AAD250

Response to the Murals

 First, I want to introduce the two Murals. They are called Development of Arts, and Development of Science. Those two murals were painted by Albert and Arthur Runquist in 1937 as part of WPA art project. It is original in the East and West stairwells that connect the lobby of the library to the special collections and university archives. Now, we can found it in Knight Library.

Before this project, I did never notice it in the library. They are beautiful. What’s more, they have special meaning for University of Oregon. I think that these two murals stand for the value of us. Students, staff, faculty are learning and studying art and science in University of Oregon. Based on the history of art and science, we can do a goog job here, University of Oregon.

For the development of the arts. There is a tree in the middle. I think it is life tree. There are eight single picture in the tree, which stands for eight time of period. In each time of period, it described the process which human beings made. For example, the first picture, it described the earliest primitive period. It told us the earliest art, which were cave painting, shaping of earthenware, sewing.

For the development of the science. There is a tree in the middle. I think it is life tree too. There are eight single picture in the tree, which stands for eight time of period. In each time of period, it described the process which human beings made. For example, the first picture, it described the earliest primitive period. It told us the stone age, which describe fire-making, use of nature weapons.

For me, these two murals are beautiful, meaningful, and great. In school, I believe there should have some work of art to make connection between the culture and students.

In the following, I will talk about some issues raised in the reading and my experience. People have different idea about public art. When we mention the words “public art” and we will get a variety of responses, “from a nod of recognition from those who identify with America’s many public tributes to its ancestors and histories to a shrug of disinterest from those who feel neglected in the national’s cultural landscape” (Doss, p.1) According this, we can understand there are some people can not see the art, and do not know why art is important for us, and do not know what is public art. According the he article, public art can be a sculpture, mural, manhole cover, paving pattern, lighting, seating, building façade, kiosk, gate, fountain, play equipment, engraving, carving, fresco, mobile, collage, mosaic, bas-relief, tapestry, photography, drawing, or earthwork” (Doss, p. 2). We can see this definition is more board than we know. Public art can help the cities to improve. It can make the city more beautiful. Besides, it can build the identity of city. Why public art is that important. According to the reading, Miwon Kwon explained that “public art has been charged with generating ‘place-bound identity’ and lending a sense of distinction and authenticity to the nation’s ever more homogenous public spaces” (Doss, p. 5). Meanwhile, critics and historians such as Ronald Lee Fleming and Renata von Tscharner argue that the majority of “today’s built environments; shopping malls, airports, office parks, and housing developments are so similar that it is hard to distinguish one from the other” and “public art is seen as a solution to the problem of placelessness” (Doss, p. 5). I pretty agree with his ideas. When we travel to famous cities, we can always attracted by the work of art rather than shopping malls, airport, and other normal stuffs. Therefore, public art are important to build the culture of the city, and make the city more beautiful.

Doss, E. (2006, October). Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate. Retrieved from http://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/networks/pan/doss_controversy.pdf

1. Trend

2. Beautiful scenery

3. Beauty

4. Strange

5. Creative

6. Music

7. Long hair

8. Mountains

9. River

10. Color

 

What is creativity? I learned from my business teacher that mixing things together is creativity. This is a new idea which I did not learn before. When I was in China, teacher always tough that creativity need freedom, imagination. I think that put them together, and it will become more better. When we talk about remix culture, I think that some people may doubt that whether is it art or valuable. In the LED talk, the speaker, Lawrence Lessig think that Law kill the people’s creativity. He addresses the copy right issue. He thinks that take content from other people can change it, it will be new things. It is creativity.  Law should protect. According to my point of view, it really depends. I do believe that remix can make good things which are creativity, but we also need to respect to the original author. If you do not get permission from the original author, you should not change it, or you steal other people’s thing. For example, you stole your neighborhood’s car and change it, do you think it is your car? So I think even you want to remix others’ stuff, you should get permission. There is another issue, in the current world, it it pretty hard to people create new things because too much content in the Internet and media. Too much thing are protect by the law, and people can not change it. It limit people’s ability to create new things. I also do not know how to figure this questions. Do you have any ideas ?

 

 

Art, Games, and Technology Research

In the article, Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins, written Beverly Jones’, she basically talks about the origins in art and technology. I think that the thesis would be “Those who originate and use new forms of art and technology embed their assumptions in the new symbolic and material forms. As time passes the users develop familiarity and facility. New users bring additional assumptions and considerations of form, content, material, technique, meaning and purpose. However, some traces of the origins and practices remain in these forms, which consequently contribute to both cultural maintenance and change. Cultural patterns are affected in proportion to the spread in the use of these forms.” (p. 21)

Historically example

In the article, Jones explains there examples, one example is that artists had different degrees of access to technologies early. Artists do not have enough money to buy computers. In that time, computer was very very big, and required so much power to run. Besides, few people understand how to run a computer. In that time artist do not know how to use computers, so it is impossible for them to make art using computer. Besides, it need to have software to make it possible. In 1968, artists are more interest to use computers, because they get more access to computers, duo to the an international exhibition of computers in London. Later on, artists can use the computer to make any graphic which they want. And computers come into everyone’s home.

Current example

I think the current example is 3D printer. Originally, 3D printer was designed to build military part for national security.  Now, 3D printer begins to come into normal people’s home. And the price of 3D printer becomes affordable. Also more and more people begin to use 3D printer. For example, you can print the model designed by you or download on internet. 3D printer is amazing. It can help you make anything you want. It really works. If the technology develop more better, in the near future, you do not need to build things from the market. I believe you can make a car at home in the future. In the video, it talks about how 3D printer makes a tool, which can use. Though the original idea of 3D printer was only for one reason, now 3D printer has more function and use for more reasons.

 

Sources

Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8825sI0I6Yk

 

 

 

 

In the video, Jane talked about how online game can change this world. She uses World of Warcraft as an example. Millions people take billions time to play this game for 16 years. Game players always enjoy the world, and try to finish the tasks in the game. So why and how game can change or save the world ? In the video, she says that in the game, people do not need to worry about something they do want to face, and more focus on the tasks. Players collaborate in the game, and are very efficient. In the end, she introduce three games which developed by her team, to show how it help the world. For example, oil problems, environmental problems, and social problems. She says that the players will adapt their habits in the game in the real world. According to my point of view, I agree with that games can help or save the world. I’m a players, and play online game when I was very young, and spend more than 5000 hours in my life. I do believe that people who can success in the game have special ability, which may save the world. Many people may disagree with that, and they can not understand. So please play the game, and then you will know why those people are so talent. I also believe that in the game, people are more relax, they can think problem more clearly. I think this is a good topic to discuss. I hope that the online game can help people to save our world.

Source: Gaming can make a better world: Jane McGonigal on TED.com

How do you define “spirituality”?

In the dictionary, spirituality have four meanings. First, it means the quality or fact of being spiritual. Second, it means incorporeal or immaterial nature. Third, it means predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone. Forth, it means spiritualities. property or revenue of the church or of an ecclesiastic in his or her official capacity. According to my understanding, I think that spirituality means that a special feeling about the nature which inspired by something. Spirituality is hard to get, and also it is very unique character of some people. It will suddenly come to your heart, and it also will suddenly disappear. Spirituality will help people bring creative or crazy ideas. These ideas can help people create art of work.

Does spirituality differ from religion?

Spirituality does different from religion. Religion means that you believe something, which can change your though, lief, and so on. It really depends on what you believe. However, spirituality does not care about what you believe, it like a ability. I think the real difference is that religion was driven by self. However, spirituality is driven by nature. I think that you can have religion and still have spirituality. At som times, religion may help you to get spirituality. Sometimes, they have close meanings, because both religion and spirituality are vague. Those words are hard to explain.

How do you define “creativity”?

In the dictionary, the word, creativity means that the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations. It seems like everyone has the ability. However, it just like deeply seeing is different from looking. It seems easy, but it is actually hard. In the business class, our instructor said that creativity is just putting things together. However, on the artist aspect, only putting things together is not creativity. Creativity need spirituality to help. Someone may think that imagination can help people create things, but it actually was driven by spirituality.

What is the source of creativity?

At first, I think that spirituality is very important source of creativity. It give people tons of ideas. Besides, knowledge, environment, experience, feelings and imagination are also the source of creativity. For example, imagination, if people want to image, they can make many assumptions. As a result, they may create some good things. If you not to image, you will know nothing. Knowledge, sometimes, also help people to create. It help people think logically. It is close to apply the concept what you know. Feelings, when you feel sad, you always think too much. At that time, you may think something which you never think. It may give people special results.

What’s the difference between deeply seeing and just looking? In the essay, “Art as Spiritual Practice”, Oscar Wilde said that “things are because we see them, and what we see, and how we see it, depends on the Arts that have influenced us. To look at a thing is very different from seeing a thing. One does not see anything until one sees its beauty. Then, and then only, does it come into existence”(Grey, 71). I think that it means that only if you sees its beauty, you really does see. It is very hard to see its beauty, in depends on the spirituality. In the real life, most people did not see, because they did not understand the beauty of art.“seeing occurs when our attention is arrested by a person, object or scene. Our mind stops chattering and pays attention. We see both the shape of the thing and its meaning to us” (Grey, 72). So we need to pay attention to see a person, object or scene, and we may see the inside of the objective.Ernest W. Watson said that there is a vast difference between looking and seeing – a difference which is fundamental to the artist’s experience. Hence, so for a artist, spirituality is very important. If an artist can not have the spirituality, it means that he or she is blind. As Frederick Franck address with the same point about how important the spirituality to artist, “ no wonder that once the art of seeing is lost, meaning is lost, and all life seems ever more meaningless: “they know not what they do, for they do not see what they look at. Besides, different people may see things different. In the reading, it said that“Viewers interpret a work of art through the filter of their worldview, the knowledge and experience conditioning their mind” (Grey, 102). Hence, people who have different culture, life experience, may have different way to interpret a work of art. That’s why we need to learn the history, and have a better understanding the work of art.

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.

 

In this article, the author asks a question about why we love scary movies. At first, the author talked about how popular the scary movies are and what are these popular movie. And then, the author said that scary movie are nothing new, but films like those in the Saw and Hostel series have offered something different: they focus on the suspense of the chase and more on the suffering of the victim, leading some to dub them torture porn. After that, author raised a point that this kind of movie is not logical, so people like it. There are some other reasons which the author mentions in the article, the fear is real, morbid fascination, lingering effects and the torture trap.

 

In this article, the author said that Horror films have delighted audiences for over a century, from Georges Méliès’ terrifying depiction of the demon Mephistopheles in The House of the Devil (1896), to the feral children in Mama (2013). And then the author said that I have smooshed a child’s face before (on accident of course — kind of,) because he showed me a picture of Pennywise the Clown when I wasn’t expecting it. After that the author gives some example about the horror movies.

 

Sine, Richard (2014). Why We Love Scary Movies. Retrieved Feb 16th, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/why-we-love-scary-movies?page=3

 

Renee, V (2014). The Psychology Behind Why We Watch Horror Films. Retrieved Feb 16th, 2014, from http://nofilmschool.com/2013/10/psychology-behind-why-we-watch-horror-films/

 

 

I never watch horror movie because I am so afraid about the effects of the directors made. It always makes me cannot sleep. I do not think that I can view it as an aesthetic view. However, I have to watch this video to finish my homework.  In this episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an example of the use on dietetic sound is that when the women was making dream, a little girl was saying something. In the horror movie, every time little girl will be the sign of horrible things would happen. Every time the girl come to the movie, it will be very horrible. Little girl always say something which are very strange. I think that it definitely contribute to the aesthetic of horror for the video. An example of the use non-dietetic sound is the background music played when large clock is shown. It was very terrible music, and always makes people feel nerves. The reason why I pick this is because it makes me feel nerves. I think that it definitely contribute to the aesthetic of horror for the video. An example of use mise-en-scene is that when Riley and his friend were in the elevator. Such an airtight space also makes people feel nerves. I think that it definitely contribute to the aesthetic of horror for the video. I can not too say too much about the movie. I always think about the sense, which will make me nerves. I do not think that this topic is fit for me. I hope I can have a good dream in the night. I always think about too much which make me cannot sleep.

 

Whedon, Josh (Writer), & Whedon, Josh (Director). (Dec 14, 1999). Hush [Television series episode]. Mutant Enemy Productions (producer), Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Los Angeles, CA: Warner Bros Studio.

I am a person who do not care about what I dress. The most important issues for me is comfortable. I usually take very short time to dress, and do not take time to dress up. I just want to dress comfortable. I think that it caused by my parents. They usually just call me to get up, and then I do not have much time to dress, so I just wear any kind of cloth which I can dress. But I did notice that when I grow up, my dress also changed. When I was a child, I usually just dress the cloth which bought by my parents, and I never bought any cloth for myself. Now, I am twenty-four years old, and still dress the cloth bought by my parents, but I have my personal preference. I want to dress cloth which are fit for old people. I like cloth which have good quality, and good social goodwill.

 

In school, I want to dress normally, and did not want to flaunt. Sometimes, I intentionally to wear old cloth, and try to wear at will. Besides, I do not like to wear luxury goods, such as LV, D&g, and other fashion brand. I think that these kind of brands are so flaunt and it does not suit my personal character. Those kind of cloth are not good for our age. Young people wear that of cloth which are strange for me.  I like to wear like Nike, CK, Gap brand cloth because I think those kind of brand has good quality and not bad design, and fit most situation. Besides,  I want to dress cloth comfortable and naturally. For the color, I like to wear grey, black, dark blue cloth. I think this kind of color is fit for me. I do not want to dress attractive, and do not want to get attention. There are some reasons that why I want to dress like that. First, I do not want to dress cloth which is not comfortable. Second, Comfortable is more important than good look for me. Third, I think that I more care about my interest rather than others. Forth, I usually do not care about other people’s idea about which I dress.

 

The dress choice changed when I grow up. When I was young, I totally only care about comfortable. Now, I changed my dress way a little bit. Now, I take more time to dress up, and care about what I dress, and think about other people’s attitude. I think that it is because of my value changed. I noticed that it is important to wear good, and this is respect for others. When I was young, I do not need to care about other. But right now, I need to care about it.

 

In my family, my mother want to dress expensive cloth. My mon believe that expensive cloth means good quality and good design. This is ridiculous for me, and I usually want her to save money and try to buy thing for her in america to save money. However, she did not like so fashion cloth. Usually, she also like traditional cloth. I think that she just want to show that she is different from others, want other people to understand that she is success or to be respected.My dad want to dress traditional business cloth. But, recently, he also want to buy luxury good, but by his attitude, he usually want to dress cloth which is official, traditional, and hidebound.My family did not have body customization. My mom got ears pierced, but she usually did not wear earrings. When they were young, they also do not care about what kind of cloth they wear. In that period of time, our family was very poor, so they do not have the money to buy good cloth.

 

In my peer community, different people have different idea about what to wear. Some people pursue  cloth which are very expensive, and very care about the brand and design. Some people pursue cloth which are very care about the design rather than the brand.Some people want to wear comfortable cloth just like me. People want to attract other people’ attention, usually very vare about what they wear. People do not want to attract other people’ attention, usually do not care about what they wear. Besides, people wear disgend cloth, usually care about their hairs, usually tale a lot of time to take care of.

In conclude, My personal presence is influenced by my family. Our family like to want cloth which are traditional, and good quality. Comfortable is most important key for our dressing,