1. Beauty
2. Creativity
3. Energy
4. Passion
5. Color
6. Inspiration
7. Uniqueness
8. Limitless
9. Imagination
10. Fun

This image seemed to represent my first five elements of my description of art. I enjoyed this activity a lot because I felt like I was fulfilling a lot of the elements I described when I thought about art and the work of an artist. Dissanayake explains how “art” is usually referred to as an object (paintings, pictures, sculptures, dances, etc.), but works of art are the result of an artist’s behavior. When art is regarded as making something special, we can see it in many different forms (things we cook, an outfit we wear, rituals in everyday life). Dissanayake says, when we look at art this way, we are making the things we care about special. (pg.24). For this reason, I most definitely believe that these collages are a perfect representation of art. I think almost anything can be considered art. “Art” is in the opinion of the viewer/artist and how we feel as individuals.

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

 

Lessig, L. (2008). Comparing Cultures. Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy (pp. 84-116). New York: Penguin Press HC, The.

This week’s reading explained the debate between “read only” (RO) culture and “red-write” (RW) culture. Without copyright, there is this allowance for others to “create” who otherwise could not. Lessig makes the point that, “…in protection RO culture, we shouldn’t kill off the potential for RW” (p 90). Copyright supports RO culture and opposes practices of the RW culture. Copyright may be valuable in some senses to preserve original creativity, but it also hinders the creativity of evolving generations. Copyright laws are becoming so restricted that it may reject the use of any sort of copyrighted content. I think copyrights are important to protect artists from others taking their creations in whole, but there needs to be some sort of balance (as explained in the reading, TED talk, and other materials).

In the TED talk, he explains how laws being changed reflect the same type of ideas as a copyright. New technology creates an unsure feeling for people because they are unfamiliar with it. Digital technology is important for celebrating amateur culture (people produce for the love of what their doing and not the money). He explains how today remixing gives access to this culture because you are able to create something enjoyable in your own way. He clarifies that it is not piracy (where you distribute without copyright format or taking it in whole). This new use of culture and the copyright laws make this seem as though we are “trespassers” for using these forms in creativity of remixes. He explains a balance (a private solution) to legalize through competition. Artists can decide that their work can be used toward “amateur” type of work but not freely for commercial type of use.

Lessig states that these forms (remixes) should not be looked at in a negative light, but appreciated because, “You pay respect to tradition by incorporating it”(p 96). I agree that you can still respect a previous work while also being inspired by it and surprising the audience by giving them something they will enjoy. I think with each generation things change. Creations from the past do not need to be forgotten, but they can inspire a new generation to take those ideas and creations and build on them.

Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins, by Beverly Jones explains the relationship between art and technology. Jones states her thesis, “By reviewing specific works and what appear to be underlying conditions and assumptions that shaped these works, I hope to establish the relation of specific image, object, event or environment to conceptual frames. These frames exist within art and technology and are present in other forms of symbolic and material culture” (p21). Jones expands on this by giving a few historic examples such as the stone columns of ancient Egyptian architecture. They were based on earlier papyrus columns. This explains her thesis and the idea that art and technology have a relationship that influence one another. The article explains how theorists of art and humanities examine implicit assumptions about developing technologies and assist in directing the development of new technologies toward cultural desires/goals before technological ones. Art can be seen through technology (computer graphics) as it has evolved. One example of this is that color was first introduced for practical purposes, but then was also used to create images for aesthetic purposes.

In the article it was explained how technologists create a very technical and precise reality simulation through computer graphics (which makes images too perfect). It did not reflect the real world because there were no imperfections or irregularities. Artists found that they wanted to create technologies that displayed artistic movements (simulations to express human skill and machine capabilities).

Today artistic and technological elements are needed in daily life across many works (through practical and professional communities of advertising, entertainment, publishing, business, education, medicine, etc.). They are also both needed in the creation of games. In the article Jones states, “When scientists take these techniques to their logical limits in the technical/scientific realm, they find that they need to borrow the concepts and methods of artistic practice in order to create graphic images that look more real than images based solely on algorithms”(p 28).

I read a chapter from Explorations in Art and Technology, by Linda Candy. In her book it also explores the relationship of art and technology. Candy explains, “Perhaps the emerging order will be defined neither by artists nor by technologists alone. Instead, we may look forward to new types of collaborations that embrace the intersections between technology and art”(p266). It takes collaboration and willingness from both aspects to create great works. As time goes on, openness seems to be more common as technological and artistic aspects realize that they need each other to advance in today’s society.

 

Candy, L., & Edmonds, E. A. (2002). Explorations in art and technology: Intersection and correspondence. New York: Springer.

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

A lot of gamers feel that they are not as good in life as they are in a game. In game worlds, individuals become the best versions of themselves (they are willing to try again and achieve greatness). In real life, we often feel overwhelmed or less able to achieve what we want. In games, there’s always something specific to be done to achieve a mission and there are also people there that are willing to help you. There is also constant feedback and encouragement throughout games. It is satisfying to be working toward an “epic win” (solving virtual problems). McGonigal explains how games have taught individuals to learn cohesiveness and life skills needed to work together and reach success. She says it gives gamers, “extreme optimism (meeting goals), social fabric (we like people better after playing a game with them—trust), blissful productivity (we are happier working hard at a game), and epic meaning (attached to inspiration)”. She says this leads to individuals who believe they are capable of changing the word (virtual versus real). I do not fully agree with this idea. A game may give someone a feeling of achievement and confidence, but these situations are not comparable to those in the real world. If they are really attaining these qualities from games, then they should be able to apply them to real-world situations.

McGonigal has devoted her gaming situation to help make the future a reality through these games. I understand her ideas behind this, but I do not necessarily think that individuals will be intrigued just because it has the label of a “game”.

 

To me, spirituality seems to relate to a state of being or a way of living. It is a feeling that you have that shapes you (inward) and is chosen.  Spirituality is something that is within each individual and may encourage you to live in a certain way or maintain a certain mindset. I like to think of spirituality as a sort of ‘healthy’ lifestyle. The way that someone may exercise and have healthy life habits is similar to maintaining healthy spiritual habits. Your qualities and beliefs can influence your thoughts and actions (that you carry out through your spirituality). I think that spirituality can also change and evolve just as we do as individuals. With age we are faced with many different circumstance and it is through these experiences that we can transform and grow with our spirituality.

I think of spirituality as a way of being that often correlates with religious beliefs.  Religion is a more structured system. Depending on your spirituality you may be drawn to choose a certain religion that reflects your spirituality or beliefs. Religion could be seen as the actions that you carry out which reflect your spirituality. These may be for example, they way that you take care of your body (“the temple of God”), your thoughts (affirmations of your beliefs), and also your actions of prayer. In the same sense, your religious experiences may impact your spirituality. I have been raised in a Christian family and I know that my upbringings have helped to confirm my spiritual feelings. Just the same, I know that someone may grow up in an unreligious family and it could change their spiritual feelings and mindset.

I think creativity is the ability to express and produce things in a freely open manner. Creativity allows your imagination to be your motivation (whether it be for artwork or planning in another sense). When I think of creativity I think of originality. In order for a thought to be considered creative, it must be inventive. I think creative qualities can come from our personalities as well as an ability to think of things in an unoriginal way. When I think of being creative I think of things such as Pinterest. This may seem interesting, but I often look to Pinterest when I need a creative idea or inspiration for something. Creativity can often times take some ‘thinking outside the box’. When I am creating something, I usually want it to not only turn out the way I envision it, but I also want it to be respected in a unique way. This can sometimes take willingness to stray from the norm.

As I touched on a little earlier, I think that creativity is a source that comes from our personality. It is a complex idea, and may have several different inspirations (maybe even some unknown). Creativity may be something we are born with or may come from other surrounding factors in our lives (nature vs. nurture). Creativity takes an ability to think in a certain way and be flexible and willing to try things in a different way. I believe that we all have opportunities to be creative. It just depends on our ability to see these opportunities and use our individual skills in order to be creative. In our reading this week, it was explained that a creative spirit is a key factor in order to create and appreciate art. I think that this is true. While we all may have some sort of ‘source’ for creativity, I think it takes the motivation and desire to act upon that source and use it to be creative.

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

This reading showed me how artists deal with their beliefs, spirituality, and the meaning behind their artwork. There are many elements needed in order to see, appreciate, and often understand a work of art. Seeing is when something catches our attention and there is meaning to us. Grey states, “In the act of deeply seeing, we transcend the egoic boundaries between self and the otherness of the world, momentarily merging with the thing seen”(p 72). It is explained that there is a difference between looking and seeing. Seeing has many different levels/requirements. These include the inspiration to create, technical aspects (such as the relationships the artist wishes to express), and critical translation (the art represents the “seeing mind”) (p 72). Seeing art is a process. First you physically see it with your eyes, then the eye of reason sees “a harmony of sensations that stir the emotions, and a conceptual understanding of the art arises” (p 82). Grey describes this as an idea of “aesthetic shock”. That we can be caught up in a moment where you are so captured why the artwork you are surrounded by, it is all that you notice and see for that moment in time. (p 83). This is the goal that an artist has when they create a piece of work. As a work of art comes together there is a feeling of thrill and excitement to watch it unfold. I can relate to this as I enjoy creating art. When I have a vision of how I want something to turn out and throughout the process I am extremely happy with it, it gives me a sense of joy and success. The creation of art is not only about the ability to create, but also the ability to influence others to be admiring of a creation. Grey explains that, “We all need to feel that we have value and that someone understands or appreciates us and what we do”(p 103). Our feelings and beliefs can be seen in a piece of art and it is through this that others can view another person’s vision.

The topic of horror has led to some similarities and common traits of what researchers not only consider “horror”, but also what they believe draws in the audience to this genre. In Carroll’s article, Why Horror, She explains the dynamics and elements that contribute to the topic of horror and why  audience members find pleasure in watching them. As I researched the topic of horror, I found that many other people have similar views on what makes these things of interest to the audience/viewers. I chose two sources that explained the ideology of horror and how they compared to our reading for this week.

For my first source, I found a book written by Jennifer McMahon. The book is titled, Aesthetics and Material beauty: Aesthetics Naturalized. There are many topics covered throughout her book, and one of them is the structure behind the horror genre. McMahon agrees with Carroll in many ways. Similarly, she points out that, horror films are designed to attract the audience’s attention by stimulating their curiosity (p 168). She explains, that throughout the film, “We fear the creature presented but the film only reveals aspects of the creature incrementally throughout the film. We want to know more because we are intrigued by the unknown quality of the monster. It is in the way the film is structured that holds our attention and pleases”. She also illustrated how the monsters have features, which violate our conceptual categories by combining features that correspond to elements of various concepts. She demonstrates this by giving the example of, “a liquid that is self-bounded and moves about freely drowning people”. This is a perfect example of how horror films take a concept that is frightening, yet also defying out conceptual categories. Carroll touches on things such as this as well as she explains that, these violations of our natural categories are what drive our imagination and curiosity throughout these works (p 168).

My second source was an article by Filmmaker IQ titles, The Psychology of Scary Movies. Throughout the article there are eight incomplete theories of why we are attracted to horror. One of these theories is the excitation transfer. This is the idea that we enjoy the feelings created by horror because they actually intensify the feelings of triumph at the end by the hero. Viewers also enjoy the curiosity and fascination with these works. This is similar to Carroll’s points where she explains how the audience enjoys being involved in the process of discovery throughout the film or story. She states that, “…we are attracted to, and many of us seek out, horror fictions of this sort despite the fact that they provoke disgust, because that disgust is required for the pleasure involved in engaging our curiosity in the unknown and drawing it into the process of revelation, ratiocination, etc.”(p 284). There are many other theories explained throughout the article that had to do with gender, society fears, and other attributions that play into our interest in this genre. There were also four categories of horror watching that were discussed. A study by Deirdre D. Johnston in 1995, found that motivations fell into four general categories. These were, gore watching (low empathy and high sensation seeking-males), thrill watching (high empathy, high sensation seeking-motivated by suspense more than identification with the victims), independent watching (high empathy for victim with high positive effect of overcoming fear), and problem watching (high empathy for victim but characterized by negative effect-sense of helplessness). These all show the complexity of the brain and how that can play into an individuals desire for the motivation they have for these types of films. Carroll mentions this idea in her criticisms as she explains her central approach being that horror is “fundamentally linked with cognitive interests, most notably with curiosity”(286). In the article it is also stated that overall, “Horror movies require us to face the unknown-to understand it and make it less scary. They allow us to see our fears and put them into context, to play what if, and in doing so, they shape our belief systems, how we see each other and individuals”. Carroll also touches on this idea as she explains the idea of Hume that explains that the tragic “affection” comes from the narrative expectation. “..it is not the tragic event itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked into the plot” (p 277). She goes on to later explain, that what causes the hypothesis, distress, disturbance, and disgust, can also be the source of pleasure, interest, and attraction”(287).

 

McMahon, J. (2007). Aesthetics and material beauty: Aesthetics naturalized. New York: Routledge.

The Psychology of Scary Movies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/the-psychology-of-scary-movies/

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 17). New York, NY: Routledge.

While watching the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I found many appealing elements which made this show thrilling and attention grabbing.

Non-diegetic sound:

In the clock tower the music and the noises set a very frightening tone. When the different components (voices) come out of each individual at night and they are all collected in the box in the clock tower the music increases in pitch (which increases the fear of the viewer). Then one of the “villains” or “monsters” is revealed and the music hit a peak, which sets a thrilling tone and a moment that draws you in. I chose this scene because it was appealing for the audience and also left you interested in what might happen next. This same type of music is also present when all the “floating villains” come by the window and float into the apartment building or rooms. It is also seen as Buffy fights them at the end of the episode. I think this creates the added effect of the thrill and horror you are supposed to feel when they are present.

Diegetic Sound:

Since most of the episode is silent in terms of diegetic sound (due to their voices being taken). I found that the most appealing and intriguing diegetic scenes at the beginning and the end of the episode. Buffy’s dream in the beginning had the little girl singing in her little voice, which set a mood for the rest of the episode. Her little voice is creepy and catches the viewer’s attention. In terms of voice, I also found this dramatic appeal as Buffy screams when she finally gets her voice back (and that is what finally kills the villains) at the end. Their voices were both used in different ways that kept the viewer interested.

Mise-en-scene:

One scene that created a scary and exhilarating feeling for me was the scene with the two villains floating into the apartment and strapping the guy down to his bed. The angle of the camera gives you the feeling that you are actually in the scene with all of them. When they first arrive, you get the feeling of shock and fear that the man must have felt when opening the door. Also, when he is on the bed and they are ready to cut his heart out (if that’s what it was), the angle of the camera makes the viewer feel as if they are in his position and they are looking down on you. Also, when they add the jar with the heart to the others, it is dim lit (which illuminates their scary faces and sets a dramatic tone). This scene had an aesthetic appeal for the horror theme. It tied into emotion, fear, and also attention (through lighting, dramatic effect, and music choices).

I do not often take time to analyze the way that I dress and represent myself. I love this topic of discussion and how it has made me reflect on how we perceive others and also how we perceive ourselves. I know that (even when I do not realize it) I am always expressing myself and my values through what I do and what I wear. For example, I enjoy trends and styles as well as unique design and expression. I am not the type of person who likes to dress in a “plain” way. Although I enjoy my comfort, I enjoy the artistic type of expression we are able to make through our clothing and adornment. I also pay attention to detail. I like things to match and I enjoy accessorizing with my outfits.

I think my choices come from the friends I have surrounded myself with, and also the lifestyle I have grown up in. I have been raised in a somewhat conservative Christian family, so a lot of my outfit choices are based off of what my parents and grandparents would see as appropriate. As fashion has changed, I am sure there are things that they do not understand (in terms of style). While this may be true, I know that a lot of my style choices reflect how others would think of and view me. Maybe I care a little too much what others think of me, but at this point in my life, I like to be seen as a mature adult. I know that in order for me to set a respectable image for myself, I have to think about what I wear and the way I represent myself. There are many choices I have made throughout my life that show this standard I have set for myself, not only through my outfits, but also through my adornment. Someone who has always encouraged me to “think before I act” is my mom. The day I turned 18, I immediately wanted a tattoo. For my mom it did not make sense because tattoos were not as popular as they are now. While she kept an open mind, she reminded me that that was something permanent I would have all my life. She also explained how the placement and the tattoo itself should be very important in my decision-making. As a spontaneous and impulsive teenager, I was upset she was not automatically onboard. Now, looking back I appreciate her advice and her input.

There are definitely some things that I wore in high school and middle school that I would no longer wear now. In the same respect, I know that there will be things that I will no longer wear in my future that I enjoy wearing now. As we age we have to consider that society is changing as well. What was respectable in the past may not hold the same weight that it does today. One way I can illustrate this is through the trends I see on campus. Being on not only a college campus, but also a liberal arts campus, I see a variety of ways that individuals customize themselves. An example of this is when I go to the gym. There are circumstances when I feel like an outfit can simply express your age and your way of life. I see many outfits from tiny spandex to sweats. Judgments may be made, but I know that when I go to the gym, the way that I look is of no concern to me. I choose not to overexpose my body because the gym is a place where I go to stay in shape and remain healthy. In society, exposure of your body is of more acceptance than it may have been in the past. While this is true, I see that with age I find myself moving away from that style and form of expression. In a similar sense, I have found myself walking into a favorite store of mine in the past and finding nothing appealing to me. The types of clothing that may have interested me in the past, I am no longer drawn to. New trends will always be introduced and societies views will always evolve. That is one of the amazing things I find about fashion is that it is always changing and new styles and looks are admired. It is hard to say what will or won’t be in style, as I get older, but I think the most influential factor I have in my life is the people I surround myself with.