Diorama with a Twist

A diorama is defined as being "a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit." since elementary school I have made numerous dioramas for different classes but with this project, it was nice to add the element of including a circuit and a working LED light. 


As for the subject of my diorama, I decided to do a scene from the first Harry Potter book focusing on the Mirror of Erised. The Mirror is actually a magical object that has the ability to show someone their deepest desire. Each person sees something different in the mirror- Harry Potter sees himself happily with the parents he never knew, Ronald Weasley sees himself as Head Boy and Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, while Professor Dumbledore sees himself holding a pair of socks. 

Learning what one wants or desires is an important part of a person's development. Having desire is not necessarily a bad thing but there is line between desire and greed. Too much desire can be dangerous dangerous and can make someone lose themselves to obtain what they want most. Rowling uses the dark lord Voldemort as such an example. In his desire for power and eternal life, he ultimately gives up his own humanity and any good in himself. The Mirror of Erised serves as an important plot device that help's teach Harry, and the reader, the difference between such desires. 

Something particularly interesting about Rowling's creation of the mirror is the the inscription on the top of it. Though at first is seems indecipherable, it is actually mirror writing, symbolizing how everything is a mirror reflection is flipped. Read reversed, it says I show not your face but your heart's desire. 

Because this is such an important object in the Harry Potter series, it was important to emphasize that in the making of the diorama.  I made it so that when the door is opened, the light positioned under the mirror will light up the mirror and emphasize the importance of this one object in the room. There is much more to it than meets the eye.

History of Pong

     Almost everyone know about the video game, Pong. Released in 1972, it was one of the first video games created and its design and graphics were quite simple. Yet there is something almost addicting about it and quickly became one of the most most popular arcade games. It was based on the back and forth action of a tennis ball between two players.

     Pong was developed by Atari, the first video game/console maker. After seeing how popular Pong was as an arcade game, it also got its own console in 1975 to allow people to play at home. It was a great success and even in limited release, almost 150,000 units sold. This was the beginning of video games becoming something to not only play in the arcade, but at home. 

     Since its release in 1972, there have been numerous copies, rip-offs, and parodies of Pong. It is a game that almost everyone has played at some point.  Pong is a game that is easy enough for small children to understand and complex enough for older people to get lost in the game. It also inspired French artist Pierre Huyghe to create an installation in which people play on an illuminated ceiling. 

Programming Made (Frustratingly) Easy

With the increase of using technology in the classroom environment, programming is just one of many digital platforms being explored as a way of art-making. Through the MIT Media Lab, young learners can access the website, Scratch. Created in 2006, Scratch allows anyone the opportunity to program and create their own stories, animation, and games.  

Pros:

It is a great and interesting way to incorporate technology in art-making, and gives students a new perspective. Art is not just drawing or painting, but can also be made on the computer, requiring a completely different way of thinking.

Scratch also offers different options in what you can make. Aside from creating an animation, you can also create games and stories. With so many options, children are encouraged in thinking of new ideas and how they can portray them using programming.

The way the Scratch website is set up allows for it to be a community of creators to share their work and get ideas from others. It is a great way to gain feedback and brainstorm new ideas. 

Cons:

Despite it being a fairly easy concept, the actual programming in Scratch can be overwhelming for someone unfamiliar with it. I have also experienced numerous glitches, from being unable to program a number to being unable to save properly. For this reason, I have found myself quite frustrated in using the program and even when following direct instructions, my animations won't come out as I would like it.

This is a sight I became quite familiar with. 

Below is my progress of using Scratch.

Attempt #1- Dino

Attempt #2- Friendly Ghost

Attempt #3- Cat Dance Party

Attempts #4, 5, & 6- Remix the Pong Game

I had come up with the idea of remixing the classic pong game to allow the play to be in outer space and protect their space station from a persistent asteroid. Unfortunately, it didn't go as well as I hoped. The most common problem was that after less than two seconds, the asteroid-sprite would stop completely.

Eventually I was able to get a working pong game, but the Save failed to keep it. 

Final Thoughts:

I honestly have very mixed opinions on Scratch. It really is a great way of introducing children to programming and informing them of different ways  programming can be used for artistic purposes. It is a new medium that they may very well grow into, with today's emphasis of digital technology incorporated in the arts. Yet despite it having so much potential, it also has its flaws. The glitches I mentioned before play a major part in my distaste towards Scratch. The constant interruption from creating and unreliableness quickly wears on you. I am sure one day, Scratch's creators will have fixed these types of problems from occurring as often as they do, but until then, I think that I will appreciate Scratch from afar. 

The Japanese Phenomena of Purikura

プリクラ, or purikura, are pictures made in a sticker photo booth and is very popular in Japan. More often than not, you will see friends taking pictures and decorating them together. Purikura is a very important part of the Japanese youth's social life. After a long hard day at school, there is nothing better then going to the arcade with your friends and taking purikura together to decorate ones phone with.

Just last year while I was abroad in Japan, I did purikura almost 2-3 times a week. It's a fun and cheap activity. Many places have also began to have "cosplay purikura" in which you can pay 100 yen (around $1.50) to choose any outfit or costume of your choice and wear it for your photo session. Along with adding revenue to the arcade, it allows the customers to feel like a true model with their very own photo shoot.

 

As you can see in the above images, there are a fair amount of additional decorations and writings that are added to the images.  This is the second step to purikura, and probably the most fun part.  You can also choose to have the images printed on regular paper, sticker paper, or email it to yourself.   

While many pictures in purikura can be cute, there are also plenty of odd looking pictures that can come out of it.

Here is a video about just how much editing is involved in purikura. 

**This is an edited repost of February 16's post. The pictures are now visible** 

Understanding "The Remix"

The Remix, as I understand it, is the combing of different things together to create something "new". When most people hear the word remix, they automatically associate it with music and DJs. But this can go far beyond just music- it can also include combining ideas and images. One group that focus on visual remixes is Adbusters.

Adbusters focuses primarily on parodying popular culture and bringing awareness to modern issues while bringing some humor to otherwise serious issues. Along with being a magazine, they also create visual images or "spoofs". Many of these spoofs focuses on corporations and negatives aspects to them (ex: their control of politics, poor treatment of workers, etc).

2 images of Adbuster's spoof, "Unswooshing"

One series in particular that I found myself drawn to were entitled "Big Mac Attack". The title alone tells the viewer it will be about McDonalds.  Many of the images created in "Big Mac Attack" focus on the concept of obesity and effects on children. 

While the series as a whole is a powerful, the image with the babies was probably the image that affected me the most. Everyone is familiar with Ronald McDonald, the friendly clown character that serves as McDonalds' primary mascot. The use of a clown as a mascot is a clever marketing strategy to appeal more to kids. The baby in the picture is not a regular baby but a Ronald McDonald baby. There are many parents that do not see the negative effects of fast food and start to feed their children from a very young age this food.  

The image itself is a commentary on the increasing obesity rate in children, which has more than doubled in children in the past 30 years. McDonalds, while not the only fast food chain, is often seen as a major contributor to obesity in individuals.  And while in recent years, McDonalds has attempted to make healthier meals, there are many that question just how healthy they really are. 

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the making of a text meaning by another text and is most commonly used as a literary device. It can range from directly quoting one piece of literature to being a retelling of a story.  It has been used for centuries but with today's advancements, stories and ideas can be borrowed and used almost all the time.

I found a particular essay that had many different examples of intertextuality in the Harry Potter series. Probably the most obvious example would be the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore.  He serves as a mentor much like Gandalf, the wizard from Lord of the Rings. In fact, in recent years with the growing popularity of both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, the two actors that play Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellan) are often confused as one another. Along with the similar characters, the two stories are also are about fantastic journeys against an evil force (Lord Voledmort in Harry Potter and Sauron in Lord of the Rings).

However that is not to say that intertextuality is limited to only literature. There have been many movies based off of classic literary works. The most common have been Shakespeare plays.

Here are just a few examples:

Hamlet? Otherwise known as Lion King.

Uncle Scar has  killed the current King, Mufasa, to become king himself. Meanwhile Simba is a young prince that must regain his proper place and save his mother and people from his power-hungry uncle.

12th Night? She's the Man. 

Viola pretends to be her twin brother Sebastian in order to play with the boys' soccer team and ends up falling in love with Duke.  Duke meanwhile is in love with a schoolmate named Olivia who is in love with Sebastien (a.k.a Viola in disguise). 

Taming of the Shrew? 10 Things I Hate About You.

A young man needs someone to date Katarina so that he can go out with her younger sister, Bianca. The man he pays to date Katarina actually finds her fascinating and falls in love with her.

Harry Potter: Not Done Quite Yet

Everyone is familiar with the story of Harry Potter, the orphaned wizard who overcomes the Dark Wizard Voldemort.  While J.K. Rowling wrote the last book in 2007 and the final movie came out in 2011, there seems to always be some sort of new expansion to the Harry Potter-verse.

New Movie

Back in September in 2013, J.K. Rwling announced she was in the process of writing a new Harry Potter movie. However, rather than having it be about Harry, it will be the story of Newt Scarmander, the author of the (fictional) "Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them". Interestingly enough, Newt Scarmander is not even an actual character that ever makes an appearance in the books.  J.K. Rowling is taking an extremely minor character she created and expanding on that to give him his own story and movie. There has also been talk of another spin-off movie based on another fictional book, "Qudditch Through the Ages".


Theme Park

Almost all of my friends have either been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter or knows someone that has been there. Currently it features two locations from the book- Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. The goal of Wizarding World of Harry Potter is to create a place where fans of the series can fully submerse themselves and feel like they really are in the wizarding world.  Careful attention to detail is paid in making the theme park, from creating the Butterbeer witches and wizards love to drink, to recreating famous landmarks like the Hogshead and Hogwarts itself. More recently in January there were official announcements about expansing the park to include Diagon Alley.  The designers of the the Wizarding World of Harry Potter rely greatly on the written detail from the books when designing the theme park.

With the success of the parks has also come merchandise inspired by products from the books.  Candy like chocolate frogs, sugar quills, and Bertie Bott's every Flavor Bean have become a reality that people can purchase and enjoy. Ollivander's Wand Shop allows fans to be paired up with their own wand, and also has Hogwarts uniforms for those that know what house they are in.

Play
While most would assumer J.K. Rowling would have her hands full with writing a new Potter-verse movie, she also is in the process of creating a play for the West End (a.k.a London's version of Broadway).  She again is going back in time, but this time to Harry's childhood living with the Dursley's.  It is a prequel of sorts to before Harry knows he is a wizard and focuses on the relationship between him and the Dursleys.  While little more is actually known about the play, it can be said that the Dursleys as characters will certainly be expanded upon and more developed.