Ethan Dorer

Xiaohong Zhang's art acts as a conversation between eastern and western mediums and subjects. As McLuhan states, "The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village" and I feel this global approach to art is reflected in Zhang's use of both eastern and western influences. This fusion is best exemplified through Zhang's landscapes. While these works are reminiscent of traditional Chinese landscape paintings, Zhang replaces the trees of the landscape with construction cranes as a way to show the western influence on both her art as well as the landscape of China. In addition to this, she uses her art to provide commentary on the many environmental issues stemming from human expansion such as deforestation. Zhang also presents this same subject matter in a more modern medium by creating landscapes populated by cranes in the 3D environment of Maya. Here she contrasts the old medium of painting with the new medium of 3D modeling by ...

I'm Ethan Dorer, a Film Studies and English major. While I express myself primarily through my work with film I do enjoy photography and drawing as well. I've found that certain subjects lend them selves better to being captured by moving rather than still images and vice-versa. I love the ability of film to shape the reality around me whether that be through editing or the composition of my shots. Many of my films emphasize the beautiful details in ordinary objects. I enjoy being in nature and much of my work features either natural subjects or their interaction with man-made structures. As McLuhan said  "The extension of any one sense alters the way we think and act--the way we perceive the world". The film camera extends the reach of the eyes, ears, and the mind due to its ability to capture moments in time. This in conjunction with the information sharing capability of the internet give us an almost unlimited ability to perceive our world. As a filmmaker ...