fandom behind My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic dates back to the days before the series first aired on the 10th of October, 2010: several users on the /co/ board of 4chan discussed, and built up anticipation of the series before it aired, although it wasn't until an alarmist essay being critical of the current trends of animation in general, and the fact that many were merely promotional tools to drive sales of toys in a given franchise, was then published, (and subsequently, was harshly criticised) which then lead to more anticipation being given for the series, and memes being created for the series.
When the series first aired, it went against everything the critical essay said about animation, and as a result, the brony phenomenon was born. Itself a meme, the series then generated more memes as the series progressed on: common phrases such as '20% cooler', said by athletic Pegasus character Rainbow Dash, 'everypony', '10 seconds flat', 'oatmeal' and 'eyyup' became commonplace on 4chan, and later spread further afield on the internet as the fandom expanded beyond the confines of 4chan.
Due to the fact that the series does have popular culture references that only the older audience would understand, I've noted that memes could be based on the references that are made in the series, such as the baby on the ceiling in Season 2, Episode 13 (Baby Cakes), which references the 1996 Danny Boyle classic film, Trainspotting, and Metal Gear Solid in Season 2, Episode 20 (It's About Time).
When the series first aired, it went against everything the critical essay said about animation, and as a result, the brony phenomenon was born. Itself a meme, the series then generated more memes as the series progressed on: common phrases such as '20% cooler', said by athletic Pegasus character Rainbow Dash, 'everypony', '10 seconds flat', 'oatmeal' and 'eyyup' became commonplace on 4chan, and later spread further afield on the internet as the fandom expanded beyond the confines of 4chan.
Due to the fact that the series does have popular culture references that only the older audience would understand, I've noted that memes could be based on the references that are made in the series, such as the baby on the ceiling in Season 2, Episode 13 (Baby Cakes), which references the 1996 Danny Boyle classic film, Trainspotting, and Metal Gear Solid in Season 2, Episode 20 (It's About Time).
Friday, 6 April 2012
DAT201: Artefact: Pinklestia is not Princess Celestia
Inspired by ®™ark's Barbie Liberation Organization campaign of the early 1990s, I decided to add a section to Project Canterlot by looking into the tactics employed in their campaign, its goals, and how it would impact on the consumer, and its intended audience. Everyone knows that bronies strive for show-accuracy, and when it comes to Equestria's great ruler, there are weaknesses that need to be ironed out. Although we are promised a show-accurate Princess Celestia for Autumn, sometimes, we are a bit too impatient. The profusion of so-called Pinklestias, pink Princess Celestias, would make for an ideal scenario to perform a similar intervention.
Many things are wrong with Pinklestia's voice: she doesn't quote actual lines from the series, she talks about how beautiful her wings are (despite the fact that real Alicorns' wings are supposed to be in the same colour as the general coat), and asking if you're a princess as well, which does reinforce ancient stereotypes associated with the pre-Friendship is Magic My Little Pony, particularly the 3rd generation, and stereotypes associated with over-glorified princess-themed girls' toys in general.
The perfect hypothetical en-masse subversion would be to repaint Pinklestia in the right colour, change the voice box so then she quotes actual lines from the series, and then re-shelf them, in a similar fashion. Even the show's intended audience would agree that the current Princess Celestia toy, aka Pinklestia, is not accurate, so this intervention would actually win favours from both the traditional audience, and of course, bronies.
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
DAT201: Artefact: using interventions as a way to spread the magic of friendship
As unconventional as it may seem, interventions are a great way to get the message out there. From urinating on sculptures resembling urinals to wrapping up statues in red tape, the best intervention involves an easily-tangible interactive installation; whilst travelling to Berlin on a field trip to Transmediale 2012, back in February, an interactive installation caught my attention. The 'procrastinating machine', which is just simply a Linux computer that is modified with a script, in which after a period of inactivity, the computer takes over and opens up new tabs in the web browser.
Seeing that it is a perfect opportunity to seize, I got it out of procrastination mode, opened up a new tab in the browser and got on to Equestria Daily, of which is a website of importance to the brony community. Once the computer went back into procrastination mode, more My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic-related websites opened up, tab-by-tab. The intervention was a success. As part of my artefact, I noted that example in the manual, and then suggested others as a way of spreading the message of love and tolerance within a public space.
On another note, whilst I was in the lecture about Anonymous, there were a few fellow bronies on the IRC, which was displayed on the right of the main projected screen. I wonder if they have noticed my little intervention I did?
Seeing that it is a perfect opportunity to seize, I got it out of procrastination mode, opened up a new tab in the browser and got on to Equestria Daily, of which is a website of importance to the brony community. Once the computer went back into procrastination mode, more My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic-related websites opened up, tab-by-tab. The intervention was a success. As part of my artefact, I noted that example in the manual, and then suggested others as a way of spreading the message of love and tolerance within a public space.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
DAT201: essay summary, ponies, artefact ideas and how to make it all complete like magic
During my research on hacktivism and tactical media, I've noticed something that may seem quite out of the ordinary for a research topic, especially for the latter, but whilst I was exploring that area, I've found something very intriguing that boosted my research, and as a result, I've understood the culture of it a lot more, and became part of it at the same time. Now, in terms of tactical media, you'd not normally expect the presence of multi-coloured equines to appear in such form, even on a website that is arguably well known for its tactical media (4chan), and the memes that resulted from it, but since the 10th of October 2010, postings of pictures from the new animated TV series of the My Little Pony franchise, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, became commonplace.
This then resulted in one of the fastest-growing fandoms in the world, especially considering that the huge majority of fans, never before experienced in MLP's nearly 30-year old history, are male (female fans exist as well), and are mostly between the ages of 13 through to the 30s. The phenomenon even went as far as to spread worldwide in many forms of media, and outside of 4chan as well, as a result of a ban that resulted from a 'flame war' (since lifted) in early 2011. The birth of bronies (from a portmanteau of 'bro' and 'pony') has resulted in an increase in the usage of a form of tactical media, but rather than being used for a political cause (as many past examples show), it is being used to promote the TV series, and to recruit more people into the fandom.
An idea I had for an artefact was to produce a series of posters referencing MLP, but done in a subtle way like most forms of guerrilla communications, whilst another was to explore the possibilities of performing interventions in digital spaces. However, it then came to my mind that I wanted to actually take the research I've done in my essay, and transform it into a sort of 'cook book', or manual, to show brony digital artists on how to apply digital arts practices used in tactical media to promote the TV series, the fandom, and the mantra: "Love and Tolerance", which fits perfectly for not just the fandom, but also world problems as well, because in this world, there doesn't seem to be enough love and tolerance, given today's political and economic climate.
This then resulted in one of the fastest-growing fandoms in the world, especially considering that the huge majority of fans, never before experienced in MLP's nearly 30-year old history, are male (female fans exist as well), and are mostly between the ages of 13 through to the 30s. The phenomenon even went as far as to spread worldwide in many forms of media, and outside of 4chan as well, as a result of a ban that resulted from a 'flame war' (since lifted) in early 2011. The birth of bronies (from a portmanteau of 'bro' and 'pony') has resulted in an increase in the usage of a form of tactical media, but rather than being used for a political cause (as many past examples show), it is being used to promote the TV series, and to recruit more people into the fandom.
An idea I had for an artefact was to produce a series of posters referencing MLP, but done in a subtle way like most forms of guerrilla communications, whilst another was to explore the possibilities of performing interventions in digital spaces. However, it then came to my mind that I wanted to actually take the research I've done in my essay, and transform it into a sort of 'cook book', or manual, to show brony digital artists on how to apply digital arts practices used in tactical media to promote the TV series, the fandom, and the mantra: "Love and Tolerance", which fits perfectly for not just the fandom, but also world problems as well, because in this world, there doesn't seem to be enough love and tolerance, given today's political and economic climate.
Monday, 17 October 2011
DAT201: Research Theme: Hacktivism and Tactical Media
For my readme (which is a communication of ideas for the artefact), I am researching the themes of Hacktivism and Tactical Media. Hacktivism and Tactical Media is, to an extent, a form of guerrilla communication, and has developed from previous forms, but takes it to a whole new level. The real definition of Hacktivism and Tactical Media varies according to source, but the many examples I've found from at least 3 sources included "media activism using traditional political work with technology" (A Virtual World is Possible. From Tactical Media to Digital Multitudes), "a method of engagement using re-engineering as creativity" (Digital Media and Technology), and a "critical form of interventionism" (Tactical Media).
Recently, many examples of hacktivist interventions have occurred. During the WikiLeaks saga, activists have taken to the digital platform to vent their anger against organisations that have severed ties with WikiLeaks following the publishing of sensitive US Government data. They used what is known as DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks, which uses deliberated connections to cause bandwidth overloads, which then drives the website offline. These types of interventions tend to have mostly democratic goals, to vent anger at governments, to send out a very strong message of disapproval, and to promote better democracy as well.
The term 'tactical media' was coined as recently as 1997, to describe a form of digital interventionism that, as the name suggests, uses tactics to deliver the message. Last year, in IDAT108, we was shown one example of 'tactical media' in a lecture, which came in the form of a manifesto/documentary film about the 'remix' culture, which involves recycling copyrighted media in a world where corporations are heavily fighting for tight control, and where copyright needs to be updated for the 21st century. The 2008 documentary RiP!: A Remix Manifsto explains the whole subject about the problems of copyright and how it has impacted on remix artists, as well as promoting the concept of open source, even going as far as promoting itself as being the 'world's first open source documentary'.
There is a link to both Hacktivism and Tactical Media. One hacktivist, Jaromil, pioneered the idea of linking the two. Jaromil, famous for one of the world's most elegant form of UNIX shell fork bomb, which consists of just 13 characters, created dyne.org, a website dedicated to promoting the freedom of expression using free software.
Sources:
Recently, many examples of hacktivist interventions have occurred. During the WikiLeaks saga, activists have taken to the digital platform to vent their anger against organisations that have severed ties with WikiLeaks following the publishing of sensitive US Government data. They used what is known as DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks, which uses deliberated connections to cause bandwidth overloads, which then drives the website offline. These types of interventions tend to have mostly democratic goals, to vent anger at governments, to send out a very strong message of disapproval, and to promote better democracy as well.
The term 'tactical media' was coined as recently as 1997, to describe a form of digital interventionism that, as the name suggests, uses tactics to deliver the message. Last year, in IDAT108, we was shown one example of 'tactical media' in a lecture, which came in the form of a manifesto/documentary film about the 'remix' culture, which involves recycling copyrighted media in a world where corporations are heavily fighting for tight control, and where copyright needs to be updated for the 21st century. The 2008 documentary RiP!: A Remix Manifsto explains the whole subject about the problems of copyright and how it has impacted on remix artists, as well as promoting the concept of open source, even going as far as promoting itself as being the 'world's first open source documentary'.
There is a link to both Hacktivism and Tactical Media. One hacktivist, Jaromil, pioneered the idea of linking the two. Jaromil, famous for one of the world's most elegant form of UNIX shell fork bomb, which consists of just 13 characters, created dyne.org, a website dedicated to promoting the freedom of expression using free software.
Sources:
- A Virtual World is Possible. From Tactical Media to Digital Multitudes - http://www.uoc.edu/artnodes/espai/eng/art/lovink_schneider0603/lovink_schneider0603.pdf - Lovink & Schneider (2003)
- Tactical Media - http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0IyN2OKQzgQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Hacktivism+and+Tactical+Media&ots=sVi2LcrnNF&sig=-MNyUDC4dAmDKax1Il2SU7FoFlU#v=onepage&q=Hacktivism%20and%20Tactical%20Media&f=false - Raley (2009)
- The New Digital Media and Activist Networking within Anti–Corporate Globalization Movements - http://ann.sagepub.com/content/597/1/189.short - Juris (2005)
- Tactical Media and Hacktivism - http://jchasef.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/tactical-media-and-hacktivism/ - Digital Media and Technology - jchasef (2008)
- RiP!: A Remix Manifsto - http://www.ripremix.com/- Gaylor (2008)
- Dyne.org - http://jaromil.dyne.org/ - Jaromil
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