Chance Operations-"Boys and their Balls"

I completed a sound project using chance operations.  For those who don't know, chance operations is a process art.  Process art is where the process is more significant than the final result.  In the case of chance operations, something is left to chance in the process, therefore leaving the artist with little control of the result.  

I placed 8 young men into a room, one at a time.  All there was in the room was a single ping pong ball, some wooden box stands (for presenting gallery work) and a couple screws and nails (of which i never purposely placed in the room, the 3rd subject found the nails/screws during his boredom).  I recorded them for five minutes each, told them they could do whatever they wanted in the room besides touch the microphone.  I took their cell phones and mp3 players away so they wouldn't distract the subjects.  

I took all their individual recordings and overlayed them using audacity.I was hoping to have some sort of unified rythym or climactic period similar in all 8 recordings.  None of which happened.  Some subjects didn't even touch the ping pong ball or nails.  Some moved the boxes to make a makeshift bed (lazy a-holes since it was only 5 minutes!).  If i were to do this project again i would do it in a smaller room, with nothing but a ping pong ball...and maybe even for a longer amount of time.  Overall I am satisfied with my process even though the final product isn't as spectacular as I would of liked but, I guess thats just a part of chance operations.

I found the readings very interesting but very dry.  The one scanned with images was more exciting and provided more room for indepth thought.  I enjoyed the early history of digital media and found the "blurred reality" idea intriguing.  I've never learned too much of modern art history so this tidbit gave me somewhat of an idea.  The other document, however, was harder to conceive due to it's slow pace but I think i managed.

Digitial Media Day 1

I've been stranded on my bed for the past four days with a violent flu, thus limiting me from my "digital media" interaction. Luckily, my phone and my television became my BEST friend. I must have watched over 36 hours of television this weekend. And as far as my cell phone goes, I hardly saw that. I was lucky enough to use my friend's blackberry for most the time. My phone is a peice of crap, its one of those phones that people ask to see and then almost rip it in half while trying to figure out how to open it before i have to inform them that it doesn't slide up, to the side, flip open, flip over, spin, or close. It doesn't even have a camera. But, i must admit, after using a blackberry on my spare time, I finally understand what the big deal is. Its everything in one, it's an actual hand-held computer (with shitty internet mobility and oh yeah...a phone). This morning when I was finally able to stand on my own feet, i stumbled to my computer and remembered why I usually use the libraries computing services; my laptop is slower than the register ladies who work at the gengras cafeteria. I checked my mail, facebook, blackboard and headed to the studio to start the work that I wasn't able to complete all weekend. I wouldn't label today as a good day.