For this project, I tinkered with a library of littleBits. After tinkering, I sketched some ideas on what I could make. Since many of the littleBits pieces created sound, I decided to create a DJ table/kit. This Dj table is a substitution for mixers and tables. This project, however, can be modified due to being open-sourced. What is important about open-source technology, is that anyone can add to previous technology to modify pre-existing technology. This allows for new concepts to be built, or even improvements to be made. Currently, a lot of technology is closed-source, prohibiting further modification. Because closed-source products cannot be modified, they are a "one-size fits all" kind of model. If everyone has the same closed-source product, such as an iPhone, we could not fix our own phones, we would need to take our phone to a professional. Open-source products, such as littleBits, provide user-friendly technologies so specialists are not needed. If one part of a piece of technology broke, with an open-source model, we could simply and easily replace the single broken piece (instead of replacing the entire product). littleBits are modular electronics, and they can be rearranged in thousands of ways. This allows for endless creations. Visit the littleBits website for previously made projects as well as some ideas. My littleBits Project Link: http://littlebits.cc/projects/niu-arte543-dj-table For this project, I created a 5"x10"x5" box with cardboard and hot glue. The bottom is open so that I could insert littleBits. I used a piece of paper on the top; I cut out squares and circles for the corresponding littleBits switches. The front portion of my DJ table was made with blue cellophane with littleBits LEDs to light up my logo. littleBits used
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What is littleBits?
"littleBits is a platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks that empower you to invent anything, from your own remote controlled car, to a smart home device. The Bits snap together with magnets, no soldering, no wiring, no programming needed." (http://littlebits.cc/)
How does littleBits invention cycle compare to the art creation process?
littleBits allow students of any age to begin tinkering with technology. littleBits aid to redefine projects in the art classroom to create projects that were previously inconceivable. When technology is introduced into the art classroom, art-centered computer programs (such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator) are generally the focus in the classroom. There is a plethora of programs, projects, and tools to create artwork with technology; technology creates unlimited possibilities to invent art. littleBits allows students to tinker with technology, explore engineering, and create artwork. In using littleBits in the art classroom, students can be creative in a variety of ways. The video below explains what littleBits are and how they work. What is littleBits? from littleBits on Vimeo.
How can open source technology be used to improve education?
"Open source culture and concepts help students, teachers, schools, and communities have a better learning experience being free to share their ideas and build on the work of others.Learning and teaching 'the open source way' will better prepare students for their careers, while helping schools differentiate themselves and growing the next generation of open source contributors." (https://www.redhat.com/en/about/open-source-education) Using open source technology allows students to learn about any form of technology they are interested in and can build off of sources already available. In exploring this library of technological information, students have the opportunity and resources to to invent, create, learn, and grow. Open source is a library substitution for acquiring technology-based knowledge. Why not use that library to our advantage? Below is a short video showing how students can use littleBits in STEAM.
"We’ve already built the Internet. Are we going to rebuild it now in the physical world? I believe that we don’t have to, that the idea is to create these entry points to the Web. And so I go back to an idea that Neil wrote about in Scientific American (with Raffi Krikorian and Danny Cohen) in 2004, at the very beginning of his field. My first interaction with the Internet of Things was learning about Internet-0 from Neil’s article. It explores the idea of a distributed open network of sensors and terminals, and sometimes dumb devi‐ ces that aren’t computers that enable you to do different things. So the idea comes back as: “can we make the Internet the building block?” Can it become a building block that empowers people to invent with the Internet in the same way that you would invent with light, sound, cardboard, or paper, and really make it a material?" (Bdeir, 2015, p.13)
Bdeir, A. (2015). The internet as material: Empowering the next phase of connected hardware innovation. O'Reilly.
What is Erasure Art?Erasure art is created when an artist removes or "erases" a part of an image to change the meaning of the image. The removal or omission of one or more parts of an image changes the aspect of the original image. Erasure art is a substitution for other mediums. Using technology, however, makes the process far more simple to do. Using a computer program greatly simplifies the task, and artists can create Erasure Art with a computer and digital images. A studio is not needed, and many artists (amateur artists included) can work from the comfort of their home. What is nice about Erasure Art, is that actual photographs can be altered (unlike recreating an image with paint). "Lovejoy (1992) notes that 'The discovery of photography essentially questioned the functions of art. The theology of "pure" art, which grew once photography (as reproduction, as stills, as photomontage, as cinema) supplanted some of the social-use value of art, contained within its ideology such concepts as the divine genius of the painter and the sanctity of hand skills as the only means of making art'(p.16)." Lovejoy, M (1992) Postmodern Currents: Art and Artists in the Age of Electronic Media. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. How to make Erasure ArtDigital imaging and digital manipulation allow artists to alter meanings behind photos, but a common concern is copyright and intellect laws. By deconstructing an image, do you have rights to that image? The lines are blurred for copyrights and ethics. To create Erasure Art, it is best to find an image with a simple background to begin with. The above video tutorial for erasure using Gimp is an excellent example of an image with a simple background. Certainly after some practice, you can work with more complex backgrounds. Creating Erasure Art: |
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