Art 511 Conceptual/Information Arts - Art & Telecommunications

Object as Representation

1. You will be asked to use an image of the object somewhere in the web pages you create.
2. It will also be used in the experimental joint project undertaken with students at the Sorbonne in Paris. In this project students in each city will view objects chosen by students in the correspondent city. Each student will select an object posted by a student in the other city and virtually place it in some "appropriate" place in their own city. These "objects in context" will also be posted on the Web

Technical Specifications:

• - Create a clean digital image of your object. You can create this by digitizing a photograph or video image of the object or by attempting direct scanning of the object. Use photoshop or another image editing program to clean the image.
• - Prepare the image in appropriate format for Web transmission (GIF or JPEG). Because of bandwidth limitations, your image must not exceed 50K. Create a thumbnail rendition of your image in GIF format that does not exceed 4K.
• - Place the images in your own Web folder. Upload the link to the 511 interactive link listing. In your link include a link to the thumbnail and one line of text revealing something about the nature of your choice.
• - The link will ultimately have this pattern:

<A href="http://your web address/bgrefrig.jpeg">
<IMG SRC="http://your web address/refrigthumbnail.gif">Refrigerator  (50K) </A>
I picked the refrigerator because I seem to be always eating.

• The automatic upload site will create the <A, </A>, and  href tags.  You just need to provide the url to full image, the descriptive text, and the url reference to thumbnail. This is how to load it into the upload page

The automatic site asks for the url. The url in this situation is to your full sized image
so just load its address such as:

http://your.web.address/objectname.jpg                  (full size image)

The automatic site then asks for the descriptive text.  In this situation you include
your text and a simple <IMG tag reference to your thumbnail.  Here is a sample:
 
<IMG SRC=http://your.web.address/objectthumb.jpg> This toy has been with me
since my childhood. I rely on it when I am worried. (32K).

** note you do not need to include the closing </A> anchor tag; the automatic site does that for you.  The only tags you need to include are a simple <IMG SRC=....thumbnail address> to call the small image.

Working with Objects from the Other City

1. Pick one of the objects posted by the students in the other city. You can use any criterion you want - for example, visual nature of the object, conceptual intrigue, emotional response, similarity to your own interests, etc.
2. Then identify a real place in your own city that is "appropriate" to the object. Again the criterion of appropriateness is open - for example, visual fit, socio-cultural appropriateness, opportunity for artistic commentary, etc.
3. Create a digital image in which you virtually place the chosen object in the place in your own city that you have selected. You will need to use digital compositing capabilities (for example, photoshop) to place the object.
4. Create a web page in your own web space that includes the following:
• the composite image of Paris object in location you selected in SF (no bigger than 60K)
• a short text that explains why you chose the object
• a short description of the location you picked
• a description of why you picked that location to place the object.
• a link to the original object posting in Paris

• Paris objects available for SF manipulation(1999) 
• San Francisco objects available for Paris manipulation (1999)
• San Franicso Objects placed in Paris by Paris students (1999)
• Paris Objects placed in San Francisco by San Franisco Students(1998)
• Paris Objects placed in San Franicsco by San Francisco Students(1999)

This page is a resource used in Art511 Art&Telecommunications course