Assignment 9.1 - Graphic Design!

I went a little nuts and did almost all the options, except for the self-portrait. I am but human. I'll start with the silliest and work my way down.

I love pins and stickers. I casually collect them. But I love the idea of having a tiny piece of graphic identity on my bag, that immediately establishes my association with something I love, like a band, a radio station, a record store, a cause, or a place. The above is a series of pins or stickers I created for a fake punk band I called "BRAIN." Why? Because I was playing around with the pen tool in illustrator and started making squiggles that looked kind of like brains. And thus, BRAIN was born. I should note that BRAIN is not a misspelling of BRIAN. 

These pins are more closely related to my identity. The font/color choices are inspired by vintage pins. I started with the "I am going to..." pin which was based on a pin from a tourist destination, circa 1970s. By putting "My apartment. To see my dog." in Times New Roman font, I wanted to drive home the lack of pizzaz and practicality of my decision. In fact, it begs for people to not ask me any further questions about the pin, because I really just want to go home and see my dog. 

The other three pins, "I know what I'm doing!/I don't know what I'm doing!" "The world is on fire!/Everything's fine!" and "Oh yeah./Oh no." are meant to be changed based on my reaction to what is happening around me. I thought about my first couple of months of teaching when I was making these, when nothing was going well and I didn't know what I was doing. And yet I felt like I had to say, "I know what I'm doing!" and "Everything's fine!" when it wasn't. It begs the question of what is the genuine reaction to what is happening versus what reaction I want to project. 

I would buy these pins for $1 if I saw them in the wild.

These pins reflect the trajectory of a laugh. Since the days of AOL instant messenger I've marveled over laughter responses in text. When one conveys humor over text, is a typed response enough? Like HAHAHAHA or LOL? Does it mean anything? I can keep a totally straight face and type LOL or hit the HA tapback or whatever while texting, while my brain says, "that's funny." Text-based substitutes for human laughter are ridiculous, though there's nothing like hearing a person laugh in person. These pins are a cheeky way to bring the full trajectory of a laugh into the inter-personal realm. Perhaps if I find something funny I can just, with a completely straight face, point to my button. 

"Chinga la migra" means, Fuck ICE in Spanish. "Que tengas un buen día" means "have a nice day." Given that the majority of food delivery people in NYC are immigrants, I wanted to appropriate the ubiquitous design that's used in takeout bags to convey the message that the wearer both hates ICE and has a sense of humor. Furthering this project would be a clandestine replacement of plastic bags with "chinga la migra" on them, as an anti-ICE campaign. 

I also wanted to figure out how to get a Rizo-printed effect in Illustrator, and experimented with the above. Graphically, I think it reads like a grocery/some kind of big box store name. But it would be fun to screenprint chinga la migra on t-shirts, sell them, and donate the proceeds to an immigrant rights organization.

Anyway, chinga la migra. Que tengas un buen día.

Assignment 9.2 - Connections to Classroom Teaching (2D Design)

1. Digital Character Creation - Middle or High School

Goal: Using Inkscape or Vectorpea, create a totally unique cartoon character. 

Learning Target: I can use the elements and principles of art and design to demonstrate the unique qualities of my character. 

Lesson would begin with an analysis of the visual qualities of different cartoon characters, using the elements/principles as a jumping off point. What makes Homer Simpson different from Spongebob Squarepants? How do we know Pikachu is Pikachu and Tweety Bird is Tweety Bird? How can we tell? Rick from Rick and Morty is a cranky dude, but how do we know that just by looking at him? 

Students would make a character map, listing the qualities they want their cartoon character to have, as well as what kind of shapes and colors they associate with those qualities before diving into the main design. 

A potential enhancement would be to make other characters in that universe, or make a 3-5 second animation of that character. 

A choice could be to make a cartoon character based on a person that means a lot to them, with an emphasis on approaching the design from a place of kindness. 

2. Merch Table - Middle or High School 

Goal: Using Inkscape or Vectorpea, create a piece of merch for any band/musician, either imagined or real. 

Learning Target: I can use the elements and principles of art and design to create a unique design that clearly reflects the personality/character/genre of the band or musician I am designing for. 

Merch can be (but not limited to): album cover, t-shirt design or tour poster

Lesson would begin with a discussion of students' favorite bands, and why - there would be room for an impromptu listening party. We'd talk about how music makes them feel, and how they can reflect these feelings through design. Is it upbeat and poppy music? Or is it quiet, and contemplative? What colors and shapes do you associate with these feelings? Then we'd look at the album covers/merch design for the artists we just listened to and see if it lines up with their overall brand, and discuss why or why not. 

Following discussion, students can use their sketchbooks to come up with initial design ideas, and notes that they can refer back to as they work. 

A potential choice could be to design a new jersey/logo/helmet for a sports team of their choosing, or create a team brand for a sport they love that doesn't have a team (i.e: kickball, silent ball, etc). 

 

3.  Household Object Redesign - Middle or High School

Goal: Using Inkscape or Vectorpea, create a prototype for a redesign of a household object. 

Learning Target: I can combine principles of art and design with ergonomics to create a prototype of a re-design of a household object. 

Lesson would begin with a passing around of a few different household items, like whisks, hammers, pens, cups, etc. (Or, I'd ask them to bring in a household item of their choosing that they want to re-design, and of course email the parents ahead of time...) 

We'd talk about how they feel in their hands. Is it comfortable? How does it feel to hold it? Is it heavy, light? Is its intended purpose clear, or not? What material is it? Why do you think it's that material, i.e: how does the material serve its purpose? Do they like using it? Why or why not? Who is it designed for? What makes you say that? Why would someone redesign a basic object like a hammer, that's been around forever? 

Then we'd discuss what a prototype is, and look at a few examples of object prototypes. 

Following dialogue, they'll consider how they can enhance this object. A few different questions to consider: Who should be able to use it? What is it going to be used for? Is it only for its original purpose, or can it do other things? 

Expansion: create a sculpture of the object they create, or if resources allow, a 3-d printed version. 

Assignment 8.1 - Blank Project (or, Scratch Redux)

Time for Bearsketball! 

You know him, you love him, it's the Scratch Bear! And this time, he's playing a game. The goal? Keep the beach ball bouncing on his head. If it falls, it's game over. It's surprisingly hard. Play at your own risk. 

I wanted to revisit Scratch for my Blank Project because it was the only medium thus far that I didn't really understand. When I set out to make the creative coding project, I had wanted to do a game but I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to make it work. With a little more time (and some YouTubing) I figured out how to make it. Initially I had wanted to make a "catch" game, where an object fell into another object for points, but as I worked it evolved into a "keep it up" game. Once I figured out how the bear could score points every time they touched the ball with their head, I had to figure out the timing and stakes for what happened when they dropped it. 

When the ball touches the green color, the game is over. The reason for this is because there's absolutely no way for the bear to pick the ball back up, and it muddied the parameters for how a player would score/lose points. However, if it misses the bear's head (and lands in the green), the game is over. So this narrows the goal of how to win and heightens the stakes of the game, while simplifying it. 

I made a game on Scratch, finally. Let us all rejoice. 

Assignment 8.2 - Impact 25 Presentation and Reflection

Impact 25 - Collaborative Sound Piece (collab. with Jane Lillard) 

Full piece: 

Kate Scott · Impact 25

Google Form for Participants 

Participant Audio Descriptions: 

i was in a bathroom with great acoustics and it was at the end of my work day, so as i was washing all the paint and craft supplies off my hands i sang this song that i love 

I really enjoy this song because of its passionate and has beautiful melody that captures the intensity of deep devoted love. It's something I always go back too if I feel down or feel that I don't love myself enough.

Sounds from my favorite place 

It’s all about life and balance, freedom, simplicity, and joy — my bike! 

This is an audio clip of me typing up an assignment while sitting in quiet space at TC. It’s a simple, everyday type of moment that many of us students share in common. 

I submitted the first few seconds of one of my favorite songs (one by moving panoramas). I was between sending the beginning melody notes or the words but I figured the words held a higher meaning to me. The song is an empowering reminder to view being whole as one instead of pursuing the two person component society is constantly begging us to pursue. Sure, love is beautiful and whole but I like to remind myself, especially in my thirties that one is more than enough and its time to stop fearing being “one.”"

This sound is of a modular shelving unit being turned along its track. I love the sound of the wheel in the track as one range of shelves moves to accommodate another range. It is a sound that says there is room for everything. 

I have crossed the 4th floor of Zankel Hall as an MA student, a doctoral student, a gallery fellow, a doctoral candidate, and, in this recording, as an artist-maker, hustling between the Offit Gallery and my office for the Macy Gallery, so grateful to be, and feel, and hear how I am part of the community, floorboards telling me where I am. 

It is from one of the oldest elevators still working at Teachers College, and one that i use frequently to bring material up and down from the archive in the sub-basement. The sounds are simultaneously man-made ruckus, with the familiar (primal?) sounds of natural caverns. 

This is the bridge of the 1986 single "Live to Tell" by Madonna Louise Ciccone, captured by my phone's mic from my headphones, an object that holds significance for me. The singer asks herself questions which feel significant in their own ways outside of the context of the song, and indeed, the film "at close range", the soundtrack for which it served as a cornerstone.

The sound of the moka pot I’ve used for over ten years carries a feeling of home.

I have submitted a recording of me on break at work. This is a snippet of audio that represents what I hear daily in my life. 

This was a song sung during an emergency rally when a student was detained by ICE. The first time I heard this song was during the encampments in 2024 that supported Palestine & Palestinian life. It’s from Ruth 1:16-17 and continues with “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” It’s a song that reminds me that we keep each other safe, not the institution. 

This is an audio file describing a framed playbill from the musical Hedwig & The Angry Inch. A dear friend surprised me with tickets to see the original cast perform. It was an unforgettable experience.

I’m falling asleep at a social event. 

Water is life.

Drinking drinks 

The joy of love and tenderness

This is one line from the Skye Boat Song, a favorite ballad. I would have recorded an entire verse, but the size limits of the video meant one rapidly sung line. "Onward, the sailors cry!" was the line I chose.

New Orleans by way of Nashville on a Saturday night

It's a message of love. 

I had another idea in mind, then serendipity intervened and this was recorded accidentally in my pocket on metro north on my way to school… 

I have been traveling down the east coast all week alone, and its interesting to be in new cities while finding new music. it was special to find this song at this time, which is why I have it here.

This is me playing a bass that my good friend Ben gave my to use in his band!!

audio of a clown game i dearly love

Reflection: I had so much fun working with Jane! I think that we both aimed to approach this project with curiosity and playfulness from day one, and that made this collaboration work. I do wish that there was more engagement from the posters/QR codes, if only because it would have made the project easier. But I think, if anything, the fact that the direct ask was the most successful mode of engagement proves that, by and large, people want to be connected with in a human way. For instance, I had a couple of great conversations about sound art (specifically Musique Concrete) with my library colleague, Conrad, who was *super* into the project. We typically don't interact a lot, simply because of our roles, but this project served as a conduit between us, and tapped into a bunch of mutual interests.

A side-effect, if you will, of the project was the surprise of dividing the groups between TC Participants and non-TC Participants, and experiencing the aesthetic choices the two groups made. I think the meat of participatory art is how the audience's choices impact the outcome of the final piece. Jane and I worked with the submissions to synthesize them into a whole sound piece, but they only required a touch of nudging, if only to avoid a cacophony. We ultimately wanted to let the sounds speak (strategically, harmoniously) for themselves, and for our participants.

Assignment 7.1 - Creative Coding!

Technical note: Chrome and Scratch don't play nicely (at least they don't on my end - I need to investigate!) so you may want to open this in Safari if it's not playing. 

Part 1 

I found this digital short on Scratch, and think this is a pretty good example of an advanced use case. I  struggled a lot with figuring out how to do the basic stuff I made, but this demonstrates the range of possibilities that can be unlocked with experience in Scratch. The audio, in particular, was reminiscent of the "old school" animated cartoons of the 90s, because it was as much of the narrative as the script. I've always been interested in how audio can create mood in a scene, so it was inspiring to see this done in a relatively accessible format. 

Part 2 

 

This is a brief animated version of the rooftop scene of Tommy Wiseau's The Room, with bears playing Johnny and Mark.

I'm sure this breaks one or two copyright laws, so forgive me. My friends and I have been quoting The Room at each other recently, so this idea occurred to me after playing around with Scratch for a few days and getting attached to the bear Sprite. The jerky, awkward diction (and framing... and plot...) of The Room lends itself to parody in this format.  For example, I broke up the first line "I did not hit her..." and then added a module to "wait 2 seconds" and then say "I did noooot." That said, the timing was fairly hard to manage, and took a lot of tinkering to figure out and stay true to the cadence of the script. For instance, I wanted Mark to show up a few seconds Tommy said "Oh hi Mark." I wanted to reference the water bottle as well, as it couldn't be "thrown" like in the scene, but I wanted to heighten the inherent humor of the medium by having it glide to the ground. 

This animation is not a smooth ride, but neither is The Room. 

Also, just for fun, this was my first stab at creating an animation on Scratch. It's silly. 

Assignment 6.2 - Takeaways

The article Frame by Frame: Stop Motion provided a great overview of the history of stop motion, as well as

the evolution of processes within the single-frame format. What brought all techniques together was the “magic”

involved in compressing or expanding time, and the necessity of innovation/invention and experimentation. To

knit it together with the other reading from Invent to Learn, invention and innovation are necessary for understanding,

or at least according to the constructivist theory of learning, which was established in part through the work of

Jean Piaget. 

I think that understanding through doing lends itself to art making. I’m experiencing this class through a constructivist

lens; there is so much experimentation that is happening in my work, as I am exploring much of this material and

technique for the first time. I’m learning through the process of doing. My future students will similarly have a similar

experience, if they don’t have a robust background in art, so this allows me to approach them with a deeper level of

empathy, as well as speak from personal experience as I guide them through their own processes. 

Stop motion, I think, is a particularly captivating medium for me because I’m able to use the materials I love and

have a history with (drawing/painting) but translate it to a new context, and give them life. In other words, I’m

able to add the dimensions of time and sound to an otherwise static medium. That’s magic.

Assignment 6.1 - Stop Motion

Hot Dog Bomb 

I started this project by having fun, drawing a bright red hot dog bouncing around the frame using Aquarelle Caran d'Ache crayons and water on Yupo paper. I wanted to keep the frame of my workspace around the animation, to drive home the fact that I'm drawing it and scrubbing at it in real time. The work is the process. I've always loved the work of William Kentridge and Matt Bollinger - both of whom do hand-drawn stop motion animations - and I think that the reason I respond to their work is that the hand is as much a part of the work as the objects/characters/images themselves.

Mid-project, we attacked Iran. And I was fourteen years old again, watching a useless war unfold in the Middle East. And the hot dog became a bomb. This was a way of processing my fury. The hot dog is a uniquely American tube of processed chemicals. Similarly, the bomb is a uniquely American tube of processed chemicals. They're shaped similarly. Mapping the shape of the hot dog onto the bomb highlights the futility and absurdity of this horrifying act of war. I dubbed it over with Trump's speech on... the war? But also, his ballroom? To codify the ridiculousness of it all. 

He bombed Iran, but he saved curtains. 

Process Photos

I set up my tripod on my kitchen table, mounted my phone, and taped down a piece of Yupo paper, taping the edges to match up with the frame on my phone. 

Assignment 5.1 - Home Movie

I was a little overwhelmed by the possibility of replicating literally *any* YouTube video. I got to thinking about whether people ever uploaded their home movies to YouTube - and lo! I found this video of a woman celebrating her birthday with her children. 

I grew up being the subject of and director of many home movies in my childhood – many of which are on VHS tapes in my apartment. With the smart phone comes the ability to capture literally anything, instantly, on video, and I thought about how the instantaneous and omnipresence of a tiny video recorder impacts the length of filming something something like a birthday party, with no editing. There is a casualness to filming with a smartphone: it is discreet, it is mechanically uncomplicated, it can be quickly tucked in a pocket in between shots. And it begs the question of whether the casual nature of always being able to film something makes it less appealing to capture the full length of an occasion like a birthday party, as it was in the era before smart phones. 

With these thoughts in my head, and a well-timed trip to Wilmington, Delaware for my sister-in-law's birthday, I decided to film the entirety of the ritual of singing happy birthday and opening presents. Here is a roughly 3 minute version of it: 

Full 16 minute version here. 

I also filmed conversations and clips from our group dinner out at a sushi restaurant. My older brother, Dave, was really annoyed because of the father of two young kids, he knew we were on a meltdown clock, and my younger brother and other sister in law, Lynn, showed up about 20 minutes late to dinner. This video is a genuine reaction Dave had to Lynn arriving late and ordering a super complicated meal that would take a long time to prepare. I edited it in the spirit of making fun of my brother, but it provides an a bit of cinema verité, just for fun. 

Assignment 5.2 - The Classroom Potential for Sound Art

 The Classroom Potential for Sound Art 

I wanted to write about Sound Art specifically, because in our Artistic Development of Adolescents class, we had an assignment to analyze a video clip from a film or TV show that reflects an adolescent issue. I chose this clip featuring Gene, a sixth grader from Bob's Burgers (it's a little raunchy). The short version is that Gene has to turn in a History report about Prohibition, but he produces an audio clip of his Grandparents... being... intimate... and presents that as his project. His teacher then sends him to the principal's office, and he gets detention. Perhaps if the assignment was inclusive of a creative response (in addition to a report, because synthesizing ideas and research is important!), Gene would have been more inclined to present an interesting piece of art that had to deal with the topic at hand. 

All of that said, allowing students – especially early-to-mid adolescents – to explore the medium of Sound Art opens up opportunities for building community in the classroom by way of collaboration, interviews, group work, etc. When teachers assign a project like an interview, it can build technical skills like audio editing and getting quality recording, as well as life skills like asking meaningful questions.

Sound art specifically allows students to explore a sense that is not purposefully engaged with in art class. While traditional visual art classes primarily target senses of sight and touch, sound art activates the auditory sense and offers up an additional possibility for what art can be. An example project could be to transform a space through sound, or to capturing the sound of a place that means something to them – like an auditory landscape – or the sound of them interacting with an object that is meaningful. 

Overall, working with sound can be a way to engage students who wouldn't normally respond or be interested in visual arts while providing an opportunity to learn new skills, and which could lead them to discover a new interest. 

Assignment 4.2 - Reading Responses

Response to "Twenty Things to Do with A Computer" (link to blog post) 

Response to "Digital Storytelling in the Elementary Classroom"

    This video was a delight to watch! It was clear that the students were really engaged in the project, because it was their information and feedback that laid out the content of the video, which is self-referential in that it was using the medium of digital storytelling to tell a story about the process of digital storytelling. In other words, the video itself is an example of digital storytelling integrated the elements of that were discussed in the video: sound effects, editing, pictures, and script writing, and told a story of this 2nd/3rd grade class's experience with digital storytelling. The audience could be any number of people from administrators looking to showcase their innovative programs for grant money, parents, or other teachers who are looking to incorporate digital storytelling into their curriculum. 

Response to "Music: Fundamentals and Educational Roots in the U.S"

    This article was actually a great set-up to the Katie Gately video about sound art, which I'm unsure I would have categorized as music. By going over the basics of music theory, this article has laid the groundwork of understanding the structural elements of what music is, and what it can be. According to the definitions set forth that range from the more concrete to the more philosophical, however the basic working definition is that music is "intentionally organized" sound and silence. I haven't taken a music theory class since high school, so it was really refreshing to revisit the fundamentals of music, and notations. I used to be able to read music and play the piano – it's not like riding a bike. It's knowledge that I lost over the years, but this article brought a bit of it back. 

Response to "Katie Gately: How much can you feel?"

    Sound is an admitted blind spot in my knowledge of contemporary art media, in spite of being a music nerd. I draw this dichotomy between sound art and music a bit tongue-in-cheekly, because one of the major takeaways from this video was that sound art and music is, in fact, a false dichotomy - especially since Gately is bringing in conventional music theory to inform how she makes her work. She quoted her professor, "if you can't make it, you can't break it." Sound art arguably lives in the world of "breaking it," but it ascribes to the same rules and definitions in the above essay. The sounds she makes, the interactions and the recordings are all driven by her own innate curiosity and desire to explore her surroundings and the sounds they produce. Katie also said, "the most interesting sounds are in front of you" as she goes on to describe her desire to capture the familiar sound of her front gate. This reminds me of an improvised recording of the Dixie Cups (of "Going to the Chapel" fame) singing a traditional New Orleans song, Iko Iko. Their percussion was stripped down, only clapping and playing ash trays. The only difference, arguably between sound engineers recording the Dixie Cups playing an ash tray and Kaitie Gately recording herself interacting with her gate is the rhythm structure. 

Assignment 4.1 - My Papers

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the privilege of having access to documents that confirm, without a doubt, that I am a U.S. Citizen. 

My birth certificate declares that I was born in Philadelphia, my Social Security card entitles me to benefits such as employment, a bank account, an income upon retirement, etc. My passport is another valuable means of unequivocal identity confirmation, and allows me to move freely and legally about the world. These documents hold a lot of power, but they are being highly politicized by the current administration, in the name of "homeland security" – a thin veil for their evil white supremacist agenda. I've also been thinking about how these documents will be involved with the upcoming 2026 Elections. The passport, specifically, has taken on a new political identity, as it has superseded the state-issued drivers license as a means of establishing legitimate citizenship within the geographic confines of the United States.  Up until now, documentation wasn't necessary to vote, but now it looks like that's changing with the SAVE ACT, which is expected to disenfranchise thousands of U.S. Citizens. 

Up until now, my interaction with my documents and my scanner has been one that's fairly apolitical. I've needed to scan them clearly for administrative reasons, for job applications, or just to have digital copies on hand should I need to produce them. For this assignment, I decided to take the otherwise boring and utilitarian task of scanning important documents with my home scanner, into a fine arts context, in order to work toward my learning goal of "making work that meets the moment." 

The above GIF is a scan from the top page of my passport, which contains the preamble to the Constitution. I scanned the whole document, cropped it and edited it in Photoshop, and printed that out. I made scans of the page, to purposefully get the eagle (a symbol of power) to crowd out the preamble while getting more and more distorted, perhaps taking on a sinister appearance. My goal was to create a visual metaphor of the actions of current administration, as their interest in power and a message of nationalism is taking precedent over the principles that this country was founded upon. The US is not a perfect union, it never has been, (the Constitution was written by slave owners, after all) but the message of attempting to reach a "more perfect union" based on "securing the blessings of liberty" for everyone in this country is being thrown out the window. The Constitution can not, must not apply only to those who have the papers to prove it should. 

The below scans are a compilation of mine and my husbands passports, social security cards, and birth certificates. I printed out the scans, colored them with blue and red magic marker (effectively desecrating them) as a means of contemplating the privilege of a U.S. Citizen. I was able to easily grab our documents from the envelope in my desk, I piled them on the scanner, I printed the scan, colored it, scanned and warped it. I repeated this process four times, which rendered them progressively more useless and unrecognizable. It's an act of privilege to be able to interact with my documents in this manner. I have access to them, I have access to a scanner, and I can use them all to illustrate my thoughts and feelings about being born in the United States. Which, ironically, is a privilege afforded to me as a U.S. Citizen. 

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