User:Naomi.Kay/Notities week 1

Notities - Introduction

Introduction

A book about what happens when people make things. Connection between online and offline will be made, for instance how Victorian art critic John Ruskin on medieval cathedrals can have affected the understanding of YouTube videos. More examples will be explained in relation to how analog art techniques effect the digital world of today.

Making is connecting

Making and connecting

• making is connecting, connect thing together to make something new
• making is connecting, act of creativity usually involve social dimension and connect people
• making is connecting, through making things and sharing them in the world, increase engagement end connection with our social and physical environment.

Three Reason why i wanted to write this book

20 years ago, the main media people could see was produced by professional organisations, and the focus was on what other people created. Whereas now, when the World Wide Web came along everyone can make and share with each other.

Which is why the autor considers that creating is making because creating is shared with other people. Before the World Wide Web when he would make something it would be just for himself, he would enjoy doing it, but it would have no audience. Now with the internet we can like and share our and each others work, whether its writing, photography or drawing.

The writer wanted to explore the idea that making is connecting.

Web 2.0 as an idea and a metaphor

This book does not suppose that creative activities have suddenly appeared in the story of human life because someone invented the World Wide Web. However, the Web has certainly made it easier for everyday people to share the fruits of their creativity with others, and to collaboratively make interesting, informative, and entertaining cultural spaces.

The ‘sit back and be told’ Culture

The ‘sit back and be told’ culture came about as a result of the changes in the school systems. Originally teachers would transfer their knowledge onto the students and include their own perspectives on the matter. Which made learning more interesting and inspring. Nevertheless the school system changed in the 1960s and 70s to fit the social norm of knowledge and how knowledge is tested over a certain amount of time. This continues throughout the early 2000. Meanwhile the 20th century was emphasised as the era of ‘sit back and be told’ media. Leisure time became staying in one place for a long period of time watching a screen, instead of going out.

Making is Connecting Intel

Week 3 THE MEANING OF MAKING III: DIGITAL

Ruskin critic focused on creative process. Express individuality. Autor page 90, rejecting. Says thing really weird. Are they getting exploited or not.

just after the war, 50 60 people really wanted to move on with they’re lives, looking back was too painful. American industry was already pretty large, but during the war it exploded, loads of investments made. After the war automacaniics en technology was translated to homelife, like radio’s in homes and cars for people industrial military context - isenhouwer he had been a military guy his whole life, knew how to handle troublesome situations. But when he did his exit speech of being a president he worned the collaborations in america youtube: Eisenhower Farewell Address- Military Industrial Complex Watch out for the power the military has now. “It has a dynamic of its own” Make sure the people keep they’re own agenda.

Typical family model- Mad Men Family

The mahican university punch card comic, becoming more rebellious towards Military Industrial Complex. University symboled as a machine, students, first individual, but after turning into punch cards. All following the same instructions.

youtube: The Doomsday Machine in Dr.Strangelove fictional way of thinking toward the cold war really have to convince the other side, not to launch. Otherwise they will cross the line first

Counterculture developed (hippies) there were two new threads. 1. The New Left. confronting, civil rights movement, frees speech movement (student movement), antiwar movement protests, marches. Make american dream more inclusive, not against it. So also for black, gay woman. Political 2. New communists. Instead of protests, but transformation of the self. promoting intimacy, rock movement. To make better individuals, better society. Not political, political but not in the traditional sense.

Two positions against the Military Industrial Complex. In university this idea was already gone since the second world war, because scientists had to come up with ways to win the war, so they came together and paddled in different areas. Culture in university because about antapanuuring and making connections with other, no higheracie, could approach the “boss”. Almost a living organism. Systems finding the ideal balance. cybernetics, root word for all cyber related words, derived from second world war. Result of trying to apply ideas from one field to another. Shooting canons, problem is you don’t know where to aim at, can’t consider every factor that could change the course. Theory: you can feedback loop: like central heating, which lead to fire control computer during war. youtube: u.s navy vintage fire control computers (part 1) feedback system looking for natural balance. Spaceship Earth Norbert Wiener, imbalance looking for balance. Action reaction, like when you touch a hot pan cybernetic loop. Machine and man can’t do it by themselves. 1 was apposed, 2 found it an interesting way of thinking. LSD was a military technology.

Budminster Fuller Everyone on Earth has a shared faith, if we mess around to much like polluting, it will cause imbalance. Geodesic dome

New communities got there name by trying to start from scratch again, so a lot of people move from the city to live in large structures in communities. (Drop City) inspired by military tecniques. These ideas coming from the universities so a lot of scientists live there. youtube: drop city These people worked a lot, weren’t against it, they are withdrawing from standards and making there own dissections, works towards what they want.

Manshall What does media do and what do they mean computers and media will mix.

stuart brand also lived in one of those comunes, made the whole earth catalog magazine Guide for all the people going back to the land. Brought back three cultures, Military Industrial Complex (eisenhower speech), commercial culture (State of computer changing , advertising), can also be a tool and counter culture itself (writing manuals and tools how to do things (hippie trip insight)) all presented with the same importance. Brand “ quote” instead of struggle, do it yourself techniques. The ideal society were tried, but only lasted a few years. brooke down due to engrained ways of thinking, loudest mouth become leader ect

The Well, computer system Computer interface platform you could have pure encounters, everyone was equal, none knew if you were black or white, a woman or a man. lasted until the 90s

Stuart brand moved on in 1993, created Wired with a bunch of others.Computers became more public, but people didn’t know yet where to place it. Wired gave them answers, they helped redivide the computer as a personal machine, called online a community. Became a new frontier, became a new world. They reframed what was once inframed.

People like Bill gates and steve jobs, previous hippies, due to they’re technology skills suddenly became important and influential.

70-80s old big industries in the new economy the

70 80 new movement The new right The new rights and hippies wanted to free each other from the corporations from the past, they found themselves on the same side. This new economy grew from new IBM evil company punk more new left, than communitist Further away from Marx than ever Starting with government funding universities, but now how less control Turner: people read reports and do it journalist write about it for proof. They keep validating each other and themselves somehow. Anyone who can explain the next big movement, gets credit. The way the autor writes about it, it sounds like a hobby. How can it become a real profession.

History of Carving

Wood carving has been around for many thousands of years yet few examples of these ancient pieces remain due to the effects of time. Over time weathering, fungus and insect attack eats away at the wood degrading any carving work or can completely destroy it.

New Stone Age There are some examples of woodcarving tracing back to the New Stone Age (about 9000 BC to 7000BC). These include many everyday items found in China that were crafted using stone tools, wooden hunting spears found in Germany and wooden digging sticks found in Africa

Ancient Egypt provides us with some of the best preserved examples that have survived the test of time due mainly to Egypts dry climate. Numerous tomb excavations have provided some fine pieces.

Bronze Age

Ka-aperHere we can see the remains of a three foot by seven inch statue, most of which is carved from a solid block of sycamore dating around 2500BC. The image depicts Ka-Aper, a priest who recited prayers for deceased kings. The eyes of the statue were made from rock crystals rimmed with copper

In 1860, the tomb of Hesy-ra was opened to reveal carvings dated as far back as 2500 BC. Eleven wooden relief-carved panels measuring two feet high were discovered.

Hesy-raHesy-raHesy-raHesy-raHesy-ra

Iron Age

Norway produced one of the finest examples of Iron Age carving with the Oseberg ship dating Viking ship figure headback to 800BC. It is believed to be the burial ship of the Viking Queen Asa. The ship which measures 70 feet long by 16 feet wide by 5 feet deep is made entirely of oak. It was found containing many items such as a wooden cart, bedposts, and farming equipment.

Gothic Period

The gothic period (1200AD to 1450AD) of carving was marked by religious carvings which were executed with proportions and detail that have never been equalled. Such items include crucifixes, choir stalls and panels.

Renaissance Period

The Renaissance dealt a damaging blow to European woodcarving. During the reign of Edward VI the council ordered all images of saints be removed from churches and be destroyed. After stabilisation of Puritan rule all churches once again had wood carvings but many had been defaced.

Woodcarving once again gained momentum in the 17th century with deep relief carving becoming popular. This era marked the emergence of one of Grinling Gibbonsthe most famous wood carvers of all time, Grinling Gibbons. His work brought carving to new heights. His work still decorates several important buildings including Winsor castle. He specialised in foliage, fruit, flowers and birds.

The coat of arms of the sixth Duke of Somerset was carved in lime wood by Gibbons.

Recent Times Carving saw a decline in the nineteenth century. Duplicating machines capable of making large quantities of the one item began to replace carvers. Only the wealthy could afford the price of the skilled craftsman.

Wood Carving

One of the oldest types of art, woodcarving is an art-form common to all cultures, from the Stone Age onwards, not least because of its widespread availability, plasticity and low cost. Its only real drawback as a medium for sculpture is its perishability. Being water absorbent and vulnerable to insects and airborne fungi, wood can degrade quite rapidly. As a result, bronze, marble and other types of stone have been preferred for monumental works. Even so, wood was the principal type of African sculpture used to produce masks, statuettes, religious objects and general decorative items. The medium was also widely used in Oceanic art for the carving of ceremonial canoes and other objects, as well as in the totem pole culture of American Indian art and in the Aboriginal art of Australia. Unfortunately, most of this type of ancient tribal art has perished. Wood carving was also common in Greek sculpture, although it was far less prestigious than ivory carving, and used mostly for small-scale works. The medium flourished later in Europe, alongside medieval, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, chiefly in churches and cathedrals, and later alongside fine furniture and interior decoration, notably in the idiom of Rococo art. During the 20th century, plastic art has used wood in a number of innovative ways, not least in the assemblage art of Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) and others, while 20th century folk art continues to depend on the medium.

Skeleton

Dictionary definition "something reduced to its essential parts."

"It is very clearly apparent from the admonitions of Galen how great is the usefulness of a knowledge of the bones, since the bones are the foundation of the rest of the parts of the body and all the members rest upon them and are supported, as proceeding from a primary base. Thus if any one is ignorant of the structure of the bones it follows necessarily that he will be ignorant of very many other things along with them."-- Niccolo Massa, 1559

Physicians from antiquity through the Renaissance discussed the form and function of the skeleton, as the hardest part of the body. Beginning with Galen, the investigations of the skeleton followed a certain pattern. Physicians were primarily impressed with the hardness of the bone and saw its necessity for the structural integrity of the body. Galen observed:

"To protect the system completely, it was better for it to consist of many bones, and further, of bones just as hard as they are ... Nature consequently did not merely entrust its defence to the skin, as she did for the parts in the abdomen, but first, before the skin was put on, she invested it with bone like a helmet."

This perspective is fully evident in medieval images of the skeleton that emphasize its ability to shape the body. Look below to see how the skeleton appears in the late Middle Ages.

Galen also drew a series of logical conclusions about the shape and weight of specific bones, observing that the femur was the largest bone in order to sustain the body's weight, and noting the concavity and convexity of bones that "must articulate with one another, particularly if the bones are large." He also argued that it was made from sperm because of its pale color. As late as 1620, the Scottish physician John Moir could lecture to his students: "Bone is ... generated out of semen, fat and earth by the power of heat and the innate spirit." Each succeeding generation after Galen relied heavily upon his knowledge. In the eleventh century, Avicenna offered a humoral explanation of bone as primarily made of earth. He based his conclusion on the fact that bones were cold and dry, like the earth itself. He qualified this comment with an interesting experiment:

"The bone ... is however moister than hair, because bone is derived from the blood, and its fume is dry, so that it dries up the humors naturally located in the bones. This accounts for the fact that many animals thrive on bones, whereas no animal thrives on hair-- or at least it would be a very exceptional thing if hair ever did provide nourishment. The proof that bone is moister than hair is that when equal weights of bones and hair are distilled in a retort, more water and oil will flow and less "faex" will remain."

Avicenna also offered the practical advice that the best way to gain knowledge of the skeleton was to see it separated from the rest of the body, an idea that became common practice in the Renaissance.

On the whole, however, medieval and early Renaissance anatomists had less to say about the skeleton than many other parts of the body. It seemed to them deceptively simple and self-evident in ways that less visible structures did not. After all, it was not primarily learned physicians who were interested in the skeleton but surgeons and bone-setters -- less learned practitioners who dealt directly with the ordinary and extraordinary health problems associated with broken bones. In the first decades of printing, many early almanacs and surgical manuals included elaborate diagrams of the skeleton to assist practitioners and patients in knowledge of the body. Look at the two images here for an example.

At the end of the fifteenth century, renewed interest in dissection led to closer inspection of skeletons. Published anatomies during the Renaissance display one of the common problems of this era that was especially apparent in discussing the skeleton -- a complex structure with numerous parts. What was the proper name for each bone? Jacopo Berengario da Carpi addresses this problem by including all possible names at the end of the century: Greek, Arabic and Latin: "This is properly called the hand ... because from this part almost all handicrafts emanate. Between this and the second part is a juncture composed of many bones called in Arabic raseta and ascam and in Greek carpus." Berengario included detailed diagrams in his popular anatomy that now focused on singular parts of the skeleton, as in this illustration here.

Berengario's crude woodblocks could not compare to the hand-drawn illustrations of his contemporary, the artist and anatomist Leonardo da Vinci. Look at Berengario's images of the skeleton above and compare it to Leonardo's beautiful, highly geometrized drawings of the skull and ribs. Both dissected, yet they saw the world very differently. Leonardo make careful notes to himself about the importance of drawing the skeleton from multiple perspectives: "Make a demonstration of these ribs in which the thorax is shown from within, and also another which has the thorax raised and which permits the dorsal spine to be seen from the internal aspect. Cause these 2 scapulae (spatole) to be seen from above, from below, from the front, from behind, and forward."

Confusing terminology was not the only problem facing Renaissance anatomists; they also discovered that their descriptions diverged considerably from Galen's, because he had frequently taken the similarity between human and animal anatomy to be an exact correspondence. "In the larger hand there are thirty bones," stated Alessandro Achillini in 1520. "There would be thirty-one if the ninth of Galen was included, but that, however, is a monkey bone." By the time Andreas Vesalius published On the Fabric of the Human Body (1543), he could cite numerous errors of Galen in the number and shape of the bones, though he, too, continued to identify many animal parts as belonging to humans. Leonardo played with the confusion between human and animal anatomy by drawing a fanciful foot of a beat based on a human one -- an interesting reversal of the common trend.

There were many things that Renaissance medical practitioners did not fully understand about bones, though Renaissance anatomy theaters were filled with articulated skeletons by the late sixteenth century, such as the one Vesalius prepared in 1546 that can still be seen today at the University of Basel. They knew that bones had differing degrees of density, flexibility and motility. But they had a very limited understanding of more complicated questions such as the relationship between the vertebrae and the spinal cord.

"There are thirty vertebrae. But the round bone upon which the head rests makes thirty-one when it is included in the number of the vertebrae. There are seven vertebrae of the neck; they are slender but have a larger cavity or aperture, however, and are hard and firmly joined to each other."

Alessandro Achillini then found himself wondering in 1520 how it all worked. "Or does the tenth vertebra have two pieces or processes? Or do the processes ascend above and descend below the tenth vertebra? Or does the tenth vertebra have two cavities?" It was much simpler to say, as Nicolo Massa did in 1559, "Nature has made the spine for animals to be like the keel of the body that is necessary for their life; for it is thanks to the spine that we can walk erect and each of the other animals can walk in the posture that is the better one for it."

Very few Renaissance anatomists, other than Vesalius, paid such close attention to the skeleton as a whole, preferring to pay special attention to parts such as the skull, that was an object of great fascination because of the continued interest in physiognomy. In the majority of instances, physician's best insights were closely connected to their interests in other parts of the body. For example, it is hardly surprising that William Harvey in his 1653 anatomy should pay special attention to the sternum, given his detailed exploration of the heart and lungs. He wrote:

"There are three uses for the sternum: rampart for the heart and vitals, binding for the ribs, support for the membranes of the mediastinum. Sometimes it protrudes outward, out cheated, origin of gibbosity. The sternum is made up of 6 or 7 bones, more in children and fewer occur in old age."

Even though many medical practitioners did not puzzle over the skeleton to the same degree that they did with other parts of the body, they all recognized their cultural as well as scientific importance. By the end of the sixteenth century, skeletons had become the quintessential image of anatomy. But they also continued to be an image of death, in the form of a grim reaper brought to life by the skill of the anatomist.

Dolls

Manufacturing of Dolls

The production of plastics can be roughly divided into four categories:

1. Acquiring the raw material or monomer. 2. Synthesizing the basic polymer. 3. Compounding the polymer into a material that can be used for fabrication. 4. Molding or shaping the plastic into its final form.

Raw Materials

Historically, resins derived from vegetable matter were used to produce most plastics. This included such materials as cellulose (from cotton), furfural (from oat hulls), oils (from seeds) and various starch derivatives. Today, most plastics are produced from petrochemicals which are widely available and tend to be cheaper than other raw materials. However, the global supply of oil is exhaustible, so researchers are investigating other sources of raw materials, such as coal gasification.

Synthesis of the Polymer

The first step in plastic manufacturing is polymerization. The two basic methods by which polymerization can occur are addition and condensation reactions. These can occur in the gaseous, liquid and occasionally solid phase. Sometimes the polymer synthesis can take place at the interface of two immiscible liquids in which the monomers are dissolved.

Additives

Chemical additives can be used in the production of plastics to achieve certain characteristics. These additives include:

• Antioxidants to protect the polymer from degradation by ozone or oxygen

• Ultraviolet stabilizers to protect against weathering

• Plasticizers to increase the polymer’s flexibility

• Lubricants to reduce friction problems

• Pigments to give the plastic colour

• Flame retardants

• Antistatics

Plastics are often manufactured as composites. This is achieved by adding reinforcements such as glass or carbon fibers to the plastics, increasing their strength and stability. Plastic foam is a different type of composite which combines plastic and gas. An example of this can be seen in styrofoam cups which are made of foamed polystyrene.

Shaping and Finishing Compression molding is one of the oldest methods used for converting polymers into useful materials. It uses pressure to force the plastic into a certain shape. One half of a two-piece mold is filled with plastic and then the two halves of the mold are brought together and the plastic is melted under high pressure as shown below:

A common method used for shaping plastics is extrusion. A device, called an extruder, forces softened plastic through a shaped die from which it may emerge in almost any form, including a circular rod or tube, and a wide, flat sheet. The driving force is supplied by a screw which provides constant pressure. All extrusion products have a regular cross section. A variation on this method is extrusion blow molding, in which a plastic tube produced by extrusion is sealed around a blowing tube and expanded to the shape of a mold with compressed air. This technique is illustrated below:

Injection molding involves one or more extruders which force melted plastic into a cold mold where it is allowed to set to the required shape. An adaptation of this method is injection blow molding which is used to make plastic pop bottles. A thick-walled plastic tube is initially injection-molded around a blowing stick and is then transferred to a blowing mold. The tube is reheated and expanded to the shape of the mold by passing air down the blowing stick. This method is shown below:

Other methods also exist for shaping and finishing plastics including calendering which produces plastic sheets and transfer molding, in which softened plastic is forced by a ram into a mold.

Statement

When I embarked on this journey to learn more about digital craft, I did not expect to find myself learning more about the art of Carving. However, this endeavour made me think about how fundamental carving is in the world, not just in the world of Art, but in society and nature as a whole. As a student studying Advertising this is especially interesting for me because it’s these everyday things we look for, that are overlooked, which can be the base for a strong campaign or message we try to convey.

Thus far I am working on the carving of dolls and experimenting with other toy, with the focus being on their skeleton. This was inspired by one of the most natural forms of carving, decomposition. When we are buried our bodies decays and all that is left are our bones. However, if a doll is buried for a 100 years, it would look the same. So what would the skeleton of a toy look like?

I wanted to explore the ‘skeleton’ in multiple toys. The material I am primarily working with rubber, this is usually found on the legs and arms of dolls, and additionally I am working with polymer plastic that is used for the main body and toys that need to be stable. This material also makes it easier to be manipulate by tools such as sharp knives and Dremel drills. The objects start off stable, but becomes more delicate as I remove elements. The crafted object are primarily of a decent size and made out of one colour, but different materials.

What lead me on to work with plastic was because it’s flexible and can be manipulate with many different tools. I initially also thought dolls were interesting because they we existing objects and when I was experimenting with the book, I thought it made it more intriguing. Especially in relation to carving, where I could only take parts away. The book came from an extension of the wood carving, in my own way, I wanted to show progression in the material I used. From wood, paper was made. At this point I did not know which direction I wanted to go in so focused more on the material. Another reason I thought a book was intriguing was because separate it is very weak but layered it is immensely strong, so gives more possibilities in ways to play with it. However, it was still limited and felt like it would restrict me if I proceeded so started exploring polymer plastic in the form of dolls. I liked working with organic materials, but what I really found interesting was the ways in which nature carves, like erosion, corrosion and decomposition. Which lead me to polymer plastic dolls, because they were like people but then again completely different. Dolls don’t have a skeleton, so wanted to explore the ways in which they would decompose, while at the same time explore a lot of the perceptions and opinions floating around dolls.

In my process of work, in reference to my work on the dolls, I wanted to explore different techniques with the material to see what worked best. The initial inspiration of an organic process applied to something so inorganic, seemed like an interesting contrast, which I experimented with in the choice of tools also, but then in the sense of machine or manual. From the exploring of different tools and organic vs. inorganic it got me thinking about the skeleton of a doll. And what a true skeleton of a doll should look like, so I explored the doll as human, as it truly is and as a geodesic design. Which I found especially interesting because, like discussed in the lessons, the geodesic design is one of the strongest, inexpensive and effective shape that exists. This thought also brought me back to one of my experiments where I tested my doll to the limit in the sense that I tested how much material I could take away, while still retaining the same shape. I think its good to see a doll as a shape, rather than a living thing. In the past 20 years there have been a lot of discussions about the unrealistic shape of dolls, but I think this brings more in focus the fact that the doll isn’t human, it’s an idealised version of reality. A disconnect between reality and fantasy. Just like a teddy bear doesn’t actually look like a bear. People seem to forget that.

Plastic is traditionally shaped by melting it, then moulded into the shape it is suppose to be. Plastic comes in many different forms, foam is also a type of plastic, but very different to the type you in in toys. Often harder plastic is manufactured as composites. Which means reinforcement such as glass or carbon fibers is added to the plastic, this makes it more stable and strong. One of the oldest methods of to convert polymers into useful material is by using pressure to force the plastic into shape. To make this process easier it is done in two halves, which can easily be brought together by melting it at a high temperature. Similar but still different to the production of plastic dolls. To manufacture a doll, plastic pellets made out of resin are required, these are synthetic and stock material. A blue print is required and this is processed in a program called CAM. Once the design has been made, the plastic is melted and then poured in the mould of the doll. The mould is closed and put on a machine, called rotomold, that constantly turns the so it get an even layer and that everything is covered. Once all the body parts are make they are assembled. However now it was up to me to take element away, for which my main method was carving with a sharp knife, either the bones structure or geodesic design. These designs derived from communities set up in the 60s. When a lot of people move from the city to live in large structures in communities, for example Drop City. The designs used there were inspired by military techniques. These ideas coming from the universities so a lot of scientists live there and were able to apply the designs.

One of the questions raised at the start of ‘Making is Connecting’ was the constant comparison between whether or not ‘craft’ is a art form or a hobby. I think it depends on the way you apply it. I think craft diminishes the techniques required to produce something of value. It has a stigma associated to easy and a hobby. However one thing I did agree with was the fact that Art ha opened up to everyone, whereas it was first just for actual painters who were only painting nobles and that craft in the past was for everyone. This line is becoming thinner and less distinction is made between the two, so if you use a craft technique, it doesn’t mean its not art or has more meaning.

In conclusion craft can be a form of expression and still can be considered Art. To bring it back to the beginning, “when I embarked on this journey to learn more about digital craft, I did not expect to find myself learning more about the art of Carving. However, this endeavour made me think about how fundamental carving is in the world, not just in the world of Art, but in society and nature as a whole.” By exploring the world of craft and the tangents I allowed myself to go down, the advertiser in me came forward, in pursuit to convey a story that needed to be told.