The Red Dot

Friday Fun: The Stereogranimator

ucsbvrc — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:33:54 +0000

The New York Public Library has developed one way to digitally view stereographs: The Stereogranimator. Users can choose one of the over 40,000 stereographs from the Library’s collection, create either an anaglyph or animated GIF by combining the two images into “one,” and share it in the Gallery.

However, as a colleague put it: when you live in CA, it can get a bit unnerving to see post-earthquake images in this way…

Eastman Kodak files for bankruptcy

ucsbvrc — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:19:18 +0000

The streamrolling trend from analogue to digital photography has finally forced Eastman Kodak to file for bankruptcy protection. They have only turned a profit one year out of the last seven, and are now borrowing cash and scrambling to sell digital imaging patents to keep afloat.

Eastman Kodak was founded in 1880 – the camera at left was designed by George Eastman, and manufactured and sold by Kodak in 1888. In addition to Kodak’s groundbreaking innovations in camera and film design, the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY, houses an immense photography archive and museum, and offers a Master’s program in photographic preservation.

Kodak does not plan to go down without a fight – it was announced today that they have hired a new restructuring officer in an attempt to turn things around.

Guggenheim Museum offers new e-books and -essays

ucsbvrc — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:37:05 +0000

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has released e-books of selected museum publications, including the exhibition catalogue of the current show Maurizio Cattelan: All. According to the museum, the Guggenheim is “the first museum to release an exhibition catalogue e-book.” Technically, these digital editions follow traditional book designs as well as allow searching, bookmarking pages, enlarging images, and annotating articles and photos. Additionally, individual essays from past Guggenheim publications are now available for purchase as e-book singles.

Neutra’s Kronish House update: Beverly Hills’ new historic preservation ordinance approved

ucsbvrc — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:08:39 +0000

This past summer we mentioned that Richard Neutra’s Kronish House could be set for demolition — a move fought by Neutra’s son Dion among others. This week the Beverly Hills City Council voted not only to set new rules for demolishing or altering structures at least 45 years old and designed by a “city-recognized architect,” but also to create a landmark designation process through a Cultural Heritage Commission. We’ll have to wait and see if these measures will save the Kronish House.

via LA Times, with a slideshow of “noteworthy structures” both destroyed and mentioned for landmark designation

Art|Architecture on Film series at UCSB

ucsbvrc — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:31:36 +0000

There’s a terrific series of films showing in the next couple of months at the new Pollock Theater on campus. The series is co-presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the Carsey-Wolf Center, and the Art, Design & Architecture Museum (formerly the UAM and ADC).

The series kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 15 with The Universe of Keith Haring (2008) at 1pm and Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, (2010) at 3pm. There are two movies showing on each of the following Sundays: Jan. 15, 22, Feb. 12, 19, March 4 and 11, with a wine reception at intermission! You can see the full schedule with synopses here:
http://www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/artarchitecture

The 30 million dollar punch

ucsbvrc — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:31:58 +0000

A visitor to the new Clyfford Still Museum in Denver defaced a painting worth $30-40 million. It’s not clear what her motives were, but she punched, scratched, leaned on, and attempted to urinate on (!?) 1957-J-No. 2 , seen at left. Okay, she was drunk. In the middle of the afternoon. In a museum??

Via the Los Angeles Times

New Fair Use statement released

ucsbvrc — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:10:40 +0000

The Visual Resources Association has released a Statement on the Fair Use of Images in Teaching, Research, and Study. The statement recommends assertiveness on the part of the academic community, and awareness of the guidelines. It concludes that there are six uses of copyrighted still images that fall within the U.S. doctrine of fair use. According to the statement, they are:

1) preservation ; 2) use of images for teaching purposes; 3) use of images on course websites and in other online study materials; 4) adaptations of images for teaching and classroom work by students; 5) sharing images among educational and cultural institutions to facilitate teaching and study; and 6) reproduction of images in theses and dissertations.

You can read the details on these guidelines and more in the full statement.

Faculty publication #2: Ernst L. Freud, Architect, by Volker Welter

ucsbvrc — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:21:39 +0000

The second book to be launched in our department this month is Ernst L. Freud, Architect: The Case of the Modern Bourgeois Home, by Volker Welter, UCSB architectural historian. In addition to being a prolific architect, primarily domestic architecture, Freud was the son of Sigmund Freud.

Congratulations, Prof. Welter!

Faculty publication #1: Making History, by Sylvester Ogbechie

ucsbvrc — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:55:04 +0000

Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, Professor of Classical to Contemporary African Art here at UCSB, has just released Making History: African Collectors and the Canon of African Art, which explores the under-studied area of African-owned collections of African art. The image plates are stunning, plentiful, and of the highest quality. The volume is available in English and French. Congratulations Sylvester!

British Library launches online resource for historical newspapers

ucsbvrc — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:08:14 +0000

“Murder, mania and a leech-powered weather machine.”

The British Library, in conjunction with online publisher brightsolid, has launched the British Newspaper Archive. This new and continually expanding online resource for perusing headlines, bylines and story lines from the past three centuries is now searchable for free. Users must pay, however, for complete access and printing privileges. Click here for more information on this archive, or here for information on all Library newspaper collections.

also via BBC