Day one is in the books! (No pun intended)

Well, I survived the 1st day back at FSU. Truth be told, it was actually an easy day with just one class. Parking was much as I expected, not easy, but I did get lucky and found a spot. My first class was Digital & Photo Imaging. I am really excited about this class. While I have a good deal of photography experience,  I am pretty green when it comes to Photoshop and digital imaging. I have shot a lot with a Digital SLR but as far as processing and printing from digital, I've not done much. In this class we will actually shoot film and scan it. I am expecting to learn quite a bit.

The class itself was pretty small, with only about 8 students in it. The classroom is pretty high tech and the HUGE Macs are so lovely! We really did not do much other than go over the syllabus and then watch the incredibly fascinating film, Exit Through the Gift Shop. While I am familiar with the street art of Banksy and Shepard Fairey, I had not heard of this documentary, or the rise of Thierry Guetta and his alter-ego street artist MBW.

For those not familiar with the film, it tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant living in Los Angeles who befriends many of the most famous street artists and convinces them to let him film them for a documentary he is making. This goes on for a considerable amount of time and culminates with Thierry meeting the elusive and secretive Banksy. Banksy brings him into his world and gives him unparalleled access to his work. When Banksy finally realizes that Guetta is not a filmmaker, he decides to make his own film, in which Guetta becomes the main subject. Guetta goes on to become MBW and hosts a huge show of "his own art" and sells over 1 million dollars of art from the gallery show. It's a fascinating film.

Tonight, while I was telling the boys about the film and looking at the art of Banksy online, we found some articles questioning whether the film was real and not some elaborate hoax. Some people even suggested that Banksy and Guetta are actually the same person. Regardless, the film works on either level as it questions what  the value of art is. When Banksy described the film in an interview he said "this is watching an art form self-combust in front of you." Definitely a film to watch if you have an interest in street art or art in general.

Well, tomorrow is a busy day. Four classes, including one with my daughter! It should be fun. More tomorrow.

-Scott