The Aphrodite Project

I ran into this project at gallery Affero during Open Doors 2010. It was part of an exhibition titlted "What a girl wants, what a girl needs: The Aphrodite Project"
It had to do with these fashionable platforms with all sorts of built in buttons, an LCD screen, speakers, and GPS. The installation, the presentation, the technology, the content, the concept - everything was impressive. I don't need to talk too much I'll let the video elaborate...

Im particularly intrested in the technology aspect of it, in specific, the use of the LCDs. I've been looking into LCDs because I intend to integrate them into my New york Topographical. During my research I found chinese made small programmable battery operated LCD gadgets. However the ones in these shoes seemed like they took up it a notch. Very crisp - no thicker than 1" (the ones i found were also thin), and they streamed video.

Anyway so far in my lower manhattan pieces I'm using more LEDs than LCDs because they 're cheaper, more attainable, and easier to handle. They scroll Wall Street Exchange text which is fine and works well with the concept. However as I progress and move upward in my project towards mid Manhattan and Times Sq thats when the LCDs will kick in more. I look forward to it all. For now - enjoy more about the "The Aphrodite Project". It's a Faaantastic New media series!!

http://www.theaphroditeproject.tv/

Tribeca - Brooklyn 1'x3' mock up (half the size of the actual piece):
test of the installation, collage, and glueing techniques. On view during Open Doors 2010 @ EXPO 33
33 Washington st, 3rd fl
Newark NJ Sept 23-36

look at my facebook fan page for event pictures and details : www.facebook.com/RodinaMikhail.art

VO-IP

hey - check out my VO-IP piece. It's featured today on Ugallery.com as the daily deal!
VO-IP is voice over internet protocol, which is basicly the technology behind Vonage and the Magic Jack. It means you could make international phone calls via the internet to phone lines for virtually free. It came out in 2004, started to be popular in 2008 and was considered a leap in communication protocols - now in 2010 it's already old news. But It's what inspired this piece.
VO-IP 12"x12" mixed media on wood

http://www.ugallery.com/dailydeal/

Ugallery.com is a great online gallery where you could purchase orginal art by young artists for unbeatable prices! browse and enjoy :)

and since im blogging about this piece, Im also gonna share a process image:

Funding made possible by the Puffin Foundation

Tribecca Brooklyn - Funding made possible by the Puffin Foundation. They made my night last night. I'm gonna go out to celebrate - buying Glue, Xacto blades, and Gloves!!! O yes GLOVES! Yesssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some writing & update on New York Topographical

I've been doing lots of writing lately. Thought I'd take a moment to post up and update on New York.
New York: Piece 1 Tribecca - Brooklyn. My painting resource is a high resolution JPEG purchased from Digital Globe. If you haven’t yet Digital Globe is a must check out. The crispiness and the detail of their satellite imagery is unbelievable. http://digitalglobe.com/

Studies:


- The essence of the Topographical project is the relationship between art and site in an era defined by digital technologies.
- The art is site specific and site inspired: in terms of how each painting’s materials colors and techniques are specific and are inspired by the city it portrays.
- Each topographical piece is a search for place-bound identity. On a micro scale, each painting tackles the relationship between culture, identity, urban planning, and aesthetics. On a macro scale, how the different topographical paintings relate to each other. What do these portrayed cities have in common and where do they clash? Where do they influence each other and where do they stand different? It’s a blend of fine art and visual anthropology

.… has place become an ephemeral, fleeting image?
Humans have an essential need to belong. We get comfort and security from belonging. whether to a family, a race, a neighborhood, a city, or a country. From a physical place emerges group identity. We design our cities, than our cities design our lives in an endless reciprocal cycle. The Topographical series is driven by that intertwined connection between place, culture, art and identity.

St Shenouda coptic icon

St Shenouda. Coptic Icon courtsey of St George and St Shenouda coptic orthodox church Jersey City NJ.

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