J. S. Bach
'Video artist Downey uses dramatic special effects to examine the life and works of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Shot mostly in the wintery East German towns where Bach lived and worked, this layered, impressionistic video portrait of the composer reconstructs a path through Bach's eighteenth-century life and the source of his musical inspiration.' The piece is divided into three sections -Death, Flashback, and Counterpoint. Text by Nobel Peace Prize winner and Bach biographer Albert Schweitz
Darkness of My Language
"A video poem on colonialism, 'Darkness of My Language' reveals how this system defines personal identities and perpetuates cultural ignorance. Produced in Canada by Brazilian Silvana Afram, the program is both documentary in nature as well as subjective in tone. While the soundtrack is composed of tourists' exasperating questions, the images evoke the artist" distance from home." In black and white, closeups of faces are accompanied by voiceover attempts to respond to questions about Brazilian
Trisha and Carmen
Burt Barr looks at the performance of 'Carmen' by Trisha Brown at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy Scenes include details of the ornate theater, both empty and with the audience stirring in their seats before the performance. Backstage, Trisha Brown speaks directly to the camera and prepares for the show with a makeup artist. In rehearsal clothes, a duet is shown over and over again. A woman treads her way across the space to her male partner, who slowly lowers her to the ground. This sa
Son of Sam and Delilah
'Son of Sam and Delilah,' 1991, featuring two drag queens named Hapi and Sunny, was created by video artist Charles Atlas as a response to both sorrow over AIDS-related deaths and increasing urban violence.
Sabda
"Sabda" is a eulogy to the North Indian poet Kabir and other Indian mystics. The title refers to 'the word,' the original sound of existence. Excerpts from poems are interwoven with a continuous flow of images and sounds of daily life situations in India.
The Indian landscape is revealed through pictures of workers harvesting wheat, a full moon visible between two trees, and wildlife in their natural habitats. Scenes showing street life and details of temples and spiritual icons depict elements
Freefall
At the opening of 'Freefall,' Gaby Agis is seen getting dressed in Western-influenced clothing. She runs through alleyways and streets. Meanwhile, on neighboring rooftops, women are dancing together across vast spaces. Agis eventually makes her way to one of these rooftops. In the second section, Agis and another woman are partnering together against a wall of aluminum siding. They bounce off one another and the wall. Following this, Agis makes her way into an area filled with lush vegetation. H
Dance of Darkness
Edin Velez's study of Butoh includes archival footage of early Butoh pioneer Tatsumi Hijikata, who is credited as the form's originator. Kazuo Ohno, another early Butoh performer, is shown performing his famous 'Admiring La Argentina,' and other works. Other companies whose works are shown include Akaji Mori's Dai Rakuda Kan, Isamu Ohsuga's Byakko Sha, and Yoko Ashikawa's Hakutoboh. These examples reveal the depth and diversity of Butoh as it has evolved. Many of these dancers worked directly wi
Stable Isotopes
This site features a lecture about isotope fractionation from a geochemistry course offered by Dr. Scott Wood at the University of Idaho. Topics include isotopic fractionation and the fundamental reasons for its occurrence, the notation used in measuring and reporting stable isotope fractionation, isotopic variations of meteoric waters with respect to latitude and altitude, the use of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes as tracers of the origin of waters, the use of stable isotopes as geothermometers,
Weather and Climate
This site features visual resources and supporting data that illustrate the relationship between weather and climate. Resources are divided by topic including climate resources, weather forecasting, warnings and data, and evidence for global warming. Visualizations and data sets include GIS-based animated maps, static maps, simple animations, and links to real-time stream gauge data. This site provides an array of visual resources that help demonstrate the difference between weather and climate
Bryce Canyon National Park: Hoodoos Cast Their Spell
looks at the history of this area in Utah known for its hoodoos -- limestones, sandstones, and mudstones that have been carved by erosion into spectacular spires, fins, and pinnacles.
Waterfall Formation and Nick Point Migration
This site provides a variety of visual resources about waterfalls. Flash animations show how waterfalls, plunge pools and gorges are created by the erosion of underlying rock by flowing water. A QuickTime movie gives examples of large-scale waterfalls from around the world, and an interactive diagram illustrates how falling water is used to generate hydroelectric power. These resources are suitable for integration into lectures, labs, or other activities.
Sequence Stratigraphy
This site provides visual resources and supporting material about the study of sequence stratigraphy. Resources accessible from this site include informational text, images, animations and short videos which can be integrated into lectures, labs or other activities.
Phase Diagrams
This site is a set of lecture notes from a petrology class by Dr. Susan DeBari at Western Washington University. The lectures explain the process of mineral crystallization and phase relationships as a function of temperature and pressure. Topics covered include the phase rule, one-component systems (unary), two-component systems (binary), and three-component systems (ternary), as well as equilibrium crystallization, equilibrium melting, fractional crystallization, and fractional melting. Diagra
Underneath the Mountains
These lecture notes discuss the role of buoyancy, flexure, and erosion in the earth's topography and the lifetime of mountain ranges. It recalls Pascal's law that pressure of a material overlying a fluid is equal everywhere at a given depth and Archimedes' principle that a body in a fluid is buoyed up with a force equal to the weight (mass x volume) of the displaced fluid. Continents are buoyant crust floating on denser mantle, so a 4 km high mountain range must have a 20 km deep root. According
Tsunami Visualizations
This collection provides a wide array of visual resources and supporting material about the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Visualizations include simple animations, satellite photographs, Quicktime animations and tsunami models. The collection also contains visualizations related to other historical tsunamis and additional resources (beyond visualizations) about tsunamis. Resources can be incorporated into lectures, labs, or other activities.
Teaching About the Ocean System Using New Research Techniques: Data, Models and Visualization
This web collection from the "On the Cutting Edge" workshop series will help undergraduate faculty and students use a new approach to teaching and learning oceanography. The site features the use of models, datasets and visualizations in teaching. The site features a collection of data-rich resources, example teaching activities and visualizations that illustrate oceanography topics. Materials from the 2005 workshop on teaching oceanography are also included.
Maritime History of Massachusetts
This is is a travel itinerary highlighting 89 historic places that tell the story of Massachusetts' relationship with the sea. Read essays about lighthouses and lifesaving stations, ships and shipbuilding, the U.S. Navy, and maritime commerce.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Documenting the Uncharted Northwest
recounts the expedition's crossing of the Lemhi Pass and Lolo Trail, and the time spent at Fort Clatsop near the Pacific Ocean. Although the Corps of Discovery did not realize its dream of finding a water route to the Pacific Ocean, the expedition overcame many obstacles and dangers to open the Northwest to the influence of the U.S., established relations with American Indian tribes, and gathered useful scientific documentation.
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site: Home of a Gilded Age Icon
Looks at this place in western New Hampshire where the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens established a summer home and studio (1885), conceived a host of projects, became the leader of an art colony, battled cancer, and was buried. It is a window on one aspect of the Gilded Age: the role of the artist.
The Frankish Building: A Reflection of the Success of Ontario, California
helps students gauge the impact of the Chaffey brothers and Charles Frankish on Ontario, California, and compare their efforts with those of similarly important figures in their own community's history.
