Pete Froslie Lecture

Pete Froslie

On the 29^th of March, Pete Froslie discussed many of his art works and current projects that he is working on.  Froslie is a digital artist that started working with electronics.  He first began working with toys and animating them in odd ways.  One of the first projects that he discussed was the etch-a-sketch project.  This consisted of different etch-a-sketch pads automated by machines that turned the knobs.  During this time he enjoyed working with toys and importing them from other countries.  The next project he talked about consisted of toy cows that were hot wired to a decomposing beef heart.  This beef heart was sealed in a jar and as it decomposed it would make the cows moo and kick their legs.  After this he started to focus on floor games and emulating life, specifically toy soldiers. 

However, one of the more important projects that he talked about was his recreation of the character William Booth.  His attempt was to find a way to take this subtle and boring character, and create something that people would actually enjoy and want to participate.  He realized that fandom was the key to moving Booth.  He did this by trying to make Booth “cool”.  Much like role playing games, he created a manual describing how Booth works. From there he continued expanding on the idea creating games and bigger art pieces.  He then started a comic series that is not yet finished.  This comic series appeared to be very modern looking and appealing to younger generations.  The latest part of the project that he has worked on is creating an iPhone app to go and see Booth in the very shop he worked in; somewhat like an augmented reality.  This implementation of  the new technology that is continually advancing is exactly what Froslie needs to start gathering the fan base that this project needs for growth. I asked Mr. Froslie how long he plans to continue this project. His response was that he isn’t exactly sure but that he will continue this as long as he can to try and make it go viral.    

Swarm Sketch

This is a disappointing project to contribute in.  The initial goal and idea of the crowd sourcing project is a great one. The previous sketch results were very well done and very interesting. However, lately there has either not been enough people contributing or people aren't even trying to draw the proposed sketch.  It seemed interesting at first but after the second contribution it became more disappointing than exciting.  

The first project I started contributing to was the creation of Bret Hedican

This is a picture of what Bret Hedican actually looks like:

Here are my contributions to the project:

1
Trying to draw the eyebrow/nose line

2

Here I continued my drawing of the nose

3

Trying to draw hair

 This is what the final picture looked like. Obviously not very close to the original like some of the other projects. Although I am happy because my lines were all still at 100% opacity.

The second one I contributed to was the creation of Moussa Koussa.

Here is what Moussa Koussa actually looks like:

Here are my contributions to the project:

1

Adding to the glasses

 2

Adding more to the glasses

 Final Composition:

This one was even more disappointing because a face isn't even recognizable.

Overall this is a fun project to contribute in to see how people interact and add to each others lines.  It goes to show that some people can anticipate what another person is trying to draw.  However, over time I believe this project has lost its spark and is no longer as popular as it was.  In return the compositions are not as good as they could be. 

Crowdsource Contribution (1): The Johnny Cash Project

I decided to contribute to the Johnny Cash project.
This took me almost an hour and a half to finish.  I had a lot of fun creating it and at the end I felt like being a little abstract with it.

Here is the original frame:

Here is my finished painting:

Fast painting can be seen here:
http://www.thejohnnycashproject.com/#/explore/TopRated/4e00361b52f7b8ef940de59e56549e986ffa53af

Artist Statement:

This collaborative project is quite amazing. The ability to recreate individual frames and put them together as a video is a brilliant idea. Contributing to this was both fun and inspiring because I like digital painting and I am a Johnny Cash fan as well.  Although I am not a great painter I felt that the outcome of this piece was pretty well done. My initial goal was to make this as realistic as possible but the abstract look came afterward.  Being able to watch the actual painting being created in fast motion was just an added benefit.  Not only does this contribute to the project but it will forever be associated and apart of the project.

Crowdsource Proposal: Coast to Coast

My idea for a crowdsource project is something called Coast to Coast. This is a video project that people across America would have to contribute to. This is essentially, a road trip across America.

First, what someone would do to contribute to this project is find a place on the map that needs to be recorded. Then they would record as much as they could of that segment of the freeway they drive on (including scenery and things around them as they drive) and upload their video. The end result of this project would be a full video showing a road trip across America. You would be able to play this at normal speed or fast speed. 

To keep this ongoing I would propose a new path each year to make it across America.

Why do this? I think that everyone has always wanted to see some part of America. This would be like taking the road trip without leaving the house. My idea came to me when I was making my long drive back to Fallon where I live. I was taking a picture out my front window with my phone and then I thought, what if we had a video showing America from coast to coast? It reminded me of Google Maps. The section where you can actually see the roads and travel on them. But to drive across America, would be quite an amazing experience. 

Artist Statement: YouTube Montage

This project was quite interesting. I wasn't sure at first how I would go about putting these videos together or which videos to put together for that matter. So when I heard a baby laughing I decided that it would be funny to have about 10 laughing at the same time. I chose the layout because I wanted to be able to see the baby faces for the background that I had made. At first when I heard all the babies laughing together it seemed like a little much, so I decided some sort of starting sound would maybe bring the noise together. Sure enough I chose a typical techno song (hidden on the page) and I thought it really brought the babies laughing together.

Video Reinterpretation

New Video:

Original Video:

http://www.ubu.com/film/frampton_manual.html

Time Edited: 1:18 - 2:00

I redid this film of recording people staring into a camera. It was a lot tougher than it looked to redo the lighting that was originally recorded. I am satisfied that I got close to it with only a flash light, a camera phone, and a sheet as a light diffuser. 

Questions for Reading Discussions: Chapter 4

1.  Video is now such a big part of our culture, with HD recording on phones and major films being made like Avatar, Star Wars etc. How would you draw the line between art and entertainment?

2.  Women have especially taken advantage of this new art form as it emerged.  Many times being explicit to make a point.  How does that affect our perception on feminine art today where there is more equality between men and women artists?  Does it make them seem more extremist because they want to be included in the art world?  Do you think it affects the purpose of many women's art created today? If so, how?