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The Switch


I began the semester by sharing some of the digital photos I had taken in the past. Among them was one of a butterfly that had landed in my flower garden. I have always been mesmerized by the beauty of butterflies. During the presentations for our first project, I shared the story from my childhood about seeing migrating monarch butterflies cover an entire tree. Using butterflies for my last project was a perfect way for me to end the semester. I had made a video of butterfly images, and had downloaded some songs which mentioned butterflies in them. When I first presented this idea to Professor Winkler, he mentioned that it was a little too simplistic. He suggested that I use Photoshop, to capture the wings in a more abstract way. Plus, it was suggested that I use the contact microphone to record some of my own audio. I wasnÕt too thrilled at the time, to redo all of my work, but in hindsight, I am really glad it was suggested! As I looked at each image and focused on each wing, I gained an even greater appreciation for butterflies. When I look at butterflies now, I will definitely see them as little, flying, pieces of artwork! I was also forced to think about how audio could be used to enhance a project dealing with butterflies. Butterflies are not vocal, and I think people do not appreciate them as much because of this. I started to wonder what it would be like, if butterflies could chirp like birds. Hence, the reason I recorded birds. I liked the songs that mentioned butterflies too much, to eliminate them altogether. So, I combined the recorded birds, with the two songs that mention butterflies. There was some computer static, when I did the recording. I would have redone the recording, if I had more time, and the weather had not been so rainy over the weekend.

This project was a good way to end the semester in A&D 101. I was able to use two of my favorite programs, Audacity and Photoshop, to compile the project content. Plus I was able to learn a few things about electricity and circuits. I had gone to Ken RinaldoÕs talk and visited the interactive installations, Machinic Diatrons; Augmented Fish Reality and Our Daily Dread, in the Robert L. Ringle Gallery, before we began this project. I think I was drawn to these two displays more than the spiderbots, because it takes ÒvoicelessÓ fish and gives them a voice (power) to make a statement. By giving butterflies a voice, maybe they will be valued more, as natures flying artwork.

Please give the video time to load. I didn't want to edit too much, so one could learn the full story behind the project. Also note the link to additional resources that might help others learn more about these projects. This has been a great class to experiment with an art form that is relatively new. It has helped me to look at things is a new way, and as far as I am concerned, that is what art is all about!

Additional Resources






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