Category Archives: Visual (Video/Slideshow)

How Do Farmers Markets Combat Food Deserts?

May 30, 2013, by HP

For our final Action Project in Policy for the year, we created groups to attend and document our experience at a public event which protected the commons. As a class, we decided that the commons were things, such as public squares, which everyone has the right to enjoy, but equally assume responsibility of that space. Places such as parks are maintained by the park district, but it is the responsibility of the users of the park to do their part in maintaining the park. My group decided to attend one of the most popular farmers markets in Chicago on Division and Dearborn. They also accept LINK cards which means they bring in a more varied range of customers. The common these markets are protecting, are the right to equal access to food. Everyone should be able to afford healthy organic food if they spend responsibility. This right is not guaranteed to people who live in food deserts (areas of the city where there is limited/no access to foods like this). Our groups mini documentary is attempting to answer if farmers markets can be ONE solution to combating the effects of food deserts. Here is the video we created…

Farmers Markets: A Hoop Dreams Production from JH on Vimeo.

Lastly, here is a poem written by LN to describe his sensory experience,

People walking on the ground, a ground full of seeds and weeds a ground desperate for trees. Trees where wind echoes like a curious hungry dog, that only becomes more hungry when a man bites an apple. An unforgettable smell like garlic melting through my nose. Making it difficult for me to smell anything else in the atmosphere, this is the farmers market.

Action 3 Street Math – The World’s Most Amazing Waterslide

May 24, 2013, by HP

For our final action project in Street Math, we created a slideshow presentation on a topic relating to the atmosphere. My personal project was about stunt devils who needed to build the world’s craziest water slides without perishing. My slideshow explains how you would use math to make the safest yet fastest waterslide. It also explains how it’s used in other professions, and how it relates to the atmosphere.

How Much Does it Cost to Power Chicago?

May 10, 2013, by HP

For my first project in my Street Math class, I did my presentation on several different math concepts. These varied from finding area, statistics analysis, and more. The way in which I utilized those concepts was to find out how much it cost to power Chicago. The slideshow will display how I came to my answer, and other areas in life where the math I used can be helpful. I learned a lot of math doing this and am glad I could find out an amazing answer as to how much it costs to power Chicago.

Monopoly on Chicago Public Transportation

April 29, 2013, by HP

For our second action project in Policy we created infocharts on issues within Chicago, specifically monopolies that control our city (for better or worse). For my project, I chose to focus on the CTA’s control over almost all of Chicago’s public transportation. The two graphs I created were about the fare increases over the years, and how much students have to pay. Overall, we hope these graphs can help the reader better understand the concept we are conveying.

The city of Chicago has a monopoly over public transportation, for better or worse. The CTA runs buses throughout the whole city and a few neighboring suburbs (with their only competition being the Pace buses of the suburbs). The trains they have are the most popular inner city commuter train, however the Metra runs trains into Chicago from suburbs. Chicago public transportation is a government run municipal cooperation. Their fares have raised substantially in the last 50 years for a multitude of reasons, mostly due to the increased demand for better trains and buses ; thus needing more money. The tracks have needed serious renovation in the last 15 years, in order to sustain the CTA for another 75 years. Projects such as the Wells Street bridge have drawn from government grants and from the CTA fare prices. Luckily, students don’t have to pay as much. In various cities the prices for students vary. My two graphs are to convey how much the CTA forces customers to pay for a ride since 1950, and it is for the viewer to decide if the changes are necessary or excessive. In my opinion, the fares are fair. Although the prices are getting higher and higher, it is still substantially cheaper then driving or taking a taxi. The other graph is showing how much students have to pay in various cities in 2013. Why can’t every student across the country pay the same price?

There are no statistical outliers in graph #1, which is why I believe the fare prices have been deserved and not too expensive. There are no rapid inclines in prices. However, in graph #2, New York kids get to ride the train for free which is obviously the outlier of the group. Why can’t other cities in America follow in New York’s lead?

Here is the first infochart I created on the fare price increase over the last 60 years in Chicago.

And here is the infochart I created

Citations –
https://www.chicago-l.org/fares/
https://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/sandy-damange-mta-issue-article-1.1316484

162 Action Project 2 – Greatest Athlete of All Time

April 29, 2013, by HP

For my 162 class, we created a list of the greatest athletes we had ever seen. This list included people such as Michael Jordan and Walter Payton. Each student got 2 athletes to compare, and choose the better one. My athletes are both basketball players, Allen Iverson, and Quincy Pondexter (we have a student who lived in Seattle who saw Quincy play at the University of Washington). While this comparison isn’t really fair, I analyzed both players’ NBA and college careers using only statistics. Here is the presentation on who the better player is…

Citations –

Memphis Grizzlies’ Quincy Pondexter Should Play Smaller Role

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/allen-iverson-1.html

https://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/washington/quincy-pondexter

Action Project Bridge

April 22, 2013, by HP

For my Math and Science class, (Urban Planning) we recently designed a bridge. this project was a huge benefit to my mathematical design skills. We chose a pyramid design and actually displayed the bridge upside down. Our bridge held 17 books! Each book weighed 1.7 lbs, so our bridge held 30 lbs! (1.7 x 17 = 28.9) My work is below, so check it out!

“6” – Bill Russell’s Life in Hindsight

April 15, 2013, by HP

For my statistics class, 162, my partner MML and I chose to do a project on Bill Russell. The project was about segregation in sports, and we felt that Bill Russell was astronomically important in the fight for civil rights in and out of basketball. We researched his life, interviewed legendary sports writer Bob Ryan, and created entirely new statistics on the racial make-up of the NBA, as well as new statistics on his impact on the Celtics. Overall this was one of my favorite projects I’ve ever done, and hopefully it does justice to Bill Russell’s life.

Here is the slideshow we created, the complimentary paper is below it.

Here is our written report…

Textile Final Creation – Project 3

March 8, 2013, by HP

For my final project in my Textiles class, we were asked to create a garment, sculpture  or installation with our created textile. I chose to make a hospital gown, and even though this was a difficult process it was very rewarding and I learned different art techniques; such as sewing.

Here is my artist statement.

HP 

Hospital Gown
Textile Fabric
32 in x 30

My final project for Textile Cultures this term was to create a hospital gown out of my already created textile. My pattern on the textile directly relates to why I chose to make a hospital gown. The pattern symbolizes the hospital I was born in, being taken down, from a full structure to nearly nothing. The gown is a tribute to that hospital, in that it can contribute to a different hospital while carrying on the memory of the old one. My piece can be worn by putting it on like a normal hospital gown.

To create this gown, it took many different steps in order to accomplish it. First, I had to measure my body in order to find a good size to create the garment. Next, I had to sketch out a rough version of my gown as a blueprint, so that I could visualize my next steps. After that was created, I drew a life size version of the gown on a huge piece of paper. After some tweaking, I realized it could not just be a one piece, sleeveless gown. The concept was the same but I made it skinnier, and created a back and sleeves. Once the paper version of my gown was complete, I measured to see if I had enough fabric to create my gown on my fabric. Once that was sorted out, I pinned down my paper gown to the fabric, and began cutting out my piece. Once the front, back, and sleeves were cut out, I finally stitched them together to finish my gown.

Overall this process made me appreciate garment making a lot more than I used to, seeing the kind of work necessary to create a meaningful piece of clothing. Learning how to stitch was the most difficult part of the process, but I enjoyed the end result and am proud that I could make it.

Creating a Time telling Device – Light & Sound Project 3 :: HP

March 7, 2013, by HP

For my third and final project in my light and sound class, we were asked to create a time telling device to travel back in the future with. Here is my report on that device.

My device incorporates aspects of scaling and measurement, in order to have the optimal size to fit inside a camera. For instance, with area, my device is 1.5 in x .75 in, measuring a total of 1.125in squared. Another element of math to look at is light, and earth rotation. The Earth revolves while orbiting the sun in 24 hour periods, once the sun reaches my part of the planet again, I will know another day is passed and another picture needs to be taken.

Unlike a sundial, or a very intricate sun dial, my device cannot tell time in minute or hour cycles. My device solely relies on the Earth’s rotation, as it revolves around the sun. The principles of my internal investigation lead me to believe my device is less accurate, yet more abstract in the process of telling time.

I believe my device would be more used in Eastern culture, or times before ours, due to the fact that timeliness and on point scheduling weren’t as common or widely used. The culture which I was studying in 1891 Kansas was just evolving as a media culture.

Photographs were becoming the most widespread medium of non verbal/text communication throughout the world. At a time when taking photographs would not totally throw off the balance of things or disturb the peace, taking a picture once a day would be the most effective way to communicate and tell time during my stay.

I believe that my device brings out a more meaningful way to tell time because of the abstract nature of it, leaving more room for enjoyment of the day, rather than worrying about the small things. My photo memory chip emphasizes enjoyment of one’s self as opposed to a more strenuous to the minute day.

Milestone 2 Textiles (Creating the Textile)

February 21, 2013, by HP

Here is an artist statement and a picture of the piece that I created for my textiles class. In this class, as described in the artist statement below, we learned about the use of textiles, and then learned how to make our own. Overall it was a fun experience, and though it was difficult, was very rewarding.

Name : HP
Title : Birth and Death
Media Used : Screen Print on Cotton/wool mixture.
Size (15’’x 12’’)

For this trimester’s art project we are learning about textiles, and their different uses around the world. This varies from religious garb, to clothes, and blankets, and are used in different ways by different cultures. For different design elements we learned what stories behind different motifs (images) were, and specifically how they conveyed messages on the underground railroad to escaping slaves.
For my motifs, I drew inspiration from the hospital where I was born. It had a very unique circular architecture to it, and was only a few blocks away from where I grew up for most of my life. Unfortunately now, they are planning on tearing it down. I have 4 different motifs in my pattern, going from the fully constructed hospital, to a crumbled down version of it. I also chose to make this pattern in a half drop, left to right layout pattern/direction, because it seemed to me like you are reading a story (left to right, top to bottom).
For the colors, the background is grey because I whenever I envision the hospital it’s on an overcast day. The windows are black, not symbolizing death, but life (in Kente culture), and the buildings are different shades of brown, symbolizing earth (I believe the hospital is an important part of my neighborhood). According to color theory, the grey and black go well together because they are neutral colors, and usually those interact well with earth tones (brown).

To create this, first we had to choose our fabric, based on which fabric we thought represented us best. Next, we had to design our pattern (choosing the story, layout, etc). After we had these planned, we traced them onto our screens with drawing fluid, and then filled out the rest of the screen with screen filler. We then tested our screens on paper, before printing on our final fabric. We then divide up the fabric into grids, so that we equally distribute the pattern. Lastly, we printed the pattern onto the fabric. Overall this process has been challenging but rewarding, and I especially enjoyed learning the stories of how messages were spread through textiles.