Website review

Nick Veasey X-Ray Photographer

http://www.nickveasey.com/

When initially logging on the viewer is confronted with a homepage that looks reminiscent of a light table used to display X-ray pictures. In white, grainy, block lettering the heading reads “Nick Veasey, X-Ray”. The text on screen flickers whenever it is scrolled over with the viewers mouse cursor. It is a small touch but one that is necessary in order to gain the desired effect associated with the piece of technology the homepage is emulating.

There are four headings on the sparse homepage that can be clicked on. They are respectively, about, blog, contact, and projects. When the viewer clicks on projects they are greeted by a spinning yellow and black caution wheel which visualizes the buffering process before the work can be viewed. The load times on this site are a little lengthy even for something as high resolution as photography. Surely there must be some better compression techniques that can be employed for the photos to cut down on the amount of screen time spent loading each page. The visualization used of the spinning yellow and black caution wheel feels random. Not only does it not fit the sites white on black color scheme but has nothing to do with the x-ray theme prevalent throughout the entire site.

Once the portfolio or “projects” loads the site design is once again sparse, putting an emphasis on placement and symmetry when it comes to how the images and options are displayed on screen.

On the left hand side there are small thumbnails that can be interacted with, each displaying a separate work pertaining to a particular category. When a thumbnail is clicked, the corresponding photo loads into a larger window directly to the right. What is essential and this site does it perfectly, is having the ability to view multiple photos and have each load within the same page, this keeps it so that one click on the “back” button of any web browser will take you back to the sites homepage and not the previous photo that you had just been viewing. The category sets can be toggled by clicking on a piece of text in the lower left hand column. The text used is the ever popular Adobe Myriad font that was made famous by Apple in almost all of their products. Each category is accompanied by a quotation pertaining to that particular set. The quotations read pretentious statements that only an artist could write, for example “The world of fashion is obsessed with appearance and superficiality. As an antidote to this disease I delve beyond the surface and reveal the beauty within.” The quotes do nothing but form a bad taste in the viewers mouth and are frankly unnecessary. Let the work speak for itself, if the collection is meant to convey a particular message then that should be evident by truly examining the pieces and letting the viewer come to that conclusion. There is no sense force feeding a viewer the deep contextual meaning of a collection of art, let them draw their own conclusions. The quotes feel more like a space filler than anything else.

The site is presented with the kind of simplicity and neatness expected with not only modern websites but websites that house works of art. Aside from a few questionable moves in terms of content, the site manages to display information and more importantly the art in a manner that is easy and does not take away from the pieces themselves.

TV Review "Saxondale"

 Steve Coogan stars as Tommy Saxondale an ex roadie who toured with rocks biggest acts back in the 70's and 80's. Now in his late 40's still dealing with the aftermath of a messy divorce he works as a pest controller and lives with his girlfriend Magz played by Ruth Jones and his young assistant Raymond played by Rasmus Hardiker. Both Magz and Raymond are left to deal with Saxondale's recurring anger issues and unwillingness to part with the life he lived as a younger man.

We are introduced to the character of Tommy Saxondale in an anger management meeting where he makes his feelings abundantly clear that this type of counseling is in his words is “horseshit”. Saxondale dons an Alabama State T shirt, a long mane of thick grey hair and a scruffy salt and pepper beard, the get up gives off a feeling of white trash trapped in a Brits body. His slurred speech throughout the dialogue is very monotone and he hails himself as a free thinker, making his ideologies known to anyone who will listen.

Coogan who has gained a reputation for his loony and often over the top portrayal of his characters has seemingly toned it down in this. In Tommy Saxondale the audience see's a character who knows his best years are behind him and appears to just be going through the motions in life. Once you get over the quirkiness of the character a lot of the charm is lost.

The dialogue in many instances is completely ad libbed, another thing Coogan is known for, but in this case it tends to fall flat on it's face. There is a scene in the pilot where Saxondale is interviewing potential new employees to help him with his pest control business. The scene is a relatively simple set up with cameras fixed on each subject. Coogan is left to ramble on about a multitude of different subjects ranging from Trans Ams vs Mustangs, DJs, and the topic of Anthropomorphism or the attribution of human characteristics onto animals or non living things. What you are left with is an overwhelming sense that it all is just a big inside joke that only Coogan knows the context to. The scene seems as though Coogan is simply bouncing anything and everything he can off of these unsuspecting actors hoping to yield something, the problem is nothing genuinely funny ever surfaces. It's a bit that's short on laughs and heavy on confusion.

Saxondale also suffers greatly from the fact that the audience is never allowed the opportunity to step outside of the mind of Tommy Saxondale and look at him subjectively, seeing how absurd this man really is. The dialogue and secondary characters are simply there the react to whatever this man says and does, never do they have a say in how the story progresses or how Saxondale goes about his business. This makes the show so one dimensional that it is hard to stay invested. After awhile you know what Tommy Saxondale is all about and no longer need to be fixated on him in every facet.

The show does have is shocking and vulgar moments of humor that Coogan has always done but this time it's not enough. The laughs are to few and far between to warrant sticking with these character for an entire season. The shows slow pacing is hurt by it's low budget, the same familiar settings where the action takes place ultimately becomes tiresome. Saxondale certainly has it's moments but consistently leaves the audience wanting more not only from it's characters but the manner in which they are presented and interact with each other.

Aqua critique

Aqua is equal parts skyscraper as well as sculpture. At each level its waves of concrete slabs divide each floor of the building and give the it a texture that changes with just about any viewpoint. From up close looking directly above to the buildings tallest point it is reminiscent of waves of water brushing over sand, it is a texture that looks so inviting you it begs the viewer to run their hands through it. It has managed to take the symetircal elements of a traditional skyscraper and alter them ever so slightly with each protruding balcony to give a look as though these slabs have grown over the existing building, they climb from bottom to top like ivy on a brick wall. Aqua could be best described as an uneven slab of clay, where the flat sections of glass typical to a normal skyscraper look as though they are the finished product and the uneven portions have yet to be carved out. The slabs carry with the them a rhythm that shoots through the entire building, while it looks random at first sight where the slabs protrude and depress, it once again reminds of the natural symettry found everywhere in nature that the architecht Jeanne Gang has masterfully captured.

During the day when the sun shines it's brightest is optimal for viewing the Aqua building. The light and the way it interacts with the building as a whole is equally if not more crucial to the building than the design itself. When the building soaks in as much light as possible then the viewer is able to see it from all different angles and vantagepoints and be amazed at the myriad of shapes that appear. Looking at the building at a slight angle from the west end yields the most ineresting visuals, after a few moments the eye loses sight of the building level by level and instead it begins to take on one uniform shape that flows like a piece of marine plantlife swaying back and forth in calm waters. The windows when in direct sunlight give off a piercing blue color that has such deep values it's hard to imagine all it is is a piece of glass.

At night the Aqua building is harder to judge the building. Without the sunlight bouncing off of every inch of glass and concrete the illusion is essentially lost. The limited supply of tungsten light coming from the streets as well as light from within each individual apartment cannot support such a massive illusion. The waves and flow of the building are flattened, the smooth texture is lost in the darkness and the vibrant blue color that excentuates the building so well during the daytime hours can obviously no longer be seen. This is one of the few faults that can be found in the Aqua building, the fact that it looks rather pedestrian when it's not soaking in the suns powerful rays. A passer by would be hard pressed to even recognize it as the same building because it gets lost among the numerous other buildings in the foreground and background.

It is hard not to sit back and wonder though how much thought truly went into these uneven concrete slabs. Was it meticulously thought out in every aspect of design or was this just a quick idea that popped into the architects mind of a practical and easy way to break up the look of an otherwise normal building. It is clear that if they were to be taken away what would stand in it's place is a run of the mill skyscraper no more or less extrordinary then any hotel or buisness center. While the idea of having these concrete slabs divide each level is ingenious and innovative, it is strange to think that they essentially make or break the building. Unlike the recently built Trump tower or similar buildings in Chicago's downtown that have spires or some sort of vertical piece that the entire building culminates in at the very top as a center piece of their design, Aqua has one claim to fame and that one thing like stated before loses nearly all of it's effect when the lights go down. Another issue with the Aqua building albeit minor is the supposed practicality of the concrete slabs, the architect has said they are enviromentally friendly and are there to cool the apartments, but what about the portions of the buildings where the the slabs are nonexistent. Are those residents not only left with absolutely no balcony to step out on to but out of luck when it comes to being energy efficent and cool inside of there own homes. It is interesting to think that some residents have spacious areas to walk out onto while others can barely measure theirs with the centimeter side of a ruler.

Art Criticism

 

"In Advance of the Broken Arm"

Marcel Duchamp's very first in his series of “Readymades” is known as “In advance of the broken arm”. It is quite simply an antique snow shovel with the title of the piece as well as the words “from Marcel Duchamp 1915” painted on. It is said that these readymades are purposely absurd, that it was the intention of the artist to elevate an otherwise ordinary object to the status of a piece of art merely because it was the artists choice.

It represents the little interaction between the artist and the piece and there in lies the problem. Duchamps collection of found objects or “readymades” marks a shift in thinking, it stretches the definition of what a piece of art should or can be.

The answer is simple, a piece of art should be something the artist has taken time and effort to create. It simply cannot be something that is found, scribbled on, and hung on a wall for all to see. “In advance of the broken arm” should not be viewed as a piece of art but instead a critique of art and the vast ambiguity that pertains to the process of creating and presenting art.

I don't think it was Duchamp's intention for his readymades to be hailed as great works of art but over the course of time they now have been. Duchamp deserves all the credit in the world for presenting an object that evokes conversation about what truly is art and what it means to create it but at the end of the day no effort was put into the creation of the object itself.

Why then are Duchamp's readymades or reproductions so prevelant in art museums, the public over time has warped the perception of these pieces and Duchamp's initial message of anti-art associated with these found objects. It is not the fault of Duchamp but that of the public that has failed to see these pieces as the critique of art that they truly are.

"The Big Three at the Yalta Conference"

The picture is imfamous, three men, all from completely different cultures and backgrounds, dressed in a style that is native to their respective homelands, united by the fact that they are leaders of their vastly different nations. Taken near the end of World War II the photograph has a very staged feel while at the same time posessing a candid nature. The three leaders look off in different directions begging the question of what at that particular moment in time each of the men must be thinking, not only about the events preceeding the Yalta conference but the many descions yet to be made.

Men of all three nations converse in the background carelessly, many smiling and appearing to have a good time. It is also important to note the fact that the three powerful leaders all sit while the men around them stand, most likely because of Roosevelts boutwith polio that rendered him unable to stand unassisted but it adds so much to the composition of the photo that while the men around them talk and interact with eachother, the three most important men in the room share a moment to themselves.

The photo from a technical standpoint is nothing to write home about. Parts of Churchill and Roosevelts heads are very overexposed and the color is so washed out that the the red on Stalin's hat and collar pop out and immediately catch the viewers eye.

All is forgiven though, the technical shortcummings in this photo are merely an after thought. When you look hard at it it's hard not to admire the event and the fact that photos like this simply are not taken anymore. Such iconic leaders, at such a pivotal point in human history sitting around casually among their most trusted men. It is photos like this that define the World War II era, promoting these men to the status of legends, and it is rare when three legendary leaders from the three most powerful nations at the time sit and enjoy a moment of peace together.