May 10 & 11 5pm-9pm

Spring Show 2005

721 Broadway
at Waverly Place
4th Floor
South Elevators
New York, NY 10003

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information email
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In-The-News Magnetic Poetry
Author(s):	Lian Sifuentes
Instructor:	O'Sullivan, Dan
Class:	Introduction to Computational Media

URL:	http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~las344/fall04/finalproject/versions/xmlmerge/index.html
Keywords:	Java, Processing, Rss, Parsing, Magnetic Poetry, The New York Times, conceptual art

A screen-based recreation of the magnetic poetry phenomenon, using a set of virtual magnets whose content is dynamically parsed from the New York Times\' Week-in-Review.
This project began as a programming experiment in the Processing language, but became a conceptual art piece that empowers the user to recontextualize information controlled by the media. The purpose of the project was to recreate the magnetic poetry phenomenon on a screen using a set of virtual magnets whose content is dynamically parsed from the New York Times\' Week-In-Review . I chose this source material because as an artist, I am constantly trying to find ways to recontexualize and juxtapose popular media and information dissemination. Because the source of the words is from current events in the news, I have empowered the user is to make art-- in the form of poetry-- by recontextualizing this information in whatever way they see fit. Current events become raw data within my program, and finally become a medium for the user\'s personal expression. I have designed the interface as an old-fashioned retro-kitsch refrigerator. In contrast to this retro style, the content of the magnets are events current in the news, and the program uses Java to parse the New York Times\' RSS feed. These two opposing elements of retro with hi-tech creates an interesting juxtaposition for the user\'s experience.

Personal Statement:	As a conceptual artist, I am constantly trying to find ways to recontextualize and juxtapose popular culture and current events. Rather than forcing people to be passive receivers of information, my goal is to create opportunities for people to use that information to create something new. As a faciliator of this experience, I am excited to subvert an authority like The New York Times and allow users to question how we receive, and ultimately use, information.
Background:	My background is in performance theory, fine art, and performance art, so my goal was to create a piece that was conceptually grounded and aesthetically rich.
Audience:	The ideal audience is one who is familiar with The New York Times as an authority on information dissemination and current events. The ideal audience member would also be familiar with Magnetic Poetry, so that they understand the metaphor, though this is not imperative.
User Scenario:	A computer screen will have two windows open: One is In-The-News Magnetic Poetry, the other is the New York Times\' Week in Review. The user will use the mouse to move the magnets and when they are done playing, they will leave their poetry behind on the screen, just as they would on an actual fridge.
Technical System Description:	One big monitor Internet access can run Java
Conclusions:	My goal is to empower people to think about how information is used, misused, reused, and how ultimately, information is always manipulatable.