Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga

Structural Patterns

Reflections on Art, Technology and Society

Archive for October, 2010

Apply Immediately: Full Time New Media Position at Hunter College

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Job Title: Assistant, Associate or Full Professor – Film and Media Studies

Job ID: 2389
Location: Hunter College
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Regular/Temporary: Regular

GENERAL DUTIES
Performs teaching, research, and guidance duties in area(s) of expertise as noted below. Shares responsibility for committee and department assignments, performing administrative, supervisory, and other functions as may be assigned.

CAMPUS SPECIFIC INFORMATION
Hunter College’s Department of Film and Media Studies, which combines analytical and theoretical analysis with creative practice using an interdisciplinary approach to media, seeks applications for a scholar and practitioner of new media. The position calls for a candidate who has an understanding of the cultural effects of new media and Internet technologies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D. degree in area(s) of expertise, or equivalent as noted below. Also required are the ability to teach successfully, interest in productive scholarship or creative achievement, and ability to cooperate with others for the good of the institution.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
A record of publications related to computer and Internet technologies and a mix of theory and practice is desirable. Extensive teaching experience is essential. A PhD, M.F.A. or professional equivalent are required.

COMPENSATION
Commensurate with rank, education, accomplishments and experience.

BENEFITS
CUNY offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees and eligible dependents based on job title and classification. Employees are also offered pension and Tax-Deferred Savings Plans. Part-time employees must meet a weekly or semester work hour criteria to be eligible for health benefits. Health benefits are also extended to retirees who meet the eligibility criteria.

HOW TO APPLY
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MAIL or E-MAIL. DO NOT APPLY ON LINE AT THIS JOB BOARD.
Include letter of application with teaching/artistic/professional philosophy, curriculum vitae, list of three references sent to:
digitalmediasearch@hunter.cuny.edu
-OR-
Professor
James Roman, Chair
Department of Film and Media Studies
Hunter College, CUNY
695 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10065

CLOSING DATE
Open until filled with review of resumes to begin November 15, 2010.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity Employer which complies with all applicable laws and regulations, and encourages inclusive excellence in its employment practices.

Written by ricardo

October 21st, 2010 at 11:03 am

Daniel Martinez at Simon Preston

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I once had the opportunity to hang out with Daniel Martinez in Tijuana during inSite05, he’s an amazing person, charismatic and smart and generally I’m a fan of what he does and has to say. However this show I hated. It was boring and not compelling at all. The text and numerical figures of human carnage painted on to the walls of the gallery are blunt and sad realities of humanity, but the display fails to do anything, even hit the viewer over the head, which I think is what Daniel is trying to do. Putting this stuff inside of a commercial gallery is simply silly, stupid and claims the viewer as ignorant. If an artist is really going to try to use a commercial gallery as a platform to declare outrage at human carnage, then do something with it. This show does nothing. Or perhaps the gallery sold some of the work and they made $$$.
Bunny Death
Daniel Martinez
I kind of liked the hare bomb, could be a compelling symbol in a more interesting installation.

Danile Martinez
Fun facts by Daniel Martinez

Daniel Martinez
If he had really exploited the fun house mirror or just the fun house as a point of departure, perhaps it could have been a stirring installation. “HUMAN LIFE IS A MISTAKE WE ARE NOT HERE BECAUSE WE ARE FREE WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT FREE…” BLAH BLAH BLah blah blah…

Written by ricardo

October 16th, 2010 at 11:09 am

Tony Oursler at Lehmann Maupin

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Last Saturday on my way to Conflux, I stopped through a few galleries in the Bowery / Lower East Side, it’s crazy how many there are now. I don’t have much to say about Tony Oursler, he does what he’s been doing for a long time now. I think the pieces are fun and creative, but have low impact. In his current show at Lehmann Maupin he takes advantage of the new tiny video projectors to create whimsical vignettes.

Tony Oursler
The presentation is minimal, but the works themselves are not.

Tony Oursler
Tony Oursler
Tony Oursler

Written by ricardo

October 16th, 2010 at 10:53 am

Posted in fine_arts

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Maker Faire, NYC 2010

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I plugged my camera into my computer to download a few recent images and found a ton of images from the past two months that I’ve ignored, so I’m putting them all up today, starting with a few from the Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science from September 26th.
Robotic Vision Sculpture by mondomatrix
I’m not sure who would ever want this thing, perhaps a corporate lobby or some entity that wants to make sure that you know you are being watched. This over the top giant mirror had embedded masks with robotic eyes that were being controlled by webcam vision software. Above is the back of the mirror on the left – a whole lot of servos and on the right is the front of the mirror with the masks and the reflection. They were advertising Mondomatrix.

LCD Matrix project
Another cool but pointless interactive sculpture/display – designatum by Muhammad Hafiz. It’s more of a display, because it doesn’t have the creative framework to call it a sculpture. People can type into a keyboard that is wired up to a matrix of LCDs and see their message show up between the various LCDs. The project is titled I felt as if I was at a ITP open house.



ArcAttack at Maker Faire, NYC 2010, pretty cool spectacle.

Amongst my favorite things that I cam across is the “mobile science laboratory” BioBus.
Bio Bus

BioBus
Studying biology inside and outside. The bus is geared up for lots of microscopic lessons.

BioBus
DNA Extract Party!

BioBus
And lastly, the cool roof top garden on top of the bus (you can just see the green tips), presents a proposal to the MTA to plant gardens on all NYC buses, or better on all buses world wide, to help the air quality.

Written by ricardo

October 16th, 2010 at 10:22 am

Creative Time Summit

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If there is a revolution in public practice happening today it is not in a conference at a private art college. Revolutions in practice can not be captured and summarized at a conference. The very notion of Creative Time Summit conference runs against “revolution,” “public,” or “practice” and mutes anything powerful or inspring about these terms, simply because it is curated and caters to a particular audience. In many ways it is a closed session. And the term “Revolutions in Public Practice” reads as hyperbole in the context of an art elite conference.

I was at a round table discussion at Conflux today and afterwards headed to a Lower East Side Bar to meet a bunch of friends who had been at the Creative Time Summit. Once there, I asked people how the Summit had been and it was the usual conference response… what’s the point? why are we here? it was the usual conference scenario… The usual reactionary responses to a conference. And my response to people is do not be duped by the catch terms “revolutions,” “public,” and “practice” as well as “summit” and “creative time.” This is my problem with such a title, it is not revolutionary or public, so please don’t misuse these terms; these terms have already lost so much meaning or power. Most of the people I spoke with didn’t go the second day, rather they tuned in and out from home.

Creative Time Summit is however an exceptional moment to network and hear a summary of evocative creative ideas and briefly exchange perspectives with like-minded individuals.

Sadly people buy into “The Creative Time Summit” as if it is a revolutionary agent, but it’s just another conference, put on by another institution that is far removed from anything revolutionary – whatever meaning that term can carry in relation to contemporary art that is safely nested in Western networks of capital.