Praystation 3 - The latest from Joshua Davis
September 28, 2001 11:05 PM Subscribe
Praystation 3 - The latest from Joshua Davis I'm sure many of you are familiar with praystation.com and its stunning use of flash and/or imagery. Check out his new release.
Okay, it's cool- but it's also pointless. I've never been fond of these experimental websites, where it's completely non-verbal and unstructured. Lots of links, all over the place, none of which seem to do anything but variations on the theme of "it's ka-razy!". I guess I can see the value in an abstract sense- it's a new form to work in- but for the most part I've yet to see one that actually makes me say "Wow!"
posted by hincandenza at 11:24 PM on September 28, 2001
posted by hincandenza at 11:24 PM on September 28, 2001
stunning in that it stuns my computer to an immobile state with its, uh, imagery? now, I like flash and all, and I'll even click "low quality" and sit and be patient, but... what am I waiting for, exactly? and my computer isn't ancient, either. this must be for the design elite. it needs a disclaimer (warning!: no content).
posted by kevspace at 11:34 PM on September 28, 2001
posted by kevspace at 11:34 PM on September 28, 2001
Its pointless, yet cool. Not everything needs to have a point to it.
It definately didn't take more than 3 seconds to load on my PC, not sure what the problem is on your end, kevspace.
posted by howa2396 at 11:39 PM on September 28, 2001
It definately didn't take more than 3 seconds to load on my PC, not sure what the problem is on your end, kevspace.
posted by howa2396 at 11:39 PM on September 28, 2001
Ah, zz... indeed, indeed. Praystation is just one of the many egotistical sites in the design community's circle jerk.
posted by Aikido at 11:43 PM on September 28, 2001
posted by Aikido at 11:43 PM on September 28, 2001
*scratches head* Alright then. I'm the first to admit that not everything needs a point, and I'm glad that sites like this are around. I'm just frustrated I can't get it to do anything but slooowly pulsate a transparent map with illegible pixels near it. I've got the latest versions of, well, everything, but no dice. Can somebody explain to me exactly what I am supposed to be doing, or seeing? You know, what kind of "pointlessness" am I missing out on?
posted by kevspace at 11:44 PM on September 28, 2001
posted by kevspace at 11:44 PM on September 28, 2001
Man, you guys are ruthless. I'm also not always crazy for pointless (debatable) flash pieces. But this stuff looks damn good. I particularly liked the weather map setup.
You're just jealous you didn't think up the 'Osama/Bush AIM chat'.
posted by jessie at 12:14 AM on September 29, 2001
You're just jealous you didn't think up the 'Osama/Bush AIM chat'.
posted by jessie at 12:14 AM on September 29, 2001
I thought it was 100% awesome.
you definitely need the sound on, it's 60% audio.
posted by chaz at 12:41 AM on September 29, 2001
you definitely need the sound on, it's 60% audio.
posted by chaz at 12:41 AM on September 29, 2001
man, i really hate pointless paintings. if they don't have a narrative, fuck 'em. yeah. i also hate sculptures that don't convey useful information. another thing i hate is when music doesn't tell me how to buy a new car. i hate that shit. also, if television isn't a continuous loop of buildings exploding with someone talking about killing arabs, i hate that. it's so egotistical and a wankfest circlejerk linkwhore when things don't fit into what i expect them to be. i hate that shit. fuck that. i thought the web was for buying books. also, i hate when products are priced such that not everyone can purchase them. that sucks. you know what else i hate? let me tell you what i hate. people who make things! how egotistical! they should be spending their time voicing opinions and saying what sucks!
I SWEAR TO GOD I'M NOT DRUNK.
posted by chrisege at 1:41 AM on September 29, 2001
I SWEAR TO GOD I'M NOT DRUNK.
posted by chrisege at 1:41 AM on September 29, 2001
Damn right, chrisege. Praystation should also be louder and have access to a time machine.
Seriously, though: Yes, Praystation is art for art's sake. Pretty much always has been (except for Davis' frequent Flash how-to pieces). And when looked at as pure art, it's pretty gosh-darn nice.
posted by toddshot at 2:42 AM on September 29, 2001
Seriously, though: Yes, Praystation is art for art's sake. Pretty much always has been (except for Davis' frequent Flash how-to pieces). And when looked at as pure art, it's pretty gosh-darn nice.
posted by toddshot at 2:42 AM on September 29, 2001
i dunno... ive always liked joshua's stuff... its nice to look at and the sound is always top o noch... yeah some of its pointless... but i've always enjoyed looking at it and the idea of what it could do that pop up... ive found it inspirational in that way like wouldnt it be cool if something looked like this then did this... you know? i used to post on www.dreamless.com a lot... i enjoyed that as well... its just somthing nice to experience once in a while...
posted by boxx at 2:47 AM on September 29, 2001
posted by boxx at 2:47 AM on September 29, 2001
What have any of you people made today? What did you create?
posted by jackiemcghee at 2:53 AM on September 29, 2001
posted by jackiemcghee at 2:53 AM on September 29, 2001
Always one to hop on the "circle jerk" bandwagon, I'm afraid I'm going to have to avoid it this time.
The web is a wonderful medium for artistic expression, and Joshua Davis expresses himself extremely well through it. Still, I believe there are better Flash artists out there. As far as sound design goes, however, he's top notch.
Oh, and I feel the need to mention that I liked the last version of Praystation LOTS better - his tutorials taught me much about the wild world of ActionScript.
posted by aladfar at 6:09 AM on September 29, 2001
The web is a wonderful medium for artistic expression, and Joshua Davis expresses himself extremely well through it. Still, I believe there are better Flash artists out there. As far as sound design goes, however, he's top notch.
Oh, and I feel the need to mention that I liked the last version of Praystation LOTS better - his tutorials taught me much about the wild world of ActionScript.
posted by aladfar at 6:09 AM on September 29, 2001
Once Upon A Forest now points to praystation.com, too. Hmmm.
posted by mrbula at 8:47 AM on September 29, 2001
posted by mrbula at 8:47 AM on September 29, 2001
I thought a lot of those pieces were from Once Upon A Forest.
Anyway, put me down on the who-cares-if-it's-pointless,-it's-magically-delicious side. Joshua Davis makes pretty things. It doesn't need to accomplish anything, it's play at its very best. (And I say this as someone who frequently browses in Lynx for efficiency.)
posted by moss at 9:42 AM on September 29, 2001
Anyway, put me down on the who-cares-if-it's-pointless,-it's-magically-delicious side. Joshua Davis makes pretty things. It doesn't need to accomplish anything, it's play at its very best. (And I say this as someone who frequently browses in Lynx for efficiency.)
posted by moss at 9:42 AM on September 29, 2001
whatever you think about the art of the site, the man has created lots of neat interactive stuff with flash and given out the .fla files for free. really comendable.
posted by destro at 9:51 AM on September 29, 2001
posted by destro at 9:51 AM on September 29, 2001
Dreamless.org also points to Praystation.
I wouldn't go as far as calling it "art", but it is, like moss said, play. It's visually and aurally interesting, enjoy it for what it is - not for what it isn't.
posted by mkn at 12:09 PM on September 29, 2001
I wouldn't go as far as calling it "art", but it is, like moss said, play. It's visually and aurally interesting, enjoy it for what it is - not for what it isn't.
posted by mkn at 12:09 PM on September 29, 2001
I liked the last version of Praystation LOTS better - his tutorials taught me much
yeah, me too.
Stunning...pointless.
point...
Praystation is art for art's sake...
whatever you think about the art ...
wouldn't go as far as calling it "art"...
i wish people would stop telling me what art is.
posted by elle at 2:35 PM on September 29, 2001
yeah, me too.
Stunning...pointless.
point...
Praystation is art for art's sake...
whatever you think about the art ...
wouldn't go as far as calling it "art"...
i wish people would stop telling me what art is.
posted by elle at 2:35 PM on September 29, 2001
i wish people would stop telling me what art is.
(elle)
Though the telling itself is a (minor) art of sorts, c.f. all those conceptualists who are unable to let their work speak(do something, "speak" is quite obnoxious, come to think of it)for themselves.
Descriptors, prescriptors and decryptors, not to mention other art-criticism velociraptors, are just not the same.
elle a raison.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:16 PM on September 29, 2001
(elle)
Though the telling itself is a (minor) art of sorts, c.f. all those conceptualists who are unable to let their work speak(do something, "speak" is quite obnoxious, come to think of it)for themselves.
Descriptors, prescriptors and decryptors, not to mention other art-criticism velociraptors, are just not the same.
elle a raison.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:16 PM on September 29, 2001
In defense of Josh Davis:
Since I joined Dreamless a year ago, I grew to know and appreciate Josh Davis and his work, especially since he taught himself how to code and create these pieces.
If you hadn't already known, Josh is influenced by chaos theory, randomness and mathematics-- all of which is displayed in his work. Even if his stuff doesn't "mean" anything, it's merely an exploration as to what new visions and interpretations can occur through a few simple mathematical concepts.
The work that he does that makes a little more sense is the commercial work for Kioken, but Praystation will always be his creative outlet. I could only wish I had the imagination and fortuity that Josh has.
He's also great at breakdancing, which cannot be said of many other programmers.
posted by Down10 at 6:48 PM on September 30, 2001
Since I joined Dreamless a year ago, I grew to know and appreciate Josh Davis and his work, especially since he taught himself how to code and create these pieces.
If you hadn't already known, Josh is influenced by chaos theory, randomness and mathematics-- all of which is displayed in his work. Even if his stuff doesn't "mean" anything, it's merely an exploration as to what new visions and interpretations can occur through a few simple mathematical concepts.
The work that he does that makes a little more sense is the commercial work for Kioken, but Praystation will always be his creative outlet. I could only wish I had the imagination and fortuity that Josh has.
He's also great at breakdancing, which cannot be said of many other programmers.
posted by Down10 at 6:48 PM on September 30, 2001
yugop.com is another PBP (pretty but pointless) flash site. Better than Praystation, IMHO. My favourite is 03: Industrious Clock (unable to link directly, soz)
posted by garyh at 5:44 AM on October 3, 2001
posted by garyh at 5:44 AM on October 3, 2001
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Aikido at 11:21 PM on September 28, 2001