AAD250

All too often, displays of art are often overlooked by the public eye, and I have come to the realization that works of art displayed on our university’s campus are no exception. I have enjoyed accepting the invitation to look at many works of art around campus, including the Runquist murals, throughout my participation in two Arts & Administration courses. I think it is a valuable ability to look at such an academic-driven place as a source of aesthetic beautifications, offering enhancements of civic beautification, improvement, and identity.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA), as negotiated by the New Deal’s Federal Art Project wished to support this movement of advancing the presence of art in public areas. In addition to this increased exposure, the movement also offered civic improvement by employing many impoverished artists, and it is truly great to be able to see an example of this movement within our campus limits. Improving civility by offering job opportunities to artists like these is a practical way of embracing different economic statuses and uniting all members of a society. As the murals in the Knight Library wish to “encourage ongoing dialogue and exploration” of many historic and present-day issues, their presence is improving the discussions of the public viewers (Maruska, 2013).

Not only does this open discussion serve to improve the society surrounding it, but it also provides an opportunity to enhance civic identity. These murals explore many “notions” from the 1930’s, as well as depictions of “figures and ideas about race and ethnicity” that were valid in the time of the murals’ creation, but may not be considered so accurate anymore (Maruska, 2013). The history of our society is particularly important to the identity that we all share today. Arthur and Albert Runquist explore the development of the realm of art in their piece “Development of the Arts,” which is found in the East stairwell. Within this piece are eight panels, each depicting a different era of artistic advancements – early and late primitive periods, Egyptian period, Greek period, Medieval period, the Renaissance, a period of campus development, and modern art period (Maruska, 2013). The panels include forms of art from cave paintings and pottery to the creation of the human figure and finally, the cinema and radio.

The second mural, “Development of the Sciences,” which is found in the West stairwell, also contains eight panels, reflecting similar time periods as the “Development of the Arts” mural. These panels depict scientific advancements of the following time periods: Stone Age, Iron Age, Early Egyptian, Greek Period, the Renaissance, the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, a period of campus development, and a modern period. While exploring the identity of this culture, the artists delineated different forms of scientific advancements, including fire-making and cultivation of foods to Newton’s law of gravity and finally, the gas engine and x-rays (Maruska, 2013). The compilation of these advancements has produced a society that can identify with dramatic scientific drive and intellect. So much of our research is centered on medicine, astronomy, and all other realms of science.

I think many can attest to the idea that placing a greater number of art pieces in publicly available places beautifies an area. Throughout this course, we have focused on defining what is and is not art, and one quality that has been consistent through all readings and other assignments is the quality of art to produce in viewers an aesthetic reaction. Again and again, we see this defining characteristic, and it certainly applies to the two Runquist murals. These two pieces have soft colors and shapes that are easy on the eye and act as a focal point for library-goers. The two murals present an aesthetically pleasing representation of the development of the arts and sciences – two subjects heavily emphasized at our university. In a building full of books, desks, and often times, long faces, the Runquist murals beautify the area and transform it into something more pleasant.

 

Maruska, B. (2013). A Response to the Runquist Murals.  http://blogs.uoregon.edu/runquistmurals/. March 15, 2014.

Here, is a representation of the qualities and values of an artist. Included in my collage are pictures of the following characteristics:

• Individual
• Creative
• Imaginative
• Playful
• Perspective
• Innovative
• Experimental
• Original
• Inspiration
• Representative

This list is unique to my own opinions, and I made it to be special to me. I put in the time and efforts to determine which qualities and values I believe are representative of an artist. According to Dissanayake, because of these intentions, my work could be considered art. However special to me this list may be, I do not think it should be considered are. In contrast to Dissanayake, Grey describes art as having to create an aesthetic reaction, and I do not think my piece would necessarily create this for all viewers.

 

Dissanayake, Ellen. (1991). What is art for? In K.C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote addresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (p. 15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art; 1^st Edition. Boston & London: Shambhala.

Beverly Jones writes, “It is a premise of this paper that old cultural patterns do not die. They may fade or become more evident… Only as part of the general ‘nonexpert’ culture can such patterns contribute significantly to maintenance and/or change” (1990). Her piece has been written to bring to attention the idea that origins, especially those of computer graphics, have been present throughout the medium’s evolution and will continue to do so, but these origins are reinvented each time they are caught by the eye of a “nonexpert.” Jones provides several examples of this theory, one being the gerbil habitat created by MIT. These homes were “experimental computer-controlled environments” created by Professor Nicholas Negroponte. In his SEEK project, the purpose was to “problematize the role of computation in design,” while diminishing the roles of the creators (Vardouli, 2011). In a small box were a couple Mongolian desert gerbils and many small plexiglass blocks. Accompanying these little creatures was a robotic arm that would constantly rearrange the blocks and record the gerbils’ responses to the arrangements. Tracing of the gerbils’ behaviors allowed the machine to determine the “living preferences” of the animals.

In today’s culture, we have produced computer programs to reinvent the realm of hairstyling by allowing people to create a visual of themselves with a new hairdo. An example of this is utilized on the TLC show What Not To Wear, where clients are able to play around with new cuts and colors before actually committing to a style. In today’s society, hair has become a medium for art, where different textures, colors, depths, and styles have been applied and from where professions have been developed. The ability to use a computer to bridge the hairstyle with the human before actually receiving a haircut is a re-inventing of this art form. Programs like this are available on the Internet, and there have even been apps created specifically for this including, Hair MakeOver (Touch Apps 2011). This app appeals to its audience by stating that one can “try on” different hairstyles in less than a minute. For most of these programs, users must first upload a picture of themselves, and then computations are made to determine the outline of the face and to then apply a new hairstyle that fits the face.

 

Sources

Hair MakeOver (2011). Touch Apps. Touch Apps 2010. Retrieved from itunes.apple.com/us/app/hair-makeover-new-hairstyle. March 1, 2015.

Jones, Beverly (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins, Leonardo: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, p. 21-30.

Vardouli, Theodora (2011). Nicholas Negroponte: an interview. openArchitecture(s). October 27, 2011.

I can honestly say that I’ve never heard such positive opinions of video games, until I watched Jane McGonigal’s TED Talk. Her insight was very convincing and I admired her great confidence, but I was left with a few unanswered questions. Certainly, solving the world’s greatest problems through video games would be phenomenal, but what about all of the negative health risks associated with logging those numerous hours of gaming? Recently, there has been research done correlating video games with a high incidence of rickets. Not to mention the great number of other associated health issues, including carpal tunnel, mental health diseases, and cardiovascular difficulties.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2010/01/22/video-gaming-leads-to-surge-in-rickets-53005/. February 25, 2016

McGonigal, Jane (2010). Gaming can make a better world. TED Talk. Recorded at TED2010, February 2010. Long Beach, CA.

In my own personal opinion, spirituality takes on the role of captivating all internal motivators, and this set of qualities is unique to each individual. It is easy to associate spirituality with a specific religion or belief system, but I think straying away from this generalization is necessary in today’s world. Everyone has different beliefs and acts upon a different set of values, so having one definition of what makes up the spirit is not possible. Spirituality is what drives all humans to be the best they want to be. This is also unique to the individual and explains why people find pleasure and success in all different realms.

 

All humans have spirituality, but not all humans follow a set of religious beliefs, therefore spirituality must be different than religion. Additionally, I think that religion is something that must be taught and shared between people, but spirituality does not have to maintain these qualities. Rather, spirituality may be intrinsic and able to exist without requiring instruction. Likewise, spirituality is unique to every individual, whereas a religion is a shared set of common beliefs. That is not to say that two spiritualties cannot closely resemble one another, though.

 

Personally, I find that creativity and imagination go hand-in-hand. Creativity is taking what already exists, whether it is an abstract idea, a physical object, or a combination of the two, and reinventing it or seeing something new within it. People possess and practice different levels and intensities of creativity, but I do believe that everyone possesses some bit of creativity. In addition, people are also capable of practicing creativity in an infinite number of ways – some may choose the more traditional methods of painting or drawing, whereas others many exemplify their creative sides via dance or song.

 

As a science major, I find it difficult not to define the source of creativity as something other than a fine-tuned network of neuronal pathways within the brain. I think that creativity is a balance between nature and nurture, in terms of development, and I think this explains why people exhibit different creative capabilities. Creativity comes from within – it is an intrinsic trait – but extrinsic factors are able to influence and cultivate it. I do think that creativity comes from the brain but is heavily dependent on experiences involving the senses.

Upon first skimming the content for this week’s assignments, I assumed that the topic of “Creative Spirituality” was going to link art and religion, but while diving into the content, I realized that it was not so much related to religion. This was my first eye-opening experience for this week. After reading Grey’s article, I returned to a statement made in one of the first pages that seemed to hold great depth and it reads the following: “In order to see the object deeply, the viewer must first distinguish it from the field of many material objects, then, fixing the attention on that one thing, the viewer senses its rhythms and harmonies both formally and conceptually, leading to complex and subtle sensations of pleasure mixed with awe as the unique spiritual radiance of the art and its subject are appreciated” (p. 74). Although lengthy in words, I found this conglomeration of ideas to envelope this subject of “creative spirituality.” Earlier in the excerpt, Grey offers a quote from Oscar Wilde, commenting “One does not see anything until one sees its beauty” (p. 71). Immediately, I found myself asking, well what if it is not a beautiful object? Grey went on to answer my question by negotiating a category of “superficial” seeing, which is only significant in the realm of survival.

I also found it interesting that Grey, too, touched on the idea that art reveals an aesthetic reaction, or pleasure, when being viewed (p. 73). In addition, she often returns to the senses when describing an aesthetic reaction, like when she remarks on the three eyes of knowing as described by Saint Bonaventure. In connection to this, Ann Hamilton’s explanations of her aesthetic experiences combined the senses of the mouth with those of the eye. She placed a small camera into her mouth that would record the world around her whenever her lips were open. This allowed for an alternate form of “seeing” the beauty in objects. She noted that this experience made her feel very vulnerable, but like she often strives for, these moments allowed her to make visible what was not visible in an “experienceable way” (Sollins et. al, 2003).

 

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art; 1^st Edition. Boston & London: Shambhala.

Sollins, S., Dowling, S., tatge, C., Shaffer, D., Ortega, E.L.M., Atlas, C., Anderson, L., PBS Home Video. (2003). Art 21: Art in the twenty-first century. United States: Art21, Inc.

Source 1

In his journal entry, Prohászková dives into the genre of horror and its great history and numerous purposes. He begins with a statement, similar to that of H.P. Lovecraft in the Horror History Presentation, and writes, “The oldest and strongest human emotion is fear. It is embedded in people since time began. It was fear that initiated the establishment of faith and religion” (2012). Over and over again, Prohászková makes the point that humans tend to create other characters or “high powers” when they are in need of an explanation for something that creates fear. He attributes this delegation to the human imagination, which “knows no limits,” and along with fear, come three separate genres: science fiction, fantasy, and horrow.

In the Aesthetics of Horror Presentation, a few questions are proposed including one calling for an answer to the purpose of the genre of horror; “Why do we want to ‘escape’ with a genre that stimulates fear and anxiety as it considers horrible events?” What is it about horror that specifically magnetizes viewers’ attention? Prohászková suggests four different “motivational groups”of horror-viewers and readers. He includes the gore watchers, the thrill watchers, the independent watchers, and the problem watchers. He describes the gore watchers as those who are interested in violence and revenge. They are people that may be driven by desires for revenge. The thrill watchers are more driven by emotions, especially tension and excitement, and these viewers are often driven by a sense of adventure. The independent watchers differ from the first two in that their interest in horror resides in the act of testing themselves. They wish to test their own bravery and maturity levels and may exhibit low levels of “dispositional empathy.” The problem watchers are similar to the independent watchers in this “testing” of one’s self, but they enjoy testing their problem solving skills when reading or viewing horror. These viewers may relate to the victim in the horror scenario.

It was certainly interesting reading about these intrinsic motivations for viewing or reading horror because I had always just assumed the motivation to be emotions-driven, like the thrill watchers in Prohászková’s account. In her writing, Carroll also realizes that emotions, and specifically pleasure, play a large role in people’s preference for horror. She writes, “the horror genre gives every evidence of being pleasurable to its audience, but it does so by means of trafficking in the very sorts of things that cause disquiet, distress, and displeasure.” When something horrific is “housed in an aesthetic context,” like a book, movie, or show, it attracts this feeling of pleasure, which acts as an invitation for the viewer’s attention and curiosities.

Why horror? Because it creates yet another medium for the bridging of aestheticism and the human experience. Although somewhat hard to accept, horrific events, certainly negative in characteristic, have the ability to provoke positive feelings in an aesthetic context.

 

Source 2

In his edition of The Horror Film, Stephen Prince also writes on the purpose of the genre of horror. He claims that this specific genre “resonates with social and cultural meanings,” rather than emotions (2004). Prince claims that these social and cultural interests are addressed in horror films, including exorcism, like that in The Exorcist, and are resolved subliminally via the viewer. Prince claims that these social and cultural ideas may be specific to the time period, or they may be universal over all time periods.

When it all boils down, what is left is the nature of all humanity, and this is what drives our curiosity in horror. Prince justifies this by saying, “the state of being human is fundamentally uncertain,” which justifies the theories of humans becoming “undead” and returning as zombies, ghosts, or other monsters. More intrinsic, however, is another self-motive, which is the anxiety that accompanies the integrity of the self and of the group.

In the History of Horror Presentation, many appeals to the horror genre are suggested, and one states “To discover the possibility of something creepy within myself” (2009). Prince’s writing seems to go hand-in-hand with this suggested appeal because of the self-reflective aspect that horror may provide. Prince proposes another similar question, and that is What must be done to remain human? He suggests that the exposure to horrific characters and creatures cause the viewer to want to be more human, or perhaps more mortal is a better phrase. Returning to the appeal from the presentation, perhaps it is rather not finding something creepy within the self that is more appealing.

Rather than toying with emotions, Prince suggests that the senses are employed while watching a horror film. He claims that “horror goes straight to the deepest unease at the core of human existence… the genre corresponds more profoundly with our contemporary sense of the world than do the others.” He believes this sense to be one of hope, and suggests that the fact that horror films are separate from actual life with their “sense of faraway places and things” is reassuring, and this provides a deeper meaning to the audience than any that can be achieved with other genres. Prince describes that there exist everyday fears, including the true intentions of airplane passengers, that may not have answers to them and may continue to cultivate fear in the human experience. But, horror films do not go unanswered, and within that, viewers find hope and reassurance.

In comparison, Carroll writes that horror films deviate from the “general narrative motivation” by creating something that is “unknowable,” but that these unfamiliar themes – perhaps a horrific monster – are answered to when they are physically revealed in films. Their true characteristics, whether physical, emotional, or mental, are announced, and this confirmation is what draws viewers in so consistently.

Although Prince advises that horror pulls at the human senses, ultimately these senses affect emotions. Within these emotions are the true motivations for human interest in the genre of horror. Regardless, humans are always searching for answers, especially to their existence and to their well-being, making the attraction of the “unknown” difficult to escape from.

 

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (Eds.), Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2^nd ed., pp. 275-294). New York, NY: Routledge.

Huette, S. (2009). Aesthetics of Horror Presentation. University of Oregon.

Huette, S. (2009). History of Horror Presentation. University of Oregon.

Prince, Stephen (2004). The Horror Film. Rutgers University Press.

Prohászková, V. (2012). The Genre of Horror. American International Journal of Contemporary Research (Vol 2; No 4)

Generally, I watch TV shows and movies with very little criticism, and I do not pay close attention to special effects, including sound and mise-en-scene. Taking a closer look at both of these in this assignment really helped me take on a change in my point of view.

 

An example of mise-en-scene that stood out to me occurred at nighttime when the two men, one being a vampire and the other not, were going to bed. The two were in what seemed to be a living room with a pull-out couch bed and a chair. In the chair was tied the vampire, so that he was not able to bite the vulnerable human. The non-vampire man (please excuse me for not knowing names) finally laid down in the bed to go to sleep and the light from what was presumed to be an open window was casting just enough light on his face, as well as the vampire’s, so that you could still make out facial expressions. This production design allowed insight of the two characters’ dialogue even though the scene took place at a time when it was dark.

 

An example of a diegetic sound occurred Buffy and her friend were walking the streets of their town after everyone had lost their voices. Since no one was speaking, there was already an eerie silence to the scene. In the background were sirens, which I took as a negative or pessimistic sound. At a time when all inhabitants were struggling with the loss of their voices, the thought that someone was requiring emergency vehicles only added to the predicament. Although, I found myself wondering how a fire department would have been notified of an emergency if no one could vocally call in anything.

 

An example of a non-diegetic sound, being neither visible nor implied, was the background music when the characters were all first realizing that they were without voices. First, Buffy walked back into her room to find her friend just waking up, and the two of them simultaneously realized their voices were gone. The music picks up at that point to elicit an eerie mood and to emphasize the inherent silence.

 

Sources:

http://is-cc-media.uoregon.edu/media/CRN/2009/huette/Buffy_EP_Hush_lo.mp4. February 11, 2015.

Growing up, I attended a private school for elementary and middle school, where uniform was worn daily, and where the term free dress day was almost as special as snow day. First through fifth grades wore khaki pants or shorts with dark red shirts, and sixth through eighth grades wore khakis and navy blue shirts. Each shirt had to be stitched with the school logo, and there was certainly no going around that. Girls were also allowed to wear skorts, comparable to a skirt, but with a pair of built-in shorts. Needless to say, this was not the most flattering look for younger girls and boys who were just beginning to figure out exactly who they were.

A great amount of criticism came from outsiders who claimed that school uniforms impinged upon individualism, but at the time, I really didn’t know any better. In response to these claims, I can remember school officials stating that a uniform kept things more formal, and because our school was located in an area with a high incidence of crime, uniforms made it easier to keep an eye over students at recess or when passing between buildings. In my opinion, safety is a greater priority than individualism, but limiting the development of individualism is never ideal. Certainly, we found other ways to express ourselves, for example, through hairstyles or shoes. In addition, requiring uniformity of dress code left little room for judgments of students’ economic class, of which I think wardrobes are often indicative.

Aside from school uniforms, I have always been interested in dressing and presenting myself well and in an attempt to stay up-to-date with the latest fashion trends, reflecting my value of awareness. I would certainly say my look is on the more conservative side, which reflects my introverted character. I do not often wear bright colors because I do not like to have much attention drawn toward myself, and I simply think that neutral colors are easier to match. I have never tried dying my hair because I have always felt content with its natural color. I do enjoy experimenting with new hairstyles, which I find to be a more subtle way of expressing individualism through hair. Long hair has always been my forte, and I think this consistency is representative of the consistency I prefer in everyday settings.

Once in high school, and relinquished of my private school uniform, I enjoyed a greater degree of customization in my dressing and body adornment. I balanced days spent in sweats and hoodies with dressier days that included outfits pieced together more deliberately. I preferred wearing clothing that was somewhat fitted to show femininity, but that was loose enough to preserve dignity. I enjoyed wearing T-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants from various volleyball teams, which seemed to represent my valuing of athleticism and physical health.

Personally, I am not a fan of excessive body piercings or tattoos, but I can understand why so many people are keen about them. This diversion, I think, is the result of growing up with parents whom were always very vocal in their disapproval of tattoos. The values of both of my parents, along with my two sisters, have had an immense effect on my personal values. If I were to ever get a tattoo, it would have to have great significance and deep meaning for me. When I think of objects or people who have such a great impact on me, I think of my family, and I know that not one of them would want me to celebrate them with a tattoo.

In the peer community I am surrounded by today, values certainly vary, but a few can be specified as core values. Among these are fitness, comfort, acceptance, and diversity. It seems that workout fads are coming and going more quickly than ever, and I think the prevalence of workout clothes in the fashion industry accompanies this movement. My peers, for the most part, are heavily concerned with their physical health, and as a result, basketball shorts and yoga pants seem to be in just about everyone’s wardrobe. Comfort is just as prevalent, in terms of material and fit, as well as feeling comfortable with one’s appearance and self. Along with this comes acceptance. For the majority of young adults, acceptance is always being strived for, and this is reflected in personal presentation. There exists an unspoken competition to stay up-to-date with the latest fashion trends and hairstyles. One day, it is the high-low skirt and the next is the ombre hair coloring. Lastly, diversity seems to be heavily sought-after. Just as much as we want to be accepted, we also want to diversify and differentiate ourselves as unique from one another.

For this week’s discussion assignment I chose to observe three different people during a physics lecture. Yes, I am a part of this class section, but I found people-watching to be a bit more entertaining than the actual lecture.

 

Subject #1

If I had to choose one word to describe the physical appearance of this woman, I would choose athletic. Like most other majors, you seem to run into the same familiar faces each day in class, and this girl was no exception. I knew who she was, but was not too familiar with her personality or background. During class, she was focused on completing another assignment, along with the couple friends sitting around her. She had very little, if any, makeup on, and she was wearing bright blue yoga pants. I think both of those adornments, or lack-thereof, say a lot about her values and beliefs. I would guess that she is comfortable with her own natural beauty and doesn’t feel the need to put on makeup for class. I think her bright blue pants were indicative of another form of confidence – her being okay with drawing a bit of attention to her legs. I think it is easy for me to make these assumptions because this is how I feel when I go without makeup or wear a brighter piece of clothing.

 

Subject #2

Next up is yet another familiar face, but I know much less about this man and where he has come from. He is tall in stature and always seems to be wearing very baggy and loose fitting clothes. In contrast to Subject #1, I think this man probably feels much more comfortable in this type of dress, rather than anything more form fitting. His clothes are always dark in color, and today is no exception. I think this may be a reflection on his emotions and personality – perhaps he does not enjoy being the center of attention and is maybe a more introverted person. He also has tattoos covering the majority of both of his arms. He is wearing a long sleeve today, as he does most days, but his sleeves are partially rolled up, revealing his colorful arms. I think sleeve tattoos are much more common in our generation, rather than any older generations, so it is safe to assume this man is near my age.

 

Subject #3

Lastly, is a woman with a less familiar face. She is shorter in stature and seems to be very happy and eager to see her friend sitting next to her. She is wearing glasses and has a beaded and feathered hairpiece in. She quickly sheds many layers of clothing before getting settled at her desk. The sweater she has on is bright yellow and seems quite tattered. She looks more unique than the majority of the students in the classroom. I think that these characteristics indicate a woman who is very comfortable being different than others and may even choose personal adornments and wardrobe choices that set her a part from others. Maybe she likes wearing these somewhat funky glasses as an accessory, or perhaps she wears them everyday for practical reasons. Her hairpiece is artsy, which I think is a quality she probably possesses. Again, I think I come to these conclusions because they are representative of what I would see in myself if I were to dress and accessorize in the same way.