Last week...EVER!

holy crap.
This is really tripping me out. this is the last week of school before i graduate. Its been an insanely fast four years. Even though I am awfully excited to move on to bigger and better things, it is weird to think that this is the end. There is no plan, which is scary but exciting at the same time. I have applied to a billion places and have had a few interviews but nothing is locked down. oh well.

I do have a bangin' new website to show off all of my work on. All of my most recent photo work is up and now I just have to get my digital art and design work on there. Thanks to digital art 2 i was able to get the ball rolling on this whole host/domain thing. I don't know how long it would have taken me to get my act together and make a portfolio site for myself.
The best part...I really like it. I like the way it looks, the way it works, and the way it is going to portray me as an artist.
mission accomplished.

AlysonBlair.com

so far so good

So here is my website at this point. I am still in the process of adding, removing and editing content within the site but I think that is is pretty good so far. I need to get to work on the flash intro and see what else I can do with the site. But I like the overall look and feel of the whole thing. If anything were to change it would probably be just the navigation and making the menu bar on the left always visible so it was a little easier to get around.

Best Horizontal Websites

Here is a cool site showcasing all of the best horizontal websites...

Skeleton Complete

So I have the skeleton and layout all finished, and I think I'm liking it. It is very simple (black and white with some red) but I don't want to get too crazy. Now I am looking for tutorials to figure out a good way to display my portfolio work horizontally (possibly using JavaScript). I want to showcase my photo work and my design work but separately. The images of the work will be big enough to view so that the user doesn't have to click to enlarge or anything like that. I am going to begin my search for tutorials and source code and I will check back in when I have more information.

purchased domain name and host...

I finally chose to go with hostmonster.com for my website and it seems to be pretty user friendly. I have already set up an email account with them and they even taught me how to configure it on my iphone with a video tutorial. The website is: AlysonBlair.com but right now there is nothing on it. Hopefully by the end of this weekend I will have all of the different pages done and all linked up to at least have a skeleton of the site. Then I will get started on the aesthetics and the flash intro.
Can't wait for it to be all finished and ready to show off!

AlysonBlair.com
info@alysonblair.com

AlysonBlair.com

For my final project for Digital Art 2 I am going to be creating a personal website for myself. This website will help me in finding a job after I graduate. The site is going to be very simple in style (black white with random red accents) and easy to navigate through. Here is an example of what the heading might look like...

The site is going to be showcasing my artwork and my design work. So there will be two different galleries. On the site there will be contact information, resume, artist statement and more. Since there are requirements for moving objects and sounds I am going to start the site with a flash intro page that can be skipped if preferred.
This week my main goal is to choose a web host and then purchase a one year contract so I can get this show in the road.
I'll be back with more updates later this week.

INSTALLATION

I am in the process of working on a new installation. The thing is, I've never done one before. I am really excited to get working on it but extremely intimidated at the same time. If it weren't for my intense fascination with installations and interactive work, I don't think I would be able to just dive into a project like this.

The viewer is going to walk into the room and stand on the target in the center. The viewer will face the monitor and will be introduced by a talking avatar, introducing the piece (inspired by the Toni Dove piece). The video work will be created in VDMX and will be playing on the main monitor. At the same time there will be additional video projected on the rest of the walls of the room. This way, the viewer will be completely surrounded my mixed video and sound.

The content of the piece is going to be surrounded by the idea of "being present". Commenting on the state of our culture and how we are so wrapped up in the technology of our day and we don't stop to give ourselves to one thing at a time. Most people use meditation to slow down and make themselves present. This installation will be sort of a technology-based meditation. An interesting concept to tackle when the idea behind the piece is about our culture and technology.

The music will start slow and gradually speed up and then slow down again at the end. It will be abstract but still carry somewhat of a narrative. These ideas will continue to grow, progress and get better as time goes on. this is still pretty fresh but definitely coming along.

updates to come...