0 Uw ---p 8B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, March 18, 2004 Digital arts exhibition showcases 'U' talent The Michigan Daily - Weekend Ma g By Emily Liu Daily Arts Writer An interactive digital arts exhibi- tion will get underway tomorrow. Sync 04 features a range of art- work created with Sync 04 or in response to March 19 -30 digital media. Opening Night reception, March 20 The works 7-9p.m. include anima- Free tion, video, flat At the Duderstadt work, music and Center installation pieces that respond to the human element. The show will be held at the Media Union on North Campus, which celebrates its renaming cere- mony tomorrow as well. The Union is being commemorated as The James and Anne Duderstadt Center. "Certain themes pop up in all of the work, such as the contrast between reality and the digital realm. The use of digital media grants the artist such fine and delib- erate control over his message that the end result is poignant reflection on the world we live in," said Engi- neering senior Noah Zoschke, presi- dent of Entity, a digital arts coalition that is one of the organizations behind the show. An example of this underlying theme is Cranbrook Schools student Bradford Watson's "2x4x96," an ani- mation of a two-by-four being shaved off bit by bit. The undulating movement of the wood's rings, set on a stark white background, uses a digital realm to communicate the idea of life. "The wood is taken out of its natural context and turned into a source of digital animation. The tree comes alive again by viewing it in this manner," Zoschke explained. Another work is an interactive sound and video controller project, which is manipulated by joysticks and human interaction. The exhibi- tion also includes interactive work- stations, where the viewer can spend more time browsing through artwork at his own pace. One can step through images, watch animations, and listen to music, thus exploiting the power of the digital format. The exhibition's opening festivi- ties night on Saturday features musi- cal performances in the Video Studio by four local artists - Form- less Figures, Aneurysm, Kadence featuring Tenacity, and 000. A Detroit artist on the Planet-Mu label, 000 will open with live laptop elec- tronic grooves. Kadence and Tenaci- ty are two members of the Abolitionists, an Ann Arbor group specializing in philosophical socio- political hip-hop. Following is Aneurysm, a DJ whose setup con- sists of both old and new technolo- gies - computers, Atari joysticks, a power glove and a standard turntable. The headliner, Formless Figures, a group from Warren, melds together jazz, soulful hip-hop and electronic sounds with the use of live instrumentation, turntables, drum machines, other electronics, vocals and a veejay. Free food and drink will be provided, and anima- tion and video screenings will take place between performances. The annual exhibition, under a different name, in past years fea- tured international and higher-pro- file artists. This year's show, in contrast, focuses on students and local artists. Among them are LSA, Engineering and Art and Design stu- dents, Detroit College for Creative Studies students, Cranbrook stu- dents, and artists from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Detroit. "The greatest part about the show has been working with other groups and especially with other schools," Zoschke said. "Working with outside artists who have their own experi- ence handling artwork, combined with the University's facilities, gives the show a unique feel that it would- n't have if working with solely U of Photos courtesy of Mark Stock, David Anderson and Ronald Lusk Sync 04 artwork manipulates a digital medium to convey meaning in a distinctive way. M people." Entity, one of the organizations hosting Sync 04, is a digital arts coalition at the University that focuses on collaboration among artists. Zoschke said, "The fruits of (Entity's) project nights are actually in the art show as installation pieces. We discussed ideas in larger project nights, and once an idea was solidified, the people who were interested would work on it in their spare time." The sound and video controller project is one of these installation pieces arising from J Entity meetings. The University sponsors the group, providing mem- bers with equipment, public spaces and funding. Media hype glamorizes cosmetic surgery boom By Niamh Slevin Daily Weekend Editor Welcome to the youth of Ameri- ca's media experience. Popular magazines such as:Glamour and Cosmopolitan plaster images of idyllic beauties across their pages and help make the idea of cosmetic surgery more acceptable to its read- ers. TV shows like "The O.C." openly discuss the presence of cos- metic operations in the nation, par- ticularly for young patients. "Extreme Makeover" and MTV's "I Want a Famous Face" portray cos- metic surgery as an integral part of their participants' makeover ses- sions. With the plethora of makeover shows on television today, the con- cept of cosmetic surgery has become far less taboo. Less than a decade ago, celebrities were reluc- tant to admit they elected to have such operations, fearing viewers would consider them too vain. Jen- nifer Grey would not disclose that she had a nose job after "Dirty Dancing," but only a few years later, she guest starred on sitcoms mocking her long-concealed opera- tion. Michael Jackson continuously denied undergoing plastic surgery in the past; last year, he revealed that he did have minor work done on his face. The culture is chang- ing, and so is the media's coverage of it. However, an often overlooked aspect of the plastic surgery field is reconstructive surgery. William Kuzon, a professor in the plastic surgery section of the Med- ical School, says, "Plastic surgery is, by far, the most diverse of all the surgical specialties. We operate from the top of the head to the tip of the toe for people of all ages. We treat every conceivable kind of pathology (burns, hand trauma, malignancies, congenital malforma- tions, etc.)." Reconstructive surgery more often revolves around the restora- tion of an area of the body rather than an enhancement of it. Such operations are usually part of the treatment for a disease or trauma. For instance, burn victims can undergo a variety of reconstructive surgeries to repair skin damage from the trauma. Many women seek breast reduction surgeries to ease their discomfort and aid chronic back problems. As a result, this kind of work requires a great deal of knowledge, adaptability and skill from its surgeons. "Plastic surgeons consider them- selves to be the virtuoso perform- ers among surgeons. The old saying is 'Plastic surgery is general sur- gery done better,' " Kuzon explains. Despite the benefits of this field, media representation has been rela- tively low compared to its cosmetic counterpart. While stations like ,MTV and The Learning Channel also air programs addressing candi- See PLASTIC SURGERY, page 9B Join a UA with" awnF rarm" statf following the 7:00 show on Friday Benefit screening Thursday 3/25 for the Shelter Assn. of Washtenaw County RFRIDAY,0MARCH19 ONE WEEK ONLY! '. 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