Joris Hens

Joris Hens is a freelance web and app designer based out of Belgium. He also teaches web designs at the Catholic University in Mechelen, Belgium. He has written articles on web design published in several magazines such as Smashing Magazine and Web Designer Magazine. Joris has a bachelor's degree in IT and a masters degree in commercial sciences. Joris has created many useful apps and websites such as the Creativeskills App for iTunes. This app allows Belgians to find local jobs, such as internships and full time positions.

Joris Hens is the co-founder of the web application SolidShops Responsive Design. This website allows web designers to create their own interactive online shops.

 



Joris Hens also created the I'm Fine app for iTunes. This app is to be used during natural disasters or tragedies in order to let your family/friends know that you are safe. It allows the user to press a single button to email or make a facebook status so nobody has to worry. This app was created after a powerful storm hit the biggest music festival in Belgium. The phone lines became overloaded and nobody could reach their families. This inspired the creation of this app, which happened in only 24 hours.

 



I enjoyed browsing through Joris Hens's "Goodbytes" website because all of his work has practical uses and is attractive at the same time. I also enjoyed how easy it was to navigate through his site, which also has an attractive style.

I feel as if Joris definitely has potential to make more useful and practical apps for iTunes. His designs are simple, yet attractive which makes navigation very easy.

Project 3 Progress

Todd Forsgren Artist Talk

  



I attended the artist talk held by Todd Forsgren, the current photography teacher at St. Mary's, on the 22nd of October 2013. Todd Forsgren was born and raised in Ohio and went on to receive an undergraduate degree in biology from Bowdoin College in Maine. After taking a research job in Australia, Todd realized that he'd much rather make art focused on nature than research it. Forsgren then went on to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, from which he gained his post-bachelor's degree. Forsgren also attended a University in the Czech Republic from which he received his Master's degree. Todd Forsgren has taught photography courses in several schools including the Maryland Institute for the Creative Arts, Anne Arundel Community College, and of course St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Todd Forsgren's work started with very nature-oriented pieces. Forsgren mentioned that during his time in Australia, he would go on nature walks which inspired him to take his early landscape photographs.

Once he returned to the states to continue attending school for Fine  Arts, his work shifted to being focused on areas within cities that had some kind of natural aspect. As he attended Bowdoin College in Boston, Forsgren shot the series of the Fenway Victory Garden photographs.

Some of Forsgren's most recent work focuses on several different species of birds, such as Toucans, Warblers, and Hummingbirds. These photographs feature one bird that appears to be caught in a net. Forsgren informed the audience that these birds were caught using a harmless ornithological research technique, which he learned by watching scientists.

Overall, I found Todd Forsgren's biography and work quite interesting. Being a biology major/art minor I could definitely relate to Todd's photographs. I am also very interested in photography and this artist talk made me feel as if I can continue to do photography along with biological research. My favorite pieces that Forsgren did include the ornithological pieces and Lunar Landscape, pictured below.



I thought that the ornithological pieces were very visually interesting because there isn't really anything in the background of the pictures that distract from the actual bird. This allows the viewer to really see every part of the bird: the texture of its feathers, its vibrant colors, and its unique position in the net. I also really enjoyed the Lunar Landscape because it is very visually intriguing, especially with the technique that was used to make it. Forsgren talked about how ambrotypes (the technique used for Lunar Landscape) are very difficult to do because of the chemicals and the amount of precision that is involved. I enjoyed his use of the vintage technique and I thought it contributed to the mood and tone of the picture.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this Artist Talk because I liked how Forsgren incorporates the natural world in almost all of his pieces. 

Final Vector Portrait

Identify Yourself

Identify Yourself, by Krystal South discusses how greatly the internet impacts our everyday lives and even our identity. This web page was organized in a very confusing way. I found myself reading one section and then having to jump to another section because the columns moved in opposite directions. What I took away from this reading is that the internet is permanently intertwined in our lives and it makes us act differently than we would "in real life." Krystal talks about how the internet causes us to reveal information about ourselves to people we've never met, yet we wouldn't reveal that information to someone we actually do know. Also, she discusses how the internet allows us to alter our identities and become things that we are not. Overall, I do agree with this article, however I don't think people need to worry about it as much as this article suggests because there is really nothing we can do about the internet being a part of our lives.

I decided to analyze the section "To Chat." This section focused on how talking to people on the internet is quite different than talking to people face-to-face. First, on the internet, you cannot tell the exact tone of the conversation you are having with the other person because you can't see facial expressions. Also, conversations that happen over the internet can go on for weeks about the same subject with the same person. Face-to-face, conversations are usually over with in one sitting. I think that having a conversation over the internet (or text messaging) is very different than having one face-to-face because it allows you to pause, for a good while, in order for you to think about what to say next. Face-to-face, you may say things that don't come out right, or you may say things to quickly. Talking to people over the internet allows you to take much more control over the conversation.

Overall, I feel as if this article just pointed out things about technology that we don't really think about in everyday life. It is very interesting to read something like this article because you become aware of just how important the internet, or any form of technology is in your everyday life. While I was reading this article, I thought of how different classes would be without technology. How would we communicate with teachers outside of classes? How would we write our blog posts for homework? How would we even have a digital media art class? Technology obviously plays a very important role in everyone's lives.