JULIA HILDEBRAND'S BOOK — AERIAL PLAY— IS PUBLISHED

Aerial Play explores recreational uses of consumer drones from the lenses of media ecology, mobile communication, mobilities research, and science and technology studies. In this provocative ethnography, Julia M. Hildebrand discusses camera drones as mobile media for meaningful play. She thus widens perspectives onto the flying camera as foremost unmanned aircraft, spying tool, or dangerous toy towards a more comprehensive understanding of its potentials.

How should we situate drone practices in recreational spaces? What ways of seeing, moving, and being do hobby drones open up? Across chapters about drone geography, communication, mobility, visuality, and human-machine relations, Aerial Play introduces novel frameworks for drone affordances, such as communication on the fly, disembodied mobilities, auratic vertical play, and drone-mindedness.

In the mobile companionship with her own drone, Hildebrand contributes an innovative “auto-technographic” method for the self-reflective study of media and mobility. Ultimately, her grounded and aerial fieldwork illuminates new technological, mobile, visual, and social relations in everyday spaces.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-2195-6

CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DESTINY'S "MEDIA(S)CENE" PROJECT WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Julia Hildebrand and Barry Vacker were awarded "The John Culkin Award for Outstanding Praxis in the Field of Media Ecology" as creators for Hot and Cool in the Media(s)cene: A McLuhan-Style Art and Theory Project. The international award is presented annually by the Media Ecology Association. The mixed media installation will in Toronto (June 27-30). Much thanks to CMAD associate Brooke Storms for assistance with the original graphic design image and the VOID dress. Brooke is on the right.

JULIA HILDEBRAND WINS TOP PAPER AND DISSSERTATION

Julia Hildebrand was selected by the University-wide Graduate Student Excellence Awards Committee, on behalf of the Graduate College, as a recipient of this year’s Outstanding Dissertation at Drexel University in Philadalphia.Her dissertation combined media theory with the emerging technology of drones.

 

Together with Nicholas Grodsky and Ernest Hakanen, Julia Hildebrand received The Walter Benjamin Award for Outstanding Article in the Field of Media Ecology for “Screens as Human and non-human artefacts: Expanding the McLuhans’ Tetrad” 

Julia (second from left) with her dissertation committee after defending her dissertation.

BARRY VACKER INTERVIEWED IN 2001 DOCUMENTARY

Barry Vacker was interviewed for Public Radio International's Studio 360 documentary about 2001: A Space Odyssey, the 1968 film masterpiece. Others in Part Two of the documentary include Christopher Nolan (director of Interstellar), Keir Dullea (astronaut Dave in 2001), Douglas Trumbull (special effects wizard for 2001), Tom Hanks, poet laureate Tracy K. Smith, and land artist James Turrell.

JARICE HANSON INTERVIEWED IN 2001 DOCUMENTARY

CMAD board member Jarice Hanson was interviewed for Public Radio International's Studio 360 documentary about 2001: A Space Odyssey, the 1968 film masterpiece. Others in Part One of the documentary include Keir Dullea (Dave in 2001), Douglas Trumbull (special effects wizard for 2001), Tom Hanks, 2001 scholars Michael Benson and Piers Bizony. 

BARRY VACKER QUOTED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

Barry Vacker's cultural critique was cited in the New York Times, in the Style Section no less. Seems the Times agrees with Barry that Ancient Aliens is a new religion. Apparently it takes the emergence of a new religion to get the media to cite Barry's critique. Click here to read the article.

BARRY VACKER INTERVIEWED BY PBS NEWSHOUR

Barry Vacker was interviewed by PBS Newshour regarding the 50th anniversary of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the greatest and most philosophical space film of all-time. Here is the link. 

ABBY MOORE INTERVIEWED FOR "DAY AFTER READING" ART/MEDIA PROJECT

Abby Moore was interviewed by Ludovic Balland (renowned Swiss graphic designer) and Dasha Lisitsina (his project associate from London) for their art/media/news project: "Day After Reading." Click here to read interview.

Barry Vacker interviewed for "Day After Reading" art/media project.

Barry Vacker was interviewed by Ludovic Balland (renowned Swiss graphic designer) and Dasha Lisitsina (his project associate from London) for their art/media/news project: "Day After Reading." Note: There are a few typos to correct, including the sentence about the Hubble. It should read: "... the Hubble Space Telescope looks across one hundred billion light years of space and time..." Click here to read interview.

Barry Vacker and the "Cosmic Evolution of Selfies"

Barry Vacker was featured in a short video produced by the Temple University Alumni Association. The mind-expanding video is entitled "The Cosmic Evolution of Selfies" and was produced by Lynn Gefsky and Justin Gallagher as part of the "Temple Perspectives in 60 Seconds" series. 

The glowing blue dot below Saturn's rings is the latest Earth selfie, taken by the Cassini Space Probe in 2014. The distance is about 900 million miles from Earth. The photo was possible because the Cassini was behind Saturn in relation to the sun, thus effecting a Saturn solar eclipse.

Click on image to view video.