At the Art Basel in Miami Beach,an Italian artist named Maurizio Cattelan, put on display a banana duck taped to a wall. What really stood out to people about this art piece is that it was priced at being worth $120,000 to someone. While this may seem ridiculous to some, another artist has done this as well and is selling for $150,000. What I find ”apPEALing” about this sculpture is that in no time this banana will begin to become brown and mush away since it is just a fruit. However, they explained that this piece is shown to display a symbol of global trade and as a sense of humor. This artist is very well known in the community for creating unorthodox sculptures and art pieces that portray a sense of absurdity that somehow entices an individual to gain a sense of attachment to the work.
Continuing with this unconventional sculpture, this artist is also very famous for creating an 18 karat gold toilet that completely works with all its functionality. While I personally do not believe that this sculpture is worth anything to me, it does open my eyes to how people will buy anything somebody creates as long as their is some sense of purpose behind the creation. Cattelan may create outlandish work, but it is so bizarre that it stands out and speaks to people in various new ways.
93-year-old woman gets 150 cans of beer delivered to her door after viral plea for “more beer“
Since the beginning of the pandemic, an 93-year-old woman named Olive Veronesi, went viral on Facebook due to her witty white board sign that claimed that she needs more beer. The message was important to her because she only has 12 cans of beer left and she was unable to leave the house to get anymore due to the pandemic. After blowing up on Facebook, CBS Pittsburgh took it into their own hands to spread the message online. This viewing permitted thousands of comments and being shared by over 51,000 times.
After the significant outreach this picture has experienced, it finally reached someone that is very vital to this woman’s happiness. It reached a beverage company named, Molson Coors, the makers of Coors Light, which is pictured in her photograph. The company reached out to Olive and explained to her how they will have 150 cans of beer shipped to her within the next few days. After receiving the beer Olive took it into her own hands to make another sign on the white board saying, “Got More Beer.” Additionally, Coors explains how they will offer her a standing offer for whenever she make need a restock.
I love this article because it explains how despite the pandemic, people are still looking out for each other. This beer company not only made one very old woman very happy, but helped themselves gain great publicity in hard times that we are currently in.
In this documentary that was captured by these filmmakers using a robotic spy gorilla, they were able to witness various footage’s ranging from singing to farting. What is amazing about this footage is that the gorillas seem so at peace with this robotic ape and almost treat it as if it is part of their family. In this video you can see the whole family of mountain gorillas eating leaves together and having fun while singing and farting due to the large amount of food they eat everyday.
This hyper-realistic robot gorilla was created to take part in the film by PBS called, Nature: Spy in the Wild 2. The show focuses on following the lives of these animals through robotic animals that are near impossible to tell the difference from a real ape. Since gorillas focus on eye communication, the producer Matt Gordon, made sure that there was no way these gorillas can tell that it was fake and mimicked proper movements. The show focused on making this “ape” act in very submissive ways to where it would never pose as a threat to fellow apes. The show claims that they sometimes even have to make the robot smell like feces in order to attract the other apes.
I really love how different this film is and how people are not only placing cameras all around jungles but allowing animals to interact with these cameras to learn more about them and how they react to certain objects. I believe this show will help promote new knowledge to scientists and how various different animals minds comprehend different reactions to an outside source.
Oregon man drove to 11 different Wendy’s restaurants twice in 1 day to stock up on free nuggets
On April 24th, Wendy’s fast food chain announced that as a promotion for this pandemic, they are offering 4 free nuggets to anyone that comes to the drive through for free. In times of large drops in employment, many individuals took advantage of this offer to grab a quick snack for free. However, a man in Oregon saw this as an opportunity to go to every Wendy’s in a 17 mile radius and get as many nuggets as he possibly can. This man that goes by, Skweezy Jibbs, claims that it took him 5 hours to get enough nuggets to last him a week.
Despite the deal offered, Wendy’s has also been providing free meals during this quarantine in various different ways. They have been providing meals to all front-line workers and first-responders who are in need. What caught the attention of many individuals despite their love for Wendy’s nuggets, was their extremely catchy slogan in their commercial.
Below is the information regarding the deal. Essentially, Wendy’s promotion was since we cannot give hugs to other right now, they might as will give nugs. Don’t GroupHug but GroupNug! I personally love this promotion because I am a nug lover myself and this allows me to not only enjoy Wendy’s nuggets, but enjoy them for free!
On April 29, 2020, the Pentagon released multiple videos that appear to be unidentified flying objects. Previously, these videos were, however, released by a private company, but it becomes more intriguing that they were now released by the Pentagon itself. With the release of these videos, people are becoming skeptical at whether the flying objects in the videos truly are other life forms or if another country has created technology that surpasses the United States.
What makes these videos hard to classify is that they are recorded through infrared cameras, making it hard to determine what the object is. In the video we are able to hear the reactions of the members recording the video and how much awe they are in. While there are various speculations that it could be a drone due to the unpredictable flying patterns, it has never been identified. Interestingly enough, these videos were first released by, To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences. This company was founded by former Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge.
While it is increasingly difficult to believe that these flying vehicles are something from another life-form, it is definitely worth some more research and discovering what exactly they videos portray. I think the government should take these slightly seriously just to understand what it was and if another country has created a technology that is far ahead of its time. Below is a video of the footage.
Pangolins, if one was unsure as to what this animal is, is the only mammal with scales that looks similar to an anteater and found in Asia and Africa. Scientists have quickly been researching various animals related to the outbreak at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. From research, scientists claim the host of the transmittable disease is not related to snakes, instead, the pangolin. They claim bats cannot give the virus directly to humans according to past zoonotic coronaviruses. Scientists believe the bat instead infected another animal which was the intermediate host, which then exposed the virus to humans. The reasoning behind the pangolin’s suspicion is due to the genetic sequence of the coronavirus and how it is similar to lung samples of the Malayan pangolin (91%). However, these scientists also mentioned how even though pangolin’s are on the top of the list right now, it is important to understand that there are many other hosts that have potential (raccoons, dogs, ferret badgers, and cats).
Below is a song named Pangolin by u-Ziq. It is not actually related to this article or the animal itself, but it is interesting and definitely worth a listen. The style is very similar to mashing a bunch of sounds together and making a stylistic beat.
Joji, also known as one of the most outlandish artists out there from starting as a comedian on youtube to becoming an artist encourages individuals who listen to his music feel various emotions.
Joji’s new single called, Gimme Love, allows the listener to not only experience how he feels but also picture his emotions through his intense and rapidly moving music video. This single permits individuals to explore the hardships he is facing in his daily life and how everything is spiraling out of control. It clearly expresses how he cannot even accurately complete the easiest task. His mood of frustration could easily be felt to each listener, especially during this pandemic that we are currently facing. Everybody wants to escape this unexpected problem the world is experiencing but the only real way is to escape and be alone from everyone. This can be seen when Joji hijacks the spaceship to be alone from the world. We in a sense, as a community, have to escape the world and stay home until everything becomes better. Joji explains throughout the song how he wants to love and the only way to obtain love is by leaving everyone until all is better and healed.
In regards to scene analysis, I decided to not only talk about the film THX 1138 and the scene that made the largest impact on myself as the viewer, but also Grand Theft Auto 5’s conversely different way of portraying a short film through gameplay. Below is the links:
After viewing both of these films to completion, there was various scenes that stuck out to me the most in the way they were filmed and the originality that was expressed through the video. Despite me talking about two different films, it is important to understand that I am not talking about both of these as two similar films, instead two drastically different genres and ways of making a movie.
The scene that stuck out the most in THX 1138 was within the first nine minutes of the film. The first nine minutes were very crucial to the entirety of the film because it not only flips through various different clips and constant movements but helps explain the whole movie in a broken up confusing version. What is done differently as far as crafty editing or style was that they focused on explaining who the protagonist is and what is occurring but through one of the most confusing ways to understand. It left the viewer pondering where is he and why is all of this occurring. The style focused on a fast paced changing screen with different things to see every second while playing sounds that act as an eerie yet disguised environment. The cuts, audio, and juxtaposition lead to an emotive effect because the viewer begins to have a feeling of unease and seeks reassurance in that everything will be okay. The film starts off so dark with so many questions being formulated in one’s mind because they are unsure as to what they are seeing. The film cuts back and forth from bald individuals to explosions to various sounds to an alarm and over and over. The numerous mixed with sounds give off a vibe that truly brings someone watching this film in and striving to watch more and understand why the various instances are happening. This intro is very different from other films because they do not start by explaining what’s happening like in most movies, instead they offer multiple cuts that encourage the individual to put these images and sounds together to make an idea based on their own beliefs. After watching more of the movie it enables them to understand what the filmmakers tried to formulate.
In Deer Cam in Grand Theft Auto 5, there was no once scene that technically stood out within the film. This was not because it was boring per se but because the film never cuts to different scenes. It is just one continuous video that explores through California like state as a deer. What makes this so special is because it is so simple yet so many people enjoyed the game-play. This “game-play” is favorable to the viewers not because the individual is playing like a deer in a game where you are normally a person but because the deer is controlled by a program that is able to make its own decisions and travel by itself. What is exceptional about this deer is that it travels to great lengths within each film. It never stays in one location and instead travels to a plethora of areas that enable the viewer to witness various sounds of nature and the pedestrians that it passes by. Each pedestrian always has something smart or witty to say that makes the viewer laugh or gasp while watching a deer do something as simple as a walk on the sidewalk or run on the moonlit beaches. This led to an emotive effect because it felt as if the deer was real and had a mind of its own. You truly become immersed in the scenes since the viewer never really knows what will occur next. Anywhere from the deer getting hit by a car all the way to the deer running over a person. This film is an immersive experience that grabs the viewer in each scene to determine what will occur next.
THX 1138 is a cinematic masterpiece that places the main character in an environment where he and others around him are being controlled on a day to day basis on how to act and perform their occupations. The eerie surroundings portray a place in the future where individuals are controlling these sub-par individuals to act in ways that they do not please due to the help of medications and conflicts with a centralized computer system. This futuristic movement seems to be an overlooking of the government and its citizens where the ones in power are able to place rules above the civilians in order for them to succeed and make it near impossible for anyone to break through the bubble of the “norm”. From the start of the film, the viewer is placed with a sense of confusion and constant pondering of what is occurring due to the fast-paced scene changes and random movements and sounds of screenplays.
This film helps the user understand how not only are their others above you trying to control your life, but also the importance of drugs and how they can aid in you being unable to control your own life and end up living the life the more powerful want. The film understands the importance of the destruction of societal norms and the creation of your own views. Despite the induced state that everyone was put into to be “happy”, there was also a stressed importance of a computer-based religion and the job it played. The law enforcement, the religion, and those in control were all part of the same master plan. They wanted to provide a false sense of happiness and that everything was always going to be fine as long as they continued to do as was instructed and continued taking the provided medications. What I enjoyed most about this film was the difficult material that leaves you thinking from the beginning. Even when you begin to think you understand what is truly occurring a new scene will jump right in and encourage constant thinking. I really enjoyed how the cinematography tended to be very unusual with its color and lighting.
This film focused solely on the color white and the blank abyss that these individuals are living in with no thought processes of their own. In regards to the actors, they correctly represented how the individual may be feeling and the blank sense of hopelessness they are facing when the drugs are being consumed. What I really enjoyed about this film was their very effective uses of various sounds and visual effects that place the viewer in a confusing set of mind. I would rank this movie on the higher side of the ranks not because of the plot but because the message it characterizes and how normal people can use this to do some extra thinking and research for themselves to not only better themselves bust also those around them.
If this review made you feel intrigued to watch the film but are not truly convinced please view the trailer below. If the trailer finally captures your excitement, the link to the movie is hyperlinked in the beginning of the review under THX 1138. Enjoy!
After the creation of my own musical genius that can be found under audio 😉 (check it out), I was presented this masterpiece of music that can help influence anyone into creating their own waves of sounds. If you are just starting out using Adobe Audition this website will be extremely useful into helping yourself think of ways to mash sounds into creating some sort of music. This creator displays various different songs ranging anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes that exemplify the intensity of sounds and how even though certain sounds seem to not go together they mix well with enough editing and MASHING. Next time you need some creativity before creating a sick beat or song, check this out! Kira deCoudres!
The Amphibious Barnacle 